Chapter 3

Sipping his coffee, Lelouch flipped through the pages of the Hiroshima newspaper he had picked up at the stand outside of the coffee shop.

"C.C., look at this. It seems there's been a revolution in the E.U."

C.C.'s eyes widened. "Really? Let me see that." She read the article titled Revolt in the E.U. "It says a group calling themselves Zero's Fist wiped out an entire squadron of Britannian Knightmares before they could even fight back. "

"Zero's Fist? It would be foolish for anyone to believe that I- I mean… Zero… was working with them."

"The name itself carries power," C.C. said. "Remember the impact you made during the Black Rebellion? From then on, the history books started adding you and your resistance movement onto their pages."

"Why is Britannia even getting involved? It's the E.U.'s problem, isn't it?" Lelouch continued to sip his coffee, gazing out the window.

"You know how Nunnally is. She won't look away when she sees a friend in need of assistance. After she assumed the Imperial throne she immediately made peace with the E.U., and now they're Britannia's strongest ally."

"Makes sense," Lelouch said. "What I want to know is why Britannia would send in another battalion without knowing anything more about who they're dealing with."

"Where does it say that?" C.C. asked, not having read the article in its entirety.

"Right here, at the bottom," Lelouch told her, putting his finger down on a line that read:

The Britannian Empire has sent in a second batallion led by Warrant Officer Clemont Harmen, but has received no word from them.

"Idiots," C.C. said, spilling coffee all over her shirt and onto her jeans.

"You sure are one to talk," Lelouch said. C.C. just rolled her eyes and wiped herself off with a napkin. Lelouch then stood up from his chair and walked towards the door.

"Where are you going?" C.C. asked.

"C.C.," Lelouch said. "I want to see this for myself."

"See what?" C.C. said.

"This resistance movement. Zero's Fist, or whatever. Suzaku better not be involved with it."

"Why does it matter anyway?" C.C. muttered, rolling her eyes at Lelouch.

Lelouch crushed the coffee cup in his hand and the hot liquid spilled all over his hand. "Why does it matter?!" Heads turned towards him. Lelouch's face turned bright red, and he saw the looks of surprise on the customers' faces. "Sorry about that," Lelouch said as he shuffled back to the table.

"What do you mean, 'why does it matter'?" Lelouch said in an angry but hushed tone. "Zero is supposed to be a symbol of peace. He's supposed to be the hero who saved the world from Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia. I find It hard to believe that Suzaku would be a part of some resistance group over in the E.U., but in case he is, I can't let him destroy everything we worked for by turning Zero back into a terrorist."

"Think this through, Lelouch. What do you plan to do when you get there? You are Lelouch vi Britannia. You're the focal point of the world's hatred. But, above all else, to the rest of the world, you're dead. What do you plan to do without revealing your identity?"

C.C.'s point was valid, but Lelouch still couldn't stomach the idea of just sitting idly by while Zero's reputation as a Knight for Justice was tarnished. "All right," Lelouch agreed. "But, I'm not going to sit around forever. Someone has to put a stop to Zero's Fist, and from the looks of it, Britannia is doing a shit job."

"I didn't plan to stop you," C.C. said. "I have little control over you, now that you're immortal like me. But I can at least get you to stop and think."

"Fine," Lelouch replied, in a somewhat pouting manner.

C.C. was quiet for a moment, seeming to be lost in thought. To Lelouch, this period of silence felt like an eternity. He was beginning to grow impatient and somewhat spooked by C.C.'s sudden muteness, but before he could say anything in an attempt to snap her out of her trance, her eyes widened and she nearly dropped her coffee.

"What is it?" Lelouch asked, frightened by C.C.'s sudden movement.

"I've got an idea," she replied, with a self-satisfied grin on her face. She took Lelouch by the arm and pulled him out into the streets of the Britannian homeland.