Early the next morning, Lelouch wakes up. "C.C." He says, as he wakes up. "Oh, right." He says, remembering that he sent her to be with Zero. "Where am I? Why am I in C's world?" He says as he finds himself not in his room. He then snaps his fingers, and is then dressed in his Zero outfit.
"We've been watching you, R.R." A female voice says.
"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" He asks. He then sees a woman approach him, with the geass symbol integrated into her outfit.
"We need to talk." She replies.
"Who are you?" Lelouch repeats.
"You should be asking what I am." She replies. "I am part of the Collective Conscious. There is more afoot than you know." She says.
"I know M.M.'s plan to destroy the world with the FLEIJA anomalies. What is it that I don't know?" Lelouch says.
"That geass is not meant to be used by humans." She replies.
"Then, why was it given to us in the first place?" Lelouch replies. "If it's not supposed to be used by us, then just take it away." He says.
"If only it were that easy." She says and disappears. Lelouch then looks around for her, until he hears her, and looks up. "We do not care for humans, we think that they should be extinct. But some have fascinated us, and those who sought us were given code. Your code is the newest among the few that there are." She says
"All of the coded have been killed by M.M." Lelouch says. "Unless their codes are free and can bind themselves to a willing or unwilling person." He says.
"You catch on quickly." She replies. "It takes years for us to reclaim code, and we have never had to reclaim so many before now."
"Then why are you speaking to me, if you have code to collect?" Lelouch asks.
"Because, C.C. is resistant to our approaches, and M.M. is a dangerous individual. You, being the youngest coded, are not as intune with you power." She says.
"Just because I'm human, doesn't mean I don't know how to wield power." Lelouch responds.
"You use your code, like you did your geass. But, you fascinate me. You were to go along the path of solitude, but you chose a different path. Why is that?" She says.
"I see, you are many, but you are also one. I chose a different path, because of C.C. I was shown her story, and realized her true desire. To no longer be alone." Lelouch says.
"She could have achieved that if she had died." She replies.
"There are many ways to not be alone." Lelouch replies. "She sought the easiest way, to end her life, like the others before her. I showed her the other way, and joined her on the path she walks."
"Now why are you helping those from the Order? They are against you." She asks.
"You say that geass is not for humans, why?" He asks.
"You know the answer. Geass corrupts and is used for evil." She replies.
"That is true. But look at Zero. His geass is not corrupting anyone." Lelouch replies.
"It has corrupted himself. The man who calls himself Zero is corrupted by two geasses. Yours and his own." She replies.
"That may be so, but it is for the greater good of the world." Lelouch replies.
"Everyone with geass wishes to destroy the world. You did what many before you have failed." She says.
"Would that be creating a new world?" Lelouch asks.
"The world is still the same as it was before you died." She says.
"It is better off than it used to be. Now M.M. wishes to undo my work, and for what reason." Lelouch says.
"We cannot tell you, R.R." She replies. "We will be watching you, and we may even contact you again." She then disappears and C's world grows darker.

Lelouch wakes up in his room. "That was a dream? It felt so real." He says. He then sees a geass symbol fading, near the window. "So that was real." He says. He then gets up and out of his night clothes, and into his casual wear. When dressed, he heads for the door, and prepares to go to Ashford. He sees Cyrus waiting, leaning against the wall opposite the door. "Cyrus, shouldn't you be at the festival?" Lelouch asks.
"Professor, I wanted to talk to you about something." Cyrus replies, looking up and into Lelouch's purple eyes.
"Sure. Come on in." Lelouch says, gesturing for Cyrus to enter the room. "What did you want to discuss?" He asks.
"Alistair mentioned something about me being a general, and you replied that we have the potential. Are you certain of that, professor?" Cyrus asks.
"Very certain. Leaving the Order will improve your lives, as you have seen." Lelouch replies.
"Then I don't want to let you down. I challenge you to a game of chess." Cyrus demands.
"You think you can win?" Lelouch says.
"You said the other day that if I have something on the line, I might perform better." Cyrus says.
"Then what's the bet?" Lelouch says.
"If I win, you'll show me the scar you hide under your glove." Cyrus says.
"And if I win?" Lelouch asks.
"We treat this as if it never happened." Cyrus answers.
"Very well, I accept your challenge." Lelouch says. He then leads Cyrus to a table with a chessboard already set up, and they begin their game. "Cyrus, why did you hesitate to accept the challenge the other day?" Lelouch asks.
"We had just found out who you were, and I didn't want to go up against a tactical genius like you." Cyrus replies.
"Yet here you are, going up against me anyways." Lelouch says.
"That was before you said I had a chance to be a general." Cyrus replies.
"Or a commander. You have the talent, you just need to accept it." Lelouch says.
"I have a geass that allows me to hear thoughts, why would I be a commander?" Cyrus says. He then sees Lelouch move his king. "Why are you moving such a vulnerable piece?" He asks.
"If the king does not lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow. Use your geass when you need to support your troops." Lelouch says.
"I see. Therefore I'll do the same." Cyrus says as he moves his king.
"Why did you do that?" Lelouch says. He then moves his knight towards Cyrus' king. "Check."
"I did that to draw you out." Cyrus replies. He moves his bishop, and captures Lelouch's knight. "Checkmate." Cyrus says, as his pieces can capture Lelouch's king, no matter where he moves it.
"So it is. Congrats, Cyrus. You beat me." Lelouch says. "Now all you have to do is try this again in the classroom in the future." Lelouch says.
"That may be so, professor, but you have to follow through on your side of the deal." Cyrus says.
"And I will." Lelouch says. He then holds his right hand up, palm facing towards himself, and removes the glove.
"There isn't a scar on your hand." Cyrus says, as he sees Lelouch's hand.
"No, there isn't, but a scar isn't the only thing I'd hide." He replies, as he rotates his palm towards Cyrus.
"Your code." Cyrus says, as he sees Lelouch's code.
"I keep it hidden because people will ask about it. You've seen how expressive I can be, so you know why I've kept it covered." Lelouch replies. "Now the scar you wanted to see, is here." He says, as he unbuttons his shirt and reveals the horizontal scar across his chest.
"Is that…" Cyrus says, amazed.
"Yes. This is where Zero killed me." Lelouch replies. "I have no regrets. When this happened, I found peace with those I wronged."
"Wow." Cyrus says, awed. "I think we should meet up with the others." He says. Lelouch then buttons his shirt up and puts his glove back on, and they leave for Ashford Academy.

"Should we have gone on ahead without Cyrus?" Morgan asks the others as they approach the school.
"He said that he would meet up with us later, with the professor." Allison replies.
"I don't see why you dragged me along." Alistair says.
"We need this, Alistair. We stopped M.M., and the Order from invading. So why not celebrate." Allison replies.
"I'm glad you guys could make it!" Nunnally says as she greets the group. "We're still setting up, so if you don't mind helping us, that'd be great." She says, as she leads them onto school grounds.
"You seem so happy, Nunnally." Morgan says.
"Lots of things have happened so recently, that I can't help it." She replies. "Where's Lelouch and…" She says, noticing that Lelouch and Cyrus aren't present.
"Cyrus." Morgan says. "He and the professor, your brother, will be here later."
"That's good to know." Nunnally replies. "This way, please. The Pres., and the principal will want to see you, if you are willing to help." Nunnally leads them to the festival surveillance building, and they enter, seeing Milly and the student council inside.
"The oven should be arriving soon, so if we can prepare an area designated for it, then we can set up the rest of the grounds for the festival." Milly says.
"Milly, I found some people willing to help us with setting up." Nunnally says.
"Really, who?" Milly asks, as she faces Nunnally and the others. "You were with Lelouch the other day, weren't you?" She says as she recognizes the group.
"Yes we were." Morgan replies. "Nunnally says that you need some help."
"Indeed we do. Since you are here early, you can help the rest of the student body set up the stalls outside, of set up some of the classrooms." She replies.
"We also need some people to set up the pizza toppings." Amanda says.
"That is true. The oven will be arriving shortly, so if some of you would like to prepare ingredients, that would be most appreciated." Milly says.
"Morgan and I can set up the ingredients." Connor says. "What kind of pizza is it?" He asks.
"A fifteen meter pizza." Ryan replies.
"Since the other twelve meter pizzas failed, I've decided that we will be making the world's largest pizza, with no causes for failure this time." Milly replies.
"That's a lot of toppings." Connor says.
"You can just prepare the ones that can keep well before the pizza is ready to bake." Ryan says.
"Well, let's get to it, Morgan." Connor says. "If one of you doesn't mind, could you show us to where we need to be." He asks.
"I'll show you." Taylor says, getting up.
"Wait, before you go, take these." Nunnally says, offering the two blue, heart shaped hats. Taylor then leads Connor and Morgan out of the building they're in, and towards where the ingredients are stored.
"What were those for?" Allison asks.
"They're for the Cupid Day chase." Milly replies. "Since Lelouch will be arriving soon, I figured I would treat him to some fun." She says.
"What kind of fun?" Allison asks.
"Let's just say that I found out something from that day. Lelouch won't be able to sneak out of this one." Milly says, smiling.
"You probably won't tell me, even if I do ask." Allison says.
"That's right." Milly replies.
"Well, I think I might help out inside the school." Allison says.
"Oh, good." Amanda says. "Most of the students are busy inside, but the horror house needs more people to work on it." She adds.
"Horror house. Just how scary could it be?" Allison says. She then leaves the building and heads for the school.
"I'll wait for Lelouch and the others." Nunnally says as she gathers more hats, pink and blue, and leaves the building.
"I'll just be around." Alistair says, leaving.

Meanwhile in Zero's quarters, in the embassy, C.C. wakes up. "Well, Lelouch, I hope you're happy. We've finally gone our own ways." She says, after stretching. She then gets up off of the couch she was sleeping on, and heads for Zero's personal shower to clean up. When she enters, she removes her clothes and enters the shower stall, turning on the water.
Zero, having been awake for some time now, is exercising on a wall mounted pullup bar, with his legs hanging over the bar. With his mask and cape off, Suzaku works on his core. "Lelouch, why would you send C.C. here? I am capable of looking after myself." He says to himself as he does a few reps. "It's not like there will be any more attempts on my life, or Nunnally's." He adds. On his final rep, he grabs the bar and pulls himself free, swinging his legs over the bar and lowers himself to the ground. Once on the ground, Suzaku wipes the sweat from his brow and grabs his mask and cape. Before he leaves his private quarter, he looks into the mirror, and sighs as he sees a faceless Zero in the mirror. He then grabs a second Zero suit and leaves the room.
In the shower, C.C. is relaxing in the steam, until she senses a presence approach. "Go away, I have no intention to speak with any of you." She says.
"C.C., you don't know what is about to happen now, do you?" A voice says.
"I know that M.M. has killed the rest of the coded, and that has somehow destabilized the FLEIJA dimensions. He wishes to kill Zero, yet he does not know that Zero is unkillable." C.C. replies.
"There is far more happening than that, C.C." The voice says. The source of the voice approaches, remaining in the glass of the stall. "Geass will rule this world. Although we may not care for this world, or its inhabitants, geass is not for any mortal to use." She says.
"I know that, but power beyond anyone's imagination tempts them to accepting a contract." C.C. says.
"Unless that contract is forced upon someone." The newcomer says.
"You don't mean…" C.C. starts.
"We have said too much already. We will be interested in which party is successful." The woman says, as she disappears. C.C. then turns the water off, gets out of the stall, drys off, and puts her clothes back on. When she walks out of the shower, she sees Suzaku removing his Zero suit. "Good morning to you, Suzaku." C.C. says.
Suzaku looks down and takes a deep breath, and then looks up at C.C. "I guess it is. It might get better as the day progresses." He says, forcing a smile.
"Suzaku, you know why Lelouch sent me here, right?" She asks.
"He must have wanted to keep an eye on me." Suzaku says.
"I would've come here on my own accord, but I would have been here later than when Lelouch sent me." She says, approaching Suzaku. She then puts her hands to his face and looks into his eyes, one green the other red with geass. "No one knows where you are, Suzaku. Lelouch, and I are the only ones that can see you." She says.
"Thank you." Suzaku says, putting his hand to one of C.C.'s. "Now, I'm going to get cleaned up, we have a festival to attend to." He says, heading towards the shower.
"I might pass on this one." C.C. replies.
"How come, C.C.?" Suzaku asks, stopping. "Wait, you were at the other festivals? That would explain the picture of Lelouch that Anya had." He says.
"I was only there for the pizza. And both times I was disappointed with a significant lack of pizza. I almost became a pizza during the last festival." She replies. "You know what, I might get back at Lelouch, for pushing me into that container of tomatoes." She adds, with a smile to her face.
"Well that's settled then. Now get dressed C.C., we are going to this festival." He says as he continues his path to the shower.

Lelouch and Cyrus arrive at Ashford Academy. "Looks like they're still setting up." Lelouch says as he sees most of the students and faculty working on setting up the grounds.
"Hey, there's Alistair." Cyrus says as he sees Alistair helping out.
"Big brother!" Nunnally says as she sees Lelouch, and rushes towards him and Cyrus.
"Nunnally!" Lelouch says. He then hugs her as she approaches. "Nunnally, what have you got on your head?" He asks as he sees the hat.
"It's for one of Milly's activities for the day." Nunnally replies. She then places a blue hat on him.
"Nunnally, I know what these hats were for, and no, I will not participate." Lelouch says.
"Oh come on, Lelouch, this is going to be fun. Plus I haven't had this kind of fun in a very long time." Nunnally says, smiling.
Lelouch, not wanting to disappoint his sister, sighs. "Fine, I'll play along."
"Oh, good. Milly will be waiting for you." Nunnally says. Lelouch then leaves, knowing where the control center is.
"So, where are the others?" Cyrus asks Nunnally.
"Morgan and his friend are setting up the pizza toppings. I don't know your names so well, sorry." Nunnally replies.
"Morgan and Connor are together, that's good. Alistair is out here, although he doesn't look happy about it. Now, where's Allison?" Cyrus says.
"Allison is inside helping set up." Nunnally says. She then gives Cyrus a blue hat, and walks off, staying near the entrance of the school. Cyrus then heads off towards the main school building and looks for Allison.

"Thank you for leading us here, uh…" Connor says to Taylor, not knowing her name.
"I'm Taylor, and you're welcome." She says.
"Taylor." Connor says. "I think we have this under control."
"Just shout if you need any help." She says, as she leaves the two.
"Well, let's see what we have inside for this giant pizza." Morgan says. He then opens the door and enters, with Connor right behind him. "This is a lot of toppings." He says. He then sees Connor looking around. "What's on your mind, Connor?" He asks.
"Just trying to figure out how many duplicates we'll need. I reckon ten should do." Connor replies. "So, do you think you can teach me how to use a knife?" He asks.
"What? Uh… I could, but I never had to do anything like this." Morgan replies.
"Well that's alright, we can learn on the spot." Connor says. Morgan then pulls out his knife and inspects it, flipping it open.
"I don't think my knife will work for this job." He says, twirling the knife closed. He then looks around the room and finds a few chefs knives. "I know these are better for the job, than my balisong." He says, picking up two knives and handing one to Connor. He then teaches him how to use the knife safely.
"I thought you said that you didn't know how to do this." Connor says.
"No. I said that I never had to do anything like this. That doesn't mean I don't know how to do this." Morgan replies.
"Very well." Connor says. He then puts the knife in his pocket, and backs up a little. He then activates his geass and duplicates himself ten times. Morgan then goes to Connor, removes the knife from his pocket, and sets him in a corner, so as to be out of the way. "Th-th-th-th-thank you." Connor says, shaking a little.
"Don't press yourself too hard now. We'll get this done in no time at all." Morgan says. He and the duplicates get to work on the toppings.

Meanwhile in the school, Allison is helping the horror house get set up. "Does this really scare people?" She asks, as she finishes setting up the path through the room.
"It can, if it's scary enough. Besides some of this scares me." The student in charge of the horror house replies.
"I'm surprised that you're not freaking out." She says.
"Oh don't worry, I think that I've gotten over some of…" The student starts, but screams in fright as someone puts their hand on his shoulder.
"There is still plenty to be afraid of." Cyrus says.
"Don't do that." The student says, panting.
"It's alright. Don't you think the others would be doing the same?" Cyrus says.
"Those participating are getting into makeup and costume." He says. "Allison, if you'd like to…" He starts, but is interrupted.
"No thank you." Allison says. "Now what brings you here, Cyrus?"
"I was looking for you. Besides most, if not all, of the classroom are complete." He replies, he then turns around and walks off.
"It's been fun helping out, but I think you have this under control." Allison says to the student before she follows after Cyrus. When she catches up to him, he's heading up some stairs to the roof of the school. When they reach the roof, Cyrus looks around.
"It's beautiful here, don't you think so?" Cyrus asks Allison.
"I guess so. It's much better than at the sanctum." She replies. "So, how did it go with the professor?" She asks.
"I won. I actually beat him." He replies, turning around facing Allison.
"How did you manage that, Cyrus?" She asks.
"He was giving us hints all along. Yesterday was when I realized what he was doing. During our chess match, he taught me even more, and I did not disappoint him. " Cyrus replies. "The only thing is, I have to beat him again in class. Then I might become what he believes me to be." He adds.
"I'm so glad you did it, but how did you do it?" She asks. "He isn't the easiest opponent, we've seen that with every win he has in the class." She says.
"He gambled with chess, so I threw out a bet." He replies.
"What was the bet?" She asks.
"He was to show me what was under his glove, or we treat the match like it never happened." Cyrus replies.
"So what was under the glove?" Allison asks.
"His code." He replies.
"He said that it was a scar. Well, I guess that code is like a scar." She says. "Let's head back down and check with the others." She says. She and Cyrus then head back and return to the school grounds.

"Gino, wait up, I can't go that fast while I have to carry Naoto." Kallen says as she follows after Gino, with Naoto in her arms.
"Oh come on, Kallen. You could have left him with your mother." Gino says as he turns around and starts to walk backwards.
"I could have, but he needs to get some fresh air every now and again." She replies. "Gino look out!" She warns, as Gino is about to walk into someone.
"What… Oh." Gino says, as he bumps into someone behind him. He catches his balance, and looks behind him seeing who he bumped into. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to knock you over." He says, helping the person up.
"It's alright, I'm fine. However these oranges might not be." The person replies. "Your voice sounds familiar, do I know you?" The person says, turning around facing Gino and Kallen.
"Anya, is that you?" Gino asks.
"Yes, I'm Anya Alstreim. Who are you?" Anya asks.
"Gino Weinberg, former knight of three." Gino replies.
"I've heard of you, you're one of the Aces, aren't you?" She asks.
"Is everything alright here?" A voice says.
"Yes sir." Anya replies. She then begins to pick up the oranges that are not as badly damaged, when Jeremiah approaches.
"Kallen, Gino, it's a pleasure to meet you again." He says.
"You to, Orange Boy." Gino replies.
"Jeremiah, what brings you here?" Kallen asks.
"Just setting up our stall for the market. We had an excellent harvest, and these oranges are the best around." Jeremiah replies. "Now, what are you two up to?" He asks.
"We are heading to Ashford Academy, for the school festival." Kallen replies.
"Anya, why don't you come along too. After all, we did go to the school together." Gino says.
"I would love to. Perhaps it would help me with my memories." Anya replies.
"Your memories?" Gino asks.
"After Damocles, I undid what happened to Anya. So she has no memory of what happened between Marianne's death and the Battle of Damocles." Jeremiah says. "I'm sorry Gino, but she has made new memories that she can remember." He adds.
"Come on, Gino. We don't want to be late." Kallen says from up ahead.
"Feel free to tag along, if you want." Gino says, as he heads after Kallen. Anya and Jeremiah then head in the direction Kallen and Gino are going, and meet up with them at Ashford Academy.
"Kallen, Gino you made it!" Nunnally says, as she spots the group and approaches.
"Nunnally?" Kallen and Gino say as they see her approach.
"Anya came as well." Nunnally says seeing Anya. "Hello Anya, it's been awhile since last we saw each other." She says to Anya.
"It's nice to see you too, Nunnally. But shouldn't you be…" Anya starts, but is shushed by Nunnally.
"I know. But this is for the better. Cornelia and Schneizel okayed it with Zero. So, here I am." Nunnally says.
"Zero has a lot to explain." Kallen says.
"Sewo!" Naoto says, as he sees Zero approach.
"Was that his first word?" Kallen asks.
"I'm not sure. I don't spend as much time around him as you do." Gino replies.
"Villetta is going to kill us." Kallen says.
"Sewo, Sewo!" Naoto says, pointing towards Zero and C.C.
"Zero is here as well." Nunnally says, waving to Zero. The others turn to face Zero. Alistair looks over to see what's happening at the gate, and sees the Aces and Nunnally meeting Zero at the gate.
"What's Zero doing here?" Alistair asks himself.
"The festival is the school's most open event." A student says, after hearing Alistair mention Zero.
"He could have been invited. Although I don't know who would invite Zero." Another says.

Lelouch enters the control room, and sees Milly, Amanda, Ryan, and Taylor in the room. "Must I really wear this silly hat, again?" Lelouch says, as he enters.
"Of course, Lelouch. You know exactly what that hat means, so I'll give you the rules of this chase. The rules are the same as they were when I graduated, but I have something special planned for you." Milly says.
"I dread to think what you could possibly have planned for me." Lelouch says.
"Good." Milly replies. "We'll give you a ten second head start." She says. Lelouch then jogs out of the building.

"Will Nina be joining us?" Nunnally asks Zero.
"She may be here later." Zero replies. "I hear that she has a lot to work on with the others."
"Zero, why is Nunnally here?" Kallen asks.
"It was Lelouch's plan. Besides, I think she likes it here." He replies.
"Oh, that reminds me, I have these to give to you." Nunnally says offering the group the hats she brought with her.
"This again?" Gino says, realizing the hats are from Cupid Day. He takes a blue one and places it on his head. Anya then takes a pink one and does the same.
"My hands are a little full at the moment." Kallen says, holding Naoto.
"Don't you worry, Kallen. I got it for you." Gino says. He then takes a pink hat from Nunnally, places it on his head as he removes his blue one, and places the blue one on Kallen's head. "There you go." He says, seeing Kallen blush a bit.
"Gino, why… Why did you…" Kallen stutters.
"I'd like to give it a try, us being a couple." He replies.
"Aw, you're so sweet together." Nunnally says, after seeing the event happen.
"I'd like to be part of the event." C.C. says.
"C.C., are you sure?" Nunnally asks.
"Yes, I am. Besides, I have a score to settle with Lelouch." C.C. replies, taking a pink hat from Nunnally.
"Well, enjoy yourselves." Nunnally says to the group. As the group enters the grounds, Zero remains by Nunnally. "The Ganymede is in the same spot as before." She says to Zero.
"You want me to make the pizza?" He asks her.
"Of course, Zero." She says. She then looks around before continuing. "You were to make it for two years in a row." She says.
"I see. You think it would be fitting if I finally made the pizza." Zero says. "Then let nothing stand in our way." Zero says, with a little flourish of his cape. He then looks over to his hand, and lowers it back to his side.
"Something the matter, Zero?" Nunnally asks.
"It's nothing." Zero says, heading towards where the Ganymede is stationed.

"Ohgi, do you remember the time you took me to the Ashford school festival?" Villetta asks her husband, as they wait at their reserved table.
"I do. Why, Chigusa?" Ohgi asks, as he drinks from a glass of water.
"I was contacted by a former student of mine about attending this years festival." She replies.
"You became a teacher there?" Ohgi asks.
"I was a p.e. Teacher, plus I was undercover." She replies.
"Watching Lelouch, yes?" He asks.
"Yes." She replies. "I thought I'd take you to this one. But this is an important time for us, being our anniversary.." She says.
"Well we are reserved here, so…" Ohgi says.
"Great, we can come back here for dinner then." Villetta says, getting up. She grabs Ohgi's arm as he gets up, and drags him off to the front of the restaurant.
"We'll be back here for the dinner rush." Ohgi says, as they pass their host. When they leave the restaurant, their driver sees them and heads to their car, opening the doors for them to enter.
"Did something come up, Prime Minister?" The driver asks.
"Of sorts…" Ohgi says.
"Take us to Ashford Academy, we'll be spending the day there. We'll be back here for dinner." Villetta says. The driver enters the car, and they are off to the school.

"Alright ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Ashford Academy's school festival!" Milly says, over the loudspeakers. "I would like to start the celebration off with the Cupid Day chase. The rules are simple, find the one of your dreams and switch your hats, before someone does it before you." She continues. "Now, before you run off, I'd like to make a special announcement." She says. After a short pause, she continues. "Anyone that can bring me the hat of Nunnally's brother, Lelouch Lamperouge, their club will get budget priorities. So have fun." She says, while laughing.
"What's so important about him?" Taylor asks. They then hear the door open and see Cyrus and Allison enter the building.
"Well I found out that he cheated last time. He is no athlete, so this will be easy for whoever catches him." Milly says. She then sees the looks on Cyrus and Allison's faces. "Is there something you want to mention?" She asks them.
"No, nothing." They say, looking away from Milly.
"If I can outrun him while I'm in a dress, then this will be over before it even starts." Milly says. They then look to the screen where Lelouch is in front of the school being surrounded by the students.

When Lelouch leaves the control room, he makes his way to the front of the school, counting how much time he has. By the time he reaches ten, Milly makes her announcement. "Milly, I swear." Lelouch says to himself. He then sees the students approaching him from all sides. He looks all around him trying to find a way out of this situation. When he sees that part of the crowd is thinner at some parts. He then takes off running in the direction of one of the thin spots, and before he reaches the crowd, he jumps over them. When he lands, he looks over his shoulder, gets up and prepares to run across the campus grounds.
Back in the control room, Milly is surprised at the stunt Lelouch pulled. "So what kind of dress was this?" Cyrus asks.
"Don't get smart with me." Milly says to Cyrus. "This is impossible. Lelouch can't do things like this. I've known him for years, how could he change so suddenly." She says. She then looks back at Cyrus and Allison. "You knew this would happen?" She asks them.
"We've seen him first hand." Allison replies.
"Anything you can tell me to help this along?" Milly asks.
"He can't keep it up for very long. He may be fast, but it's all for show." Cyrus replies.
"Maybe I can get him this time." Milly says. She then grabs the microphone and starts to issue orders on how to catch Lelouch.
Outside the the control room, Nunnally is having a blast being able to stretch her legs and enjoy the warmth of the afternoon. "Why's Milly going overboard trying to catch Lelouch? He can't be like Suzaku now, can he?" She says to herself.
Alistair, having departed from the students he was working with approaches Nunnally. "May I have a word with you?" He asks her, startling her a little.
"Oh, you gave me a bit of a fright there." Nunnally says. "You know, I don't think I got your name." She says.
"My name is Alistair. And you are?" Alistair says.
"I'm Nunnally, Nunnally Lamperouge. But you already know that." She replies.
"I do, but I know that you are lying." He says. "So, who are you?" He asks.
"What would you do if I told you?" She asks him.
"Depends on your answer." He replies. "I want the truth."
"The truth you say." Nunnally says. She then notices his shades. "Do you mind taking those off, please?" She asks. Alistair backs up a little when Nunnally indicates his shades.
"No, they'll stay on." Alistair replies, looking away. He then sees Nunnally grab his hand. "What are you doing?" He asks.
"I'm going to tell the truth. I don't like it when people keep things from me. When I was blind, I used to take other people's hands into my own to tell if they were being sincere. If they didn't take my hand they were hiding something from me." Nunnally replies. "So please take your shades off, I'd like to look into your eyes. I'm sure that their beautiful." She says.
Alistair is shocked to hear this from Nunnally. "You used to be blind?" He asks, with a tear running down his face.
"Yes, and my brother took great care of me for the years I was blind." She replies. "Your crying, is something wrong?" She asks.
"No, it's nothing." He replies. He notices that he is still holding her hand. "I just… I never thought I'd experience such a beautiful truth in my life." He says. He closes his eyes and removes his teal shades. He then opens his eyes and locks eyes with Nunnally, his red eyes meeting with her purple.
"How long have you been like that?" She says, as she looks into his geass encompassed eyes.
"I don't know how long, most of my life I guess." He replies. "You're not freaked out by my eyes?" He asks.
"Why should I. My brother had geass, and when he first looked into my eyes, when he was in your state, it scared me, but I knew that he was the same Lelouch I always knew." She replies.
"You know that that's not quite true." He replies.
"I know. I have to muddle the truth to a story that benefits multiple parties." Nunnally replies. "You know, Alistair, I kind of like you." She says. "If you don't mind." Nunnally says, taking her hat off and switching her's with Alistair's.
"Why did you… Don't you have anyone here that catches your fancy?" Alistair says, as he is about to remove the pink hat from his head.
"No, not really. You're different from the others here." She says, stopping him from removing the hat.

"That took more time that I thought." Connor says, as he deactivates his geass.
"Looks like you're getting better with your geass." Morgan says, helping his heterochromatic friend up.
"Not really, but I do feel better with you around." Connor replies. They then leave the building and hear Milly's announcement.
"I wonder if the professor is going to have fun with this?" Morgan says.
"What do you mean, Morgan?" Connor asks.
"He seems to treat most things like they're a game." Morgan replies. Suddenly a female student approaches them and removes Connor's hat.
"I got your hat." The girl says excitedly. "Now we can be girlfriend and boyfriend." She adds. When Morgan hears this, he activates his geass, takes the hat from the girl, and places it back on Connor. When he deactivates his geass, the girls looks at her now empty hands and back at Connor. She then sees Morgan draw Connor closer to himself, with an angry look on his face.
"You didn't have to scare her off." Connor says, as the girl runs off, away from them.
"I'm not letting anyone take you from me." Morgan says.
"That's very kind of you, Morgan." Connor says, kissing him. "But I can look after myself. Now, let's meet up with the others." He adds. Morgan then blushes, but regains his composure and follows Connor.

"Well, Prime Minister, here we are." The driver says as they arrive at Ashford Academy.
"Thank you." Ohgi and Villetta say as they exit from the car.
"It is so nice to be back here." Villetta says.
"I'm glad that you enjoyed our first time here, Chigusa." Ohgi says. They then enter the school grounds and hear Milly giving orders to the students. "What is going on?" Ohgi asks.
"Sounds like Cupid Day all over again." Villetta replies. They then approach one of the booths offering food, and purchase some.
"Damn it, Milly, will you give me a break already!" Lelouch says as he runs past the booths in front of the school. He then stops near an empty booth and catches his breath for a bit.
"Is that, Lelouch?" Ohgi says seeing Lelouch. Lelouch then looks up and sees Ohgi and Villetta looking right at him, he then sees some of the students approaching him again and then takes off towards the library. "Villeta, you saw him too, didn't you?" Ohgi asks her.
"I did. I didn't think he had it in him." She replies.
"What do you mean, Chigusa?" Ohgi asks.
"I'll tell you some other time, Ohgi. The professor seems to be having a hard time here." She replies.
"Professor… How long have you known he was alive?" He asks.
"The day before the party at the embassy." She replies. "Now let's head inside the school."

When Lelouch reaches the library, he rounds a corner and catches his breath again. "I can't keep this up much longer." Lelouch says panting. He then feels his hat being removed, and looks over to see C.C., placing his hat on her head, while placing her hat on his.
"Then don't." C.C. says.
"C.C., why did you do that?" Lelouch asks her.
"I have a score to settle with you, and today is the best time to do that." She replies, grabbing Lelouch's hand and dragging him with her.
In the control room, Milly sees Lelouch with C.C. "Who is she?" Milly asks, as she sees them heading back to the front of the school.
"She's a friend of his." Cyrus replies. The door then opens, and everyone looks over to see who entered.
"The toppings for the pizza are ready." Connor says, as he and Morgan enter the room, holding hands.
"Cyrus, it's good to see that you made it." Morgan says.
"Thank you, but where's Alistair?" Cyrus asks.
"He's around somewhere." Morgan says. "So how did it go with the professor?" He asks.
"He wants a rematch in class. I just need a way to beat him that time." Cyrus replies.
"You beat Lelouch in chess. Way to go Cyrus." Morgan says.
"Wait, you beat Lelouch. In a game of chess?" Milly asks.
"It wasn't easy, if that's what you're wondering." Cyrus replies.
"I figured that." Milly says. "Now you guys, get out there. This is a time to relax and have some fun." Milly says. The four then leave the others alone in the control room, and enjoy the festivities.

Zero is making his way to the Ganymede, until he comes across Arthur the cat. "Arthur, what are you doing here." Zero says to the cat. Arthur then sits down in front of Zero, and looks up at him. "Oh, come on, Arthur." Zero says, picking up the cat. When he picks him up, Arthur then bites Zeros index finger. "Things never change, do they, Arthur?" He says to the cat. Zero then reaches where the Ganymede is charging, and sees Rivalz trying to get it working. Rivalz then looks up and sees Zero approaching.
"Oh, good. Someone who knows how to work a knightmare." Rivalz says, relieved.
"I'd be glad to help, if you want me to?" Zero says.
"That's awful kind of you Zero, thank you." Rivalz says. "I have to get prepared at the oven." He says, jumping down from the Ganymede and heading off towards the massive pizza oven.
Zero then gets onto and into the Ganymede. "Alright, Arthur, let's get this knightmare working." Zero says, as he works on powering up the knightmare. When he gets it powered up, he then unlatches the charging cords from the frame, and heads for the oven.

"Good meow-ning." One of the students at the face paint booth says, greeting Lelouch and C.C.
"Yes, good afternoon. C.C., do I really have to go through with this?" Lelouch says.
"Yes, you must." C.C. replies, as she is looking through all of the cat designs. "I like this one." She says, pointing out an orange cat face.
"Right away. And what about your friend." Another student says.
"I'll let you choose his." C.C. replies with a smirk. "Now pay the fine ladies, Lelouch." She says as she takes a seat in a chair.
"Fine." Lelouch sighs. He then pays the students and they get to work on C.C.'s face. When they finish, they offer her some matching cat ears and paw gloves, as well as a mirror.
"I like it, thank you." C.C. says, as she inspects herself in the mirror. She then gets up from the chair and maneuvers Lelouch into the chair. "Restrain him, he might resist." She says.
"What! No, don't!" Lelouch shouts as he is being restrained. The girls at the booth are laughing as they do it, enjoying seeing Lelouch struggle. When he is fully restrained, he looks at C.C. angrily. "I won't forgive you for this." He says.
"I didn't think you would." She replies as the girls start to paint his face.

"Oh, the horror house. I wonder if it's as scary as last time?" Villetta says as they approach the classroom.
"It could be, but I don't think Kallen is in it this time." Ohgi replies. "She really got me that time."
"Gino, we are not doing the horror house. I don't want to scare Naoto." Kallen says to Gino as they approach the classroom.
"Well we could do it one at a time." Gino replies. When they reach the classroom, they see Ohgi and Villetta.
"Mama." Naoto says, seeing Villetta.
"His first word." Villetta says, excited by hearing her son's voice.
"Second." Kallen says.
"I missed his first word." Villetta says, shocked. "What was it, tell me." She says.
"It was…" Kallen starts.
"Sewo!" Naoto says, as he sees some students dressed as Zero.
"That." Gino finishes.
"Don't be so upset, Chigusa. At least we got to hear him speak." Ohgi says.
"I guess you're right." Villetta says. "Now, hand him over. You probably have some things you want to do." She says, holding her arms out. Kallen then passes Naoto over to Villetta.

"You witch." Lelouch says to C.C., as the girls finish painting his face.
"I try." She replies.
"Now, what horrors do you have planned for me?" Lelouch asks, as the girls release him. C.C. then turns around, looking outside of the booth, while Lelouch starts to back up when he gets back on his feet.
"Let's see, there's…" C.C. says, as she begins to think about what to do to Lelouch. Lelouch then takes off, getting as far away from C.C. as possible. When he stops to catch his breath, he sees Alistair with Nunnally.
"What are they…" He starts, but notices the hats on their heads. He then charges towards them and prepares a spin kick.
"Alistair, look out!" Nunnally calls out, as she hears Lelouch approaching. Alistair turns and sees Lelouch jumping into the air, and then all of a sudden is on his back looking into Nunnally's eyes. Lelouch sees Nunnally tackle Alistair to the ground, as he is about to connect with him, but snaps his finger and disappears before he collides with Nunnally. "Where'd he go?" Nunnally asks, as she and Alistair look around for Lelouch.
"As much as I like it on the ground, I think I'd prefer to be standing again." Alistair says.
"Oh, sorry." Nunnally says, getting off of Alistair, and helping him back up. Lelouch then reappears beside them.
"Nunnally, what is the meaning for this?" He asks her.
"Lelouch, he's been alone for a long time. He needs someone to care for him, like I had you to care for me." Nunnally replies.
"I see. Very well, Nunnally. You do know his nature, right?" Lelouch says.
"I do." She replies. "Alistair, I'm sorry, but I will have to keep up a lie until the time is right." She says to Alistair.
"I understand." Alistair says. He then gets a better look at Lelouch and Nunnally together. "Wait, you're… and you're supposed to be…" He says, realizing who they really are.
"Don't even say it!" Lelouch and Nunnally warn him. They then look at each other and laugh.
"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming here today. Now it is time for the main event to get started! Head on over to the oven and we'll get the pizza underway!" Rivalz says over the speakers.
"They're going to start working on the pizza. Come on, you two." Nunnally says, as she heads off towards the oven.
"Let's hope that it works out this time." Lelouch says as he and Alistair follow after Nunnally.

When Zero approaches the oven, Rivalz greets him again. "Hey, Zero! Thanks for getting it started." He says to Zero.
"You're welcome. Nunnally wants me to make the pizza." Zero says.
"Is that so. Well, I see no harm in it anyways. Now let's get everyone here to watch." Rivalz says as he prepares to announce the start of the event. "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming here today. Now it is time for the main event to get started! Head on over to the oven and we'll get the pizza underway!" Rivalz says over the speakers.
"OK, Arthur, I think it's time for you to go now." Zero says to Arthur. The cat looks up at Zero. "Go on, I'll still be here." Zero says, smiling under the mask. Arthur then departs from Zero, leaping off of the Ganymede, and heading towards Nunnally.
"Before we get started, I have a special guest to present to you!" Rivalz says. "So give it up for the masked hero of the world, Zero!" He says. The crowd cheers as they see Zero.
'I never thought this would happen.' Suzaku thinks to himself. He then stands up and extends his arms out, getting a bit more flamboyant in his gestures.
"Alright, now let's begin." Rivalz says. Zero then takes a seat and maneuvers the knightmare towards where the dough is stored. When he gathers the dough, he starts stretching it until it is ready to toss into the air. When the dough is stretched enough, he tosses the pizza base onto the custom tray that it will bake on.
"I can't believe that it's going to work this year." Lelouch says.
"What caused it to not work before?" Alistair asks him.
"Well Euphy was the cause of the first failure, that was an accident. The second time involved Gino and C.C." Lelouch replies. "Now if you don't mind, I'm going to get this paint off of me." He says as he leaves for the school building. When he reaches the front of the school, he heads for the fountain, kneels down in front of it, and starts to wash his face.
"Do you mind if I have a word with you?" Ohgi says as he approaches Lelouch. Lelouch then stands up, wiping the water from his face, and turns to face Ohgi. Lelouch is shocked to see Ohgi, that he begins to back up and loses his balance. Ohgi catches Lelouch before he falls into the fountain.
"Thank you, Ohgi." Lelouch says. "What is it that you want to talk about?" He asks. Ohgi then throws a punch at Lelouch, who then grabs Ohgi's arm and turns him around, pinning his arm to his back. "Let's be reasonable, Ohgi. I don't think Villetta would want you doing this." He says. He then sees Villetta approaching, with Naoto in her arms.
"Alright you two, break it up." Villetta says. Lelouch then lets go of Ohgi and pushes him towards Villetta.
"Sewo?" Naoto says, looking at Lelouch. Lelouch then approaches Villetta and looks into Naoto's eyes.
"I was." Lelouch says. He is about to offer the kid his gloved hand, but thinks better of it. "I don't want to scare him, with what I know." He says.
"He'll learn eventually." Villetta replies. "Now, Lelouch, about earlier?" She asks.
"Earlier when. At the academy, or here?" He asks. "If it's about here, I spent two years in the countryside. If it's about the academy, then I can guarantee that one of my students will be a general when he graduates." Lelouch replies.
"What?" Villetta and Ohgi ask in shock.
"I told you about the chess matches in my class, right Villetta?" Lelouch asks.
"So what you're saying is that one of your students beat you in a game of chess." Villetta says.
"Indeed he did." Lelouch replies. He then heads back towards the oven and meets up with C.C., who is eagerly waiting for the pizza to finish. "I don't think I've ever seen you this excited before, C.C." Lelouch says as he approaches her.
"And I don't think you will ever again." She says. She then turns to face Lelouch and is disappointed seeing him without the face paint on. "I'm not surprised you'd do that." She says, turning back to face the oven, watching as the pizza is coming out.
"Well would you looks at that, ladies and gentlemen. We have finally made the world's largest pizza." Rivalz says as the pizza is brought out of the oven, and the crowd cheers as this happens. Milly and the Ashford student council arrive and start to cut the pizza with Rivalz, and pass the slices to all of the guests. Zero then takes the Ganymede back to its hangar, charges it and gets off of the knightmare.
"Suzaku?" Nunnally says as she enters the hangar, with Arthur between her arms and a plate loaded with pizza in her hand.
"Nunnally, please don't use my name." Suzaku says.
"I know, but you will always be Suzaku to me." Nunnally replies. When she arrives to where Zero is standing, she takes a seat on one of the crates in the hangar. "I brought enough to share." She says, placing the plate beside her.
"Nunnally, I'm not in the best state to be seen unmasked." Zero replies.
"Nonsense. I just want to see your face again, while we talk and enjoy the pizza." Nunnally replies. Zero then looks away from Nunnally. "Is this what was bothering you, Suzaku?" She asks.
"Part of it. My geass is now permanently active, but that isn't what was bothering me." Zero replies.
"Oh, Suzaku, I'm so sorry to hear that, but what was bothering you?" She asks.
"I think I am becoming more like Lelouch, when he was Zero." He replies.
"I've seen his theatrics as Zero recently, but he was always like that. But you, you are different yet the same." She replies. Zero then takes a seat next to Nunnally and removes his mask. "Oh, Suzaku." She says, hugging him. Arthur leaps to the floor, then back up beside Suzaku.
"Thank you, Nunnally." Suzaku says, hugging her back. When they end the hug, they hear Arthur meow and look at him.
"So that's why Lelouch acted like that, three years ago." Nunnally says, after hearing Arthur.
"Now that you mention it, I do recall seeing a glimpse of the mask, before Lelouch showed up, chasing Arthur." Suzaku says, removing the mask from the cat. They then spend the rest of the time chatting and eating pizza before Lelouch enters the hangar.
"Zero!" He shouts, panting a bit. "Zero, I have some bad news."
"What is it, Lelouch?" Suzaku replies. Lelouch arrives to where Suzaku and Nunnally are seated, and sees Suzaku without his mask.
"Nunnally, what are you doing here?" Lelouch asks.
"Enjoying some time with my knight. Now what is the bad news you bring?" Nunnally replies.
"The FLEIJA's are about to return." Lelouch replies.
"Are you certain, Lelouch?" Suzaku asks.
"Very." He replies. "The parts that the Lancelot lost have just appeared over Tokyo. I'm not certain when the rest will follow, but it has to be soon."
"Then we have to stop the one here and at Pendragon." Suzaku says.
"How are you going to stop it?" Nunnally says, worried.
"We got you out of the embassy to keep you safe from the ones after Zero, I didn't think we'd also save you from the FLEIJA." Lelouch says.
"Miles and Nina are working on a way to stop it, but I fear that they might not be able to stop it in time." Suzaku replies. "Lelouch, since this is M.M.'s doing, could you and C.C. use your codes to stop this." He adds.
"We could, but that might kill us. But if we are to die, we'll die smiling, knowing we are doing the right thing." Lelouch replies.
"Lelouch, I have faith in you." Nunnally says.
"Thank you, Nunnally. We're going to need all the hope we can get, to stop this mess." Lelouch replies.

"So it begins." M.M. says as he senses the return of the FLEIJA's. He then heads to the window of his quarters and prepares to address the rest of the Order. "My fellow warriors of geass, the time is upon us. Our chaos is about to begin, but I fear we may have some individuals try to stop the inevitable." He says. "We have lost fellow warriors to the opposition, but now is our chance to stamp them out for good." He continues. He hears the Order cheering. "Some of you may lose your lives in the upcoming battle, but your deaths will not be in vain. When the world is ours, you will live on in C's world, so there is no need to fear death. I will lead a team against Zero, in Japan. The rest of you are to stop them from interrupting the return of Pendragon."