A/N: In Leave 01, I actually meant that C.C wants pizza with buffalo sauce, not barbeque sauce lol. I must've eaten chicken with barbeque sauce that day for dinner when I wrote that.

I'm too lazy to fix that, so I'll leave it. Even though I proof read every chapter once I'm done writing, there still end up being a few typos I miss here and there, so that's one of them.

Also, hot damn, this chapter is about 16,000 words long!

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The episode begins in that same otherworldly place seen in the first episode, a floating shrine engulfed in a golden hue by the sun.

Seeing the place and knowing how it is somehow related to Geass, everyone can't help but tense up except for C.C, as she is one of only three people still alive, alongside Lelouch and Suzaku, to know what the Emperor attempted to do. Even Anya doesn't know the full story due to Marianne's Geass, the poor girl.

On the floating platform is the Emperor himself, standing still, facing the void.

A figure approaches behind him.

Geass Order Soldier: "Your Majesty. The remains have arrived."

Charles: "I was just conversing with Clovis, actually. The project must proceed without a moment's delay."

"Conversing... with Clovis?" Cornelia is trying to wrap her head around this. "But... But Clovis was already dead."

Guilford notices that she's trembling, not out of anger, but fear. Fear of the truth.

Schneizel narrows his eyes. "What was father up to?"

L.L silently glares at Charles hatefully. He'll be doing that a lot whenever he sees the dead Emperor.

"Whatever it means, it's related to Geass. That, I'm certain of," Nunnally concludes.

OP - COLORS

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STAGE 6

The Stolen Mask

"What does that mean? Don't tell me..." Schneizel gasps and holds the bridge between his eyebrows. 'Oh Lelouch.'

"What is it?" Cornelia asks.

"You'll have to see for yourself."

Meanwhile, at Ashford Academy, Suzaku has taken his seat in class as the other students talk about him, most not bothering to be quiet around him. He is seated behind Lelouch diagonal-right.

Male Student: "What's an Eleven doing here?"

Female Student: "He was a suspect in Prince Clovis' murder!"

Kallen: "But the teacher says the charges were dropped."

Male Student: "He was suspicious enough to arrest, though. Right?"

Female Student: "You don't really think he is a terrorist, do you?" Says a beautiful girl with blue hair tied in a ponytail, one of the students that hangs out with Kallen, not sharing the same fear that the others hold of Suzaku.

Male Student: "Of course he isn't. The school board would know something like that," Says a guy who seems like a somewhat popular, athletic type that would be in the jock clique but is actually nice and not a douchebag.

Lloyd chuckles. "It always amuses me how human beings are so susceptible to fear."

Nina: "An Eleven here at school?"

"Here we go..." Milly mutters as she senses some glares sent near her but not at her, meant for the girl next to her.

Nina squirms uncomfortably.

Rivalz: "He is an Honorary Britannian."

Nina: "I know, but still all the same."

"You know what?" Sayoko starts, making Nina yelp in fear. "I don't mind you calling an Honorary Britannian such, or at least I can't be that angry about it. They're traitors to me."

Tohdoh disagrees. "Yeah, but even Suzaku deserved the common courtesy of being called Japanese at the time, at least before he started murdering his own. He had his own code of honor, and even if it was wrong, we have to acknowledge that there were Japanese who wanted to assimilate themselves into Britannian society."

Chiba shakes her head. "Who would want such a thing?"

"No one gets to choose how they're born. Certain things cannot be changed. Suzaku could talk like the Britannians, act like them, get cozy with them, and build relationships among them, if only a few. However, he will never truly be one of them because he will always be Japanese by birth, even if he wanted nothing to do with his heritage. But we must realize that there may even have been Japanese or partly Japanese citizens of Britannia living in the Britannian mainland. They didn't choose that."

Shirley looks at Suzaku with worry that he's being treated unfairly.

Shirley: "Well, he doesn't look all that scary to me. Why don't we just talk to him? I'm sure he's totally-"

She's stopped from approaching Suzaku by Rivalz.

Rivalz: "Hey, the guy just got here. Give him some space."

'Rivalz... Shirley... Thank you both,' Suzaku closes his eyes in grief once more for the orangette. She was once his good friend, maybe even a small romantic flame, but those feelings never developed because of Euphemia.

Suzaku mentally panics when he sees Lelouch get up and head for the door, hoping his childhood friend didn't forget about him, going by the way that he doesn't even glance at him.

However, his fears are sated when Lelouch stops at the door, glances at him once he's out of view from the other students, and tugs his collar upwards.

"Heh? What was that about?" Tamaki throws his head around the theater, looking at everyone to see if they can provide him with an answer.

Akito leans forward in interest. "Hm. I don't know what was said, but it was obviously some kind of signal."

The Europian-Japanese boy can't help but find it fascinating that two boys that are basically Prince's of enemy nations ended up becoming friends.

"People in the military use body language to communicate with their comrades often, Mr. Tamaki," Tianzi chides.

"I-I know that, you brat!"

Xingke sends an annoyed glare his way, making him sweatdrop.

Suzaku heads up to the school rooftop, and Lelouch is already there, leaning on a guardrail before he turns around to talk with his friend, grinning.

Lelouch: "Seven years since we used this signal. Long time, huh?"

Suzaku: "Meeting on the roof like the old days."

Lelouch: "Yeah."

Suzaku: "I'm glad you're okay. I've been worried."

Lelouch: "Alive and kicking thanks to you. You almost died... trying to protect me."

A brief flashback is shown of the moment Suzaku got shot in Shinjuku.

Suzaku: "I was just returning the favor from 7 years ago."

The boy masquerading as Zero frowns and looks away, not liking it when people he's involved with are indebted to him or the other way around.

"Huh? Do you know what that's about, Nunnally?" Kallen says.

Nunnally nods. "What Suzaku means by that is that when he first met Lelouch and me and became friends with us, mainly through Lelouch, he gave Suzaku a feeling of purpose. As he said in the previous episode, when he was ten, the world seemed like such a sad place back then."

'Although Suzaku lied. It's becoming more and more clear that he wanted to die in battle, but to die for Britannia when he's a Number is not a meaningful death at all, nor does it indicate the life of someone who lived with purpose.' Tohdoh sighs. This was becoming increasingly difficult to see the consequences his student had to experience, even if they were due to his own choices.

He never showed it, but the Black Knights' best General once loved Suzaku like a son, and a part of him still does despite mostly feeling the same calm frustration and anger at Suzaku's betrayal when he joined the Britannian military.

Now, he has to see the events that caused the person he knows to be the current Zero to shoulder such tremendous pain.

If Suzaku truly wanted to die like he suspects, then him being Zero is an unnecessarily cruel punishment, for he has to live on against his wish.

Tohdoh couldn't help but redirect some of that anger at Lelouch, who he had been defending up until now, much to his surprise, albeit from an unbiased standpoint. 'Did you use your Geass on him? Why?'

That anger turned into frustration at not being in the know, but he remembered General Katase, his own sensei, and his teachings of the true Samurai way, so he calms himself and remains patient, for the truth will be revealed.

Suzaku: "Ah, what about that girl? You know, from the capsule?" His voice is filled with urgency, referring to C.C.

Lelouch: "I don't really know. We got separated during the fray. But you would know more about her than I do, right?"

Suzaku: "No. The only ones who knew anything were the inner circle of the Royal Guard." He looks apologetic.

Lelouch: "I see." His eyes meet the floor, filled with a hidden look that says he suspected this.

Suzaku: "And your name. Do I still call you Lelouch?"

Lelouch: "The records count my old identity among the dead. I go by the name Lelouch Lamperouge now."

Suzaku: "... Oh."

Gino cringes. "Oh, this is awkward."

"What is?" Tamaki raises an eyebrow.

"I sense some tension between them."

"Yer sayin' that my boy Lelouch swings that way?!"

"No! Not at all. There's nothing wrong with being gay, but it's clear that Lelouch and Suzaku were never that way. It's just that it's as if their relationship is already strained and are forcing themselves to act like old buds."

"That doesn't make sense," Leila is confused, seeing how the two boys on screen clearly cared for one another, but she also remembers that some of the people present said that the two ended up becoming enemies, so could this have something to do with their downward spiral?

Cecile clears her throat. "Let me clarify and say that Sir Weinberg means that they were friends, but things have clearly changed. If you care about a person in such a way like Lelouch did but they leave, and then they suddenly reappear years down the line, then it's impossible to pretend like things are the same."

Lelouch: "And you? What happened at your court-martial? And why did you enroll at this school?"

Suzaku: "I'm as surprised as you are. What are the odds that we'd end up at the same school? Truth is, someone arranged for me to receive a proper investigation. And that person said that a 17-year-old should be in school."

As he says that, the camera cuts to a room full of paintings that Euphemia is observing, as she is the person Suzaku was obviously referring to.

Zero winces. Even if Lelouch lied to him about being Zero, he wonders if his own lies, which they are clearly showing now, were more damaging to their friendship.

The possibility that him not telling Lelouch led to where they are now, his friend dead alongside so many others, and him stuck behind this mask...

He shudders and shakes his head. 'But why would I feel guilty lying about my relationship with Euphie? What does that got to do with any of this?'

All the paintings are quite rudimentary in relation to the teachings of art.

One is a canvas of a hill in a countryside, perhaps representing a favorite retreat of Clovis' where Schneizel and Odysseus would teach him how to ride a horse.

A couple others show tea cups and pots. Maybe this was once a messy office of Schneizel's in which Clovis would barge in and demand Schneizel teach him to play chess, only to fall asleep halfway through, having spent himself of his energy for the day.

But the one that stands out from the rest is the largest canvas of them all. It shows Lady Marianne with Nunnally and Lelouch. Nunnally is in a pink dress, her hands in her mother's lap as the woman covers her daughters hands with her own, dressed in a navy blue dress. Lelouch stands to their left in a white suit, a white scarf sticking out of his collar in place of a tie.

All three are smiling, and this is the most beautiful painting of them all as it captivates Euphemia's attention, recognizing the art style as Clovis'.

However, this is also the first sign that Euphemia was stuck fantasizing of the past.

Cornelia bites her lower lip and looks down bitterly for a moment. "Euphie never knew when enough is enough. She just couldn't move on. I suppose that's a big reason why she wasn't a good politician."

Behind his mask, Lelouch thinks something similar. 'The same could be said about that man. The difference is that Euphemia was... kind.'

Euphemia: "Were all of these painted by Clovis?"

Butler: "Yes."

Euphemia: "Such gentle colors... very much akin to my brother."

"Oh, he was gentle in Shinjuku, alright! I'll tell ya that!" Tamaki grumbles.

Confused, Kaguya says, "What? But in the previous episode, she visited Shinjuku. Doesn't she realize that Clovis was responsible?"

Jeremiah crosses his arms. "No. Much like Kururugi, the Princess fell for Britannia's propaganda that blamed the terrorists for Shinjuku's destruction. Having been there and killed people myself, I know better."

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In the Viceroy's new command center, Cornelia is absent as she's on the frontlines while Darlton watches over his liege's operation as a live tactical map of IFF's is shown.

The resistance or terrorist group they're attacking are almost completely surrounded by Britannian forces with a very narrow corridor of escape to the north that, even if they made a break for it, most or all of them would get ambushed from the rear and sides while trying to escape.

Officer: "We've successfully identified the guerrillas."

Darlton: "That's good. Now all we need is their hideout. Get that intel to the Viceroy."

Officer: "Yes, my Lord."

"This must be when you destroyed the Blood of the Samurai faction," Ohgi states to which Cornelia nods.

"Who?" Tianzi is confused.

Xinkge explains, "They were one of the few Japanese groups fighting Britannia that counted as actual resistance and not terrorists, much like the Japan Liberation Front and the Black Knights. And much like the JLF, the Blood of the Samurai had a lot of former Japanese military veterans among their ranks."

The Blood of the Samurai are using Anti Air cannons as artillery to fight against Britannian tanks. They have the high ground, but their efforts are to no avail.

The song All Hail Britannia, their national anthem, begins playing as the scene's BGM.

Hearing the song for the first time in viewing the past but the umpteenth time in their lives, it receives mostly negative reception from the audience.

"I just hope Britannia's national anthem has changed since then," Kallen scowls.

"It has," Nunnally nods. "The new song is God Save the Queen. I requested the anthem be changed to something far less imperialist and racist, and when I heard it, I loved it. I think all of you would, as well."

The camera zooms out to reveal a a huge number of caves interconnected to one another on the mountain that serves as the Blood of the Samurai's base, their defenses doing all they can as flashes of cannon muzzles at the entrance of those caves show their desperation.

One of the AA cannons on the summit is destroyed by Cornelia's Gloucester as she attacks them from behind.

Blood of the Samurai soldier: "What the..."

Blood of the Samurai soldier: "Is that Cornelia?"

The soldier turns his AA cannon around and aims it up at her as fast as he can as two other cannons do the same.

Cornelia: "Relics of a forgotten age."

Only two of them manage to get a shot off, both of which impact the ground where she was as she has already jumped high into the air to dodge. She immediately retaliates by firing her MG at one AA, and her slash harkens at the other two.

She easily dodges a volley of bullets and opts to ignore the last AA in her area, instead landing on a cave entrance.

Cornelia: "Darlton, in here, correct?"

Darlton: "Yes, my Lady. Shall we accompany you?"

Cornelia: "Not for this level of resistance." Her landspinners attach to the rails of a train track as she speeds down a tunnel.

Darlton: "Understood."

"Couldn't you have gone into their base from any cave?" Tamaki asks.

Cornelia groans. "I thought it would be obvious to everyone, but apparently not. The answer is no, I couldn't have. They were holed up in that specific area."

She stops her knightmare as soon as she reaches the other side, reaching a perfectly round room that is their HQ.

Cornelia: "Surrender at once, you feeble-minded Elevens!

Blood of the Samurai: "Down with Britannia!" The remaining dozens of resistance members all shout while they fire their rifles, all of them on foot.

"Seems that they really had no chance against you," Xingke remarks, "especially without any knightmares. Even if they did have some, I get the feeling that they would still be defeated by you. I now see why you're called the Goddess of Victory and the Witch of Britannia."

Cornelia nods. "Thank you, but I care not for nicknames."

Their bullets, if they caused any damage to her armor at all, serve as nothing more than a light show judging from the sparks they create upon impacting her armor.

Cornelia: "Doesn't seem Zero is here. No point in going after them one at a time, I suppose. Vermin. Rot like the filth that you are!"

She raises her MG and fires as the scene changes back to Ashford Academy, and the audience knows they were all slaughtered.

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That evening at the clubhouse, Suzaku reunites with Nunnally as she recognizes him simply when he touches her hand and doesn't say anything before, a display of how close the three are or were as she cries tears of joy.

Nunnally: "So tell me you will stay the night, won't you?"

Lelouch: "Suzaku's enrolled as a student at Ashford Academy now. So you can see him anytime you want to."

Nunnally: "Is that true?" She's excited at the prospect of a sleep over with their oldest friend.

Suzaku: "Well, I still have military duties, so I can't be here every day," He says in apprehension that she'll be upset.

Nunnally: "Oh, you're... you're still in the military?"

"Even after being accused of something he never did and then physically abused for it, he still came crawling back to them," C.C sends an unhappy look towards Zero, although her emotions are hard to tell for most since she still comes off as stoic.

Suzaku: "Don't worry. I've been reassigned to the Engineering Corps. It's a lot less dangerous."

Lelouch: "Oh, cool. Engineering, huh."

"Why did he lie to us?" Nunnally trembles. "Was it so that we wouldn't worry about him? Stupid Suzaku. Just because the ASEEC has the word Engineering in its abbreviation doesn't mean your profession is an engineer!"

Kallen sighs. "I guess he thought he was 'engineering' his way up the Britannian hierarchy's ladder using the Lancelot, or something. Who knows what goes on his head? He was such a muscle-headed idiot."

Lelouch stands up and is about to pour tea for their friend, who gets up.

Suzaku: "Oh, let me help you."

Lelouch: "You just sit down. Unlike seven years ago we get to be your hosts now."

Suzaku accepts it with a grateful grin.

Lelouch: "It's funny. You're lot more mellow than you used to be."

Suzaku: "And you are a bit more rough."

Lelouch: "Ha ha. I suppose."

He walks over to the kitchen behind the wall and sees C.C leaning against the counter where the stove is.

Lelouch: "Hm? I told you to stay in my room."

C.C : "That boy out there, he is the Britannian soldier from Shinjuku, isn't he? Is that wise?"

Lelouch: "Don't worry, it's fine. He's..." He sets down the tea pot.

C.C : "Hm?"

Lelouch: "He is a friend... from the past."

Rakshata sticks her hookah pipe into her mouth. "Oh? Did you all see that? Lelouch was hesitating how to explain his connection to the boy."

"Wasn't that because he didn't trust Pizza Girl?" Kallen says.

"At the time, he may not have, but I don't think that's the reason. He simply seems unsure what label to put on his relationship with Kururugi."

"More importantly, how didn't the other two hear Lelouch talking to you?" Anya points out to C.C, who shrugs.

"Nunnally must've been chatting with Suzaku, and it's pretty much impossible for most to multitask."

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A wall made of reinforced steel glass retracts upwards to reveal a tied up prisoner with his head down, a familiar head of teal hair.

Guilford: "You're getting out, Jeremiah."

Jeremiah: "Lord Guilford! You see I'm innocent, don't you?"

Guilford: "Well, it seems in the eyes of the court you are anyway, Orange Boy."

Jeremiah: "Huh?" He gasps, suddenly a little scared that Guilford may take advantage of the situation to dispose of him.

Guilford: "Whatever the truth is, Zero got away. And you Pure Bloods let it happen. You've been demoted three ranks for failure."

Jeremiah's eyes are wide with disbelief. How could his life's work be destroyed like this? What happened? He couldn't even remember.

A pang of guilt hits Guilford. "Jeremiah, I-"

"Whatever it is you want to say to me, save it. You'll only be saying it to save your own reputation and pride as a Knight of Honor."

Guilford: "You have two options to choose from: Starting over as a pilot, or cultivating an orange farm."

Orange Boy has to hold back both a smile and a proud laugh at the irony, because in the end, that is exactly what he ended up doing with Sayoko, Anya, and his Master and the Lady of the house.

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Lelouch: "You should come by again. Nunnally would enjoy it," He says as he sees Suzaku off at the front door of the clubhouse.

Suzaku: "Sure. But..."

Lelouch: "Huh?"

Suzaku: "Lelouch, I... I don't think we should be seen together at school."

Lelouch: "What do you mean?" He's bewildered, unable to understand what goes on in the idiot's head.

Suzaku: "Think, how would you explain it. Being friends with an Honorary Britannian? You have to guard your secret. No one can know you're royalty. And the same goes for Nunnally. I don't wanna cause you any trouble."

Lelouch: "Doing it again, huh! Everyone's needs but your own!" He raises his voice in frustration.

Suzaku: "Again?"

Lelouch: "Forget it." He looks away sadly, knowing that it's too tiring to argue with Suzaku since the boy is so narrowminded.

"Eh?" Tianzi squeaks in confusion. "I don't get it. Kururugi is trying to be selfless, right? So why is Lelouch mad at him?"

Xingke explains, "Your majesty, Kururugi is attempting to shoulder his burden of trying to change the world alone. That's why. It's clear that both their actions resulted in them lying to one another, but while Lelouch lied more, Kururugi's lies were bigger and far more impactful in ways so terrible that even Lelouch couldn't have foreseen, or at least that's my guess."

Suzaku: "Eh, thanks for having me. It was a lot of fun. I'll, uh, see you later," He says with a fake smile and turns around, descending down the staircase at the front door, desperate to leave.

Lelouch: "Right..." He says softly, feeling guilty about what he just said.

Before he leaves, Suzaku says one last thing.

Suzaku: "I'm so glad, you know?"

Lelouch: "Huh?"

Suzaku: "I never thought we'd get another chance to talk like this."

He finally exits the area.

As this is happening, C.C is seen watching the entire exchange from a window.

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The next day, Rivalz is seen talking to Lelouch just outside the classroom before school starts as Suzaku is headed their way.

Rivalz: "So what's the deal? Something happen to ya yesterday or what? You didn't even show up for the council meeting."

Lelouch: "You know, I kinda tanked that history exam."

Rivalz: "Please, I don't buy that. The way you study?"

The blue-haired boy is about to continue saying something when Suzaku walks past them and into the classroom, noticing a sad look in Lelouch's eyes. It's obvious that the two are avoiding one another, but he decides it's none of his business unless Lelouch or Suzaku want to talk to him about it, at least for now.

Female Student: "Stop you guys..." She warns everyone as the classroom immediately gets quiet as soon as Suzaku walks in with an unhappy look, one that actually seems a little angry.

Some look at him with fear, some in quiet anger, some with condescension, and some with worry.

"Poor Suzaku," Cecile frowns. "It's obvious that all they could talk about is him, and while he could pretend he was fine all he wanted, it was clearly wearing on him."

Leila balls her fists. "This proves how flawed the Britannian justice system is when even these kids don't believe in it since they now know that there could be cases that don't benefit just Britannians. As a former Britannian noblesse, I'm just glad at how lucky I was to have left their society when I did, even if I now hold the EU's title of Grand Duke."

As class takes session, a brief shot of two Ashford boys snooping through Suzaku's locker is shown. One is holding a spray can while the other is holding up one of his shirts, a plain white-colored top.

"Bullies," Akito flares his nose in disgust. "As a neutral party when it comes it Kururugi for now, I have to say that what those two are doing is not okay."

Cornelia agrees. "Kururugi is just a kid. Even if he's responsible for his own actions, hurting him is... The only way bullies could ever be held accountable is if they face legal action against them, even if they're underage."

Lelouch is talking to Ohgi over the phone as he is at the middle platform on the stairs in between the first two floors at school.

Ohgi is dumbfounded. "The gall of him to talk about the rebellion to any resistance members while at school..."

Ohgi: "It hasn't made the news yet, but the Blood of the Samurai faction was wiped out by Cornelia. They were the largest group we had in central Japan. Look Zero, it won't be long until she comes after us."

Zero: "Just keep your head. Our chance will come."

Ohgi: "But..."

Zero: "Sit tight, I'll contact you later." He hangs up.

Lelouch: 'Humph. He's getting too overly familiar. Maybe I better cut my ties with them.'

Cornelia would've usually criticized Lelouch multiple times by now since the episode isn't even halfway through, but this is the first opportunity she can do so, and not that she was going out of her way to irrationally target him, even when he doesn't deserve it.

She huffs. "Hmph. So at some subconscious level, he did think of you Black Knights as pieces on a chessboard."

Jeremiah defends him, "Perhaps. However, I have to reiterate that he never did use his Geass on any of them except for Kouzuki, whom he tested one of its limitations on."

"I guess we'll have to see if that's true or not, won't we?" Chiba stubbornly clings onto the idea that they may have not been following their own free will.

Lelouch looks out the window from his elevated spot where he sees someone using one of the sinks in the courtyard. It's Suzaku, who is trying to wash off the mean messages the boys from earlier spray painted onto his spare shirt, earning a worried look from Lelouch.

The message says something like, "Go back to your ghetto."

Milly turns to Nina. "So Nina, you and Kallen are apparently the only ones who retained your memories out of the Student Council members. Do either of you know what happened to those bullies? Did Lelouch stick up for Suzaku?"

Nina sighs, not wanting to remember that time of her life. "I'm sure Lelouch didn't want to ruin his reputation at school by sticking up to the bullies, even if he knew who they were. If he did that, he could've possibly increased suspicions towards him about being Zero or at least having some affiliation with terrorists, and I'm sure even if he found time to corner Suzaku that Suzaku would simply evade his questions."

"I hate Suzaku, but those stuck up pricks were killed in the First Battle of Tokyo. They got what they deserved," Kallen says.

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In the Student Council clubhouse, Nina is alone in her room, glued to her desktop she usually uses for school. However, this time, her work delves into some crazy advanced science.

"I-I was researching nuclear fission. My research was already being planned for months before, but this is where I really began putting things together. With school, I didn't have much time to put into it, and looking back, I think I'm glad I didn't. We could've all been killed had I sped up the FLEIJA's development."

She whimpers.

Rivalz reaches across Milly and pats Nina's shoulder. "It's alright, Nina. You couldn't have known what would happen."

Nunnally nods. "I stained my own hands by volunteering to launch the FLEIJA's in the arsenal of the Damocles during the fight between big brother and Schneizel. I'm grateful you invented the FLEIJA Eliminator to cancel out at least some warheads before they could detonate. You're not perfect, Nina, but you tried to redeem yourself in the end, and I'm proud of you."

The door opens as Nunnally rolls her motorized wheelchair in.

Nunnally: "Nina?"

Nina gasps: "I'm sorry. Am I too loud?"

Nunnally: "Not at all. Why are you here? What about class?"

Nina: "Oh..."

Nunnally: "Something wrong?"

Nina: "Well, it's... I dunno, a little scary"

Nunnally: "Scary?"

Nina: "We have a transfer student in our class now. It's that boy who was accused of murdering Prince Clovis. He is an Eleven."

Nunnally realizes she's talking about Suzaku as an understanding look crosses her face mixed with sadness.

Ohgi sighs. "Ms. Einstein, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I would like to know why you fear us Japanese so much. Was it the propaganda? Or did you experience something to make you this way?"

She tenses up. "I... Even now, I'm still wary around your people. I suppose it's both. I-If it's alright, I'd rather not talk about it. There's too many bad memories laced to this topic."

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A Pizza Hut deliveryman shows up at the front door of the clubhouse and is about to ring the bell, but before he can, C.C opens the door, obviously waiting eagerly for her favorite food.

Pizza Deliveryman: "Oh... Thanks for all the repeat business," C.C nods, "although the name on the account we debit has a guy's name on it, is that okay?"

As they go through their exchange, neither of them notice Arthur walk into the house right by C.C's feet.

'Oh no...' Suzaku stands stiffer, remembering the hilarity that's about to ensue.

Cornelia frowns. "How can you use Lelouch's money so nonchalantly and not bother paying him back?"

C.C shrugs. "Who cares. I saw him as an uber-rich Prince who doesn't need every cent in his bank, so I might as well have used some for myself."

On the other hand, Lelouch pales when he sees Arthur stroll in like he owns the place.

"There's that cat from before..." Lloyd smirks. "I wonder what's about to happen?"

She walks into the room Lelouch is in, delicious pizza in hand, Arthur following her.

The Witch finds her accomplice trying to fit Zero's mask into a lockable briefcase.

C.C: "Huh? Trying to hide your mask, huh."

Lelouch: "Unlike my Geass, the mask is a physical piece of evidence. Huh?"

A knock on the door alerts them to the presence of his little sister, who opens the door.

Nunnally: "Alright, Lelouch. The tea is ready when you are. That smell. Hey, did you order pizza again?"

Lelouch: "I'm racking up reward points. I'll be right down, okay?"

Nunnally: "Lelouuuuuch~."

Lelouch: "Hm?"

Nunnally: "Maybe you should cut down on the pizza. You don't want a blubbery belly."

Lelouch: "Just don't touch or rub it, okay?" He puts an infinitesimal emphasis on the word 'touch' as he walks past C.C.

Nunnally: "Ooh~! Scary~!" She says playfully as he exits the room with her and chuckles at her tone.

"What was that about?" Rivalz blinks.

Akito decides to spell it out for him. "The Empress' conversation led Lelouch to take advantage of the situation and remind C.C to not mess with Zero's briefcase that contains the mask."

Nunnally giggles. "Oh dear. I can't believe he really communicated with her about terrorist activity around me, even if he spoke in code."

C.C: "Hm." Her eyes dilate as her lips curve downwards.

'There it is again, that sad look...' Cecile analyzes. 'Perhaps she can't help but feel a tinge of jealousy at how close Lelouch and Her Highness are.'

Because of how she still seems mostly stoic, the rest of the audience, most of whom are strangers with C.C, think nothing of it. That, and they know very little about body language in comparison to Cecile.

It may have taken him quite a while since he was so focused on his own goals, but Lelouch is now well-versed at reading the emotions of his wife.

At the time, she may have been nothing more than his partner in crime, one he was very wary of. Neither of them gave each other too much trust beyond knowing that they won't rat each other out to Britannia.

He regrets that it nearly took her dying in C's World to realize that he cares very deeply for her, and that it took many more months after that, even after the Zero Requiem was complete, for him to see that he loves her.

'You are not alone. I will remind you of that everyday. I'll tell you how much I love you everyday, so...'

Blushing, he shyly looks away and scratches the back of his head.

C.C sends a teasing smirk his way as her eyes do little to conceal her happiness. 'Won't that devalue your feelings for me?'

'On the contrary, doing so would be completely different from those you used your Geass on. You will know how special you are. I will make you feel a lifetime's worth of love.'

'There's no need to rush, Lelouch. We have till the end of time itself to be happy together. I already am happy, so there's no need to do too much for me at once.'

'I don't care. Whatever it is those who loved you under the influence of your Geass did to gain your attention, I'll do it way better, but I won't do it for me. It will be for you. Trust me, if I sent numerous romantic gestures your way, it wouldn't be for your attention since that would make me a simp. I simply want the woman who gave so much for me to be happy and to know how cherished she is.'

'Lelouch...' She sighs and gives up. Lelouch is one of the most stubborn people she has ever met, and once he has his heart set on something, he will pursue it, so she can't help but look forward to being a little spoiled.

She just hopes he doesn't overdo it by going over the top with romantic dinners and decorations and sweet pickup lines. A little here and there is okay, but too much can be overwhelming.

Unfortunately, Lelouch forgot to close the briefcase as a certain curious kitty that no one noticed slips into the briefcase, making it topple over off the table due to how close it was to the edge.

Arthur: "Meow!" He yelps in surprise, and this time, C.C heard him.

Turning around, she's bewildered that the briefcase fell over as Arthur silently sneaks past her again.

C.C: "Hm? What the heck?"

"We should enlist Arthur as a member of the Black Knights. He could be more useful in stealth missions than you, Tamaki," Kallen teases.

"Hey!"

.

.

.

Meanwhile, Nunnally informs her brother of what she knows regarding Suzaku's blatant exclusion from his peers at Ashford.

Lelouch: "Hm. Yeah, I was wondering if that was going on."

Nunnally: "They're just being cruel to Suzaku."

Lelouch: "No, it's just... These things take time. People will come around."

Nunnally: "Isn't there anything you can do, though? I mean, he is your friend."

His response is to only look down with a sad expression.

Tohdoh shakes his head in disappointment. "I understand how Lelouch feels. Suzaku wanted to help others but didn't want any help himself when he needed it most."

Kaguya sighs. "Cousin was the biggest liar of them all, albeit a terrible one. It's evident that he was unhappy, so how could he expect to make others happy when he himself wasn't?"

She remembers times before the war that Suzaku's mood would completely drop whenever he'd hear news of the mounting tension between Britannia and Japan.

Japan closing Britannian businesses in their territory.

Japanese-Britannians suddenly being held in internment camps (again).

Many foreign embassy's of Japan being bombed, and in the aftermath, despite enough evidence pointing towards Britannia, and even though the international community in places that weren't invaded imposed sanctions against them, they still denied any responsibility for their actions.

Just before the invasion, the Chinese hacked into Britannia's information network server in Vietnam and Cambodia to expose their war-crimes there. The international outrage continued, but Britannia still denied their actions, blanketing their own people's awareness with a contradicting story. Kaguya suspects that those loyal to Xingke were responsible for the leak. He managed to cover his tracks very well.

It was made clear to the world that Britannia should not be trusted because they had no desire to make peace with anyone, only war. Bloodshed, manifest destiny, the conquering of foreign lands, these are all that Britannia had known, and under its 98th Emperor, nothing would change.

Even she can't help but feel disgusted that Suzaku would join them. How could he after they came to their home to put them down?

Hell, Suzaku told her how the war started with numerous airstrikes on the Kururugi shrine, Suzaku's home, the place he was staying at with Lelouch, Nunnally, his father, the then Captain Tohdoh, General Katase, and several soldiers guarding them. Tomahawk cruise missiles and hellfire missiles were fired first so that they wouldn't be able to scramble for cover if they hear incoming bombers, then dozens of JDAM's were dropped.

In the chaos, some of the soldiers escaped with Tohdoh, Katase, and Genbu through an underground passage that took them to Kyoto.

Other soldiers fought to the death so that Suzaku could get out alive with Lelouch and Nunnally, who were all lucky to be outside and enough of a distance away from the house so that they wouldn't get blown up.

A few weeks later, Suzaku separated with his friends and reunited with his father in Kyoto, only for him to kill the Prime Minister.

Of course, the Kururugi shrine was soon rebuilt after the invasion, but most of his personal belongings, important mementos, and materialistic items were mostly destroyed. Books, family heirloom katanas and flags, his culture, everything that made him Japanese.

Even after all that, he still chose to side with the enemy.

When they next saw each other, Kaguya called him her cousin, but even she had to keep her distance. She once wanted their relationship to be more like siblings, but after what he did, things would never be the same.

Cecile takes this opportunity to try to peacefully defend Suzaku. "I'm not going to say he was right to do what he did, but if Suzaku wasn't standing up for himself against his bullies at school, wouldn't that be him simply not wanting to hurt others?"

"It was all an act to Sir Kururugi," Zero states. "He couldn't fight back because he would've been cast out by most of his peers. It was all a part of his delusion of being an upstanding citizen, a knight, so that he could work his way up the ladder in Britannian society, or so he foolishly believed."

Hearing the answer come from the same person she tried to uplift, Cecile resumed watching with the rest, feeling downcast.

Suddenly, Arthur walks into the dining room where Lelouch and Nunnally are. He tries to scratch his own chin but he can't because his head is blocked by Zero's mask.

Arthur: "Mreow?" He turns his head towards Lelouch.

Lelouch: "Aaaaargh!" He lets out a panicked shriek as he stands up.

The previous foul mood is replaced by happiness as the audience laughs, even Cornelia can't help but chuckle from the contagiousness.

"What in blazes is happening?"

Nunnally: "Huh?"

Arthur runs out of the room.

Lelouch: "Hey! Give that back!" He follows as fast as he can.

Nunnally: "Uh... Lelouch?"

Arthur: "Meow... Meow meow!"

Arthur escapes through a window on the first floor as Lelouch takes a few seconds longer to climb through it.

Lelouch: "Yeah, a cat. A stupid little cat! You've gotta be kidding me. There's no way I'm getting exposed by a lousy feline!"

Cornelia and Schneizel laugh harder.

"As Viceroy, I can only imagine being informed by an awkward messenger how Zero was captured and who he was."

"If that ended up being how you reunited with our brother, it'd be most amusing how annoyed he'd react to be the butt-end of so many jokes."

"Have you ever heard the tragedy of Lelouch the Demon?" Tianzi giggles.

"More like Lelouch the Clumsy," Kallen smiles.

Lelouch frowns behind his mask, barely holding back a grin of his own.

Meanwhile, C.C sees what's happening from the second floor window as she casually nibbles her pizza.

C.C: "Hm? That wasn't my fault, was it? I didn't touch or rub anything."

They all laugh again, and Tamaki says, "You touched his hand to give him Geass, so if he got caught, you woulda gone down with him."

Rivalz shakes his head. "Man, I sure wish I could remember the time we spent with him."

Nunnally nods. "And I wish I could've seen what happened."

.

.

.

At the front of the house, Nunnally is explaining the situation to Rivalz, Milly, and Nina.

Nunnally: "Yeah, that's right. I think a cat ran off with something pretty important to him."

Milly: "Important?"

Nunnally: "I'm not sure what exactly, but I'm positive it was something of value to him. Because... I've never heard my brother sound like that. He was completely hysterical."

Rivalz: "That's weird. What could be so important to the guy?"

Nina: "A love letter?"

"No," Gino shakes his head.

Milly: "An embarrassing photo?

"No. If that happened, I imagine he would delete whoever took the picture out of existence, unless, of course, the taker was his sister or a good friend."

Rivalz: "Poetry he wrote?

Gino cackles, "Hahahahahaha! How hilarious would it be if it really was a journal or sheet of lyrics for a rap song? 'My name... is Lelouch. And to the Britannians, I'm a douche. I fantasize about killing my family, but then I gotta SNAP BACK TO REALITY-'"

Kallen smacks the back of his head as she chortles. "Shut up!"

"Meanie!"

Nunnally lets out a soft giggle, and behind her, Zero is shaking with silent laughs.

Nunnally: "Poetry..."

Milly and Rivalz look at each other and giggle deviously.

L.L squirms. 'I have a bad feeling about this. What were they planning to do to me to find out my secret?'

Milly: "Leave it to us! We'll get our hands on this thing before Lelouch has a chance to blink. Just you wait."

.

.

.

Lelouch chases Arthur all throughout the school courtyard.

Lelouch: 'If I had those terrorists with me, we could encircle the enemy. Maybe Kallen? No, she's suspicious of me as it is.'

Ohgi facepalms as he snickers. "Did he really consider deploying us on a mission just for a cat?"

Villetta sighs. "In all fairness, that cat endangered his life. If he did get caught, he would've likely been executed."

Chiba raises an eyebrow. "Really? I think given how corrupt Britannia is that they would give him a light punishment before welcoming him home, even if he hates them, so that they could use him."

Cornelia knows that's not the case. 'If there's any smart decision of his I have to acknowledge, it's that he and Nunnally went into hiding.'

Looking around, he sees that Arthur managed to climb onto the roof of a campus building, so he runs along. However, he doesn't stay aware of his surroundings as he trips into a bush.

Rakshata chortles. "He got cockblocked."

"Huh?!" Cornelia is astounded by the Indian woman's foul mouth.

"You don't get it? It's because cats are sometimes called pussies, and not as an insult. The term came from the Dutch language in the 16th century."

The Goddess of Victory, the Witch of Britannia, blushes. 'Why do we keep getting situations that sexualize Lelouch?!'

Lelouch: "Ughh...Get it together!" He gets up as Arthur hops off the roof and runs right past him and into the main campus building.

Female Student 1: "So anyway. I told him to buzz off, you know."

"Ugh..." Kallen cringes. "I hate girls that talk like that. They're so self-entitled and bitchy with their gossiping sessions."

Milly sighs. "I have to say that I don't blame you, but they're not all bad. Shirley gossiped plenty, but she was never mean."

"You have a point."

Female Student 2: "Totally? And then?"

Female Student 1: "Come on. You can guess, can't you?"

Suddenly, a wild Arthur appears in front of them, stopping for a moment to try to shake the helmet off his head since he still can't scratch his itch.

The poor kitty gives up on using his own limbs to get it off directly.

Female Student 2: "Hm? What's up with that cat?"

Female Student 1: "Is that the mask Zero wears? Or am I crazy?"

Female Student 2: "No way. Why would it be here?"

Lelouch: "You two saw it?" He stops running in front of them and activates his Geass. "Forget everything you've just seen!"

Geassed Female Students: "Sure. No problem at all."

Lelouch: "Good." He resumes his chase.

Schneizel raises an eyebrow. "I know he can't afford to let anyone discover his identity as Zero, but he's being reckless."

Akito defends Lelouch, "He doesn't exactly have a choice."

The intercom chimes to alert everyone of an announcement to the school as Milly begins speaking.

Milly: "This is Milly Ashford, your Student Council President. CAT HUNT, everybody!"

Suzaku: "Cat hunt?" He is sitting in the empty classroom, reading a book.

Milly: "There is a cat loose on campus that needs to be rounded up. Put everything on hold, people. Participating clubs will get budget priority. And whoever catches our feline friend, will get an Extra Special Prize, a big ol' kiss from one of the members of the Student Council."

As Milly finishes saying that while cackling, Shirley, who is in Swimming Club practice, screams as she loses her balance and falls off the diving board when she hears about the kiss, plunging into the pool.

"Hahahaha!" Milly and the Student Council laugh. "I sure wish I could remember this. We sure missed so many funny moments and precious memories."

Rivalz smirks. "Hey, on the bright side, at least we'll be able to see all this again, and that will make it just as funny as experiencing it for ourselves the first time."

Kallen: "Members of... Wait! Like me?!" She's in the courtyard.

Suddenly, a group of 11 boys pop out of nowhere from some bushes.

Male Students: "Exactly!" They chorus, catching Kallen off guard.

"Were they stalking you, Kallen?" Milly goes into her rare protective mode.

"Maybe. They did have a camera with them, the creeps."

Guy 1: "You've been hanging around the Student Council, haven't ya?"

Guy 2: "Wouldn't mind a taste of those lips."

"Ew, gross," Chiba voices what everyone is thinking.

'Again, is this necessary to see? It feels so wrong intruding on what these high school kids do,' Tohdoh shudders.

Guy 3: "It's not gonna be like some lame peck on the cheek though, is it?"

Guilford facepalms. "Okay, in all fairness, I know everyone in this room who was at their age and had a crush on someone thinks about these sorts of things, but I still can't fathom why some people are unable to control their hormones."

Akito nods. "You and me both."

Guy 4: "A kiss on the cheek would be fine with me."

"Awww, that's actually kinda sweet!" C.C holds a hand to her mouth and sends Kallen a teasing look.

Kallen blushes and glares at the greenette.

CLICK!

Anya's shutter goes off as she captures a picture of Kallen's face.

Guy 5: "Wait. We can choose where she plants it?"

Male Students: "Yeah. All right!" They all run off to find the cat, leaving a blushing Kallen standing there.

Kallen: "There's no way that's how I'm gonna get my first kiss!" She snaps out of it and begins searching for the cat, too.

Female Student: "What? From a member of the Student Council? Does that include Lelouch?"

The students around her squeal excitedly at the prospect of kissing Lelouch, some of them hiding that their vaginas are they're dripping wet just from the idea.

"A.A, are you certain we have to see all this? There is absolutely no way we can skip through this?" Cornelia expresses the discomfort of herself and all the other adults who feel odd watching these horny students.

"You have to watch it."

"Tch!"

Sayoko crosses her arms, sitting back in relaxation. "The vast majority of these girls are unworthy of being with Master Lelouch. The only one I see among them that fancies him that might be okay is that blue-haired one with the ponytail, but just because someone looks kind doesn't mean they are."

Xingke raises an eyebrow. "What if Lelouch chose to date one of those girls you disapprove of?"

"Well, let's just say that I would have to make her death look like an accident or have someone Master Lelouch doesn't like framed for it or someone I think posed a risk to him, such as Kururugi."

L.L mentally groans at Sayoko's statement. 'She's far more caring of a mom-figure than Marianne ever was, and I appreciate that, but still... It's not like I would actually make such poor choices in romantic partners.'

His accomplice nods. 'As far as I see it, the only ones worthy of you were myself, Shirley, and maybe Kallen.'

Bisexual Female Student: "Actually, I would prefer Milly," She says in a high-pitched sweet voice that goes well with her twintails.

"Awwwwww! Well, pucker up you cutie you!" Milly blows an imaginary kiss towards the girl on screen.

"She's adorable..." Nina squirms as she admits shyly before she panics. "Wait, please tell me she survived the FLEIJA, right?"

Milly nods. "Don't worry, she's okay, all things considered."

Female Student: "Could you get back in the closet, please?"

"Okay, that's just mean. There's nothing wrong with whatever sexuality you are as long as you don't force your views onto other people," Gino frowns.

"Tell that to that faggot Suzaku..." Tamaki grumbles.

"Dude!"

"What?! I'm just sayin'!" Tamaki holds his hands up in surrender.

Tackle Football team: "Hut hut, FIIIIIGHT!" They huddle up and shout.

"If they're cat-searching, won't wearing their sports gear slow them down? I mean, football pads are a lot heavier than they look," Jeremiah ponders.

Leila nods. "Perhaps, but if other students see the football team charging at them right as they're about to grab Arthur, then they may run away. The team has the intimidation factor."

Equestrian Club member: "We have the advantage in mobility!"

C.C facepalms. "I don't see how horses will help you if the cat is inside one of the buildings. Your horses would be too tall, so you would have to go on foot."

Villetta shrugs. "Meh. At least they're fast outside."

Then, the Gardening Club begins using knives and other digging tools to search through the school grass.

Gardening Club member 1: "Hurry, you look for catnips!" He shouts.

Gardening Club member 2: "Science will prevail!"

The entire audience laughs.

L.L has to stay quiet to not laugh out loud, lest his identity be revealed.

Zero turns his modulator's amplifier volume down so that he doesn't create too much noise as he laughs.

"W-What the hell was that?! That came out of no where!" Gino wipes a tear of joy away as he exchanges a brief smile with Kallen.

"My sides hurt from laughing," Lloyd giggles.

Milly: "And when you do catch that cat, bring what it's carrying to me, to me, to me~!" She coughs at the end from overexerting herself, probably about to cackle again.

Lelouch: "Milly?! Stay out of this, will ya?!"

Kallen: "Offering people up as prizes, that's why I hate Britannians."

She was running but stopped when a couple female students headed her way, deciding to walk normally.

Female Student 1: "I could hardly believe it."

Female Student 2: "I was like, floored when I heard it. Ha ha."

As soon as they passed her by, she resumes running.

Kallen: "Damn it! Why do I have to pretend like I'm sick and feeble?"

As she rounds a corner, she suddenly collides with Shirley as they both stumble away from each other.

Kallen: "Kya! Jeez, I'm sorry about that... ah (gasp)! Shirley! Why are you dressed like that?"

Shirley is still in her school swimsuit.

Shirley: "I didn't have time to change! They're gonna make us kiss somebody! We've gotta hurry."

Kallen: "I'm with you."

Rivalz sings, "Dun Dun DUUUUN DUUUUUUUN! Shirley Fenette has joined your party! Wait, this isn't an RPG, it's real life..."

Gino points out, "Actually, Kallen joined Shirley's party, so Shirley is the party leader."

"Damn, you're right."

Nunnally shakes her head with a smile, still feeling like she's catching her breath, knowing this is probably one of the very rare few happy moments they'll get to enjoy before they see all their relatively peaceful lives go to hell.

As they were talking, the camera pans upwards from Shirley's feet to her still wet legs and then shows an awkward angle from behind her.

Rakshata raises an eyebrow. "Okay, I've noticed this, but whoever made these discs is a real perv."

Chiba nods. "I bet it was Lelouch somehow. He probably used his Geass to force God or whoever to make all this for his own sick pleasure."

Jeremiah gives her a warning look. "Can you please stop with your offhanded comments for once? We're trying to enjoy this blissful moment, and we likely won't see much of this in the future."

.

.

.

In the intercom room, the Student Council asks Nunnally some questions as Milly takes a sip of water before she holds the mic up to Nunnally with an eager grin.

Nina: "Nunnally, is there anything about this cat that's special?"

Nunnally: "Hmm... I think that its leg must be hurt, because its footsteps sounded off to me. And, uh... Oh, I almost forgot. It meowed like this: Meeeeeeeeeooow~!"

Unimportant Student Characters: "Meeeeeeeeeow!" The school energetically responds.

Just outside the school's front gate are Lloyd and Cecile.

Cecile: "This school seems so laidback, in spite of the fact that they're in mourning."

"That's wrong, Cecile," Milly says, not minding using the woman's first name since she's still a fairly young adult. "We didn't forget about Clovis' death, but it had already been over a month since it happened and a couple weeks since Zero debuted.

I get that at the time, the Britannian upper high-class expects everyone to kiss up to them, but we're students. We have lives of our own, a future to worry about with plenty of stressful exams and major life-changing decisions to make, so every once in a while, we will need to cut back on all the serious business and just party like rock stars, especially after all the anxiety we got from the war."

"I know. It's just my motherly instincts that made me worry for you kids."

Cornelia wanted to try to refute Milly's claim about what Britannian nobles and aristocrats expect of those beneath them, even their own countrymen, but deep down, she knows she's right. Even now, she's slowly coming to terms with the fact that Clovis hid things from them and that he wasn't the brother she and most of her siblings thought him to be.

Cecile: "You suppose Suzaku will be alright in here?"

Lloyd: "Never mind that. The university here..."

Cecile: "Don't worry. I've made arrangements with them."

Lloyd: "Hmm. They still didn't have to kick poor Lancelot out, though," He whines.

Cecile: "I know. Even if they did say Elevens aren't acceptable."

"Why do you talk about the Lancelot as if it's a living person or your pet?" Rivalz tilts his head.

Cecile sighs. "That's just how he is."

Lloyd wiggles his eyebrows. "Lancelot basically is my pet. You would never understand unless you were an inventor yourself. To us scientists, our creations in their prototype phase are like our very own babies, our life's work. Because they aren't mass produced as prototypes, they're one of a kind and not exactly easy to replace should something happen to them."

.

.

.

Milly: "Okay! Let's go!" She hops into the passenger seat of Rivalz's bike as he's ready to go.

"Now you were planning on driving that thing around on campus grounds?" Cecile's worry increases. "Oh dear. I hate to say it, but some teachers or police officers could end up thinking you're intoxicated or an addict. I hope you didn't get in trouble."

Milly giggles mischievously. "Heheheh. Nah, we just needed it to get from point A to B quicker."

Xingke nods. "Hm. She has a point. That school is absolutely gargantuan. I've never seen anything like it."

"There's probably several dozen more like them in mainland Britannia, but I wouldn't know. It could also be the only one of its kind just to show off to the Japanese how oh-so great and wealthy and powerful Britannia is."

Chiba blinks. "Didn't your grandfather build that school?"

"Yeah, but it's more like he got it through a random lottery bid against other nobles. In it, most didn't win, but some were given ownership of newly built facilities throughout metropolitan Japan. The vast majority of what Britannia built in Japan was owned by Clovis aside from the residential districts. Besides, my grandfather intended for the school to be open to anyone that wishes to enroll, Britannian, Japanese, or others, but because of Britannia's racist beliefs they forced my grandfather to enforce, most of the first students ended up being Britannian. Suzaku was the only exception, it seems."

"But the school was built before the invasion, right? So who paid for the school? Britannia, or your grandfather?"

"Grandfather did, of course. He's a hardworker!" She puffs out her chest in pride as Rivalz struggles to not drool over the view.

Rivalz: "What happens if a member of the Student Council catches the cat? We don't get a prize, do we?"

Milly looks over at him, only the bottom half of her face being seen as her mouth opens in surprise, implying that she knows that he finds her attractive.

Milly: "Do we get a kiss? But of course." She straps on her helmet.

Rivalz: "Is that so. Well, what are we waiting around for, then. This is my day to shine!"

He puts the pedal to the metal as the bike takes off.

Male Teacher: "Hey! No speeding on campus!" The teacher shouts from a window.

The audience chuckles, although by now, most of the humorous moments in this To Catch An Arthur session have gone by.

Arthur: "Mrrreow meeeow!"

He runs under a table that's probably too small for Nina to spread her legs on right as Kallen and Shirley corner him under it. The table is between a wall and a staircase on the first floor.

Arthur knows he was being chased, so now he's too scared to come out and face them for the moment, not knowing what's going on as he lets out a hiss.

Nunnally and Leila pout as they simultaneously say, "Poor kitty~."

They share a surprised look before they giggle and focus on the screen.

Kallen: "Ok. We do this right and our lips will be safe. Shirley, you cover the rear. Humph."

She takes a step forward towards Arthur, but Shirley stops her.

Shirley: "Oh, wait a sec!"

Kallen: "Uh? What's the matter?"

Shirley: "Who would you wanna get a kiss from? Is there anyone in particular?"

"Why is she worried? The way she has behaved since we were introduced to her in this theater makes it seem like she had feelings for Lelouch..." Cornelia narrows her eyes before they widen. She has surprised herself once again that she's feeling overprotective for her half-brother.

'It seems off-duty-from-terrorism Lelouch is hard to hate.' She sighs, unsure how to feel about that.

Kallen: "Huh?"

Shirley: "It wouldn't be Lulu, would it?"

Cornelia is shocked at her guess being right. "That's strange. I have no experience with romance, yet I predicted it."

Lloyd shrugs. "The power of observation can be quite useful. It just depends on how keen an eye you have. And much like you, some of us, Rakshata and myself included, will always be married to our work."

Cornelia looks at him in thought. "Well, to be honest, I myself am thinking that it's time that I settle down."

"Huh?!" Everyone says but L.L and C.C.

Cornelia ignores them. "Guilford, how do you feel about going on a date with me?"

Her knight is shocked but elated. "I'd love to, Cornelia."

"Excellent! Let's make plans once this is all over. I'll arrange something."

Kaguya is surprised at how straightforward they are, but then again, the two are close enough that honesty isn't a problem, nor is bashfulness.

Kallen: "Just what would make you think that?!"

Shirley: "Oh, how... I guess... it's just..."

As they're distracted, Arthur slips out of his hiding spot and gets away again.

Rakshata chuckles. "I swear, kids sometimes have poor attention spans. No offense, Kouzuki."

"None taken."

"But seriously, that was the golden opportunity to snatch him."

Outside, in the shade of a walkway that blocks the sunlight, Suzaku is scrambling to see what's happening when he catches a glimpse of Arthur on the roof again, who runs into an open window in a clock tower.

Suzaku: "Hey, that's..."

He runs towards the clock tower's staircase, intent on following Arthur up, when he suddenly crosses paths with a sprinting Lelouch.

Lelouch: "Suzaku!"

Suzaku: "Lelouch! You're looking for the cat, too?"

Arthur: "Meowwwww~! Meeeeooooww~!" He meows loudly, hoping someone will save him.

Suzaku: "Up there."

Lelouch: "Suzaku, wait! Don't go up there!"

He runs after his friend, who is already climbing the stairs and putting distance between him and his friend.

"Uh oh..." Nunnally says. "I don't see how Lelouch could ever convince Suzaku to not follow through with his objective. Once Suzaku has his mind set on something, he doesn't stop."

Suzaku: "But the Student Council President said to catch it!" They shout so they can hear each other.

Lelouch: "Don't worry about it! I'll get the cat!" His voice contains a hint of desperation and slight panic, but Suzaku doesn't catch it.

Suzaku: "I was always more agile than you. Remember when that little bird got loose?"

Lelouch: "Quit talking ancient history!"

Suzaku: "It was only seven years ago!"

"He says that like seven years is not a long time when it is," Ohgi frowns. "I usually never had anything against Kururugi, but sometimes, the way he thinks doesn't make any sense."

"Only sometimes?" Kallen says sarcastically. "Ha! More like all the time."

Lelouch: "Oh, for Pete's sake..." He pants for air as he is going four times slower up the stairs than Suzaku. "He always was an exercise nut."

The two of them weren't the only ones to spot the cat. The rest of the school watches the clock tower as Rivalz slows his bike nearby and Milly hops off.

Milly: "So, someone's got it cornered, huh?"

Female Student: "Who's the lucky winner?"

Shirley: "Up there! ... Suzaku?"

Suzaku is in full view of the school, climbing the slanted roof of the clock tower.

Suzaku: "Easy now. You don't have to be scared." He tries to calm a frightened Arthur, who doesn't know how to get back down.

"Why, that reckless idiot!" Cecile clutches her skirt in fright.

"Hmmmm? What's got you all worked up?" Lloyd says.

"Isn't it obvious? What Suzaku is doing is normally considered very stupid and dangerous! One wrong move, and he falls to his death."

Suddenly, a wild Lelouch appears out of the window, also intent on climbing out the window.

"Nevermind, they're both reckless idiots," Cornelia facepalms.

Cecile nods in agreement.

Nunnally frowns. "Hey, you two. If they didn't try, no one else could've gotten Arthur down, and the cat may have fallen to his death instead."

"It's just a stupid cat, Nunnally." Cornelia shrugs.

"Excuse me, but I love that cat and am taking care of him when I can. A life is a life. When Lelouch and Suzaku team up, there is nothing they can't do."

Her words touched their hearts, to care so deeply for an animal that isn't human.

C.C states, "It's fascinating how so many people forget that human beings themselves are animals, too."

Some may take offense to this, such as Cornelia, but the Black Knights found themselves agreeing, especially after Zero says, "They're the most savage, destructive, and cruel animal there is. However, let's not forget that Empress Nunnally is one of the few who shows the love and beauty we're capable of as people."

Nunnally sighs. "I'm merely trying to set a good example. As humans, we should protect as much wildlife that aren't hunted for food as we can, the same way we should take care of one another, regardless of our background."

Lelouch: "Suzaku, come back!"

Suzaku: "It's alright. Leave this to me."

Lelouch: 'That's funny. He never went along with the crowd like this.'

Suzaku winces. 'But that only applies to these little moments in life, not the bigger things that matter in the long run, such as the war.'

Lelouch begins his attempt to climb after his friend, but he lets out a yelp as he immediately slips and begins sliding backwards.

The crowd watching gasps loudly.

Suzaku: "Huh? Lelouch!" Confused at the uproar, when he sees the cause, he immediately moves to save his friend by sliding down the school-side face of the roof.

He uses his right arm to grab onto the window they climbed out of before reaching out with his other and clinging onto Lelouch, who is dangling over the edge, saving him just in time from a fatal fall.

Suzaku: "Are you... okay?" He winces at supporting both their weights.

Lelouch: "Ye-Yeah."

Nunnally didn't realize she was holding her breath until she exhaled, grateful that Suzaku did at least one act of kindness for her brother.

Cornelia, much to her own surprise, reacted the same way, as did everyone else who isn't an Asian military General or someone named Ohgi, Villetta, or Chiba.

Seeing the physical closeness of the two boys, Nina can't help but wonder what the nature of their relationship is.

Nina: "Is it possible? Those two are..."

Tamaki rolls his eyes. "Aw c'mon! Lelouch isn't gay! How many times do I have to say that?! So many girls were practically throwing themselves at his feet."

Nina stutters, "I-I never said... I..."

She decides to shut up, knowing this is not even close to the worse thing she did, so she'll save her energy for later when she has to defend herself regarding Euphemia. The main reason is the look of confused dislike Cornelia sends her way, as even the Princess isn't sure why she feels negatively towards the young nuclear physicist.

As Suzaku pulls Lelouch up, the amethyst-eyed teen holds his breath when he sees Arthur over Suzaku's shoulder in the clock tower. The cat, which had hid its head directly into the clock tower's bell, uses the bell as leverage to wiggle around and remove the mask.

Arthur: "Meeeeow?" He meows in confusion but happiness when his head is finally free, as if to say, 'How did I get here?'

"Yaaaay. Happy kitty," Anya deadpans and gives a golfer's clap. Sayoko, Jeremiah, C.C, Leila, Kaguya, Tianzi, Xingke, Milly, and Gino join in on the soft applause.

Milly groans. "Whew! Glad that's over."

"They still need to get the cat out of there," Rivalz points out.

"Um, Suzaku got Arthur down. I remember that," Nina reassures.

The Zero mask falls down the clock tower bell before coming to a stop, still on the roof but out of view from most.

Seeing this, Lelouch releases the breath he held, a deep sigh of relief, all while Suzaku pulls him up.

Suzaku: "Pretty calm for someone on the verge of death."

"Jealous?" Kallen says, hinting to anyone confused about Suzaku's motives for fighting that he's suicidal. Suzaku was always too scared to take his own life, but Lelouch had less fear and was able to face his death.

Lelouch: "Yeah, right. I was just limp with fear."

Cornelia rolls her eyes. "Not to dehumanize you, Lelouch, as I'm sure I've already done plenty of that, but I'm suuuuuuuure you were TOTALLY scared!"

Guilford nods. "It does seem like he was less worried about his own safety and more concerned with the Zero mask being found."

Nunnally clutches her skirt. "That's because he didn't want anyone to find us. If Britannia were to discover that Lelouch is alive, they would instantly search the school for me, as well. He was terrified for me."

Seeing the interactions of the two boys on the roof, Milly voices her confusion about Lelouch's mysterious friend.

Milly: "Huuuuuh?"

Nunnally: "Hey, what's going on?"

Milly: "That transfer student just saved Lelouch from a really closed call."

Nunnally lets out an alarmed but relieved noise.

Kallen, who is wearing the black and silver Black Knights uniform, digs her nails into her shorts. "That bastard! If he was willing to save Lelouch, why didn't he just fight alongside us from the beginning?! Some friend!"

C.C offers her a truthful bitter reassurance. "Some people claim to be friends and follow the other in the sunlight, but they'll leave them in the darkness."

"Tch."

Suzaku: "I think it's the same cat from the other day."

He emerges onto the school grounds, having already gotten down from the whole clock tower staircase, Arthur in his arms, hissing in fear when he sees so many people in one area.

Cecile smiles, happy that Arthur finally accepted the boy, or so she thinks.

In reality, Suzaku was enslaved by Arthur's kitty charms, and the cat is only letting him hold him because he saved his life.

He stops walking when he finds his peers staring at him. It goes quiet for several tense seconds.

However, Shirley is the first to notice that no one will bother approaching her newest classmate, so she runs up to him and greets him happily.

Shirley: "You saved him! Thank you so much, Suzaku!"

Nunnally smiles bitterly. She misses Shirley. The orangette was always the kindest of them all, even more than the Empress herself. She, along with Rivalz, immediately accepted Suzaku as a classmate, unlike most of them.

The Student Council follows her lead.

Rivalz: "Yeah, way to go there, new guy!"

Milly: "That cat was carrying something, wasn't it?"

Suzaku: "Yeah, there was something on its head. But I never really got a good look at it. Guess it's slipped off when I wasn't looking." He grins sheepishly.

Jeremiah huffs. "Anyone but Kururugi would've recognized the greatness that is Master Lelouch's Zero mask! Whether he strikes inspiration or fear into their hearts, let his name be known to the world! ALL HAIL LELOUCH!" He screams, intent on maximizing his voice for the chant every time.

A headache begins to form in the heads of Chiba, Ohgi, Villetta, and Cornelia, Lelouch's biggest haters.

Cornelia scowls. "Must you chant that again and again?"

"Under Her Majesty's reign, we have freedom of speech for the first time, so yes, I must. And I will do it again in the future." He smirks proudly. "You best get used to it. ALL HAIL LELOUCH!"

C.C likes Jeremiah since he's more of a father to Lelouch than Charles ever was, but even she is getting annoyed since she also hates that chant, but for different reasons, having seen where that path led the Demon Emperor: his death.

"ALL HAIL LELOUCH!" Sayoko joins in.

"ALL HAIL LELOUCH," Anya deadpans loudly.

"Lady Alstreim!" Guilford scolds. "You're the Knight of One!"

"I never wanted to be Charles' knight though, so suck it, four-eyes."

"Hey!" He protests, but he can't do anything, knowing she outranks him. He serves Princess Cornelia, but the Knight of One answers directly to the Emperor or Empress, giving them power equal to or sometimes even greater than most Princes and Princesses.

Tamaki usually has no issue letting his opinion be known, but he doesn't want to get slaughtered by Cornelia because he is aware how annoying he is to her, so he mentally vows to join in on the chant at some point in the future... 'Next time, baby!'

"That reminds me, who's the Knight of Two?" Kallen says.

"I AM HERE!" Gino proclaims.

Shirley: "So where is Lulu?"

Suzaku's eyes widen. How could he forget his friend?

Suzaku: "Eh, He said he forgot something. Told me to go ahead."

Milly: "That's it! The embarrassing secret that he's hiding." Milly points at Suzaku.

Lelouch: "So, that's it, Madam President?" His voice alerts them to his presence as he emerges from the clock tower and walks over to them.

Milly: "Awwww, after all this time, I thought I had some dirt on you." She sassily places her hands on her hips.

Shirley crosses her arms, also disappointed.

Shirley: "Yeah. He almost lost his cool for once."

Kallen: "So, ah... do you two know each other, then?" She asks Lelouch and Suzaku.

Nina: "Yeah, but... He's an Eleven."

"Here we go again..." Lloyd smirks Nina's way, enjoying her discomfort from the looks she's receiving, not sadistically, but rather for his own entertainment,

Chiba and Kallen glare at Nina.

Kallen doesn't have much against Nina, but out of all the members of the Student Council, Nina is the quietest, shyest, and most distant, so it's only natural that they don't end up particularly close.

Kaguya sends her a half-smile, half-grimace that only makes her feel worse.

Ohgi looks down sadly, but no one really gives a shit how he feels at the moment other than his Chigusa.

Tohdoh is doing his best to not stare at the racist girl, something that can only fill her with shame due to the aura of discontent he's emitting.

Nunnally also sends a barely noticeable but somewhat hard look Nina's way. Things have changed since the moment she first opened her eyes again during the Battle of Mt. Fuji. She likes Nina, but the girl refuses to change for the better like most of the world has.

Gino and Anya also fix her with unhappy looks.

Then there's Sayoko, the Japanese who spent the most time with Nina. Many years ago, when she first met the girl, Master Lelouch claimed that she's a friend, and as someone who ended up working as his spy, a profession she hoped to enter considering her ninja skills, she put up with the nerd's blatant racism, masking her own feelings on the matter, because how she feels doesn't really matter and can get in the way of serving Master Lelouch. However, she has no love to be lost for Nina.

At this moment, a realization strikes Nina. The world is now a much happier place and has moved on from the past for the most part, save for those that are consumed by their hatred for Lelouch and/or others, but she hasn't done a damn thing.

That realization is followed by a fear. Fear of abandonment. Everyone is off getting married, having kids, or simply milking a successful career of its worth, but what has she done? Sure, she made tons of money off of FLEIJA, but where did that get her? A bottomless pit of regret and suffering. Both sides lost so many lives because of her.

She squirms. 'I'm not particularly religious or anything, but maybe I can start by going to a church every Sunday or two to confess my sins. After multiple visits, even if the pastor isn't my friend, I can still take solace in whatever words of comfort they offer.'

Nina Einstein needs advice. The next time they go on break, she may just go and get some.

Upon hearing Nina call Suzaku an Eleven, Nunnally gasps as she turns her head in the direction of the bespectacled girl behind her.

Suzaku: "No, I just-"

Lelouch: "He's my friend," He interrupts. "Madam President, would you permit him as a member of the Student Council?"

Council members: "Huh?"

Lelouch: "The rules are clear. All student are required to join a club. Although..."

Zero balls his hands again as he mourns his friend silently. 'Lelouch, you were using the rules as a cover so that your reputation doesn't take too big a hit and as an excuse so that you could include me, make me feel welcome... Where? Where did we go wrong? Even on opposing sides of the battlefield in the early days of the Black Knights, you and I never tried to kill each other until the SAZ, or at least I didn't, and I don't think you tried either.'

Now that he thinks about it, the one and only time during the war that Lelouch tried to kill Suzaku or hurt him directly was during the Second Battle of Tokyo when he heard him scream for Kallen to finish him off moments before Suzaku's Geass command took hold and he launched the FLEIJA.

And much before that, when Suzaku found out who Zero was, he couldn't remember if Lelouch tried to shoot him to kill him or if he was aiming for his shoulder to incapacitate him. Sure, he could've bled out, but if that's what happened, knowing Lelouch, he would've had someone treat his wound while he goes to rescue Nunnally.

He honestly couldn't remember since it happened so fast, so he'll say that that one doesn't count.

One time that Lelouch tried to kill Suzaku. Suzaku did so much worse.

Milly: "... Well, you are the Vice President. I suppose I can't refuse."

At this, Shirley smiles, excited to welcome a new member and possible friend.

Each and every time they see Shirley, the former Ashford students can't help but feel their hearts ache, but that smile was especially hurtful. They feel as though they failed to protect her and her precious smile.

C.C feels her husband tremble, despite her hold on his hand, and she doesn't even need to use her power to read his thoughts.

'It's not your fault, Lelouch. We've been over this.'

'I know. Still...'

'You're no longer the Demon Emperor. You don't have to bear the burden of being hated for something you aren't anymore.'

He couldn't reply. C.C is right. Perhaps someday, he will learn to forgive himself. However, he knows that isn't anytime soon.

Rolo was responsible, but Lelouch was the reason she got involved in the first place, even if he didn't want her at that place and time.

For now, all he can do is watch all this as it builds up to the moment that he sees her bleed out in his past-self's arms again.

Nunnally: "Well then, I'd say that's the end of that. Now, come here you two. Lend me an ear."

Lelouch and Suzaku share looks of apprehension, afraid Nunnally will scold them for the stunt they just pulled that endangered their lives, but they approach her and kneel down to her level.

And she kisses them both on a cheek.

Suzaku: "N... Nunnally?"

Nunnaly: "There you go, the reward Miss Milly promised. Since you both caught the cat, you'll just have to settle for me, almost a Student Council member."

Rivalz: "Alright then, let's celebrate the catching of the cat! Everything's on the new guy, naturally."

Gino snorts. "Of course you'd try to make Suzaku spend money on something."

Cornelia glares at Rivalz. "First, there's gambling. Then, you somehow got champagne when Kouzuki joined your club. What will you do next to further their depravity, Cardemonde?"

"N-Nothing! It was just a joke!"

"It better have been!"

Most of the Student Council introduces themselves to Suzaku save for Kallen, who finds no need to get close to the traitor, which is understandable for the audience, and Nina, who stands behind Nunnally, staring at Suzaku with a look of fear.

Milly sighs, sensing the judgmental looks of others in Nina's direction. "Okay, seriously Nina? At the time, I didn't scold you for it, but Suzaku had just proven that he can be a kind person! He saved Lelouch's life as well as Arthur's. You need to do some serious work on yourself."

Nina nods sadly. "I understand. I'm sorry if I've offended anyone here." That's the first time she apologized on the matter, much to everyone's surprise.

Milly sighs in exasperation. She cares for Nina and became good friends with her a couple years after meeting Lelouch, but sometimes, she can't help but question the girl's sanity.

.

.

.

The present-day audience tenses up when they hear 'All Hail Britannia' playing right as the scene ends.

A day later, the students are gathered in the gymnasium, staring at the TV. A news headline says, 'PRINCE CLOVIS'S STATE FUNERAL.'

"That's incorrect spelling," Gino complains. "There should be no extra S after the end of Clovis' name."

Rivalz sighs. "Man, it's whatever."

The rest of the audience's mood darkens when they remember what this speech was about. It was the most famous, or infamous if one disapproves of Britannia, speech the then leader of the Empire made.

However, there are only a couple hundred Ashford students lined up, a number far smaller than the crowd they're seeing on screen where the funeral is happening: Pendragon, the capital city of Britannia.

The Pendragon crowd has hundreds of thousands of soldiers gathered in the building that looks like a concert venue for the Prince's funeral.

At the very front of the room the Britannian capital crowd is facing is a massive portrait of the late Prince Clovis, a small smile on his face as he's holding up a rose in his right hand.

Cornelia lowers her head in respect. "Clovis may not have been the best person, I'll admit that now that I've seen what he did. However, he was usually humble. That painting is proof enough. It is the only one he ever made of himself."

Nunnally nods in agreement. "That, he was."

Schneizel says nothing, looking down for a brief moment of grief for all his lost siblings they're about to show, most of whom were killed by him.

Under the painting and seated facing each other are a few members of the royal family, most recognizably Prime Minister Schneizel el Britannia as well as First Prince Odysseus eu Britannia, and beside them is a bed of dozens, maybe hundreds of white flowers under Clovis' painting.

They all have sorrowful expressions save for Odysseus and Schneizel, both of whom remain neutral to show the face of strong leaders in trying times.

And in front of the painting on the stage is a podium with a mic that will be used for obvious reasons.

Male Announcer: "And now, His royal Majesty, the 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire."

Charles zi Britannia walks up to a podium, his large stature imposing and seemingly larger than life for his most devout fanatics.

Lelouch glares at the scene hatefully.

The audience shivers when they feel an extremely malicious aura, but they realize that whoever it's coming from, it's directed towards the Emperor on the screen.

Lelouch glares so hatefully that even Hitler would be jealous and would show the 11 million he killed more mercy than the vi Britannia heir would his father. The past may be dead, the war over, and people learn to forgive, but not him. Not his father. He will never forgive, and he most certainly will never forget what he did to him and Nunnally. His sister above all.

He calms down when C.C squeezes his hand, however, despite having a better control over his emotions, the hate remains, as it always will. He never let his hate consume him because those he loves were usually there to pull him back from the abyss, but there were a few times where he came damn close.

The 98th Emperor created a monster in his son the moment he abandoned him. The tragic part is how the father's sins were passed onto his son, even if his son willingly embraced them and become something far worse.

Charles: "All men... are not created equal," His voice is so booming loud and clear that an exclamation point wouldn't need to be placed at the end of some of his sentences in a transcript of this speech.

"Hate to say it, but he's not wrong." Tohdoh admits. "What rubs everyone else the wrong way is how he said that inequality should be enforced like the fascist pig he is."

"On a side note, he's quite charismatic due to his perfectly-crafted public speaking skills," Rakshata observes. "Still, there's a certain someone from the past we all know that was even better."

Charles: "Some are born swifter of foot, some with greater beauty, some are born into poverty, and others born sick and feeble. Both in birth and and upbringing, in sheer scope of ability, every human is inherently different!"

Gino looks down in shame. "What the fuck? That bastard of an Emperor is really giving a speech preaching social Darwinism at the funeral of one of his sons! I... I feel so ashamed of myself for having ever fought for him."

Nunnally sends a reassuring smile. "You fight for me now, Sir Weinberg. We will make a better Britannia and a peaceful world to the best of our ability, that I promise."

Shirley looks onwards with a sad expression, even sadder than when the pathetic Suzaku has lost the will to fight, but with the difference being a hint of strength in her green eyes.

The camera cuts to Kallen's unknown Britannian school friends that accepted Suzaku, who also seem displeased. Standing next to them is Rivalz, who is trying to find light in the situation and be the comedic relief he is. And behind them is Kallen herself, a well-practiced facade of her half-Britannian side pretending to accept it and roll over, although one that holds barely contained fury.

The Ashford heir also glares at the screen in disapproval of His Majesty.

Xingke nods at the on-screen students with approval. "At least, even if it isn't all of them, some of them aren't willing to accept what they're being taught. Others may be brainwashed and beyond saving, but I'm happy that the younger generation of Britannians, at least at Ashford Academy, weren't going to believe everything they're told."

Milly nods pride of her grandfather's education system again. "That's what the teachers at my grandfather's school are taught to do, to remind their students to keep an open mind and look at both sides of every story before coming to conclusions of our own, even if they were legally required to teach only Britannian history."

Suddenly, Nina is shown looking down, blocking out Charles' words.

Xingke sighs. "Nevermind. Some people prefer to stay ignorant, I suppose. Go ahead and dig your head in the sand, if that's what you prefer."

Nina winces.

Charles: "Yes, that is why people discriminate against one another, which is why there is struggle, competition, and the unfaltering march of progress. INEQUALITY is not wrong! EQUALITY IS!"

As he says this, Diethard is shown in his camera studio not giving a damn about the speech, instead watching the footage he took of Zero when the masked vigilante rescued Kururugi.

Tamaki cackles. "Respect to Diethard. The guy really gave no fucks."

A few others chuckle at this. How disrespectful it would have been if Diethard did that around more powerful Britannians in the military or even around royalty. Of course, he likely wouldn't do something THAT stupid given how those people would threaten his career or even his life, but the thought is still entertaining.

Tohdoh redirects the conversation. "Would anyone like to say anything about that last sentence of Charles'? Of course, a comment other than the obvious of him being a racist, fascist who should burn in hell."

Cornelia scowls but simply stays quiet, wanting to do nothing more than honor Clovis' memory.

Akito is the first. "Charles is both right and wrong. Inequality is the byproduct of both capitalism and communism, much more commonly found in communism. Equality is good to strive for, but only if it isn't for just one specific group of people, but rather for everyone, regardless of their superficial traits such as race, religion, ethnicity, gender, skin color, etc.

And communism, or equality I should say, is an impossible pipe dream that will never come to fruition because those with power will always make their subjects go through hell; they will make them equal, however, they will be equally worthless, so 99% of the population becomes much poorer while the rich only get richer."

No one adds anything, unable to argue against that nor say anymore that needs to be said.

Charles: "What of the EU, which made equality a right?! Rabble politics by a popularity contest."

Leila glares at the screen. "I take offense to that. At that time, the EU was filled with corruption, sure, but it was still a helluva lot better than the dumpster fire known as Britannia, and this is coming from a former Britannian who renounced her heritage. Europia is not perfect, but every voice matters, even if the front runners in those politics weren't exactly the best choices."

She felt a glimmer of gratitude towards Lelouch for destroying all the corruption in her country, even if it was through very unsavory methods she does not approve of.

The purists are also shown.

Villetta is standing there and mindlessly absorbing the words, not sure if she believes it or not, not really caring. All she wants is to rise through the ranks.

Jeremiah, much to the audience's surprise, holds a hint of melancholy in his eyes. The soldier recently released from jail has a couple bandages on his face, evidence of being beaten.

Ohgi, Tamaki, Yoshida, Minami, and Sugiyama are also watching the speech in silent anger.

Charles: "The Chinese Federation with its equal distribution of wealth?! A nation of lazy dullards!"

Xingke scowls. "I hate to say it, but he was right about that. The Eunuchs were arguably just as bad as Britannia due to their indifference to the suffering of our people."

Tianzi nods sadly before she brightens up. "But with us, things will get better."

He pats her head. "I know they will. However, even now, I have to guard you very closely; we don't know if any elements loyal to the Eunuchs still exist. For all we know, they could be lying in wait to assassinate you, Your Majesty."

Charles: "But not our beloved Britannia. We fight. We compete! Evolution is continuous!"

Lloyd: "Evolution... Such a pretty little word."

Charles: "Britannia alone moves forward, advancing steadily into the future. Even the death of my son Clovis demonstrates Britannia's unswerving commitment to progress."

Tohdoh scoffs. "Say what you will about Britannia's conquest of other nations. We all know it's bad. However, for him to pretend that his son's death is akin to a soldier falling in battle for some greater, unknown cause is just a complete and utter mockery of both sides of the conflict."

Cornelia looks pissed, adhering to her father's words as they fill her with determination, dead set on bringing Zero to justice, but Euphemia looks heartbroken and frustrated at how little their own father cares.

Cornelia bites her lip. "Oh Euphie..."

Lelouch, on the other hand, thinks, 'I wonder if she was planning on ridding herself of her title as Princess in the future when she heard that bastard's speech. Even if she was still naïve for thinking peace was a solution, I did underestimate her.'

Charles: "We will fight on! We shall struggle, compete, plunder, and dominate! And in the end, the future shall be ours! All Hail Britannia!"

He raises his fist up towards the sky and holds it there as the crowd chants, not much different from a certain angry German.

Britannian Soldiers in the audience: "All Hail Britannia! All Hail Britannia! All Hail Britannia! All Hail Britannia! All Hail Britannia! All Hail Britannia! All Hail Britannia! All Hail Britannia! All Hail Britannia! All Hail Britannia!"

Suzaku realizes how steep a hill he has to climb upon seeing how many support this Emperor, for this is no hill. This is a fucking mountain bigger than any other, an impossible task.

But being the stubborn prick he is, he continues fighting on and on for Britannia, so foolishly thinking he could change anything.

In Lelouch's room, C.C caresses his Zero mask as she watches the TV broadcasting the speech.

C.C: "So... This is Lelouch's enemy. Well..."

'Why were you pretending not to know?' Lelouch mentally asks her.

'I really didn't. All I knew was that you were rebelling against Britannia and that you once had a pretty bad spat with Charles. I didn't know you too well in terms of your personality. I knew you as a kid, but not who you grew up to be as a 17 year old.'

The episode ends with Lelouch glaring at the screen through his eyebrows with unbridled rage as the bone-chilling chants of, "All Hail Britannia!" grow louder and louder.

Next Episode Preview

Lelouch: 'The word hatred is not strong enough. If my father is the embodiment of Britannia, he must be destroyed. And if Cornelia gets in my way, she'll suffer the same fate. You may not know it yet, but I HAVE POWER. So long as I possess Geass, I can go this alone.'

-End of Episode 6-

"Go this alone?" Ohgi gets angry. "Isn't that proof that we really were tools to him?"

"Ohgi, shut yo bitch ass up!" Tamaki gets up and approaches his friend.

Zero tenses and prepares to break them up from fighting, however, much to his shock, he is frozen in place and can't move.

Villetta also finds her body paralyzed. "W-Why can't I move?!"

A.A giggles. "I think the Prime Minister deserves to have a little common sense knocked into him."

Tamaki grins. "Gladly." He glares at Ohgi.

"A.A, let me move!" Villetta demands.

"Hm... How about no? Would you like to hear the other option?"

"What!" Villetta spits out, irritated.

"No~!" A.A trolls.

"Grr!"

When Tamaki reaches Ohgi, he suddenly bitch slaps him.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Ohgi glares at Tamaki.

"Fuck you. Ever since you got involved with HER," He throws a finger in Villetta's direction, "you started hangin' with Kallen and me less and less. You're not one to talk about betrayal. You're a terrible leader who has run Japan's military into the ground after the war, leaving us wide open for another invasion, but only this time, it will be easier with you at the helm and the Black Knights dispersed around the world to protect more than just our nation."

"Tamaki..." Ohgi opens his mouth to argue back, but he can't find it in himself because he knows the furious Black Knights Chief Janitor is right.

"The only reason we haven't been invaded again is because of Her Majesty, Nunnally vi Britannia, who is kind enough to station a large enough Britannian military presence in Japan to protect us from our neighbors, such as those damn Chinese, who have never forgiven us for what we did to them during the Second World War! Hell, there isn't a single Asian country that actually likes us because of how we invaded pretty much all of them! They don't feel an ounce of sympathy for what Britannia did to us!

And you know what's so humiliating about all this? It's the fact that we need Britannia's protection, of all countries, the same one that killed and raped and enslaved countless Japanese who did nothing to them. Their soldiers here aren't committing any crimes against humanity because they're truly loyal to Her Highness and are part of the younger generation, thankfully, but who's to say that would truly discourage anyone tempted to fuck around and find out?

So, how about you grow a fuckin' pair and start rebuilding our damn military!" Tamaki screams. "And about Lelouch, you and the others who were looking for the first opportunity to get rid of him only did so because you saw an out for us, and Schneizel offered it, a free Japan, and you believed him over our own leader."

"Tamaki-"

"Fuck you. You're not my goddamn Prime Minister, you spineless turd." He storms back to his seat and sits down bitterly.

Kallen and Gino eye their friend warily as the blond slowly and carefully lands a comforting hand on his shoulder, his body still tense with a ravenous need to fight.

"You okay, bud?"

"I'm fine. Quit babyin' me, would ya?" He gently shakes his limb off and gives Gino a weak smirk.

Jeremiah looks around. "Would anyone like to add anything?"

Everyone remains silent.

Orange Boy nods. "Then, it's safe to say that we're ready to start the next episode, A.A."

"Already on it! I recommend this one to be your final one of the day before you come back to watch more tomorrow."

To Be Continued

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STAGE 6 Bloopers

Suzaku and Lelouch are on the clock tower roof, trying to get Arthur down. The ravenet needs a way to distract Suzaku so that he doesn't find the Zero mask on Arthur.

Lelouch: "Hey Suzaku! Madness is like gravity. All it takes is a little PUSH! WEEEEEEEEEEEH!" He giggles as he falls backwards on purpose, sliding towards the edge.

Suzaku chases after.

Suzaku: "Lelouch! Does that mean you're the Joker and I'm Batman?! Wait, how come we're so calm in this situation?!"

He catches Lelouch's arm.

Suzaku: "WHERE ARE THE OTHER DRUGS GOING?!"

A little later...

Nunnally enters Nina's room.

Nunnally: "Nina, get your bitch ass off that table and stop masturbating! There's a speech you gotta see."

Charles walks up to the podium to begin his speech.

Charles: "So now that this filler episode is over, other than the part in the beginning with me of course, let me tell you all how racism is okay. Fuck the haters, we Britannians will make a world where we can do and say whatever we want without any consequences, a world where we can say the N word!"

Racist Britannians including Villetta, who is black (?): *Cheer*

At Ashford Academy, the students are watching the speech on a TV.

Rivalz: "Was that a Max0r reference?"

All other students: *Look at an upset Suzaku warily*

Suzaku: "KEEP. MY PEOPLE'S NAME. OUT YOUR FUCKIN'. MOUTH!"

Lelouch mumbling to himself: "How To Rebel Against & Enslave Your Fellow Britannians 101? No, that's not a good book title for a biography."

C.C: "The N word? Does he mean ni-"

Kallen: "I'M A TERRORIST! ALLAHUACKBAR!"

All the students and teachers look at her and raise an eyebrow.

Kallen: "I-I mean... I was kidding! Tee-hee. Also, the author is muslim, so it's okay!"

They sigh in relief.