Lelouch closed the curtains as another poorly disguised soldier passed below. On the table behind him lay his suitcase. He was ready to go, and while his instincts screamed at him to leave now, he lingered. He could justify it by saying that whatever had Cornelia spooked would be a threat anywhere in Japan. Or that he didn't want to uproot Nunnally's life. He could justify it many ways. The truth was that he was hesitating. His friends were here as well.

He had thought himself above such sentimentality.

"Do not leave the rooms," Lelouch ordered C.C. as he headed to the door. "The military is crawling all over."

"What if they are here for you?"

"If they were, I would be dead already," Lelouch reassured himself. He shouldn't have returned; it was a foolish decision to make as Zero. But as Lelouch, he could not abandon his sister.

His phone buzzed—a call from Kallen.

Sighing, he declined it. He already knew the school was crawling with security. Talking to her would only risk their communications being intercepted. The last thing he needed was for Cornelia to have confirmation that she netted members of the Black Knights. His secret would definitely not survive that.

Outside, he lowered his hat and ducked into the back corridors to weave between the buildings.

"Stop!" a soldier ordered.

Lelouch grimaced, his geass flaring briefly.

"Yes, sir?" Lelouch asked. "I need to get to class."

The guard narrowed his eyes. "ID, please."

Fuck. There were plenty of Lelouchs in the world; statistically, he would be fine. His sister's life could not be risked betting that the soldier wasn't familiar with the features of royalty.

Fumbling and dropping his card, Lelouch played for time. There was a guard close by, too far to geass, but close enough to potentially notice something amiss with his fellow soldier. He leaned down to grab his ID. "Am I in trouble, sir?"

"Just hurry up," the soldier ordered gruffly. "And stick to the main pathways next time. It's suspicious darting back here."

"Lulu!" his glorious savior, Milly, called. "What are you holding up my Vice President for? He's late!"

She pushed past the soldier and grabbed his arm, yanking him away. The soldier called after them, but his companion let them pass through without a second glance. Milly had that effect on people—no one wanted to stop her.

"Thank you," Lelouch whispered. "Do you know what this is about?"

Milly glanced over her shoulder. "Grandfather isn't too worried yet. Cornelia unfortunately insisted. The school could be a target."

"I need to take Nunnally and leave then."

"How would that look, Lelouch? Everyone will be talking about you if you up and vanish. The guards will report it as suspicious, and how long do you think Cornelia will be fooled?"

Lelouch swallowed. "Shit."

"Yeah. Keep your head down and out of trouble. We just need to bunker down. Maybe you can say you caught the flu and wear a mask."

Lelouch grimaced. "Colored contact lenses would be more useful. I think I'll be fine, but if they start asking about Nunnally... There are only so many blind girls in wheelchairs."

"We'll keep her safe, I swear." Milly paused as they entered the main hall. "You should talk to Kallen. She's been asking questions about you, and I may have let too much slip."

"Why is she asking questions?"

"Shirley told her about Julie."

Lelouch sighed. "I know. I know. I messed up."

"You killed her."

"I did not."

Milly crossed her arms. "You set up her death well enough."

"She was going to kill Nunnally!" Lelouch whispered. "I couldn't just let her try again."

"If you had trusted my grandfather—" Milly closed her eyes, inhaling. When she looked at him again, she was deadly calm. "Normal people don't do that. And people remember the unusual."

It had been years, but of course this mistake would come back to haunt him. He would be fine if Kallen discovered he was Zero. She had enough faith in her symbol, and Lelouch could smooth over any feelings of betrayal. She would ask why he did this; he wouldn't answer because it didn't matter as long as he freed Japan.

But if she learned he was a prince—

"She cannot find out," Lelouch hissed.

"Do you know something?"

Lelouch grimaced. "She is sympathetic to the Black Knights."

Milly raised an eyebrow. "You're sympathetic to the Black Knights."

"And what do you think they would do if they heard a defenseless princess was just sitting there?"

No. That's not what Lelouch would have to worry about. Kallen had enough hatred within her to try and take his life. If he was lucky, she would warn Zero first. But if she learned Zero and the prince were one and the same? She would tell everyone and call everything they had built a lie. Kallen would destroy him.

"Keep her busy," Lelouch ordered. "Don't give her time to think and find out the nature of the threat."

Hands on her hips, Milly leaned forward. "Ordering me around won't help you keep your head low. I didn't even know you had it in you."

Lelouch grit his teeth. "Please?"

"I can tell you that there's a state speech the day after tomorrow. Don't be late. Even Grandpa won't be able to cover that up."

While the past two days had been uncomfortable with Britannian troops moving over his school, Reuben wasn't too worried. Cornelia was familiar as ever, and her extending protection in memory of Marianne was a reminder that not all was lost. There was still good to be found.

The nerve-wracking part was hiding an imperial prince and princess under their nose the entire time. He couldn't even feign innocence if they were discovered. Cornelia had visited him personally and discussed Marianne's legacy—including her children. She still grieved them which spurred her hunt for Zero on. Personally, Reuben had his suspicions regarding the man beneath the mask, but he would keep those thoughts to himself.

While Lelouch was far too paranoid and proud to ask for his help, Reuben didn't owe Britannia a single thing.

With a weary sigh, he pushed open the door to his office. The good old captain in charge of security wanted to discuss handling security during the Emperor's speech. State addresses were always a logistical nightmare. Reuben had to ensure every student attended, and Lelouch always tried to use every trick in the book to avoid attending. That he had attended Clovis's funeral without a fuss had been enough to draw Reuben's suspicion.

"Two black teas," Reuben requested to the maid. She inclined her head and rushed out.

Sighing, he slipped out of his cloak and took a seat. A whisper of cloth passed behind him.

Lunging forward, Reuben grabbed the gun taped to the bottom of his desk. A pinprick was his only warning. His muscles grew weak, and he collapsed on the ground, unable to move but perfectly aware.

Two polished boots passed through his field of view.

Sloppy. He had let the commoner life lull him into a false sense of security.

In the corner of his eyes, his emergency light began to blink in a pre-established code—a warning from his butler to find an excuse to flee. Too late now.

The door opened. The footsteps were far heavier than the captain's. His voice though was instantly familiar— Bismarck Waldstein.

"Help Ashford into his chair."

Reuben tried to open his limp mouth to curse the man out as two hands reached beneath his armpit and painfully pulled him upright and slugged him into his seat. Bismarck observed him, his face inscrutable.

That was it then. Lelouch and Nunnally had been discovered, revealing Reuben's treason.

"Sir?" the maid interrupted, pushing into the room. Her eyes stopped on him, then flicked to Bismarck, recognizing him instantly. With a deafening shriek, two porcelain cups and a teapot shattered across the floor, spraying the maid in boiling water.

"Clean that up," Bismarck ordered.

"Yes, my lord." Trembling, she knelt on the ground, her delicate fingers picking up the shards and dropping them into her apron.

"Bring two new cups and some tea."

She glanced at Reuben apologetically before nodding, head deferentially lowered, and fled the room.

Bismarck sighed, pulling up a chair. "It will wear off soon enough. I had a feeling you would disappear on me if I announced my arrival. I apologize for the inconvenience."

The maid returned. She left bloody fingerprints on the teapot as she set it down.

"Allow me," Bismarck said as she moved to pour the tea. The woman bowed and backed out of the room.

Finally, Reuben's toes curled, and he slowly shifted himself upright, massaging his limbs to encourage the blood flow. "To what," he slurred, "do I have the unexpected honor?"

"It concerns the Emperor's speech this afternoon." Bismarck poured in a splash of milk into his tea and gently stirred. "How are they?"

Reuben forced his tired muscles to settle into an expression of confusion. "Who?"

Chuckling, Bismarck leaned back. "You know whom I speak of. Did you really think the Emperor had lost track of his two children? Did you ever wonder why your request for a loan was suddenly approved a few weeks into the invasion? You were among the first to land in Area Eleven to stake your claim. The dust hadn't even settled."

"What do you want?" Reuben asked stiffly. His trembling hands wrapped around his cup—holding it like a lowly commoner.

"To have a conversation for now. We have not caught up in many years."

"And whose fault is that?" Reuben sneered. "You're not here for pleasantries. Don't insult my intelligence. You'll get what you want and then arrest or kill me for daring to help two children whose father condemned them to death."

"You misunderstand." Bismarck set down his tea cup. "The Emperor commends you for keeping them safe all these years. They were far safer in your hands than they would ever have been in court."

That Reuben refused to believe. He still remembered how deadly frail Lelouch had been arriving at their home. He had barely eaten, sacrificing nearly all the food he had scrounged up for his sister. For months, Reuben had tended to him and his sister in secret, only bringing in his personal physician when Nunnally spiked a fever that refused to break. They had all been terrified of the Emperor's wrath. He intended for Marianne's children to die.

"What has changed? Reuben asked. "It has been years."

Bismarck's face grew solemn. "The Emperor has cancer." He took a long, slow sip of his tea. "He has undergone treatment naturally. You may have noticed the decrease in public appearances the past year. Unfortunately, it has come back and the doctors are not optimistic."

A man on his deathbed reevaluating his life. Reuben could see it. "You're here to bring them back then?"

Bismarck set his cup on the table. "I am here to make sure there is no security issue. There is still a month left in the school year, and an education is important. As for you—" He rose and the agent behind Reuben stepped forward. "Ivan will be taking care of your needs. I trust that you will keep matters quiet until the appropriate time to prevent any unpleasantness."

The threat swept over his skin like an icy blade. He would gladly die for the sake of Marianne's children, but he could not sacrifice his entire school or granddaughter for their sake. He would have to trust that Lelouch would find a way to escape the noose settling around his unaware neck.

"Anything for His Majesty," Reuben assured.

By now, Lelouch's instincts were screaming at him to flee. At some level he had always known that Ashford Academy couldn't last. His reluctance to abandon his friends had doomed him. Even if he wanted to, there was nowhere to run as patrolling soldiers had turned Tokyo into a grand prison. He would never be able to sneak Nunnally through unimpeded, even with his geass.

At least, C.C. was listening to him and remaining hidden in their rooms.

"We will be fine," Nunnally whispered as he rolled her into the auditorium. Soldiers lined the wall. She reached up and grabbed his hand. "He can't do anything. He's not here. Let him say what he wants; we're here, together."

Lelouch let out his breath. "Yes, of course."

His eyes flicked to the guards. There was quite a bit the Emperor could do. He could order his Knights of the Round to hunt Zero for one. In his pocket, his phone buzzed. Kallen had become rather insistent, but he couldn't take the call, especially not here.

"Lulu?" Shirley squeaked as they stopped next to her. Her face twisted with wariness and nervousness. Idly, she fidgeted with a stray strand of hair. Was it simply her father's death? Or was there something else at play?

"I hope it won't take too long," Nunnally murmured. "I could just listen to it on the radio, you know."

"Unfortunately," Milly interrupted, sliding up next to them, "with Cornelia watching, Grandpa insisted that absolutely everyone has to be here. Where are Kallen and Nina? They're going to be in so much trouble if they're late."

The phone in his pocket buzzed again, and he slipped his hand inside to silence it.

On the stage, Reuben Ashford approached the podium, and the room fell silent. He looked vaguely ill, and Lelouch glanced at Milly nervously. She at least was her usual self. If something had happened, surely she would know of it?

"Come on," Milly hissed, craning to see over the crowd and earning hissed reprimands from the fellow students around her. "You don't think they got in trouble do you?"

Up ahead, Reuben finished his introductory speech and the giant screen lowered as the room darkened.

Despite himself, Lelouch scanned the room for Kallen's distinctive red hair. If she had broken her cover, the Black Knights would need to rescue her. Their resistance was near useless without an ace at hand, especially against Britannia fielding the loathsome white knightmare.

"Look who I found," Suzaku interrupted cheerfully, dragging behind him Kallen and Nina. "We're not late, are we?"

The screen flickered on and a camera panned over the large outdoor stadium in Pendragon. In the front row, various of his siblings waved delicately to the cameras. Lelouch rolled his eyes as a few students swooned.

"No. We're looking at their pretty faces."

Suzaku grinned in the dim light. "I think you're just jealous they have more admirers than you."

Lelouch glared.

The idiot laughed.

"Shut up," Lelouch ordered, elbowing him in the side. "You don't want the guards trying to teach an upstart Eleven their place."

To his side, Shirley jerked, biting her lip. Something was definitely up with her. And Kallen too who was now staring at him.

He did not have the energy for this. He was supposed to be Zero, plotting the downfall of Britannia, not unraveling schoolyard squabbles.

The camera panned over the assembled crowd and the various empresses sitting in simple wooden chairs behind the podium before finally settling on the door to the far right.

"Announcing his Majesty, the 99th Emperor of the Realm, Charles zi Britannia."

The room snapped to attention. Lelouch sneered at Suzaku's earnest posture. His friend has subjugated himself completely to Britannia. Where had the proud boy who punched a Britannian prince gone? Where was the Suzaku who had raged against injustice? Zero had to succeed because someone had to save Suzaku from himself.

Tuning out the drivel coming from the Emperor's mouth, Lelouch studied his friends. Rivalz was standing a bit to the side, near one of the more popular girls. He smiled proudly like a good Birtannian. At least he didn't have stars in his eyes like Nina who gazed at the Emperor as if he was divine judgment in human form. As for Milly, she regarded the Emperor with barely concealed disdain.

His eyes briefly met Kallen who was busy with her own survey of the room. She kept glancing at the guards lining the walls. Were there more than before?

Shirley's expression was unexpected; she looked puzzled, and her gaze kept drifting to him with burning intensity.

The Emperor's tone shifted, becoming more serious. "Britannia has flourished these last two decades, yet my bones grow tired and weary. At the behest of my advisors..."

Lelouch's eyes snapped to the screen. He couldn't possible mean—

"...I have chosen an heir to begin the transition process of ushering in a new age for Britannia, for she must never falter. We, as a people, are eternal in spirit, passing the torch from generation to generation. Through this, we grow stronger, choosing youths who will surpass us." The emperor paused with a rare grin. "I will admit that I find the prospect of retirement enjoyable."

He could not retire! Lelouch was going to destroy Britannia and kill him. It was Charles and everything he represented that Lelouch needed to defeat—not whatever fool of a successor he chose. The Emperor wouldn't choose Schneizel which would be like signing his own death warrant.

On screen, Odysseus raised a surprised eyebrow, and Guinevere quivered with outrage. Schneizel merely raised an irritated eyebrow. The Emperor clearly hadn't told anyone.

"I have many capable sons," the Emperor said with unexpected magnanimity, "but I must choose an heir not based on their accomplishments, but upon what they will accomplish."

He definitely wanted a puppet.

"We are a great nation, yes, but not one without weaknesses, as revealed by such fools as Zero."

Lelouch scowled. He would show him, even if he had to drag his father out of his stupid retirement home.

"What Britannia needs is someone familiar with its faults, and more importantly, one who understands the common man."

Hushed murmurs broke out across the room as they all wondered where the Emperor was going with this. Since when did royalty care for commoners at all? It had to be a trick. The Emperor hadn't cared when his mother, a commoner, died. The nobles spat on her grave and accomplishments.

"For these reasons, I hereby announce Lelouch vi Britannia as my heir."

What? Lelouch froze. Surely, he had misheard.

But the screen split into two, on one side the Emperor continuing his speech with some bullshit of attending a commoner school to better understand the common people—and on the other side? A recent picture of himself, taken a few weeks ago when he had gone out into the settlement with Kallen.

Since when had the Emperor known he was here?

Slowly, various surprised exclamations resounded around the room and heads swiveled towards him. Their wide, disbelieving eyes bore into him. The crowd shifted, the students pressing forward.

The Emperor was still talking, but he was on another continent. Lelouch was the royal in the room.

"It can't be him, right?" someone whispered.

Lelouch had never been so thankful that Suzaku was at his side. He stepped before him and Nunnally, his legs wide and ready to act.

To his side, Kallen stared at the screen, petrified. At least shock would keep her from trying to kill him for now.

This couldn't be real, right? This was all a horrid dream.

"Prince Lelouch will be finishing his year at Ashford Academy before beginning to assume his duties as heir apparent."

Did the Emperor think Lelouch would be so thankful to be returned to the fold that he would be a pliant and easy puppet?

Behind him, footsteps shuffled, and Lelouch turned, watching the crowd part for the Knight of One.

This had to be some horrible nightmare.

Bismarck smiled down at him, his eyes glistening with a hint of mischief. "It has been a while, hasn't it, Your Highness?"

His identity confirmed, the hushed whispers fell silent and the room rang as a thousand students knelt in deference. Milly stepped back awkwardly, her eyes wide in panic, but she too knelt. Suzaku's shoulders stiffened, and he dropped into a shorter respectful bow. He did not move, standing guard right next to him and Nunnally.

Bismarck ignored him, reaching around to grab his shoulder and leaning down to whisper in his ear, "Look happier, my boy. His Majesty could have told the world who Zero was instead."

How—How did the Emperor know?

The grip tightened in warning, and Lelouch forced a smile.

Finally, the Emperor finished his speech and he looked directly into the camera, his eyes boring into his soul. "All hail Britannia. All hail Charles. All hail Lelouch."

"Oh my god," a girl whispered. "They have the same eyes."

Enjoy. :)

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