A/N: I own nothing (of any substantial value)

There are other things that I would like to talk about (sort of), but none of them seem worth a A/N. Nevertheless, let's get down to it. On with the Story!

Chapter 4: The Beginnings of a Changing Fate

Extraordinary men can transgress any law, break any rule, simply because they are extraordinary – Fyodor Dostoevsky

"I am Zero!"

At least Lelouch hasn't lost his flair for the dramatic Kallen thought as she sat behind of "Clovis's" car. Here they were again, freeing Suzaku from his prison transport. Kallen was still unable to believe how well this plan had worked. All it had taken them was a redecorated car and an empty canister to effectively scare the Britannians into giving up Suzaku in front of an international audience. A gunshot brought Kallen back to earth as three Knightmares descended from the sky and surrounded the van. Now having them effectively surrounded, the Margrave Jeremiah Guttwold said sneeringly "Now, why don't you remove that ridiculous mask?"

Kallen knew what would happen next, mostly because she had watched the video tapes afterwards. Lelouch would go to remove his mask, only to snap his fingers and reveal the canister. He would then demand that Suzaku for the canister, only to be rebuffed by Jeremiah. Zero would then reveal himself as Clovis's murderer, and threaten to expose "Orange" if Jeremiah didn't let them go. They would then drive straight out with Suzaku and with no one trying to shoot them. Yet despite knowing this, Kallen suddenly felt anxious about the whole plan falling apart. The butterfly effect could still mess things up she thought who knows what else has been affected.

Fortunately, the plan went exactly as it had before, and soon they were on their way with a freed political prisoner. At least things haven't changed too much since then she thought as they sped off into the night.

XXXXXXXXXX

Nunnally turned off the TV, thoroughly impressed with her brother's success. During the first time, Lelouch and Sayoko had kept her away from much of the news concerning Zero and the Black Knights. Now, having seen Zero's grand debut, Nunnally could see why he was such a big deal. His words, his gestures, his speaking style; Everything about Zero commanded respect and obedience, like an actor who could command the attention of the audience. That, coupled with Lelouch's immense intellect, made Zero a terrifying force to be reckoned with. If Lelouch hadn't been so focused on the Zero Requiem and making people hate him, he would've made an amazing emperor Nunnally thought as she entered the dining room. She then saw a girl around Lelouch's age with long green hair wearing what appeared to be a straitjacket playing with a origami cranes on the table. "Hello?" said Nunnally in a suspicious voice "Can I help you?"

The girl turned and locked her amber eyes with the amethyst eyes. "I'm C.C" she said, and turned back to the paper cranes.

Nunnally began to study the girl with interest. C.C had lived with them during the Black Rebellion, but the two off them never really talked too much during. She knew that C.C had been one of her brothers closet companions during his time as Zero, and supposedly had a hand in the Zero Requiem. But that contradicted the fact that she had turned Nunnally over to the emperor. In any event, C.C was going to be a fixture if Nunnally knew her brother, so she thought she might as well ask some questions about the mystery girl.

"Why are you here?" Nunnally asked cautiously, moving her wheelchair so that she would be sitting next to C.C.

"I'm here to see Lelouch."

"What business do you have with my big brother?"

"He is promised to me"

Nunnally frowned. This was the same answer that she had given last time. "What does that mean?"

"It means that he is the one who will end my life."

Now that was news to Nunnally. No one had made mention of this earlier. Did Lelouch actually kill this girl the last time? If so, why? Why was this girl be here if Lelouch actually was going to kill her? And why did she seem so nonchalant about it? Just then, her brother entered the room, obviously tired from the long night. Upon seeing C.C, he smiled. "Ah, C.C" Lelouch said "I've been expecting you. Do you mind coming with me?"

With that, he took C.C by the wrist, and led her out of the room, leaving Nunnally to think of the right questions to ask her brother. Her first one came when Lelouch re entered the room. "So who is she exactly?"

Lelouch sighed a sigh of resignation; it looked like he had been anticipating that question. "Her name, as I think she told you, is C.C. She's the one who gave me my Geass."

Nunnally's eyes widened. She had often wondered how Lelouch had gotten his Geass, and here was, at the very least, part of the answer. Eager for more details, she continued. "When did you meet?"

"Two days ago, the same day you and I were sent back to. I met her during the battle of Shinjuku, where she gave me my Geass."

"What did she mean by saying you were going to 'end her life'?"

"C.C contains what is known as a 'code'. This basically makes her immortal. Her life can only be ended by someone who has a contract with her. Upon killing her, the contracted receives the code and becomes immortal."

That answered a few of Nunnally's questions, and created a whole lot more. Before she could ask any more questions, Lelouch yawned and said "Look, I know you have a lot of questions about all of this, but it's late and we both have school tomorrow. I promise that I'll all of your questions; some I can answer tomorrow, others may have to wait until they become relevant. But I promise you, when the time comes, I'll be honest with you."

Lelouch then kissed her on the forehead and bade her goodnight. But Nunnally knew that that promise was conditional at best. He would only tell her the truth if it would serve both of them, and that wasn't the case now. Though she had been promised that she would help out with the rebellion, Nunnally knew that she was a complete liability right now. She was confined to this damn wheelchair, which made it impossible for her to do anything on her own. And it also made her vulnerable. That, more than anything, was the Achilles heel of their plans. Nunnally knew that if she was in danger, Lelouch would drop everything and rush to her side. And that fact had cost him dearly in the past.

But just because she was helpless now didn't mean she had to stay that way. In fact, she begin the process right away, as Sayoko had just come in to take here to bed. "Ms. Sayoko?"

"Yes Mistress?"

"I need a few favors from you…"

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Welcome to Area 11, Viceroy."

Cornelia li Britannia accepted the greetings as she settled into her new offices. The rest of her weapons and troops would be arriving within a few days, but she was impatient. She wanted to get started immediately, to get back into action. She wanted to pacify this god forsaken region once and for all. Area 11 had already claimed three of her siblings, she wouldn't let it take a fourth, whether it be her or Euphie. Cornelia sighed and turned to the paperwork on her desk. Clovis may have been one of the few siblings that she could stand, but he had been a terrible administrator. He had left her quite a mess to clean up, and she was going to hold back her eagerness until her troops arrived and deal with the inane paperwork in front of her.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"Well, at least Suzaku is back on the student council, so the bullying should die down a bit." Lelouch said as sat down to have lunch with Nunnally.

"It still doesn't excuse their behavior" Nunnally replied as she drank her tea. She had been always of the racism that had existed at Ashford, but actually seeing it had made it almost unbearable. "It was nice that you could still acknowledge him as a friend, especially after all that's gone between you two."

"You forget, it's all yet to happen. He's still Suzaku that was our friend. In any case, did you have to tell the Milly that Arthur stole something of mine, again."

"Well it happened last time, so at least the deviations are down. Besides, you should take better care of such valuable equipment" she said with a giggle. "So, what happens next?"

"Well, now that Cornelia has arrived in Japan, her first will be to draw Zero out. She'll attack Saitama in an effort to draw me out. Only this time," Lelouch said with a smirk, "I have no intention of falling into her trap a second time."

"Well," Nunnally said with a sudden eagerness, "I may be able to help! Come with me!"

With that, she led Lelouch to her room, where an unusual amount of computer and radio equipment had been set up. "Nunnally, what is all this?" Lelouch asked in confused amazement.

"I had Sayoko get me some equipment so that I could help out big brother. With this, we should be able to listen in on the communications between Cornelia and her subordinates, amongst other things."

Lelouch was stunned. In order to keep the conversation going, he asked the first question that came to his head. "How do we know that this will work?"

"Well, back when I was Viceroy, I remember that a common complaint that the communication modules hadn't changed since Clovis's time. I figured that was still true, so I used the Viceroy's override code to gain access. I already have the timetable for the Saitama operation" Nunnally said as she handed him a printout of a highly classified document.

At this point, Lelouch was completely shocked. "This...this is…"

"Look" Nunnally said, taking his hand in reassurement. "I know that you're scared for me, that I'm putting myself in danger. But remember that last time I was kept out of "danger" by you and everyone else, and I still wound up in danger. Now, I refuse to be a bystander anymore. Now, I will fight my fate, and choose my own destiny."

Suddenly, she was pulled into a hug by her brother. "Just make sure that you don't loose you in the fight. Don't ever stop being you."

Nunnally returned the hug. "Don't worry. With the two of us together, I know we won't lose each other." The two siblings broke apart, and looked at each other with a mutual respect and understanding. "So, what's our plan?" Nunnally asked, to which Lelouch flashed his trademark grin.

Xxxxxxxxxx

The Saitama operation was meant to be a show of force. Over a hundred Knightmares, a thousand infantry, and various light artilerly. With this, they would march through the ghetto and accomplish what Clovis had failed to achieve in Shinjuku. And it all with a single purpose in mind: to lure out Zero, the most wanted criminal in the Brittanian empire.

So far, it wasn't working.

Not only had the masked man not made an appearance, but there where no one at all, save a few pieces of stubborn resistance. With all the fanfare that they were broadcasting this with, they giving a very lackluster performance.

Cornelia, needless to say, was dissatisfied. They had spent a lot of time, money, and effort to create a situation similar to Shinjuku, all in the hope of getting a rise out of the masked terrorist. And it had all been a waste. She was debating whether to draw out the operation or just give up when she received an alert over the radio. "What is it Unit 7?" she asked.

"Um, ma-am, you asked us to report any unusual activities that we encounter while out here, right?" said the nervous voice of the unit's captain over the radio.

"That's right captain. What have you come across?"

"Well, we found Lt. Henderson, one of the Knightmare pilots, wandering around out here. Not in his Knightmare, just out here wandering. And he has no idea how he got here."

"Roger that, thank you." Cornelia said with a satisfied smirk. She remembered reading about a similar incident happening during the Shinjuku skirmish, about a member of the Purist faction who had been found in the battlefield with no idea how she had lost her Knightmare. Cornelia smiled. Maybe this operation wasn't going to be such a waste after all.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxx

"All Knightmare, report back to base for inspection."

Alright, here we go Lelouch thought as he let the machine go to autopilot and follow orders. So far, the plan was unfolding exactly as he had wanted to. As the machine moved through the ghetto, Zero took out a device meant to override the automatic controls, and inserted it into the vehicles data port. This device had been extremely useful back when the Black Knights had been stealing Knightmares from the Britainnians. The device had been simple enough that Lelouch could remember how to make it and had assembled it in the past week. Should take about five minutes, he thought and had the device's timer confirm that, as the Knightmare pulled into the inspection lot. He knew what would happen next: each Knightmare would be made to open, and the pilot would be made to present themselves. By the time that they had gotten to him, the device would be activated and the next stage of his plan would begin.

Unfortunately, the plan was quickly derailed when Lelouch's stolen Sutherland pulled into the inspection line. For no sooner had the machine parked than three Gloucesters pulled up to him and pointed their machine guns at them. "Hello Zero" said his sister in a smug tone that suggested total victory. Crap, this is progressing too fast, thought Lelouch as he checked the timer on the device. I need to stall for time.

But how?

xxxxxxxxxx

"Good afternoon Viceroy Cornelia"

The 2nd princess could barely suppress a grin. She had cornered Zero and had given him nowhere to run. There was only reason for him to contact her, and in such as cordial tone: he was going to attempt to beg for his life. She was proven correct by the next transmission that came through. "I'm afraid that its inconvenient for me to die just yet, so how about a trade?"

Cornelia's grin through. It appeared for all his bravado and flair, the great Zero was just a coward after all. "What could you possibly offer me?" she asked arrogantly.

"Information. Information that you've been searching for a long time."

"Like what? Your recipe for triple decker chocolate mousse? What information could you have that would be of any use to me?"

"Ha Ha. I won't give you that, but I'll give you something just as good"

"Oh, really? This should be good. So, go ahead, what bombshell do you got for me?"
"I can tell you why Clovis never found the bodies of your siblings Lelouch and Nunnally."

Cornelia felt her breath grow short. "You couldn't possibly know that."

"Oh but I do. And I'm willing to share that knowledge with you, if you're willing to accept my trade."

"Ok, I'll bite. Why couldn't Clovis never find corpses of Lelouch and Nunnally?"

"Because there were never any corpses."

Cornelia could feel her heart pounding like a timpani. Could this be true? "You're lying" she shout back over the radio in a knee jerk reaction.

"But it's true. Lelouch and Nunnally have been living here in Japan for the past seven years, in secret and in safety."

"That's wonderful!" Cornelia said, feeling a sense of elation at the thought of seeing her beloved younger siblings again. "Tell me where they are and I –"

"No."

Cornelia felt the happiness that she had felt being replaced swiftly by anger. "How dare you! I demand me you tell me where they are, Why would you –"

"It's simple really. The reason I won't tell you where they are is because they don't want to be found and returned to Pendragon."

"Why? Why could be there reason that they don't want to return to their family?"

"Because Lelouch is close to figuring out who killed his mother."

Cornelia felt herself go cold. This was an answer that she herself had been looking for quite some time. Now Zero was telling her that Lelouch, and by extension, knew something about the murder of the woman she had idolized? This had to be investigated, she had to know what they knew. "Why would that prevent them coming back?" Cornelia asked, hoping that the query would at least provoke a response.

"Because Lelouch knows that the true killer is someone in the Imperial Court. Someone with tremendous power and still close with the Emperor."

"That's impossible!" Cornelia said. But it was only a knee jerk reaction. Already her mind was going over the facts she already knew, and it made an eerie amount of sense. That night that the Empress had died, she had instructed Cornelia to remove her personal guard for the night. And hadn't the Emperor himself called off the investigation? Could there be a truth to what the masked man was saying. She needed to know more about the matter. "Well Zero, I don't know if you're telling me the truth, but I can't let you go now. You're going to have come with me."

"That was not the deal!" said the voice in what seemed to be a panicked tone. "I'm afraid that this where I leave you. Farewell!"

With that, the Sutherland began to back away as quickly it could. "Activate the brakes!" Cornelia barked over the radio.

"We can't Your Highness, the override controls won't respond!"

"Damn. All troops! Stop that Sutherland at all costs!"

"Yes Maam!"

Soon, a hail of bullets engulfed the Sutherland. It drove towards an abandoned building, and soon afterwards exploded. Cornelia rushed over, ready to apprehend Zero, but she couldn't find him. Getting out of the Gloucester, she went over to the wreckage, her two knights following close behind her. As she examined the burning carcass of the machine, she noticed something next to the cockpit capsule. Cornelia saw that the mask of Zero had fallen out a gash in the cockpit. As she held the damaged mask to her face, Cornelia muttered "Zero is dead". Her knights turned that whisper into a chant, and soon the entire force was yelling it as well as cryies of "Hail Britannia". This wasn't exactly she had pictured the moment. She had imagined holding this mask like Perseus holding the head of Medusa, standing triumphant over Clovis' murderer. Now, that satisfaction was tinged with regret and worry. In his final moments, Zero had told Cornelia information that she never thought she would receive. Now, the sole source of these revelations was dead, and she had no idea where to start looking. For the sake of Lelouch and Nunnally, she would find them. And she would keep them safe.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Lelouch couldn't help but laugh to himself as he walked away from the Saitama ghetto and back to the metro for Ashford. His plan had nearly derailed itself, but the end result had been better than he could have hoped for. He had intended to fake his death, for two reasons. First was so that Cornelia would not spend as much time trying to draw him out. The second had been so that his "resurrection" would make a bigger splash, and solidify the loyalty of his followers. Now, not only had Lelouch accomplished his primary goal, but he sown seeds of distrust in Cornelia and given her something new to fret over. His laughter was now only maniacal. Zero was once again challenging fate; his rewrite of history began now, and no one could stop him.

a/n: And that's another chapter down. I've been on vacation this past week, so that's given me the opportunity to do more writing than I would normally have. I am going to be very busy for the next month or so, so don't expect regular updates. But also know that I haven't given up on the story. I have a clear vision for this story, and I have no intention of giving up on it.

Like what you read? Have a suggestion? Got a good recipe for a triple decker chocolate mousse? Leave a review!

Till the next chapter! - TWA