Welcome to Chapter 28! We're almost at the 30 mark in the story and we're getting close to the Synchro Arc, whoo hoo! However, Zero has one more mission he plans to complete before he's completely through with the Standard Dimension and the Lancers can move forward.

Let's see what it is right now, shall we?

Ch.28: Team Bonding

Zero didn't get any sleep that night.

It was evident in the way he was slumped over the counter table with his masked head tipped down. The masked man had his gloved fingers gripping the edge of a halfway empty coffee mug that he must have been drinking while everyone else was asleep. His other hand held the weight of his masked head, and his gaze stared into the window that held a marvelous view of Miami City. The sun rise casting beautiful colors across the sky.

Yet, what he was really glaring at was the reflection he just barely saw through the window. Not that anyone could tell besides himself.

The kitchen was expansive in the room they were provided with in the L.D.S tower. It held two tables. One being a counter leaned against another wall sized window which Zero was currently on. Sitting closest to the wall and shaded corner. The second one was a more regular table that Shun and Ruri were currently by. There was no wall separating the kitchen and wall, and a big grey couch surrounded a huge TV. The couch currently claimed by a dozing Yuto who was close to waking up.

Ruri exchanged a look with her brother Shun. "What do you think is up with him." The two siblings had watched Zero brooding in his own corner as if someone had shot his puppy. Right in front of him.

The sun had just finished rising, and was beginning to turn the sky into a nice light blue. Shun simply shrugged his shoulders to show he had absolutely no clue as to why Zero was so depressed.

Zero pursed his lips from within his mask. His dichromatic eyes strayed to the gloved hand now picking up a nearby spoon and casually spinning his unfinished drink. The revolutionary took in the horrible condition of his suit with vague realization. I'll have to get my entire suit fixed before we leave for the Synchro Dimension. Or obtain a completely new one. Zero gave a heavy sigh. Just another thing to add onto my endless list of things to do.

Another long sigh hissed through his modulated mask. He had been doing that quite a lot recently.

Yuto sat up from the couch he and Ruri spent the night sleeping in. The teen's hair all over the place with a severe case of bed head. "Why does-" A yawn passed Yuto's lips as he rubbed his sleepy grey eyes. "It feel like someone's dog just died? Or their favorite goldfish?"

Shun nudged his head over towards Zero. "Ask him." The Raidraptor rubbed his chest for a moment whilst taking a deep breath.

Ruri looked over at him with concern in her pink eyes. "How are your ribs feeling now Shun?"

The older Kurosaki sibling gave a small smile towards his younger sister. "Thankfully, they're much better now that I've had a chance to get some rest." His yellow eyes softened. "And you?"

A similar smile graced Ruri's lips as she sat down in the chair facing Shun with a bowl of cereal. "I'm doing alright." Her pink eyes looked over to Yuto. "What about you, Yuto?"

Yuto, who was still rubbing his eyes as if something was in them, stopped his actions to look at Ruri and Shun. The Raidraptor giving Yuto's disheveled look a weird glance alongside an amused raised eyebrow. "Oh, yeah I'm feeling much better now that I've gotten some rest. My head doesn't hurt anymore." Yet, Yuto furrowed his eyebrows as he rubbed his eyes once again. "Although my eyes are itching really badly for some reason."

No one noticed Zero shrink into the corner even more. His grip on the mug tightened so much that it gave a small crack. "You think it's pink eye or something?" Ruri asked. Her head tilted to the side that caused her long dark purple hair to slide off her shoulders.

Yuto blinked, and quickly turned his body towards the bathroom so that nobody could see the blush dusting his cheeks. "I'm not sure." Yuto coughed to clear his throat. "I'm going to go check." With those words said Yuto vanished into the bathroom.

"You may want to check your major bed head while your at it as well!" Shun added. In return for his comment, all he got was a firmly closed door and the sound of a lock clicking. Both Kurosaki siblings turned to look at each other, and laughed at their friend's antics.

The sound of a chair scraping against the floor caught their attention and silenced their laughter. The two turned to see Zero standing up from his seat and dumping the rest of his drink down the drain. The sudden silence was surprisingly tense and awkward. Something that both siblings hadn't expected after getting to know their leader for so long.

"I have a few errands I need to run. I should be back in around an hour or two." His voice sounded more robotic through the modulator now. "Once I return I'll need all of the Lancers to be gathered up for another mission here in Standard before we head to the Synchro Dimension."

The two siblings furrowed their eyebrows, and they didn't need to look at each other to know something was wrong. Ruri decided to bring the topic up first with an innocent yet inquisitive question. "Where are you going?"

Zero stopped walking at the question, and picked up a bit of his ruined cape to rub between his fingers. "I'm afraid this suit won't last much longer, so I need to have a replacement made or at least have this one fixed. It might be a while since I'll most likely need a new suit, but it shouldn't take the whole day. I've come to find a rather interesting shop close to the tower that will be beneficial."

Shun's eyebrows rose at his words. "Why don't you just have Reiji get you a new one? It'll certainly be much easier and faster."

"I don't want to owe him another favor." Zero's answer was clipped. "Besides, I don't trust him enough to not tamper with it in an attempt for my identity."

"Sounds like you just don't want to ask for help, but I suppose I can understand your reasons." His yellow eyes scanned the masked man as Zero grabbed ahold of the door knob to leave. "Are you alright, Zero?"

"... Are you alright, Zero?"

Zero's grip on the doorknob tightened to where his knuckles turned white. Not that it was noticeable. "Fine." Even with the modulator on, his voice puked the word out in a croak. The masked man shook his head and gave another sigh. "I think I just need a moment to walk around by myself."

Shun shrugged. "Alright." Zero turned the knob to open the door. "But how are your wounds healing?" The Raidraptor successfully gained Zero's silent attention, and the taller teen tipped his head towards the first-aid kit by the kitchen sink.

"At least do us the favor of being properly patched up." Ruri insisted. Her pink eyes giving an almost puppy dog eye look. "Especially if you're going to walk on that ankle. It's not like we could really stop you."

"I said I'm fine." Zero repeated more stubbornly. "Now if you'll excuse me. I have errands to run." The two siblings exchanged one final look. Both gave a big sigh and looked back at Zero with glares.

. . .

Once again, another sigh escaped through Zero's lips as he looked down at a familiar face. It had been a literal hell to get into the same clothing store he was at before when he had first arrived. Sherry Lockheart was currently fixing up a newer version of his old tattered suit with the handy help of a sewing machine. The girl giving a dull look while going through the process, and quickly brushed her orange hair behind an ear before going back to work.

Zero turned to look out of the window. A good amount of people were looking through the window right at him. It was only when the door had been locked and barred that people stopped flooding the place. The people inside walking out with a simple geass command.

The revolutionary's nose twisted up in annoyed disgust. It was like the people were looking at an animal in a zoo exhibit instead of another person. Although, he certainly put himself as something above human in the way he presented himself at the end of the Junior Youth tournament.

If only Kallen could watch my back and keep these pests away like before. I might actually be able to get work done then. Zero promptly walked over to the large window, and pulled down the blinds to prevent anymore people from seeing inside.

The collective 'aws' at the action would've made others laugh, but it only served to sour Zero's already soured mood more.

Zero gave a derisive snort to the oblivious crowd. With a swish of his tattered cape. The masked teen stalked through the entire store one last time to ensure everyone but himself and Sherry had left the building. Only when the process was complete did Zero decide to unmask himself and pull the black cloth off from around his mouth and nose. Zero deciding to take a break from his masked persona to become Lelouch once again, and take a better breath of air through his nose than through a filtered mask. The Xyz rebel leader sunk down onto one of the chairs close to the cash register by Sherry's workplace. Multicolored eyes looked down to check up on the wrapping used to help his messed up ankle. Seeing as he felt no pain currently, Lelouch figured it was working out well. Finally, eyes closed and ignoring everything except for the sound of the sewing machine at hard work.

"I'm so, so sorry for what I'm about to do to you, Yuto. I truly, deeply am."

Closed eyes scrunched up.

"Unfortunately, I find the fact that this failsafe is necessary for not only myself, but for you and everyone else as well."

Images flashed by like a movie reel. Yuto's terrified and lost expression. Yuya's desperate look. Yuri's grin as he casually waved at Zero's falling figure. That endless height consuming him slowly yet quickly. Blood rushed in his ears as he heard his heartbeat. The wind brushed up and bit into his skin with a stinging cold.

"Sayonara!"

Violet and red eyes snapped open, dilated as Lelouch straightened in his seat. The sewing machine was still thrumming along and stitching expensive fabrics together. Mismatched eyes surveyed their surroundings in a frenzy as a hand brushed against the pocket that once held his pocket knife only to not find it.

He needed to get a new one. He didn't feel safe without one.

After a few seconds of looking around in a frantic daze Lelouch realized he was still in the clothes store with Sherry. It should have been obvious from the sewing machine's noise, but it sounded similar to his Knightmare Frames when he dueled. Eyes wandered over to the clock on the wall, and Lelouch knew he had fallen asleep if only for a few measly minutes.

"Jeez." Lelouch slumped into his chair once again. He was too alert to go back to sleep now, and so his mind wandered on future plans. At least he'd finally have his duel disk updated with a warping ability. If he figured out how it worked and figured out the coordinates to his home world… He could finally go back home.

To Nunnally.

The thought brought such a smile to his face it was like heaven itself was shining down on him. Yet, he'd have to manage to get into contact with C.C again somehow before any of that happened. For all Lelouch knew, there could be thousands upon zillions of other Dimensions that not even these people knew. The four that they were familiar with at least had dueling in common, but his world didn't have such a concept.

Then there was always the chance he could teleport himself out of existence or rip himself apart in the void.

No, Lelouch had better a chance at waiting and contacting C.C before performing such a risk. Even then, he had a responsibility in leading his new current army to victory against Academia. Who knows what would happen if he left before the war was done and they suddenly warped to his world and found him again. It wouldn't be pretty. Lelouch knew that for certain.

Eradicate Academia. Then home.

As much as it pained him to say it. Lelouch had become too invested in these world's affairs, and had no choice but to play it out and keep on it until the very end.

"Your suit has been made sir." Lelouch's eyes looked up to meet Sherry Lockheart's own dull red ringed ones. The orange haired girl holding up a briefcase which Lelouch took carefully and placed beside his chair. "Is there anything else you would like?"

"Actually, there is." Lelouch wrapped his fingers around Zero's mask, and placed it into Sherry's hands. The girl delicately wrapped her fingers around it and studied the mask with obvious intrigue. "I need you to fix the scratch mark on the mask."

Sherry pursed her lips for a moment, before giving a nod. "It may take a few minutes, but it won't be too difficult. I suggest you try on your new suit incase I made it a size too big or small. Until then, sir."

Lelouch gave a shaky smile up at the girl that looked so much like Shirley they could pass as actual twins unlike the counterparts. Another person's life that I've ruined. "I'll be sure to do that." The two separated from each other in a deft silence. One going to repair the mask of Zero while the man himself turned to the dressing room once again with the briefcase containing his new suit.

The new suit was tight, but it was made to be like that and act almost like a second skin. The suit no longer had its tail coats, and the dark purple was lighter. The golden lines popped out brightly, and still trailed all along the one piece suit. There were two breast pockets and two back pockets. The white cravat from his original suit was instead replaced with a black part of the suit that went up over his mouth and nose. The red mark of geass was tastefully crafted in the middle of Lelouch's collar bones right where the gem in his cravat would be.

The long, heavy and intimidating cape was completely discarded for something more lighter and sleek. The cape was nearly cut to ¼ its original length, and didn't have the high rise collar that covered the back of his head. Instead, a much smaller collar flared around his neck. The fabric rising behind his head before evening out near the front. The interior showing a deep crimson red. The colors to the cape were the same, but it was stitched into his shoulders and dropped down to the middle of his hips instead of nearly touching the floor.

The design would become much more necessary since they'd be heading to the Synchro Dimension. Seeing as Yugo, a Synchro citizen, dueled whilst riding that strange motorcycle it was likely to be the norm there. In preparation for their next destination. Zero decided a change in design was a must. Lest his old cape get caught up in the wheels of his own bike, and kill him.

Zero pulled up the pure black gloves and flexed his hands. There was hard black plastic on the back of his knuckles and fingers to help protect them should he need to result in any physical combat. The masked man tapped down on his black and golden heeled boots. A resounding and satisfying click echoed throughout the empty shop.

Zero pulled back the curtain and exited from the dressing room while giving a much more calmer sigh. The smell of the fresh suit and clothing helping to ease his frayed nerves from previous events he didn't dwell upon. The past cannot be changed. It's best to focus more on the future.

Dichromatic eyes searched the shop until they spotted Sherry near the back returning with his mask. "Is it finished?"

Sherry nodded, and lifted the mask up to show him. "I've fixed the scratch, but I've also gone ahead and decided to polish it as well." Lelouch grabbed ahold of the mask, and looked down to see his own reflection. The purple reflective glass looked much better, and the black metallic plastic looked fresh. The crown of spikes near the top looked a tad extended, but that was probably because it looked brand new.

Lelouch nodded, satisfied. "Good. There's one more thing I want you to do." Lelouch put the mask back on, and became Zero once more. The mask giving a loud hiss as it attached to his head in a snug fit. The revolutionary then handed Sherry his older suit. "I want you to fix this suit. Bring it back to its original state, but don't tell anybody you're working on it. Once you're finished go to L.D.S tower and hand it to a man named Nakajima. He'll know what to do with it." Zero highly doubted that his old suit would be of much help in the Synchro Dimension, and actually become more of a hinderance. It was better to leave it at L.D.S instead of bringing a giant clunky briefcase along.

Mistakes like that can get people killed.

"Alright." Sherry nodded, and watched as Zero turned to walk away. "Have a nice day, sir."

"I'll be leaving through the back. Erase all camera footage of me being here once I'm gone, and reopen your shop after approximately 15 minutes of my departure. That is all." Sherry gave no other response. The girl instead focused on the orders and job she had been given.

Zero closed the back door as quietly as possible. It was honestly a miracle that it wasn't being covered with people, but his luck had to change occasionally. Thinking quickly, Zero swiftly made his way up to the rooftops, and began to travel back to L.D.S that way instead of facing the mobs on the streets.

It felt so much easier to travel between roofs without his heavy cape weighing him down. Zero could honestly say he felt lighter than a feather. Probably because he has worn his old suit ever since he's been dumped into the Xyz Dimension for that very first time. All of those burdens and worries alongside that actual weight pulling him down, drowning him.

It's not over yet either. Zero shook his masked head harshly once again. Not even at my old home.

Zero's duel disk gave a quick ring and vibrated, gathering the revolutionary's attention. The masked man stopped to see that it was a text message from Yuto. Masked dichromatic eyes immediately softening with guilt as he read the message. Hey, it's been a while since we've seen you, and all of the Lancers have almost gathered to have breakfast together. It's nearing 1 and you've been gone for a few hours. -Yuto

Even after what I've done to him. He's the first one to start worrying and help me. Zero snorted at the thought, and quickly sent a reassuring message back saying that he would be there very soon. It's not like he remembers it anyway.

With that finished Zero put away his duel disk and began to start running once again. However, his advances were stopped as a loud whinny suddenly streaked through the air. Zero stood at attention. His blank mask snapped over to his right to look down and see a painted horse communicating with another dapple grey one. The dapple grey mare nickered to the other painted mare in a reply, and both continued to drink from the water trough in front of them.

Zero stood, and observed the two animals with surprising rapt fascination. The last time he had even rode a horse was before his exile. While his mother was still alive and Nunnally was happy, walking, and seeing while playfully pushing his buttons.

Back when he was still a prince.

The older teen continued to watch the two horses as they began to walk away from the water trough. There was a nice, sturdy old fence keeping the animals in, and it actually extended to quite a surprising range. A couple huge trees planted in spots to allow shade and a dirt path weaving in a twisting path that continued. A barn was situated close by next to the water trough that had hay stacked next to it. There were other horses a distance away, but Zero couldn't get a good enough look at them to properly identify them.

How the hell did I miss this? Zero thought to himself. The revolutionary beating himself up at being so blind and stupid. Yet… The masked duelist looked at the sign by the barn. Miami Stables. Hmm…

An idea suddenly struck through Zero, and a somewhat devious grin finally stretched across his masked face for the first time that day. His mind flashed back to the Lancers heading back to the L.D.S stadium before his rallying speech to the world, and how they acted towards each other. Zero's grin grew. I think I know what I'm going to do.

. . .

"Why did Zero want us all to meet here again?" Sylvio asked though a small yawn as he curled one of his blonde bangs in his fingers. "He's not even here." Most of the Lancers had gathered, yet the only people missing were Yuya, Gongenzaka, and Zero himself. The masked man requesting that everyone gather together for something important according to his Xyz rebels, yet the man himself wasn't even here.

Serena was standing by the window, looking out of it with her arms crossed. Tsukikage was leaning against the right wall closest to some antiques while Dennis was eagerly talking to Ruri. The Xyz counterpart laughing at some joke Dennis had thrown in in his attempts to lighten the mood from the tension growing. Yuto was close to the spiral staircase, and was currently looking through his deck.

"He's been rather busy since the Battle Royale, so just give him a few more minutes." Yuto reasoned neutrally.

"Zero is just as busy as Reiji himself, and I'm sure all of us have something we need to do before we head to the Synchro Dimension." Shun agreed from where he sat on the couch in the lounge room the Lancers had all to themselves. "What with the constant stream of people signing up to become a Lancer like us. I'm more surprised I actually got to see him before he left." Even though Zero seemed to have a depressed mood around him for some strange reason.

There was a giant flat screen TV hanging up against a giant window that covered the entire side of the wall from floor to ceiling. There were couches and stools placed on the right side of the room while there was a big spiral staircase heading upstairs on the left side. There was some wooden shelves holding some antique items, but nobody was really interested in them. A strange looking coffee table was placed in the middle of the couches where people could place their drinks or things. Otherwise, the place was actually rather barren and empty.

The L.D.S student walked over to looked down at Shun. "Do you even know who Zero is? What his identity is?"

Shun's frown turned into a scowl at Sylvio's words.

Greyish blue eyes widened in surprise, before they quickly narrowed in suspicion. "You don't. You don't even know who Zero is." Sylvio crossed his arms now. "How can you trust a person you don't even know, and especially if he doesn't trust you guys enough to show his face." Sylvio pursed his lips. "Seems suspicious to me."

Yellow eyes belonging to the Raidraptor duelist glared straight at Sylvio. "Probably because he expects people like you to question us about it behind his back." Tension between the two spiked. "I don't like what you're implying about Zero either. He's been through just as much hell as all of us combined, and he's been through thick and thin with us as well. We may not know who Zero is, but we're not stupid. We've seen what his personality is like, and if he really was suspicious he wouldn't be here." Shun stood up to his full intimidating height to look down at Sylvio. "You don't know him as well as we do."

Just as the Abyss Actor was about to respond to Shun's aggression the door to the lounge opened. Everyone turned their attention to see Yuya and Gongenzaka entering the lounge area, and the tension from before seemed to pop and deflate like a balloon.

"What the hell happened to your face Gongenzaka?" Yuto asked incredulously. The Steadfast duelist's face was currently covered in multiple bandages with one above the bridge of his big nose.

The man himself gave an annoyed glance at Yuto's question. Yuya also looked at his friend with a hint of amusement. A smile twitching on his lips. "I had a serious duel with my father. In order to prove my resolve."

Yuto gave a small smile at the thought as well. "Well, it certainly looks like you've been put through the ringer."

"Never mind that!" Sylvio interjected. His bluish grey eyes on Yuya. "You're late, Yuya! It's a 100,000 years too early for you to make me wait!" The L.D.S student walked away from Shun towards Yuya. Shun himself gave an audible 'hmph' before crossing his arms and sitting back down onto the couch. His sharp eyes currently closed.

Dennis looked at Sylvio with a raised eyebrow. "I don't really know whether you're getting at early or late with that analogy."

Sylvio blinked for a moment at Dennis' words. Then the teen instantly turned on his heel to glare at Dennis. "Hey! Shut up! No one asked you!"

The other Lancers laughed at the antics going on between the two, and Ruri took this time to walk towards Yuya with a welcoming smile. "I'm glad to see that you two could make it and that you're alright."

Yuya looked surprised by the action, but it soon devolved into a nice smile. "Yeah, it's nice to see you guys are okay to." The Pendulum duelist took extra care to be on the other side of the room from Yuto while the two girl counterparts mingled with the others.

Finally, after another few minutes of chatter. The door opened once again and the person responsible for this meeting walked into the room with a brisk, confident stride. The room fell silent as Zero took his place a few steps up the staircase, and turned to look down at everyone here. Yuto moved from the staircase to lean against the left wall with his arms crossed and a foot kicked back.

Zero spent a few seconds carefully looking at and analyzing everyone here before he spoke with his modulated voice. "I'm glad to see that everyone here could make it. Reiji himself won't be able to participate because he's too busy with preparations, so he'll be absent until tomorrow when we all leave."

Dennis stepped forward and did a mock salute. A happy smile on his face. "All nine members of the Lancers have been gathered, Captain!" Zero rolled his eyes underneath his mask at Dennis' antics.

"Yeah, but one quick question please." Sylvio raised his hand, and didn't wait for Zero to speak before he asked his question. "What the hell are you wearing and where did you get it!?"

Zero ruffled his smaller cape and crossed his arms while his hip jutted out to the side. "My older suit was too damaged for the trip to Synchro, so I went out and got a new one prepared. I'll be wearing this suit at the Synchro Dimension while my older one is repaired."

Yuya furrowed his eyebrows. "Okay…" With Zero's cape cut down so much it no longer hiding his figure. The Pendulum user could see just what Zero looked like. Yuya didn't expect their co-leader to look like a femanine twig just like himself.

The others seemed to catch onto Yuya's line of thinking, because Shun actually had the nerve to pick fun at Zero about it. "You know. If it wasn't for the fact that I know you're a guy I would've been questioning it now, and if I wasn't completely straight I would also be questioning my sexuality." Shun huffed a small laugh at everyone's expressions. The Lancers were gawking at him while Zero himself was unleashing one of his most iciest glares possible. "How many girls got a nose bleed when they saw you pass by?"

"You've got to be kidding me." Serena groaned, and almost smacked her own face at the sheer idiocy. Yet, she along with everyone else would admit that Zero pulled the look off good.

The rest of the group shivered at Zero's silent anger that could give anyone frostbite with mere contact. "None actually." The man himself replied pleasantly enough with his modulated voice. It did nothing to hide his fluctuating anger. "Because no one got the chance to see me. Now, onto more pressing matters." Zero placed both of his hands on his hips and looked down at everyone once more. "We're all going out together as a group."

All of the Lancers blinked. "And?"

Now they were very worried, because they could feel how Zero gave a wicked smile behind his mask. "Have any of you ever gone horseback riding?"

It was silent until Yuto spoke up hesitantly. "Does riding a duel monster that's like a horse count?"

. . .

"Explain to me why we're here again?" Yuya asked dumbly as all of the Lancers had their backs against the barn doors of Miami Stables. As soon as they had exited L.D.S tower the group was literally assaulted with crowds of people asking for things ranging from autographs to very strange and personal questions. Hell, a news van and reporters had even shown up, and it had gotten to be so much that Shun had to summon his Raidraptor Rise Falcon to save them and get them onto the street holding the stables. It was most likely Zero's way of getting revenge for Shun's comment back in the lounge, because the masked man was there before any of them.

At the moment, the group was currently barring the door from the fans desperate to get a glimpse at them. It wasn't until Serena took action and barred the door with a stray pitchfork on hand that the group of Lancers could finally breathe a sigh of relief and relax.

"Jeez, these people just don't know when to quit do they?" Shun grumbled angrily as he glared at the door holding the mob at bay.

"I can't believe people would stoop so low as to become like animals in the face of fame." Gongenzaka agreed with Shun. The Synchro user had his thick arms crossed and a disappointing look on his face. "It's disgraceful."

"I always thought fame was great." Sylvio bemoaned. The burnette leaning against the door whilst sitting on the ground taking a break. "But even I can't handle THAT!"

"Anyway." Zero stretched his arms up towards the ceiling before lowering them. The Lancers turning their attention to their leader. "We're here to do some team bonding." Zero's blank mask turned to look at each and every person in the Lancers. "One thing I've come to notice before we even made the Lancers is that you people stick to your own groups or by yourself." Zero made sure to look at Serena as he emphasized the last word in his sentence. "That's not what we as a team need. No, what a team needs is a strong bond. So you're all going to get very well acquainted with each other during our time here, and since none of you know how to ride a horse this is where we're going to start."

"And you've ridden a horse before?" Yuto raised an eyebrow and spoke somewhat sarcastically.

"I have." Zero agreed. His back straightened instinctively and his modulated voice was tinged with pride. The others looked at each other with shocked looks before looking back towards their current leader. Zero turned his back to them, and began to stride towards the shocked couple staring at the Lancers with speechless awe. "Now then, let's get started. This should be very amusing to watch."

Now the group stared at each other with concerned gazes. Sylvio gave a dramatic sigh, and playfully gestured with his arms wildly. "Well then, if I should lose my life in this dangerous quest tell my mother and father I love them." Yet, he was surprisingly one of the first ones to walk forward after Zero besides Yuya and Gongenzaka. Tsukikage and Serena were right behind them.

"I can't believe Zero called us all over to go horseback riding!" Yuya exclaimed. Yet he didn't seem to be too upset about that as he went towards where the horses were in their stalls.

"Oh boy." Yuto slumped down, but began to walk with Ruri and Shun.

"Come on! We've never ridden a horse before and this is our chance! It'll be a very fun and exciting experience you two." Ruri chatted excitedly. She for one, was very thrilled to ride a horse.

"I'll prefer to stick with birds." Shun grumbled.

"Oh shush you! Don't spoil the experience and just enjoy it!" Ruri chastised playfully, and began to drag them closer to the pens holding the horses. "Horses are nice, beautiful, and majestic creatures that are strong and emotional like us. It'll be just like riding our duel monsters!"

While Zero took care of the payment and work the others went to pick out their horses. The masked man taking care of the few bumps with the money he had stolen from Sherry the first time they had met. Although the thought of using his geass was very tempting he decided against it. They had to help the others get the tack prepared on their horses, and they would act so emotionlessly that questions along with suspicions would be raised all towards Zero.

"Alright then, that takes care of everything." The male with a balding head and light brown hair smiled up at Zero with dark brown eyes. "All that's left is to get the horses ready, and then you folks can be off on the range." The man had gotten over his awe inspired shock, and was able to speak calmly and confidently whilst gesturing to himself. "My name is Johnathan by the way, and this is my wife Mary."

Johnathan pointed over to a woman with long curly blonde hair and green eyes. Mary gave a welcoming, motherly smile. "It's nice to meet the people doing their best to protect us and our world from those Academia scum. If you Lancers need any help while you're here don't hesitate to ask."

"Yes yes." Zero nodded and quickly exited the small office to head towards the stalls himself. "The others will most likely need assistance with the tack and being mounted onto their horses once they've finished choosing. So your help is greatly appreciated."

With those parting words Zero focused more on choosing his own horse. The tense and awkward social walls around the group had started to melt away at the exciting notion of their current activity. The horses also did an extreme number, and allowed the group to mingle and chat with people they don't usually talk to.

The only real problem was Serena and Tsukikage. Zero knew that Tsukikage was naturally quiet and withdrawn, so he would come out of his shell at his own time. The problem was mostly Serena herself. She obviously wasn't comfortable with long conversations, and was like a truck running through a red light when speaking. While the Xyz rebels had met Yuya and his Standard friends easily they weren't comfortable with people from Academia.

That's where the main problem lies. Serena was from Academia, the enemy.

They didn't trust Serena because she came from Academia and she outright admitted it. Not only that, but from what she's spoken of from her experience at Academia she was trapped in a gilded cage. The Fusion user had a terrible time with long conversations because she couldn't speak to anyone before for so long. Either her peers were afraid to speak to her because of her relations to the Professor, or because she was always surrounded with security and being watched.

Serena didn't have friends before, so she wouldn't know how to make any now.

That'll change if Zero has anything to say about it.

"So, have you decided on a horse?" Zero questioned the indigo haired girl as he walked up to her.

Forest green eyes turned to look at her new masked leader with annoyance. "Not quite, but I think I'm close." Serena looked into the stall she was leaning against to see a dark bay Quarter Horse mare within it. "I like this one."

"Not too bad." Zero admitted as he inspected the mare. The horse herself gave a snort and stomped one hoof on the ground in reply. Zero gave a small chuckle. "It's certainly like you. I believe you two will get along nicely." Zero looked at Serena. "Does Academia have anything like this?"

Serena huffed. A frown maring her face as she turned away from the masked man. "Unfortunately, no. Academia doesn't have any room for things like a range. It's on an island." Zero raised a surprised eyebrow as Serena glared back up at Zero. "Did you come to me just to get information about Academia?"

"No." Zero shot down Serena's assumption instantaneously. Serena herself blinked her widened eyes in surprise at the genuine anger within his voice. "Unlike Akaba, I wouldn't question and hound my soldiers during an event that is supposed to be relaxing and encourage team trust and bonding. I don't anger them on purpose." The masked revolutionary turned away from Serena's shocked stare. "I'll check up on you before we start riding."

Zero checked up on everyone to make sure they were okay. The responsibility as their leader and the curiosity of what horse they had chosen driving him.

The masked man even went up to Yuto for a few moments before he just couldn't handle seeing Yuto's trusting gaze any longer, and had to get away for some space. Yuto had gotten a black Thoroughbred mare that had a white mane and tail along with white sock markings on all four of its legs with a big white star on its forehead.

Ruri had taken an instant love for a beautiful Palomino stallion that had a nice golden fur coat and white mane and tail. What was more surprising was that the stallion took one look at Ruri, and was all over the girl. The horse giving Ruri as much attention as the Xyz rebel was giving herself.

Shun choose a huge and strong Clydesdale stallion. It was a bay with a nice dark chestnut fur with white stockings and a blaze stripe on its face. The two stared at each other, and from the way Shun's shoulders were tense it was obvious he was anxious about this entire idea.

"Are you nervous to ride a horse when you've gone thousands of feet into the air riding one of your Raidraptor monsters?" Zero question him teasingly. The revolutionary getting revenge for the stunt Shun had pulled back at the Lancer's lounge.

Shun glared at Zero. "Shut up. We've never gotten the chance to do something like this because of the war, and of course I'm not nervous." He denied, but it was a flimsy lie. "Besides, not everyone is as rich as you are."

Zero raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what makes you say I'm rich?" In reality, Zero was poor, and didn't own a single cent that wasn't stolen from someone else with the use of his geass.

"You have to have a lot of money to be so confident and diverse in your knowledge and ability to ride a horse. It's not a skill an everyday person can have. Its either you've had a very rich life, or you were born in a family that's had horses." Shun explained. The Raidraptor turning his attention to the Clydesdale once again.

"Impressive." Zero admitted. The revolutionary left genuinely impressed at Shun's deduction skills. While he no longer had that rich lifestyle anymore, Shun's guess was close enough on the mark. Zero smirked beneath his mask. "Very well then. I'll give you the satisfaction of saying that you're correct. I used to live a rich lifestyle to which I learned to ride a horse."

"Used to?" Shun questioned Zero's choice of words, but by the time he looked back towards Zero the masked man was already moving on. "When are you going to show us your face, Zero?" The man himself stopped walking away, and slowly turned to look at Shun with surprise at the Raidraptor's audacity. Shun walked over to Zero again to speak about the topic more quietly. "Are you waiting for me to figure out your identity on my own or what? Will you ever show us your face, or are you just playing with us? Don't you think we've done enough to earn your trust, and have shown that we wouldn't betray you."

Zero said nothing for a moment, and if Shun didn't know any better he would say that Zero was sweating underneath that mask of his. The mask reflecting Shun's face turned to look to the side. "I'm not sure. It's difficult to give anyone any trust in this life."

"We've noticed." Shun said sarcastically.

Their leader's shoulders shook with a hint of laughter. "But you three, Yuto, Ruri, and you. You've done a lot and stuck around loyally… Perhaps when we get to the Synchro Dimension, and it's just us four… I'll show you." Zero looked Shun right in the eyes and crossed his arms. Regaining his confidence and charisma once more. "Until then, you'll just have to wait and see while trying to find the answer on your own."

"Oh? A challenge then?" Shun raised both eyebrows at the prospect.

"We'll see. Zero is a mystery that can't be solved." Zero turned to walk towards Tsukikage. "Just try to prove me wrong." Shun gave a smirk at Zero's retreating frame. Yet, when he heard his horse behind him give a loud neigh Shun's body immediately tensed up once more.

He didn't even notice how relaxed he was with Zero around until that stallion neighed.

Tsukikage chose an Appaloosa. The mare had black spots on its flank contrasting with the greyish white before it turned into a light chestnut color near the front. The mare's mane and tail was grey with streaks of white in it.

Yuya had chosen a rather unique horse. It was a paint stallion that was brown and white. Yet, the most unique thing was that this horse had blue eyes instead of the usual brown or black. The stallion was just as energetic as Yuya himself was, and dug into the hay in its stall eagerly excited to run. The tomato haired teen's scarlet eyes sparkled at the sight.

Gongenzaka smiled at Yuya's antics and both watched as the boy struggled to carry the heavy saddle. The Pendulum user having to have help from Johnathan to carry it. The Steadfast duelist's horse was a Belgian Draft stallion. The horse had chestnut fur and a white mane and tail. The tall, heavy working horse almost seemed to be watching Yuya and his horse with relaxed amusement as well.

Sylvio had chosen a Morgan mare. The horse had pure snow white fur, mane, and tail along with black eyes. What shocked Zero the most was the way that Sylvio handled the horse with extreme care and love. Although, the Xyz leader could see the stereotype of a knight in shining armor riding a white steed to slay the dragon and save the princess. It wasn't that bad of a choice for the enthusiastic Abyss Actor that seemed to want to do Entertainment Dueling like Yuya's.

Dennis picked a beautiful dark chestnut Andalusian with a dark brown mane and tail. The mare only having a single small star on its forehead that was half hidden by its forelock. The curly haired Lancer took a double glance at Zero, and a big smile quickly rose up on his face to greet the silent leader. A small dot of sweat ran down the side of his head as his smile twitched.

Zero narrowed his eyes at the behavior, but silently moved on. It was always possible that the Performage user was nervous like some of the others. After all, he's never ridden a horse until today. Yet, the way he suddenly tensed and reacted at the Xyz leader's presence was too strange. Dennis had seemed relaxed until Zero had suddenly entered the picture without his knowledge.

There was also that other Academia spy still running around somewhere…

Interesting. That will have to be looked into later.

Until then, Zero strode over to the remaining few horses in their stalls. There were also some outside on the range already, but Zero didn't want to go through the hassle. His decision was quickly made anyway as he came upon the discovery of a stallion. The Fresian was completely black, and had a long black mane and fur covering its hooves. It's tail nearly reached the stall floor as the horse swatted files away from it.

Black eyes looked up from eating hay to look at the strange sight of Zero watching it. The horse gave a deep snort, and walked up to the front of the stall to get a drink of water from its water bucket.

Zero looked down to see a sign on the door depicting the horse's name and breed alongside its feeding times. A masked smile spread across Zero's face. "What a coincidence that we meet, Prince." The horse shook its head, it's long mane flailing around wildly. Zero walked over to Mary to point at Prince's stall. "I'll be riding this horse."

Mary looked over at Prince and raised an eyebrow. "If you say so. Prince can be a bit rambunctious, but if you believe you can handle him I'm sure you can." The lady turned around to go into the tack room and gather an english saddle for Zero, which left the man himself time to watch everyone else's horses get prepped.

The Lancers were just about to hop onto their rides. Half of the group was ecstatic while the other half was a stress ball of nerves. Ruri and Yuya had practically leaped onto their horses in their excitement. Sylvio was much more graceful than them, but he was still excited as he sat on the saddle of his horse. Gongenzaka, Yuto, and Tsukikage casually got onto their steeds. Yuto rolling his eyes at Ruri's silly antics, but a small loving smile was on his face. Dennis himself struggled to get on, but was getting some help from the stable owners.

Shun sent a glare at his horse, before it turned into an uneasy glance as he eyed the saddle like it would bite him. Zero never would have figured Shun to be so uneasy around animals since he ran a Raidraptor Deck, but today just seemed to keep surprising him. Slowly, Shun swung one leg over the saddle and got onto the horse in one smooth motion. His hands flying straight towards the reins that controlled the horse and holding on tightly.

Serena herself couldn't even get on the saddle by herself, and she gave an angered huff at her own failed attempts whilst glaring at the saddle. Seeing her troubles, Zero decided to be a gentleman and head over to assist her.

"Would you like a hand in saddling up?" Zero spoke, and Serena whirled around to see the masked man behind her.

"Shit." Serena breathed. A hand where her heart would be placed. "Don't do that Zero. Scares the crap out of me."

"Hm." Zero hummed, but didn't seem to bothered to apologize for his small scare as he walked over to stand beside the saddle. The revolutionary bent down onto one knee in front of Serena, and held his hands out together palm up.

"What are you doing?" Serena asked. Taken aback at Zero suddenly kneeling down on the ground in front of her.

"What does it look like? I'm helping you get onto your saddle." Zero answered like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Serena's forest green eyes widened at Zero's answer. Red began dusting her cheeks as she quickly accepted Zero's offer and used his hands to help lift herself off of the ground and onto her horse. The horse shifted a little at the sudden weight, but otherwise gave no complaint.

"T-thanks." Serena shook her head at her own sudden change in demeanor. "I appreciate the help."

"You're apart of the Lancers now." Zero spoke seriously. "This isn't Academia. Where people judge you for your skills, or befriend you only to stab you in the back later for more power. The Lancers are a close knit group that's supposed to become second only to family. You can trust the people you see here." Serena looked over to the other Lancers. However, when she felt a hand on her leg she looked down to see Zero give her a reassuring pat. "Relax. You're not in Academia anymore. You're free."

With that, Zero turned to saddle up on his own horse. Leaving Serena stunned and with her mouth agape at what had just happened between them.

Once Zero was up on Prince, he turned the Fresian to address the others. "Johnathan and Mary went ahead to open the barn doors to the range. Are we all good?" A round of nods went around the group. "Good. Keep a hold of your reins to control the way you move your horse, and don't try to make them go backwards. If you really want to go faster than a walking pace, just use your legs and give a quick squeeze into their sides and tell them to either trot or canter. Be warned because the way these horses run differ between the two, and the pattern may throw you off. Got it?" Another round of nods, this time more nervous. Zero shook his head at their reaction and sighed. "Relax. They can tell when you're nervous or upset, and that'll only upset them. Just relax and go at your own pace. You'll be fine." Zero turned Prince around and gently nudged his horse to walk. Prince gave a small snort in protest, but otherwise went along for the ride seeing as this rider was much more experienced than other people who have ridden him. "Let's go. Follow me if you will."

As soon as his horse started walking, Zero's posture had straightened impectibly. His shoulders were straight, heels stiffly pointed down towards the ground in their stirrups, and elbows evenly at his sides. The others blinked in fading shock at the sudden change that Zero didn't seem to notice as he continued riding Prince. Eventually, Yuya shook his head and nudged his horse forward.

The others soon join Yuya, and urged their horses forward with a small kick of their heel. The horses following Prince, who was in the lead, until they finally made it out of the barn without too much trouble. Everyone stopped their horses to gaze out at the seemingly endless range.

"Wow." Ruri's breath left her in a rush at the sight. "There's so much green, and look at the sky! The sky is such a pretty blue with the green grass and yellow hay!"

Yuto relaxed his posture on his horse Tenacity. "Yeah. We don't see these sights at our home anymore."

Serena and unknowingly Dennis gave the Xyz rebels a very sympathetic look. "I'm so sorry for what my people have done to your homes, your lives." Serena tightened her grip on her reins as her mare snorted alongside the Fusion user's anger. "If I had known what they were really doing…"

"It's fine." Serena looked to see Shun stiffly sitting in his saddle staring her down. "You're not apart of those bastards. If anything, you're as much of a victim as us. With being wanted and chased down by the Professor like Yuto and Ruri." The Raidraptor gave a swift nod in the Academia traitor's direction. "You're apart of the Lancers now, so we trust you like a sister. As if you were originally a member of our resistance."

Serena gaped at Shun. She didn't expect the paranoid and most suspicious member of the group to say those words to her at all. "I- Thank you."

Shun raised an amused eyebrow that turned pale as his Clydesdale Ahi suddenly started walking forward. "Woah- Hey!"

Shun's horse continued forward undeterred at Shun's actions to stop it by pulling on the reins. Yuto and Ruri openly laughed at the scene while the others chuckled behind masks or hands. Ruri walked forward to Serena's horse with her lovely Palomino and gave a welcoming smile. "You should come ride with us. We have so much to discuss, and so many things we must have in common! Come on Chivalrous! Let's go catch up with my brother and lend him a hand." With that the girl gave a soft click, and Chivalrous began trotting away towards Shun. Yuto having gone ahead towards Shun as his girlfriend conversed with Serena. She was safe with the rest of the group watching, so there was no reason to worry.

Serena blinked once again as she watched the trio speak to each other in a relaxed manner. Although Shun's voice and posture was anything but relaxed. The Academia runaway was in a completely new situation, and she didn't know how to deal with it.

Sensing her rider's hesitation, Serena's horse made the decision for her by walking towards the group. Serena's forest green eyes looking down at her horse before back up at the group. Ruri waving a hand towards Serena gesturing her to come join them. "Thanks Luna. Let's go catch up with them!" The girl urged her horse faster and trotted away to join the Xyz rebels.

Seeing the four go caused Yuya's excitement to get the better of him. Scarlet eyes sparkling with joy looked down at his stallion with a huge grin on his face. "Then what are we waiting for standing here doing nothing! Let's go Spirit!" The Pendulum user gave a loud 'hyaw!', and gave a big kick to urge his horse forward.

Spirit for his part was just as jittery and excited, and the younger stallion stood up on its hind legs to give a loud neigh before cantering out on the range. Yuya screaming for his life not expecting his horse to go so fast, and lowered himself down so that he was nearly hugging Spirit's neck. The wind rushing past his face and ears, jostling Yuya's tomato colored hair. The boy had to put his goggles on so that the tears would stop forming in his eyes from the wind, and gave a loud 'whoop' of jubilation.

"We're right behind you, Yuya!" Gongenzaka yelled. His huge horse Rampage sprinting across the ground and making the ground shake at its sheer power. Its hooves colliding on the ground sounding around like thunder.

"Now hold up a second Yuya!" Sylvio yelled at the Entertainment duelist's fleeting form. The Abyss Actor urged his horse into action as well, and began to chase after Yuya with as much gusto as Spirit. "Don't think you can outmatch me in horseback riding! I'll show you how it's really done! Let's go Swift!" The shining white mare was gone in mere seconds as its name suggested racing after Yuya.

Zero turned Prince around to look at Tsukikage and Dennis, or really just Dennis. The moon themed ninja had taken his Appaloosa and calmly walked to the left side of the range where Serena and the others had gone, but he kept his distance. "So. What are you going to do now, Dennis?"

Dennis' unease was reflected in Zero's mask as light blue eyes averted towards the ground. A small droplet of sweat gliding down the side of his head as he silent nudged his horse forward. "I suppose I should go with Yuya and the others. This is quite an experience I never expected to have, so it'll be best remembered with the laughter of my friends. Come on Goofball." The Performage user slowly walked along the grass as his horse's feet seemed to drag and clop.

Zero turned to watch Dennis go along side Prince's own tilted head. The Freasian's ears swiveling around his head in the direction of the noise.

"Let's go Prince." Zero clicked his tongue twice and urged Prince to begin walking along the far right side of the range. A rather big pond and a big oak tree making it the perfect place to walk beside and then rest in the shade.

The black stallion swished its tail slightly as it walked along the pond's edge. It's head bobbing up and down on occasion as Prince placed his hooves down onto the ground in a royal manner befitting a fancy horse dressage.

"Hmm…" Zero hummed to himself. The revolutionary in deep thought ranging from multiple things. The two most primary ones being Dennis' strange behavior that cannot go ignored, and what to do next after this. No doubt news about the Lancer's location will spread like wildfire and the place will soon become flooded. Although this certainly gave the Stables much needed and deserved publicity. The way Prince was raised and carries himself was just magnificent. Especially compared to the other horses the castaway prince had ridden himself back at the Aries Villa that long time ago.

But what to do next? That was the question. The horses will most certainly tire out the others and make their legs feel sore, so nothing too strenuous. Perhaps somewhere to eat would be nice, a snack of sorts.

"That sounds about right." Zero muttered as he pulled out his duel disk. The revolutionary stopping under the huge oak tree to rest Prince whilst searching for a good place to get something to eat.

The thing that had attracted Zero's attention the most was an ice cream vendor not too far from here and on the way to L.D.S tower. In reality, it was the perfect option, and it would remain open until 10 at night. The House of Flavors, as it was called.

Seems interesting enough. Zero put his duel disk away and urged Prince to start walking once again. The Fresian's walk soon turned into a trot, which turned into a fast canter. Hooves beating against the ground in three intervals. Grass and dirt patches speeding past in a blurr beneath him. The wind howling around his helmet and slipping into his ears mockingly, and his small cape rustling in the fierce winds Prince was creating in his speed.

Zero turned his mask to look down at the close ground he was in front of and speeding by instead of looking up near the sky. It wasn't until he saw Yuya and his horse running amok still that he began to slow down into a walk once more. Prince giving a huge huff through his nose at the break.

Yuya and his horse Spirit had found a small group of tall skinny walnut trees to galavant around. The painted horse bucking around and giving a loud neigh in delight at the wind rushing through its mane and tail. Yuya himself was laughing the whole way as well as he somehow managed to successfully hold on for dear life. Sylvio was sprinting after Dennis on his own mare for some reason which was most likely from a passing joke that Sylvio was the victim of once more.

Gongenzaka was watching it all on top of his Belgian Draft Rampage with a deadpan stare, yet there was a smile gracing his lips. "I can't believe I'm watching this. Though it feels like it's been a long time since I've seen Yuya smile like that so brightly." Small black eyes turned to Zero who silently rode to stand side by side with the bigger Steadfast duelist. "What do you think?"

"Sometimes a smile can feel like a sun, and it's all one needs to see to make their day good." Zero spoke bluntly. "Besides, let's not forget that you all are still just children, even yourself, Gongenzaka." The Synchro user's eyes widened in shock at Zero's words. "... I suppose another reason I wanted to do this was so that I can give you people here one last happy memory before it becomes riddled with the scars of war and pain."

"Then why include us in this war at all? Why not just move on to the Synchro Dimension with only your rebels, Serena, Tsukikage, and Rejii." Gongenzaka reasoned. "Why does someone like Yuya need to go through a war. He's only 14!" The Steadfast duelist clenched a fist and grit his teeth. "I don't want him to go through any more pain than he has to. He's been through enough as it is."

"I understand that." Zero conceded to Gongenzaka's point. "He's lost an important figure in his life, and it's very difficult to move on after someone as important as a father has vanished. Leaving behind nothing but a crumbling reputation that's become infamous and gives scorn from those around you." Prince shuffled his feet, and Zero leaned down to stroke his gorgeous black mane to calm him. Oh Zero, or Lelouch, would know. "However, war forces people to do things they wouldn't want to. If it were truly up to me alone I wouldn't agree to sending any of you out onto the field due to your age if only for that reason. Unfortunately, I find that I cannot take down the threat of Academia by myself, and am in need of resources and soldiers." Zero looked back at Yuya. "The only thing I can do is finally end this war as quickly as possible to help minimize the damage that will be done."

"I suppose." Gongenzaka grumbled. The sturdier teen crossing his thick arms in front of his chest as he closed his eyes in thought. Sylvio and Dennis turning their horses and running right towards the two.

"On a brighter note I plan on stopping at this parlor to get the Lancer's some last minute food before heading back to the tower in wait of tomorrow." Zero spoke once again. This of course, caught the attention of Sylvio's own attentive ears. The L.D.S student screeching Swift to a halt and turned the mare around to face the masked man.

"You're really getting us food at an ice cream parlor?" Sylvio pointed at Zero with one finger with an amused glance. "You?"

Zero raised an invisible eyebrow. "Is something wrong with that, Sawatari? I don't see how an act of charity is funny."

Dennis rode up beside Sylvio and gave a much more relaxed smile. "I think he's imagining what how the clerk would react to seeing one of Miami City's suddenly most famous people walking into the store with such an intimidating mask staring them down. I would certainly feel frightened at suddenly seeing you on the other side of the cash register."

Sylvio barked out a laugh and even Gongenzaka gave an amused snort as the picture appeared in their heads. "That person would either think he's lost his mind or pass out from sheer shock."

That was when Yuya decided to join the conversation, and barely managed to rein Spirit in to trot up to the group. The painted stallion's sides heaving at the energy it exerted in its excitement. "What's going on now? What about someone passing out?"

Zero rolled his eyes from within his mask, and promptly turned Prince to start walking away to find the others. "Whatever. Think whatever you would like. I couldn't care less. Now excuse me, I'm going to go find the others." He soon stopped walking away from the group to face them one more time. "Oh, and Yuya." Scarlet eyes looked up into Zero's blank mask in curiosity. "Don't worry about yesterday and start smiling about tomorrow, because life only comes around once. So do whatever makes you happy, and be with whoever makes you smile before it's too late." Zero kicked Prince forward, and the two began to canter off to find the rest of their group of Lancers. The other four staring at Zero's retreating figure speechlessly.

. . .

The new suit worked perfectly in the test run.

Zero was locked in his room back in L.D.S tower, fiddling with the new suit that was within his hands. The revolutionary obviously making sure any cameras and audio devices were found and destroyed right when he first stepped into the room. At the moment, Lelouch was currently unmasked, and meticulously checking his suit for any sign of dirt or grime from his earlier activities. A slightly damp rag was lying on his bed on the left side while his duel disk was on his right.

The 'mission' turned out to be a miraculous success. A smirk spread across Lelouch's lips as he saw how much more united the team had grown to be after that small, simple outing. It was actually extremely easy. The leader honestly thought his own Xyz comrades would have given more trouble, especially with Serena, but they went with the flow more smoothly than even water.

The others were more lax once they returned to L.D.S as well. Although Dennis still stayed away from the group, which if that wasn't a blaring neon red sign Lelouch didn't know what was. The raven haired teen planned to nip this situation in the bud, and quickly.

A little help from geass was all he needed.

Once finished with cleaning his suit, Lelouch threw it back on and returned to the living room. Surprisingly, the room was empty of any other people. Zero shrugged his shoulders, and slumped down onto the couch in the living room and held his duel disk in his lap. The revolutionary grabbing a tool box on his way to the room, and was situated at his feet. Zero undid the clasps and opened the box, pulled out a screw driver, and began to carefully unscrew his duel disk.

The TV was currently on the news channel. The news going over the Lancer's formation alongside Zero and Reiji's speeches like a child in a candy store whilst at the circus.

Zero unconsciously bit his cheek as he concentrated on this very delicate procedure. While everyone else was getting their duel disks upgraded with the warping app by L.D.S and Reiji, Zero wasn't nearly as trustful. Therefore, the masked man was doing the upgrades himself barehanded.

Just as Zero managed to pop his screen out and placed it to the side the door slide open with a loud 'whoosh'. Masked violet eyes flickered over to the intruder, before he focused back onto his work. "How is everyone doing?" Zero hunched over as he doubled his efforts.

Yuto gave Zero a bemused look as his leader very carefully dug through the wires and circuitry of his duel disk. "A little sore from the ride, but otherwise they're all fine and full of energy." Yuto walked closer to Zero, and leaned over the masked man's shoulder to look at his work. "Although you would know if you just joined everyone else in the festivities."

"I find myself to be too busy for such things." Zero responded coldly. Perhaps a bit more coldly than normal from the way Yuto blinked and furrowed his eyebrows down at him from behind. The masked man didn't notice, hunching over even more as he switched his screwdriver for some tweezers to move and disconnect some wires. "Besides, this work requires a delicate hand, and I would never be able to fully concentrate with everyone in the same room yelling at each other in their festivities."

Yuto straightened, a frown still on his lips. "Alright then… If you say so." His cloak billowed out as he turned around and headed for a cupboard in the kitchen. "Just be sure to at least go there for five minutes if it's such a pain." Grey eyes narrowed at his task of making some drink. "While we trust you after everything in the Xyz Dimension some of the others aren't quite as willing."

Zero made an affirmative noise in the back of his throat showing that he was listening to Yuto, and that he understood his point. The revolutionary popping in a small chip and reconnecting wires to it. Once that was finished, Zero placed everything back together and screwed the screen back on. The Xyz leader leaned back against the couch's cushions with a heavy sigh whilst trying to rub his tired eyes even though it didn't work with his mask on.

This can be such a nuisance. Zero growled. But now that my geass has run out of control. I find that I need it now more than ever.

What was he going to do when the time came and he actually had to unmask to his three allies like he told Shun?

Zero gave another sigh, making it like the hundredth one he gave throughout the entire day before standing up. The genius put away the tool box, cleaned up his mess, and attached his duel disk onto his arm before walking out of the room. Yuto only watching his leader's departure with a silent gaze.

Zero stalked through the halls like a force of nature. His blank mask reflecting the setting sun shining through the windows of the tower. He was making his way over to the Lancer's lounge when he saw a teen with bright curly orange hair turn the corner from where the room's doors were at.

Zero stopped in his tracks and automatically straightened his posture. Perfect, just the person he was looking for.

"Dennis." The person in question leaped about five feet into the air at the sound of his name coming from Zero's lips. Dennis turned to give Zero a sheepishly nervous smile as his skin began to regain color.

"Oh." Dennis breathed a sigh of relief. "Jeez Zero, you really need a bell." Bright blue eyes looked around the halls. "For a second I thought you were Academia or something. What do you need?"

Zero didn't waste anytime, and the reflective purple glass covering his left eye retracted to reveal his geass. "I need you to answer a few questions for me."

Dennis blinked, his blue eyes widening in shock before the command took hold. In the back of his mind, Zero could feel Dennis' will be crushed under his own. "Sure. What do you want to know?"

"Are you the spy from Academia." Zero didn't state it as a question, and he didn't really care if Reiji had cameras installed here or not. He'll just have Nakajima erase the footage later. Dennis gave a deft nod in affirmation. "What is your mission?"

"I've been assigned to recapture Serena alongside those that look like her and you, Zero." Dennis droned on monotonously. "I am to infiltrate into your organization and find out as much as possible, and even manage to find your identity if its possible without revealing myself until the last moment."

"I see." Zero glared at Dennis. The distaste he felt in his mouth was sour and bitter. "Do you feel any regret for what you've done?"

At this, Dennis averted his gaze to look out the windows. "A little." He admitted. "But Academia is my home. It's the place I've grown up and enjoy. Yet... There are good people in this organization, like Yuya. I actually admire his dueling style and Entertainment dueling just like I did his father's!" Dennis' small smile as he spoke dimmed into a conflicted frown. "But I also have a friend back in Academia, and I wouldn't be able to bear having to fight against him in this war."

Zero said nothing for a long moment, and the two just stared at each other in silence for a stretched period of time. "Alright then. Here are my last orders." Zero took a step forward and stood face to face with Dennis. "You'll be my spy in Academia. If you receive any drastic orders or gain any important information that I do not know of you'll report it to me immediately." Even with Zero's geass in control, Dennis still managed to do a silly mock salute at the orders. "Finally… I want you to empathize with these people, and truly get to know and befriend them."

Dennis seemed to be shocked at the orders, but he soon returned to being emotionless. "Yeah, of course. It shouldn't be too hard."

"Good." Zero took a step back. "You'll forget we had this conversation and return to what you were doing."

"Alright then." Dennis mumbled to himself as Zero quickly fled the scene down the corridor. The Performage user blinked his eyes, and looked around in hazy confusion. The sun was gone now, and a blanket of black had covered the sky. "Huh? What am I-" Dennis' duel disk began to buzz, and the Xyz Fusion user quickly snapped back into reality completely. "Oh shoot, my report!"

. . .

The cards have all been processed and are complete, Zero. They'll be on my desk within my room. The door will be unlocked. -Nakajima

Good. Next I want you to go through security footage and erase all traces of me communicating with Dennis McFeild in the hallways. Do not inform Reiji of this. -Zero

Understood, Zero. -Nakajima

. . .

The sun had risen a while ago now. The sky once again becoming a nice light blue with white fluffy clouds dotting it. At the moment, all of the Lancers were gathered in the Lacner's lounge room once more, but this time they would finally be going to the Synchro Dimension.

Finally taking a big step in stopping and toppling down Academia.

"So everyone has finally been gathered."

All eyes stared up at the form of Reiji Akaba as he descended the spiral staircase belonging to the Lancer's lounge room. Purple eyes behind red rimmed glasses looked at each individual carefully.

"Yup!" Dennis cheered happily as his posture stiffened. "All members of the Lancers are ready and awaiting orders captain!" Light blue eyes flickered between Zero and Reiji. "Erm… Which one of you is the captain anyway?"

"I am." Both responded simultaneously. Red glasses holding an icy stare was reflected right back at Reiji with Zero's dark mask.

No one said anything as the tension increased while watching the spectacle. That is, until Yuya decided to intervene. "You two can settle that later. Right now we're about to head to the Synchro Dimension and get Yuzu back."

"And look for allies." Yuto added in. The Phantom Knights duelist putting a firm hand on Zero's shoulder.

The revolutionary stared at Reiji in silence for another minute before giving a sigh and looking back at Yuto. "Just because I am conceding here does not make me your soldier to order around, Akaba. Take note of that." Zero stiffly brushed off Yuto's hand and motioned for everyone to gather around him. Curiously, the others followed Zero's request and watched as Zero precured a shoe box from behind his back to hold out to everyone. "First, however, I'd like to give everyone a 'gift' of sorts."

The revolutionary opened up the shoe box to show headbands and armbands. The material was smooth on the Lancer's skin, and the colors were mostly black with purple and red running around the edges.

At everyone's raised eyebrows, Zero explained. "We are a team now. If we're going to call ourselves Lancers the least we should do is show how we're all united in some way. A good comrade of mine wore a red head band to signify herself in the resistance."

The rest of the Lancers blinked at the pieces of cloth they were given, before just deciding to roll with it and put them somewhere on their person. Yuto placed the band on his forearm that was opposite of his original red resistance band. Shun copied the motion and placed it over his trench coat on the same forearm. Ruri undid her wing clip and tied her hair into a very loose ponytail before replacing the clip on top of the band. Serena put hers on her left wrist, and Dennis placed his on his right over the suit's sleeve. Tsukikage wore his on his bare left arm that wasn't covered in his ninja uniform. Gongenzaka placed his on his right forearm and Sylvio put his on the left forearm over his L.D.S uniform. Yuya took off his goggles to place the band around his head before putting them under his goggles. Bits and pieces of the black headband poked through the red and green hair and goggles.

Zero himself decided to indulge himself and wear one on his left wrist. Reiji narrowed his eyes at the band offered to him, and deftly accept it before wearing it on his right wrist. Violet eyes never leaving Zero's blank mask as he did so.

"At this rate you're just spoiling everyone here Zero." Shun gathered Zero's attention as he fiddled with his band for a moment.

"This is nothing more than a symbol to let everyone around us know that we are apart of the Lancers." Zero stated resolutely. His masked eyes looking at everyone with a calculating gaze. "I believe that is everyone then."

"Not quite." Reiji spoke up once again. The silver haired teen looked up the stairs at a hidden figure in the shadows. Seeing as he regained control of the group once more, the CEO spoke. "You can come out now, Riley. You will be coming with us after all."

The group gawked as a child no older than ten walked down the stairs and stopped by Reiji's side.

The child wore their hood over their head where a black cap was poking out. Their eyes were dull as they stared firmly at the ground whilst gripping tightly onto Reiji's much bigger hand. The other hand held an old stuffed white and purple bear. The stitchings starting to loosen and in need of repair.

One glance at those eyes were enough to signify just what hell Riley had to have gone through to Zero though.

It was a familiar haunted gaze after surviving a war.

Shun was the first one to speak up. His voice filled to the brim with rage at seeing Riley and what Reiji had just informed them of. "What the hell is this?!" Riley flinched back at Shun's loud voice. "We are NOT going to be playing games Akaba! A kid going out to fight Academia with us? A KID! In what idea do you think that bringing a child that's younger than even US into a battlefield is a good idea!"

"This is a low even for you." Yuto ground out in between his teeth. The only thing really holding him back from lashing out like Shun being Ruri's grip on his wrist. Their hands intertwining into a tight hold.

"Enough!" Zero ordered harshly. His masked head snapping over to look at Shun. The Raidraptor so stunned by the action that his mouth closed with an audible click. Zero turned his masked gaze to once again look down at the small child before him. Riley's dull blue eyes looked back up at him even as his frame began to quiver at Zero's scrutiny. Perhaps Shun's yelling was better than seeing a man with no face tower over you with a critical gaze. "You're the child that won the Junior Class Championship."

Riley gave a deft nod. Turning their those dull blue eyes down towards the ground firmly once again. "Riley's ability is equivalent to any of yours." Reiji spoke. "He will not be a hindrance."

Sylvio pointed to himself. "You mean to say he's equivalent to us? To me?"

"To be held in such high regard by one of our captains is quite a feat." Dennis smiled at Riley brightly.

Yuya also gave a soft smile, but it was tinged with a hint of sadness. "Hello there Riley. My name is Yuya. Could you tell us how old you are?"

"There's no way he's older than an elementary schooler!" Sylvio stated. Yuya giving a huff at how his efforts to make Riley more comfortable were thwarted by Sylvio's big mouth. "A Junior Class kid with strength that matches that of Sylvio Sawatari's era? The master of Pendulum? I won't believe it!" Riley turned away at the burnette's words.

"Bite your tongue Sylvio." Zero spat as he watched Riley's reaction. Now it was Sylvio's turn to be shocked at the masked man's sudden aggression. The entire group being stumped.

Greyish blue eyes widened as Sylvio spoke with disbelief. "What is up with your behavior!? You can't seriously be thinking about allowing a ten year old child into the Lancers ranks!"

Zero said nothing, and instead acted. The intimidating revolutionary stepping forward until he was a breath's length away from Riley, and bent his knees so that they could look face to face. Riley was as tense as a mouse ready to bolt from a hungry cat.

"What's this Sylvio Sawatari era anyway?!" Gongenzaka pulled everyone's attention to him and Yuya. The tomato haired teen giving a sheepish smile at his childhood friend's nerves. "The first person to use Pendulum Summoning was Yuya! Don't act as if you're the one who came up with it."

"Either way I won't accept this." Shun ground out from between his teeth as he glared at Reiji challengingly. "A kid like that eventually going to march into Academia with us!?"

"That is not your decision to make." Reiji pushed his glasses up his nose almost mockingly.

"Then perhaps this alliance isn't all it's cracked up to be." Yuto rebuked strongly alongside his own childhood friend.

"I don't mind if he joins the Lancers." Zero finally spoke. His modulated voice booming around the room and stunning the rest of the group.

"You can't be serious!" Yuto and Shun yelled together incredulously.

"Why would you want to make a child go to war?" Yuya spoke softly. His scarlet eyes wide while his eyebrows were furrowed.

"That's something I'd like to know as well, Zero." Gongnezaka frowned and crossed his sturdy arms. "Didn't you say just yesterday that you'd like to avoid recruiting young soldiers as much as possible?"

"There's no innocence left in this child." Zero stated. His voice eerily monotone that even Reiji raised an eyebrow at. The temperature in the room dropping a couple degrees that caused most of the Lancers to shiver. "He's already seen and lived through a war… Your name is Riley, correct?"

Riley, who was staring up at Zero with unabashed shock and a dropped jaw, blinked at hearing his name and replied very quietly. "Yes sir." The one hand grip on his teddy bear tightened.

"What makes you think that, Zero?" Reiji asked this time. Curiosity barely picked up in his voice.

"Hmmph." Zero huffed as he still looked down at Riley. "If he's managed to survive a war at an even younger age than he is now than he can survive another one. He already knows how this game is played, and has had a front row view of it." Finally, Riley was freed from Zero's gaze as the masked man walked back to where he originally stood. Zero crossed his arms. "I especially would know."

The group turned silent after that. No one bothering to object at the two leaders agreement on letting Riley tag along any longer.

Reiji cleared his throat, and regathered the group's attention to their original topic before they got sidetracked. "Now that we've gotten that out of the way… Let us prepare to warp to the Synchro Dimension." The group gave a single, unified nod, and made a giant circle. Reiji and Zero begrudgingly standing next to each other with Riley staying very close to Reiji. Yet, the child would throw glances up at Zero every few seconds before looking back down at the ground.

Everyone attached their duel disks onto their arms and heard the devices whirr to life. "Now listen carefully." Reiji spoke seriously. "Your duel disks are equipped with a newly invented dimensional transportation device. We used data from both Shun and Yuto's duel disks as reference alongside some pointers from Zero."

Both Yuto and Shun grimaced at the news. "I don't appreciate not being told about this until now." Shun stated.

"Moving forward." Reiji spoke, clearly ignoring Shun's words. "Your duel disks are also fitted with a function that allows the activation of an Action Field." Violet eyes flickered to Zero. "The same goes with yours since you installed it yourself."

Zero narrowed his masked eyes at Reiji in a glare. "I know." Crossed arms dug into Zero's new suit in agitation. "Do not mistake me for a fool, or an idiot."

"Of course, my apologize for making you think I was implying that." It was obvious to everyone that said apology was rather strained and not even close to being genuine. "Anyway, everyone's duel disks have been given these modifications except for Zero's."

"Pendulum Summoning and Action Cards have become our greatest weapons." Zero took over this time. His charisma making everyone gathered here as a Lancer stiffen and listen with rapt attention. "Take advantage in the fact that we have this advantage over Academia, and use it skillfully and wisely to your heart's content."

"Now, please prepare the cards that were distributed to you." Reiji held up a Spell card, and everyone else mimicked his movements. "These Spell cards have the Synchro Dimension's coordinates inputted into them. Set them on your duel disks and activate them on our signal."

"Just a warning." Zero intervened quickly. "Warping around for the first time may be a bit distorting. Also, take note that these devices haven't exactly been tested until now, so we may end up seperated or nothing could happen." Zero looked at each and every person. "If we do separate then our first priority is to reunite quickly. Reiji and I will handle that, so be sure to stay low and familiarize yourself with the people in Synchro. Try to understand them, relate to them, and even grow some bonds whilst looking for prime recruits secretly."

"People would probably think we're crazy if we told them we're from another Dimension." Yuya spoke sadly as he looked down at his duel disk.

"Not probably, definitely." Yuto amended for Yuya.

"Stay vigilant, be careful, and stay together. Trust in each other." The resounding tense silence proved that everyone was ready. Zero gave a deft nod before motioning to Reiji. "Let's go. Activate your Spell cards."

"Now, it's time to depart." Reiji spoke to someone through his white duel disk. "Onwards to the Synchro Dimension! Dimension Mover, activate!"

As one, the Lancers all activated the Spell card that would warp them to the Synchro Dimension. Everyone's duel disks all glowed a blindingly bright blue that made everyone look away from their screens. The light was so bright that the people outside of L.D.S tower and throughout Miami City could notice the glow coming from the window extremely high up.

Once the blinding bright blue light had died down, everyone had vanished.

Voila! There you have it folks, Chapter 28! We've finally finished the Standard Arc, and now we're progressing on to the Synchro Arc. Who's excited for this? I know I am. Around 14,800 words and 32 pages this chapter. I really wanted to put some bonding activity for the Lancers instead of just throwing them into the next arc, so I decided that they would ride horses. Mostly because I wanted to write about Lelouch riding a horse, and because other things didn't really catch my interest. I was honestly tempted to just take it out, but screw it.

Now then, my most important concern besides continuing this story. What do you all think of Hazbin Hotel if you've seen it? (If you haven't I certainly, desperately beg of you to watch it.) I for one have absolutely fallen in love with it, characters, plot, and all. Alastor and Angel Dust being my favs, and they're on the completely opposite scale of each other. (Bless Vivziepop and the others making Hazbin a thing I didn't realize I needed in my life until I had seen it.) Thoughts on it?

Till then leave a REVIEW, Favorite, and Follow.

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, happy holidays all around, and I'll be seeing you all in Chapter 29! -MoonlightWright