Sorry for the incredible delay. I've hit sort of a slump lately so I haven't been do much of anything recently. DON'T HATE ME!!! (*O*)

Once again, let me stress that I don't think of these things ahead of time. I basically write as it comes to me. That said, I have no idea where the beginning of this chapter came from. It's 2 in the morning and I was listening to OneRepublic's 'All the right moves' on repeat…so yeah.

I'll probably figure out a way to tie it to the rest of the story, though it does already work well. Sorry for destroying the mystery.

Please read and review. Ideas get things done faster than cookies do! Although the sugar rush definitely helps.

I also want to thank everyone that's review the story so far. :Plays 'Thank you' by Dido:

You guys are great! Especially those of you who have reviewed more than once. Keep it up!

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Violet eyes opened slowly, narrowing quickly as they were met with strong lights. The young teen looked around at the wide room. Thin blue and silver lace drapes hung from the ceiling at even intervals, the long pieces of cloth spun to look like curls. People in suits and ball gowns sat at the various tables set at the sides of the room while others spun synchronized like swans at the center floor. Slow spinning chandeliers with upturned flower shaped sockets held lavender, sky blue and white bulbs, turning the room into a fairytale ball.

"Princess." A voice murmured. The figure looked up to meet emerald eyes. They glittered warmly as the young man smiled. The brunette wore a blue shirt and a white suit with a long coat, lined with blue silk and adorned with medals. A white gloved hand extended out to the princess.

"May I have this dance?" He asked, though both knew it to be a question that need not be asked. The princess placed her black gloved hand in his. Facing her, the man took a few steps back, leading her forward down and off the pedestal she'd been sitting on. Her feet safely on level ground, he turned away and led her further onto the center floor, holding her hand in a gentle but firm grip. As she followed him, her eyes scanned his figure. Had he always been so tall? Had he always been this slender?

She quickened her step, wrapped an arm around his waist and leaned against his back, stopping his movement. She felt more than heard him chuckle against his back. Twist his hand so that their fingers clasped together, the man slowly spun in her embrace, thus spinning her also so that their hands remained clasped. He now stood behind her with his free arm wrapped around her waist and let his forehead rest in her hair. Their clasped hands rested on her bosom, rising and falling with the weight of her breaths.

Both remained silent as they swung slowly to the rhythm of the symphony that played, bodies molded so completely together they might as well have been one person. The princess tilted her head back to place a light kiss on the nobleman's lips. As it ended he smiled against her lips and she smiled back.

They released one another, spinning once more to face each other, take each other's hands and move back to stand 2 arms lengths away. They held that for a moment before pulling close again and fluidly adjusting themselves into a dancing position, joining the other dancers in their synchronized glide.

"How long can this last?" he asked.

"Forever." The man chuckled.

"Forever? Doesn't our very mortality make forever impossible?" he asked as he spun her away and pulled her back close.

"Solipsism." (1) She murmured. "So long as I breathe, you breathe as well. So long as I live, you live by my side. When we disappear, we take the world with us. That is our forever. It shall end with us." He chuckled warmly, his form visibly shaking, halting their dance.

"How narcissistic." He laughed. She smirked up at him.

"Better narcissistic than nihilistic." She said. "It'd be rather depressing to see the dead mourn the living. Don't you think?" He tilted his head and smirked as well.

"And when we die, the world won't exist to miss us. I don't know if I should think that pleasant or morbid." He stated absently, his smile fading as he finished.

"Neither. It merely is." She stated pulling him back into their dance. The nobleman hummed softly in agreement. And thus they resumed their dance in blissful silence. Time seemed to stretch on for hours, the world around them becoming a blur of indistinguishable colors. They were all that existed in this pool of watercolors.

The nobleman slowed them to a stop once more and held his princess firmly in his arms.

"Our dance has ended." He murmured against her hair. She turned her head to look out of one of the large window. A large beam of light raced toward the building they were in, growing brighter by the second, the rims glowing an ever darker black. The princess turned back to face him. Both closed their eyes and held each other tighter.

"Yes." She whispered. "Perhaps another time, should this world continue to exist without us."

"Goodbye, my love." He whispered. She threaded a hand through his hair as he did hers.

"Yes. Until we meet again…"

A wave of heat fell over them, as if they were out on a hot day. The light was blinding, even through closed eyes buried in others forms. Too quick to feel pain, but slow enough to know what was coming…it was over.

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Violet eyes fluttered open slowly. Their owner sat up slowly and looked about the room.

"I can't believe you fainted." Lelouch jumped. His head shot to look at the green-haired witch that sat on the other side of his bed. He glared mildly at her then looked around. They were in the Black Knights' base, in the bedroom they shared. The teen sighed and massaged his forehead.

"I fainted?" he asked. She nodded as she continued to fiddle with the Cheese-kun plush in her lap.

"In the middle of the budget meeting." She smirked. "You just dropped out mid-sentence. Head hit the table and everything. You gave them such a heart attack." She finished with a far-too-amused-considering-the-situation snicker. The prince scowled.

"Well? What did you do? What did you tell them?" he asked with a slight panic. She rolled her eyes.

"Relax. I told them that you hadn't been getting much sleep working on war strategies after hours." Lelouch sighed in relief and leaned back against the headboard. "You're lucky I was there. They really wanted to take off your mask to 'help you breath better' and take you to the infirmary." C.C. added. Lelouch cringed at the thought.

"Thank you." He murmured. C.C. scooted closer and placed her head on his shoulder.

"What did you dream about?" she asked absently.

"Suzaku."

"A wet one?" the prince frowned.

"NO. How long was I out?"

"3.5 hours." Lelouch sighed softly in annoyance. That was a lot of time gone. Damn you Suzaku!

The Britannian shifted C.C. off him and slipped out of the bed. He took his uniform, hung neatly on the back of the door. Dressing quickly, he grabbed his boots and sat back down on the bed as he pulled them on.

"Leaving so soon?" she asked.

"I need to reassure everyone that I'm fine. Not to mention the pile of paperwork that I am NOT leaving to Diethard." He muttered. She nodded and moved under the covers.

"I'll just take a nap then." Violet eyes darted over to glare at the woman. Not fair. It took considerable effort to keep himself from pouting. She looked so damn comfortable curled up in those…100%...cotton… Lelouch's fingers trailed the comforter. Even with the gloves on, he knew that it would be cloud soft to the touch. He growled and forced himself off the bed before he could have second thoughts. She was tempting him and they both knew it.

"Bitch." He muttered.

"Slut." Cheese-kun called back. He glowered at the stuffed…thing that hid the immortal. He didn't have time for this. He grabbed his mask and donned it.

He hadn't even gotten 5 steps out of his room before he was bombarded by a mob of black dressed people.

Shouts of "Zero-sama!" "You're alive!" "You should take better care of yourself!" hit him like a wave.

The cloaked teen raised a hand, easily silencing the group. He lowered his hand and swept the other hand to the side.

"Thank you for your concern. Words cannot express how fortunate I feel to have you all show such concern for me. That said, I apologize for the worry I must have caused you all. I choose to overwork myself rather than rest and in another situation that could have cost us. It was my decision and my mistake, one I assure you will not be made again. I ask you all to make this promise as well. Overextending oneself leaves you stretched too thin to work efficiently."

The crowd nodded obediently and with relief. Kallen came in front of Zero and looked up at him with concern.

"Is there anything I can do to help you? You know…lighten your load?" she asked. Zero smiled beneath his mask.

"No. What you do now is acres more than enough. More than anyone else, I ask you to take my words to heart." The pilot blushed and nodded quickly. Her face lit up with a smile as she gave a slight bow and made her leave like the others.

"Do you train, or are you just naturally like that?" a voice asked. Zero tensed minutely before looking over his shoulder to find his accomplice standing behind him.

"Like what?"

"Slutty. I don't know if you realize it, but when you talk to people you don't hate, people can easily mistake it for flirting. A certain someone wouldn't be happy. He strikes me as possessive." C.C. said. Lelouch glowered beneath the mask. (2)

"Shouldn't you be napping?" he bit out. She shrugged.

"Couldn't miss your speech. Nap starts now though." She said, turning on her heel and reentering their room. Zero glared after her and let out a mute sigh. Sometimes he wondered why he tolerated her, let alone liked her.

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~Abandoned warehouse in the ghettos~

The 3 members of the Engineering Corps entered the abandoned warehouse at 10:57. Lloyd was confident, not even taking their surroundings into consideration. But Cecile was. And as wary as she was about this, she did trust Suzaku. They'd be okay. Right?

They entered to find Lelouch, Sayoko and Lakshata already seated at the round table at the center of the room under the lone lit lamp. The women seemed curious while Lelouch sat reclined in his seat, calm as if he were in his own home. Lloyd's face contorted into a scowl.

"YOU!" he raged, marching right up to Lelouch, the only male in the room, thus all he needed to match to Suzaku's description of his 'friend'. ('friend' because people who cared about you would try to fill your mind with lies like anyone but him being the best scientist). He'd leave Lakshata for later. "You think she's better than me?" he half asked, half growled. Lelouch chuckled.

"No. Everything he and I said were lies." He stated. All three scientists blinked in confusion.

"What?!" They asked, Lloyd and Cecile looking over at Suzaku in confusion. The brunette gave them a reassuring smile.

"Sorry, it was just the easiest way to get you here." The 3 stared at him blankly. Well, it wasn't as if they could deny that.

"Well? What did you want?" Lloyd asked in annoyance, crossing his arms. Lelouch gave the man a placating smile.

"Wait a moment. We're waiting on two more guests." As if cued, the entrance swung open. Jeremiah Gottwald and Villetta Nu entered the building slowly, clearly armed, looking around suspiciously. They approached the table. Jeremiah scanned the group and frowned in confusion.

"Asplund? Croomy? Kururugi?! What are you doing here?" he asked. Cecile smiled weakly.

"We don't quite know yet." She answered. Meanwhile, Villetta's eyes were locked onto Lelouch's.

"You…look familiar." She said slowly. The prince chuckled.

"All will be explained in due time. Please have a seat." The adults eyed one another warily. Those in the military were already acquainted and the researchers also knew one another. But both the black haired boy and the maid were unknowns to everyone but Suzaku. Lelouch crossed his legs elegantly, leaned back in his chair and folded his hands neatly in his lap.

"First of all, I thought it best to let you know that electrical devices, phones, pagers, cameras, etc., do not work in this building." Several shocked expressions and everyone checking such devices later, the room was quiet again.

"Before we begin discussing the reason for this meeting, we ask that none of you speak about the matters in this room to any outside this group." Lelouch said. Villetta frowned.

"What makes you think we'd honor such a request?" she asked.

"If you don't want to honor the request, you're welcome to leave without the information." Jeremiah and Villetta's eyes narrowed slowly. "Honestly though," the teen added, "We trust you all. Thus the reason we've invited you here." He said.

"Trust us? You don't even know us." Jeremiah muttered. Lelouch smiled.

"You'd be surprised." He said. They all blinked but remained silent. "Does anyone wish to leave now?" He asked. Silence. Lelouch smirked. "Good. Suzaku, the door, please." He said with a wave of his hand.

Seven pairs of eyes followed Suzaku as he went over to the entrance and pressed a button to the side of it. A metal screen came down to cover the outsides of every door and window. The brunette returned to his seat.

"Was…was that necessary?" Cecile stammered. Suzaku waved off the concern.

"It's just to make sure no one gets in or eavesdrops. You guys can still get out on your own easily." He stated. Lelouch nodded.

"Now, as I'm sure you all know, this is Suzaku Kururugi. And this is Sayoko Shinozaki, my maid." Lelouch said with a flick of his wrist. Jeremiah's eyes narrowed slowly.

"Isn't it customary to introduce one's self first?" he stated. Lelouch's eyelids lowered and he gave the man a loving smile.

"You're right. I…simply hoped that you would be able to introduce me." The others watched in confusion as Jeremiah leaned closer to get a better look at the teen. His eyes widened slowly.

"No…" He shook his head in disbelief. "You…you can't be Lu…Lu…"

"Lelouch vi Britannia." He finished for the man, "Eldest child of the late consort Marianne vi Britannia." Jeremiah's eyes welled up and his shoulders hunched. He stood slowly and came to stand before the prince, reaching out to gently cup the teen's face in his hands. Violet eyes that glowed with intelligence and warmth, a regal posture and the undeniable air of one born from power…of one who knew power (like Schneizel). The man fell to one knee and bowed deeply. Lelouch extended his arms out to the man, an invitation. He needn't tell Jeremiah twice. The man stood and wrapped his arms around the slender prince, shaking slightly.

"My prince…I'm so glad you're well." He whispered.

"Oh my, a prince? Why isn't your name familiar?" Lakshata asked.

"Both of Lady Marianne's children were deemed dead 7 years ago. There was no need to know their names." Lloyd said absently. Jeremiah withdrew himself from the embrace with an alarmed gasp.

"Lady Nunnally. Is she…"

"Nunnally's alive, simply hidden." Suzaku stated. Jeremiah's head shot up and he looked at Suzaku with uncertainty.

"Relax. Suzaku is a dear friend of my sister and I, not to mention the one we consider to be our knight." Lelouch said, relaxing back into his seat. The green haired man nodded.

"This is all well and good, but it doesn't explain why we're here." Lakshata stated as she blew out a puff of smoke from her pipe. Lelouch and Suzaku spared a glanced at each other. Suzaku sighed.

"We're planning a coup d'état to overthrow and take control of the Holy Britannian Empire." The brunette said. Lelouch shot him a look. Blunt much? There were several gasps.

"Su…Suzaku. That's treason." Cecile whispered.

"We're fully aware of what we're doing. Rest assured that we wouldn't even be bothering with such a thing if we didn't have a significant chance of succeeding." Lelouch said. Villetta clutched at the table's edge, nails digging into the wood.

"Whether or not you could win is irrelevant. You can't just tell us that you're planning treason and us expect to…" She froze, slowly leaning back her seat.

"It's you." She whispered, "The student from Shinjuku." Jeremiah's eyes shifted from his partner in alarm and then to Lelouch.

"Is that true? Were you there? Helping…him?" he asked quietly. Lelouch tilted his head slightly and stared him down with a sense of calm.

"It was." Jeremiah's face scrunched into a look of betrayal.

"Why? Why would you do that?! Why would you go against your father? And help that man! He killed Prince Clovis!" The pilot raised a hand to reach out to cup Lelouch's face. "What…what has he done to you?" (3) he finished in a whisper. Lelouch closed his eyes, a bitter, almost amused smile creeping onto his lips.

"Nothing…I am Zero." There was a period of silence as everyone processed this information. Lakshata was the first to break the silence.

"Oh my, playing for keeps, aren't we?" she asked with a chuckle. Lelouch laughed softly.

"THIS ISN'T FUNNY!" Villetta barked, "You KILLED a prince. You killed you brother." She murmured.

"Prince Clovis ordered the slaughter of countless people for no good reason. Regardless of rank, nationality or relation, there's no excuse for his actions." Suzaku stated looking away.

"Which is quite a shame; I actually liked Clovis…just not as a ruler." Lelouch said quietly. "And as for my father, he is a horrid king and an even worse father. He couldn't honestly care less about whether or not his people or even his children died." He muttered.

"You're wrong! The Emperor is a great man!" Villetta countered. Lelouch raised an eyebrow.

"You mean to tell me you know the Emperor better than his children do? Are you that close?" he asked with a slightly mocking tone. The woman stalled then glowered, looking reading to get up.

Suzaku put a hand on Lelouch's shoulder and activated his geass, forcing a blanket of calm over them. Villetta closed her eyes and leaned back in her chair. Her past anger seemed almost nonexistent. 'Maybe the boy has a point. The Emperor is his father after all…' she thought.

Jeremiah stared at the prince for a long moment.

"What's Orange?" He asked. The prince blinked, and for a moment he actually seemed confused.

"...Orange? Oh, Orange." He smirked, "I'll explain that to you later." Jeremiah nodded solemnly.

"So…All of that aside, you actually wish for us…to help you? To go against Britannia?" Cecile asked warily. The boys nodded. Lloyd rolled his eyes.

"I don't see how this benefits us." He murmured, Lakshata nodding in agreement. Lelouch hummed softly.

"If I'm not mistaken, you two are still in the process of creating a working flight system for the Knightmare frames, correct?" Both looked at him in surprise. No one even knew about that yet. The prince smiled calmly as he retrieved a manila folder from beneath the table.

"I have in my hands the blueprints for the next 3 generations of the Lancelot and Guren models," he smirked, "as well as those of other functioning Knightmares you two won't be making for nearly two years." Both scientists were drooling, all but wagging their nonexistent tails. Lakshata quickly wiped at her lip.

"If we're going to make them regardless, why should we get them from you? How do we even know your 'blueprints' are legitimate?" she asked. Lelouch chuckled softly.

"You're more than welcome to look them over for verification. Besides," he gave them a smile that would make a succubus jealous, "Imagine how far you can get once you've bypassed these stepping stones. You two are capable of so much more." The two scientists stared at the folder for a second, shared a look, and sat back in their chairs.

"It's an honor to be working for you, you Majesty." Lakshata giggled happily.

"Truly." Lloyd added. Cecile sighed, while the remaining Britannians stared at them incredulously.

"Fine, I'll ask. How exactly did you two get your hands on those blueprints?" Cecile asked. The boys shared a long look, seeming to talk to one another through their eyes.

"Wherein that's concerned: Ask no questions and we'll tell you no lies." Lelouch stated. Suzaku turned to look at the two army officials.

"Will you help us?" he asked. With this group of people, at the very least, they wanted free will driven support. …Although looking back, Villetta's help had been coerced. The brunette sighed inwardly, hopefully that wouldn't be an issue now.

Jeremiah simply stared at the Eleven for a long moment before turning to look at his most precious prince. He couldn't quite understand why the teen had done everything he had. Why he'd gone out of his way to defy his homeland. Lelouch met the soldier's stony gaze evenly, confidently, with no trace of remorse or fear. The prince extended his hand over the table, palm up. Jeremiah smiled.

"Jeremiah-kun... Part of being a leader is having strength of will. The strength to control. Always knowing what decisions your subordinates will make before they even make them. He heh… If only because you've already made the decision for them." (4)

Jeremiah placed his hand in Lelouch's and smiled. He'd be an excellent emperor. Villetta looked back and forth from Lelouch to Jeremiah.

"Sir…are you sure?" She asked quietly. He closed his eyes and smirked.

"Yes. There is no other option. He's going to rule one day, with or without us by his side. I know it." The dark skinned woman took a deep breath and nodded.

"Alright. I'll join you too." She said. Both teens smiled with well-hidden relief. Lelouch cocked his head to the side to gaze curiously at Sayoko.

"And you?" he asked. She smiled motherly down at him.

"Of course, Lelouch-sama. I'll always be by your side." She murmured. Cecile looked at Sayoko curiously as well.

"With all due respect, in what way will a maid be of help? Um…besides the obvious of course." She asked. The others looked at the woman in question.

"I'm the successor of the Shinozaki School of martial arts." She stated sweetly. Everyone with exception of those in the know stared at her in surprise.

"She's something akin to a ninja." Suzaku said. "Incredible physical prowess, skill in the use of small bombs and weaponry, as well as being able to easily and flawless disguise herself as anyone's double, regardless of gender."

To say that the others were impressed was an understatement. Geez, none of them had such a cool resume…Although Lloyd and Lakshata would be quick to say otherwise if questioned.

"So…what's the plan?" Villetta asked warily.

"For now, nothing." Lelouch said. "We'll call upon the rest of you as needed, but for now we ask that you continue with business as usual."

"That also means continuing to act as if nothing's changed. Lelouch is still dead and you guys still hate me." Suzaku added wryly.

"Lakshata, Lloyd and Cecile, I want you three to start working on the later prototypes for the Knightmares. I'm going to provide with a building where you two can work on them. In the mean time, continue to work at your jobs at the pace you're already at. Anything new you want to try can be done in private." Lelouch stated. Lakshata blinked slowly then raised an eyebrow.

"Work at my job? You do realize that I'm work for you already?" She asked.

"We realize that. But for now, the Black Knights are not to know about this. They're two different missions that we can't afford to combine yet." Suzaku stated.

"I don't get it. Do you intend to have Suzaku continue to fighting against you for you?" Cecile asked.

"Yes." The boys chorused. Lelouch chuckled, "It seems convoluted, I know. But we've already figured out how we plan to accomplish our goal."

"Is it good to be keeping secrets from your men?" Lakshata asked.

"The more people involved, the more difficult this is. Besides, I doubt the Black Knights would be so quick to accept that they're inadvertently aiding and being aided by a prince of the very empire that's oppressed them." A voice stated dryly.

"And this is C.C." Lelouch stated with a wave of his hand. At her introduction, the immortal woman dropped from the ceiling to land gracefully before them, green hair billowing out around her like a cloak. Instead of her normal prison garb, she wore a long dark blue sundress.

"Oh my. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you're involved in this as well." Lakshata said.

"You know this girl?" Jeremiah asked in confusion. Lakshata grinned in a Cheshire-like way.

"She's the Black Knights' 2nd in command." Lelouch stated, shooting the scientist a glare before she could say anything. The woman pouted and attended to her pipe. Lloyd's green eyes shifted over each member of the Unholy Trinity. His eyes came to rest on Lakshata. Her eyes widened and her gaze followed the same path his eyes had. She looked at C.C. last, who smirk. The scientist let out a chocked giggle.

"We are NOT going into that now." Lelouch growled shooting glares at all three. The three barely managed to quell their amusement. Cecile slowly closed her eyes and shook her head. She didn't even want to know. Jeremiah, Villetta, and Sayoko all looked curious but remained respectfully silent on the topic. C.C. placed a hand on Lelouch's shoulder and leaned down to whisper.

"Slut." The prince covered his eyes with a hand.

"I swear to god…" he muttered.

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That was pretty long! (Don't get used to it ^_^)

I hoped you guys like this chapter, and I apologize if it seemed weird. I don't know if it's just me, but the dream and the rest of the story seem like they were written by different people. I know there was a bit of break between when they we written, but it's still weird. Yes there was some gender bending in there, simply as a whim. So sue me.

(1) So those words I used in the dream, if anyone wanted to know:

Solipsism - the belief that the only thing somebody can be sure of is that he or she exists, and that true knowledge of anything else is impossible

Nihilism – the belief that human values are worthless and thus life/human experience is pointless.

Narcissistic - excessive self-admiration and self-centeredness

(2) I honestly feel this way. The guy just screams "do me" or "let me do you" in the classiest way possible. He's just so cool like that. (Lulu is actually my all time favorite character)

(3) This really made me want to put in some sort of Zero/Lelouch sex scene. If someone makes one, PLEASE TELL ME!! Serena the Hikari of Love has been making stories with that pairing…and I'm mildly addicted now. DARN YOU SERENA!! AS IF I'M NOT OVERDOSING ON SUZU/LULU AS IT IS!!!

Er…ahem…sorry about that. ^_^;

(4) If it's not clear, that's a made up quote from Marianne.

That's it for now. Until next time. …Go ahead and click that little green button down there.