I Heard The World

by YamiPaladinofChaos

AU. A different world, a familiar war. Kururugi Suzaku wages a crusade against the Empire of Japan to free Brittania. Lelouch Lamperouge disguises himself in a mask to atone for a terrible crime. Kouzuki Kallen and her brother Naoto are the Japanese Empire's new hope. Shirley Fenette seeks vengeance for all she has lost. The future can only accept one vision of justice, my friend.

5. Chapter 4: Here Comes The Sun

"We sometimes encounter people, even perfect strangers, who begin to interest us at first sight, somehow suddenly, all at once, before a word has been spoken."

-Fydor Dostoevsky

Chapter 4

Here Comes The Sun

"Director."

The figure being addressed was sitting in a large, high backed chair, made even more grandiose due to the figure's tiny, child-like frame, with his legs comically dangling just above the floor, absently swinging back and forth. With a playful smile, the Director placed his chin in his hands and propped his elbows up on the desk.

"What news do we have about Subject Zero, Pendragon?" he asked in a boyish, playful tone, staring at the man across from him.

Where the Director was small, nearly comically so, this man he referred to as "Pendragon" was anything but. A large, imposing man, his figure was entirely swathed in a black cloak from head to toe, obscuring almost all his features from view. The only articles that gave any indication about him was the silver insignia at the peak of the robe hood, akin to a bird in flight, and the short dark beard that stretched just beyond the shadows of the hood.

"Our agents report she has indeed made it to Brittania and that the rebels acted upon your suggestion, seizing both her and the prototype bio-synchronized Knightmare Frame, code named 'Caliburn', from the shipping docks. However, her trail has gone cold, and we have been unable to locate her since. It is believed, however," 'Pendragon' continued, somewhat hesitantly, "That given that the prototype has been seen active and in engaged on the field of battle during that incident, we can assume beyond reasonable doubt that Subject Zero has established a contract with a partner, albeit one we have no knowledge of at the current time."

A satisfied, almost gleeful light came into the Director's eyes. "Very interesting. Have our eyes and ears in the homeland doubled immediately. Pull agents out from standby in other regions if you have to. Call in whatever favors you need. I want daily reports on the activities of the prototype, specifically regarding field performance and more importantly what kind of side effects Subject Zero's contract will have on her 'partner'."

"You're not planning on keeping her under a stricter set of controls?" Pendragon's voice seemed to betray the tiniest hint of surprise. "I assumed that you wanted the prototype in the hands of the rebels, where we could observe it more closely."

"I want it in the hands of someone who will use it," the Director corrected, smirking, an adult's expression on a child's face, "The rebels suited my purposes, the same as Kusakabe should he have managed to take it back. This third party, whoever they are, is willing to put my niece's 'gift' to good use, and appear to have survived the initial contract forging, which already escapes the projections set by those at Rosenbaum, who set a mental contamination probability upwards of eighty percent. That's all I care about."

He chuckled. It was not a pleasant sound.

"No matter who has the prototype or Subject Zero, Project Canaan will be able to continue regardless with the data we can gather as a result. What is far more important at the moment are the results from the Rosenbaum Institute regarding the next phase of the project." The pleased look faded, replaced by annoyance as he gestured towards an open folder on his desk.

"Ah. They haven't yet been able to get the enzymes to combine with the host's genetic code then, have they?" Pendragon's voice took on a note of pensive concern. "Subject Zero was able to handle the process, albeit with those rather peculiar side effects regarding her memory, so I wonder why it could be taking them this long to work out the kinks here."

He paused, and moved a white gloved hand to his dark beard to stroke it thoughtfully. "Do you suspect they're deliberately slowing the process down, sir? The applications of our work might be of interest to Einherjar, and we all know how strong their control over the Institute is…"

"No, Einherjar isn't aware of our activities just yet. I suspect they're too busy with their little plot against the Empire to look too closely at any scientific research outside their own private division at the moment," the Director refuted, smiling widely again.

"You're referring to 'Balor', Director?" Pendragon questioned, sounding confused. "I thought it was only a rumor… the work of Section Seven of the Institute is more or less unknown, even to our agents."

"I've heard whispers, dear Pendragon, and seen the account statements of the Institute. Enough steel for over a dozen Knightmare Frames and a store of Sakuradite for a Yamato-class battleship is being funneled into classified projects outside of our control, and increasing more so by the day. It's safe to assume that 'Balor' is nearing completion," the child-like figure responded playfully, a hint of a mirthful smile on his lips, "Though, I must admit even I don't know what Einherjar is planning. I can, however, bet it will be a blow against the Empire, one that will leave no trace of their involvement."

The Director sighed, shaking his head, as if suddenly wearied by the long talk of conspiracies and spinning webs of deceit.

"However, we are getting ahead of ourselves a little," he said softly, propping his elbows on the table, using his palms to support his chin. "It's true that these obstructions are costing us time, however, and Project Canaan is still only in Phase One. But we have all the time in the world to finish- let the Empire and Einherjar fight it out, let them scheme and conspire and bring each other to ruin. It matters not. Our work is beyond mortal matters, after all. Let us just sit back and watch for now, Pendragon, and let my cute little niece and her partner show us the potential of our work."

"As you say, Director, sir," Pendragon said dutifully.

"Don't sound so unenthused, Pendragon," V.V. chided, chuckling as he flashed him a mischievous look. "I'm sure we're in for a real treat."

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On the video screen in front of him, the golden Knightmare Frame, currently code-named Kinma, or "Golden Devil", tore through what should have been an elaborate trap and absorbed countless rounds that would have torn apart anything short of maybe a foot of solid steel.

"Observation log #29," Naoto said quietly, rubbing his eyes as he pressed the button on the recorder, absently using his other hand to hit the pause button, "Standard 30mm Knightmare assault rifles have proven ineffective against Kinma. Suggestions: retrofitting some units with higher caliber rounds for more effective usage, possibly kinetic energy penetration rounds."

More than anything else, Naoto believed in studying his enemies. It was much more important to know what the enemy had done and what they could do, to know what they would do.

Ougi once suggested maybe Naoto's true calling was a historian, an idea he had always wondered about wistfully. But the military was his calling for now. Maybe afterward he could think about that.

In the week since he'd been given the investigation into Kusakabe's death and managed to appropriate all the evidence, including the video feeds from the few Knightmares that had survived the disastrous ambush he had just watched, Naoto had quickly focused on the mysterious Knightmare Frame of unknown origin as his primary suspect. The majority of the evidence corroborated with his theory- Kusakabe and his men were killed by a massive edged weapon, and there weren't too many Knightmare Frames equipped with giant swords in existence.

Inquiries as to where it had come from had been met with dead ends at every turn thus far, however. Judging from ship manifestos of that day and the reports of an insurgent attack at the docks, Naoto figured out where it had come from, but tracing it from there was as fruitful as growing corn on salted ground.

Several ships were hit- obviously only one was actually the target, but it was a good tactic to disguise the real objective from the decoys, especially given that Kusakabe had it shipped without going through proper channels. Damn that corrupt bastard to all hell for that.

Narrowing it down would take time, especially from this kind of distance, and time was a resource Naoto didn't really have just yet.

Behind him, one of the other monitors kept up a steady stream of murmuring background noise playing from the Nihon News Network, ubiquitously abbreviated as NNN, the Empire's primary news network. It was his habit to leave on something to listen to while he worked, though now he wished he had chosen an entertaining channel instead of the news.

"And in other news, in the province of Brittania, yet another terrorist raid on a warehouse depot just outside of the city of Stirling occurred late last night…" Naoto added this incident to a long list of ones he would need to deal with when he arrived, "… due to the recent death of the honorable Colonel Kusakabe Ichiro, the military forces in the region have been hard pressed to organize and halt these terrorist attacks… Expert analysts suggest that these may be the work of the rumored Brittanian Liberation Front, whose leaders and objectives remain unknown…"

"Whenever it rains, it pours," he muttered.

"Sir?" Sancia, at his side, glanced over at him.

"The world's in great shape, isn't it, Lieutenant?" Naoto said rhetorically, with a grim chuckle, casting a meaningful look at the television. "We've got the Eurasian Federation and the South Equatorial League on either side of us, building up their weapons in preparation for a war we all know is coming, and inside, thanks to that jackass Kusakabe getting himself killed, we've got what looks like a clearance sale on terrorists, riots, insurgency… didn't you mention something to me earlier about a Sakuradite tanker earlier today that the brass had a problem with?"

"The Kaiser Krieg?" Sancia blinked, tilting her head to the side thoughtfully. "It belongs to the Eurasian Federation, of course only through one of the government run corporations but still in practicality government property, but it was lost at sea under suspicious circumstances yesterday. As of this morning, a number of factions in the Eurasian Federation have leveled serious accusations at us, but our government has denied all knowledge and is taking a defensive stance against them."

"Huh." Naoto shook his head again. "We've got enough real problems, between this Kinma and the Brittanian rebels. We don't need fictitious ones."

People always like to make things out worse than they really are, he thought, his mood sardonic and dark.

"Perhaps you should get some rest, sir. Almost all our supplies and equipment have been loaded, and we're all set to move out by tomorrow," Sancia suggested. "There's nothing more you can do, so you can sit back and relax sir."

"I'll save that for when I'm dead," Naoto joked, trying to escape the gloomy mood he had sunk into, "But you're right that I do at least need a break."

He stood up, absently rolling his neck in a vain attempt to remove a crick from it. Sancia gave him a salute, which he returned casually before exiting.

Deciding to go look for his wayward sister, Naoto picked through the stale concrete corridors of their temporary headquarters with relative ease, heading towards the Knightmare bay that had been cordoned off for her use.

When he got there, however…

"What. The. Hell."

Naoto stared blankly at what should have been a hangar containing his sister's personal Knightmare Frame, but instead contained only… nothing, actually. Everything had been taken. Including the Knightmare Frame, which would be fairly difficult to move out of sight without him being alerted, but it had been done.

"Oh!" a surprised cry caught his attention, causing him to turn.

"Alice-chan, just what happened here?"

Alice flushed and backed away slightly, the dark black of her uniform's jacket and pants a contrast with her blonde hair that just barely touched her slim shoulders. She was a war orphan, one of many girls that his sister had unofficially "adopted" by giving them scholarships to a military school. Alice had been the first of them, and in many ways was his sister's shadow.

So for her to be wandering around here alone, seemingly unconcerned with the disappearance of his sister, only meant trouble.

"Naoto-sama, you… I mean… good day!" Alice flushed terribly, and Naoto didn't know whether to groan in despair or chuckle in amusement.

"Alice-chan," he repeated slowly, crossing his arms. He probably should have dropped the cutesy, familiar honorific from her name since she turned fourteen a few months ago, but he'd known her since she was eight years old and incapable of being separated from his sister's leg or a teddy bear for more than five minutes. Old habits tended to die hard.

"… yes, Naoto-sama?" Alice said meekly.

"Where is my sister?" Naoto asked patiently, tapping his finger against his forearm.

Alice ducked her head and mumbled something inaudible.

Naoto sighed, and knelt so that he would be face to face with Alice- he was tall, unusually so for a Japanese man, even taller than some of the Brittanians in his unit. Gently, he placed his hand on Alice's shoulder, and squeezed it once. "Alice, I promise, I won't get mad. Just… tell me what she did."

"… she's gone to Brittania."

"WHAT?"

Alice backed away, holding her hands up defensively. "Um… Naoto-sama, you said you wouldn't get mad…"

"Of all the irresponsible- what the heck could she- without telling me?" Naoto sputtered incoherently, jumping from thought to thought without any kind of connecting dot.

"So… I take it you're upset," Alice said quietly, a trace of sardonic humor in her voice now that his irritation wasn't directed at her.

"Ugh, what do you think?" Naoto muttered. "Okay, Alice-chan, new plan. We're leaving. Today. And God willing, she'll at least have gone to see Suzaku first, and not run of gallivanting on her own…"

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"This," Lelouch said slowly, voice soft enough that only he could hear his words, "Is not good."

"Your money," the raggedly unshaven man repeated slowly, waving the grimy steel of his switchblade, behind which glared two unsteady bloodshot eyes.

Another 'Reaper' junkie, huh? They really are the living dead, Lelouch thought to himself, feeling a wave of pity and sorrow for his fellow countrymen that had fallen so far to this new drug.

Damn, if only C.C. had actually gotten off her lazy ass and went with him shopping for the supplies the president had asked them to get (even while still overseas, the president hatched insane ideas for them to try), he wouldn't have gotten into this mess.

Of course, he could also blame the fact that he, in a fit of penny-pinching, had decided to go to a shadier part of town for the supplies rather than risk being gouged by the "higher class" shops nearer to the Academy that always padded on a little extra since he was a Brittanian.

But Lelouch had his pride.

And in any case, blame-storming (a word C.C. had coined one day when Lelouch had ranted for a good hour- completely and utterly justified in doing so, of course- about the disaster that was the impromptu school festival organized by the president) wasn't exactly altering the reality of a knife in his face.

"Alright, just… here, okay?" Lelouch kept his voice even and level, taking careful purpose in each movement. Briefly, he considered using his Geass- but in the end, his vow to remember the consequences of any kind of power abuse kept from activating it. There was no need for such a drastic measure. "I don't want any trouble."

"Money," the mugger repeated, voice raspy as though raw from screaming in torment. His glazed eyes unfocused, and the knife twitched in his hands, looming ever closer to his throat-

"DYNAMIC ENTRY!"

The mugger's head was suddenly met with a pair of plain white sneakers, followed by slender, but obviously muscular legs encased in tight jeans, and then a redheaded blur streaked past Lelouch, landing gracefully on the ground after having delivered an improbable double flying kick to the man's poor temples.

'Ouch' and 'how did she manage to maintain the momentum to leap that high and that far to kick him in the head' were the two comments that fought to be said first in Lelouch's mind.

"Ouch."

The first was easier and quicker to say.

Turning his eyes from the crumpled, unconscious form of his drug-addled attacker, Lelouch beheld his savior.

She was shorter than him by about half a head, which somehow served to embarrass Lelouch in some tiny, masculine portion of his heart, and her slender, athletic frame was accentuated by the red sports jacket and jeans she wore. Her t-shirt, emblazoned with bright, emphatic patterns of color, Lelouch idly noted, was an independent brand name that had recently gained popularity amongst the Japanese teens. Her red hair, more dark crimson than Shirley's lighter indigo, was spiked up, and almost drew all attention away from the overly large dark sunglasses that dominated her face.

How they managed to stay on her nose when she hurtled through the air to deliver the double jump kick was something Lelouch could not explain, except that the laws of Physics were clearly being paid on the side by the laws of Drama.

"Um… thank you for that," Lelouch said awkwardly.

"No need to thank me," came the voice tonelessly.

A modest one, huh? Lelouch fought back a smile. That was something Suzaku would have said. It was refreshing to meet someone who would so willingly jump to the aid of a total stranger, he supposed.

"Ah, well…" he began, wanting to insist he show his gratitude-

"If you're a man, you should have fought back! You should be ashamed of yourself!" his rescuer jabbed a finger directly in his face, the other hand planted firmly on her hip as her voice took on a lecturing tone.

Lelouch blinked.

"He had a knife," he said slowly, but she cut him off by jabbing him in the chest with her index finger.

"No excuses! What are you, a man or a mouse?"

"I assure you, ma'am," Lelouch said tightly, starting to get irritated despite her rescue, "I am a man. Now, thank you again for your help, and good day."

With a sharp turn, he began stalking off.

Crazy woman-

"Not so fast!" a lithe hand wrapped around the collar of his uniform's sports jacket, yanking him back roughly. Lelouch had the brief, strange notion of gratitude that she hadn't grabbed him by the tie to drag him off and coerce him into joining some kind of weird club filled with aliens, time travelers, and espers.

After another moment, he blinked, and wondered if the sudden whiplash had rattled his brains into thinking of such a weird idea.

"Wha-what the hell is wrong with you?" Lelouch sputtered, angrily pulling free of her (surprisingly powerful) grasp, though mostly because she let him go free.

"You still owe me for saving your life," she reminded him briskly.

"I…" Lelouch sighed. Sometimes, the path of least resistance was best. And one of these days, he really did need to sit down and have a talk with Suzaku about women. How could he, a man who could run intellectual circles around every one of his professors, possibly be confounded by the opposite sex this much? And how could Suzaku, admittedly his best friend but hardly the most perceptive of people, get along so well with them? "Fine, what do you want?"

"I need a guide. I'm looking for a place, and this is my first time in London," the redhead explained nonchalantly, crossing her arms. "You're going to help me."

"… you cannot be serious," Lelouch said disbelievingly.

To his surprise, instead of getting angry, she merely smiled brightly. "Or was I wrong in hearing that Brittanians were supposed to be gentlemen?"

"You're… weird," Lelouch muttered, shaking his head. I really need to have that talk with Suzaku. "Well, since I highly doubt you'll let me do otherwise, why not. I'll help you, and then we're even. Deal?"

"Deal," she agreed, looking satisfied.

"So, what's your name, anyway?" he asked, glancing over at her with a curious look.

"Kallen," she said, taking off her sunglasses for the first time to meet his gaze, exposing a pair of silver-blue orbs that glimmered in the sunlight. "Kallen Stadtfeld."

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"Oops!"

The dish, already slippery from the soapy water, slipped out of her hands and slide back into the sink- thankfully, it was covered in a soft rubber mat to prevent breakages like this from happening, and the added layer of water helped cushion the impact as well.

Euphemia cursed herself. Her mind had been wandering again, and so she made yet another mistake. Suzaku-san had been so kind to take her in, and yet she just couldn't do anything…

Her fingers, which had been grasping for the plate, missed entirely at that thought. There it was again!

With a soft sigh, Euphemia picked up the dish, and began scrubbing it again. Now why was she so… flustered?

Maybe it was because of Suzaku-san's vow… It had already been a week, but those words continued to ring out in her heart like a silver bell on a crisp morning.

"You are also a precious friend of mine, Euphie. You have me. I promise you, I will find a way to bring back your memories, and reunite you with your family. I swear it. I won't let you be alone."

Her cheeks colored at remembering the way his face curved into a soft smile, the glimmer of kindness in his green eyes as the sunlight illuminated him as if he were the shining heart of a star.

Oh damn, the dish slipped out again.

"Think fast!"

Euphemia practically jumped out of her skin as she spun around, just barely managing to catch the rag flying at her face.

"Milly-san!" she said breathlessly. "Please don't do that!"

Milly smiled cheekily. "What's the matter, Euphie-chan? You seem… distracted, ever since you and Suzaku-sama came back from the hospital."

Euphemia felt her cheeks heating up again and she ducked her head. "Sorry," she mumbled apologetically. "I know I haven't been doing a very good job…"

The blonde winked at her. "its okay, it's okay! The matters of a woman's heart are far more important than any dumb dishes!"

Euphemia blinked, suddenly confused. "W-what?"

Milly patted her on the head affectionately. "Nothing, nothing! Now then, let's finish these up, shall we?"

They worked in relative silence for quite some time, and Euphemia found the stack of dishes quickly dwindling now that Milly was there to help her focus.

Finally, after a long silence, Euphemia spoke again, more out of a need to end the silence rather than any particular reason. "I haven't seen Suzaku-sama today. Is he out again?"

Milly smiled at that. "I think by now he's meeting some friends of mine. Oh I wish I could be there to see it…"

"Your friends?" Euphemia blinked.

"Well, really more acquaintances. I met the man through my parents, at a few court functions before Brittania's fall, and the woman through him…" Milly tapped her lip thoughtfully. "He's only a few years older than us, so I think my parents were considering him as a potential match for me. That would have been strange!"

"Is he an odd man, this friend of yours?" Euphemia asked, her tone curious but polite.

"Odd wouldn't even cover half," Milly said impishly, giggling. "Suzaku-sama is going to throw a fit."

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"This is the place?" Suzaku glanced up from the directions Milly had copied out for him with a dubious look. He was clothed as anonymously as he could manage in navy blue slacks, a long coat and plain t-shirt, with a pair of rather ridiculously large sunglasses Milly had picked out for him dominating his face.

Lancelot Inc. was a grubby two story office building sequestered amidst innumerable warehouses in what used to be a thriving industrial district of London, but after the war most of the factories were abandoned and now steadily going to rust. The few people who populated this area kept their heads down and avoided his gaze, scurrying away as fast as they could.

It didn't exactly look like the place he should be going to for help, but Milly had promised him that he could trust these people, so he would.

Stepping inside the office, he announced his presence in a quiet, but firm voice. After receiving no response, he began pacing around. There were a few chairs and an unoccupied receptionist's desk in the room, but he focused his attention on the scientific articles clipped onto the walls. Maybe one of them had a clue about how the Caliburn might operate?

The science behind the Knightmare Frame escaped him, he had to admit, no matter how well he could pilot.

The Gemini System: Advanced Electron Resonance Theory, by C. Croomy, caught his eye for a moment, if only because he saw mention of applications in a Knightmare Frame. However, the technical aspects of it escaped Suzaku's grasp, and he only managed to end up shaking in his head in bewilderment.

"Just what the heck is this trying to say?"

"The Gemini System is supposed to be a method of combining the power of two Yggsdril Drives in a single machine through a resonance effect," said a melodious voice that had the unmistakable quality of motherliness that wouldn't be out of place in a kindergarten teacher or a saint, "The combined energy output would grant the user quite limitless possibilities."

Suzaku nodded thoughtfully as he turned around. "I see. It does sound very interesting. Why isn't anyone trying it?"

"Ah, well…" the speaker, a blue-haired, grey eyed young woman maybe eight or so years older than himself in a simple mechanic's jumpsuit, looked vaguely embarrassed, color blossoming on her porcelain cheeks. "The studies done showed that the Gemini System requires extremely precise calibrations… and it also has the potential to make both Core Luminous modules… explode, shall we say? Along with about everything else within a hundred meter radius, I'm afraid."

Suzaku blinked. "Oh."

"Now then… welcome to Lancelot Inc. My name is Cecile Croomy. I've prepared some tea, as well as a freshly baked batch of curry chocolate cookies. Please, help yourself," Cecile said generously holding out a plate of cookies.

The primal part of Suzaku's mind screamed at him to flinch and run away at the smell, but Suzaku's inner core of goodness forced it down in an epic wrestling match (ending with a DDT to the face of Primal!Suzaku) and made Suzaku stand his ground and take the offered 'treat'.

"Thank you," Suzaku said politely, wondering if it was going to be his last words, and bit down onto it. Doing his best to ignore the taste, he asked politely, "So, you authored that article?"

"Oh yes, but that was quite a while ago," Cecile explained, smiling and nodding along. "So, what brings you to our office today?"

"A friend referred me," Suzaku replied, before taking a big gulp of tea, thanking whatever powers were listening that the taste was strong enough to counteract the cookie. "I have… a job of sorts. If you aren't too busy."

"Please, we'd be glad to help. Just let me get him," Cecile assured him.

"Him?" Suzaku paused. Milly did mention the person in question was a man. "But you wrote that paper, and you're a scientist…"

"Oh, I did write that paper, but the person you want to talk to about this is Lloyd-san. Come with me, he's in the lab." Cecile turned, setting down the tray on the receptionist's desk, and gestured for him to follow.

She took him into the back part of the office, which was littered with innumerable boxes of mechanical parts, scientific journals, and what looked like a tiny kitchen area tucked away in the corner. From there, she made a few sharp turns until they reached another door, which opened to reveal a set of stairs leading down into a basement.

"Right this way."

They went down into the depths of the basement, where Suzaku spotted even more boxes of mechanical parts and tools strewn about without even the vaguest pretentions of organization. Still, it did look like a lab of sorts, he had to admit, especially given the three elongated, stainless metal workbenches that dominated the far end of the room which held all sorts of half-complete gadgets and unplugged tools.

At the farthest workbench, the hunched, though still fairly tall, form of a silver-haired man was crouched over one such machine, tools in hand, as he sang a song loudly to himself.

"I want to be the very best, like no one ever was! Dun dun dun dun! To catch them is my real test, to train them is my cause! Duh duh duh! I will travel across the land, searching far and wide…"

"Lloyd-san," Cecile interrupted patiently, "We have a client."

"In a minute!" came the sing-song response. "I've almost got this calibrated!"

Cecile offered Suzaku an apologetic look, and stepped toward Lloyd with a patiently exasperated expression as she picked up a complicated looking tool and began working on the machine in front of him.

"The Anti-Gefjun Disturber again?" she asked, seeming to not expect an answer. "Lloyd-san, you know that no one's even made a working Gefjun Disturber yet, let alone needed a countermeasure…"

"Aha! But they will. And besides, who says they haven't? I hear the Rosenbaum Institute is working on it, and of course you know Rakshata-chan has always had an interest in it…" Lloyd hummed off-key to himself, chuckling. "There we go! All finished."

With a flourish and a spin of his heel, Lloyd turned suddenly to face him, causing Suzaku to start and step back, startled.

"Now then… Lloyd Asplund, at your service, mister… well, I don't know your name, but you look awfully like the Crown Prince's face in photographs and television." Lloyd's face held a sly, playful smile as he let the unspoken question stand.

Suzaku sighed. No sense in hiding his identity, not if he was going to be working with these people like this.

"That's because I am him," he admitted, removing the sunglasses- absently, he heard Cecile take a sharp intake of breath, "And I've come to you because I need you to take a look at a Knightmare Frame for me, without attracting too much attention. I can pay whatever you want, just as long as you swear to me you won't breathe a word of what you're doing to anyone outside of this room."

Lloyd hummed amusedly. Cecile looked almost stricken, as though she was torn between wanting to bow respectfully and asking about the particulars of this contract that needed such strict stipulations.

"I need an answer soon," Suzaku said softly, but firmly. Milly could only cover for his disappearances for so long, after all, especially given the current crisis situation.

"Sounds interesting," Lloyd said cheerfully, and Cecile shot him a severe look. "We'll take the job."

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Kallen Stadtfeld, Lelouch decided, was utterly impossible.

"What's that over there?" she would ask, and without waiting for a proper response, drag him over to the point of interest, all the while keeping up a steady stream of questions regarding the place, barely leaving him time to answer each before making the next one, let alone giving him time to catch his breath.

Her energy was boundless, it seemed, and exponentially increased by what seemed like an overflowing amount of curiosity towards everything Brittanian.

"So what was up with that man who attacked you, anyway?" Kallen questioned, as they existed the third store she dragged him into.

Lelouch blinked, pausing at the sudden topic, before answering succinctly, "A drug addict, one people around here have taken to calling 'the living dead'. There's quite a number of them out there nowadays."

"I've never heard of this kind of thing happening here before, especially not in London," Kallen said dubiously, furrowing her eyebrows.

"It's only recently becoming a serious problem," Lelouch admitted quietly. He had been following it on the news for some time now. "The drug is apparently called 'Reaper', and it's highly addictive, and also highly poisonous to the body. People who get addicted tend to die soon after, either trying to find more drugs or from an overdose."

"How awful," Kallen murmured, and her fist clenched tightly. "Why isn't anyone doing anything about it?"

"Who are you talking about?" Lelouch questioned flatly, before he could stop himself. "Brittanians are all looking for an escape, a way to forget what's happened. A lot of the government officials are probably being paid off by whoever is flooding the streets with 'Reaper' anyways, so they won't interfere."

His frustration was almost palpable- so many of his people (and, no matter what his name had changed to, Lelouch could not deny he felt a deep empathy for the people he could have ruled) were suffering and dying, and no one was able to change that fact.

Unconsciously, he remembered the contract he had formed with C.C. But what good could a single Geass do to alleviate the suffering of a nation?

He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he almost missed Kallen's murmured words, said in a tone that brooked no argument, and would take no compromise.

"That's going to have to change."

Lelouch blinked. "What was that?"

Kallen seemed startled out of her words, flushing red and backing away quickly. "N-nothing," she asserted firmly. "I said nothing. Now come on."

The abrupt change in topic irritated Lelouch, but he held it down, figuring now was as good a time as any to get in a few questions.

"Where did you live before coming here?" Lelouch asked, "You're obviously never been to London, or even Brittania, for that matter, if you haven't heard anything about 'Reaper'."

"Overseas," she answered, somewhat evasively, and he frowned at the sudden change in her normally forward manner. "I was born overseas and lived there all my life, so this is the first time I've even been to Brittania."

She said no more on the subject, as the sight of a quaint little tea shop caught her interest.

"Didn't you want meet to take you somewhere? Or did you just need someone to point out things of interest for you?" Lelouch asked, suddenly feeling irritated at how much time he was losing. At this point, finishing the shopping the president had tasked for him to complete was hopeless.

"We'll get there eventually, I'm sure," Kallen said, waving off his concerns. "In the meantime, I want to get as much exploring done as I can before my brother finds me."

"Your brother?" Lelouch blinked. Now that was something she hadn't mentioned before. Ignoring the brief pang as he thought of Nunnally, he asked, "Why would your brother finding you be a problem?"

For the first time, Kallen actually looked mildly contrite.

"He means well," she admitted sheepishly, "But he'd never want me just wandering the city on my own. Plus, once he gets here, it means I have to start doing… my job."

Lelouch frowned at the hitch in her voice as she finished speaking, the way she hesitated slightly over the words 'my job', but he let it go. There was no point prying into secrets that she obviously wanted kept.

"Brothers are supposed to worry about their little sisters," he said offhandedly, without thinking.

Kallen gave him a curious look, peering over her large sunglasses at him. "You have a sister?"

Lelouch nearly tripped. He hadn't meant to say anything, at least out loud. Talking about Nunnally, or indeed any other member of his family always brought up unpleasant memories more than they did the good ones.

"Yes," he said quietly, after a few moments had passed. "I haven't seen her in a long time though. Or any of my family, for that matter."

He swore inwardly. Now where did that comment come from? He never spoke about his family, not to anyone, not even C.C. and Jeremiah. Why the hell was he talking about this, anyway?

"That sounds very sad," Kallen said, and her voice held a surprising amount of sympathy.

Lelouch instinctively straightened. "I make do," he said uncomfortably, "I'm not alone. I have… others, by my side. They help me as best they can. They are… a family of sorts, you could say."

When Jeremiah wasn't fussing over him like a mother hen. When C.C. wasn't trying to drive him up a wall.

"Then you're very lucky, don't you think?" Kallen said thoughtfully, a small smile playing on her lips.

"I suppose I am," Lelouch admitted.

If C.C. ever found out he said that, though, he would probably have to kill himself.

"Oi! You scum!"

His wry humor dissipated as both he and Kallen turned to look at where the sudden shout had originated from. Across the street, a commotion had broken out as a young Brittanian boy, barely looking to be about ten or so, was shoved roughly down to the ground from the doorway of a nearby shop by a furious looking Japanese man.

"I told you before that if I caught you stealing from me again I'd beat you within an inch of your life," he snapped, towering over the boy.

"I need that medicine! My sister, she's…" whatever the boy was saying was cut off by another angry roar from the shopkeeper.

"No money, no medicine! That's how this world works boy!"

Lelouch couldn't help but notice that everyone else on the street had abruptly turned their gazes pointedly away, and sighed inwardly. That was just how things were, he knew, and however much it turned his stomach, he had to ignore it as well.

"What the hell are you doing!"

Every eye on the street now, however, had swiveled back, even for just a second, at the newest shout- and Lelouch couldn't suppress a groan at seeing Kallen standing between the irate shopkeeper and the boy.

Even from a distance, he could see her eyes glittering with a fierce kind of defiance as her fists planted themselves on her hips. "He's just a boy!" she snapped, narrowing her eyes.

"He's a thief!" the shopkeeper responded angrily, looming over her. "I'm gonna teach him a lesson, so get out of my way bitch! Unless you want to take on his punishment yourself!"

"Then call the police if you have to!" Kallen snapped back, still standing over the boy. "There's no reason to get violent!"

"You're Brittanians," he sneered. "I can do whatever I want to you scum. Don't you know who I am? My father is a government official! I can have you all arrested for even standing here against me!"

Not good. Lelouch knew that shopkeeper, and knew he had connections with the government, and more importantly, that he was willing to abuse it, as he had done so before several times. He would make good on that threat if necessary.

Gritting his teeth, Lelouch went after her doggedly, placing himself between Kallen and the enraged man.

"Sorry," he said quickly, bowing his head. "My friend, she's not from here, sir. Please, forgive her."

"You-" Kallen sucked in a breath, obviously surprised by his sudden intervention, but anything she was about to say was interrupted by the shopkeeper.

"Idiot boy! Keep your damn woman in line!" the angry tirade was nothing new, but the swift slap that Lelouch received by the older man actually startled Kallen out of her thoughts.

Lelouch staggered back, but remained with his head bowed. Kallen was about to step forward, enraged on his behalf, when a restraining arm was placed on her elbow.

"Please," he said quietly, and though he wasn't looking at her, she understood.

Kallen relented, and Lelouch spoke again. "I'll pay for what the boy stole. Just… let him go. Please."

"Hmph." The man crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "It seems you at least know your place in this world, boy. Good. I'll be merciful just this once and let it go. Though I'll be expecting a little extra, on account of my overlooking this…"

He held out a hand expectantly, and Lelouch handed him a fistful of bills, far more than whatever little amount of medicine had been stolen.

Satisfied, the shopkeeper gave them all a distasteful look, and then turned and walked away back into the store.

The Brittanian boy, who had gone silent, gave Lelouch a grateful look. "Thank you," he said quietly, slightly ashamed at having been saved by two strangers.

Lelouch smiled, his expression so unexpectedly kind that Kallen was momentarily thrown at how much gentler he looked with it on. "You were doing what you had to do for your sister. You're a good brother. She's lucky to have you. Now go on, and don't steal again, okay?"

"Y-yes sir," the boy nodded, and then gave Kallen, then Lelouch, an awkward bow and left with another hasty word of thanks.

As soon as he was gone, Kallen yanked her arm away from Lelouch's grip, giving him a hard, though not necessarily angry look.

"Why did you just let him do that to that kid? What he was doing was wrong, and you know it!"

Lelouch's gentle expression faded into a piercing look as he gazed back at her fearlessly. "And what would you have done? Hit that man? Escalated this from a simple case of shoplifting to assault? Maybe you could get away with it, but that boy would never be able to escape this incident then. All the other Japanese shopkeepers around here would know what happened, and they'd make life impossible for him just to show that they can't be pushed around by Brittanians."

Kallen looked stunned, yet again.

Lelouch sighed, and pinched his nose, looking drained from loosing such a tirade as he turned away.

"Come on. Let's keep going. I don't want to lose any more time." He chanced a glance back at her, and after a moment, Kallen's face broke out into a smile.

"You know, maybe you're more of a man than I gave you credit for," she said lightly, and there was a vaguely mischievous light in her eyes as she spoke.

Lelouch blinked, flushed red, and wished yet again that he had Suzaku's grasp for understanding the female mind.

000000

Suzaku sneezed.

"Bless you," Cecile said kindly, handing him a handkerchief with a matronly smile.

"Ah, thank you," Suzaku replied, politely refusing the kerchief.

They were in the old tunnel system that connected to his private manor, where Suzaku had stashed the Caliburn. Milly had thoughtfully (and somewhat mysteriously) acquired a large tarp to cover the machine and even an old army Armored Knightmare Carrier (AKN for short) to store it in and allow for easier transportation.

Where and how Milly had found it, and, perhaps more importantly, what funds she used to acquire it, were matters that Suzaku decided to leave well alone.

It had taken a surprisingly small amount of convincing to get Lloyd and Cecile to come with him into the tunnels, and Suzaku hardly had time to open the Caliburn's hatch when Lloyd happily started poking at thegolden Knightmare with all manner of strange devices, leaving Suzaku and Cecile where they were now, loitering around just outside the vehicle.

"Shouldn't you help him?" Suzaku asked quietly, glancing at Cecile, who smiled in response.

"Oh no, I wouldn't dream of bothering him right now. I'll go in later and have a look myself, but for now I'll let him have his fun," she answered, sounding for all the world like a patient mother speaking about her overly rambunctious six-year old.

"Uh huh…" Suzaku said noncommittally.

"Very interesting!" Lloyd practically cackled, clapping his hands delightedly from inside the cockpit of the mecha. "The interface is completely different from any standard Knightmare model in production! I've never even heard of some of the changes they've made to the operating system."

"It seems to control like any other Knightmare Frame," Suzaku said guardedly.

"It doesn't," Lloyd corrected, poking his head out with a grin. "A lot of key components, such as the pilot's Driver to initialize the machine, have been utterly bypassed. Whatever activates this Frame is something no one's ever seen before."

"What does that mean?" Suzaku asked.

Lloyd paused, tapping his cheek thoughtfully, as if wondering how to explain. "It's like someone heard about a Knightmare Frame without knowing what goes on inside, and went about constructing it in a completely different manner. One could say you might not even be able to qualify this as a Knightmare Frame under its current definition at all."

His stomach churning, Suzaku questioned hesitantly, "Than what would you say it was?"

"If I had to guess?" Lloyd's smile seemed devoid of warmth. "The dawn of a new age."

His words reverberated into an empty, hollow silence.

"Or something like that, anyways," Lloyd continued, shrugging nonchalantly. "Whatever this is, it'll change everything we know about Knightmare Frame combat once we know what it can really do."

For some reason, Suzaku shivered, and wondered yet again exactly what they had done to Euphemia… and now, with a cold spasm of fear, what she in turn had done to him.

"How long do you think it would take you to figure out how this works?" Suzaku pressed. And more importantly, to know how it and Euphie are tied.

"Maa… who knows," Lloyd said whimsically. "Why, do you have something important that needs doing first?"

Suzaku thought again about Euphemia, and decided against telling others about her. No sense in being reckless with that information.

"No. I'm just concerned, that's all." He straightened, set his mouth in a stern line, and spoke firmly. "Lloyd-san, Cecile-san, Milly told me I could trust you, but I need your word that you won't tell a soul about this machine."

"And if we don't…" Lloyd ventured, an unreadable, mysterious lilt of a smile playing on his face.

"I'll use every bit of my power to make you keep quiet."

Suzaku felt like a hypocrite in that moment, sickened by even making such a threat, hollow though it was. He was no better than the corrupt Empire he hated. But right now, it wasn't just his life on the line- if Lloyd or Cecile spoke a word of this to anyone, Milly and Euphemia would be in just as much danger.

And that… that was too unbearable to think about.

"Is that understood?" he asked, keeping his features as harsh and stern as possible.

Cecile said nothing, and looked won at the ground.

Suzaku felt his stomach drop. So were they really untrustworthy after all…

"Scary…" Lloyd suddenly said, all friendly, open smiles again. "Well, I'll keep quiet. This machine is fascinating, and if I tell, every other egghead will be trying to crack its secrets instead of me. So, we'll be good."

Suzaku sighed in relief.

"For now."

Suzaku nearly tripped over himself at the addendum, but before he could reply, Cecile had given Lloyd a rather frightening bop on the head.

"He's joking, of course," she said, smiling that same placid smile as before. "We're honored to work with you, Suzaku-sama."

"… Same to you," Suzaku said slowly, with a bit of reservation. Nonetheless, he held out his hand, which Lloyd took energetically, and shook, sealing the deal.

000000

"And here's my inventory report on our remaining materiel," Kewell said quietly, passing him a pile of paper that looked like it might be capable of killing a man through blunt force trauma, "We currently are reduced to four working De Dannan Knightmare Frames, with Fenette's machine still needing a replacement arm and Stun Tonfa, meaning only three are actually battle ready. Munitions are in equally short supply, and we're down to the last crate of Sakuradite energy packs for fuel."

"At least we've still got our health," Gino joked glumly. The desk he was seated at bore a special recessed safe in the bottom drawer, where he kept all the documents relating to his "underground" activities. They were at a hidden basement room underneath one of his family's estates, one of the few remaining to the Weinberg family after the fall of Brittania. This one was his own, allotted for his own personal use.

"Quite. Aside from our casualties, the remainder of our forces are more or less hale," Kewell acknowledged.

"I notice you're dodging the fact that our casualties included more than half of our agents," Gino said quietly, raising his eyebrow.

"It was not your fault my lord. We were unprepared for the scale of retaliation the Japanese forces would present, that is all," Kewell stated firmly, his insistent tone making it clear they'd had this discussion before.

Despite his intentions, however, Gino's face remained troubled. "In any case, I'm gonna send a message to the boys at Richmond that I'm putting us on Inactive status until we can rebuild. We don't have nearly enough to be able to be effective as we are now."

"I assume they've got their hands full as is, and aren't keen on wasting resources," Kewell said observationally, glancing towards the brightly lit television, which was currently running a report on the latest uprisings throughout the country.

"It looks like we've opened up a floodgate. Everyone in the Liberation Front is more or less wanting to get a piece of the action we started up," Gino noted, frowning slightly. "Japan hasn't retaliated in kind yet, but you can bet they will, and soon."

"I'm sure the Commander has thought of something to deal with that," Kewell said stoically, with just a hint of reverence for the person he was speaking of.

The Commander of the Liberation Front was a shadowy figure, all but unknown to the front-line resistance cells such as Gino's, but nonetheless also a legend amongst them. Orders and battle plans drawn up by the Commander made it clear that he (or maybe she, Shirley often asserted, rather indignantly) was a tenacious and inspired tactician.

It was the Commander who devised the command structure of the Liberation Front, with a number of regular soldiers reporting to a cell leader, who, along with many others, reported to a regional leader, and up and up the chain till it reached the Commander. It was a solid tactic for a small, subversive group such as theirs, though it did limit their ability to work in a larger, more cohesive group.

"Well, if he has, then it's his problem," Gino muttered, shutting his eyes and leaning back into his chair, letting out a low exhale as he did so. "For now, let's just concentrate on getting back on our feet."

"Understood sir," Kewell affirmed. "Is there anything else you need from me?"

Gino cracked open a single eye, his tired expression fading in favor of a wry, mischievous look. "In a hurry to get somewhere, are we?"

Kewell paused, and then, as if suddenly realizing something, his face colored. "You… you read my text messages again, didn't you sir?"

The blonde gave him an innocent smile.

"…" Kewell sighed. "It's not what you think. I'm just looking after her siblings tonight while she works a late shift, and so she's treating me to dinner afterward. There is nothing special about this."

"No matter how much you'd like there to be," Gino needled, his persona of a battle-weary commander traded off for the demeanor of a cheeky little brother teasing his older sibling. "Shouldn't you just tell her you like her already?"

"We're still in the middle of a war, sir. If I allow her to get close, and something should happen… I don't want to put that kind of grief on her," Kewell said quietly, determinedly staring down at the ground.

"Don't sound so maudlin," Gino muttered, giving him a friendly punch on the arm. "You're not gonna die. Shakespeare said it best, didn't he? It's better to have loved and lost and all that?"

"That was Tennyson," Kewell corrected, sounding bemused. "Though considering you slept through all your history and literature lessons, I suspected you wouldn't know that."

"Yeah, yeah, you were always smarter than me in that department," Gino shrugged, putting his arms behind his head as he leaned back in the chair. "Now get outta here. Or would you rather be spending your night with me rather than the company of your pretty lady friend?"

"Sir, with all due respect, shut up," Kewell muttered, saluted, and left.

Gino cackled.

000000

It had been over a week now that Shirley had been coming to these tutoring sessions, and every time she wished she hadn't taken on this (admittedly rather self-appointed) mission, or that she had the sense to quit. But she was still sure that Lelouch Lamperouge knew more about what happened that day in the Underground than he was letting on, and this seemed like the best way to ferret information out of him.

It was not, as Rivalz kept insinuating, an excuse to spend more time with the infuriating prick of a man that was Lelouch Lamperouge.

Since their first… argument, so to speak, Lelouch had refrained from making any more 'charitable' overtures, but nonetheless Shirley still caught him giving her weighing, considering looks that made her bristle, as though she was some kind of puzzle he needed to figure out.

It didn't help that Lelouch's apparent fame within the school had begun rubbing off on her as more and more people noticed that their school idol had begun spending time with a member of the opposite sex. No matter how many times Shirley denied any accusations of a relationship, they kept sprouting up like weeds.

Life on the battlefield, she realized, was far more straightforward than school life. At least there, once you knocked your enemy out, they tended to stay out.

With that in mind, she opened the door…

And found only C.C., absently looking up from a tabloid magazine, gazing back at her, without any sign of Lelouch.

"Yes?" she asked, raising her eyebrow critically.

Shirley visibly took a step back.

"I… I came to see Lelouch. For the tutoring session," she added, rather quickly.

"Is that right?" C.C. pursed her lips into a lilting smile that set Shirley on edge, humming absently as she leaned forward, setting the magazine down on the table. "How very diligent of you."

Shirley stiffened, and tried to hide the fact that her fists were on the verge of literally shaking with rage at the other girl's needling.

"It was on sensei's request," Shirley said automatically.

"Of course," C.C. agreed with a patronizing tone so thick you could walk upon its surface.

I am just going to snap. I could reach out and kill her. Wouldn't even make a sound.

"… is he here?" Shirley asked reluctantly, knowing this would be about as pleasant as pulling teeth.

"No," C.C. answered succinctly, and said nothing more.

It took every ounce of training she had gained over the years for Shirley not to snap. "Then where is he?" she asked, gritting her teeth.

"I have no idea," C.C. said lightly, leaning forward with a smile playing on her lips. "Maybe you should just call him and ask."

That would help, Shirley thought, but refused to be grateful for that bit of common sense, served on a platter of smugness as it was. Her phone was halfway out of her bag when she realized something, however.

"Er…" Shirley paused. She didn't have his number.

"Here," C.C. said, grabbing her phone unceremoniously and absently punching in a number. Without waiting for any kind of confirmation, she hit the call button and passed it back. "There you go."

"W-wait a minute! Why couldn't you have just called him! I… I don't want to…" Shirley's protests fell away as the ringing of the phone stopped, replaced by a short click and the unmistakable voice of Lelouch came through.

"Hello?"

"Um…"

"Who is this?"

Shirley was at a complete loss for what to say.

"If this is the pizza parlor on Fifth street, for the last time, I swear we will square our tab with you next month."

"What?" Shirley blinked. "What are you talking about?"

"That voice… Shirley-san?" Lelouch's voice was tinged with a mixture of recognition and confusion. "How did you get my number?"

"I… look, that doesn't matter," she said quickly, feeling her cheeks heat up as she glossed over C.C.'s abrupt placement of the call, "Where are you? I'm at the Student Council room at our usual time…"

"… I knew I forgot something," Lelouch muttered, barely audible through the phone.

"You forgot?" Shirley's voice took on an edge, and a growl was held barely in check at the back of her throat. "I thought you were the one who was trying to 'help' me, after all."

The outright derisive mockery in her voice was rather unprovoked, she would think later, but for some reason her normal rationale had so far gotten thrown out the window when dealing with Lelouch Lamperouge.

"My apologies," Lelouch said hurriedly. "I… I got caught up with doing errands for the Student Council."

In the background, Shirley heard another voice- a girl's voice- calling out to him, and her eyes narrowed.

"Is that a girl?" she asked slowly. Out of the corner of her eye, C.C.'s expression never changed, but there was a subtle straightening in her posture.

"W-what? No, that's just someone passing me in a crowd," Lelouch asserted, suspiciously prompt in his response. "Listen, I'm really sorry about missing our tutoring session today. I'll make it up to you, I promise."

"Hey, wait a minute-" Shirley began, but before she could finish her sentence the phone clicked and the line disconnected.

"He hung up on you, huh?" C.C. observed slowly.

"… shut it," Shirley muttered, gritting her teeth. Oh how she hated Lelouch Lamperouge…

000000

"Who was that?" Kallen asked, peering at him quizzically. They were strolling side by side down the street, finally on their way to whatever mysterious destination she had request he guide her to.

"Just a fellow student," Lelouch said distractedly, shutting the phone.

"Why'd you lie and say you were running errands, if it was just another student?" Kallen continued. "Sounds like whoever was on the other line was a little upset."

Her face broke out into a mischievous grin. "Was it a girlfriend?" she teased.

Lelouch balked, and then, to Kallen's surprise, burst out laughing.

"You're kidding me. Shirley-san seems more likely to tear my face off with her teeth than kiss me," he muttered, shaking his head. "Even if she and I were reborn fifty times, she'd still hate me just as much."

"If you say so," Kallen said noncommittally, a smile playing on the edges of her lip.

Lelouch was about to snap back a reply when his eyes wandered up, caught the number of the building they were passing, and stopped him.

"We're here," he announced. "Wherever here actually is, anyway…"

His mutterings faded as he chanced a glance at Kallen, whose face had changed into a look of hesitant wonderment.

Lelouch was puzzled. The apartment building they had stopped in front of was decidedly unimpressive, bordering on ramshackle. While not one of the absolute worst areas of post-invasion London, it was still far from ideal, and hardly the kind of place a complete foreigner would have gone to in their first day in Brittania.

"Hey, what is here, anyway…" he began to ask, but trailed off as Kallen, as if in a dream, started towards the steps of the building, pushing aside the doors as though they weren't really there.

They walked through the front door, through the trash-littered hallway and into a grubby elevator where the half the buttons were scratched up so badly they wouldn't have gotten away easily. They rode the elevator in silence till the third floor, where Kallen and Lelouch disembarked.

It was at this point that Lelouch finally felt compelled to speak, his curiosity overwhelming him at last. "What are we doing here, Kallen-san?" he asked quietly.

Kallen, however, seemed in a daze, and instead of responding practically glided towards a nearby door. As she reached it, extending her hand out to knock, however, her fist hesitated over the stained, faded wood.

"Kallen-san?" Lelouch repeated, voice barely above a whisper.

Her face hardened, and she knocked once. The pregnant pause following the hollow sound was deafening.

Then, ever so slowly, the door opened.

Lelouch stared at the man who stood behind the open portcullis. He was many decades older than them, in his late forties more or less, but it seemed the years had been viciously unkind to him, aging him prematurely. The atmosphere around him was that of a crumbling ruin of a once great monument, all but the barest vestiges of majesty stripped away by the ravages of time.

His face would have been handsome once, with high cheekbones and an aquiline nose and a stern mouth, though now it was marred by worry lines and a ragged gray stubble. His clothes were shabby- perhaps once they were good quality material, but wear and tear and poor maintenance had left it hanging by the barest threads. What was still sharp and clear, like the last laurels left on a ruined statue, however, were his eyes- steel-blue, same as Kallen's.

This last observation came in at the same time as Lelouch's ears caught Kallen's faint whisper.

"Father…"

Lelouch's head snapped around to stare at the redhead, whose eyes had widened into saucers, tears threatening to spill out from them as they watered.

The man's eyes widened, and, in a voice that spoke of clear disbelief, whispered, "Kallen?"

As if waiting for this signal, Kallen burst out into a charge and all but tackled the man, wrapping her arms around him fiercely, burying her face in his chest with a quiet sob.

"Father," she repeated again, sounding younger than her years.

"Kallen… is that really you?" he said softly, hesitantly placing his arms on her shoulders and pushing her gently back, just enough so he could see her face. As certainty took hold of him, he gently pushed aside an errant strand of red hair from her eyes. "My God, you've grown…"

"It's been over ten years. I should have," Kallen said lightly, chuckling even as an errant tear slipped down her cheek.

"Ten years… God, it feels like a lifetime," her father muttered, shaking his head. "Why are you here?"

"I came to see you!" Kallen said fiercely, the sudden change in tone jarring Lelouch. "I've wanted to see you… Mother has too! I know she has! You can come back with me! To Japan! I know that the Imperial Council will listen to us this time!"

She sobbed again, and it her father's expression twisted into a look of supreme agony, so much so that Lelouch averted his gaze, not wanting to peer into such a private family moment.

What the father said, however, caused his head to whip around.

"You should not have come."

Kallen pulled back as if burned, eyes wide and full of incomprehension. "W-what…"

All trace of the father who was meeting his beloved, lost daughter had suddenly vanished, abruptly replaced by a face that could have been carved from deathly cold marble.

"This is not where you should be," he said slowly, with all the weight of a hammer stroke behind his words. "You remember what they said, don't you? You were never to see me again. And yet here you are."

Kallen's mouth opened as she tried to speak, but her words seemed to wither away and left her with only silence.

He turned away, and his back was as immobile and unbending as steel.

"I will forget you came here today. Best you do the same, child."

"Father… I… but…" Kallen reached out a shaking hand to him, but it fell just short as he spoke again.

"Go, I said."

The tortured, piercing look of pain that marred Kallen's features, which had been full of smiles but a moment ago, disturbed Lelouch in a way he had never really known before- not quite the same as any time he saw Nunnally's or even Euphie's crying face, to be sure, but nonetheless there was a distinct empathic pain he felt in his heart.

"But…"

"Go!"

Kallen flinched as though struck. With a single, broken sob, she turned and fled.

Lelouch remained where he was, his mind whirring furiously as he played out the conversation over and over again. All the while, Kallen's father stood still in the doorway, paralyzed like a stone.

Finally, Lelouch spoke.

"The former Lord Matthew Stadtfeld, Earl of Essex. It is you, isn't it?" The question was all but rhetorical, and Lelouch continued without waiting for a response. "The name Stadtfeld… I thought I'd heard it before. All the pieces make sense now about her. That makes Kallen-san a half-blood Japanese and Brittanian, doesn't it?"

Matthew Stadtfeld turned towards him with an unreadable expression.

"Yes," he said tonelessly, and then added, with a tone that bordered on insolent, "Your Majesty."

Lelouch blinked, and then chuckled in understanding at the rough tone from the older man. "I'm not here to play games, Stadtfeld, and I'm not interested in blackmail, if that's what you're wondering. It's merely a coincidence that your daughter happened to drag me all the way here."

"A strange coincidence," Matthew echoed, and then beckoned him with a wave of his hand. "Inside. I'd rather not have anyone prying."

Lelouch followed him dutifully, though privately amused at the horrific breach in protocol at having a mere earl ordering about a prince.

As they stepped inside, Lelouch spoke again.

"I remember now… the incident involving the name Stadtfeld. You had an affair with the heiress of the Kouzuki Clan, causing a scandal between the Empire and the Japanese when you were found out. Since the heiress had an official husband, both sides were in an uproar. The Japanese demanded compensation, and at that time hostilities were already at a breaking point, with the war only a few more years away, so my father had you stripped of your titles and land, and forbade you to see your mistress or your child ever again, a condition the Japanese Empire promised to enforce with prejudice."

"She was seven at the time," the former lord said softly, gazing at a portrait on the mantle. "I could only visit her secretly, and in a year we might meet only enough times that you could count on your hands, but she never seemed to mind. She always seemed so happy…"

"That's her, isn't it?" A closer look provided another, more surprising detail.

"This is a cut out from an article about her, only a year ago… A portrait of her from last year… and…" Lelouch glanced around the mantle, and spotted an album. On an impulse, he grabbed the leather bound book and opened it up, and found his hunch true. "Articles about her recent achievements. All signs of a doting father watching from afar."

"Her star has risen far," Matthew agreed. "That's why there's no need for her to spend time looking for a disgraced former noble and hurting her chances of succeeding in the Empire."

"I see," Lelouch murmured. After a moment, he chuckled bemusedly. "No wonder she went by a different name when she introduced herself to me. Finding out who she really was would have been quite a shock at that time."

"You seem less surprised now," Matthew noted slowly.

"Less surprised with the idea that one of the Empire's most famous and celebrated Knightmare pilots was having me lead her to her long lost father, who is a noble stripped of his titles by my own father?" Lelouch said dryly. "I've had a little time to cope."

"Your wit is impeccable, my liege," the older man replied, his tone equally wry.

Their eyes met, and Lelouch and Matthew shared a smile.

"I should go," Lelouch said, after a long moment of unspoken understanding. "I'll give her your regards."

"I thank you for your consideration, your majesty," Matthew murmured, and bowed at the waist. Just for an instant, the regal noble he had once been reasserted itself, and all the years of premature aging seemed to fade away.

"Just one question," Lelouch asked, a quizzical look on his face. "How did you know who I was?"

"Your eyes," Matthew responded solemnly. "Only the child of Marianne the Flash could have those eyes."

"You knew my mother?" Lelouch questioned, and his expression changed dramatically. There was a solemn difference in his eyes, a subtle gleam of sadness.

"I've met her before. You don't forget eyes like that," Matthew asserted.

Lelouch turned away, to hide his face. "I see… I'll be going then."

He was halfway out the door when he heard a whisper.

"Take care of her."

Smiling, Lelouch replied, "I doubt she needs me to look after her, but I'll do my best."

000000

He found her outside the building, staring out rather poignantly at the sunset, all traces of tears faded away, replaced by a stony, blank expression.

"I knew, of course," Kallen said softly, as he moved closer. "I knew that bringing him back was impossible. But… just seeing him… I had to try. I had to make sure."

She glanced over at him, her expression almost pleading. "You understand, don't you?"

Lelouch nodded. "Ah."

There was silence afterward, a long, drawn out one as Kallen returned to her thoughts and Lelouch struggled for something to say.

"Let's get something to eat."

Kallen blinked. Even Lelouch wasn't quite sure what he was talking about, but so far today had been driven by impulse, and why break consistency now.

"You still haven't had seen all London has to offer," Lelouch continued, offering her a hand. "Come on."

Kallen hesitated for a moment, hand shaking, before her eyes became as clear and as strong as they were this morning, and she took his hand.

000000

"What a boring day," Rivalz muttered, yawning lightly as he practically behind the counter of the bar. He was at his part time job, working as a bartender at a pub called Malory's. Technically he was underage, but Malory's was a supporter of the rebellion and was out of the way enough that no one bothered enforcing such rules.

Mac, the owner of Malory's, said nothing, but merely grunted. While not the most talkative boss, Mac paid him fairly and never asked him to do anything Mac wouldn't bother doing himself. That and the fact that Mac was also an agent of the rebellion made him probably the best possible boss Rivalz could find.

"Wish something would happen," he grumbled discontentedly, using his hand to support his chin as he propped his elbow up on the counter.

As if to comply with his idle fancy, the door opened, and two figures walked in, both of whom Rivalz recognized instantly, though one of them he had only seen on the news before (and only then because she had crushed a resistance group in China, or more specifically because her picture on the news was just that attractive enough to be worth remembering). The other, however…

"Eh… Lelouch-san!" Rivalz waved, blinking once in confusion.

"Ah… Rivalz Cardemonde-san, correct?" Lelouch said hesitantly, waving back tentatively as he and his companion moved closer. "I wasn't aware you worked here."

"Ah…" Rivalz scratched the back of his head embarrassedly, "It's kind of an under the table kind of job, if you know what I mean. I know you're the Vice President of the Student Council, but do you think you could overlook this…"

Lelouch smiled back reassuringly. "I'm sure there won't be a problem."

Rivalz returned the smile with a grin, chuckling. "Well thanks for that… now if you don't mind me asking… what is someone like you doing with Kouzuki Kallen!" he finished with a hurried whisper, pulling Lelouch closer so the person in question wouldn't overhear.

Lelouch had the grace to look flustered, though he pulled away to avoid looking suspicious. "It's more like I didn't have a choice," he muttered, half to himself. "This whole day has just been… strange."

"Strange, huh?" Rivalz gave him a considering look, absently picking up a glass and wiping it down with a dry cloth. "Well, I gotta say, you're pretty impressive. You've got that green-haired chick and Shirley on the side, and now you're going after the Empire's idol? You've got balls man."

Rivalz clapped him on the back with a grin. "You're a hell of a guy, Lelouch-san!"

Lelouch felt like doing a facefault- only holding onto the bar and his own pride kept him from doing so.

"Why does everyone keep thinking Shirley-san and I- and C.C. too? What in the… you know what, nevermind," he muttered, with a tone of supreme consternation, "Look, can we just get a table for two? And it's not what you think!"

Rivalz continued to grin, humming under his breath. "Alright, alright Vice-Pres. Table for two, coming up."

"Thank you," Lelouch said politely, though he somehow got the feeling this would come back to haunt him later regardless of Rivalz's words.

"What was that all about?" Kallen questioned, as they were led to their table.

"Nothing," Lelouch muttered distractedly. "Just… don't worry about it. Order something to eat- don't worry about cost, it's on me."

Kallen gave him a noncommittal look, obviously not buying it completely, but she started looking into the menu anyways. They ordered quickly, both of them starving by that point (Fish and chips for her, and a Shepherd's pie for him), and they ate relatively quickly, only occasionally sharing idle conversation.

It was only after they had finished, and were sipping the last of their drinks that Kallen finally spoke about what had occurred before their arrival.

"Do you… do you think I'm stupid?" she asked softly, gazing down at the table. "For wanting to believe I could just wish my family back together?"

"No," Lelouch said quietly, shaking his head. "There's nothing wrong with a wish, or with having the courage to try. What matters is that you followed through with what you believe, and that you don't regret it. You don't, do you?"

Kallen shook her head.

"No… I don't. I had to be sure," Kallen agreed, her eyes moving up to meet his gaze, a firm conviction taking hold in her eyes. "And I'm not going to give up just yet. I'm going to convince Father to come back with me someday. I won't give up, no matter what."

Lelouch blinked, and then suddenly broke out laughing.

Kallen looked offended, shooting him a furious glare. "What's so funny?"

"No… it's not what you said that caused me to laugh…" Lelouch said mirthfully, smiling, "It's just… you sounded so much like a friend of mine. That's how he'd go about doing things too. Always looking towards the right thing, the just thing… he's very strong."

"I was imitating a friend of mine as well, actually," Kallen admitted, her expression softening at his words. "He's the same way. Always doing exactly what he believes is right, regardless of what's standing in his way. I think he's the strongest person I know."

The expression in her eyes was distant and fond, the eyes of someone remembering a childhood full of laughing memories.

"Ah," Lelouch nodded, and his smile took on a secretive nature. "I have to agree with you there. Suzaku is very strong."

Kallen nodded along with him, still lost in her own memories, before realization set in and her head whipped around with a shocked expression.

"What, you didn't think I'd put the pieces together?" Lelouch shrugged mischievously. "Kouzuki Kallen-san, Shichiken of the Japanese Empire, the youngest and possibly most famous member of the Shichitennou, the seven strongest Knightmare pilots in the Empire?"

She had the grace to blush. "So… you realized it." She paused, as if considering something. "But you never said a word till now. And you never treated me any differently…"

She trailed off, though her meaning was clear. As the Shichiken, or Seventh Sword, of the Shichitennou, or Seven Heavenly Kings, Kallen was more than just a noble's daughter, she was a high ranking military official outside the bounds of the normal chain of command, answerable only to the Emperor as one of his personal warriors. Not even Suzaku had authority over her.

Someone like that was definitely not supposed to be treated like a normal (if rather overbearing) teenage girl.

"I figured you had to have your reasons for wanting to keep your identity a secret. Though, after everything that just happened, I felt discretion was no longer the better part of valor. Talking about Suzaku was a hook to get you to admit it, I have to confess," Lelouch said lightly, sounding rather satisfied with himself.

"You're as clever as he said you were, Lelouch Lamperouge," Kallen said pointedly, taking a sip from her glass as she waited for his reaction.

She was not disappointed, as Lelouch's eyes grew wide as saucers and he sputtered, "How… you…"

"He talks about you," Kallen continued, as if he hadn't tried to speak. "He respects you a lot, you know."

It was more than that, though Kallen decided against disclosing the rest of it. In fact, when she spoke the way she imagined Suzaku would have gone about the same decision regarding her father, she had remembered a conversation she and Suzaku had a few years ago.

"I want to change the empire, Kallen," he confessed fiercely, his emerald eyes blazing. "I know it'll be hard… but I can't just let things go on like they are."

"How can you sound so confident?" she had asked, wondering at his sudden display of personal strength.

"I'm imitating a friend of mine, actually," Suzaku admitted humbly, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. "Lelouch is always so confident, ready to do the right thing for everyone without regard for his own concerns."

He glanced up at the sky, a look of supreme admiration on his face. "He's so much stronger than someone like me."

"I've seen a few pictures of you, so when I saw you on the street… I only asked you to help guide me because I wanted to see what kind of person you are," Kallen admitted. "I wanted to meet the person Suzaku always called his best friend."

Lelouch burst out laughing, shaking his head as he leaned back into his chair, holding his palm over his forehead in a bemused expression. "So I knew who you were, and you knew who I was, and both of us are connected through Suzaku. What an amazing coincidence."

"Very strange," Kallen agreed, chuckling along with him. "I'd say this was fate, almost, that you and I should meet, and become friends like this."

"Fate, huh?" Lelouch murmured. "I don't really believe in something like that. Still, any friend of Suzaku's is a friend of mine, I suppose. And what with your recent engagement to my friend…"

"Y-you know about that too?" Kallen's face flamed bright red, an expression that made Lelouch break out into a new wave of laughter.

"It was rather big news," Lelouch reminded her with a grin. "The Crown Prince being engaged to marry the Empire's youngest Knightmare Ace, scion of a noble house? Very romantic stuff, or so I've been told by the president."

He refrained from mentioning that Suzaku had also called him in the middle of the night, voice frantic with panic about finding out he was now engaged, and to a girl that, Suzaku insisted firmly, was a childhood friend and not someone he could really think about "that way".

His actual words were "It would be like marrying you", but Lelouch figured Kallen would not be happy about hearing that, regardless of her actual feelings on the engagement.

Plus that was a bit of an awkward spot for himself, as Lelouch had not been quite sure how to take that statement.

"It wasn't my decision," Kallen muttered stubbornly, crossing her arms with a huff. Her expression made it clear she had made arguments like this before. "My grandfather asked for the match, and the Emperor agreed. That's all. Suzaku and I are childhood friends, for God's sake!"

Lelouch continued smiling.

Kallen threw a napkin at him. "Oh shut up."

Lelouch dodged it deftly, absently turning his head enough to avoid the cloth projectile.

"Speaking of him, I guess I should point you back in the direction of your beloved fiancée- who I'm guessing has no idea you're even here," he finished, giving her a teasing look. "I thought so."

"Suzaku was right about you in more ways that one," Kallen muttered in response, and Lelouch gave her a curious look. "He also mentioned you were really, really insufferable sometimes."

And to that, Lelouch could only laugh.

Author's Notes

Translated Terms

Shichitenno (Seven Heavenly Kings)

Shichiken (Seventh Sword)

I told you guys I'd find a place for Alice. And this is actually a pretty good role I managed to find for her. Most of my problems in this story have been either a) finding a character to play a role or b) finding a role for a character. As of late the former has been more of a problem than the latter, which is why non-canon, but still Geass-universe characters are being brought in.

Kallen and Lelouch's interactions this chapter are a parallel to Suzaku and Euphemia's first meeting. Which, I hope, answers the question a number of reviewers had on whether or not Kallen and Naoto are the equivalent of Euphemia and Cornelia. Only roughly, of course. Each pair of siblings is massively different from their counterpart.

I realized belatedly that Shirley and C.C. have the same sort of relationship Kallen and C.C. had in canon. Which helps with the parallels, I suppose.

Kallen herself was a difficult write, mostly because a lot of her character in canon is based off of a death that didn't happen here, much like with Suzaku. Like with Shirley, I'll have to get used to her character. The scene with her father was changed and reworked and revised endless amounts of times in my head and in my notes before I fixed on how I wanted it to play out, especially in regards to her father's character.

Since we never see him in canon, I went off the base facts- he had an affair with a common woman of an enemy nation pre-war, he seems like he stayed with them for a while, and then even after the war he took in an illegitimate daughter and his former mistress. It's a bit rose-colored, but I'd like to think that shows signs of some kind of caring.

Mac is a transplant from The Dresden Files, partly for a shout-out and partly so I can just have the owner stand around and not say much.

P.S. I have no excuses for Lloyd's choice of songs. I just felt like it.