A/N: Man, I despise Authors Notes. I really do. I hate reading them. I hate writing them. But apparently, I need to leave one here because I've done my job of keeping the end result of this story a mystery a little too well and y'all have no faith in me. So here goes: yes. I know code holders are immune to geass. No. Nunnally's geass is not an exception to this. That was not an oversight. That was very deliberate and has a very good explanation. I've probably spoiled it for the smarter among you now. But yeah. Trust me. Now. On to the story.

In the sewers below the Saitama Ghetto, a certain green haired witch was running as fast as she could in the showy getup of Zero to catch up to the figure that had caused the chaos back at the G-1.

She'd watched as a Lelouch that should have been dead shifted into a regular soldier and just slipped through the battlefield towards one of the sewer entrances.

And she wasn't about to let whoever the hell this was get away without answering some questions first.

The White Queen

I was humming lightly to myself as I calmly walked through the sewers, making my way back home at a casual pace even though I kept my geass active to look like a Britannian soldier. At least for now. I could shift to look like a regular student when I was back at Ashford.

The look on Cornelia's face had been absolutely priceless. And if I do say so myself...rather satisfying. Sure, Nelly hadn't really done anything yet. But I know what she would do in the future if I didn't change things. I saw my brothers memories. She betrayed him. She drove him to his death. And that deserves just a little bit of payback, I think.

"Stop!" I heard a voice behind me, and stiffened a little bit, turning around to face the pounding of feet. I caught a slim silhouette, gradually becoming clearer in the shadows, until the garb of Zero became clear. Sans helmet.

Instead, the shoulders were flayed with green hair.

Shit. C.C. She was the one person who could screw all of this up. She was immune to Geass, she would see right through my disguise, and she'd probably tell Lelouch, and…

"Who are you and how did you shift forms like that?"

…Wha?

"You… you can't see me?" I asked, blinking owlishly. "But… You're supposed to be immune to Geass."

Before I knew it, a pistol was brandished at my head. "How do you know that?"

Well, at my illusions head, anyway. Seeing as I was a full foot shorter than my illusion appeared to be, I was hardly concerned.

About the gun, anyway.

"I won't ask again. How do you know that?" She warned.

I blinked again in shock that she wasn't seeing right through me, and my illusion faltered with my concentration.

Golden eyes widened suddenly, and there was a clatter as the gun fell to the concrete beneath. "... Nunnally?"

… Somehow her not recognizing me was worse than her recognizing me and asking what the hell I was doing in Saitama.

Oh, Logic. Sweet prince, why have you forsaken me?

Thud.

The Black Queen

Once we were safely in the sewers, I stopped to pant for breath. Liberal use of my geass to make it to the sewers without that Sutherland getting caught in the crossfire of the melee that erupted outside the G-1 had taken a lot out of me, my head was throbbing from the strain.

When the adrenaline left my body, the only thing preventing me from seeing the ghost of my future left with it. I tried hard, but I couldn't help it.

My worst nightmare, walking around a war torn ghetto.

Silent tears turned to quiet sniffles and sobs. Why? Why do I have to see that over, and over, and over again? Wasn't once enough?

"Kallen?" Lelouch asked gently, and I felt his hand settle on my shoulder.

I didn't even think about the repercussions of the actions before I turned and hugged him, tightly. Some part of me honestly frightened that, if I let go… he would disappear. Or turn into that nightmarish vision.

The Black King

I blinked when the redhead buried her head in my neck and shoulders and continued to sob. Okay. I realize that nothing in that battle made sense. I realize that we got out of there alive by the skin of our teeth. But… What had her this upset?

"You saw it too, right? You? With the.. The sword? I've seen you… like that… before." She admitted quietly once she began to regain her composure. "And I never want to see it again."

Seen me like that? Before? How?

"I think some explanations are in order." I mused, carding a hand through her crimson locks in the closest facsimile to a comforting gesture that anyone outside of my sister had experienced in… years.

A few explanations, for sure. Like how she knew about my geass. Like where hers came from. And what the heck she meant by seeing that… version of me before?

And then, of course, the one she obviously wouldn't have the answer to; what the heck that vision was and where it came from.

The Black Queen

Right… explanations. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. And decided… screw it. There's really no reasonable explanation for it. But after what we've just seen, maybe an unreasonable one will do.

"The night before I got my geass, I… had a dream." I started. Looking up into his violet eyes and finding myself getting lost. That was fine. "I know this won't make any sense. But in the dream, you were Zero. That's why it didn't really shock me when I found the mask on that cat. You had geass. The power to give a person a command they could not disobey, once. You joined our resistance group. You led us in a war against Britannia. You lost everything in that war. Your sister. Your friends. And when you were already at rock bottom… We betrayed you. We traded your life for the promise of a free Japan. But… you came back. We… I… Thought you were my enemy, until it was too late."

I paused my explanation, trying to keep everything about the future I knew as vague as possible. And turned away in shame. Swallowing my emotions that came roaring back so soon after I'd gotten them under control. "We killed you, at the end. And it turned out that was just… All part of your plan."

Because really, we did. We killed him. I killed him. I could have saved him three times. But I didn't. I turned back to meet his eyes again. "When I woke up, I had… This." I muttered, motioning to my left eye while I activated my geass for a split second. "I never want to see that dream come true. Ever. I know I barely know you. I know it doesn't make any sense but… It felt so real. And then I found the mask." I swallowed again, seeing him staring straight into my eyes as if searching them for answers. "I have a chance to make sure that dream never happens. And I swear to you, right now, that I will never betray you. Even if you order me to."

The Black King

… She's right. That makes no sense whatso-fucking-ever.