A/N: Well... this took me longer than expected. But here you have it, a third chapter. And guess what? I actually have some semblance of a plot now.

I want to thank people again... hmm, another long list, here it goes: Asami-chan37, Val-creative, LawliPop, Douceur, -w- easyenough, Tsuki no Akebone, dgraymanxxx, Fallen One-Winged Tenshi, Raven the Joker, GoGothGirl, AznAnimeChick, … (whoever you are…), Anave Lipad, sylee, Flor-sama, Kuroi Fushichou, Grace1776 Jr., LunaLocket, unlimitedsky, Azur twilight, Ally the Magnificent, Whisper Otonashi, enfant d' automne, Wavelet365, Kurodarkness, Mimeken, Nakora-chan, Sora-hana, MeijiOrO, Calamus, MysticMaiden 18, TimeTravelFreak, Flaylda, litokid-2, Nox Noctis of Eternus Luna, crimsonphoenix13 and of course, Dragonrider4000 (who is rewarding me, by giving me another fic to beta…), for all the reviews, faves and alerts. You guys made me very happy!

And special thanks to those who voted on the poll. It's still open for all those who want to give me their opinion… (I put in a new choice for those who don't mind)

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass. Now on with the chapter!

Suzaku strode along the corridor majestically, Zero cloak billowing out dramatically behind him. Inside, he was wrought with worry. Nunally never called for meetings this late, which meant that whatever this was, it was strictly off the record. Hence why he was making his way with speed. If it was off the record, it was probably important.

Luckily the wing of the palace in which Nunally's quarters were located was only a short distance from where his own, considerably more modest, room was located. His largest, self-appointed, duty was as a bodyguard of sorts for the empress, but it wasn't considered proper for him to sleep so close. Nunally's zone of the palace also featured rooms for her large array of maids and attendants. It also had special additions that had been added shortly after her ascension to the throne of Britannia, which allowed easy access for her extravagant wheelchair. She was empress after all, although sadly, despite new advanced treatments, she'd never recovered the ability to walk.

He arrived quickly, and was let in by another servant, who bowed and left the room. Being bowed to was odd and bizarrely nostalgic, and was something that had confused him at first. Of course, he'd received respect as a Knight of Rounds, and people had occasionally bowed to him. That had been unusual however. Knight he may have been, but he was still seen as just an Eleven by the majority of Britannians. He'd been more used to it when he was small; bowing had been a Japanese custom, although it had diminished greatly after Britannia's invasion. But, as Zero, people bowed to him, since he held a position of authority. It was odd. He wasn't of royal blood, nor was he an elected official. He was a self-appointed entity, one who had no official duties, but had insinuated himself into the new world order without difficulty. Theoretically by having put himself in this position, he was something the new world stood against, but he was accepted, probably as he had helped create this new world.

Of course, everyone believed that this Zero wasn't the same Zero as the one that had killed Emperor Lelouch. They assumed that, whoever that had been, had selected and trained a trustworthy and competent successor, and they expected whoever Zero was at present to do the same. They certainly hadn't noticed any difference in behaviour from the masked man; they believed the new Zero had slipped into the role seamlessly. Again, Suzaku had been surprised that there had been no complaint or uproar about this, but then, since they hadn't been aware of a change, well considering there hadn't been a change, they would have had problems complaining. But, he supposed, it was another one of those trust issues that the new Britannia seemed so keen on demonstrating towards him. A reason it was a good idea not to remove his mask. If they knew his identity, they would not be happy. Kururugi Suzaku was an ally of Lelouch vi Britannia, and thus an enemy of the new world. It would suggest the whole thing had been staged, which would detract from its value… No-one was allowed to know that it had been staged, despite the reality of Lelouch's death.

Suzaku walked through Nunally's quarters, until he entered the sitting room, which was where Nunally met with people, on the rare occasions when she met people in her rooms. She was sitting in her wheelchair in front of a roaring fireplace, facing the doorway, her violet eyes trained on Suzaku as he entered and knelt before her.

"Your Majesty." He greeted formally.

"Zero-sama" she said with a smile. Greeting him with a Japanese honorific was something she only did in private. It seemed she suspected that Zero was Japanese, or it was some tribute to the heritage of Zero, that he had been 'born' in Japan, even though it was widely known that that Zero had been Lelouch. Suzaku had made no attempt to dissuade her from doing so, especially since it was only in private, so the name had stayed.

He raised his head. "You requested my presence, Your Majesty?"

She met his eyes through the mask, her violet gaze something Suzaku could never get used to, he was too accustomed to a smiling face with eyes closed, blind to the world. Despite having had fifty years to get used to it, he doubted he ever would. He didn't want to; he liked the striking feeling of her gaze taking him by surprise, it made her seem more powerful in his eyes. She gestured for him to stand.

"Please, you can address me as Nunally in private. I trust you."

Suzaku rose and took a seat, waiting for Nunally to reveal why he had been summoned. Finally after a minute of silent observation, Nunally spoke once more.

"As I said, Zero, I trust you. As I trusted your predecessor. I feel, that since you are here for my protection, that I can confide in you."

Suzaku bowed his head in acknowledgement.

"Lately, it has been made clear to me about the issue of succession. As you know, Zero-sama, I have no heir. I have not had the chance and I have been lacking the capability to do so even if I had."

It was true. The issue of Nunally's infertility had been a great disappointment to the kingdom, but it was an unfortunate side-effect of her disability. She had never been able have children, and as such had never married, not wanting to be 'used' in some form of political marriage, even if it was one she had arranged herself. This meant that, unfortunately, there was no direct heir to the throne of Britannia.

"The time has come for me to choose an heir, out of the children of my half- brothers and sisters. This is a difficult choice for me, not only because my family is large, but because I am worried that whatever my choice is, it will cause strife between the different branches of my family. I have put off choosing an heir this long for this reason."

"So you seek my advice?" queried Suzaku, knowing full well that he didn't feel capable of such a daunting task.

"No." said Nunally. "I would not seek to place you in such a vulnerable position, despite the fact that I would hope that either you, or your successor, will ultimately become the guardian of this individual. This decision must be seen as my own, I don't want to involve you in any trouble as a result. And of course, there is the fact that you are no longer supposed to be dabbling directly in political affairs." She giggled, momentarily reminding Suzaku of the young girl of so long ago, who had almost completely changed into the wise ruler of Britannia today.

"Then what would you have me do, Your Majesty?"

"I thought I told you to call me Nunally," she reprimanded. "Not a great deal. It is more your predecessor I wish to speak with. I have a task for him that must be carried out in utmost secrecy, and whilst I would trust you with it, I also have the need to retain my most capable defender, for I fear the actions certain relatives may take when they learn of the decision I am making."

"You fear they will attempt to force your hand?"

"Or worse. Hence why I wish to keep you. Are you aware of the present whereabouts of you predecessor?

"Which predecessor is this?" he questioned. He felt that given the timespan, that it was most likely that he was the recently appointed third zero in the role.

"Ah… that would be the one who did away with my poor deluded brother all those years ago." said Nunally sadly. "Out of everyone, he is the one I trust the most with this request. I know he is old now, a long time required from his position, but I believe him capable, and I do not think he would deny me this request. The most important one I would ever make of him."

"I am sure he would not." replied Suzaku solemnly, averting his eyes from Nunally's face even though she could not see. He was torn. A part of him desperately wanted for Nunally to know that it was him, that he was here. He knew his identity was supposed to be kept secret, to be revealed under no circumstances, but Nunally was willing to trust him with something so important, so why couldn't he trust her?

There was a momentary silence in the room as Suzaku made his decision. He raised a hand slowly to his mask, remembering, as he did every time, Lelouch's final touch, with bloody fingers, upon the side of his face, the memory strengthening his resolve. His fingers fumbled momentarily, nervously, on the clasp at the side of his helmet. Nunally looked on with interest, wondering what he was doing.

The helmet finally came undone, and he slid it of his head smoothly, and met Nunally's gaze calmly, betraying none of the anxiety or the fear that he felt within. He was met with a confused expression on Nunally's face. At first he assumed this was because he was Suzaku, and alive, and young. But then Nunally spoke.

"Zero? Who… who are you?" she asked uncertainly.

Suzaku cursed himself internally. Of course she wouldn't recognise him. She had never seen his face after she regained her eyesight. She didn't know what he looked like. He smiled in attempt to reassure her, as he realised a way to make himself known. Silently he slid the tight gloves of Zero from his fingers, somewhat thankfully since the fire was making the room very warm. Then he stood and knelt beside Nunally's wheelchair. He was unsure if this would work, it had been a very long while.

Taking a deep, apprehensive breath, telling himself it was too late to turn back now, he took her hand within his own, finally allowing himself to speak her name, as if it were a gift.

"Nunally…"

She looked at him in awe, comprehension dawning. She raised her other hand to his face, caressing his cheek, and taking in the feel of his hair.

"Suzaku?" she questioned, stunned. He nodded. "But… how… what… I don't understand."

"Neither do I," he said, leaning back to sit on the floor by her side, not wanting to let go of her hand. "I believe it's somewhat of a parting gift from Lelouch, so that I could protect you."

"With his geass?" asked Nunally. She frowned at the mention of geass, as if it were a bad word. Suzaku knew that Lelouch had used his geass on her, despite having sworn not to, to force her to hand over the button that launched F.R.E.I.J.A. Geass was a bad word these days, it's existence had been covered up with Lelouch's death, and those that knew of it never spoke of it.

Suzaku nodded grimly.

"I see," said Nunally, thoughtfully. "Well, I won't say that I didn't know it was you originally. I know you are the only one my brother would have trusted to carry out the role of staging his death. But since you didn't speak to me as Suzaku, I allowed you to remain anonymous. I didn't want to force you to reveal yourself.

"This does make my present circumstance more difficult however," she continued. "I still wish to ask this task of you Suzaku. It is very important to me. And if I must leave myself vulnerable for you to do so, then I will."

Suzaku's grip on Nunally's fingers tightened slightly. He didn't like the thought of leaving Nunally in danger.

"Although, should you wish, you can appoint someone to protect me in your stead during your absence."

Suzaku nodded. "I suppose I could do that. What is it that you want me to do Nunally?"

"There is someone I need you to find for me. It will be difficult, because, as far as I'm aware, there has been no news of his whereabouts for quite some time. However, he is someone whose advice, whose counsel I highly value. He is the person I wish to speak to about this matter. I am sure that finding him will be difficult, since he does not want to be found, but if it is you that goes, I'm sure he will return with you."

Suzaku was confused. Who was she talking about? From the sounds of it, it was someone who knew who he was, someone who would trust him. Suzaku couldn't think of very many people who fit that description.

"Who?" he asked.

"Someone who we both know very well. Someone whose death was greatly exaggerated." She smiled. "Suzaku, I need to you to find Lelouch."

Suzaku sat frozen momentarily as her sentence sunk in.

Then…

"What???"