Don't stop me now

Kallen Stadtfeld, Knight of Ten

Japan, outskirts of the Tokyo Settlement

Two years since Lelouch's rebellion

"I seriously can't believe this is the first place you want to visit."

"As opposed to what? Most memorials to Zero's miracles are gone, and I don't consider it unfortunate. I suppose Shinjuku's reconstruction is almost done, maybe we can go there next time." Lelouch said, chewing on the last bit of his baguette sandwich before taking off his goggles.

"Yeah… but here is…" Kallen couldn't find a suitable description to satisfy her unease, all she understood was this wasn't how she imagined a night out with her admired commander would turn out.

Kallen pulled the motorbike keys from the ignition, letting loose her flaming hair from the constraints of the greyish helmet before flailing it behind her in a rather dramatic manner. The pressure from her safety headgear had deteriorated away some part of her overelaborate coiffure which Milly insisted was an undetectable work of art, but the young girl herself wasn't so confident that combining all of her hair to one side in a poor man's attempt at a mohawk could camouflage her identifiable looks from the many Black Knight posters.

"What's so terrible about commercial buildings? It's a centre for communities across the city to connect. And this isn't the same as the one that got dropped on the previous Viceroy… what was his name again?"

"…What was his name? I can't remember either, whatever, not that important. Continue."

"Yes, like I said. It's quite impressive they rebuilt a skyscraper in just a year, more so that they just decided to still call it the Babel Tower. If only the people of Genesis had the same dedication to just try again." Kallen only shook her head listening to Lelouch ramble about whatever fancied his mind, she almost fell to the temptation of closing the elevator doors on him after the two exited the underground parking lot.

"Lelouch, you're doing a bang-up job sabotaging this date, I just want you to know."

"You humble me with your appraisal, Miss Mercury… now if only you'd be so kind as to use my alias." Suddenly, an urge to throw her companion through the elevator glass windows and down twenty floors spiked to the top of Kallen's compulsion.

"Sure, buddy… sure. Anything for the Imperial Military Advisor appointed by Emperor Lelouch himself, Lord Julius Kingsley." Then Kallen took an aesthetic bow only befitting the escort of the smartest man in all of Britannia, her response was enough to invite in a sulky Lelouch who turned his glance to hide his slight embarrassment.

"…You're not making this any easier for me, Kallen. Please don't ruin this."

"What? You mean Morgen, obviously. That's my name, is it not?"

"Don't act this way, we both agreed." Lelouch deadpanned his request sincerely, reluctantly convincing Kallen to play along with the imposter dressed in a ridiculously designed jacket over his an equally outrageous dress shirt and pants he dared to call business casual.

All in black, obviously.

Milly, this isn't what we agreed to at all, you dumb bimbo. What part of this dress-up looks civilian to you? It was apparent that Milly couldn't resist Lelouch's recommendation of clothing him in the most outlandish uniform just shy of his Imperial self, even going as far as letting him wear an insane eye-patch-mask thing that covered the entire left side of his face. As for appearing incognito, she just pushed back his long bangs and sprayed some hair gel, calling it a day.

With everything said, the tall handsome gentleman who stood before Kallen leaning against the railing and shooting an inexplicable smile towards the horizon certainly didn't resemble Britannia's new Emperor. His loyal knight could attest to the makeover's quality of transforming Lelouch's appearance to someone familiar after a good study but alien at a glance, it was her hope that most commoners wouldn't dare to step too close to the imposing tactician.

"Okay, so before I break my character and probably my neck, at least explain to me how you came up with my alias."

"I fear its too immature of a pun for me to share, don't trouble yourself making undeserving comparisons. You'll always be the queen for me, Q-1. Above all else who may contest against your prowess and beauty." Hearing Lelouch spew such venerate flattery unflinchingly dyed Kallen's cheeks hot red and made her a blushing mess. She hazardously stuck her hands over the young lord's face to distort his singular vision, who only chuckled instead of putting up a fight.

"Alright… smart guy, I think I kinda get it. You don't have to kiss up to me so hard."

"Nonsense, tonight you'll be my partner in luxury. We're professionals taking a restful break from the mundane tasks of employment." Kallen was starting to notice many of her reactions to Julius Kingsley mainly involved shaking her head.

Well… if nothing else, I'm glad Lelouch is having fun in his own weird egomaniac way.

Soon, the elevator reached its destination, opened the metal doors and welcomed the two Britannians into a world of convivial yet carnal pleasure. Surrounding them were what Kallen used to see as irrefutable evidence of the empire's corruption and oppression. However, it was perhaps thanks to Lelouch's reformation or her own selfish bias, the Knight of Ten no longer saw the little harm coming from a bit of guilty relaxation as sinful.

"Miss Mercury, take a gander around you and place your bets. How many of these people are Britannia and how many are Japanese?"

"I suppose it's roughly one-third Japanese, Sir Kingsley."

"And your standpoint on that percentage?"

"Not… balanced enough, I must admit. Nevertheless, it could be much lower in either direction were things to turn out differently." In some twisted ways, Kallen wasn't sure how she would feel had the USJ decided to exercise more of their muscle and authority as a newly founded nation by taking vengeance on the population that used to oppress their own.

"Then how much of those people you suppose will make an adequate opponent for me?"

"You might've made the selection pool too narrow with that one." Unless Lelouch planned on totally playing Kingsley as an absolute fool, Kallen didn't think he would hold back about gloating his superb ability to move wooden or metal shaped pieces from one box on a board to another box on the same board.

Henceforth, the duo wandered aimlessly into a flood of the casino's patrons. Witnessing an almost beastly indulgence to every man's primal nature looming somewhere deep within them. Sometimes they would stop by a game only for Lelouch to lose interest in a competition against pure luck. Apparently, that was the only one field of speciality which Kallen could defeat her egotistical crush.

"Hmph… such borderline horrendous excuses of a contest are below someone of my status. Morgan, let's go to where real men gamble." Lelouch pouty announced after another slot machine refused to match its patterns, Kallen contained a peal of laughter at the cute glower her liege tried to hide under his mask.

"Right, sure. Of course, My Lord."

— —

"…Checkmate."

"Wha-! What!? Impossible!" The baffled middle-aged man in suits sitting across from Lelouch was about to bolt up from his seat in furious bewilderment. Too bad for him, his blaring shout woke Kallen up from her mindless stupor after too many boring minutes of watching a chess game.

"Settle down now, don't try anything." Kallen washed away her tiredness with a glare of collected intimidation. Maybe her sleepiness added to the unnerving factor, it was effective enough to reseat the lost Britannian and his exasperation.

Unlike the first time something similar happened on the same floor of the rebuilt casino, Lelouch's opponent didn't plant a downright idiotic accusation of him cheating at chess. Perhaps it was thanks to the peculiar aspect of the genius tactician and his monumental posture, or Kallen was just that good of a bodyguard.

And thus another game of strategy with pounds wagered in the hundredth thousands ended in another landslide victory, Lelouch was absolutely lavishing in the glory of his own unparalleled intellect and the misery of his subpar adversaries. Were the glares from the commoners of hatred or envy, Kallen couldn't rightfully tell the difference. All she knew was prior to these three separate incidents called for her to stop an assailant from assaulting Lelouch, and that was three times too many in her books.

"I wouldn't mind receiving my payment, mister." Lelouch impatiently demanded once he was sure no physical conflict would arise.

"…Very well, you've won it." The older adult gave a wave for one of his servants to bring over a briefcase, presumably full of cash. "Although, remind me again. What did you say your name was?" However, before the transaction could be made peacefully, Lelouch's temporary chess partner stared intensely straight into the young monarch's one eye.

"I didn't."

"But I think I know… you're Sir Julius Kingsley, aren't you? The specialist military advisor." If Kallen could see Lelouch attempt to conceal his face from contorting under the mask, she would probably laugh.

"…So what if I am?"

"I'm definitely sure you're announced dead a year ago, and that according to The Order of Michael's Lord Shaing you're actually—" Whatever secret the Britannian was about to reveal, Lelouch abruptly cut in and stopped him.

"-As I am the proof of my own wellbeing, I can just as easily prove what a fool you will be if you are to believe the lies of a dead man."

"You cannot simply discredit a man after his death, besides it is far too elaborate of a plot to devise!" Kallen couldn't place her fingers on the enigmatic exchange between the two men at the chess table, although she could distinctly spot Lelouch removing his contact lens, just so subtle as to not arouse curiosity.

"Enough, you've rambled your share. Answer some questions of mine; where did you learn this information?"

"I was a member of Euro Britannia's House of Lords."

"I see…" Letting a period of silence drift in, Lelouch kept his thoughts to himself while maintaining a line of sight with the European noble. "Miss Mercury, provide this person with a means to contact me." Then, the scheming king commanded the Knight of Ten which she quickly followed by passing an untraceable phone to the gentleman.

"Keep this phone on you at all times and make sure to pick up when it rings, follow every instruction you receive on the other end. If all goes well, I'll see you greatly rewarded for your assistance, mister." Like a template of a smooth-talker, Lelouch sowed the seeds of obedience hidden within a normal, albeit uncomfortable conversation, leaving all of their audiences none the wiser.

"Alright, have it your way."

"We're off, Morgan." Once the show officially concluded, the hidden Emperor was ready to go.

"Yes, My Lord." Mildly ashamed of herself for enjoying Lelouch's display of cunning wit, Kallen couldn't help but respect watching him manipulate pawns on the board without letting them realize their true worth.

"…You're not taking your winnings?" The nobleman called after the duo as they left, confused by the briefcase still on the table.

"You can keep them, I've gained something far more… useful than monetary value."

— —

"…So… wanna talk about it?"

"About what?"

"I dunno, why you're brooding so hard can be a good start. Don't feel pressured." Kallen half-jokingly suggested, crossing her legs on a soft couch.

After the fretful yet exciting interaction at the high-stakes chess table, Kallen and Lelouch relocated to a more comfortable lounge where a massive projector was playing the live feed of a horse racing sport. Computers and terminals were set up in front of the screen, incentivizing the casino's clients to place their bets.

"I'm not brooding, I'm… contemplating!"

"With that look of yours, it's more like… more like… constipating." A very harsh glare was shot her way.

"Sorry, sorry. That was pretty retarded of me. But you know you can tell me whatever is bothering you, makes you feel better to get it off your mind." Lelouch turned his focused gaze to meet her sparkling cobalt irises, beaming off only the gentlest glint of compassion.

"It's not something that interesting, you sure you wanna know?"

"Anything that has to do with you is always interesting to me, Your Majesty."

Lelouch released a helpless sigh, finally willing to open up a bit of his conundrum.

"You ever wonder what I was doing between the Black Rebellion and my revival?"

"Were you not just a carefree student?"

"Near the end, yes. But before that my fa- …the last Emperor convinced me I was a loyal Britannian high-ranking strategist under the guise of Julius Kingsley and sent me to Euro Britannia during their war with the EU. I helped them gain an edge by some pretty questionable means, but then this random guy exposed me as Zero… and then he locked me up." Kallen honestly thought about laughing, but seeing the troubled expression Lelouch presented made her pull him close for a tender hug instead.

"Lelouch… that was a difficult time for you, isn't it?" Kallen kindly whispered, she inwardly thanked her foresight for picking a spot in the room most secluded. "I'm sorry… none of it would've happened if I didn't leave you on Kamine Island that day…"

"Well… at least you made up for it." What Lelouch said wasn't meant as a reminder of her failure, instead it was a lighthearted jab at a forgiven mistake.

"So then what happened?"

"I forgot to add this part, Suzaku was tasked to accompany me the whole time." Suddenly, the topic wasn't all sunshine and rainbows to Kallen anymore, even if it never was to Lelouch.

"Oh… so that's after you… you know, did the thing to his princess, right?"

"…Yeah, I- err… did do that thing." Lelouch inserted pauses between some of his words, finding difficulties in defining his past deeds.

"Yikes… well, fortunate he didn't do the same thing to you, I guess. But forget about that, what happened next?" Kallen sought to move forward as soon as possible from a subject that was still a drain on her king's mood.

"We were rescued later by Rolo, you remember him… and then the last Emperor had me go back to Ashford as a student after that whole ordeal."

"Huh… is that so, let me see if I can get this straight. You, as Julius Kingsley, went to Euro Britannia, got exposed as Zero to their House of Lords and now it's gonna be a problem if they recognize you as the Emperor who's also Zero."

"…If you say it in that way it just sounds silly."

"Well, maybe it is, Your Majesty. Maybe dressing up as a version of yourself that got his alter-ego detected isn't the brightest idea, huh?" Kallen rather playfully pressed her attack, it was such a rarity to catch Lelouch with an ill-sounded plan, after all.

"It's not all that simple, alright?! I'll admit… I didn't consider this possibility when I chose this costume. However, however! In my defense, I've come to realize that it's bound to happen eventually regardless of my actions, since the Julius Kingsley that went to Europe only disguised himself with this set of clothes and mask. So if I just push my hair down…" Inconceivably, when the nervous genius reverted back to his old hairstyle for just a bit, he suddenly became a mirror image of the newest Emperor, except with an eye mask.

"Oh… woah, okay, yeah. If you were walking around Europe like that every noble and their mother would know who the Emperor used to be. I see how this can be an issue in the long run." Lelouch knowingly nodded. Soon after he held a bottle of hairspray jar in one hand and a comb in the other, swiftly fixing his revealing haircut.

"And hence my quandary. I do have some solutions, but there're too many factors at play for me to construct a concrete plan. Since you've invested yourself in this plight of mine, I expect you to assist me when the opportunity arises." Taking on a more serious tone, Lelouch spoke diligently, his tone and gesture left no room for Kallen to debate or refuse.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I am at your service, always." Nor did Kallen seek to disobey a single order if it came from her beloved leader.

"Excellent, and that is all I've in mind at the moment."

"So, since I listened to your problem… can you do something for me in return?" However, she never said all her loyalty and obedience came for free.

"I suppose so, what would my queen in red desire?"

"Just a simple question, really. Something that I feel you kinda owe me after skipping out on answering it so many times."

Again, azure lens found themselves irresistibly attracted to the lure of Lelouch's beautiful purple eyes. Sitting so closely side by side, Kallen savoured the passing seconds she connected the windows of her soul to the man who she allowed to wield it. The brilliant ruler also remained unfaltering, blinking away any residue of discomfort for letting himself stare so long into her beauty.

"I believe I can guess what you're planning to ask."

"But let me ask it anyway."

"Then I shall." Kallen discreetly took a long breath, preparing her beating heart to finally obtain the confirmation she had been yearning to hear.

"Lelouch, I… what do I mean to you? In all our time together… am I someone important enough to be by your side, to share your burden? Am I someone… worthy of loving you and receiving your love? Please… tell me the truth."

"Kallen… you can find out for yourself, right now." That was all the permission she needed to lean just a slight bit closer to connect their lips.

"-Hey, check it over there, is that…?"

"-Who?"

"That redhead over there, isn't she the one on all the BK posters?"

Or she would have were it not for a group of unwelcomed civilians who just happened to acquire the pair of isolated lovers in their peripheral, and more atrociously, somehow managed to recognize Kallen through her getup.

You gotta actually be fucking joking me. Even after abandoning the Black Knights, Kallen still thought of herself as a defender of the weak and powerless; however, that could very soon not be the case anymore.

"It sounds like we have to relocate, Morgan."

"Arghaaaa… ahhhhhh… okay." Kallen whimpered externally, but screamed internally.

In desperation, Kallen discarded all semblance of her role as Julius Kingsley's bodyguard and weakly allowed herself to be led by the hand following Lelouch's footsteps. Having lost all ability to care, she didn't notice they were heading up an extravagant flight of stairs to the Babel Tower's exclusive rooftop penthouse where only the truly privileged could visit.

"-Excuse me, sir. This area is reserved for VIPs only, I'm gonna have to ask you and your—"

"-Let us through and lock the doors behind me, don't open it for anyone until we come back."

Once Lelouch performed his magic and snuck his way onto the empty roof, Kallen was encapsulated by the fresh air of being three hundred metres above sea level, fortunately just invigorating enough to bring her back from the brink of emotional death.

"I- I can't fucking believe that just—!" The fuming complaint Kallen sought to file was never completed as Lelouch yanked her strenuously towards him, letting her collide against his slender yet firm chest.

And then was when it happened for real. Without warning, Lelouch seized the confused maiden's sensual lips with his own, blasting away all regret and anger lingering in Kallen's thoughts and replacing them with a blazing fire of ardent keenness for her one and only love.

For over a dozen seconds they stayed still, their passions rising higher and higher until it blew away all memories of the unfortunate interruption that hindered their connection. Only when the bodily need for respiration arose did it tragically separate the hotblooded pilot and her accomplished commander.

"I wasn't just gonna leave you hanging."

"Oh- my God, you're just so… Lelouch, I didn't… didn't think you had it in you to do it!" Kallen recoiled in amazement once the mad king slowly released his tight grip around her waist. She took a few full seconds to manage her fluctuating temperament, trying not to overheat the organic CPU that was already overclocking above her neck.

"If a king doesn't lead, how can he expect his men to follow." Lelouch quoted slyly, drawing a burst of short laughter out of his subject.

"Wow, that makes zero sense in context. But I'll pretend to be impressed!" Kallen said, inviting Lelouch to share her humourous beam. "But if you don't mind, can I talk to the man who invented that line?"

"By all means."

The one-eyed adviser leaned in, prompting Kallen to also take a daring step closer to the pretender in black. With fingers promising a touch of delicacy, the ace Devicer gently stroked the exquisite crystal-laced eyepatch hiding his fearsome might of a king before unhooking the latches and unequipping the gear piece, her entire manoeuvre was carried out in a single swift motion with no hesitation to be found.

"Lelouch… can I take that kiss as an answer to my earlier question?" Kallen sincerely said, begging for confirmation in a silent pled she didn't word.

In that blissful moment, Kallen couldn't hear anything except the sound coming out of her beloved's mouth. Not the noises of the earthy consumers below the glass ceiling of Babel Tower or the rotors of helicopters sailing by overhead. Standing in the shadow of a setting sun much like when she first found the resolve to take her fate into her own hands, the knight blinded by romance only coveted for the one sentiment she was never given.

"I… I don't- …the truth is I don't know myself. There's something I must do before I have the right to open myself to you, Kallen. But my answer… has stayed the same ever since we reunited at this very place one year ago." His voice booming to the edges of the balcony, his devotion adamant to a cause Kallen didn't earn the right to be acquainted with.

It was that inability to console Lelouch's hardships and act as his clutch in a time of need which hurt Kallen, and she could tell a simple romantic mood wouldn't suffice to fix all the hurdles and complications that had simmered between them for too long.

"Then in time, will you tell me the truth?" Locking away her demoralized spirit, she pushed on, knowing the truth may bring about fruitless distress.

"I… won't make a promise I don't know if I can keep…"

"That… that's okay." Instead of a sugarcoated lie, Kallen much more preferred the relentless facts. At least that was what she told herself to believe.

"But my intention is not to hurt you, Kallen. It never has been. You matter to me… you belong to me."

"No, really. It's okay. I've sworn to offer every part of myself to you, Lelouch. My heart, my body, my soul… they're yours, so nothing will change even if you reject me outright. Besides, we're both mature adults, it's enough for me to know you feel the same way, just limited by circumstances." Kallen calmed reassured the sober Emperor and replaced the eye-patch he donned. "We shouldn't stay here for too long, it's getting late."

However, as she tried to brush past the young royalty who remained melancholic underneath the open sky, an unpredicted force seized her wrist. "-Face forward and look to your right, Kallen, what do you see?"

Briefly caught by the clenches of nostalgia, Kallen shook away her reminiscence and did as instructed. At a glance, she was spotting crowds of speculator and spectators below them in the casino, men mingling with women and Britannians indistinguishable from Japanese.

"I see people. Some joyous, others disheartened. But all are holding onto their purpose, in one way or another."

"And on the left." Kallen twisted her gaze the other way, past the flock of birds resting on the railings of the building. She saw the city of Tokyo, still in the process of recovering from the devastating F.L.E.I.J.A. But it was a city striving for improvement, over the wounds of the past and towards a bright tomorrow.

"I see the future, where humanity can understand each other and peace can be everlasting."

Abruptly, a pair of arms cuddled her from behind. The weight of another soul rested against her back. Lelouch held her in a tight embrace as the two of them stood hundreds of metres above the earth. The details of his handsome semblance slowly inching its way into her line of sight on her left, from the same angle where his eye-patch remained hidden and his illustrious violet iris shined luminously.

"This truly is the final chance you'll ever have, Kallen. If you want to, you can still go back." The redhead's legs threatened to give away under the sensation of Lelouch whispering so captivatingly into her ear. "If you do it now, the Japanese people will still accept you as a hero."

"I swear… on my life and honour, I shall never leave your side again. No matter what stands in our way, nothing will stop my love from reaching you and yours into me."

"Prove it, in a way only you can." An order Kallen would never hesitate to follow, she pulled him in and kissed the lips so tenderly with her own just as he had demonstrated.

"Lelouch, you're my life, my miracle, my future. Without you, I will become undone."

"Will you follow me to the end of the earth? Into the heart of darkness?"

"I will follow you every step of the way. And once we're at world's end, I will be there to drag you out."

— —

"Two behind, twelve metres. Rounding the corner in ten. Thirty seconds until two more in front make us." Kallen strode by quickly with leisure in her every step, not so fast that it would give away her urgency but not slow enough to actually be caught.

A pair of towering figures geared in the black and grey trimmed attire Kallen knew too well tailed her from roughly twelve metres behind, they were restless in the pursuit until they passed the dark maintenance hallway she murmured into a dozen seconds earlier and were intercepted by a skinny teenager dressed in an incongruous fashion.

"You two, tell your friends ahead that your targets went up the northwest escalators to the washroom on the thirteenth floor." It was a simple order like any other from Lelouch, all of them quite irresistible.

"Alright, got it." The two Black Knight foot soldiers departed, leaving Kallen to reunite with the monarch she unleashed on her stalkers.

The Britannian Knight took the invitation from her lord's outreached hand, where both of them snuck into the employees-only section of the Babel Tower mall. Lelouch let spread a wicked grin over the entirety of his countenance not hidden by the eye-mask. Kallen responded in her own naughty smirk that couldn't hold a candle up to the evilness of the master manipulator, so instead, she stole a kiss out of the blue on his unprotected lips to even the field. It was only when she refused to release the banished prince that he started to concede.

"Mhmm… I liked that." Kallen said, her enticing voice tinted by her inner demons as Lelouch finally pried her off him in the wake of her haphazard desire for skinship.

"And what was it you liked, Miss Mercury?"

"You know, you." Lelouch smiled a second time, much more genuine than his last.

"Let's get going, I'm actually getting a bit tired from how long we wandered today. Besides, we've led Japan's standing military on a far enough chase as is."

"Ohh? How very unusually humble of you, Sir Kingsley. I thought for sure you'd find the strength to baffle another squadron searching for us."

"A man knows his own limits."

"Of course, and you know it the best out of anyone." Lelouch shot his top pilot a bemused sneer that Kallen snickered at friskily as the two of them took the service elevator to the parking garage.

Once the king and knight came down from the emotional high and the physical height of the skyscraper's penthouse, it wasn't long before soldiers of the Black Knights trickled to the casino looking for her, most likely thanks to the citizens from earlier. While trying to remain unobtrusive at first, the duo eventually threw caution to the wind after the royalty and his aid were spotted coming out of a moderately lavish restaurant in the Babel Tower.

Naturally, neither Kallen or Lelouch was interested in being apprehended by the very group that betrayed Zero only two months ago, so the often-stern sovereign suggested a bit of cat and mouse against the troops on the hunt. The Knight of Ten immediately agreed to some post supper exercise, so long as it doesn't ache her stomach or run her king too fatigued.

"Do you do this kinda stuff often?" On the ride down, Kallen filled the momentary pause in action with a question of hers.

"From time to time, although it mostly isn't for fun."

"But this is pretty fun, I'm enjoying it. Normally I'm the one doing all the catching, after all."

"And you've been very helpful on my side instead of theirs, we wouldn't have made it down here without your help, Morgan."

"Duh, where else am I suppose to go? Jump off the side?"

Time passed unceremoniously while the two were lost in uneventful chatter. After they stepped out of the elevator into where their escape vehicle laid in waiting, Kallen slightly winced at the last hurdle hindering their breakout. A Black Knight armoured car was parked near Rivalz's bike making it basically impossible to escape undetected, and the worst part was the carefree man pacing outside impatiently yelling into his radio.

"We really should've predicted this, Miss Mercury."

"Tamaki… you bloody tosser. I knew only your dumbass will waste so much manpower tracking down one missing person."

"I'm sure the others also wanted you to be found, he's probably the best man to do it." Kallen irritatingly huffed at what Lelouch said, she wasn't sure if comfort or mockery would soothe her vein at the moment. "Still, he's in the way. We need to remove him."

"Wait- non-violently, right?"

"Of course, what're you even thinking?" Knew understood in her sound mind Lelouch would only resort to force when most if not all other paths were closed to him, but an instinctive fear for her former friend still loomed in her subconscious.

"I dunno, but let me talk to him first. You go ahead and look around for others that might drop by, you'll know when to come back." Lelouch agreed wordlessly and retreated into the shadows so Kallen could approach the joker she used to know.

"I'm telling you doofuses! She ain't gonna show up no matter how many times you look in the same spot! Spread out and look for her with your goddamn eyes! Make sure to—" It was when Kallen stood right in front of the Black Knight's brash squad leader that he stopped berating whoever was on the other side of his call. "-K-K-Kallen! Oh, KALLEN!"

"Woa—!" Before the renegade Britannian could get a word in, Tamaki already groped her in an excruciating hug. "A-alright, Tamaki you dumbass! Let go already, you're crying all over my clothes, moron!"

"Okay-okay! Sorry, Kallen! But man, oh man! Am I excited to see you! All of us back on Ikaruga thought you were dead, girl! But not me, your old pal Shinichirō Tamaki! And you sure have changed a lot, huh? Look at that haircut, did you turn a new leaf and join some emo-punk band or something!?" So casually the arrogant and idiotic man greeted his lost buddy, who was already an enemy he didn't recognize.

"Shut up, man! Don't trash my hairstyle so soon after meeting me! I'm not exactly a superfan of this cut either, just so you know. And you haven't changed a bit, still being so loud and annoying as always." Kallen was obdurate in her complaint about Tamaki's behaviour, she madly stroked through her locks and pushed them back into her regular fashion.

"Whatever, anyway! How's it hanging? I guess you didn't catch Zero or anything, but everybody messes up sometimes. So what happened after you left? Why didn't you contact us for so long? We searched everywhere for you and the Guren's signal but nothing came up, man! Did you see that punk Lelouch before he became the Emperor, at least?"

"Before I answer any of those, you gotta tell me something first. Does everyone still hate Lelouch for what happened, have you guys ever seriously discussed it… and you know, think about forgiving him? I mean- he's doing a pretty good job being the Emperor and everything, he gave us Japan back." Hearing her defense of the Zero he believed deceived the Black Knights, Tamaki juddered all over and gazed at Kallen in brazen confusion.

"What're you talking about, all the sudden? Of course, everyone is still hurt by his betrayal! Imagine- you don't even have to imagine; you know that he's probably using his Geass on whoever looked at him dirty. All this time we followed his lead and it turns out he's been playing us like a fiddle, the man's absolutely evil incarnate! I still have trouble believing all the shit he's done!"

"So everyone… still…" An exhausted sigh unknowingly escaped Kallen's tongue as she felt her disconsolate heart sink deeper into a pit of woe. At the same time Tamaki started spouting about his great journeys and feats in the two months they were apart, the newest member of Rounds only cast her saddened sight down onto the headband lashed tightly around her wrist.

Naoto, I'm sorry. I guess you'll never know what a selfish woman I've become. I'm throwing away everything we've built for one man, and I don't even regret it.

"-Like, yeah! I can tell you all about it once we get back. Anyway, what's you been up to after tracking down Zero?" Almost tragically, Tamaki wouldn't comprehend her treacherous plan until it was all too late.

"I suppose… I've been made the Knight of Ten."

Even before the ingenuous Tamaki had time to register Kallen's deadly declaration, she already kicked him in the shin and discarded the sidearm holstered on his belt. The imperial soldier continued her assault and held her bygone comrade in a densely painful headlock, preventing him from running away or turning around.

"-No- why're- y-you-! Kallen! I-impossible! It's not real! Not you, Kallen! You'd never betray us, KALLEN!" Tamaki screamed and kicked to no avail. His panic-induced struggles were useless as a breakout attempt.

"-It appears that your negotiations have failed, Dame Stadtfeld."

"So… it does." From beyond the shadows, Lelouch stepped into the light.

"You…! YOU! Lelouch vi Britannia! You bastard- son of a bitch, you Geassed her!" Tamaki's rageful shrieks reverberated ad nauseam in the underground parking lot, where not a single soul was near to catch his furious condemnation.

"So what if I did? What can you do to save her from my grasp? What can the Minister of Internal Janitorial Affairs do to free Kallen from being my slave?" As per his character, Lelouch taunted the defeated and disgraced Black Knight.

"I'll kill YOU! I'll fucking KILL YOU, ZERO!"

"Lelouch, that's enough. Let's get it over with and get on our way." Kallen couldn't bring herself to share the Emperor's fondness over humiliating his oppositions, so she just did her best to hold her hostage in place while Lelouch removed the purple lens covering his right eye.

"-ZEROOOO—!"

"Tamaki, forget about meeting the two of us today. You will think that you received a report from someone saying she was here but your men never found anything in the end." His screaming died down, soon followed by its echo.

"Yeah, sure. I got it."

Knowing it was pointless to restrain a friend she once held dear, Kallen released Tamaki and watched him react motionlessly. Setting aside the internal conflict she knew she could never truly overcome, the teenage traitor brought herself in front of the static man and gently gave a hug.

"I'm sorry… but you can't stop me anymore, I can't be stopped anymore." Lelouch stepped away towards the motorcycle to give Kallen some space for her last farewell, but even the knowledge of never being able to see a colleague again couldn't stir up more emotions than what she had already expressed. "I guess… this is goodbye."

— —

"Kallen… are you sure you want to—"

"-Can you imagine how hurt I'd be if you finish that sentence?"

"…Sorry, I just want to make sure this is really what you want, I don't think you should be making these types of decisions lightly."

"Lelouch, what decisions are there left to be made lightly? What is there that I can do to revert myself back to the Kallen Stadtfeld pretending to study at Ashford Academy while volunteering as a part-time terrorist?"

"Our prominence on the world stage doesn't mean we should neglect our personal choices. I just don't want you to regret this."

"I promise that this really is what I want, please… I'm adult enough to… know that I want you to have my first."

"But Kallen… it's—" Lelouch's sentence never reached its conclusion, not when Kallen tackled him down on the hotel bed and straddled on top of him.

"-Shhh, you're overthinking these things, my king. Just let me… break down the final barrier separating our two selves." Kallen whispered seductively as she guided Lelouch's hand to clasp the only strap keeping her bathrobe fastened to her rinsed body.

Influenced by her temptation, Lelouch discarded his reluctance and pulled.

"Kallen… I don't know what to say…"

"Then don't say anything… we can connect to each other through other means…"

Schneizel el Britannia, the White Prince

Toromo Agency, Cambodia

Three weeks after Lelouch's accession

"—And am I supposed to sympathize with you, dear brother? You, who eviscerated millions with that weapon of devastation?"

"—I will make no claims of being a messiah, but you do understand that the new Emperor on his throne is no saint. It was never my intention to use the warhead, but I can't say the same about Lelouch." Schneizel leaned back in his cushioned sofa, peeking at the sunrise from the outdoor conference room of the Toromo Agency. By his lonesome, he held a secret meeting with another young sovereign sharing his blood.

"—If this is your attempt to convince me of Lelouch's wickedness, then I have to tell you it's unsuccessful, Brother Schneizel. For I do not see the new Emperor as pure evil, even if some might consider his methods to be unorthodox."

"—But do you know of them? Lelouch's methods? How he came into power overnight and bent the entire palace of Pendragon to his will?" The particular way Schneizel twisted his tone intrigued the royalty fronting of him on the screen.

"—Do enlighten me."

"—Many of the people I've told found it to be exceedingly impossible. However, I do think you'll find it much more believable."

"—I am in suspense, brother."

"—Lelouch processes an unworldly power, that of which allows him to control the minds of others. Anyone caught in his line of sight will be forced to obey whatever it is he orders them, a truly terrifying ability. After further investigation, I've come to discover father was also involved in the research of this power, I'm sure you can guess what it is I'm talking about,"

"—So you know about it, the Power of Kings. The Geass. Mind-boggling, Brother Schneizel." Reading the minuscule alternation to his opponent's expression, Schneizel predicted the course of their conversation had turned in his favour.

"—It may have been an ill-advised endeavour of mine, but I've also learned that you've been working on many of father's leftover assets in the EU. Since the pattern between the possessor of this power and those who meddle in those ancient ruins is palpable, it's become not so difficult to connect the dots…"

"—So you know… even what I've been doing. Well, don't bother containing you gasconade, preen yourself to my detriment, have at it."

The Viceroy sharing Schneizel's genes remained composed as he continued to lay out all that he knew about her past activities for the last year in explicit detail, including some of her more illicit doings which would surely snowball into another scandal to the public were it to be disclosed. The entire time, the White Prince's half-sibling endured emotionlessly with her digits prodding up her chin and hiding her muddled countenance.

"—Brother Schneizel, you and Lelouch have always been the smartest out of all our family members, I cannot deny the obvious. So I'll be frank and admit I'm clueless as to what schemes you have in mind. I ask you to tell me in plain English what is it you want me to do for you, and I can respond with a simple yes or no."

"—Fair enough, dear sister. If given the opportunity, are you able to control Lelouch with your power?"

"—…Yes."

"—Are you willing to?"

"—Am I willing to unseat who the population sees as an altruistic ruler that will bring about a prosperous future for Britannia and the world? Unlikely. Unless…?"

"—Unless you don't believe that Lelouch is meant for the throne, he who steals the mind of others for his own ambition. Is a Geassed world deprived of free will a fair trade for an imposed peace? Even right now, this false semblance of order we have is just another one of his ruses, and when the people wake up to the truth, it'll be too late." On the inside, Schneizel could almost chuckle at the hypocrisy he offered, but not on the outside.

"—You do realize I am one of the few souls on this earth without the right to condemn him?"

"—But you're one of the few souls who can stop him, given your rare placement as a descendant of our father Lelouch knows little about. I ask you to consider doing it for the greater good and for your family under the tyrant's control." Silence enveloped the room for quite a bit after Schneizel made his proposal, the partnership he suggested was persistent in the mind of his sibling and its weight was measured on a scale between two brothers.

"—…I'll head for the Capital and tangle amidst Lelouch's court. If what you said about his intention is true, I shall be his judge, jury and executioner. Otherwise, don't expect to hear back from me again."

"—That is all I ask. It's up to you to determine who stands as the greater evil."

"—Then if there's nothing else, goodbye Brother Schneizel."

"—Goodbye, Marrybell." Once both parties ended their call, Schneizel found himself admiring the irony of imploring his sister who suffered the most similar circumstances as Lelouch to be the one that overthrows him.

"Your Highness, are you sure it's wise to ask this of Princess Marrybell? She is someone with a mindset very akin to Lelouch himself." Silently observing the communication until now, Schneizel's trusted aid placed down one concern for his plan.

"I'm hoping for their likeness to be what drives her to topple him. Firing fire with fire, I suppose."

"Although this may turn into an 'if you can't beat them, join them' situation." Hearing Kanon's familiar sense of humour, the Second Prince laughed.

"Quite right… quite right. Well, it is what it is."

— —

Author's note

Oof, the longest chapter yet. It wasn't planned this way but it just sorta happened, although all in all, I'm pretty happy about it. I've set up short and long-term developments for the future, there's a prelude to introducing other characters. I'm actually doing proper writing stuff, it's crazy.

I don't wanna drag my notes on for too long so I'll just stop it here.

Replying to shadowwriter01 talking about how the Knight of Rounds use "Line of Succession" to question Lelouch's succession and doesn't get retorted by counterpoints like V.V. and Geass:

I don't believe there's any evidence in canon that shows any of the Rounds knowing about Geass and V.V. except for Suzaku and Bismarck, in R2 episode two Charles brought Suzaku to the thought elevator under Pendragon and told him he was the first Rounds to be there and not even Schneizel knows about it, while it is revealed later that Bismarck obviously knows about Charles's plan, I think it's more an exception than the rule. Besides, all of the Rounds are like in their twenties, there's no reason to think they'd suspect Charles as an illegitimate ruler if he's been in power for all their lives. And you said it yourself that it's possible for Charles to just Geass them, so that's another possibility for a problem that I don't really think is there.

Alright cool bye, also thanks for reading.