I'm so happy. I got a job!

Bakura: big whoop.

Oh shut up. You've never had a job. You just steal everything you want.

Bakura: no duh

Anyway, I decided that I may as well update. Hopefully I'll be able to update more but, with the fact that I am working now, my updates may be even slower than before.

Bakura: that's not that big of a surprise.

Oh be quiet, Bakura. Anyway, thank you to owlkniht, lex, harlequin320, Blacksword Zero, demedichi, TC9078, Shadow-Shinobi666, J. , DarthMaine, chimera629, Commandant L, DYnoJackal19, Adamantium-Soldier74, OBSERVER01, Scarease, Doommajor, anand891996, and B-Kira for reviewing the last chapter. You guys are awesome.

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

. . .

July 22, 2016

Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse

Shirley made her way into the meeting room, looking around when she noticed that she was the only one there. She shrugged and walked over to one of the chairs, figuring that everyone was just running a bit late. As she sat down, she glanced at the television screen, which was on—whoever was in there last must have turned it on and forgotten about it—and currently displaying Ried's commentary on Lelouch's victory over the Liberators at Sapporo as well as his new moniker of Demon Prince.

She bit her lip. She just couldn't see her friend, and crush, as a demon. Sure, the battle was bad and sure there were some incidents that Ried commented on that were bad but all battles were bad. Shirley may have never experienced war before but she'd read enough about it to know that war wasn't sunshine and rainbows.

Thinking about Lelouch brought with it the memory of the last time that Shirley had spoken to him, when he'd called her to inform her that he would have to postpone their plans for dinner because of the incident at Osaka and then he was shipped off to Sapporo.

Will he even remember by the time he gets back? When will he come back anyway? Shirley wondered silently and out of curiosity. She had little to no knowledge of how the military worked; she only knew that Lelouch had jumped straight from one situation to the next. Who knew if there was another situation.

And Shirley didn't even know if he still remembered about their date. She blushed at the thought and Milly decided that moment to step into the meeting room. Perfect timing.

"What's up, Shirley? Thinking 'bout a certain purple-eyed prince?" Milly asked with a teasing grin.

Shirley's blush deepened but she didn't answer.

"Ah, you are, aren't you?" Milly said, taking a seat beside the orangette. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Shirley said a bit too quickly.

"Girl, I know something's wrong. It's written all over your face. Does it got anything to do with that date that you two were supposed to go on had he not been dragged off to Osaka?" Milly asked.

Shirley bit her lip but nodded. "Yeah, I know it's not his fault or anything but...he said that we had to postpone it but what if he's forgotten? I don't...I'm not sure I'll be able to ask him out again," she admitted. Even if Milly's advice to act like herself when around Lelouch did help, there was no denying that the thought of asking Lelouch out again caused her to stomach to fill with butterflies.

Milly chuckled. "Then just remind him when he calls next," she said simply.

"Ah...I don't...I mean I..."

"Calm down, Shirley. You're not actually asking him out. You're just reminding him of the date he had to postpone."

"Oh, yeah, you're right," Shirley said, remembering that she'd managed to ask Lelouch out on a third date for the Sunday after the movie but, unfortunately, he had to leave before then.

"I'm always right," Milly said. "Now then, what shall you wear? Hmm, I'm thinking that blue dress that I found at that boutique."

Shirley, knowing full well which dress Milly was referencing, went red. "Madame President!"

Milly just gave her a big perverted grin and laughed.

. . .

26

In the Wake of the Storm

July 25, 2016

West Wing Conference Room, Fifth Floor, Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office

General Andon gazed out the window of the West Wing Conference Room, watching Prince Lelouch, his right arm in a cast and sling and the bruises that he'd received from the battle three days ago still healing, talking with his Royal Guard or the other soldiers. The past three days had been pretty busy for the 11th Regiment, or Black Knights as they were now known as area-wide rather than amongst themselves.

The newly christened, due to Diethard Ried's live report three days ago, Demon Prince of Britannia was spending most of his time attempting to find where the citizens had gone, finding a way to start rebuilding the city, since quite a bit of it was destroyed during the battle, and arranging funerals and memorials for the soldiers who'd die, since many more had died during this engagement than at Osaka. And that was only touching the surface of what he would need to do in order to stabilize Sapporo; too much had happened to the city for it to recover in an instant and Andon was sure that the citizens, when they finally returned, would feel more comfortable having the very prince who'd won them their city back remaining there for the time being.

And that was why Andon had decided that Prince Lelouch would remain in Sapporo for the time being in order to stabilize the city and help start the rebuilding process.

"I think it might be a good idea because it would also allow him the chance to gain more experience in handling the other side of being part of the military, Your Highness," Andon was saying into his phone as he watched the soldiers mill around below. The prince had gained some experience in that area at Osaka but Sapporo was different because it had already been subjected to a vicious massacre back in January and now this battle.

"I agree," Prince Schneizel el Britannia said on the other end. "Very well. Lelouch will remain in Sapporo until the city has been stabilized. Do you know approximately how long that shall take?"

"Considering the damage, the fact that we still have as of yet to locate the citizens, helping the citizens get back on their feet, and allowing the soldiers a chance to rest and recover, it will probably be, at least, two months," Andon said.

"Very well."

Andon continued to study the prince. "He really did pull off a miracle," he mused. "Out-thinking the Liberators is always impressive but he managed to completely counteract the Liberators' plan almost as if he knew what it was."

"Any good strategist knows that war and battles are very similar to a chess game on a massive scale and, in chess, predicting the opponent's moves before they make them as well as using information provided by previous moves against them is what gives a player a greater chance of winning. I have no doubt that is what my brother did," Schneizel said.

Andon hummed in agreement. "He certainly is a powerful ally to have," he mused.

"Indeed. Having the Demon Prince on my side definitely helps with my own plans," Schneizel said.

"Demon Prince...I'm a bit surprised that it caught on as quickly as it has," Andon admitted.

"I am not surprised. When it comes to the media, if they decide to give someone a certain moniker, that moniker sticks with them. It was because of the media that Cornelia and I got ours," Schneizel said simply. "I must report to the Emperor so I will let you go now, General. Continue observing my brother and keep reporting back to me."

"Understood, Your Highness," Andon said and closed his phone as the White Prince ended the call.

. . .

Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo

Lelouch dismissed the soldiers who had just returned from another sweep of the city who'd just reported that the city was still clear of terrorists. Resisting the urge to yawn, he hadn't gotten much sleep since the battle three days ago while he was dealing with the aftermath and everything that entailed, Lelouch walked over to join his Royal Guard, and Suzaku, who were talking nearby. His arm was resting against his chest in a cast and sling though, thankfully, the medic had said that it would heal in anywhere from a few months to half a year.

"Hey, there's our resident Demon Prince," Tadashi greeted Lelouch with a big grin. Ever since they'd discovered Lelouch's new moniker, after watching a recording of Ried's live broadcast of the end of the battle, Tadashi had taken to greeting him like that when they were alone. Lelouch knew he was only doing it because he could since he was Lelouch's friend, and that was why he only did it when they were in private.

Personally, he wasn't entirely sure what to make of the moniker. According to the news and the newspapers, other reporters and journalists had picked it up and that likely meant that Lelouch was stuck with it.

"Show some respect," Dimitri said, more in exasperation than in true anger or irritation. He'd gotten used to the majority of Lelouch's Royal Guard treating him so informally and like a friend when in private but, sometimes, he would fall back on his old habits.

"Or you might make the 'demon' mad. I wouldn't want a pissed-off demon after me," Rayne said with a grin that seemed almost forced. The somberness in her eyes, that Lelouch knew was the result of the death of her eldest sister, had cleared up a bit the past three days but he knew that one could not get over the death of a loved one right away. Even if he didn't know the entire story behind the relationship, or lack thereof, between Rayne and her sister, it was clear that what happened between them had changed things a little.

"True. Wait, if he's a demon..." Tadashi shook his head. "I pity the poor fool who tries to flirt with Nunnally or Euphie now."

"Agreed," Rayne said with a nod while Lelouch raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Is there anything that we need to do?" Lila asked and Lelouch turned to look at the blonde girl.

"Not at the moment, no," Lelouch said. "I am going to send out a couple of squads into the mountains soon to look for the citizens though."

Lila looked interested. "May I join one of those squads?" she asked, trying hard to hide the eagerness in her voice but Lelouch still saw it shining in her eyes.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"I haven't gone hiking in a while and I enjoy hiking," Lila admitted sheepishly.

Lelouch hummed but decided that he may as well. It wasn't as if he was going to be left unprotected; even if he was planning on having Kay and Dimitri lead two more squads, he would still have Tadashi, Rayne, Jeremiah, and Suzaku by him. And it wasn't as if he was in any danger at the moment, though he wasn't stupid enough to let his guard down.

"All right, you may lead a squad. Dimitri, Kay, I want you two to lead two more squads. Choose who you want to go with you," Lelouch said.

"Ah, may I go with Lila, Your Highness?" Tadashi asked a bit too quickly and then blushed and looked away when Lelouch glanced at him.

"That would not be wise," Dimitri said with a frown. "That would leave only Rayne and Margrave Gottwald to keep His Highness safe."

"Oh yeah," Tadashi said.

"You may go with Lila if you wish, Tadashi," Lelouch said. "I also have Suzaku to keep me safe and it's not like I can't take care of myself."

Suzaku blinked at him, though Lelouch saw tiredness in his eyes and dark circles under them. He looked just as exhausted as Lelouch felt. "You have a broken arm," he said.

"Thank you for that, Mr. Obvious," Lelouch said with a glower at his unofficial knight. Suzaku just smiled back at him briefly. "Besides, the sweeps that I've had done of the city have turned up nothing so we should be fine."

Dimitri pressed his lips tightly together but nodded. "When should we head out, Your Highness?" he asked.

"When Jeremiah returns from the Ebetsu Ghetto," Lelouch said.

"Yes, Your Highness. I will go and gather my squad together now," Dimitri said with a salute before he turned and walked away.

Lila and Kay, after saluting as well, followed suit with Tadashi trailing after Lila.

Rayne watched them go, then turned to Lelouch. "Do we even know if the citizens are even alive?" she asked warily.

That was a question that Lelouch had pondered himself when he'd first found out just how abandoned the city was during the campaign against the Liberators. "There's no evidence that anything happened to them," he admitted. "There should be some sort of evidence if the Liberators had killed them and I can't see a reason why they would do that."

"True."

"So do you think maybe they evacuated the citizens when they took control of the city?" Suzaku asked curiously.

"I think that's a strong possibility," Lelouch said. "It would make sense if they didn't want the citizens to get caught in the crossfire since they were not ignorant enough to think Britannia wouldn't send someone to take back the city."

"Your Highness!" Jeremiah's call came before anyone could respond to Lelouch's words and he turned to find the orange-eyed captain of his Royal Guard walking toward him with his squad behind him. He bowed as he came to a stop in front of Lelouch.

"What did you find out at the Ebetsu Ghetto, Jeremiah?" Lelouch asked.

"We found evidence of the Liberators using the Ebetsu Ghetto as their base of operations," Jeremiah said. "A few Liberators who'd fled the battle were hiding out in the Ebetsu Ghetto. We managed to capture one of them but the other managed to get away before we could catch them. We've transported him to the G1 and Lieutenant Colonel Soresi is questioning him now."

Lelouch pressed his lips together. "Using Ebetsu was a pretty smart move, considering that it is close enough to Sapporo that they wouldn't have to waste too much energy to get here but also far enough away that we wouldn't be able to detect them," he said. "Good work, Jeremiah."

"Thank you, Your Highness," Jeremiah said and dismissed his squad with a wave of his hand.

Dimitri, Kay, Lila, Tadashi, and the squads they had formed walked over a few minutes later to receive their orders. Lelouch told them the places that he wanted them to check and sent them on their way, biting his lip to repress another yawn that threatened to escape.

"You look exhausted, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

"I'm fine, Jeremiah," Lelouch said, turning around and began walking toward the Ward Office. Jeremiah and Suzaku immediately followed him.

"Maybe you should get some rest, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

"I'm fine," Lelouch insisted as they walked into the Ward Office and Lelouch led the way to his office.

"Yeah, right." Suzaku snorted. "You're just being stubborn again. You're no good to anyone if you collapse from exhaustion, you know?"

Jeremiah whirled around, about ready to either hit Suzaku for that or give him a tongue lashing, but Lelouch, holding up a hand to forestall Jeremiah's reaction, raised an eyebrow. "And what about you? You look like you're half-dead," he said.

Suzaku flushed a little and looked away. "I...just haven't been able to get any sleep," he said.

Lelouch studied his friend. Something was bothering his friend but he decided not to press, now anyway. "No need to be a hypocrite by drawing attention to my own exhaustion, Suzaku," he drawled with a smirk and Suzaku's flush deepened before he threw Lelouch a quick scowl.

The three of them reached the office and walked into it, Lelouch heading for his desk, on which was the stack of paperwork that he had yet to get to, while Jeremiah, throwing a glare at Suzaku who shifted uncomfortably under the Margrave's penetrating orange gaze, followed him. "Your Highness, why do you let Warrant Officer Kururugi get away with treating you like that?" he asked.

Lelouch, who was eyeing the paperwork, turned to Jeremiah, thinking about his answer. "It's refreshing, I suppose, to be treated normally for a change. Why do you think I allow my Royal Guard to treat me as informally as they want when we're alone?" he said.

"I suppose so," Jeremiah said. "But he is to be your Knight. Should he not start acting like one?"

"From the way things are looking, it's going to be months before the official ceremony," Lelouch said, returning his attention to his paperwork, contemplating setting it on fire to get out of doing it but pushed the thought out of his mind. "He knows just what being a Knight of Honor entails, Jeremiah, I can assure you of that."

Suzaku seemed like he wanted to say something but kept silent. Lelouch noticed though and waved his uninjured hand at him. "Speak freely, Suzaku," he said.

"I just wanted to say that I know that anything I do will be reflected back on His Highness, Margrave Gottwald, and I know that being a Knight is more than just a title and an honor. And I also know that I have to work extra hard to prove myself worthy because I'm an Honorary Britannian and I will not fail in that endeavor," Suzaku said, gazing at Jeremiah with determination in his eyes.

Jeremiah blinked, probably a bit surprised by the passion with which Suzaku spoke. Lelouch knew that the passion in Suzaku's voice came from his true goal of changing Britannia from within, and how he couldn't fail at being a Knight since being a Knight would start giving him the power and status he needed to change things.

Jeremiah pulled himself from his shock. "We will see, Kururugi," he said finally. "His Highness chose you to be his Knight, even though I personally don't agree, and I will not object to His Highness's decision. I just hope that he was right to place his complete trust in you."

Noticing just how serious the atmosphere had gotten, Lelouch finally decided to break the tension that seemed almost tangible between his unofficial Knight and the captain of his Royal Guard. "I never knew you knew such big words, Suzaku," he teased, even though he knew that Suzaku was actually pretty intelligent, even if he was more brawn than brains.

"Not everyone can be a genius like you, Your Highness," Suzaku said with a bow that was both serious and mocking at the exact same time.

Lelouch chuckled a little. "I suppose that's true," he said. He paused and added, "By the way, where did Rayne go?" He had thought that Rayne had followed them when he entered the Ward Office.

"I am not sure, Your Highness. Shall I go look for her?" Jeremiah asked.

Lelouch hummed in thought before nodding. "I should be safe enough in here," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness. I will send some soldiers to keep guard outside, however," Jeremiah stated firmly, saluting with his fist over his heart before he turned and walked out of the office.

Suzaku watched him go and turned to Lelouch. "You know, I think he's right," he said.

"Hmm?" Lelouch, who'd picked up one of the pieces of paper with his good hand and placed it on his desk, turned amethyst eyes to Suzaku.

"I should start acting like a true Knight, even if it will still be a couple of months before the official ceremony," Suzaku said.

"Suzaku, I don't mind if you treat me informally while we're in private. I wasn't kidding with what I said earlier. I do find it rather refreshing to be treated like I'm back to being just a regular student at Ashford rather than a prince," Lelouch said. He supposed that allowing both Suzaku and his Royal Guard treat him informally was also a way of allowing him to remind himself that he was still human, even if everyone saw him as a demon.

Besides, looking through the reports of the battle here in Sapporo and the results, he was starting to see why Diethard Ried had given him the moniker of Demon Prince. And while he didn't know just how to feel about the moniker, he was starting to just accept it; he was going to be stuck with it. Besides, he was sure that the moniker would only add to the reputation he had amassed from this battle alone.

He scowled inwardly. Well, have I proved myself useful to you, dear Father? He thought scornfully, even thinking the title 'father' venomously.

Nonetheless, having a little reminder that, despite being a demon in the eyes of the public, he still maintained his humanity wasn't a bad thing.

Deciding to change the subject, Lelouch glanced at the time. "Hmm, classes should be letting out by now. I'm calling Nunnally. Do you want to say hi?" he asked as he reached for the phone.

"Sure," Suzaku said.

Lelouch dialed the number and let it ring until Sayoko answered. "Hello, Sayoko, will you please put Nunnally on the phone?" he said.

"Of course, Master Lelouch. One moment. I believe Mistress Nunnally is in the Student Council's meeting room," Sayoko said and Lelouch heard her leave the apartment. There was silence on the other end before Lelouch heard Nunnally's voice.

"Sayoko, what brings you here?" she asked.

"Your brother would like to speak to you," Sayoko said.

"Really? Great. Thank you, Sayoko," Nunnally said.

"Put it on speaker phone!" Milly's voice shouted in the background and Lelouch pulled the phone away from his ear just as he heard Milly, Shirley, and Rivalz shout their greeting into the phone. He chuckled and shook his head in amusement. Milly, he thought fondly.

. . .

Meeting Room, Student Council Clubhouse

After shouting their greetings to Lelouch, Shirley, Rivalz, and Milly retook their seats as they waited for Lelouch to respond. Even as she sat down, Shirley found herself thinking about what she had witnessed on the television; Ried's report on the battle of Sapporo and the new moniker that he'd given Lelouch—a moniker that the rest of the media had picked up and was now universally acknowledged as Lelouch's. She wasn't entirely sure that she liked her crush being known as the Demon Prince of Britannia but kept her thoughts to herself. No one else seemed to be worrying about it, though she had noticed how Nunnally seemed a bit upset when the moniker was created three days ago.

"Thankfully, I knew you were going to do that, Milly, so you didn't break my eardrums this time," Lelouch's voice said dryly.

"Drat," Milly said with a pout.

Lelouch chuckled. "How are you, Nunnally? I know I haven't been able to call a lot lately but I've been really busy," he said.

"I can understand that, Big Brother," Nunnally said with a soft smile. "We were watching and listening to that live report on what was going on in Sapporo."

"You were?" Lelouch sounded faintly surprised.

"We were curious, since you said you were going to Hokkaido," Milly admitted. "Though we really only heard Ried's commentary on the entire situation."

"I insisted on staying," Nunnally added as if expecting Lelouch to ask why she was listening to that report. "I wanted to know...I just wanted to know what was going on and if you were all right."

"...I'm fine, Nunnally," Lelouch assured her. "Suzaku's here too, by the way."

"Hello Nunnally," Suzaku's familiar voice sounded on the other end and Nunnally smiled. "Hi Suzaku," she said. She bit her lip then asked, "Are you going to be coming home soon, Big Brother?"

"Unfortunately, it doesn't look like I'm going to be leaving for a while yet," Lelouch admitted regrettably. "Sapporo's in such chaos that it's going to take a while to stabilize it. I'll be leaving as soon as the city's stabilized though but I don't know how long that will take."

"Oh." Nunnally sounded disappointed but the she pushed it aside and added, "I guess I can understand that. You've got your duties and all."

"...So how have you been, Nunnally?" Lelouch asked.

"I've been good. Brother Clovis is still visiting a lot and the Student Council lets me participate in any activities that they have planned," Nunnally said.

"Are you still being protected?" Lelouch asked, clearly still remembering the assassination attempt.

"Yeah, Briana rarely leaves my side and neither does Sayoko," Nunnally said. At that, Shirley glanced toward the bodyguard that was standing by the door to the meeting room, her arms folded across her chest and her eyes narrowed as they flickered across the room many times.

"Good. That reminds me. Suzaku, remind me to call Clovis. I need an update on the search for the assassin." His voice darkened, taking on a dangerous tone that caused a shiver to run down Shirley's spine; with a voice like that, it wasn't hard to picture her crush as the Demon Prince the media portrayed him as. She wasn't that surprised; when it came to Nunnally's safety, he was extremely overprotective.

"Hell hath no fury like an overprotective older brother," Kallen murmured and Shirley wasn't positive but she thought she saw Kallen briefly glance at Tara and Tara flinching before looking away. She blinked but didn't understand why that happened so she just pushed it aside.

"And how are the rest of you doing?" Lelouch asked.

"We're good, Lulu," Shirley said. "Milly's kept us busy and not thinking about what happened."

"Yeah, since we're going on vacation in a few days, Kallen invited all of us over to her house for a few days," Milly said.

"Almost all of us," Tara muttered.

"So sorry but I can only invite a limited number of people," Kallen said sweetly. "And I am positive my mother"—her lip seemed to twist a little—"would absolutely love to meet Princess Nunnally and if her guards have to come, I can't bring you along."

"I wanted to go," Nunnally admitted, "since I had such a good time during the sleepover I held a while ago."

"As long as your guards go with you then I have no objections but you should inform Clovis," Lelouch said.

"I will."

A thud like a door banging against the wall sounded followed by a shout of "Your Highness!"

"What is so important that you felt the need to practically tear my office's door off its hinges, Private?" Lelouch said irritably.

"Ah, sorry about that, Your Highness, but Lieutenant Moore and I found the citizens but they're refusing to return to the city. Lieutenant Moore is attempting to convince them that it's safe but they're being stubborn. She believes that they may be more willing to listen if you were the one to come and speak to them," the Eleven boy's voice that Shirley vaguely remembered from when Lelouch called while he was in Aomori said.

"They're probably simply being paranoid but, given what happened to Sapporo back in January coupled with this, I can understand why. Very well. Where are they located?"

"The Minami Ghetto, at the base of Mt. Asahi," the Eleven boy said.

"Very well. Listen, Nunnally, I have to go. I'll try and call you later," Lelouch said.

"I understand, Big Brother, be safe," Nunnally said.

"I will," Lelouch said.

Milly suddenly nudged Shirley in the side, whispering, "Didn't you say you were going to remind Lelouch of something when we next spoke to him?"

Shirley blushed as she recalled that conversation but steeled herself, reminding herself that she was just reminding Lelouch of the date she'd asked him on. "Before you go, Lulu, um, well, do you remember when we spoke in person last?" she asked. "You know...um...when I asked you, er, to dinner..." She trailed off, her cheeks reddening.

"I haven't forgotten, Shirley," Lelouch said reassuringly. "I don't know when I'll be back though. I'm hoping it will be before the end of the year. We can arrange a day and time when I get back."

"Okay, yeah, that sounds great," Shirley said a bit too quickly.

"Your Highness, we really need to get going. You can talk to your girlfriend later," Suzaku's voice sounded in the background.

The blush that had just faded from Shirley's cheeks came back.

"..."

There was snickering followed by a "You're blushing!"

"...Shut up, Suzaku and go find Jeremiah and Rayne," Lelouch growled. "I'll talk to you guys later. Goodbye, Nunnally, I love you."

"I love you too, Big Brother," Nunnally said and there was a click as Lelouch hung up on the other end.

Sayoko took the phone back as Nunnally turned her face to Shirley and tilted her head to the side curiously. "Are you sure you and Big Brother aren't going to be boyfriend and girlfriend when he gets back?" she asked.

Shirley's blush deepened and she didn't respond.

"Tch, I doubt it. Why would a prince go out with a commoner rat?" Tara sneered.

"There's only one rat in this room and it certainly isn't Shirley," Kallen said meekly but there was a dark tone in her voice that took Shirley a bit by surprise.

"That wasn't very nice," Nunnally said at the exact same time. "And my mother was a commoner, you know."

"Tch, then she was just a gold-digging whore," Tara growled.

Nunnally jerked as if she had been slapped, hurt crossing her face.

Shirley's eyes went wide at the statement but, surprisingly, the person who reacted wasn't one that she expected to react.

Slap!

Tara was knocked off her chair, one hand going to her reddening cheek as she stared, wide-eyed, at the culprit.

Kallen lowered her hand, her face dark with fury but that quickly cleared up as she retook her seat, lowering her head meekly. "Sorry...I don't know what came over me," she said.

"Don't apologize, Kallen," Rivalz reassured the red-haired girl. "Tara shouldn't have said such a thing."

"Yeah. No one should disrespect the dead like that and if you hadn't slapped her, I would have," Milly said darkly, glaring at Tara who seemed to cringe from the blonde's icy blue eyes.

She, wisely, chose to remain silent.

. . .

Foothills of Mt. Asahi, Minami Ghetto

Lila, who had spent the time while she waited for Tadashi to go tell Lelouch about the location of the citizens moving among them and checking for injuries, wiped the sweat from her forehead. It wasn't that hot; their location at the foothills made the air cooler than it was in Sapporo itself; however, the ghetto that the citizens, Britannian and Honorary Britannian alike, had been forced to live in following the Liberators taking control of their city weren't in that great a condition.

At least they were alive and didn't seem to have been injured. The mayor of Sapporo, who'd met Lila when she, Tadashi, and the rest of her squad had reached the foothills, had told her that the Liberators had just threatened to kill them if they didn't leave.

"And I didn't want a repeat of what happened in January so we left."

It was completely understandable that, after the massacre that occurred in January, Mayor Kennedy would want to try and prevent that from happening again. However, he was still too stubborn to accept Lila's words when she told him that it was safe to return, even though they'd all heard Diethard Ried's report through the radio. She didn't know why but, perhaps, he would be more willing to listen to someone of authority, which was why she thought Lelouch speaking to the mayor would work.

It wasn't long before Lelouch arrived with Jeremiah, Rayne, Suzaku, Dimitri, and Kay in tow, along with a couple of squads of Black Knights; she figured that he'd recalled them once he learned that her squad had found the citizens. She walked over to greet them. "Your Highness," she said with a salute. "Shall I go get Mayor Kennedy for you?"

"Yes, if you would, Lieutenant," Lelouch said and Lila saluted again before turning around and striding back the way she'd come.

She found Mayor Kennedy speaking with a few of his advisers. "Mayor Kennedy, His Highness, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia has arrived," she said.

"Ah, thank you, Lieutenant," Kennedy said, turning around and following Lila as she led the way back to where the prince was located. His advisers trailed after him, murmuring to each other.

"Your Highness," Kennedy greeted Lelouch with a respectful bow. "We have all heard of your exploits in our city. It is an honor to meet the Demon Prince personally."

"It's a pleasure, Mayor Kennedy," Lelouch said blandly, sounding bored but even Lila could tell that Kennedy's words made him seem like a suck-up. "Why don't we get to the matter at hand?"

"Yes, yes, of course," Kennedy said. "We heard of your exploits, Your Highness; however, how can we know, for sure, that the city is safe to return to?"

"I've been having my Black Knights do periodic sweeps of the entire city to ensure that no Liberators are hiding out within the city or have sneaked back in. So far, everything is clear. Also, for the time being, I and my Black Knights will be remaining in Sapporo to ensure the city's protection while it starts to rebuild," Lelouch said calmly.

Kennedy nodded. "That is reassuring news, Your Highness," he said, a smirk on his lips. "Those Liberators won't dare try to take the city back when they'll have to deal with the Demon Prince who defeated them once already."

Lelouch's face remained impassive. "The damage done to the city was extensive, Mayor Kennedy," he said, not responding to the mayor's words. "That is why, until the heart of the city is deemed safe for the citizens, I believe it would be best for you to remain on the outskirts. General Andon has already contacted Tokyo and Viceroy Clovis has already agreed to send resources to help with the rebuilding process."

Mayor Kennedy nodded. "Very well. It's going to take a few hours to get the people ready to move out though, Your Highness," he said.

"Take as much time as you need. Lieutenant Moore and her squad will remain behind to assist you," Lelouch said.

"I understand, Your Highness," the mayor said.

. . .

September 19, 2016

Lelouch's Office, Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo

Two months went by and Sapporo was starting to look a lot better. The rubble, scraps of metal and knightmare parts, and bodies had been cleared from the streets. Once they were able to actually get into the heart of the city, construction workers from various companies within Sapporo began the process of rebuilding the fallen buildings, though only a few, such as the East Wing of the Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, were up. Sweeps by the Black Knights were still being done periodically over the past two months to reassure the citizens that they were safe; though it took some time, the citizens started going about their regular lives again, even if many were still looking over their shoulders constantly.

"It seems that things have quieted down since the terrorist cell here was defeated," General Andon was saying as Lelouch watched the citizens and the Black Knights mill around below, expressionless eyes fixed on the scene below. The only other people in the office were Lelouch's Royal Guard. "The citizens are recovering quite well and the resources they're getting from the main island is certainly helping them in that regards but we should be getting back to Tokyo. There is no point in remaining in Sapporo for much longer. You've accomplished what you set out to do."

Lelouch hummed in agreement.

"Prince Schneizel has also contacted me and told me that he has his new set of orders from His Majesty for you."

Lelouch turned around to face the General. "And what are those, General?" he asked.

"Prince Schneizel has decided to inform you personally. He is also coming here to speak to Earl Lloyd about that Lupus knightmare frame," Andon said. Lloyd had wanted to get his hands on the Lupus after the Battle of Sapporo and practically begged Lelouch to give him the information he'd found about the Lupus as well as allow the scientist to take apart one of the damaged Lupi and study it. Naturally, Lloyd had only done this to try to find a way to make the Lancelot better. Then Schneizel had gotten wind of the Lupus and that was what led to this decision on his part. "He should be arriving in about a week."

Lelouch nodded once and returned his gaze to the large window. "Jeremiah," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness?" Jeremiah asked, looking up from where he was leaning against the wall.

"Have you found out any more information from the prisoner?" The prisoner, in question, was the Liberator that Jeremiah and his men had captured in the Ebetsu Ghetto. He hadn't been very forthcoming with information the first month or so when Jeremiah and Lieutenant Colonel Soresi interrogated him; however, after another month of dealing with Jeremiah's rather ruthless interrogation techniques, he started talking a few days ago.

"Nothing much. He wasn't a high ranking member of the Liberators and only followed orders. I did find out that, apparently, there was some conflict in orders though. According to the prisoner, the one called Nightfall had acted against orders from the Liberators' leader. He was never supposed to go after your life; the Liberators' leader, apparently, wants to keep you alive and wanted them to capture you," Jeremiah said, brow furrowing. "Though I am puzzled about why the Liberators wants to capture you, and alive at that."

"Perhaps as a bargaining chip to use against Britannia," Andon suggested.

Lelouch resisted the urge to snort. I am not that important to the bastard of an Emperor, he thought. "Doubtful," he said. "But I suppose it's possible."

"What I find odd is why this Nightfall tried to kill you, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

"It's not that odd. He's a psychopath. Psychopaths don't really need a reason to kill. He told me that he was trying to kill me simply because I was his enemy," Lelouch said.

"You seem rather nonchalant about this," Tadashi mused from where he was sprawled out on the ground, doodling on a piece of paper.

Lelouch thought about what happened between him and Nightfall, about how close to death he had been; had Suzaku been only a few seconds later then it would have been too late. He still remembered the cold fear that had latched onto his heart, the bitter realization that he was within a breath of death, the worry as he thought about his precious little sister and what would happen to her…

He shoved the thought away, jaw clenching as he told himself, over and over again, that he was alive and that he couldn't afford to show any signs of weakness. He had no doubt fear would be seen as a weakness in the Emperor's eyes, not when Andon was still spying on him for both Schneizel and the Emperor.

"I'm alive. That's all that matters," he said simply, his voice as expressionless as his eyes.

. . .

A.S.E.E.C.'s Base, Sapporo

Suzaku sat up sharply, a cold sweat covering his body as he tore himself out of his nightmare. Moonlight streamed in through the window of the small room he'd been given in the A.S.E.E.C.'s mobile base, illuminating the shadows and the room felt drafty. Suzaku shivered despite himself and sat up, swinging his legs off his bed and resting his head on his hands.

Even though over two months had gone by since the Battle of Sapporo ended, Suzaku's sleep was still interrupted every now and then by nightmares of that day over six years ago. Thankfully, it wasn't every day—as it was during the first week after the battle—but it was still bothering him. Then again, it's always been bothering him from the moment he made the decision to pick up that knife and kill his father.

You are such a fucking naive little bastard, aren't you? Do you honestly think someone as useless and weak as you can do something like that? Ha. You are a moron, a pathetic moron. Your father would be so ashamed of you…

Suzaku gritted his teeth and, trying hard to not think about that psychopath's words, got to his feet and, after throwing on a jacket, left his room. He wasn't entirely sure what had caused him to think about Nightfall's words, which he was sure was what triggered those nightmares, when he fell asleep to begin with.

Would you be ashamed of me, Father? He thought. He'd been asking that question ever since Nightfall had first uttered those words. He had tried to let it go, to just ignore it as he had all the times his own people would call him a traitor or curse his name whenever they saw him, but, for some reason, Nightfall's words would not leave him alone.

He still felt strongly that he could accomplish his goal and that, even if it wasn't possible, he had to try, at least.

He and Lelouch shared the same goal so he had his best friend's support at least.

He knew he shouldn't be letting Nightfall's words get to him but he found it hard to stop himself from thinking about them.

"Suzaku?"

Suzaku pulled himself out of his thoughts to find Cecile looking at him in concern. He hadn't even realized that he had wandered to the control room next to the hangar. He wasn't surprised that both Cecile and Lloyd, the latter of whom was so engrossed on whatever he was looking at on the computer that he hadn't noticed the new arrival, were still up. They sometimes worked for days straight without sleeping.

"Yes, Miss Cecile?" he said.

"Are you okay? Why are you up so early?" Cecile asked.

"I'm fine, just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep," Suzaku said. He wasn't exactly lying.

Deciding that, perhaps, doing something would help him get his mind off his nightmare, Suzaku added, "Is there anything you need help with?"

"At the moment, no, but Lloyd's running some tests on both the Master Vibration Swords and those Diamond-tipped claws so he might need you to do something soon," Cecile said, still studying him with concerned eyes. They had found out within only a week of studying the Lupus that the metal-cutting material was actually sharpened diamond.

"Oh okay."

Cecile gave him a friendly, almost motherly smile and placed a hand on his arm. "If you need to talk, you can talk to me," she said.

Suzaku blinked, touched by the offer, and gave her a small smile. "Thank you, Miss Cecile, but I'm fine," he said softly. I don't want to burden you with the knowledge of what I've done. You, just like Lelouch, have already done so much for me, things that I don't deserve, he thought bitterly.

. . .

September 26, 2016

Lelouch's Office, Sapporo City Chūō Ward Office, Sapporo

The next week went by quickly and everything in Sapporo was still going smoothly. Lelouch was, currently, in his office, finishing off the paperwork, which was rather hard to do with only one arm—thankfully a member of his Royal Guard, usually Jeremiah, Lila, or Dimitri, would help out—while most of his Royal Guard, and Suzaku, were scattered around the office again. Suzaku had, apparently, gotten a break from working with Earl Lloyd and Major Croomy when the former hit a snag in one of the experiments he'd been testing, and decided to spend it with his friends, and Jeremiah.

He was currently listening to Tadashi tell a story about his childhood to Lila and Dimitri. Lelouch knew that Kay and Rayne, along with their elder brother Parker, were visiting the grave of their eldest sister; all three of them have visited that grave once a week since the battle. It also seemed as if the relationship between Rayne and Parker was no longer as tense as it was when they first' found out that they were both part of the same regiment.

Yawning, Lelouch finished signing off the last piece of paperwork and, putting the pen down, placed the paper on the finished pile. "Finally," he muttered. "I hate paperwork."

Jeremiah chuckled. "I am pretty sure everyone hates paperwork, Your Highness," he said. "At least you're done though."

Lelouch nodded in agreement and leaned back to stretch out his back. The cast was rather annoying but, unfortunately, the medics said that he had to keep it on for a few more months. He glanced at the time, noticing it was just after two in the afternoon. Schneizel should be showing up any minute now, he thought.

Sure enough, not even five minutes later, a knock sounded on his door.

Yawning again, Lelouch called, "come in," and watched as the door opened. First came the rose-gold haired form of Kanon, Schneizel's aid, and then Schneizel was walking in, dressed as he usually dressed. Jeremiah straightened up and Lelouch's Royal Guard, that were present, along with Suzaku stood up and all of them saluted in greeting.

"Brother," Lelouch greeted Schneizel calmly. "Please, have a seat."

Schneizel simply inclined his head and sat down, a faint smile crossing his lips. "First off, I must offer my congratulations on your defeat of the Liberators. It was a most impressive victory," he said as Kanon moved to stand next to him. "I delivered the report to the Imperial Military Archive personally as you requested. Now then, why don't we get to the true reason why I am here?"

"The Emperor's newest set of orders for me," Lelouch said evenly.

"Exactly," Schneizel said with a nod, his face going serious. "Father wants you to enter into the political field; however, I feel that you would be able to better serve the Empire as part of the military. Thus, we have reached a compromise. You are to be the new Sub-Viceroy of Area 11; however, at the same time, you are to be promoted to Brigadier General and you will take over General Andon's duties of handling the terrorist threat here in Area 11. Effective immediately."

Lelouch's lips twitched a little at the orders. Being Sub-Viceroy basically meant that he would have near complete political control of Area 11, only second to Clovis; however, being in charge of handling the terrorist threat in Area 11 also gave him much power in the military as well.

I'm surprised. Why is the Emperor actually given me so much power by having me enter the political field and agreeing to grant me more power in the military? Lelouch thought with an inward frown.

"I see. Does Clovis know?" he asked.

"No," Schneizel said. "We've agreed that you will inform Clovis of Father's decision when you return to Tokyo."

After a moment of silence, the Second Prince added, "However, I have a feeling I know what you are thinking, Lelouch. Father has deigned it appropriate to grant you this kind of power simply because you have proven yourself very useful to him, more so than he ever thought you would. I will be quite honest with you; Father never thought you would actually win against the Liberators but you proved his expectations wrong. As a result, you have actually become his new favorite."

Lelouch blinked in shock, though kept his face expressionless except for the slight raising of an eyebrow. I'm the Emperor's new favorite? I hate him, I hate him more than anyone, I hate him with every fiber of my being, and I'm his new favorite? The urge to laugh at the irony of the situation was nearly overwhelming but Lelouch managed to quench the sensation.

"Is that so?" he said with a completely straight face.

"Indeed," Schneizel said with a knowing gleam in his eyes as if he, somehow, knew what Lelouch was thinking. However, if he did know, he didn't say anything about it.

"So I can return to Tokyo now?" he asked.

"Not just yet," Schneizel said. "General Andon just received word that a survivor of the Liberators' Eleven cell has roused the local terrorist group at Hirosaki and they've managed to land a crippling blow against the 4th Regiment stationed there, including killing hundreds of innocents. Major General Towers will be sending you a report of the situation soon enough."

Lelouch's lips tightened. Do I ever get a break? He thought. "And I take it that I am to handle this matter," he said. It wasn't really a question so Schneizel didn't bother on answering; instead, he simply stood up.

"General Andon will be returning to Tokyo but I am confident you can handle the matter at Hirosaki easily enough," Schneizel said. "Your reputation, itself, may be enough to win against those terrorists, Demon Prince."

. . .

September 28, 2016

Aomori, Area 11

"You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding. Me," Rayne growled, glaring at the overcast sky and the light rain that fell. "I swear the weather hates me." The Black Knights had left Sapporo the day before, heading for Hirosaki in which they would have to deal with yet another incident. The Liberators sure are stubborn, she thought, still glaring at the sky.

Kay chuckled softly at Rayne's reaction.

"It doesn't look like you're melting today either, though that's probably just 'cause you ain't in the rain, though you're pretty smoking for a witch," Tadashi joked.

"Haha," Rayne said, rolling her eyes and wrapping her arms around herself as breeze ruffled through the air. The pavilion under which they stood kept them dry. They were currently staying in Aomori to rest but would be heading out to Hirosaki the following day.

Diethard Ried was still with the Black Knights and Rayne had to admit, she was surprised that Lelouch was allowing the reporter to hang around for the time being. The blonde reporter was currently talking on the phone with his boss on the other end of the pavilion. Lelouch was also standing nearby, scanning a map of Hirosaki while talking quietly with Jeremiah.

"It's not even raining that much, Rayne," Lila said.

Rayne huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

"Parker's enjoying it," Kay commented, pointing and Rayne turned to find Parker with his head tilted backwards as he stood in the middle of the throng of soldiers just letting the rain fall on his face.

"He's crazy," Rayne said.

"Are ya sure you ain't the one that's crazy?" Tadashi asked and then doubled over when Rayne planted an elbow into his gut. "Ow!"

Lila rolled her eyes and looked around. "By the way, where's Dimitri?" she asked.

"Huh, now that I think about it, I haven't seen him all day," Rayne said and turned to her twin. "Kay?"

"Haven't seen him either," Kay said.

Suzaku walked across the rain-spattered road to join them beneath the pavilion, shivering. He was dressed in his white pilot suit. "Hey," he greeted them.

"Hey Suzaku, what brings you here?" Tadashi asked as he straightened.

"I have a message for His Highness from Earl Lloyd," Suzaku said simply.

"Well, he's over there figuring things out for the upcoming engagement, if there even is one," Rayne said.

"Why wouldn't there be?"

"They might be too scared of the Demon Prince to fight against him," Tadashi said with a grin.

Lila rolled her eyes again and then pressed her lips together in thought. "Tadashi actually has a good point. If they know about what happened at Sapporo, and discover that His Highness is the one who will be fighting against them, then I would not put it past the terrorist group to abandon that Liberator survivor to save their own skin," she said.

"Yeah, I agree. By the way, Suzaku, have you seen Dimitri?" Rayne asked.

"Yeah. He came into contact with an old friend of his about half an hour ago and they haven't stopped talking yet," Suzaku said, pointing to a balcony underneath which stood Dimitri with a pretty light-brown haired girl. They stood just out of the way that Rayne hadn't spotted him until Suzaku had pointed him out.

Suzaku walked past them and over to join Lelouch to give him whatever message Lloyd had for him.

"I'm looking forward to getting back to Tokyo," Tadashi said. "Though I wonder how long it's gonna take. I mean we stayed in Sapporo for quite a while."

"Who knows? Hopefully we'll..." Rayne began only to break off as a very familiar voice sounded.

"Parker! It's so good to see you."

Rayne's eyes twitched and her hands clenched into fists while Kay looked to the ground. "Is that who I think it is?" she asked, grinding her teeth together. Even if she did have a much better relationship with Parker, after deciding to give him a second chance—something she still wished she'd given Gretchen—she still didn't care for her parents.

"It is," Kay said.

"Wonderful." Once again, the sarcasm was strong.

Forcing herself to turn to confirm her brother's words, she spotted them.

The first was a tall, willowy woman with long dark-blue hair and blue eyes who was holding Parker in her arms, smiling while a servant that stood next to her held an umbrella over her head. She was dressed in the elaborately expensive clothing that marked her as a noble. Next to her was a broad-shouldered blue-haired man with the same green eyes as Parker, also with an umbrella held over his head by a servant.

"Mother? Father? What are you doing in Area 11?" Parker said in surprise as he hugged his mother back.

"Visiting mostly," his mother, Rebecca (Becca) Frost, said.

"We decided to take a break from Pendragon for a bit and remembered that Branden had suggested we visit Aomori at around this time, before the snow season began, so we decide to come and visit," his father, Victor Frost, said.

"But why are you here, Parker?" Becca asked as she released her second eldest son.

"Didn't you see the news?" Parker asked. "I doubt it was just broadcast in Area 11."

"You mean the Battle of Sapporo?" Victor asked. "Yes, we saw that. You mean you were part of that battle?"

Parker nodded.

"Oh I am so proud of you," Becca exclaimed. "And Gretchen too! Where is she?"

Parker flinched and looked away. "I'm sorry, Mother, but...she didn't survive the battle," he said softly.

Becca's eyes went wide with shock and sadness. "Oh dear," she whispered. "Gretchen...she...she's..." She trailed off and her husband gently took her into her arms as she started sobbing.

"But I have good news," Parker said suddenly and waited for Becca to calm down before adding, "Rayne and Kayden are alive and well."

Becca blinked. "Them? They're part of the military?" she asked bewildered and then she shook her head. "I feel much sympathy for whichever poor commander ended up with them since they're so useless."'

Parker's eyes went wide while Rayne growled and Kay flinched, looking away.

"Dude, that is not cool," Tadashi muttered.

"You're not useless, Rayne, Kay," Lila said gently.

"How can you say that, Mother?" Parker said before Rayne could reply. "They're your kids too."

"Tch, we never wanted them," Victor said dismissively, "and they are nothing but trouble who will never amount to anything."

"Especially Rayne. It's only a matter of time before their commander sees them for the useless wretches that they are," Becca said.

Parker's eyes flashed. "Rayne was right about you," he said. "You really don't care about them. I had thought...I just thought she was being a rebellious teen but now..." He shook his head, disappointment and sadness in his eyes.

"Oh don't be like that, Parker," Becca said with a smile. "They aren't worth your time to worry about."

Victor nodded in agreement. "Perhaps it would have been better off if they'd died instead of Gretchen," he said.

That was like a sucker punch straight to the gut and Rayne jerked back, eyes wide while Kay's head shot up before tears filled his eyes.

Parker noticed them and turned toward them. "Rayne, Kay," he began.

Victor and Becca followed his gaze and Becca scoffed. "So those brats really have joined the military. The commander must be incredibly stupid to allow them to remain, since they are so useless, worthless, and stupid," she said scornfully.

Rayne's eyes flashed with rage but Kay gritted his teeth and then bolted.

"Kay!" Rayne shouted, whirling around as Kay vanished into the G1, tears streaming down his face.

"How could you?! I used to respect and look up to you but no more! You are no parents of mine!" Parker shouted, eyes flashing with rage.

"Parker, dear," Becca began, reaching out to touch Parker's arm.

"Don't you dare touch me," Parker hissed, jerking out of the way before he bolted toward the G1, disappearing into it behind Kay.

Rayne, deciding to let Parker handle Kay, whirled around to glare at her parents, storming out into the rain and over to join them. "You are the worst parents in the history of parents," she shouted. "You've never cared for us, not once. You always had the maids raise us and always saw us as worthless and useless. You never even gave us the chance to prove that we are not that way at all. It sickens me that people like you actually exist in this world." She knew that such people as her parents actually existed in the world; when she was younger, she hadn't thought her parents were like some of the parents that she saw on the news. As she grew older, she realized that they were just like those parents on the news.

"You thought we wouldn't amount to anything but you were wrong," Rayne growled. "We were part of the battle against the Liberators to take back Sapporo. We helped win against them."

Becca snorted. "I find that highly unlikely," she said.

"And why the hell do you think that? You don't know us! You never even bothered on getting to know us, on allowing us to reach our full potential. All I ever was to you was a bride to give away and you didn't even bother on trying to find something for Kay for his future," Rayne shouted. "You bitch, you do not deserve to call yourself a mother. And you, you bastard"—she jammed a finger at Victor—"don't deserve to call yourself a father!"

"Do not take that tone with us, young lady," Victor growled.

"Do not start treating me like your kid when you never cared before," Rayne shouted back.

Smack!

Rayne was knocked off her feet by the hard smack that her father had just delivered to her face, her eyes flaring with rage and her hand resting against her stinging cheek.

"I said do not take that tone with me, girl," Victor spat.

"Excuse me?" A soft, cool voice said before Rayne could respond and she, Victor, and Becca all looked to find Lelouch standing there, his cold amethyst eyes fixed on Victor and Becca.

Victor and Becca blinked and then immediately straightened, Becca doing a little curtsy. "Your Highness, I apologize for the disturbance," she began.

Lelouch completely ignored her as he moved over to join Rayne, holding out a hand to her. She took it and let him gently pull her to her feet. "Are you all right, Rayne?" he asked gently.

"Yeah, it just stung but I'm fine, Your Highness," Rayne said, rubbing her cheek as she released Lelouch's hand.

"Good. Go and check on your brother and you may go on leave for the rest of the day if you wish," Lelouch said.

"I'm fine, Your Highness, but thank you anyway," Rayne said.

Lelouch hummed in thought. "At least go and get changed, Rayne. The last thing I want is for a member of my Royal Guard to get sick, especially not when a battle is coming up," he said.

He did that on purpose. Rayne was positive of it. He didn't need to mention that she was part of his Royal Guard, since everyone but Becca and Victor—she refused to call them her parents—already knew that but he had anyway. As it is, she could see the shocked look on Becca's and Victor's faces and had to resist the urge to smirk.

"Yes, Your Highness," she said with a bow before she turned and made her way toward the G1, deciding to check on her brother and then get changed.

Not only that but it would also give her some time to control her emotions. As the anger faded away, the sadness that Rayne always tried so hard to keep at bay whenever anything dealing with Becca and Victor came up was starting to rear its ugly little head.

. . .

Lelouch watched Rayne go, sympathy welling up inside him. I know how it feels to have a horrible parent and you're unlucky enough to have two, he thought.

"Why would you allow her to be part of your Royal Guard? She's useless," Rebecca Frost blurted out.

Lelouch's face darkened and his eyes turned into amethyst icicles as he turned to regard Rebecca and Victor Frost. "Why?" he said. "There are many reasons why I allowed her to join my Royal Guard. She is an amazing fighter, especially in hand-to-hand combat. She is an above average knightmare pilot. And, most importantly, I trust her. I find it amazing that she and her brother actually ended up decent human beings with people like you as their parents. It is despicable that such people as you actually exist in this world but, then, the world is not perfect. If it was, people like you"—and the Emperor—"wouldn't exist."

He shook his head in disappointment. "People like you are among the people that I dislike the most," he said.

"She's worthless and useless," Rebecca exclaimed.

"She is far more useful than you would think," Lelouch said flatly. "And she is someone that I trust with my life. If you refuse to see the value that both she and her brother have then that is your problem."

Without another word, Lelouch turned his back on the two nobles and called to the captain of his Royal Guard. "Please escort Lord and Lady Frost to their hotel or wherever it is they are staying," he said.

"Yes, Your Highness," Jeremiah said as Lelouch walked away, heading straight for the G1 Base to check on both Rayne and Kay.

He found them and Parker Frost in the mess hall, Kay was laughing, looking better than he had when he'd bolted from the pavilion crying, while Parker was looking irritated as he sipped at a bottle of water and Rayne was grinning ear-to-ear. She was the first one to spot him and immediately stood up but Lelouch waved her down with his uninjured hand.

"You seem in better spirits now," he said as he walked over to join them. "Are you both okay?"

"We're fine...now," Rayne said. "Parker decided to tell us some of the incidents that he got into during basic training in order to cheer Kay up."

"It worked," Kay admitted with a small smile, though Lelouch could still see flickers of sadness in his eyes.

"Incidents during basic training? Rayne, did you tell him about the time you smacked one of your fellow recruits twice and got away with it the first time?" Lelouch asked in amusement.

Parker choked on his water. "You. Did. What?!" he exclaimed.

"You would've done the same exact thing had you had to deal with a male-version of Vivienne," Rayne huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

Parker blinked at her. "Was she really that bad?"

"She made Helen look normal."

Parker cringed. "That bad," he said.

"Boy am I glad that we didn't get stuck in the same regiment," Rayne added.

"Agreed, since you would have likely been court martialed before the incident at the Osaka Military Base," Kay mused.

"I have more self-control than that...I would have, at least, lasted until after we retook the city of Osaka," Rayne huffed.

"Just barely," Kay teased and then turned to Lelouch, rubbing his eyes, which were still slightly red from his earlier crying. "Was there something you needed, Your Highness?"

"No. I simply came to check up on you. We will be leaving for Hirosaki soon though."

"Okay."

. . .

September 30, 2016

Hirosaki Settlement, Area 11

True to Tadashi's word, the instant that word had reached Hirosaki that the Demon Prince of Britannia was on his way to Hirosaki to destroy—Ried's word—the terrorists and the survivor of the Liberators' Eleven cell, they were quick to go to ground. And they even stabbed the Liberator in the back and practically presented him to the Mayor of Hirosaki gift-wrapped.

Suzaku wasn't entirely sure whether he should be happy that they wouldn't be getting involved in another battle or disturbed that the terrorists would sacrifice someone just to save their own skin. He settled on a mixture of the two and kept his feelings to himself.

He stood, along with the rest of Lelouch's Royal Guard—though he was honestly confused as to why he was asked to be there. He wasn't Lelouch's official Knight yet—just behind Lelouch who was studying the tied Liberator that the mayor, a man who went by his last name of Snows, had his bodyguards bring out. It was early morning, only about fifteen minutes after dawn, and Suzaku noticed that Tadashi and Rayne seemed almost half-asleep as they stood at attention nearby and Dimitri wasn't with them.

"So you found him on the doorstep of city hall like that?" Lelouch asked and, even though he sounded bored, Suzaku could detect a slight undercurrent of amused bewilderment.

"That is exactly how it happened, Your Highness," Snows said, wringing his hands together uncertainly.

"I see." Lelouch didn't sound like he bought Snows's explanation. "And he admitted that he was the one who led the attacks on the city?"

Snows nodded, his eyes flickering as he avoided Lelouch's gaze, swallowing nervously. "Yes, yes, that is quite right," he said.

"I find it really interesting," Lelouch commented casually, "that a Liberator would be so willing to talk when it took us a few months to get the Liberator we captured to talk."

"Ah, we have our ways," Snows said.

"Indeed. Perhaps you can give some pointers to Margrave Gottwald as it appears he may be rusty compared to your brilliant interrogators," Lelouch drawled and Suzaku could feel the sarcasm dripping from his voice. He didn't understand what was going on but he did notice something the longer the mayor spoke; he had an accent. It was very slight but the more he talked, the more Suzaku could hear it.

Jeremiah looked offended at that and scowled at Snows who took a nervous step backwards but then stopped when he realized what he was doing and straightened.

"So what else did he have to say?" Lelouch asked, still sounding bored out of his mind.

"Oh, uh, we spoke a lot and he said that he was planning on luring you to Hirosaki so that he could wipe out your regiment with the terrorists he'd found, Your Highness, and then kill you like was supposed to happen at Sapporo," Snows said.

Lelouch hummed. "I find it highly intriguing," he said, "that the leader of the Liberators would change his mind about what he wanted to do with me as suddenly as he has."

Snows paled. "Ah, what do you mean, Your Highness?" he said, speaking so quickly and so nervously that his accent became even more pronounced.

"We intercepted a message stating that Unity, whom I suspect is either associated with the leaders of the Liberators or is a leader himself, wants me alive," Lelouch said and Suzaku watched as Snows's face paled even more. "I suppose this Liberator didn't get that message during the battle. According to Major Duncan, it was only passed on to the leaders of three of the four flanks that attacked us after all."

"Ah, yea, I...I'm sure that's it," Snows said, starting to marginally calm down, at least until Lelouch spoke again.

"You have a rather interesting accent, Mayor Snows," Lelouch commented nonchalantly. "French, by the sounds of it. Did you spend a lot of time in the EU?"

Snows paled again, his eyes flickering to the bound Liberator that was crouched next to him, to the guards that stood in a semicircle around him, to Lelouch, and his Royal Guard that stood across from him. He even occasionally looked at the citizens that had started to leave their homes and were heading for their jobs or school. Suzaku wondered if they felt comfortable knowing the Black Knights and Lelouch were there. "Ah, yeah, I spent quite a bit of time there," he blurted out nervously.

"Is that so? Which city did you visit?"

"Olkhon," Snows said very quickly.

Lelouch's lips curved into a faint smile. "Olkhon is an island in the Europia United, Snows, not a city," he pointed out calmly.

Snows began to sweat and he tugged at his collar. "Ah, well, that's 'cause I spent a lot of my time on the Island of Olkhon," he said.

"Is that so?" Lelouch said, still studying Snows who was avoiding his look and kept looking at the Royal Guard, at his own men, at the man that was tied and gagged next to him, but not meeting Lelouch's gaze anymore.

"Yes, that is so," Snows said. "So should we simply hand the terrorist over to you?"

Lelouch hummed in agreement. "Jeremiah, please remove the gag on that terrorist. I would like to speak to him and it would do no good if he cannot respond to my questions," he said.

"Ah, that won't be necessary, Your Highness. We've already gotten all the information that's needed out of him. It's all in the report that's being compiled for you," Snows said quickly.

Lelouch ignored that as he gestured with his good hand to Jeremiah who inclined his head and walked over to join the bound man and removed the gag from around his mouth. He then yanked the bound man to his feet as Lelouch faced him.

"I didn't do nothing!" The man exclaimed in the banned Japanese language. "He's...He's lying! I'm an Eleven, well, half-Eleven, half-French but still. I ain't no terrorist. He's the real terrorist!"

"Calm yourself," Lelouch said calmly, easily slipping into Japanese, as Snows blinked in confusion, clearly unable to understand what was being said. As it was, no one else, except Suzaku and Tadashi could understand them. "I believe you. Explain what has happened here, in your own words."

"Snows arrived and immediately began speaking to a friend of mine. He was the leader of a terrorist group here in Hirosaki, which I found out when Snows sought him out. Snows told him that he was a survivor from the Battle of Sapporo and was seeking to strike back at Britannia for what happened to the Liberators there. He never told my friend that you were the one that was going to come after him and his group, otherwise I'm sure my friend wouldn't have sided with Snows. As it is, when word reached us that the Demon Prince was coming here, my friend was quick to cut ties with Snows. Unfortunately, his men were not and decided to follow Snows after he killed my friend and stormed City Hall, killed the mayor, and captured me. I work at City Hall, you see, and he decided to use me as a scapegoat to draw you in. He was planning on attacking you with his men the instant your back was turned when you left with me. Please, Your Highness, I ain't got nothing to do with this! Have mercy!"

"Calm down," Lelouch said again. "I am not about to harm someone who is innocent. Demon Prince though I may be, there is a line that I try not to cross. Jeremiah, please release him." He switched back to Britannian in those last words.

"Your Highness?" Jeremiah said in confusion.

"He is innocent," Lelouch said simply.

"Whatever he told you, he's obviously lying," Snows exclaimed.

"Mayor Snows, I am entitled to believe him because he actually had the courage to look me straight in the eye, even though I held his life in my hands. It is quite easy to tell when someone is lying if you are good at reading someone's body language as well as their eyes, or if they are just really bad liars."

Snows's lips twisted but he eyed the Royal Guard that stood in a semicircle around Lelouch warily. He gritted his teeth. "So are you accusing me of lying?" he demanded.

"Are you?" Lelouch asked blandly. Without waiting for Snows to reply, he turned to the newly released half-blood and added, in Japanese, "You are free to go, young man. My condolences on the loss of your friend."

"He knew what he was getting into when he formed his terrorist group but I thank you anyway, Your Highness. For being known by everyone as the Demon Prince, you ain't so bad," the young man said as he rubbed his wrists and then he gave a slight bow and bolted in the opposite direction.

"I can't believe you would let a terrorist go," Snows shouted.

"I'm not," Lelouch said, switching back to Britannian as he turned to face Snows, his face cold as ice. "You are under arrest for conspiracy against Britannia, terrorism, the murder of the real mayor of Hirosaki, the near destruction of the 4th Regiment, and the deaths of two hundred and fifty two of Hirosaki's citizens."

Snows's eyes flickered with surprise. "Y...You don't...I didn't do any of that," he shouted.

"Is that so? I have evidence that proves otherwise," Lelouch said, which caused Suzaku to blink, wondering when that happened.

"What evidence?" Snows growled flustered.

"Surveillance footage of the assassination of the true mayor as well as the destruction of the administrative building which those innocent citizens were unfortunate enough to be in," Lelouch said. "Plus eyewitness reports from Major General Towers and the surviving members of the 4th Regiment."

Surveillance footage? Suzaku put two and two together and thought, So that's why Dimitri isn't here.

Snows growled in fury. "If you really think that you can arrest me, you have another thing coming!" He shouted, yanking something out of his pocket and threw it at them. Suzaku darted forward, tackling Lelouch out of the way and shielding him with his own body while Jeremiah and the rest of the Royal Guard scattered as the grenade went off. Debris from the shattered street flew in all directions, striking Suzaku's back. Thankfully, he was wearing a kevlar vest underneath his uniform so he wasn't seriously hurt but his ears were ringing.

He turned his attention to Lelouch who had a pained grimace on his face but, otherwise, seemed all right. "Are you okay?" he asked or, more or less, shouted since he was having a hard time hearing anything above the ringing.

"I'm fine," Lelouch replied, his voice was a bit garbled from the ringing but, at the very least, the ringing was starting to go away. It was certainly enough for him to hear the panicked shouts of the citizens who were, unfortunately, close enough to hear or, possibly, see the explosion. Suzaku scrambled off his prince before helping him up. "Is anyone injured?"

"Aside from a few scrapes and bruises from the debris, no, Your Highness. We got out of the way just in time," Jeremiah said from where he was helping Rayne to her feet.

"Did you see where they went?" Lelouch asked as he scanned the area, looking for any sign of where Snows and the others with him had gone.

"No, Your Highness."

Lelouch pressed his lips together. "Jeremiah, search the western quadrant. Rayne, Kay, I want you two to head north, Lila, Tadashi, go to the south. When you find them, do not engage and contact me immediately," he said firmly.

"We should call in the rest of the regiment, Your Highness," Jeremiah insisted.

"At the moment, that would be counterproductive. If we enter with the entire regiment, we will incite even more panic and the terrorists can use that panic to escape," Lelouch said and turned to face the citizens. "Vacate the area immediately and return to your homes now."

The citizens hesitated but, apparently, they decided that it would be safer if they did as they were told because they quickly left the scene.

"Go on," Lelouch said, turning to the rest of his Royal Guard. "I will remain here and get into contact with Dimitri. He may be able to locate the terrorists himself."

"Are you sure?" Tadashi asked. "I don't really feel right leaving ya alone like this."

"Is Suzaku suddenly chopped liver or something?" Lelouch asked, raising an eyebrow. "I will be fine. You have your orders."

It was clear that his Royal Guard didn't agree with him, and Jeremiah was giving Suzaku a look that suggested that if Suzaku let anything happen to Lelouch, he should start digging his own grave. However, they did as they were told, bowing and heading off in the directions that Lelouch had indicated.

Once they were gone, Suzaku turned to his friend. "I've gotta agree with Tadashi, Lelouch," he said quietly, even though they were the only ones in the destroyed courtyard. "What are you thinking?"

"Relax, Suzaku, you know better than anyone that I never do anything without a reason," Lelouch said simply.

Yeah but just what is your reason? Suzaku thought.

Some time passed by during which Suzaku was keeping an eye on the area for any sign of anyone who would attack Lelouch—they were both, uncomfortably, in a prime location for an assassination attempt—while Lelouch listened to the Royal Guard report their results, or lack thereof in some cases, of their search for the terrorists.

After learning that Rayne and Kay had taken out the fourth terrorist that had accompanied Snows who had resisted arrest, Lelouch said, "Good work. Keep looking for Snows." He lowered the communicator as Rayne responded with a "Yes, Your Highness." "Looks as if Snows is the only one they haven't found yet."

"Does this mean he got out of the city?" Suzaku asked.

"Possibly. Since that grenade prevented us from seeing which way he'd run, it's possible that he headed for the quickest route out of the city," Lelouch said. Since Rayne and Kay, Jeremiah, and Lila and Tadashi had found terrorists in three different directions, Lelouch figured that they had all run in different directions, except east, though that was only because they would have run into Lelouch's regiment if they had.

"Which one's that?" Suzaku asked.

"Not entirely sure." Lelouch put his communicator to his lips and activated it. "Dimitri, I need you to find the quickest route out of the city."

"Yes, Your Highness," Dimitri said and, a couple of minutes later, added, "The only route that I see that is pretty quick is an alley near your current location. It's an unguarded alley to the south of City Hall that leads into the warehouse district, which was abandoned when the attack occurred."

"Thank you, Dimitri. Contact Lila and give her directions to that route," Lelouch said.

"Yes, Your Highness."

Lelouch lowered the communicator and Suzaku, who was still looking around, glanced at him.

"Do you really think Snows would use that route to get away?" he asked.

"He could have attacked after throwing that grenade but, instead, took off running," Lelouch said. "It is very likely that he will try to use the quickest route to escape. However, if that's the case then I doubt Lila and Tadashi will arrive in time but there's still a chance that they will."

Suzaku nodded and started scanning the area again and Lelouch, glancing at him, smiled a bit. "I'm pretty sure you've scanned the area at least twenty times since everyone left," he said.

Suzaku flushed a little. "I'm just being cautious," he said a bit defensively.

"I never said you weren't, Suzaku."

Suzaku was about to say something else when he spotted something out of the corner of his eyes and he quickly grabbed Lelouch, yanking him out of the way just as a bullet shot where he had been moments before. Lelouch fell to the ground, hissing in pain when he bumped his broken arm, while Suzaku darted toward the person who'd taken the shot, leaping into the air and slamming a spinkick into the face of the assassin, throwing him off his feet. Only a few seconds later, he had the assassin pinned to the ground.

He recognized the man as Snows. So he didn't try to escape? He thought in confusion.

"Get off me, traitor," Snows spat, glaring at Suzaku as he slammed a fist into Suzaku's side and flipped their positions, his hands wrapping around the Honorary Britannian's throat. He gritted his teeth as he attempted to knee the man but the man twisted out of the way, tightening his grip as he did so.

"Your father would be so ashamed of you serving the country that destroyed yours," Snows said coolly. He leaned forward and whispered, "I also know what you did."

Suzaku's eyes flickered with surprise. That's not possible. No one knows what I did. It was just me and my father. He couldn't know. He's lying, he thought frantically.

"I may not have seen you do it," Snows whispered viciously, "but I know Genbu Kururugi did not commit suicide. I knew the man. He was much too prideful to roll over and let Britannia do what they wanted. That was why he was going to call that do-or-die resistance to begin with. He didn't commit suicide. He was murdered. However, he was the Prime Minister. No one could get close enough to him in order to kill him, no one except one person."

Suzaku, struggling to breath as the Liberator tightened his grip, clawed at the hands wrapped around his throat but the Liberator wasn't budging. He was still in shock that Snows had, somehow, figured it out. But how? Even if he had lived in Area 11 at the time, how did he know my father as well as he claims to have? And he's right! Father really was too prideful to just let Britannia do what they wanted but how did he know?!

Snows chuckled, tightening his grip again and Suzaku felt his vision swim in front of his eyes. "I bet you're wondering how I knew your father without you knowing," he said. "It's simple. I'm a half-blood. My mother is Japanese. My mother worked as your father's secretary and, back then, I wanted to follow in her footsteps so I shadowed her a lot."

That explains how he knew Father, Suzaku thought and felt Snows tighten his grip on his throat. He bit his lip. Am I going to die?

It wasn't as if Suzaku wasn't prepared to die. He knew that, by joining the military, there was no guarantee that he would live to see the next day. That was actually why he'd joined; he needed to atone after all. And yet he didn't want to die without doing something to help his people, even if they hated him for it.

A crack sounded and the pressure on Suzaku's throat eased. Gasping out some much needed gulps of air, he ripped the hands from around his throat, noting that Snows had just been shot straight through the chest. His blood was leaking onto Suzaku's uniform and his eyes were closed, his body limp.

"Suzaku?" Lelouch asked as Suzaku, scrambling out from underneath the dead man and still taking deep breaths and coughing, looked up to find the prince moving quickly to his side, attempting to use one hand to holster his gun, his eyes flickering toward the dead man, a dark look on his face. It cleared up as he returned his attention to Suzaku, holding out his free hand and, when Suzaku didn't take it, grabbed his arm and pulled him to his feet.

"I...I'm all right," Suzaku managed to get out but his voice sounded hoarse to his own ears.

Lelouch gave him a disbelieving look, one of his eyebrows raised but he said nothing. "I'd better inform the rest of my Royal Guard that we found Snows," he said and, releasing Suzaku's arm and pulling out his communicator to contact the rest of the Royal Guard. As he did so, Suzaku found his gaze fixating on the Liberator that had just tried to kill him, the only one outside of the members of the Six Houses of Kyoto who knew what really happened to Genbu Kururugi.

Lelouch's Royal Guard returned a few minutes later and Rayne's eyes went wide when she caught sight of Suzaku.

"Your Highness, what happened?" Jeremiah asked.

"Suzaku, what the hell happened to you?" Rayne exclaimed at the exact same time.

"Snows tried to kill me and Suzaku stopped him so Snows turned around and attempted to kill him so I stopped him," Lelouch said simply. "Let's return to the regiment. Suzaku needs some medical attention and I want you to organize a squad to do another sweep of the city. It's better to be safe rather than sorry right now."

"Understood, Your Highness," Jeremiah said.

. . .

Lelouch's Office, G1 Base, Outskirts of Hirosaki

Lelouch was scanning through a couple of reports he'd just received from Mayor Livingston in Akita. Since they would have to pass through Akita in order to get home, Lelouch had decided to ensure that nothing was happening there. While they had avoided a battle here in Hirosaki, Lelouch knew that there were more survivors of the Battle of Sapporo and he doubted that they had remained on Hokkaido so they could have either headed for the Chinese Federation or they had gone to the main island. Snows was proof that some, or one at the moment, had gone to the main island.

There was a knock on the door and Lelouch looked up. "Come in," he called and the door opened and Lila stepped into the office. "Lila, what can I do for you?"

"I apologize for bothering you, Your Highness," Lila said. "But I was wondering, we're going to Akita next, aren't we?"

"Yes, that's correct. Why do you ask?"

"When we reach Akita, may I go on leave for a few hours?" Lila asked. "I would like to visit my parents. I just called them and they told me that they're visiting Akita so I thought I'd visit them."

"That's fine, Lila. Just keep your communicator on you just in case I need to have you return early," Lelouch said.

"Yes, Your Highness, and thank you," Lila said and, with a bow, she left the office.

Lelouch returned his attention to the reports, thankful that there didn't seem to be anything going on in Akita. He was only going there because the mayor of Akita had wanted him to since he had a terrorist group that was posing trouble and wanted the Demon Prince and his Black Knights to take care of the problem.

And since he was in charge of eradicating the terrorist threat in Area 11, he had no choice but to go there. He really hoped that the matter would be handled as swiftly as Hirosaki had been.

. . .

A/n what do you think?

Blaze: and so that was chapter 27 and I hope that you like it

Bakura: whatever

Blaze: who asked you?

Lelouch: (walks into room) Blaze?

Blaze: yes?

Lelouch: you do know that Luciano is still falling, right?

Luciano: (still falling) WHAT THE HELL?

Suzaku: he's been falling for over twenty-two days

Blaze: and your point is…?

Suzaku: um, is he ever going to stop falling?

Blaze: maybe

Bakura: and by maybe, she means doubtful

Lelouch: by the way, you never did answer my question from the last chapter. What is going to happen in chapter 30?

Blaze: Suzaku, end the chapter! (Bolts)

Lelouch: damn it! Get back here and answer me already! (Bolts after Blaze)

Suzaku: (sighs) Blaze hopes that you enjoyed this chapter and the next chapter may be up in the first week of June sometime but she makes no promises since she is working and she may not have time to update because of that. Reviews, as always, are much appreciated and thank you all for reading!