Welp, eighteen people reviewed the last chapter.

Bakura: seventeen people reviewed the last chapter, you foolish mortal. One reviewer reviewed twice.

It counts.

Bakura: it does not

Whatever. Anyway, thank you to harlequin320, DYnoJackal19, ZeroUnleashed, Shadow-Shinobi666, ewertondragon, , Blacksword Zero, MasterDangel,Demons Anarchy of Pride, B-Kira, Shimmering-Sky, Stickman6969, F.C.C.S., Scarease, OBSERVER01, Doommajor (both times), and Grimraven.V for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.

Anyway, this is chapter 15, the 18 page, over 10 word part one of a three-part chapter, and this may be my last update until the New Year. I might update again before then but I make no promises.

Also, I'm three reviews away from 200 reviews! Whoever gives me my 200th review will get a shoutout in the next chapter.

I hope that you enjoy this chapter and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.

. . .

. . .

August 20, 2010

Mitaka, Japan

Lelouch and Suzaku, the latter carrying Nunnally, stumbled onto the street and Lelouch grimaced as he took in the number of bodies that littered the area, all of them riddled with bullet wounds or crushed. The buildings that lined the streets were in a state of ruin, collapsing inwardly or already in piles of rubble. However, they weren't alone.

"Hey, look, there are kids here," one man said.

"And look! One of 'em's Japanese but that girl! She's Britannian and so is that other boy," another said.

A tall figure with short-cropped dark blonde hair and piercing green-blue eyes gazed at them and then gestured to his men. "Kill them all," he ordered.

"But that boy is Japanese and…he looks like Genbu!"

"He's a traitor because he's associating with Britannians. Kill them. That is an order."

"Yes sir."

Suzaku grabbed Lelouch, dove back into the alley, and bolted back the way they had come, weaving to avoid the barrage of bullets that came flying at them. Nunnally suddenly screamed in pain and Lelouch whipped his head around to lock eyes with the man who had just shot his sister. Amethyst eyes met green-blue briefly before Suzaku shoved Lelouch through an open side door. Lelouch went tumbling down a short flight of stairs, landing in a heap at the bottom with a wince while Suzaku dived through the door after him, shutting the door rapidly, and running down the stairs.

Lelouch got to his feet and the two ten-year-olds immediately began searching for a place to hide. They had ended up in a basement and there was a set of stairs that led to the first floor of the building; they both bolted up it, finding themselves in a kitchen. They quickly looked around and darted into the storage room and Suzaku closed the door behind him.

Placing Nunnally on the ground and crouching down next to the door, he pressed his ear against it while Lelouch ripped off a piece of his shirt and immediately began cleaning the bullet wound in Nunnally's arm. Nunnally was sobbing and Lelouch gently wiped the tears away as he did his best to clean the wound.

"It's okay, Nunnally. It's okay," he whispered.

"It hurts," Nunnally whimpered.

"I know. Here, put pressure on it. I'll be right back," Lelouch whispered, placing Nunnally's little hand on the piece of shirt that he had placed on the wound. He got to his feet and looked around the storage room.

He found a small case of bottled water and darted over to it, ripping the packaging and then pulling out a bottle before darting back to Nunnally's side.

"This is going to sting, Nunnally," Lelouch whispered, unscrewing the cap to the water bottle and gently removing both Nunnally's hand and the piece of shirt from the bullet wound.

Nunnally clenched her teeth as Lelouch poured the water on the wound, trying her hardest not to make a sound, though a few tears of pain fell from her closed eyes and Lelouch winced.

He then started looking around for anything that could be used to bandage the wound. He paused when a cleaner handkerchief was held out to him. He turned to find Suzaku smiling a little. "It's not that clean but it should work," he said.

"Thank you," Lelouch said, taking it and then gently wrapping it around Nunnally's wound.

Leaving Nunnally to rest against a rack of stale bread, he moved over to Suzaku's side and pressed his ear against the door as well to see if they were still being followed. He heard voices on the other side, the one belonging to that green-blue-eyed man was the only one he recognized.

"Check the storage room. That's where the blood trail stops."

"Yes, sir."

Suzaku moved away from the door and Lelouch followed suit, gently picking up Nunnally and carrying her after Suzaku toward the back of the storage room. They crouched, huddled together, in a crevice created by a rack of bread, a rack of spices, and a cabinet of canned goods. The door to the storage room opened and a flashlight illuminated the darkness. Suzaku crouched in front of Lelouch and Nunnally, using his body to shield them from sight while trying to keep himself out of sight.

Nunnally shifted a little and then stiffened as she accidentally brushed her shoulder against a rack, sending it tumbling to the ground.

"There!" The man that had noticed the falling rack darted forward, only to find himself on the receiving end of a kick to the stomach. Suzaku immediately adopted a familiar martial arts pose, glaring at the men as if prepared to take all of them on by himself.

Lelouch wrapped his arms around his little sister, trying to calm her down as the men hurried toward them. Suzaku managed to take out another one with a spin kick to the groin but was grabbed by another. He struggled to escape but the man held on tightly. The green-blue-eyed man and one other then walked over to join them, a cool smile on the former's face.

"Well, well, you led us on a little merry chase, brats," he said coolly.

Lelouch shifted so that he was in front of Nunnally, glaring and trying hard to quench his fear, for himself, for Suzaku, but mostly for Nunnally.

"Time to end this," the green-blue-eyed man said, pointing his gun at Lelouch but, before he could pull the trigger, Suzaku drove his head backwards, slamming it into the chin of the man holding him and then elbowed him sharply in the stomach and landed a kick on the man's thigh. The man dropped him and Suzaku was quick to dart in front of Lelouch, using his body as a shield as he glared at the green-blue-eyed man.

"Why do you protect him? He's Britannian! They both are," the green-blue-eyed man snarled, though his gun did lower slightly.

Suzaku didn't respond. He just grabbed the spice rack and threw it at the green-blue-eyed man, causing the jars of spices to shatter upon contact with either him or the ground. The man yelped as some of the spices got into his eyes.

Suzaku hoisted Lelouch to his feet and Lelouch quickly picked up Nunnally before the two of them, with Nunnally in Lelouch's arms, quickly darted for the door to the storage room. There was a flurry of bullets flying their way but Suzaku grabbed an empty wooden cabinet and yanked it. It toppled but it was enough to catch the flurry of bullets and allow the three children to dart out of the storage room.

. . .

15

Prelude to a Storm

June 26, 2016

Bridge, G-1 Base, En Route to Osaka

One hour after his speech, the Black Knights were leaving the Tokyo Settlement for Osaka. It was still a good couple of hours before they would reach the city, however, and that left Lelouch with nothing to do. He didn't have enough information about the situation at Osaka in order to start planning what to do and so he was bored out of his mind.

He leaned back in his throne on the bridge of the G1 Mobile Base, his chin resting on the palm of his hand, his elbow resting on the armrest, and his legs crossed. All around him, the technicians were hard at work keeping an eye on the systems and ensuring that everything was running smoothly. The Purist Faction was also on the bridge, standing around the bridge, since Jeremiah was also there.

Dimitri was typing away on his computer; when Lelouch found out about Dimitri's superior skills with a computer, he had the olive-green-haired young man transferred to the bridge with orders to search for any information on what was happening in Osaka, as well as information on the Crimson Sakuras themselves.

As he watched everyone work, Lelouch's thoughts drifted to his last talk with his sister. He had spoken to Nunnally before he left, just as he had spoken to Shirley to apologize to the orange-haired girl about having to cancel their date and promising to make it up to her. Shirley had understood and told him to be careful. Nunnally had done the same, though Lelouch knew that she didn't want him to leave. Lelouch didn't like leaving either but he had to; he was a soldier in the Britannian army and commander of the 11th Regiment, newly nicknamed the Black Knights.

Lelouch smiled a little to himself. Nicknaming the 11th Regiment the Black Knights had been a subtle jab at Britannia and he knew it. Legend had it that Black Knights were knights that were often seen as enigmatic and they were not evil, despite common belief, but they were often depicted as treacherous and dangerous and often fighting against the monarchy. He wasn't sure if anyone had gotten the connection yet or not but he stood by his decision.

Besides, there were many ways of viewing black knights after all. After all, some sources say that Black Knights are simply knights who did not swear loyalty to a lord, or had broken their vows. There was also the simple fact that it could just be alluding to Lelouch, himself, being their commander; before he was exiled, he was often considered the Black Prince after all.

However, it was the first explanation that was the real reason why Lelouch had chosen that nickname but he was letting everyone else believe what they wanted to believe and come to their own conclusions. After all, as a prince, Lelouch would never go against Britannia.

Or so the vast majority of Britannia thought.

Lelouch really didn't care what Britannia thought about him though. He didn't even care what the Emperor thought about him. He only really cared about two things; keeping the people he loved and cared about safe, especially from his bastard father, and changing the system of Britannia that was based on Social Darwinism.

"Your Highness?" Dimitri's voice cut through Lelouch's thoughts and he blinked before turning his amethyst gaze to Dimitri.

"Yes?" he said.

"I found some information on the Crimson Sakuras, Your Highness," Dimitri said.

"What have you found out?" Lelouch asked.

"Their leader's name and history right now," Dimitri said. "Shall I pull up his profile for you to review?"

"Yes," Lelouch said, straightening up as Dimitri ran his fingers on the keyboard and the image of a man that Lelouch never thought he would see again appeared on the big screen in front of him. The man was older than when Lelouch last saw him and his dirty-blonde hair was shorter but still falling into his piercing blue-green eyes.

"His name is Hozumi Murkami, Your Highness," Dimitri reported. "Thirty two years old, he was born in Osaka but then came to live in the city of Mitaka that was once part of the Tokyo area before the invasion. When the invasion struck, he lost his entire family in the initial attack but went on to help the Elevens fight back against Britannia. It wasn't until one week before the suicide of Genbu Kururugi and the end of the war that Murkami left Mitaka to join with Kyoshiro Tohdoh and what would later become the Japan Liberation Front. He participated in the Miracle of Itsukushima but disappeared soon after Britannia won the war. He emerged a couple of years later as the leader of the Crimson Sakuras. They've been active for the past four years but have never done anything really noteworthy until a few days ago when they took control of the Osaka Military Base. I haven't been able to find any information on the current situation in Osaka though, Your Highness."

Lelouch listened with only half an ear to Dimitri's report as he continued to gaze at Hozumi Murkami, his eyes narrowed with cool anger as he thought about the last time he had seen those piercing blue-green eyes.

"Your Highness?" Jeremiah said.

Lelouch turned to his second, his eyes still like ice. "I know him," he said and returned his gaze to the profile. "I didn't know his name until today but I know him. Nunnally, Suzaku, and I ran into him during the invasion when we were trying to get to safety. He shot Nunnally in the arm and then tried to kill us but Suzaku risked his life to save ours." He spoke lowly, mostly talking to himself, but Jeremiah heard him anyway.

"You knew Kururugi before the invasion?" Jeremiah said.

"That was the family Nunnally and I had been placed with when we were exiled," Lelouch said simply, studying the profile before turning to Dimitri. "What do you have on the military history of the Crimson Sakuras? I want a report of every reported battle that they had engaged in. Any and all information from those battles will be helpful." By studying Murkami's past battles, Lelouch should be able to paint a clearer picture of just what kind of military leader Murkami was. It might also help him to understand just how Murkami managed to take control of the Osaka Military Base.

And that could explain why Murkami was able to win now even if he hadn't won any of his earlier engagements.

"Yes, Your Highness," Dimitri said. The profile vanished and Dimitri went back to work, his fingers running rapidly across the keyboard as he continued to dig for more information.

"You think that by going through the reports of Murkami's previous engagements, you'll be able to figure out what kind of military leader he is," Jeremiah said. It wasn't a question but Lelouch nodded anyway.

"Yes. One must know the enemy if they are to be successful in defeating the enemy. Besides, isn't it curious just how Murkami was able to defeat Major General Pyne's garrison and take control of the Osaka Military Base when he wasn't able to win any of his previous engagements?" Lelouch asked.

"Perhaps he got lucky," Jeremiah said.

"That is highly unlikely," Lelouch said, resting his chin on his palm again. "No one is lucky enough to actually win such a serious battle, especially not against someone handpicked by General Andon himself. From what little I know about General Andon, he doesn't seem like the kind of person to choose a complete incompetent to be in charge of an entire military base."

"That is so. He isn't like that. He absolutely detests incompetence," Jeremiah mused thoughtfully.

"Tell me, Margrave, what do you know about Major General Pyne?" Lelouch asked.

Jeremiah pressed his lips together in thought. "I've only fought with him and his regiment once about three years ago. He was the second in command of the 7th Regiment and an excellent fighter. He was also one to never run away from the fight and he never left a man behind. He nearly got court martialed because he disobeyed a direct order from Lieutenant General Lanter and went back to retrieve a fallen comrade. Only interference by General Andon prevented that from happening. He took Lanter's spot as commander of the 7th Regiment a few months ago when Lanter retired early due to injury."

"Hmm. He cares about his men then. That most likely means he stayed behind to try and help his men while sending his second to Tokyo to warn General Andon. Though that still doesn't clarify if he was captured or killed," Lelouch said thoughtfully and turned to Dimitri. "Major Duncan, have you found anything?"

"I have found a lot, Your Highness. Is there anything, in particular, you are looking for?" Dimitri asked.

"Yes. Has Murkami ever taken prisoners in any of those engagements?" Lelouch asked.

Dimitri scanned the information on his computer and then nodded. "Twice, Your Highness, but the prisoners never lasted long. According to the reports of a battle that occurred last September and one in July two years ago, the bodies of the men that Murkami's men captured were sent back to the regiment that they had fought against. They had been tortured to death, according to the injuries on those bodies."

"Most likely for information," Lelouch said thoughtfully. "That means that it is likely that Murkami captured Pyne rather than killing him. He would likely want to get information out of Pyne and then kill him."

"From what I know about Pyne, he is also incredibly stubborn. Murkami and his men might have a hard time getting information out of him, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

"Then we will operate under the assumption that Major General Pyne is still alive, for now," Lelouch said.

Jeremiah turned to Lelouch. "What do you plan on doing when we reach Osaka, Your Highness?" he asked.

Lelouch's lips pressed together. "Our first objective is to figure out just what is going on in Osaka. A scout will be needed but, before I decide on that, I need to know more about Murkami's military history." He stood up and turned to Dimitri. "Major Duncan, send everything you found out about his military history to me so that I may review it on my own."

"Yes, Your Highness," Dimitri said and ran his fingers across his keyboard. "They have been sent to your personal computer, Your Highness."

"Good. Margrave, you have the bridge. I will be in my study," Lelouch said and left the bridge, gold-embroidered black cape swirling around his ankles as he walked.

. . .

G-1 Base, En Route to Osaka

Rayne glared out the window at the rain that was streaking the windows and huffed, folding her arms across her chest and flopping onto the ground next to the wall. Kay, who was reading the manual for the Sutherland he would be piloting, glanced at her. "What's the matter?" he asked.

"Rain," Rayne muttered. "Boy am I glad I get to be inside during this. I hate the rain."

Kay's lips twitched. "You're not gonna melt if you're in the rain for more than a few seconds," he said. He paused and added, "Well, you might." He dodged the manual that Rayne chugged at him and chuckled softly.

"Haha, you're a real riot," Rayne scoffed and caught the manual when Kay tossed it back at her and then went back to looking through his manual.

Rayne flipped through the manual as well, though she had already skimmed most of it. She only read the parts that she felt were really important and then skimmed over the rest. Unlike Kay, she didn't really care for reading and she didn't think she needed to read the entire manual. When she spotted the two heading toward her and Kay, though, she found herself turning to a random page and starting to read it.

"Kayden, Rayne," Parker greeted them as he and Gretchen joined them and sat down on the ground across from the twins.

"Can't you see we're busy?" Rayne said scornfully, not taking her eyes off the page she was 'reading'.

Parker snorted. "I know you're not really reading that, Rayne, and I'm positive Kayden's already finished reading the manual twice by now," he said.

Kay sighed but put the manual down. "What do you want, Parker?" he asked.

"I thought we could talk," Gretchen said before Parker could reply. "We really need to talk and clear the air between us."

"Yeah. Look, you're my brother and sister and I just don't understand why you're so hostile towards us," Parker said with a frown.

Rayne sneered at Parker, not believing him for a second. Of course you know why we're hostile towards you. You have to know. Or are you too arrogant to see that it's your fault to begin with? Yours, Matthias's, Gretchen's, and our parents' fault? She thought bitterly and buried her face into the manual, trying to ignore her older siblings.

"I wrote to Mom and Dad and told them that we found you and that you'd joined the military. They haven't written back yet but I'm sure that they're going to be proud of you for your decision," Gretchen said.

"Bullshit," Rayne growled. "They won't give a damn."

"Of course they would," Gretchen said.

"Yeah, like they actually gave a damn when Kay and I were growing up. Oh, wait, no they never did!" Rayne growled and got to her feet, dropping the manual and stalking off. She just couldn't stand to be in the same room as her elder siblings without losing her temper even more so than she already had. She was sure that if she stayed longer with her lying older siblings, she would snap and try and knock their teeth out.

She needed to cool down so she decided to take a walk around the base. She did have free range, just like everyone else did, since she didn't have anything to do at the moment. She hadn't been given any orders and so she would just wander around the base until she calmed down.

Stretching her arms, Rayne folded them behind her head as she left the hangar. She walked around, getting a feel for the layout of the base and focusing on remembering the way back to the hangar. The last thing she wanted to do was get lost and not be able to find the hangar.

She neared the medical wing just as the door opened and Lila stepped out, calling over her shoulder, "Thank you for letting me stay for a bit, Doctor," as she walked.

"Lila?" Rayne said.

Lila turned toward her and smiled. "Hello Rayne. What brings you here?" she asked.

"My siblings decided they wanted to have a chat and I decided that if I stayed there any longer, I was liable to try and punch them in the face," Rayne growled, lowering her arms and crossing them across her chest. "I really can't stand them and I really hate that they think they can just waltz right back into my life and mend our relationship when they never did a damn thing for me and Kay while we were growing up! They never treated us like siblings. They barely even acknowledged that we were there half the time. Sure, it was more times than our dear parents did but still! And now they have the nerve to try and act like our siblings? Fuck that!"

Rayne, realizing that her voice was getting increasingly louder, stopped talking and, once she was sure she wouldn't be shouting, turned to Lila, a faint blush of embarrassment on her cheeks. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you, Lila," she said.

"Don't worry about it," Lila assured her. "You needed to vent and someone to listen to you so I did. That's what friends are for."

Rayne smiled a little. "I've never really had that many friends before," she admitted. "Growing up, no one really wanted to be friends with me, though that was probably because I didn't want to be friends with them. I often got into fights with the other noble kids anyway."

"Yeah, I never really had any friends either growing up. I was too sheltered. I suppose my closest friend was my maid Beth and the bodyguards my parents insisted I have with me," Lila admitted, shifting a little. Neither of them had really talked about their pasts that much while they were in basic training and Rayne wondered why it was that she was talking about it now but she decided that she didn't care. Lila was a good listener and they seemed to have something in common despite growing up in completely different ways.

"At least Father supports my decision to stay in the military. Mother doesn't though," Lila said, sounding sad.

"I'm sure she'll come around," Rayne said, hoping she sounded reassuring.

"Yeah."

Rayne decided to change the subject and glanced at the medical wing. "So why were you in the medical wing anyway? I thought you didn't want to be a doctor."

Lila smiled. "I suppose it's not that I don't want to be a doctor. I just don't want to be stuck in a hospital where it's 'safe'," she said, lifting her fingers and using air quotes on that last word. "Not to mention, reading case studies and books filled with medical jargon hurts my head. Actually learning the stuff through hands-on experience is much better. Though, honestly, the only reason I'm here is because I'm bored and couldn't think of anything else to do."

Rayne chuckled. "I wonder what Lelouch is doing," she said.

"Probably coming up with plans to deal with the Crimson Sakuras when we get to Osaka," Lila said.

"Probably."

. . .

Transport Vehicle, En Route to Osaka

The G-1 Base was surrounded by medical vehicles, motorcades, tanks, armored vehicles, a few knightmare frames, and other vehicles, including the transport that Suzaku and Tadashi was currently riding in. Both of them were glad to be inside since it was raining rather heavily outside. However, Suzaku wasn't happy with the glares he was receiving from the other privates and corporals and specialists who were part of the brigade Suzaku and Tadashi were part of. They were the only Honorary Britannians on that transport and it made the journey very uncomfortable.

But Suzaku did his best to ignore the glares and the whispers that were being aimed at him and his friend. Ever since Lelouch had admitted to personally transferring Tadashi and Suzaku to the 11th Regiment, or the Black Knights as the regiment had taken to calling themselves after Lelouch stated that would, basically, be their nickname, Suzaku had been careful about everything that he did and said. Not only did he not want his actions to result in him getting demoted or, worse, court martialed but he also wanted to prove that he was just as capable as the Britannians that were part of the Black Knights and he didn't want the Black Knights to see Lelouch's decision as a weak one. That would likely destroy any respect the regiment had for Lelouch and, also, make him seem like an incompetent leader.

No military commander could afford to be seen as incompetent.

"I wonder how far we are from Osaka?" Tadashi mused, gazing out the small window of the transport. "We've been traveling for quite a few hours."

"I think we should be getting there soon," Suzaku said. Osaka was only a few hours' drive from Tokyo and they were making pretty good time despite the rain forcing them to go a bit slower to avoid any problems.

"Good. I think my legs are falling asleep from all this sitting," Tadashi huffed, rubbing his calves.

"Would you two damn Elevens be quiet? Some of us are trying to talk here," one of the Britannian soldiers snapped.

"We ain't talking that loud," Tadashi huffed.

"Sorry, sir, we'll be quieter," Suzaku said at the same time.

The soldier just huffed and went back to the quiet conversation he was having with his companion.

Suzaku relaxed against the wall of the transport and gazed out the small window next to him, watching the rain streak the glass. Tadashi had fallen silent and, when he glanced at the other Honorary Britannian, he saw Tadashi relaxing against the wall, eyes closed. "Wake me when we get there," Tadashi murmured.

Suzaku raised an eyebrow but decided not to say anything. It wasn't as if he was the only one who was taking a slight nap while they were traveling. Instead, he just returned his gaze to the rain, watching it fall, his thoughts drifting.

Oddly enough, they went back to Suzaku's time at his home with Lelouch and Nunnally before the invasion. They had spent almost an entire year with Suzaku and his family and, while he and them ended up becoming good friends, Suzaku knew that the majority of the rest of his family hadn't liked them.

His mother certainly hadn't. If it hadn't been for his father—Suzaku shivered at the thought of his father—then Suzaku was sure that Lelouch and Nunnally's time at the Kururugi Shrine would not have been that great.

Kaguya, on the other hand, had easily gotten along with Nunnally and was quick to get along with Lelouch as well. But then Kaguya was usually pretty nice to everyone she met. Suzaku smiled a little; he hadn't spoken to her since he left his family a couple of years ago.

He hadn't left right after the invasion ended but then he hadn't really known where he could go anyway. However, he knew that his entire family practically hated him since they knew that he had killed his father. Taizo Kirihara, one of the members of the Six Houses of Kyoto, had been the one to cover it up and make it look like a suicide. However, his life with his family had been drastically altered as a result of that; his mother hated him and the Six Houses wanted nothing to do with him. The only ones who were still willing to associate with him were Kaguya and Tohdoh; when Tohdoh fled after the invasion ended and Kaguya returned to Kyoto, Suzaku decided that he was leaving as soon as he was old enough to take care of himself.

When he was fifteen, he left, taking what little belongings he had with him and without saying goodbye to anyone, not that his mother would care anyway. His mother had, basically, disowned him anyway. He had saved enough money to rent himself that small apartment on the edge of the Tokyo Settlement and, when he turned sixteen, he enlisted in the military.

All throughout that, Suzaku always clung on to the hope that Lelouch and Nunnally had gotten to safety and he was still relieved that they had, even if Suzaku refused to tell either of them about what really happened when they separated. He didn't want them to know; it was his burden to bear, his guilt that he would have to carry for the rest of his life.

. . .

Study, G-1 Base, En Route to Osaka

Lelouch rubbed his temples as he studied the reports that lay in front of him, his brow furrowed in thought. The battle reports had detailed accounts of the battles, including how the Crimson Sakuras lost and yet none of them were providing any clues as to how the Crimson Sakuras managed to pull off their recent win.

"I'm missing something," Lelouch murmured, studying the reports and scrolling through them again, reading the final outcome and the conclusion of each battle, his lips pursed. "Hmm, perhaps I'm looking in the wrong direction."

According to the reports, each of the battles that Murkami and the Crimson Sakuras engaged in were always reckless full-out assaults with weak defensive lines and left many openings and weaknesses that Britannia exploited. And yet, this most recent battle had been a quick, decisive, subtle strike that took the military base by complete surprise; it was a cowardly act and yet it was also very clever.

And, according to what Lelouch had managed to discover about Murkami, it didn't sound like something he would do at all.

"There's someone else," he realized. "This kind of subtlety doesn't fit in with Murkami's profile nor his previous battles. If this was Murkami, why did it take him so long to realize his original strategy just wasn't going to work?"

"Your Highness?"

Lelouch turned to find Jeremiah standing in the doorway. "Come in, Margrave," he said and the turquoise-haired young man walked into the study, closing the door behind him. "What can I do for you?"

"I just wished to inform you that we have almost reached the Osaka Settlement. I have ordered a halt at the edge of the ghettos and await further orders, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

Lelouch pressed his lips together thoughtfully. "According to the reports I've read about Murkami's previous engagements, theoretically, we could send in a spy and not have to worry about Murkami expecting that. However, in light of Murkami's victory here, I am starting to think that it is not Murkami's plans that we are facing but rather someone else's."

"Why do you believe that?"

"If someone loses a battle against another, the first thing that they should do should they desire to fight against them again is to use what they learned about their enemy in their last engagement against them in their next one," Lelouch said. He gestured to the reports and added, "And yet Murkami didn't do that with any of his engagements with Britannia after his first loss; he just continued to attack them recklessly without even bothering on trying to figure his enemy's strategy out. That is until now. This time, he acted more subtly, somehow exploiting a weakness that allowed him to get into the military base and take it over in the middle of the night, according to Silvers's report anyway."

"So what do you think, Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked.

"We will still need to figure the situation out," Lelouch said, pressing his lips together. "But if we are to send a scout ahead, they will have to be careful and operate under the impression that the enemy may suspect that is what we're going to do."

Jeremiah nodded. "I believe I know someone who will be able to pull this off," he said.

"Then I'll leave that to you. We will make camp here, out of sight of the base, until I have a better understanding of the situation and then I can plan accordingly." He dismissed Jeremiah with a wave of his hand before returning his attention to the reports; he was, essentially, moving into this matter blind and he needed to figure something to do just in case he can't get, at least, an idea of what to expect.

His phone rang and Lelouch picked it up with one hand as he scrolled through the reports again with the other. "This is Prince Lelouch," he said into the phone.

"Ah, Your Highness," Earl Asplund's voice sounded on the other end as cheerfully as ever.

"Earl Asplund," Lelouch said.

"Please, call me Lloyd," Asplund said. "Now, I know we're in the middle of a campaign, but I was thinking that, perhaps, this might be the perfect opportunity to test my Lancelot out in actual combat."

Lelouch's brow furrowed. "Since you've never actually been able to test the Lancelot, I'm not sure that it would be a good idea to have its first test be an actual battle where the test pilot is liable to get killed if something goes wrong with the Lancelot," he said.

"Nothing will go wrong with my Lancelot! I assure you! All the tests I've run have come back positive and everything, except for the Master Vibration Swords and another weapon that I'm still in the process of completing, is completely functional. It's just never been launched but if my theory is correct then it would be a great asset."

"However, this is all riding on your theory being correct, Lloyd," Lelouch said.

"If your test pilot can sync with my Lancelot then that will prove my theory, Your Highness," Lloyd said. "He doesn't even have to launch it."

Lelouch pressed his lips together, hearing the sheer confidence in Lloyd's voice. Schneizel trusted Lloyd, he would never have included Lloyd in that list of allies he gave to Lelouch if he didn't. "Very well, Lloyd. I will be down in half an hour with my test pilot," he said finally, deciding that he really had nothing to lose by just seeing if Suzaku could sync with the Lancelot and move it without launching it.

"Great. We'll be waiting, Your Highness," Lloyd said and hung up.

Lelouch put the phone down as well and, standing up, left the study.

. . .

Outside the Transport, Outskirts of Osaka

"Ahh, fresh air," Tadashi said, lifting his face to the overcast sky. The rain had stopped falling by the time the halt had been called and, while the ground was still very muddy, at least they weren't getting soaked.

Turning to face his fellow Honorary Britannian, Tadashi asked, "Have you ever been to Osaka, Suzaku?"

Suzaku shook his head. "No," he admitted.

"Neither have I," Tadashi admitted, stretching and scanning the gathered foot soldiers around and talking with each other quietly. He could see the knightmare pilots taking a break from the cockpits of their knightmare frames and the doctors on the medical transport moving around to see if everyone had enough water to drink. He even saw Rayne, Kay, and Lila standing next to the G-1 Base talking with each other while the older Frost siblings were standing nearby.

"Guess everyone decided to get some fresh air," he mused. He had definitely wanted some fresh air since he hated being cooped up someplace. It wasn't that he got claustrophobic or nothing like that; he just disliked being in an enclosed space.

And he certainly didn't like the glares and insults he got from the soldiers who could benefit from one of Lila's professionalism speeches.

However, Tadashi was used to such racial slurs so he just ignored them. It was different in Tokyo than it was in Sapporo, he had been quick to figure out. In Sapporo, while the Britannians didn't like the Honorary Britannians or the Elevens, they were less vocal about it than the Britannians in the Tokyo Settlement.

"Private Kururugi! Private Akiyama!" A voice called and the two Honorary Britannians turned to find Corporal Yates, the leader of their brigade, stride over to them, a cool sneer on his lips. Yates's racism towards Tadashi and Suzaku was just as bad as Greene's; he always treated Tadashi and Suzaku badly, ever since he was first told that they would be joining his brigade.

"Yes, sir," Tadashi and Suzaku said at the same time, standing at attention and saluting.

"I hear that one of you was talking back to one of your superior officers," Yates said coolly. "That can get you into serious trouble."

Tadashi frowned. He couldn't recall talking back to his superior officers and, judging by the confused look on Suzaku's face, he couldn't either.

"I'm afraid you're mistaken, sir, but Private Akiyama and I never spoke back to our superior officers," Suzaku said.

"Are you calling me a liar, Private?" Yates demanded, glaring at him. "You, who shouldn't even be in this regiment? I don't know what His Highness was thinking transferring you but I can hazard a guess. You two probably conned him into doing it, didn't you?"

"Of course not, sir," Suzaku said.

"I think you're lying," Yates said.

"We ain't lying, sir," Tadashi insisted.

The corporal's lips pulled back in a condescending sneer. "That is the only reason why I would think that you would be transferred to this regiment so it must be true," he said.

"Have ya ever considered that we got in here 'cause we got the skills and potential just as Prince Lelouch said, you moron?" Tadashi retorted before he could think about what he was saying or, rather, to whom he was saying these things.

"Tadashi!" Suzaku groaned.

"What did you just call me, you damn Eleven?" the corporal snarled, glaring furiously and grabbing Tadashi's uniform, jerking him closer. "I can and will have you court martialed for this!"

"Ah, please excuse him, sir," Suzaku said quickly.

"Shut up, Eleven. I wasn't talking to you," Yates snapped, still not letting go of Tadashi who, for his part, was just barely managing to curb his fear. He didn't want to get court martialed but he was also pretty sure that no one could get court martialed for calling their superior officer a moron, reprimanded and possibly put on restriction but not court martialed; at least, according to the rules and regulations that was drilled into Tadashi's head during basic training.

He may have hated the classroom instruction course of basic training but that didn't mean that he didn't learn anything. If he wanted to be the best he could be, he needed to know that information.

"I didn't mean that, sir," Tadashi added.

"That doesn't matter. You still insulted your superior officer and you will be court martialed for that," Yates snapped.

"Oh? I do believe that, as your commanding officer, I should be the one to decide that."

At the sound of Lelouch's familiar voice, the two Honorary Britannians and the one corporal turned to find Lelouch standing there, watching them with patiently impassive eyes, one eyebrow quirked as he regarded the corporal.

Yates quickly let go of Tadashi and stood at attention, saluting with his fist crossed over his heart and Tadashi and Suzaku quickly followed suit. "Your Highness," the three of them said at once.

"At ease," Lelouch said, walking over to join them, his gaze still fixed on Yates as the three soldiers relaxed. "Now, what seems to be the problem here?"

"This…Eleven insulted me, Your Highness," Yates said.

"And you deemed a single insult is worthy of a court-martial?" Lelouch said. "That is worth a reprimand at most."

"He's a damn Eleven!"

"And did I not tell you that I would not allow any acts of prejudice or discrimination within this regiment? It may have been a week but surely you haven't forgotten that this quickly?" Lelouch asked. "Therefore, Private Akiyama's actions warrant a reprimand and nothing more. I will handle it myself. You are dismissed, corporal."

Yates, looking like he had just sucked on a lemon, snapped a sharp salute. "Yes, Your Highness," he said and walked away.

Lelouch turned to gaze at Tadashi and Suzaku. "Let me guess, you spoke without thinking again?" he said. It was a rhetorical question but Tadashi answered anyway.

"Yes, Your Highness, and I'm sorry," he said.

"It's not to me to whom you should be apologizing, though I suspect that Corporal Yates won't listen to you if you tried to apologize to him," Lelouch said and Tadashi could see a gleam of disappointment in his amethyst eyes. "Though you are going to have to work on thinking before you say anything, especially around those who are like Yates and refuse to act professional."

"Maybe we should sick Lila on him," Tadashi mused.

Lelouch remained serious as he said, "I expect everyone to act professional and that includes you, Private. I will let you off with a warning. Do not let this happen again."

"Yes, Your Highness," Tadashi said, chastised. It wasn't so much Lelouch's words that really struck him, it was the disappointment in his eyes; that hurt more than anything because it reminded Tadashi that he wouldn't be in a high-ranked regiment had it not been for Lelouch. He would have never had the chance to reach his full potential or show off his skills had it not been for Lelouch.

He felt like a child again.

"I won't let it happen again, Your Highness," he vowed, crossing his fist over his heart and he wouldn't. He was going to try his hardest to ensure that Lelouch wouldn't regret personally transferring him to the 11th Regiment.

"See that you don't, Private. You're dismissed. Private Kururugi, come with me," Lelouch said.

"Yes, sir," Suzaku said and followed after Lelouch as the prince turned around and walked away.

Tadashi watched them go in confusion but decided it wasn't his business.

. . .

Outside the Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy

Kallen had been attending a student council meeting when her brother called. She had been quick to excuse herself. "I have to take this. It's my doctor," she had said, forcing her voice to sound meek as she opened the phone.

"Of course. Go ahead. We can handle things here," Shirley had said with a friendly smile.

Now Kallen was standing in between the main building and the student council clubhouse with her phone resting against her ear and her eyes keeping an eye out for anyone who might listen in on her conversation. "I'm here," she said softly. "Is everything all right?"

"For the moment, everything is," Naoto said. "But my spy has found something that Clovis has been working on. According to my spy, Clovis has been working on this for a while now and he managed to get a look at it. It looks like a gas canister and my spy thinks that Clovis's scientists are creating a poison gas."

"A poison gas?" Kallen whispered, stunned that they would do such a thing and then she reminded herself that they were Britannian. Of course Britannians would do something like this. "What are we going to do?"

"Until I can confirm that it is poison gas and that it's ready to be used, we can't do anything. If we tried to take it now, we could risk releasing it on the whole settlement and that would be a bloodbath," Naoto said. "I told my spy to keep an eye on the scientists but, truth be told, that wasn't the main reason why I called you."

"Why did you call then?" Kallen asked.

"Reyes's group wants to speak to us again. They are considering supplying us and, Kallen, they're powerful, even more powerful than the Japan Liberation Front and they're actually willing to help us out. Reyes just contacted me and told me that he had convinced his boss to help us and now he wants to meet with me personally."

"Who are they?" Kallen asked, wondering what group out there was even more powerful than the Japan Liberation Front.

"The Liberators."

Kallen's eyes widened because the knowledge that the Liberators were willing to supply and support Naoto's Resistance was something she had not expected. The main reason why she hadn't thought the Liberators, whom she knew was more powerful than the JLF, would support them was because she just couldn't believe that they would waste their time recruiting a small resistance cell like her brother's.

"I want you to come with me to speak with them, Kallen," Naoto said. "I don't believe that it's going to be dangerous and you did say that you wanted a more active role in the resistance and you've met and talked with Reyes before. You may be able to help me figure out if I can trust him or not."

"What about her?" Kallen didn't even bother on saying Tara's name. She still didn't trust the aqua-haired girl in the slightest.

"I don't trust her enough to invite her to this meeting," Naoto said.

"I still say we should kick her to the curb," Kallen huffed. "Useful or not, she's an annoying menace." Tara got on Kallen's nerves a lot; they were often stuck together on simple recon missions or speaking with contacts to set up meetings or retrieving supplies to hand off to Sugiyama and Yoshida and Tara always succeeded in driving Kallen up the wall. She was too cheerful with that fake ass smile that she always wore; she always complained about not getting to do anything worthwhile. Hell, she had even attempted to use her blackmail against the resistance to force Naoto to sanction the assassination of Princess Nunnally.

When Kallen had found out that Tara wanted to kill Princess Nunnally, from her own lips since she had ranted about how it was stupid that Naoto wouldn't let her do that and take care of the threat, she had been stunned with disbelief. She couldn't help but wonder why the aqua-haired girl would want to harm Nunnally. Nunnally was an absolute sweetheart, so much so that Kallen had given up on trying to see her as an enemy; she just couldn't, not someone as innocent and sweet as Nunnally.

Nunnally's brother was another matter but, so far, since they didn't know of what kind of a military commander Lelouch was, they were leaving him alone.

But Nunnally hadn't done anything to warrant Tara's hatred.

She may be the daughter of the Emperor but Kallen just couldn't see how a blind and crippled girl could be a threat.

And, if she was being completely honest with herself, Kallen had become friends with Nunnally just as she had with the Student Council; Nunnally and the Student Council had proven that not all Britannians were bad and not all Britannians were threats.

Her brother had summed it up pretty neatly when he spoke with Kallen and Tara a few days earlier.

"Judging all Britannians based on the actions of a few is to act like Britannia who judge all the Japanese based on the actions of a few."

Kallen had gotten the point.

Tara hadn't.

She had just scoffed at Naoto's words, called him a moron, stated that all Britannians were the same and the Royal Family was the worst of them all, and then had stalked off.

Kallen had a feeling the Royal Family had done something to her personally to get her to hate them as much as she did.

"Unfortunately, with the blackmail she holds over our heads, we really can't do that. I'm going to keep her out of this meeting though, and have Inoue keep an eye on her. She might decide to go after Princess Nunnally. It's a good thing she doesn't know where the princess is," Naoto said.

"Yeah, that is a good thing," Kallen said, since she knew that Nunnally couldn't protect herself.

"And, as I've already told her, I'm not stupid enough to attack the Royal Family directly. She just doesn't seem to understand that," Naoto said. "All right, back on subject. The meeting is going to be in two days at Warehouse 3 near the docks. If you have a Student Council meeting that day, you can just head straight over after the meeting, if not, I can have Ohgi meet you a block from the Stadtfeld Manor. Make sure to disguise yourself. I don't want anyone to recognize you. Me and the men I'm bringing with me will go in disguise as well."

"I understand," Kallen said and, after saying goodbye to her brother, closed her phone and slipped it into her pocket. She then turned around and headed back into the Student Council Clubhouse.

. . .

A.S.E.E.C's Mobile Base, Outskirts of Osaka

Suzaku followed Lelouch as he led the way toward a small base that was situated next to the G-1. He was confused, wondering why Lelouch had wanted him to come with him, nor where they were exactly. Nor was he sure what to make of the pale-blue-haired young man who was grinning like a kid in a candy store and the navy-blue haired young woman who wore an exasperated look in her eyes that met Lelouch in the main lobby of the small base.

"Earl Lloyd, Major Croomy," Lelouch greeted them.

"Please, no 'Earl' business, it's just Lloyd, Your Highness," Lloyd said with a large grin. "So where is he? Ow!" Lloyd doubled over from the elbow Major Croomy had just planted into his gut.

"Excuse him, Your Highness, he is just really excited to finally get a test pilot that might actually be able to do something with the Lancelot," Croomy said with a faint smile.

Suzaku blinked. Test pilot? Lancelot? He glanced at Lelouch in confusion, hoping the prince would clear matters up for him.

Lelouch caught the look but simply gestured him forward. "This is Private Suzaku Kururugi. He is the one who scored a perfect score on the knightmare simulation. If your theory is correct, Lloyd, then I have no doubt he will be the perfect test pilot for your Lancelot," he said.

"Then why don't we test it out?" Lloyd said with a grin, straightening up, though his lips were still pressed in a pained grimace. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a white-and-gold activation key and held it to Suzaku who was staring in confusion.

"Wait, what?" he said hopelessly lost.

Lelouch chuckled, casting a sidelong glance at him. "You are going to be the test pilot for Lloyd's seventh generation knightmare frame prototype, the Lancelot," he said.

Suzaku's jaw dropped and he quickly composed himself but he was still in shock. He wanted to protest, wanted to telling Lelouch that he couldn't do this. He wasn't Britannian. Numbers didn't pilot knightmare frames. It wasn't against the law but it's never been done before. However, he quickly clamped his jaw shut because, at the moment, it wasn't Lelouch his old friend that was standing by him, it was Lelouch the prince. Suzaku couldn't very well tell a prince what he could or couldn't do.

"So why don't we get to it then?" Lloyd said, sounding a tad bit impatient.

"Ah, are you sure, Your Highness?" Suzaku asked finally. "I mean, I'm just an Honorary Britannian and we can't be a knight and pilot knightmares."

"There's no law against it," Lelouch said simply as he turned to face Suzaku. "At the moment, you will only be testing the Lancelot to see whether you can sync with it. Once that has been determined, we will go from there. This is an order, Private."

Suzaku didn't know what Lelouch was doing nor why he, of all people, would be chosen—Kay had gotten a high score as well on the knightmare simulation as did Lelouch—but all he did was bow and say, "Yes, Your Highness."

"Contact me with the results once you have then, Lloyd," Lelouch said, turning back to Lloyd.

"Of course," Lloyd said brightly and tossed the white-and-gold activation key to Suzaku whose hand reflexively shot out to catch it before it hit him in the face. "This way, Private Kururugi. This way."

Suzaku glanced, again, at Lelouch before following the earl as he led the way deeper into the small mobile base.

. . .

Osaka Military Base, Osaka Settlement

Hozumi relaxed in the large office on the top floor of the Osaka Military Base, resting his legs on the desk and closing his eyes as he relaxed, a small satisfied smile on his face. He wasn't at all surprised that Naora's plan succeeded; Naora was a very good strategist. If only Hozumi had listened to Naora during his first assault of Osaka then he might not have been defeated.

He lazily opened his eyes when the door opened and watched as Naora walked into the room, sitting on the corner of the desk and smirking down at him. "You look relaxed," she said. "You shouldn't let your guard down."

"Relax, Naora. It'll be a long time before General Andon gets word of what's going on here and, by then, we'll be ready for when he attempts to take this base back," Hozumi said.

"You sure are confident," Naora mused, crossing her legs and resting her hands on her knees. "And if they attack before we're ready?"

Hozumi snorted. "Why would they? They have no idea we're even here. We have the entrance to the tunnel guarded. The only way they'll be able to take this base back is by attacking the base directly and attempting to overwhelm us with sheer force but we will be expecting that and will be able to fight back against that."

"Hmm, though they will likely outnumber you and that could prove disastrous for you and your men. My boss wouldn't be too happy if one of the resistances that he has spent so much time and money on destroys themselves."

"That won't happen," Hozumi assured her. "I know what I'm doing."

Naora hummed and uncrossed her legs before hopping off the desk. "I'm going to go check on the prisoner. You coming with? He may feel more talkative if you're there to coax him into talking," she said.

"I take it Tadayoshi and his men haven't been able to get anything on our resident Major General," Hozumi said, swinging his legs off the desk and standing up.

"No. He hasn't said anything about anything. Personally, I think Tadayoshi isn't asking the right questions nor is he really looking for any particular information. That's why I think you should take over. You know what information the Crimson Sakuras need."

Hozumi nodded in agreement and followed Naora as she led the way out of the office. They walked down the stairs to the basement level of the base that they had used to get into the base. There, the survivors of the attack were gathered and Hozumi's followers were attempting to get information out of them about General Andon, the military, and whether someone did manage to escape the base or not, emphasis on attempting.

"We haven't been able to find shit out. They sure are stubborn," Tadayoshi said when Hozumi and Naora joined him and his men.

"We will never tell you anything! All Hail Britannia!" One of the Britannian soldiers shouted around the pain, prompting his interrogator to strike him again.

Hozumi nodded. "And the Major General?" he asked.

"See for yourself," Tadayoshi said and led the way to where they were keeping the Major General in one of the small storage rooms. They entered it and Seika Murano looked up from where he was crouched next to the Major General who was seated with his back pressed against the wall, his hands tied behind him and his lips pressed together, a stubborn gleam in his eyes.

"He ain't said a single word since we captured him," Murano said, pushing himself to his feet.

Hozumi peered down at the Major General. "Shame. I was hoping to get information out of him but if he's not saying anything, we may as well kill him," he said. He hoped that this would spark the Major General into saying something.

It did but not what Hozumi thought it would.

"Then so be it. I would rather die than betray my country," Pyne said coolly, holding Hozumi's gaze defiantly.

"Then kill him already," Naora said.

Hozumi pulled his handgun and pointed at Pyne who still held his gaze before he lowered the gun. "No, I think I know of a way to get him talking. Naora, find Nomi. Tell her to search the databases. Let's see if we can find out if the Major General's family lives in the Osaka Settlement," he said and smirked triumphantly at the look of panic that appeared on Pyne's face. It only lasted for a second but it had still appeared.

"Or we could do this the easy way, Major General. Tell me what I want to know and I will spare your family," Hozumi said.

"Why should I believe you?" Pyne sneered. "The very fact that you threatened them is enough to tell me that I shouldn't trust your word."

"Fine then. I'll just go find your family and kill each of them off one by one in front of you until you talk. Naora? Go find Nomi and give her those orders. While you're at it, tell Yosuke that he may implement the next phase of our plan and take control of the city," Hozumi said, not taking his eyes off Pyne.

"…Isn't that first order going a bit too far?" Naora asked.

"If it gets him talking and gets me the information I want then I'll do it," Hozumi said coolly.

His second remained at his side for a moment but then he heard her turn around and walk away.

. . .

Naora paused in the doorway to the basement and glanced over her shoulder at the leader of the Crimson Sakuras, watching as he continued to attempt to convince the Major General to talk and spare his family. She sighed and started walking again. Killing military men is one thing but going against civilians? That was one thing that her boss absolutely forbade them from doing; sure, they've used attacks on civilians, such as what they were planning on doing in Sapporo, but they've never been the one to pull the triggers against them. Naora may love Hozumi but that didn't mean that she approved of his orders.

She pulled out her phone as she walked and, dialing a number, she waited as it rang. There was a click.

"Hello?" A soft voice sounded on the other end, speaking in Russian.

"Hello, Scarlet. Patch me to Unity," Naora murmured in Russian.

"Sure thing, Cherry," Scarlet said and there was a click before another voice joined the first one.

"Yes, Scarlet?" the voice said, also in Russian.

"It's Cherry," Scarlet said.

"I see. Hello Cherry. To what do I owe the honor of this call?" Unity's voice said. Even though he sounded polite when he spoke, Naora knew enough to not beat around the bush when it came to the leader of the Liberators.

"I don't believe we should be allying ourselves with the Crimson Sakuras anymore," Naora said.

"And why do you believe that?"

Naora told him about what Hozumi Murkami was planning before adding, "We know that using civilians will only succeed in turning civilian support against us but he doesn't seem to understand that," she said.

"According to your reports about him, he doesn't seem to be a quick learner. Well, for the time being, we can use the Crimson Sakuras. Since they are the only ones who are, currently, willing to attack Britannian forces in Japan, we need them to test out the strength of our enemy, especially that new commander who took charge of the 11th Regiment after Brigadier General Stromberg retired," Unity said. The retirement of Brigadier General Stromberg of the 11th Regiment had been widespread news, though it was only a few days after he assumed his post that the media released the identity of the young man who took over as commander of the 11th Regiment.

"We know little to nothing about Prince Lelouch," she said quietly. "Only what the media has said and what our spies have managed to ferret out and we know nothing of how he is as a military commander."

"If the Crimson Sakuras do end up getting into an engagement with Prince Lelouch then we can get to know a bit more about what he is like as a military commander," Unity said.

"This is all hinging on whether Prince Lelouch is the one who will try and take back Osaka," Naora pointed out.

"I would not put it past them as a way of testing their newest military commander, even more so because he's a prince," Unity said. "We will discuss this more later. For now, just follow any orders Murkami gives you."

Naora sighed. She didn't like her current orders but she nodded either way. "I understand," she whispered and hung up before heading off to find Nomi and give her Murkami's newest orders.

. . .

A/n what do you think?

Blaze: and that was part one of the three-part chapter

Lelouch: what happens next?

Blaze: part one of the battle and...well...um, where's Kallen?

Suzaku: I think she went out to get some black forest cake, why?

Blaze: (slowly edging her way into a bomb shelter) no reason. Bakura! End the chapter! (Disappears into bomb shelter)

Lelouch: why did she do that?

Bakura: remember when she previewed Arc II and stated that Tara was going to dig herself deeper into the hole she was already in and not just with Lelouch?

Suzaku: yeah

Bakura: exactly

Suzaku: I still don't get it

Bakura: everyone else might

Charles: hello

Bakura: (grins and pulls out acid-tipped drills and charges at Charles)

Charles: (runs away)

Lelouch: hey! You killed him last time! It's my time now! (Pulls out two lightsabers and charges after Charles)

Suzaku: (sigh) well, Charles is dead again. And since Bakura isn't finishing the chapter like Blaze told him to, I guess I will. Blaze hope that you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter might come out before the New Year but she makes no promises. As always, reviews are much appreciated and thank you for reading.