"English"

("Japanese")

Thoughts.


Suzaku always keeps his promises. He kept his promise to Princess Euphemia, he kept his promises to Lelouch, then finally, to Empress Nunnally.

"Zero, I need you to swear to me." Nunnally addressed shortly after her coronation.

"Yes, Your Majesty." He replied in all seriousness.

"Swear to me that you will never accept a contract to gain a power of Geass." Her face turned towards him. And even though her eyes were closed, he knew she was focusing on him.

"I swear to you, Empress, I won't." He vowed. And he understood what she was doing while they were in front of Nunnally's most trusted people.

Perhaps a bit of her siblings rubbed off a little too much. It nearly made his heart break. Gone was the sweet child he looked on as a sister he never had. The little girl who always had hope in the cruel world.

Something in her broke the day Lelouch died. And he couldn't blame her. His own heart died with his best friend. He witnessed her brush off people who tried to console her on her loss. So he never bothered to even try.

In front of everyone Empress Nunnally was strict and direct towards Zero. But in private, it was like how it used to be between them. Only sadder because someone was missing.

After a few years into her reign, Empress Nunnally learned of a horror that Britannia kept secret. There were a number of hidden facilities that still trapped immortals and experimented on them. She put Zero in charge of locating each one and rescue these poor souls.

She created a secret rehabilitation center for their recovery. And if they wished to return to the world they were free to leave. Not before promising that they won't allow someone rise up and rebel against Britannia.

Thus far the immortals were keeping their promises. For they were seeing that Empress Nunnally was personally trying to right a horrible wrong.

One day Zero got a tip of a facility in the upper regions of Japan. Satellite images confirmed that a small building did indeed have strange activity. However the buildings made up a small scale compared to the normal facilities they usually raided.

"Is this an illegal laboratory instead?" Kallen asked, having doubts about the anonymous call.

"It's well defended for a small structure. The government of Japan has denied allowing such a place be used, therefore whoever these people are, are doing so without government help." Zero noted the cannons that could be dangerous for planes, tanks and potentially Knightmare Frames if they didn't have shields.

They were strategically placed at all vulnerable spots. Which meant they either have to sneak in or go all out on a full assault and be swift. The longer the battle the prolonged the higher chance the facility will gain an upper hand of turning the tide.

"Which means they pose two possible different threats." Kallen concluded.

"Or, perhaps both." Zero commented.

She glanced up at that statement. She studied the mask. She knew who it was who adorned it. Although she had first been furious he would be chosen, but so far he's proven himself worthy to carry the legacy of Zero. This was the first time she could almost believe this was Lelouch.

"Why do you never take that off?" Kallen wondered. "You know it's just us."

By us, she meant Kallen, Zero, Lloyd and Cecile. The latter two were studying the map of the satellite images while listening into their conversation.

"I won't take it off. Not unless Her Majesty demands it from me." Zero turned cold.

"And she won't demand it." Lloyd chimed in. "I doubt she will ever heal from that terrible loss."

"Be mindful! She is the Empress!" Cecile hissed.

"What? She's not here to mind." Lloyd defended.

"Need I remind you that I am her sword?" Zero tilted his head at the pair. To which Lloyd sighed.

"All right, I'll quit. You're no fun as Zero. I liked you better as Lancelot's component."

"That's in the past." Zero didn't care to recall old memories.

"So about this facility. Are we sneaking in or are we going all in?" Kallen asked.

"We should attempt sneaking in, but be prepared to change to a full frontal assault. I will leave you in charge of that. Keep them occupied long enough for me to escape with the immortals and whatever files they have in there. With those cannons we need to be quick."

"Oh! Are we testing out the invisibility finally?" Lloyd got excited.

The Merlin had only recently finished being made. While this wasn't the first mission it was used, it will be the first test for the invisible features. In theory it can be invisible even on thermal scans.

The Merlin can lower the core temperature to the surrounding area and blend in. It has worked in tests, but not yet applied in field of battle. This was a feature that Zero wanted to remain a secret for as long as possible.

The reasoning behind this move was so that enemies don't start building ways to counter this stealth mode. Already there was a weapon to make a Knightmare Frame useless and unable to operate within proximity. And Britannia has thus far kept this type of weapon out of enemy hands.

"We shall see." Zero wasn't making promises. However he already made up his mind. He wanted to see how effective the Merlin was in stealth.

So the day came for them to make their attack. So far everything was going smoothly. However they underestimated the sensors that were way out to the border of where Kallen had her and the rest of the units waiting.

The alarms started blaring when Zero was just hovering above and not yet landed. He revealed the Merlin and began the assault to hold the enemy distracted until Kallen and the rest arrived.

It was two agonizing minutes. When Kallen radioed in that she was here, Zero put Merlin on autopilot. He grasped a special key that gave it simple controls. He put it in invisible mode since it has proven effective against the enemy sensors.

Zero ran inside to begin his quick search. It didn't take him long to navigate. He followed what appeared to be the main hallway until he reached a room with important labeled doors. He burst in with his gun in hand.

And paused at the sight before him.

An almost naked immortal, with the mark of a bird about to take flight underneath his left collarbone. So it was positioned just over his heart. But that wasn't what made Zero pause.

The face was nearly identical to a familiar face. Only difference was instead of black hair, it was dark brown. And it was long. Down to the knees sort. From the commotion the eyes opened to reveal dark red almost violet.

They stared at Zero. From the glazed look in them the immortal was already feeling the effects of whatever drugs they pumped him with. And yet there was enough to recognize the mask.

("The liberator is here?") He spoke in perfect Japanese.

What? He looks Britannian. And he used the noble dialect? That isn't the common speech. Zero was confused.

It was enough for someone to sneak up behind him. The horror on the immortal's face was enough indication. Zero whirled to try and fight. But it wasn't fast enough when he was pushed into the floor and they both fell.

Zero took aim and shot at the restraints. If anything he wanted the immortal to flee. For this was the objective. Only after freeing the young man did Zero try to aim for his attacker.

The gun was knocked out of his grip. The force behind the attack made Zero's arm tingle. And it took a lot of force to make that happen. A knife was pressed against Zero's throat.

"I have you now!" The scientist cackled.

Zero grit his teeth. This wasn't how it was supposed to end. He had promised to offer his services to Empress Nunnally for the remainder of her reign. He promised his whole life to her.

Suddenly the immortal that had been previously trapped tackled the scientist. Zero watched, mesmerized, as the immortal managed to turn the knife against its owner with expert combat skills despite being drugged up.

The result was messy, perhaps because as a result of the immortal being intoxicated. But in the end the scientist collapsed never to move again. Zero only felt his pulse quicken when the immortal straddled his waist and both arms on either side of the his head.

("What is your name?") Zero asked in Japanese. He was hoping to distract the immortal from turning on him.

The wild look in those deep crimson eyes disappeared. He blinked silently, as if realizing this was his savior and not an enemy.

("I am E2.") This time his voice was a bit slurred from the drugs.

The left hand grasped Zero's right, and for some reason the masked knight allowed their fingers to intertwine. E2 leaned down, almost snuggling up close and personal while his hand tightened on Zero's.

And suddenly he was pulled into another dimension. One without color as he and the immortal stood face to face fully naked as the day they were born. Color flashed before Suzaku's eyes of planet's and the sun.

("I offer a contract with the Power of Kings granted to you, as long as you complete my dream. Will you accept my offer?")

Suzaku paused. It was strange. He hadn't heard the noble dialect in so long it was almost foreign. And he also recalled his promise he made to Empress Nunnally.

This must have passed along to the immortal. For he tilted his head. He saw all the thoughts that Suzaku had, from the resemblance of a certain someone to the promise made to the Empress.

("Wouldn't you use every advantage necessary to protect her? To carry on the legacy passed onto you?")

Suzaku almost spat into his face. He made a vow. But, on the one hand, the immortal had a point. As Zero, wouldn't he need every advantage he would have available? His ultimate goal was protect the Empress while she became the hand to reshape the world into a beautiful place.

("...Very well. I, Zero, accept your offer.")

("Your real name. Give me your real name.") The immortal smirked.

"Suzaku Kururugi." It had been so long since he said his own name.

And then he felt the power granted into his right eye. It tingled only briefly. And yet he still felt all the power surged into his very being. He briefly wondered if this was how Lelouch felt.

He was quick to push those thoughts out of his head. Zero gathered himself back to reality as the immortal collapsed. The brunette had spent the last of his energy initiating a contract.

Zero gathered the brunette in his arms. Then he made for the computers, downloading all files into an empty flash drive. The wait was agonizingly slow. He could hear the battle picking up outside with intensity. Kallen was definitely going all out in the Guren Mark III.

"Hurry, hurry." Zero hissed at the flash drive.

A few seconds later it was finished. Zero pulled the tiny device and pocketed it. He ran back into the hallway. He made a quick peek into the other rooms just to double check that there weren't other immortals. He was surprised to find the one in his arms was the only one.

Well, no wonder the facility was small to begin with. Zero made his way outside. He ordered the Merlin to come to him and turn off the invisibility.

"Zero! Is that the only one?" Kallen asked through her speaker.

"He is! Tell the forces to put some distance behind them. We're setting this facility on fire!" Zero ordered as he climbed into Merlin.

He turned off autopilot and began maneuvering the unit. He flew high above while the others fled to gain as much distance as necessary. Kallen joined him at his side.

"Why would they only have one immortal?" She asked.

"Dunno. But we have all of their files." Zero replied, taking one glance at the young man slumped next to him.

He really did look like a certain someone. It was as if seeing his ghost, but with slightly different features. Zero turned his attention back on the facility as he began to activate the cannons.

Beside him Kallen did the same. Together their units were powerful enough to light the whole facility. Within seconds the whole area exploded with such force they even felt it in the pilot seats. However their units withstood the force having been enough distance high up.

"Let's return home." Zero commanded.

"To the rehabilitation center?" Kallen asked out of habit.

"No. This one is staying with me." Zero didn't elaborate further on the subject. But it was enough to indicate to Kallen that a contract had been accepted. She remained silent while she wondered how furious Empress Nunnally will be once she found out.

In the back of her mind she also wondered what made this one immortal special out of all the rest. It had to be someone remarkable in order for Zero to break his promise. In the same instance she hoped this wouldn't become another Lelouch situation.