AN: Thanks to: Ween-E, Serena the Hikari of Love, monty shen, kalista jia, yukidaru, bubbleheadz, 2stupid, Nusku, .Vanillarouge's Productions., Bligy, eternal solace, -wendy-, eMi to mAo 374, GoGothGirl, Risu-san, Turtle Kid, missyf33, L Lexuran, KagomeUchiha, realms of fic, Spirit of Fox, dierapunzel, Cher Zephyris, YaoiOkami, hpets, Goku's girl007, , Spirel, heidi-mayer87, purrtygurrl101, and Dragonrider4000.

Well, it's been a long week filled with travelling, and sitting about waiting for public transport in the snow for an hour… and seeing family, and getting my dress sorted for a wedding (I'm a bridesmaid). And that's why this chapter is late. I had it finished last night, but it was two in the morning and I wasn't coherent enough to proof it. I hope its length makes up for its lateness. Oh… if there's any errors in terms of canon (there's a number I think I remembered wrong), blame the fact that my home computer has no way for me to watch the episodes and no functional speakers, so I couldn't check. Anyway, enough rambling: on with the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass.

Kallen Kouzuki had had a good life. She'd had more than her fair share of action in her youth, as a Knightmare pilot for the Black Knights she'd been one of the best, comparable with Britannia's own legendary Knights of Rounds, as well as Zero's favourite and had been the captain of his personal guard. She had fought alongside with him since the beginning.

It was fair to say that her life had quietened considerably from the chaos that it had been during the rebellion. At first the change had been strange to say the least, and she hadn't entirely welcomed it. She'd returned to school, but no longer quite knew what to do with herself, with her free time no longer occupied with terrorist activities. She had wanted to get a shot at normal family life after her mother got out of hospital.

Her mother had recovered shortly after the war, along with many other refrain users. It had seemed as though the peace and the increased potential for forming happy memories had cured them. In fact had been the sudden increase of funding into medicine that had brought about the solution so quickly.

Kallen had liked living with her mother. It was a much more comfortable situation than that which she had endured for most of her youth. Her step-mother had always been uncomfortable to be around, Kallen continuously remaining aware that she was another woman's child. She had abandoned her long ago, following her exposure as a terrorist, returning to the Britannian mainland, wanting nothing more to do with that 'half-blood offspring that had abused her generosity'. After that Kallen had lived full time with the Black Knights, wherever they had been based at the time.

Sometimes she missed those days. She'd always thought of herself as a person suited for action, and it was true that she'd often found herself bored. She was content to reminisce, she would never wish for those times to return. Too much had been given to achieve the peace they had now, the peace that had lasted 50 years, flourishing under the care of those who had lived in war time, who were grateful that the continual fear of that time was gone.

Her own brother Naoto had been one of the first sacrifices, desperately fighting to free his homeland, and protect his younger half-sister. She had taken his place on the front lines, despite knowing that he would have disapproved of her joining the combat. She had helped to achieve his dream.

The final sacrifice had been Lelouch, the original Zero and then the 99th emperor of Britannia, a transformation which had thoroughly shocked those in the know among the Black Knights. At the time when his position as a former prince had been revealed, she had been uncertain what to do. Unmasked, he had spoken coldly to his former underlings, seemingly admitting to all the accusations. She knew Lelouch though, better than all the rest of them, and had tried to take a stand protecting him. He'd pushed her away, calling her a pawn, but then… as she walked away, reaching a safe position, he'd spoken softly, so that only she could hear, telling her to live on. And she knew he had acted in a manner so as to ensure her actions, so that she would not be killed needlessly defending him.

And then the Shinkiro had appeared, its pilot, Lelouch's fake brother. And then… he had vanished.

A whole month had passed before she'd seen him again. On screen. Proclaiming himself the new Emperor of Britannia. Suzaku, traitor to his country that he was, standing at his side, smug expression on his face, announced as the 'Knight of Zero'. She hadn't liked that. His crowning had stung, Suzaku's title had seemed like a joke made at her expense, since she was supposed to be Zero's 'Knight'. She'd noticed his use of geass to subjugate those royals and noblemen present. Still, she'd tried to believe in him, attempted to believe that now that his revenge was dealt with he would now bring about the peace he'd once spoken of.

There had been that meeting at Ashford, where Lelouch had supposedly been about to join Britannia with the U.F.N, though it was a strange location for discussing such an important issue. Kallen had assumed there was a certain nostalgia in his choice, but instead it appeared to be a tactical decision, he knew the area well after all. She had kissed him then, she remembered. Shortly afterwards… everything had gone to pieces. Lelouch had revealed his 'true colours'. That was when her faith in him had failed, a betrayal on a monumental scale. She could not forgive his actions, and gave her all to rid the world of this 'demon king', whom she felt had betrayed her personally.

That had failed. Lelouch had won. She'd been captured and held prisoner, along with many others.

She'd taken it all back that day, the day she had been lined up for public execution. She'd watched as the masked man, this new Zero, she didn't know who, made his appearance, his rapid approach to the emperor. She'd watched, in shock, as he'd speared Lelouch through the chest with his sword.

She'd seen Lelouch's face, recognising the emotion hidden there; she'd known him well, having comforted him in weaker moments in his former existence. His expression had not been one of anger or fear, though he'd tried to disguise it as such. Instead, he had seemed at peace, or as if his plan had succeeded, and he was satisfied.

She had known then. Known that the betrayal, the fear he had spread was part of a greater plan, one that had finally concluded with his death.

She had cried for him as all around the crowd was cheering their saviour, Zero. She did not cheer, though she respected whoever it was that Lelouch had trusted enough to bring his final scheme to fruition.

Many years had passed. She had a family now, long since moved on. She had been a friend to the new empress unexpectedly. It seemed Nunally desired her friendship, shared memories of the student council still lingering, as well as a continued desire on the Empress's part to maintain close ties with Japan, the place where she had spent a large part of her youth.

It seemed Kallen had been unable to give up her ties with Britannia either, having acquired a Britannian husband, though she kept her Japanese name and they both lived in Japan for the most part, in New Tokyo, which had built beside the crater that was all that remained of the old Britannian settlement. Their daughter had married a Japanese man, something Kallen had been happy about, and her grandson, recently turned seven, had spent most of his life in the country. She spent a lot of time with that kid as both of his parents worked full time in the city, but wasn't complaining.

Following completing her education, she'd taken an active role in the reconstruction of the many areas of her country that had been damaged by war, including the reconstruction of its capital. She'd been distantly associated with the political processes in Japan, her ties to the Britannian leader, as well as with the then prime minister and her role in the war had earned her a lot of respect.

Still, she'd been surprised when she'd received the message from the empress and had been emailed several important documents that she was supposed to be delivering to Zero today. Tokyo Tower… it had been a while since she visited that place, and it would be good to take the kid, he was probably old enough now.

Lelouch and Suzaku had spent the morning in the hotel room, as Lelouch filled him in on a few further details, and played around with some maps of the area, marking some places. And then when they prepared to leave, Lelouch spent half an hour trying to decide what to wear, which amused Suzaku greatly. Eventually he decided on a long pale green skirt, as a white top with a modest neckline so as to avoid giving away his faked female features. He added a pair of white gloves, and fixing up his wig and make-up in the mirror, he seemed finally satisfied. Suzaku noted he was also avoiding the heels today, instead donning a pair of shoes with flat soles.

Suzaku did not need to worry about being unrecognisable when meeting this contact. He merely had to pick up the bag that contained his Zero attire, and find somewhere suitably hidden in which to change.

They set off from the hotel to make their meeting in plenty of time.

The Tokyo tower that stood today was not the same one of fifty years ago. The construction had been seriously damaged in Britannia's initial invasion of the country, and the final blow had been dealt with the explosion of Freya. Though it was outside of the settlement, it had received too much damage, and what had remained had been removed. In its place was the new Tokyo Tower.

It stood in the centre of an area of parkland, a plinth of white marble reaching into the sky, about 50 meters in height with a broad base. About three quarters of this plinth was circled by walls of similar material, but with occasional bronze insets depicting either scenes of the Battle of Tokyo, or of the city that had stood there before. On these walls, were the names of the 25 million who had been killed in the FREYA blast, Britannian and Japanese alike. The names covered every square inch of all sides of the walls, which were not small, except for the bronze insets. The sheer number of names was overwhelming, and the atmosphere was subdued, as with any memorial of this type. On the fourth side there was a viewing point which overlooked the crater, shocking in its size.

Neither Suzaku nor Lelouch had been to this memorial before. Suzaku because he had been occupied full time with being Zero, and had only ever been to Japan with the empress on official business. In Lelouch's case this was the first time he'd been back to the country, so he hadn't visited either. They were quite apprehensive about visiting. Lelouch was certain that his sister had picked the location on purpose, so as to give them the opportunity, or rather the obligation, to visit. She could be quite devious when given the chance.

Even with the small detour that they took before arriving at the park so that Suzaku could change into his Zero attire, they still arrived early. The park was mostly deserted, its location on the outskirts of the city meant that few people passed through, and it gained few visitors on weekdays.

Lelouch had noticed that the version of Zero's outfit that Suzaku was wearing was a little different to his original design. Well, it obviously wasn't going to be the same outfit considering that one was fifty years old, but the style had changed somewhat. The mask was still the same, and it still had a fairly high collar, but it wasn't as pronounced. The cape wasn't quite so dramatic either, and the design of the suit had changed, fitting Suzaku's more built frame better. The colour scheme had been toned down as well, and there was much less of the gold and no red. The mask was essentially the same though. The muted design was more appropriate for the more servile Zero as opposed to the flashy terrorist of the past. It didn't attract quite so much attention either.

They remained silent as they walked through the park, keeping theirs eyes on the monument before them. The general atmosphere of this place was that of silence, even the birds seemed to sense the need for a sombre atmosphere. And yet, they could hear the sound of a child in the distance.

When they approached, they first walked around the outside, taking in the sight of all those names, people that had been killed in a battle they had fought in, the people whose death they, between them had caused. It was hard not to feel the sense of oppressing guilt, it sat heavily in their minds. All these people… whole families utterly destroyed. Not even the knowledge of the ongoing peace that was the final result of all the struggling, could alleviate the sensation.

As they finally turned and passed under an archway in to the centre of the monument, their eyes turned upward simultaneously, gazing to the top of the tower from the base. The area enclosed by the walls was not small, the area required to fit in all the names necessitated it. The scale of the area humbled them, making the pair of them feel small and insignificant.

After a few moments of motionless contemplation, they moved wordlessly around the base of the tower, to reach the viewing space. Since they were here, they needed to see the crater.

The sight that met them when they looked out caused their tense demeanours to soften slightly.

Standing at the edge of the viewing point was a young boy, and standing behind him there was an older lady. They were not peering down into the crater, but instead were looking up into the sky. There, seemingly hovering over the centre of the crater was a kite. The design on the kite was easy to recognise, despite its distance, given its familiarity. It was a Knightmare Frame, Energy Wings extended, and not just any Knightmare, but the very familiar Guren SEITEN, a nostalgic sight for both of them.

After a few brief moments the woman noticed their presence, and turned to face them. She acknowledged the presence of Zero, casting her eyes briefly over Lelouch, before beginning to move towards them. Lelouch spotted the folder under her arm; this was their contact then.

As she moved closer, and Lelouch got a better look at her face, he had to be careful not to let his eyes widen in shock. Though everything else about her had changed, due to the inevitable process of aging, her face was generally the same, and her vibrant blue eyes shone as brilliantly as they always had. It was Kallen.

Of all the people Nunally could have sent, it would have to be the one most likely to see through his disguise. Although, knowing Kallen, she probably wouldn't be too angry with him if she did. She was one of the few people he had expected to see the true meaning in his death, and he wouldn't have wanted it otherwise. She deserved to know the truth.

She stopped before them and bowed slightly. "Zero-sama," she greeted, using Japanese honorifics, as this was Japan.

Suzaku, bowed back. "Kouzuki-san" he responded. They'd obviously encountered each other formally before now, if Suzaku volunteered her name freely. He straightened and faced Kallen again, gesturing to Lelouch. "This is Miss Lucinda Lamperouge, a relative of the Empress."

Lelouch curtseyed, and Suzaku smiled at the unexpected action, his face safely unreadable. "It's a pleasure to meet you Kouzuki-san. I've heard many stories about you from Nunally."

"She is your great aunt, is that right?" queried Kallen. Lelouch nodded. "She's not mentioned you before, but apparently this is for you." She handed over the file which Lelouch accepted gratefully, thanking Kallen politely for the trouble of delivering it.

Kallen said it had been no problem, and it had been a nice opportunity for her to bring her grandson to this place. It was an important part of his family's history after all, and she had liked giving him a first hand account of the battle, and he had liked hearing it.

It was at that moment that said grandchild materialised at their feet, having reeled in his kite so that he could come see the new people. He passed his kite to Kallen who now had free hands, and then stepped forwards, boldly staring at Suzaku, not seeming at all intimidated.

"You," said the boy. "You're Zero. Nana Kallen was saying how she fought with you in that fight."

"I am Zero." said Suzaku, "but I'm afraid that Zero was my predecessor." Suzaku obviously couldn't bring himself to lie to the child. Of course he also neglected to mention that he had fought Kallen in that battle.

"Can I see your mask?" asked the boy.

"Shin-chan!" scolded Kallen. "Don't you know that Zero never takes his mask off. He has to keep his identity secret."

"I know that," said the boy, as if his meaning were the most obvious in the world. "I just wanna see it up close."

Suzaku humoured the child and knelt down, bringing himself to eye level. The boy stared for a moment in awe, and then reached out a hand and touched the mask, then snatched back his hand, just in case. Lelouch smiled. The kid seemed to favour Kallen, at least in his attitude to Zero.

As Suzaku stood, Kallen apologised for her grandson's behaviour. And then farewells were said, and the pair left again. They would have liked to have stayed longer, but they had things to do, Lelouch particularly wanting to get back so he take a look at what Nunally had sent him.

Kallen watched the pair leave, a smile on her face and then she turned to her grandson.

"That man is my hero," she informed him.

The kid smiled up at her, and started babbling on about how awesome Zero was, after all, he'd been told the stories that were public knowledge, and this didn't included the fact that the original Zero had become the demon emperor, and she wasn't going to tell him otherwise.

She also wasn't going to tell him that she hadn't been referring to Zero. Well… not that Zero anyway.

AN: Yes, the contact was Kallen, as many of you guessed. The hint in the last chapter was the meeting as Tokyo tower at four. This was where Zero asked her to go in the third or fourth episode. I don't know if she'll be turning up again, but it was nice to write her. I hope you didn't mind that she kind of dominated the chapter. And no chapter next week, I really need to not get distracted from work for a bit.