The train divided two cities. On the left was the glittering Settlement which basked on the land atop metal plates. On the right was the old city, a wasteland of sagging buildings and crumbling stone, riddled with damage that had never been repaired-where now a great reconstruction was underway.

Zealous could see the innumerable arms of brightly-coloured cranes at work removing rubble in Shinjuku. Far below the train people in helmets crouched in the dirt, looking over maps and schematics, drinking coffee from thermos' in the morning air. Backhoes and massive trucks clambered over the detritus.

"Zealous," said a calm female voice. He turned with his hand grasping the rail above his head, and looked at C.C. through brown sunglasses. It was ten AM and the morning rush had recently completed: the train car was nearly deserted but for the three of them and a couple of others.

"Yo."

The girl was seated with her back to Shinjuku. She had tied her array of green hair up and placed overtop a convincing black wig which fell to the nape of her neck, and was wearing thick-framed glasses. She held up a photograph for him to take, arm rocking with the motion of the train.

Zealous took the photo and spoke around the toothpick he'd saved from their breakfast in Osaka. "This is her?" He looked down at it. The girl in the photo was pleasantly smiling at the camera, wearing a private school had straight, dark red hair and cool blue eyes. Zealous nodded his appreciation, then passed the picture to Thieving who stood just behind him.

Thieving grinned down at the girl in the picture. "This has gotta be the best job we ever took."

Zealous raised an eyebrow. "Are you forgetting the part where we go off to Britannia and get killed?"

Thieving did not answer but continued to grin, "What's her name?"

"Kouzuki," said Zealous thoughtfully, "Um. Karen."

"Kallen," corrected C.C. without looking up at them. Her pale hands were clasped in her lap, on the fabric of her white summer dress.

"Right," Zealous glanced at her. "She's just a student? Is she really a Knightmare pilot?"

"A reservist for the Japanese armed forces," C.C. nodded.

Zealous shrugged, then turned to Thieving. Thieving had taken a credit card from his wallet and was placing it flat against the photo, staring intently. "Fire in her eyes…" he mumbled as though to himself, then held out the photo and card to Zealous, who took them.

"You remember which side is which?" asked Thieving, and Zealous nodded absently in response.

He placed the card flat against the girl's face, vertically dividing her down the bridge of her nose, so that only her right half was visible. She appeared cheerful and attractive. Then Zealous switched the card over, viewed her left side. There was a sinister curve of her lips, like a snarl, and an intensity in her burning blue eye.

"Whoa," said Zealous as he withdrew his head a notch. He turned to Thieving, but the other man was looking aside with his eyes lost behind his shades, in solemn consideration to himself. Zealous handed the photo back to C.C. and the card back to Thieving.

"So what's the plan, then?" asked Zealous as the train swooped into a slow left turn. Past the shuddering window, the smooth titanic FLEIJA crater was just coming into view to the north.

"She goes to Ashford Private Academy, in her senior year. Today the school is putting on their annual festival, so they'll be open to the public."

"Right," Zealous straightened and crossed to the other side of the train, and put a knee on the bench so he could look far down. A middle-aged woman had been reading a book, and now shifted aside to make room, sending an irritated glance up at him. He stared down at the FLEIJA bowl. Ashford Academy was prestigious and had been all over the news a couple of times, but he couldn't remember specifically for what. The Academy grounds, he remembered, were right on the borders of the crater.

"They should fill it with water and make a lake," Zealous muttered with a glance at the older woman beside him, who, he noted, was Japanese.

"What, you mean the crater?" she said with a frown at him.

He turned and smiled at her. "Sure. It's not good for much else. I bet the students would love it. Beaches, maybe a sailing club…"

The Japanese woman half-turned to the window at her back. "Well, it's kind of sacred ground. The government hasn't decided what to do with it yet…"

"Maybe I'll write 'em a letter," said Zealous with a grin, as he withdrew his knee from the seat and wandered back to Thieving and C.C. with his hands in his pockets. Thieving had taken a seat next to C.C. and was lewdly sending a glance her way every now and then.

Zealous leaned against the side of the train and said to C.C., "So, you know this girl?"

"Yes."

Thieving glanced over cursorily. "So, the plan is for you to talk with her, or what?"

"No. You two will have to do it. I can't be recognized. I'm not sure what they'd do." She shrugged, vaguely apologetic.

Zealous sent Thieving a sceptical look and they shrugged at each other. Then Thieving continued, scowling: "So, why are you even coming, then?"

"There's something else that I must do there." She said blankly. In the short time that they'd travelled together, Zealous had never once seen her smile, nor did she seem engaged in whatever conversations they were having. She barely even looked at them when she spoke. She seemed uninterested in establishing any kind of friendliness with them. Zealous considered himself fluent in the nuances of the female kind, but this particular one was continuing to elude his apprehension. While Zealous was calculated and deliberate, Thieving had never bothered to try to understand women. His methods were to-the-point and usually possessing a certain carelessness. It was likely that Thieving would make some kind of move on her; Zealous decided to let him. The strange girl seemed like more trouble than she was worth.

They disembarked the train and made their way to a pretty splendid hotel only several blocks from Ashford Academy. They unpacked their meagre belongings into a private suite with two bedrooms, which C.C. paid for from her seemingly limitless supply of cash. After that Thieving crossed the carpeted floor and commenced having a hot shower, and C.C. shut herself in her room.

Zealous changed clothes, then inspected the luxury he had found himself in. The west side of the room was covered almost entirely by windows. There was a massive table in the middle of what he could only describe as a dining room, with a bowl of fruit already arranged. Zealous snatched up a particularly succulent looking pear, then left the room and meandered down the hallway taking large bites. He took an elevator to the ground floor and looked around the lobby for anything of interest; shortly he discovered that the place was, in fact, beautiful but boring. He finished his pear, seeds and all, tossed the stem in a brass trash cylinder, and ascended again to their room.

By that time Thieving had finished with his shower and was strutting about the room wearing only a towel, as was his custom. He seemed to be waiting for C.C. to emerge from her room so he could hit on her. Eventually the Shads both slouched in a white leather couch and made inscrutable conversation while they waited. Soon C.C. came out into the main room wearing a different dress and the same wig/glasses disguise as before, and said, "Are you ready to go?"

Thieving stood, brandishing all sorts of well-tanned musculature. He said, "Just gotta change," and strutted off into the Shads' room.

They waited for him. C.C. made no indication that she would sit. Eventually, to break the silence, Zealous Shad said: "Who's this they who might recognize you?"

"That's not your concern," responded C.C. automatically.

Zealous grinned insouciantly and shrugged. He had not really expected a proper response anyway. He said, pointing an accusing finger, "You're a strange girl."

Now she looked at him, yellow eyes narrowed in a little bit of concern. "What of it?"

"I'm trying to figure out who you are and why you would want to abduct the Empress. Not to mention where you're getting your funds from," Zealous raised his chin at her.

"I already said I didn't want any questions," said C.C., crossing her arms. Her yellow eyes glared out at him under the low black bangs of her wig.

Zealous nodded reluctantly and cocked his head at her. He stretched his arms out onto the back of the sofa. "Right," he said. Then he looked at her again and said blandly, "You know, you're probably going to get us killed. Had you thought of that?"

She looked down briefly, uncomfortably, then steeled herself and looked him in the eye again. "You didn't have to take the job. Before, in Nagasaki, you said it would be impossible, and that you would be better off to 'sell me out'. But then you agreed to do it. I didn't press the issue because I wanted your help."

Zealous was smiling pleasantly. "Well," he said. "Well, we do enjoy a challenge."

She didn't seem to find this an adequate explanation. She had just opened her mouth to respond when the side door was thrown open and Thieving emerged wearing jeans and doing up the buttons on a short-sleeved shirt, a cigar clenched between his teeth. "Let us peace," he said.

It was a quarter-hour walk to Ashford Private Academy, through the summer heat. Thieving and Zealous strolled in front talking about nothing in particular, Thieving's cigar smoke trailing up behind them. C.C. hung back. Eventually they were moving along a sidewalk next to a line of well-tended fir trees and close cropped grass, with the Ashford grounds just behind a wall at the right. They had joined a small assembly of other people all walking towards Ashford, presumably to take part in the festival, most of whom were Japanese. In front of the Shads, a little girl walked between her parents, one hand held by each; from time to time they would swing her, giggling, up into the air.

"Less than a year ago this was a war zone," Zealous remarked to Thieving, who nodded mutely. Sometimes, in the presence of scenes such as this, Zealous felt a strange unwelcoming sense. He could never put his finger exactly on what this feeling was. Maybe he felt that, in some way, it was not proper for he and Thieving to share a sidewalk with a civilian family. He felt almost a kind of unease.

Soon they followed the river of pedestrians through the main gate and into the courtyard. Zealous saw that many attractions had been set up: there were pavilions here and there providing shade and a place to sit. Stalls had been arranged next to each other in rows, games of skill in which one could win stuffed animals, food vendors with both Britannian and traditional Japanese snacks. Somewhere, music was being played by a live band, and Zealous could hear the blare of a loudspeaker, though he couldn't make out the words.

The three of them browsed for a little while, taking in the sights, and then sat together on a bench to discuss things, C.C. perched in the middle with the Shads sprawling on either side with their shades. Zealous spoke: "So, shall we split up and look for her? Or all go together?"

C.C. leaned back in apparent boredom. "I already told you, I can't let my presence become known. You two will have to look."

Thieving raised an eyebrow and took his cigar from his mouth. "What should we say when we find her?"

C.C.'s shoulders slumped very slightly. Zealous was beginning to get an idea of her body language. She said, "I don't know exactly. I already said this was as a last resort. Just tell her that you want her help… to abduct the Empress. Tell her the truth. If she reacts badly, mention that I sent you. But don't tell her that I'm here at the festival."

Zealous crossed his arms, puzzled. "You're not making this easy. What if she tries to turn us in?"

"If you mention me, she shouldn't," said C.C.

Thieving glared with his mouth slightly agape. "So why did you come, again?"

C.C. turned to him, vaguely exasperated. "I have something unrelated to do, I already told you."

"And this thing is?" Zealous prompted her.

The girl turned first to him, then to Thieving, then heaved an exasperated sigh. "Oh, all right. It can't hurt to tell you. Every year at this festival, they bake 'the world's largest pizza'."

Thieving's eyes widened and his cigar nearly fell from between his fingers. "They what?"

"The world's largest pizza," C.C. repeated. "But two years in a row there were… problems… and the pizza failed to be completed. This time-"

"Hell yes," Thieving interrupted her with a hiss of glee.

Zealous stared sombrely at them. "You're kidding."

"No. Two years running the pizza was destroyed. Now, hopefully, I will be able to have some," C.C. still wore her usual blank expression. She glanced at Zealous, "I leave Kouzuki to the pair of you."

Then she stood, nodded to each of them, and faded off through the crowds. Thieving, in a reverie, gazed at Zealous for a little while, then leapt up and turned to follow her.

Zealous said, "Where are you going?"

Thieving said over his shoulder, "To find the world's largest pizza. Where else?"

He left and Zealous was alone. For a moment he just sat with his mouth slightly open and his eyebrows lowered grimly. Then he sighed and sat back, feeling pained. After a long moment spent in this exasperated manner, he rose, scratched his head, and went off in search of the girl Kallen.

Meanwhile, Thieving Shad had caught up with C.C. and was pushing through the crowd after her, sometimes roughly. She noted his pursuit and turned to him. "You're not looking for Kouzuki," she informed Thieving.

"Pizza comes first," responded Thieving with a grin. C.C. raised her eyebrows but seemed unable to find any argument against this. Finally they broke through the crowd and stood before a massive steel pan that had been set on wooden struts on the grass to one side of the school's front steps.

"They haven't started yet," C.C. said with some dejection.

Thieving looked around and saw a strange purple and yellow Knightmare Frame up on the concourse on their right, standing guard near the steps. Looked like it had an open cockpit, and the school crest was emblazoned on its torso. Thieving snorted in amusement, and said, "That's an MR-1. A real old frame."

"It's for tossing the pizza," C.C. explained. "They used to use a Ganymede."

"Even older. Classic, even," he nodded. "Those probably go for a fortune these days. Not too many left."

C.C. didn't say anything for a while. She stared down at the gigantic pan as though expecting a pizza at any moment to pop into existence upon it. Finally she turned to Thieving and said, "By the way, what were you and Zealous doing with the photo and the credit card, on the train?"

"Hmm," said Thieving. "Well, have you ever heard the theory that each half of the brain serves a different function?"

"Of course."

"They also say that each half of our face is controlled by a different half of the brain. So really our expressions always comprise two different expressions at once."

"I see," she was nodding, "I've also heard that, actually."

"Well," Thieving scratched his chin. "We knew someone who took the theory a step further. Freud said that every human has a persona and a shadow-"

"You mean Jung. Carl Jung," C.C. corrected impatiently. "The persona is a mask we put on for the outside world, and the shadow is-"

"What we hide," Thieving interrupted in retaliation, with a smug look. "Yeah, exactly. We knew this guy who said that the right side of the face showed our persona, and the left side was the shadow."

C.C. stood in solemn contemplation for a short while. Then she said, "So if I looked at the left side of your face, would I see a 'Thieving Shadow'?"

He laughed, then, "You're pretty sharp." But he shook his head. "Only half of him." He did not elaborate further.

As this conversation had been taking place, Zealous was wandering about the festival grounds pretending to be interested in one thing after another, while actually on the lookout for Kouzuki. He had just bought some takoyaki and was leaned against one of the ornate pillars lining the front walkway, when suddenly he saw an interesting exhibition. Chewing on the octopus, he made his way over to a raised section covered in mats, and surrounded with spectators. Up on the mats, two people were engaged in a sword-fight. They each wore elaborate costumes, including a round mesh face-mask and pads covering their shoulders, chest, and thighs. They circled about with wooden swords, stepping forward now and then to engage in a flurry of blows. Sometimes one of them would score a hit and a referee would blow his whistle, then step forward to separate the combatants. Zealous had never in person seen this particular style of swordsmanship before, but he recognized it, from descriptions he had read, as kendo. The art of the samurai.

He crossed his arms and watched for a little while. He'd been a swordsman himself once. He'd done a little bit of fencing in his youth, as had many Britannian children. In China he had picked up a little bit of training with the Dao and tai-chi sword, but he'd never gotten very good at either. Here and there in his reading he had found references to Japanese swordsmanship and the sword which was central to the practise, the katana. In China he'd come across writings which described the samurai and their fighting style; to actually see it, though, was impressive. The style actually reminded him of European fencing; something about the stance seemed to employ the same principles. To wait for the opportune moment and then strike.

Suddenly, across the kendo platform, he saw a flash of dark red hair. He surreptitiously craned his neck, no longer watching the fight. It was Kouzuki, on the other side of the platform, walking away in the company of a kid with blue hair. Reluctantly, Zealous disengaged from the crowd surrounding the fight and moved off in the general direction he'd seen Kouzuki in. Soon he caught another glimpse of her hair, facing away from him. She and the kid had stopped walking.

Zealous casually pushed through the crowd until he was at a hot dog stand, pretending to examine the menu. Kallen and her companion were off to his right some ways. He could hear what they were saying.

The blue-haired boy said, "So, you'll be ready?"

"Of course," Kallen responded with something like impatience.

"I'm gonna say, 'Presenting! Our illustrious pizza chef-"

She interrupted him, "I heard you the first three times."

"Then you-"

"I know," she said in exasperation.

"Okay," said the boy. "Okay, it's just, we messed up the last two years and I kind of want to see this work out for once. Wish everybody could be here to see it…"

Kallen said nothing. Zealous didn't risk looking at her to gauge her reaction.

The kid went on. "A-anyway! Milly's gonna be here, I think. She texted me and said they were gonna cover the PM's speech."

"Great," said Kallen. "Maybe you two can get some alone time finally."

"H-hey! It's not like that."

"There's gonna be a dance, don't forget," Kallen teased him.

"She's probably gonna be reporting the whole time," the kid said. Zealous could hear his embarrassment. "Anyway. I'll see you after the speech first thing and we'll get ready."

"Sure," said Kallen. "I'm starved. You want some sushi?"

"Nah," the boy grinned audibly. "I'm savin' myself for pizza."

Zealous looked around. Just to the left of the hot dog stand was a sushi vendor. It was likely that this was where Kallen planned to eat. There was no line up at the moment, so Zealous shifted over one stall and continued his act, this time pretending to look at the sushi menu. He waited a long moment, then heard the scrape of footsteps behind him. He didn't move, standing perfectly still with his hand clasped around his chin.

"Excuse me?" he heard Kallen's voice behind him. "Are you in line?"

He turned around as if he were startled. "Um. I don't know. You're getting something?"

She didn't look quite as she had in the photo. The blue eyes were the same, and her face was just as pretty as he'd expected. Her hair, though, wasn't as immaculately combed as it'd been in the picture, instead flowing messily down from a haphazard part on top.

"Yeah," she said with half a smirk. "Better decide quick or I'm gonna take your place."

"Well, uh," he said, with a glance up at the menu. "I was going to try some, but I've never had Japanese food before," he lied, "What are you getting?"

"Tekkamaki," she pointed up at the menu. "Raw tuna. It's good."

Zealous shrugged at her. "If you say so." He turned to the aging Japanese man in the stall. "Two tekkamaki orders, please." He produced his wallet and held out a folded Britannian bill for the man to take.

"You don't have to pay for mine," Kallen protested.

He turned to scowl at her. "Who said I was paying for yours?"

"Uh," she looked momentarily surprised. The blue eyes widened. "You just-"

"Ordered for you, sure," he shrugged. "I'm not rich enough to buy raw tuna for every pretty girl I meet."

Kallen was blushing ever so slightly. Zealous resisted the urge to laugh. Instead he grinned. "Just kidding."

That raised her eyebrows. "About what?"

"About not paying." He turned, received his sushi from the man, and handed Kallen her own. "My thanks for helping me choose," he made a short, theatrical bow, then turned so he could refuse the change the guy in the stall was trying to offer him.

A moment later they were seated on the marble stairs, eating and looking out over the bustling festival. Kallen swallowed her roll and said, "So, you're one of the Britannians who stayed behind?"

"No," Zealous shook his head. "I don't live here, I'm visiting a friend."

"Oh," she said politely. Then she said, "By the way, I'm Kallen Kouzuki."

He turned, saw that she was offering a hand. He took it and shook it gently. "Zealous Shadow."

She snorted into her sushi box, then looked at him in amusement. "What kind of name is that?"

He shrugged. "It's what they call me."

"Right. Doesn't sound like a real name to me," she told him with a shake of her head.

"I'm the only Zealous Shad. It means more than my 'real' name ever did."

She laughed at him. "So you changed your name? Your parents must have given you a pretty crappy name."

He smiled and swallowed the last of his tuna roll. "Maybe." Then he slouched far back on the steps. He turned to cock his head at her. "Zealous Shadow is a real name, though. Not normal maybe, but real, yes."

"Uh-huh?" she smirked. "How so?"

"When you call me Zealous Shadow, I answer," said Zealous simply. He yawned. "Anyway, I know I guy in Shanghai who just calls me Zee. You can stick with that if you want."

"Um," she sounded hesitant. "Zealous is okay." Then she glanced up at the festival below them.

The crowds seemed to be organizing themselves, filtering past the stalls and pavilions towards a grassy patch on the left side of the yard. A few remained behind, but most seemed to be thronging to see something. Up on a stage, people were moving about, most notably a couple of guys in suits. The old Japanese flag, the red sun on a white background, was flying above the stage.

"Oh," said Kallen suddenly. "Ohgi's about to make his speech! C'mon." She shoved the last of her tekkamaki into her cheeks and stood up, brushing off her skirt. Zealous followed her as she hurried down the steps. As he did so, he was formulating inferences. Ohgi, she'd called the Prime Minister, his first name. And she was a Knightmare pilot, according to C.C.

In a sort of intuitive way, he reasoned things through. She was on a first name basis with Ohgi Kaname, former second-in-command of the Black Knights. Also she was a Knightmare pilot, and a good one if C.C. could be believed. Therefore, Kallen had to be with the Black Knights. Things were beginning to make sense.

But who was C.C.?

He resolved to figure it all out later. For now, he followed Kallen deeper into the crowd as Prime Minister Kaname took the podium to make his speech. The crowd quieted down as he nervously cleared his throat. He was of medium build, with curling dark hair.

"Thank you," said Kaname, almost sheepishly. "Um. I don't have too much to say here today, other than to congratulate you all, on, uh… this accomplishment." He wasn't much for public speaking, Zealous figured. "This is… why we fought so hard. For the kind of harmony and understanding that I see here, today, as I look out at you all." He took a deep breath, his voice gathering strength. "Looking out I see the faces of Britannians and of Japanese, together and as one, coming here merely to celebrate. We stand at the beginning of an era of peace. We've done it. We've done what we fought for and died for…

"Since we're here, at this school in particular, I thought it might be fitting if I honoured the sacrifices of those who were once enrolled here at Ashford Academy."

Zealous watched Kallen as she crossed her arms apprehensively.

Kaname went on. "Many students of Ashford Academy lost or gave their lives in the struggle against tyranny. Students like…" he said, and began to name them.

Zealous listened to the names of the dead.

He was familiar with dead names. They were just like the names of the living, except that there was no one to answer when they were called.

"Shirley Fenette," said Kaname, and Kallen looked down at her feet.

"Rollo Lamperouge."

He paused, then said, "Suzaku Kururugi." A slight murmuring went up.

He took a much longer pause, before saying, "Lelouch vi Britannia."

Zealous glanced suddenly up in surprise. The murmuring grew practically to an uproar. Kallen was still looking at her feet with her arms crossed.

After the Prime Minister's speech had finished, Zealous commented to her, "I didn't know Emperor Lelouch went to school here."

She didn't seem very talkative. She only nodded at him, as they meandered back in the direction of the stairs.

Zealous looked carefully at her. "Did you know him?"

Her eyes widened and she glared at him in sudden fury. Then her expression softened. "Yeah. Well, I guess I knew him." She scratched her cheek. "His sister Nunally went here too."

Zealous carefully did not react.

"Huh," he said calmly. Inwardly, though, his thoughts swirled about him. Kallen knew Empress Nunally? Why would she ever want to kidnap the girl? None of this was making any sense. C.C. was either a fool or knew many things about this that Zealous did not.

Probably the latter. In either case, now was probably as good a time as any to talk to Kallen about the mission.

"Hey," he said, "do you mind if we talk somewhere private?"

"What?" she looked at him strangely. Then, suddenly, an expression of panic appeared on her face. "Oh no. Rivalz is gonna kill me. Sorry, I gotta go. I'm making the pizza."

She turned and ran off, dodging around the people in the crowd as she fought her way up towards the Knightmare which was sitting at the top of the stairs. Zealous perplexedly watched her go, his mind turned inwards. He ignored the commotion that presently arose, as the blue haired kid, presumably Rivals, appeared with a chef's hat and a microphone and began to make insightful pizza-related comments. Zealous also ignored the cheering and whatnot as Kallen appeared atop the purple and orange MR-1 and began to expertly toss the largest mass of pizza dough he'd ever seen.

Zealous stood frowning to himself with the noise of the crowd unnoticed around him. Thieving had always been able to cope better than he with the strange and sometimes ridiculous circumstances of their work. Thieving would, upon hearing the concerns that Zealous had for the operation, probably shrug them off. Thieving didn't tend to worry about the little things, like what the hell was going on. But Zealous had always been preoccupied with thinking; people sometimes told him he thought too much. And whenever they told him that, he would think long and hard about whether or not they were right.

Kallen knew Empress Nunally. That was all she'd said. It didn't mean she liked Nunally. Maybe she would be open to the idea of kidnapping her. Yet then again there was something illogical in the idea of abducting her in the first place. She was in a coma, and really was more of a figurehead in any case. Nunally was already out of the picture, perhaps permanently if the media could be believed. She served no political value.

Except perhaps as a hostage. Perhaps the hope was that Schniezel and Cornelia would be willing to pay a large ransom for their little sister. Yet surely, such a ransom would be barely worth the effort, considering the cost in man and machine power that C.C. was already spending on the mission.

By the time Zealous forced himself up and out of his thoughts, Kallen had spread what looked like a freight-car full of tomato sauce over the dough, and now was dumping mountains of cheese overtop, while the gathered looked on in awe.

"Half cheese pizza! Half pepperoni!" Rivals was hollering into his mic.

In accordance with this proclamation, Kallen began scattering clouds of pepperoni over one-half of the pizza.

"And now the oregano!" shouted Rivals, and Kallen's MR-1 flung green plumes of the stuff out over the pizza.

"Into the oven!" said Rivals.

The Knightmare clamped its hands under the edge of the pizza pan and slid it carefully into a twelve meter oven, from the top of which emerged smoke. Pretty soon a fantastic smell of baked cheese began to emerge.

"Only fifteen minutes, my friends!" Rivals announced. "Fifteen minutes until our pizza dream is fulfilled!"

Everything seemed to go according to plan. By this time it was the late afternoon, nearly four. A legion of servers clustered around the pizza, slicing off rectangular pieces and depositing them on the paper-plates of people who filed by in a massive line up. Many went back for seconds or thirds. Zealous, still pondering, got himself a small slice and retired to a nearby picnic table.

Shortly he was joined by C.C. with a larger piece than his own, which she cradled reverently, and Thieving who had somehow obtained a plastic tray which was bending under the weight of his own dinner.

C.C. sat down and daintily began applying knife and fork to her pizza. She looked up at Zealous: "What did Kallen say?"

"I didn't get a chance to tell her about the mission." Zealous chewed.

Thieving exclaimed something, but there was so much pizza in his mouth that neither of the others could understand him. C.C. blinked at Zealous. "Sooner would be better than later," she wiped her mouth with a paper napkin.

Zealous nodded, then clapped a hand on Thieving's shoulder and stood. "Come on, you too this time."

Thieving glared up with ferocity and garbled another exclamation which sounded like, "Pizza!"

Zealous motioned with his hands. "Eat fast, then."

He did, and then the pair of them left C.C. alone, Thieving still chewing and swallowing. "You know," said Zealous as they wandered through the crowds. "Empress Nunnally went to school here."

"Mm-hmm," Thieving swallowed a last gigantic mouthful and exhaled in satisfaction. "Yeah, I figured as much when Kaname mentioned Emperor Lelouch among the dead. C.C. was saying it shows real character for him to acknowledge Lelouch like that."

"Kallen knew Lelouch and Nunnally," Zealous went on.

"That so?" Thieving laughed. "Well, this should be an interesting conversation then."

They eventually found Kallen amidst a gaggle of other female students her age, who were all congratulating her on her pizza-slinging technique and praising the final product. Thieving hung back while Zealous approached, waved at her, and said: "You mind if my friend and I talk to you, alone?"

She looked sceptically at him, then cocked her head to one side so she could see Thieving where he was crossing his arms behind Zealous. There was an immediate chorus of whispering and giggling from the girls who were accompanying Kallen; a dark look crossed her face to hear it. Then she swept her fork across her plate and pushed the last of her pizza into her mouth, then nodded curtly to him and rose.

She muttered something that Zealous couldn't make out, as she fell into step next to he and Thieving. Zealous Shad said, "Chew your food."

She glared at him. "They're such gossips, I was saying."

Zealous shrugged. "Anyway," he held out a hand at Thieving. "My friend, Thieving Shadow."

"You're joking," she said dryly as she leaned around Zealous to peer at Thieving, arms crossed against the evening chill. "What is he, your brother?"

"Sadly, no," Zealous shook his head. "Not by birth. Listen: where can we talk privately about a matter of great importance?"

She stopped walking and looked gravely from Zealous to Thieving and back again. "I don't know who you are. If you're a couple of perverts, or if you try anything, I can kick both your asses. You understand?"

"Don't worry about us," Thieving put in flatly. "We're harmless like little lambs."

Zealous was tempted to chuckle but restrained himself.

"Right," she said sarcastically. Zealous noticed for the first time that her right hand was clenched around a little pink wallet with white trim. "Well, let's go to the roof, then," she said, and led them off without another word.

They followed as she led them through the halls of Ashford Academy, which were wide and elegant. The lights inside were mostly turned off, but lamps from without shone through the large ornate windows which lined the hallways. By the time they had crested a final staircase and emerged out into the light wind and cool air of the roof, a string quartet was playing the waltz far below, and couples were spinning about in the ancient Britannian dance.

Kallen leaned her elbows onto the railing. "Some things don't change," she said with a wan smile down at the dancers.

Zealous arrived beside her. There were a dozen things he could say in response, about things and whether they changed or not. But he remained silent and simply watched her. Thieving arrived, lit a cigar, and puffed on it. The breeze carried the smoke off into the night.

"So," said Kallen. "Who are you guys?" The pink wallet was still clenched in her right hand, Zealous saw.

Zealous responded immediately. "Military consultants." Then he cleared his throat. "Mercenaries, really. We took a job for someone, who then recommended that we contact you for help."

She frowned at him, apparently mulling this over. She said, "When you say, 'mercenaries'…"

Thieving broke in, cigar burning in his hand. "Soldiers for hire, yes. I coordinate things and shoot folks, he pilots the spiffy Knightmare. There's a lot of money in this job, if you want it," he gesticulated at her with the cigar emitting a crooked finger of smoke.

"I'm not for hire," Kallen said curtly, removing her elbows from the railing. She gave Zealous a lingering, bitter look. "You'd better leave now. Mercenaries are illegal in Japan." She began to walk back to the stairwell.

Thieving looked confused. "Are they?" He turned to Zealous.

Zealous said. "C.C. sent us to find you."

Kallen instantly was stopped in her tracks. She turned to fix him with an incredulous blue stare. "What?"

"She's the one who hired us," Zealous explained. "She said we needed your help. At least hear us out."

For a long moment Kallen only glowered at him with a kind of awed frown. Then she turned to face them and crossed her arms again. "All right, then. Tell me. What did she hire you for?"

Zealous grimaced to himself. How were they going to explain this?

Thieving waved his cigar again. He said, "We're gonna abduct Empress Nunnally from Aries Palace."

Kallen stared.

Zealous turned a morose glare at his friend. Then he grimly scratched his cheek and waited for Kallen's reaction.

She continued to stare. Then she stammered, "Wha-what? Why the hell would I want to do that?"

Zealous shrugged helplessly. "Yeah, we wonder the same thing."

"You'd better have a good explanation for this," Kallen shook a finger at Zealous.

"We don't even have a bad explanation for it," said Zealous. "You have any idea why this girl C.C. would want to kidnap Nunnally?"

"No," she said in exasperation, staring down at the floor and seeming to feverishly ponder the matter. "You guys don't know anything and you took the job anyway?"

"Yeah," said Thieving around the cigar which was now in the side of his mouth.

"I don't want anything to do with her," Kallen snarled. "I don't care why she's doing this. I'm going to tell the Prime Minister. Tell her that."

Zealous and Thieving looked at each other. "Hmm," said Thieving grimly.

Zealous blinked slowly. He said, cunningly, "You wouldn't betray her. Not after being comrades under Zero."

Inexplicably, Kallen blushed. Then she said harshly. "That hasnothing to do with it. I won't let her kidnap Nunnally. Whatever her reasons."

Zealous' deductions were correct, then. C.C. had also been a member of the Black Knights, formerly, during the days of Zero. And the rumours insisted that Zero had been Lelouch vi Britannia, even if the media said otherwise. Therefore, both C.C. and Kouzuki had served under Lelouch, and it wasn't a stretch to infer that both of them knew Nunnally. So: C.C.'s motive was probably personal, not political, and thus it was meaningless for him to logically try to reason it out. There was probably further information he lacked, some history all relating back to the Black Knights.

For the present, though, Kallen was glaring at him with mounting fury in her eyes. Seemed as though her shadow was taking over. The pink wallet was squeezed in the fingers of her hand. Zealous watched it curiously, wondering.

"All right, then," Zealous said deferentially. "Forget it. We'll find someone else." He watched the pink wallet.

"I don't think so," Kallen shook her head slowly. "I think you're under arrest." She gave the wallet a little jolt and a short blade slid out of it, pointed at them. Instinctively, Zealous turned to make certain Thieving wasn't about to do something rash. But Thieving was enjoying his cigar with a smile aimed down at Kallen's knife.

Zealous turned to her and shrugged. "I guess that's understandable."

Kallen gestured with the knife. "Keep your hands where I can see them."

Thieving raised his hands and smiled, sending forth a cloud of smoke. "Not to worry. I'd never hit a woman."

"Down the stairs," Kallen urged them.

And turned aside for a split second. By the time she turned back, Thieving had closed the distance silently, grabbed her wrist, and spun her around so that her back was against his chest. His arm slid around her neck and tightened while his other hand held her wrist straight out from her body.

Zealous watched. Thieving was constricting her carotid arteries, which tended to induce unconsciousness in ten to fifteen seconds. She made a few strained choking noises and then became motionless. Thieving carried her just inside the stairwell out of the cold and laid her gently on the floor.

They left the school silently and navigated through the crowds which were thinning out as the night grew darker. Eventually, Thieving spoke around the fading stub of his cigar. "Well," he said, "At least I didn't hit her."