Chapter 8 Haunting Past, Hopeful Future

I don't own Code Geass. Anything I use is property of its creators. Anything I use from other sources is also their property.

AN: I normally don't address reviews but there was something that somebody mentioned that I did want to explain and that's Nina's Geass. I may have given the impression that the things Nina creates are done out of the blue but that's not true. Her Geass gives allows her to create anything but she needs the materials in front of her to do it. It's one of the reasons she works so well with Rakshata because she can supply the materials.

(Kozuki Mansion)

Kallen Kozuki woke up to the sound of a loud crash once again, and slowly made her way towards the closet in order to grab a nightgown so she could investigate the cause. She already had a fairly good idea of who it was and when she found an older maid with tan skin and brown hair tied up in a single braid and blue eyes, she couldn't help but frown.

"Mistress Kallen, I'm sorry to wake you." the women said bashfully but Kallen could only look at the woman with scorn and slight grief.

'Why are you still here Mom?' Kallen thought to herself as she watched her real mother continue her job as a common maid. Instead of moving on from her husband after he remarried, she chose to stay on as a maid and the very thought drove her crazy. Going back to her room, she hoped to get some relief from her issues because of the person waiting for her. A very naked Lelouch vi Britannia looking up with a smile on his face.

"Let me guess. Your mother dropped something again." Lelouch teased having been woken up from the same sound but deciding to wait in bed. In the two weeks since Lelouch officially formed the Black Knights, it was the fourth time he was over at the Kozuki mansion and. He was there to help Kallen catch up because of all her missed classes, well that was the story they gave her Britannian mother. He was there because he wanted to enjoy her body and Kallen was more than eager to oblige since she hated the house and cared a lot about Lelouch.

"That's right" Kallen deadpanned. Naturally this wasn't the first time her mother had done, something like this.

"Well the good news is that today is relatively free." Lelouch smiled.

"The bad news is that tonight we have another Refrain bust so we can't really enjoy ourselves" Kallen groaned. Since they couldn't exactly go after Cornelia, they decided to deal with the other most troublesome part of Britannia, Refrain. Refrain was a drug that brought the user back to happy moments in their life. For a country ravaged by war, the lost hopes and dreams were too tempting to ignore and the Japanese were eating it up like candy.

"Uh huh so why don't you come back to bed and we can worry about that bust later." Lelouch smiled. Kallen was of course eager to go along with that idea.

(Scene Skip)

After leaving Kallen's house and pumping her full of cum once more, Lelouch made his way over to the mobile base in order to prepare for tonight's raid. He was currently sitting in his office and on the phone with one of his allies. "Master Lelouch you are clear for your planned bust tonight." Jeremiah said calmly as they spoke over the phone. Even though going after the Black Knights would be a logical decision, Cornelia decided to give them a reprieve because they saved her sister. As a result, Cornelia was also going after some of the refrain busts and Lelouch had to make sure that his attacks never interfered with hers. Luckily for him, Jeremiah was more than eager to help him accomplish that task and had done so over the last few weeks.

"Thank you Sub-Viceroy Jeremiah." Lelouch replied calmly glad that he had a person in such a powerful position to rely on. Normally he'd have Euphy doing this type of thing but his sister was told that she couldn't see him in any private setting for a month as punishment for her actions at Lake Kawaguchi. Jeremiah wasn't about to forgo a chance to serve Lelouch and did so willingly.

"Of course sir. By the way your sister was asking about you." Jeremiah said calmly. He understood why Lelouch was angry with Euphemia but he really should've forgiven the young princess by now. Then again, Cornelia was just as furious at her as Lelouch was. There was a point where she was about to take her out of Ashford because she felt that Milly was making her reckless, but Euphy talked her down saying that there was no way they could've known what would happened with Kusakabe. A point Cornelia had to reluctantly admit. Luckily for Euphie, Cornelia wasn't aware of what happened INSIDE the hostage situation or it may have been much worse.

"Tell her she's got another two weeks." Lelouch frowned. This wasn't the first time Euphy tried to apologize and he was having none of it. Milly may have brought her to Lake Kawaguchi but Euphie was being extremely reckless when she tried to negotiate herself.

"Of course" Jeremiah frowned before hanging up.

"You're taking a large risk over a rather simple drug." C.C teased before draping over the chair and pressing her face against Lelouch's in a teasing form. While he didn't want to introduce the student council to the Black Knights, Nina of course was an exception because of her role as Rakshata's assistant, C.C had no such concerns and met the group a week after Lake Kawaguchi. She called herself Lelouch's advisor and while the group didn't like it, they had to go along with it. C.C's version of the uniform was sleeveless black uniform with a high collar, gold trim, and a silver Black Knights symbol on the chest. The lower part consisted of the shorts split into four long pieces that nearly extend to the floor. A long, adorned red sash is also worn around the waist. C.C. also wears long black gloves with gold trim kept on with red bands on the upper arms as well as long white and gold high-heeled boots. Underneath her uniform C.C. wears a cropped sleeveless white turtle-neck and white boy shorts. The close contact was something she started doing recently and she couldn't quite explain why, but Lelouch was a comforting presence to her. Maybe it was because she saw the affection that the other girls had for him and the conversations with Nunnally while Lelouch was busy. Maybe it was because he kept her around despite her having all the answers he sought about his mother. Whatever the reason, C.C was beginning to fall for him.

"That 'simple drug' as you put it is actually quite dangerous. You've seen the analysis we did of the drug after the first bust" Lelouch retorted ignoring C.C's antics yet again. In addition to the hallucinogenic effect, Refrain slowly destroyed the motor functions of the people who used it something most people did not know about.

"I know, but seeing you even remotely frustrated is funny." C.C teased back.

"Witch" Lelouch frowned. He couldn't get rid of C.C because she knew what he wanted but he had to keep her around. It was far more frustrating than he cared to admit.

Scene Skip)

No matter how boring Lelouch found class, he still had to go because of his role as vice president of the council. Instead of listening to the teacher go on and on about Britannian history, his focus was on the raid the night before. It always shocked him how those who sold refrain never actually used Section 4 since there was an agreement between the Black Knights and the other groups who did business there that they wouldn't interfere with their work in exchange for not outing them to the Britannians. Then again, that made it easier for him and this raid was yet another simple one. Go in, blow stuff up and go home. The task was made easier because Nina's Geass allowed her to recreate Sutherlands at a fiercesome pace and any damage wouldn't last long. The only problem was getting Tamaki to shut up and that was a challenge. After giving the signal he heard the corrupt businessman shout the name that had drawn fear into most of those in the underworlds.

"The Black Knights" Kallen shouted out of nowhere breaking him from his musing. The timing was perfect and everyone got a chuckle out of it. Of course he could only chuckle because nobody would ever question why she shouted the name of Britannia's new foe. They were truly a boring group of people.

(Scene Skip)

"Are you sure you don't want to take the day off Kallen. You seemed a bit tired today" Lelouch chuckled as the student council met once again.

"Shut up Lelouch, I can't help it that I'm constantly tired because of all these raids and our time together." Kallen frowned. She pretty much did only two things since the Black knights reveal and that was participate in raids or have sex with Lelouch.

"You have it easy Kallen. Try being hounded by everyone you know because of that whole debacle at Lake Kawaguchi." Shirley groaned. Whenever she wasn't with the council she was hounded by people. She couldn't even see Lelouch during the last week because of it. Milly was in a similar situation and it was driving both girls nuts.

"Luckily for us Euphie hasn't been discovered or we'd really have problems." Milly groaned. Because Lelouch didn't want to speak with her, Jeremiah was there to pick her up the moment class ended and because of her Grandfather's intervention reporters really hadn't been allowed on campus. It would be an absolute disaster if somebody realized that a true princess was on campus and considering Lelouch's admitted to being her brother, it would be a disaster.

"You only have yourself to blame Milly. Well at least as far as Euphy is concerned." Lelouch scolded.

"You're acting like you knew that Kusakabe was going to do that." Milly chastised. She loved Lelouch but his attitude was really annoying at times like this.

"I didn't know for sure Milly but I definitely wasn't shocked by it." Lelouch revealed causing everybody to look at him in shock.

"If you thought that might happen, why didn't you warn me?" Milly said angrily. She was in the dog house in so many ways because of that and if it could've been avoided she'd like that.

"Because I assumed that when I insisted on Euphy and Kallen not going, you would've understood that I had my reasons." Lelouch retorted.

"That's enough you two. We need to focus." Kallen growled getting things back on track.

"Yeah" Milly frowned since that was a sore subject for the group.

"So what's your next move Lulu? Now that you've got the Black Knights up and running, what will you do next?" Shirley wondered changing the topic.

"Recruit until Cornelia makes her move towards the JLF and then make our true debut" Lelouch said frankly. It was cold but the JLF was utterly useless in the grand scheme of things.

"That's cold" Kallen gasped since Lelouch all but dismissed the JLF. It's true that Kusakabe's attack did them no favors and that the Black Knights were slowly gaining ground but to dismiss them so easily was shocking.

"Well if that's all let's finish up our tasks for the student council." Milly frowned. Lelouch's annoyance was clear for all to see and it would take some time for things to return to normal.

(Scene Skip)

With school over, Kallen and Lelouch decided to take a walk in the settlement and it was a bitter feeling for both. Even Kallen would reluctantly admit that Britannia had advanced Japan to a level they would've never gotten to if the powerhouse had stayed away. Unfortunately, the people who took over were racist and biased and treated the Japanese as second class citizens. Much like the trip to the museum when Kallen's group met Zero, there were constant reminders of the fact that Britannia was of the belief that they could do whatever they wanted because they were superior. "Here we go again" Kallen groaned as she watched a few older guys beat up a local hot dog vendor. Kallen wanted so much to vent her frustrations by kicking their asses but Lelouch grabbed her hand to stop her long before she got involved.

"Don't even think about doing anything Kallen. The man can't fight back because he's got no choice. Plus if you get involved it'll get worse" Lelouch said coldly focusing on the people just watching and ignoring the scene.

"Then what should we do?" Kallen said angrily. She hated the fact that Britannians were this way and even more that there was nothing she could do about it. If word got out that Kallen somehow beat up a group of thugs, there was a chance her meek persona could be exposed as a fraud. The implications on the noble side were another matter and a headache she didn't need.

Lelouch was about to respond when the thugs noticed them and walked over with a smug look on their faces, "You guys wanna join us. You look like you could use some stress relief." One of the thugs chuckled.

Kallen was furious but before she could act, Lelouch did, "Not at all. I've had a long day and I wanna go home just like you do" Lelouch said calmly using his Geass to get the guys to leave.

"He's right. Let's go home" the man replied and the thugs left all at once.

"Lelouch" Kallen gasped not expecting that given his nonchalance towards the young man.

"You could've easily beaten them up, but this would cause fewer headaches." Lelouch replied.

"Thanks" Kallen smiled before kissing him on the cheek and walking over to the beaten up vendor. As she tried to help up she noticed the young man look at her nervously before doing something she didn't expect.

"Sorry about all that miss, would you and your boyfriend like a hot dog?" the young man said to Kallen's horror.

'He was just beat up by thugs and his only thought is serving his next customer this is horrible.' Kallen thought to herself as Lelouch looked on with pity.

'This is the world that we live in Kallen. The Japanese pride that you and your group believe in so much is gone.' Lelouch thought to himself as Kallen walked back to him without taking anything.

"Let's go" Kallen said hastily wanting to leave as soon as possible. To see the young man so submissive and so accepting of a situation like this was disgusting and it served to further her hatred for Britannia. Plus it reminded her of her mother and the fact that she was still in the mansion despite the clear problems she had.

(Scene Skip)

That night was yet another refrain bust and Lelouch and his team were ready. Kallen was armed in her crimson Sutherland ready to fight while the rest of the Black Knights ready to go. Lelouch was inside getting rid of the guards so only the late arriving knight police would really be a problem. "I don't get it. Why are we just helping the police by breaking up these refrain busts." Tamaki stupidly wondered.

This was hardly the first time Tamaki asked this question much to the annoyance of the rest of the Knights but this time, he was going to get an answer, "Because you cannot look to the future while being stuck on the past." Kallen explained. Lelouch was busy preparing the last steps for the raid and she knew basically what he would say.

"What's that supposed to mean." Tamaki replied.

"Earlier today I was out with some friends from the student council when we saw a Japanese hot dog vendor getting beat up by some Britannian thugs." Kallen explained. It was a slight changing of facts but in order to hide Lelouch she had to do it.

"So you beat them up and called it a day right." Tamaki boasted.

"Wrong. I had to watch him suffer because I was a Britannian. When they were finally done, I walked up to him hoping for help. Guess what happened." Kallen said bitterly.

"What happened?" Tamaki wondered.

"He looked at me as though nothing had happened and offered me a hot dog." Kallen growled. "This guy had his pride stomped on and he was humiliated but all he could do was submit. I wouldn't be shocked at all to learn that this guy was a user of Refrain because that's all he has."

If one saw inside the cockpits of the Black Knights knightmare frames they would no doubt see looks of disgust and horror. "Horrible" Inoue gasped saying what most of her teammates were thinking before they were interrupted by Zero.

"I hate to interrupt this fascinating story, but it's time to begin." Lelouch interrupted.

"How long have you been listening." Kallen wondered.

"You can worry about that later. For now we have a mission to start" Lelouch replied.

"Of course" Kallen replied as she and the rest of the Black Knights prepared for battle. Lelouch was annoying skeptical when he wanted to be and there was nothing she could do about it.

(Scene Skip)

Chaos was all over the building as the Black Knights and their Sutherlands easily took out the few frames defending the shipments of Refrain and the bottle. Lelouch could only smile at the ruthless execution until his Factsphere picked up something he didn't want to see. "These are" Lelouch gasped.

"What's wrong Zero" Kallen asked worriedly as she knocked out one of the Glasgow that was sent against her.

"There are people here. My guess is that they are refrain users who come here to get their fix" Lelouch said bitterly.

"Show me" Kallen said angrily charging towards Zero's location.

"Kallen stand down. Ohgi and I will investigate" Lelouch ordered abruptly.

"Are you sure you want me Zero" Ohgi said nervously having fought off his own frame.

"Yes I do Ohgi." Lelouch continued. Lelouch would never admit to this but he asked Sayoko to secretly spy on Kallen's mother when they were aware from the house. He was able to confirm what he long suspected and that Kallen's mother was a refrain user. There was no way of knowing how Kallen would react and Lelouch needed Kallen to stay focused.

"Fine" Kallen replied with a hint of annoyance choosing to take out her frustration on the knightmare frames around her.

As Ohgi and Lelouch arrived at the room in question, Ohgi looked in horror since it was exactly what Lelouch described. Different people were walking around in a daze talking about what could've been. "This is horrible" Ohgi said in shock.

"Yes it is Ohgi. This is what Kallen meant earlier. These people are so caught up in the past that they can't look towards the future" Lelouch said coldly beneath the mask of Zero. One of the people was the hot dog vendor that he saved earlier. Kallen was right that he was a Refrain user but the vendor wasn't the only surprise guest at this particular Refrain Den.

"No" Ohgi gasped and when Lelouch turned towards his location he realized why.

"Be careful Kallen. You can't run around the house like that." Kallen's mother said in a daze.

"Dammit I was afraid of this." Lelouch frowned but he forgot that he was on speaker.

"Afraid of what?" Kallen said nervously wondering why Lelouch was so nervous.

"Zero if you don't tell her I will?" Ohgi said angrily.

"Tell me what! What's going on?" Kallen said angrily.

There was no escaping it this time and now he had no choice, "What Ohgi saw is your mother. Your JAPANESE mother." Lelouch emphasized.

"What!" Kallen gasped losing focus as she was attacked by a stray frame.

"Zero, there is a large unit of night police on the way. Our units are worn out" Sugiyama warned.

"Ohgi grab Kallen's mother and get her out of here. Our mission is accomplished." Lelouch yelled out. They couldn't stay because Kallen would be too focused on her mother to handle the job.

(Scene Skip)

Lelouch Kallen Nina and Rakshata were in the infirmary as they stared at Kallen's mother dressed in hospital garb having just finished her examination. Rakshata was a scientist first, but she also knew her way around humans because of the nature of her job. Kallen's mother was in deep trouble if her scans were any indication, Refrain destroyed her mental process and her body was fading. After Ohgi dropped her off, Lelouch ordered the Black knights besides Kallen to return to the regular base since this was a private moment and the only reason he was there was because he knew things that Kallen didn't. "Why. Why would my mother do all of this" Kallen cried as she stared at her mother's blank expression and couldn't do a thing.

"I'll give you a moment with your mother and if you want to know more, come see me in my office." Lelouch said solemnly.

"Us too" Nina and Rakshata nodded leaving the room. This was a moment for Kallen and Kallen alone.

"Why did you do it mother? Why did you stay in that house with people who treated you like garbage? Why did you turn to Refrain of all things" Kallen cried out lying on her mother's lap with tears in her eyes. Her anger was gone and it was replaced with the grief that a daughter held for her ailing mother. Kallen could only gasp when she felt an arm around her and looked up to see that it was her mother.

"I love you Kallen and I always will." her mother said weakly.

Kallen's eyes widened since she realized the horrible truth. Her mother didn't stay for love, she stayed for her and there was no doubt that her own anger towards her mother led to her Refrain usage. "MOTHER!" Kallen cried out. Right now she wasn't the fiercesome pilot of the Black Knights but she was just a daughter who was seeing her mother in a light that she never had before.

(Lelouch's office)

While Kallen was with her mother crying Lelouch was in his office thinking about what happened tonight with his Zero outfit off and his Ashford Academy uniform back on. "The past is a powerful tool isn't it" Lelouch said solemnly.

"Yes it is and you would know that as well as anybody" C.C smiled as she appeared in the room.

Lelouch could never figure out how C.C did that but he went with it since there wasn't much he could do about it, "You're not exactly free of your own past are you C.C" Lelouch teased back.

C.C twitched at the statement but kept her calm, "It's a bit different when you're immortal Lelouch. Bonds aren't something that I can count on because I know I'll out live them. I've watched Britannia be driven from their original home and take over what we now know as Britannia. I watched George Washington try to fight Britannia just as you are and fail. I watched the current Britannia rise to power and through it all I've remained impassive. That's the price of Geass" C.C reminded him.

"Perhaps but there are certain things you can't escape either." Lelouch smiled thinking back to something very interesting.

"Like what" C.C replied with a frown.

"Like that scar on your chest, the one that hasn't healed despite you being immortal." Lelouch replied.

C.C was furious that Lelouch would dare bring up her scar but she knew that if she pressed that more it would lead to a conversation she didn't want to have, "That's different" C.C pouted since calling him that would serve to distract Lelouch.

Lelouch realized that he went a bit far and decided to change the subject, "Well that's a story for another day. Right now I have my own past to address." Lelouch frowned as he grabbed his phone.

C.C didn't think much of it but when she saw where Lelouch stopped, she was not pleased, "What do you think you're doing" C.C said angrily recognizing that the number was Euphemia's.

"I'm going to go see somebody I've neglected recently." Lelouch said calmly.

"You're a reckless fool." C.C chided realizing that what he was doing was hundreds of times more reckless then what he accused Euphemia of doing. He was about to walk into the Government building to see Euphie and there was no telling what could go wrong if he did that.

"Perhaps but I have my Geass if things go wrong." Lelouch smiled as he grabbed his mask and made his way out. As he neared the exit, he was met by Kallen.

"You look like you're in a hurry" Kallen said nervously having finally finished crying her eyes out.

"You've confronted your past Kallen and now it's time for me to confront mine." Lelouch smiled.

Kallen realized that Lelouch was going to see Euphemia even though it carried plenty of risks. "Just be careful Lelouch." Kallen warned knowing that this could go plenty of different ways.

"I will" Lelouch smiled as he made his way into the government building.

(Scene Skip)

Cornelia vi Britannia was not a happy person at the moment. The Hunt for the JLFs main base had been mostly unsuccessful and the Black Knights were gaining more traction in Area 11 because of their assault on refrain depots. While she was hunting them herself, it always struck her as odd that they never crossed paths during a raid. She just came from a late night briefing where she was told of another raid by the Black Knights due to Gilford constantly watching the night police and before she went to bed, she wanted to talk with her sister. "Lelouch...keep going Lelouch" her sister Euphemia moaned happily as she arrived at her sister's bedroom.

'She's still doing it huh?' Cornelia thought to herself about the strange habit her sister had picked up recently. Euphemia obviously had needs and Cornelia understood that, but she was using the name of her late brother Lelouch when she addressed those needs. Oddly enough she only started doing it after Lake Kawaguchi and she hadn't gone out as much as the previous few weeks. Figuring that it wouldn't hurt to tell Euphemia to keep the noise down, Cornelia opened the door to her sister's room expecting to see her sister in just her underwear using one of those toys she somehow got. Boy was she wrong.

"I'm cumming" a very naked Euphemia cried out as the rush of an orgasm hit her body. Instead of being in just her underwear Euphemia was completely naked and instead of using a sex toy she was bouncing on a very real penis and one that just came inside her sister.

"Show yourself young man or face my wrath." Cornelia said with a mix of fury and embarrassment. She just walked in on somebody defiling her sister and whoever it was, had her calling out the name of their dead brother. This would not stand.

"Sister" Euphemia said in shock as she hopped off the penis she was on and the young man Euphemia was with revealed himself

"It can't be" Cornelia gasped. It was a bare chested Lelouch vi Britannia alive and well. Cornelia could never forget those eyes as long as she lived.

"It's been a long time sister. Now can you put that gun down, this is awkward enough as it is." the now revealed Lelouch said with a smile.

Cornelia could only drop the gun in disbelief, "Lelouch you're alive." Cornelia replied in disbelief.

"Alive and well sister. Though I imagine you have plenty of questions for me." Lelouch smiled. He couldn't believe that THIS was how he met with his sister again.

"Yes I do but can you get some clothes on first. This isn't a scene a person wants to walk in on most days." Cornelia deadpanned. To her this felt like some bizarre dream so she was going to go with it.

"Unbelievable" Euphemia pouted realizing that her time with Lelouch was done and she exposed herself to her sister. This night couldn't get worse if she tried.

(Scene Skip)

A smiling Lelouch and a nervous Euphemia looked on as Cornelia li Britannia stood in front of her two siblings. Euphemia opted for some pajamas while Lelouch opted for his Ashford Academy uniform. Luckily for him, he kept his Zero outfit at the base or this could've gotten really ugly. The awkward silence went on for five minutes until Cornelia finally spoke, "I'll get to you later Euphemia li Britannia but Lelouch has some explaining to do."

"Of course" Lelouch nodded expecting as much.

"Right now, am I talking to my brother Lelouch, or Zero the leader of the Black Knights?" Cornelia said with an annoyed look on her face.

Lelouch was mildly surprised but not enough to shake him, "You're talking to your brother right now but I am indeed Zero." Lelouch replied as calm as can be.

"I imagine that Euphemia along with Millicent Ashford are part of your group as well." Cornelia frowned since that would explain why she stayed late. Milly was a given since she had clearly hid him from view.

"Yes they are" Lelouch replied figuring that there was no point in hiding the truth.

"What are you doing Lelouch? Why are you just telling her everything?" Euphemia scolded.

"Calm down Euphie. Cornelia is far too intelligent to lie to and I don't see the harm in revealing the truth." Lelouch replied before kissing her on the cheek. The brief blush on her and Cornelia's face was well worth it.

"So dare I ask what caused my brother to not only rebel against Britannia but kill his own sibling?"

"You may" Lelouch replied calmly before his expression turned. "It was the death of my mother, and my subsequent exile to japan that bred my desire to rebel. Clovis's death was the end of a series of rather interesting events." Lelouch smiled.

"Explain" Cornelia said sternly. His mother and her exile were obvious but Clovis was a surprising move.

"Alright but even you will find these events hard to believe." Lelouch replied as he filled his older sister in on what happened that day in Shinjuku. Cornelia no doubt knew about events in Shinjuku from Britannia's side and it was time to get them from his. He kept some of the truth from Cornelia since bringing up C.C would lead to a slew of questions that he didn't want to answer.

Cornelia could only look on disbelief. Her brother was alive and well and his current role was just an unluckily coincidence. "So what would you have me do? Surely you thought about my role in all of this." Cornelia replied curious what her brother planned for her

"For now I'm going to have you do absolutely nothing." Lelouch explained.

Cornelia was shocked by his words, "Why not" Cornelia asked nervously. They would have to fight sooner or later and they both knew it.

"Because you won't remember a thing we said" Lelouch smiled getting up from the bed and walking towards his sister.

"What do you mean by that?" Cornelia said in confusion. However Euphemia was not fooled. "Stop it Lelouch" Euphemia pleaded knowing that Lelouch was about to erase his sister's memory.

"You will forget that we met tonight and go back to your quarters as though nothing has happened. You will also erase any footage you have from this evening that shows that I was in the building." Lelouch said coldly via his Geass.

"Of course" Cornelia replied though Lelouch could see the tears forming in his sister's eyes as she went to take care of the command.

'I'm sorry Nellie' Lelouch thought to himself as the door closed. Cornelia was strong enough to resist the Geass but she accepted it because it was the right thing to do.

"You jerk" Euphemia cried out as she slapped Lelouch in the face. She couldn't believe that Lelouch would force his sister to forget the meeting.

"I had to do it Euphie. If I allowed this to happen Cornelia would've never done what was necessary." Lelouch frowned. Zero needed an enemy and unfortunately for him, the best enemy he could safely offer was Cornelia. He would do everything he could to save his sister's life in the process but the people still needed another push to embrace Zero and his ideals. Cornelia must've realized this and allowed the Geass to happen.

"Just go" Euphemia said angrily. Unfortunately, Lelouch was right and that meant she had to forget the meeting.

"Goodnight Euphie" Lelouch said solemnly as he kissed her on the cheek and left.

(Scene Skip)

Finally back home, he was glad that Nunnally was asleep; no doubt thanks to help from C.C and Sayoko. It was time for him to rest and focus on the next day and opening the door to his room he was hoping to do just that. "Somebody's had a long night." Milly Ashford teased appearing on his bed very naked.

"I've already had enough sex for one night Milly" Lelouch deadpanned though he did get changed for bed nonetheless.

"I know. I just came here to cuddle with you and give you some more perspective." Milly smiled.

"Oh" Lelouch replied finally dressed in his pajamas.

"That's right" Milly smiled as she wrapped her arms around Lelouch in a big hug, "Just like Euphie and Cornelia, I was devastated when you left for Japan and even more so when word of your death reached Britannia."

"I see and I'm sorry about that." Lelouch frowned.

"It wasn't your fault but that's not important right now. What is important is that when we found you and brought you in, I realized that I would do whatever I could to help you. Whether it was allowing you to gamble or hiding the truth that you were a prince from everybody. I was determined to stand by your side no matter what."

"Thank you Milly and now you're neck deep in all of this." Lelouch replied turning to kiss her on the cheek.

Milly blushed slightly but stayed focused, "Yes and I hope your trip to see Euphie was an illuminating one."

Lelouch frowned since it got complicated but otherwise went well, "It was and now I know what I must do." Lelouch replied.

Milly smiled before pulling off of Lelouch, "Good. Now get some sleep because it's only a matter of time until Cornelia finds the JLF. You know how your sister can be." Milly teased.

"Yes I do and I hope you'll just cuddle instead of trying to tempt me." Lelouch said calmly.

"I make no promises." Milly replied and the pair went to bed like that. No sex involved but just two people together after a lifetime of struggles. The theme of the night seemed to be just that and there was no telling what would happen next.

That's it for Chapter 8 and I'm sorry it took so long but the chapter just didn't quite seem to flow as easily as I hoped it would. Next chapter is going to be Narita and as much as I'd love to think it'll happen in two weeks I'm not so sure because of my general weakness of mech battles. I'll do my best on it guys and I'll try to give you guys the chapter you deserve and if it takes longer than that, so be it.