A/N: Bit more than a week, but better than last time, right~? ...Right? D: ...Anyway, it's really funny how much easier this chapter was to write. Let's all cross our fingers and hope that the next one comes just as easily, kay? It seems like a few people are enjoying this story and I really want to thank them for it. Thinking of the people waiting for my next chapter really helps.

Thanks to my lovely friend for beta-ing, and to those of you that reviewed! Let's see, that would be: Spunkay Skunk, Yamiro, ame no itteki, Serena the Hikari of Love, and Mizuki-senpai! Your reviews really mean a lot to me so I wanted to give you a nice thanks~ I hope you'll find this chapter worth it as well :3

Please read the note at the end of the chapter too, okay~?

Disclaimer: ...Nope, still don't own it.

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Pieces of the wall were still collapsing in a cascade over chunks that strewn the floor. Suzaku, dazed and confused, found himself lying on top of Lelouch. Dust and smoke were heavy in the air and he coughed weakly, his eyes straining to see the face of the cat boy underneath him, although he was fairly sure of the expression he would have at that moment. He probably wasn't too pleased with being tackled to the hard marble floor, even if they had already been kneeling. While he couldn't see any other people in the room, he could hear Charles yelling orders to his men as he blindly tried to seek them out.

"The prisoners!" he hissed. "You must secure the prisoners!"

Suzaku remained tense on top of Lelouch, unable to discern what threat was the largest at the moment. There was Charles and his guards, interested in locking them up for an indefinite amount of time, and there was the random explosion caused by…something. But he was determined to protect Lelouch to the best of his abilities, no matter what happened.

Well, he would have done a better job if his hands weren't bound.

The back of his shirt was suddenly violently tugged, practically choking him in the process, as he was pulled roughly to his feet. A sack was yanked down over his head, and then he was pulled in some direction. His protests were immediately silenced by whoever was leading him. He was helpless to do anything but stumble along as they hurried off, and then buff arms hefted him up and laid him on top of what he figured to be bags of straw, hay, or grain. Something was placed next to him before they were suddenly moving, whatever they were on bouncing and creaking along. Around them were shouts and screams, feet running about, orders being yelled, and other forms of chaos causing thorough distractions. When he started to protest again, the thing next to him jabbed at him.

"Shh! It's okay, Suzaku, just shut up!" the familiar, albeit slightly muffled, voice of Lelouch hissed, surprisingly close to him. It was silly how quickly he was able to relax. The ride wasn't very comfortable, however, and it seemed to drag on. He was anxious without the ability to see, but gradually voices faded until it was simply the noise of what he believed to be wooden wheels turning over the dirt road. When they finally stopped, there was a moment of pause before someone started helping them off of the…whatever it was.

The sack was pulled off and he had to blink his eyes to get used to the dim light. Immediately he noticed they were in a rickety old barn that was rather large in size. The floor was made of dirt and scattered with old hay, and the cart they had been carried on was parked in the back corner. Off to the side was a round wooden table with a number of wooden chairs, and wooden crates filled with candles, papers, and pens were stacked haphazardly near the table. A makeshift bookshelf was also visible, set up against one of the rotting walls and consisted of a few planks of wood nailed together. The books lining the boards were ones similar to the book Lelouch had been keeping in his bag.

Another side of the barn was piled with loose hay, and bales of straw were set up near the large double doors of the barn. Whether to act as a barrier to hide the other contents of the barn from view of any passerby or to act as a barricade should the need arise, Suzaku wasn't sure. There was a single window up high on one of the walls, and he noticed a "second story" of sorts that was only accessible by a ladder that had been nailed to it. From where he was he couldn't see much of it – most of the barn was dark, as the only light came from the small window, the slightly open door of the barn, and slits in the wooden walls themselves.

He tensed as he felt the flat of a small blade against his skin, but soon the ropes binding his wrists were cut and he was cursing under his breath. Blood rushed back into his hands, sending a dull ache to his wrists and pins and needles to his palms and fingers. He shook and flexed them, then set about inspecting the abrasions to his wrists.

"Lelouch, that was a dangerous ass mission you asked us to do. We really risked the lives of some good people today…" It was a female voice, though slightly deeper than one would expect from a girl, and she sounded very irritated, almost accusing. The cat boy next to him, gingerly rubbing at his wrists, just smiled wryly.

"It's nice to know you missed me, Kallen. I realize that asking you to do that might not have seemed like the best course of action for the group as a whole, but I would have hoped that you'd trust me by now…" He didn't seem bothered in the slightest by her tone or sharp tongue, which Suzaku was sure could have been considered unacceptable by other people's standards, at least in this sort of world. He himself had always admired strong-willed people, but she seemed rough. The voice was oddly familiar, however, and when he turned to see the woman Lelouch was addressing, his eyes grew large in shock and he froze.

I know that face…he thought firmly, even if part of his mind was already questioning this "fact". This woman…is it possible that I also know her in the other world? Another person similar to someone I know? That name…it's familiar as well. Kallen…

The only difference between them, he figured, was that this Kallen had reddish ears poking out of her messy red hair, oddly brilliant in its shade, and behind her a rather furry tail swayed. He couldn't tell if she was a cat or a dog.

"What are you looking at?" she snapped after a moment, obviously bothered by his expression and silence. She was defensive, and yet that seemed slightly familiar as well. Her brow furrowed and she scowled at him in distaste, her arms folded over her full bust. "I understand saving you, Lelouch, but why does the human have to come along? You already have one useless pet that wanders around causing us trouble. What's the good of a second?"

A delicate and pale hand rested on Suzaku's shoulder and heat immediately sprung to his face. Lelouch was standing next to him, the other hand on his hip and a calm, confident, and unaffected air to his posture; he was used to her brusque behavior.

"He suffers from amnesia and doesn't know anything about this world, besides what he has observed during his stay with me, and what he has been told. He still isn't used to the concept of our dominant species on this planet…and this is the first time he's seen a half-breed."

Kallen seemed to tense at the term, but there wasn't any malice or other hidden distaste behind it, so she didn't comment. She simply looked off to the side and glared at a spot on the ground. Suzaku perked and looked between them with obvious curiosity, his innocent air one that once again reminded Lelouch uncannily of a puppy. Not that he had much experience with those, of course.

"Half…?" Suzaku prompted gently, addressing Lelouch in case he offended Kallen by asking. She snorted but otherwise said nothing.

"Her father was a cat and her mother was a dog, although in the end he chose to marry another cat for the sake of appearances. When a relationship of that nature doesn't end up in a human child, you get a mixture of traits. For the sake of giving it a less derogatory name, we call them foxes. They are even more disliked than humans, usually, though it is the cats that have most of the trouble. While many dogs also look down on them, they are usually not completely disowned as citizens." Lelouch removed his hand from Suzaku and stepped closer to Kallen, his eyes narrowing a little as he became rather serious. "You have a strong reason to fight. Please share it with him. While I understand your distrust of humans, he is very important. With him we can obliterate more of the shadow creatures in a day than we've managed to remove in total these past months. But he remains wary. We won't force him, but we should explain why."

There was a moment of silence between them, narrowed eyes simply connected and holding each other firm, but eventually Kallen relented and gave a reluctant nod. Lelouch rewarded her with a smile.

"Thank you, Kallen. I need to fill Ougi in on the details of what transpired in the palace, but afterwards we'll have a meeting and discuss." His tone spoke business, but his expression was still grateful. It seemed to soften her enough to make her a bit more agreeable, and Suzaku felt a twinge in his chest. He looked away and rubbed at the spot irritably, but returned his gaze to the fox when Lelouch walked away to speak with a man nearby.

"Listen up, human," she started, grabbing his attention. Her voice was hard, suggesting she was unwilling to put up with him right now, but was doing so simply because Lelouch had asked her to. "This isn't something I like to talk about, but if Lelouch thinks you're worth it…" again she snorted and shook her head, "you must be pretty damn worth it."

Suzaku sheepishly rubbed the back of his head before giving a hesitant nod. She rolled her eyes.

"I hate men without backbones," she commented off-handedly before continuing. "My mother refused to leave that bastard of a man, even after he ditched her for the 'sake of appearances'. Cats and dogs aren't at war yet, not officially at least, so it's not like she wasn't allowed to be with him, but the social crap behind it made it really difficult for her. She couldn't go outside and shop with the cats without getting trash thrown at her, insults yelled at her. She could live a better life in dog territory if she just gave it up…they'd call her a traitor for having a fling with a cat, but they wouldn't treat her like a piece of worthless shit! But she thought I'd have a better life pretending to be a cat…I can almost pass for either. I don't know why she thinks I'd have a better life here, because I think of myself as more dog than anything else!" Her voice was growing in volume some and she trembled a little with the force of her anger, her teeth clenched and eyes shimmering with tears of frustration. Suzaku understood then why she didn't want to talk about this unless she absolutely had to. This topic was very hard for her, still a fresh and stinging wound that she was trying to learn to deal with. The emotion in her voice, the slight tremor to it, and the expression on her face were incredibly intense. She felt so strongly about this that Suzaku, caring in nature, couldn't help but feel sympathetic towards her.

"…The ideals of cats are skewed and backwards. Their morals are all messed up and they'd throw a person away if they couldn't contribute to society, no matter who they are. My mother…that stupid, stupid woman, went out one day to the medicine man because I was sick and we had run out of medicine. No one else was home and I couldn't stop coughing, 'till my throat was so raw and it was impossible to get any rest. Something from him would've helped a lot…but damnit, I didn't ask her to go!" Kallen gripped herself tightly, her eyes narrowed to slits and tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. She took a deep breath to steady her voice before continuing, though her words were laced with venom. "There had been a trial going on around then that got a lot of attention. A dog merchant in cat territory was accused of starting a fight with and severely injuring a cat resident. The whole thing was so stupid, you could tell it was all set up. But with a lot of tension already there…it just ignited. There was a group of drunk cats in the streets…she went out all by herself…just for me. And those…those assholes…spouting crap about how everything wrong in the world was the fault of dogs, how they should be gotten rid of, all that sort of bullshit…they caught her."

By now she was crying, but she stubbornly kept her posture straight despite her shoulders shaking from the occasional sob. Her voice was becoming increasingly uneven, but she persisted, determined to complete her story. Suzaku was horrified and the dread was solidifying in his stomach, making him feel sick.

Don't…he thought.

"You know what they did to her?" Kallen asked, her voice suddenly soft, cold, and surprisingly steady.

No…don't…

"They tugged her into an alleyway by her tail. Clumps of fur were missing."

I don't want…

"They bound her, but they didn't gag her, because they wanted to hear her. Whatever they could use lying around they hit her with."

I don't want to hear this!

"When she was sobbing, bloody, and weak, with an audience surrounding her and laughing—"

"No more!" Suzaku suddenly screamed, surprising even himself. Everyone present in the barn looked over at him as he crumpled to his knees in the mixture of hay and dirt, his trembling and pale hands clasped to his ears, eyes wide. Tears rolled down his own cheeks, dripping from his chin to mingle with the dirt. "No…don't…please stop…" he whispered weakly.

Kallen stared at him, shocked out of her crying and the telling of morbid story, obviously confused by the outburst. She looked away, slowly returning to the attitude she had held before. "Tch." But despite the suggestion of her disgust, she was polite enough not to say anything on the subject of his reaction. "…She's in the hospital. I started fighting because I wanted equality among cats and dogs. No one should be treated that way, not because of their species, by any other species. That's still my ultimate goal, but Lelouch showed me that these monsters are a big threat to everyone's safety. He says if we can get the knowledge out to everyone, if we can make them choose between their petty differences and dying off altogether without a say in the matter, we can work together."

It was a vague plan, even to Suzaku who wasn't much of a planner, but she seemed so earnest in her trust of Lelouch. There was some sort of pride that entered her voice when she spoke of him. She didn't need an elaborate explanation of how it would make things better, or what they needed to do step by step in great detail; if Lelouch told her that the end result would be equality between cats and dogs, she would believe him.

"I fight for my mother, though I don't believe other people should have to go through that either. If we can get rid of this threat, that goal will be easier to reach," she concluded flatly, the emotion void from her voice…everything except the determination. She ignored the fact that he was still recovering from her story, and with her point made she turned to leave.

Lelouch was there, concern written clearly across his face. All it took was a look in Kallen's direction and she faltered.

"…He's too soft for this," she commented, trying to maintain her usual snappy attitude, but it was noticeably lacking in bite. "I don't think it's wise to recruit him." Her opinion stated she left to converse with one of the other people.

The dark-haired cat boy moved to Suzaku's side and kneeled with him in the dirt. A sinfully soft and comfortingly warm hand laid gently over his own, still clasped to his ears and trembling. Lelouch sighed and carefully removed the hand from his face and cradled it with a surprising amount of tenderness. It was Suzaku that spoke first, however.

"…Why are people so cruel?" he sounded remorseful. His voice was breaking some and he winced…was he really this pathetic?

"It's a mindset, a doctrine that is crammed into the heads of every kitten," he replied softly, soothingly. "They claim it's instinct, that we're born with this primordial need and desire for domination, but it's not true. 'Only the best survive', is what they say. 'If you are not climbing the ladder, if you are not better than someone else, you are dead'. Cats act superior. They act confident. But this doctrine scares them. They become so focused on assuring themselves of their own success and of other's failure that they resort to pushing people down. 'If I can dominate this person, I'm better and I will survive'. It's too much of an extreme…"

For a moment he pondered over whether or not it was similar in the place he had come from. Were people cruel there, too? Was this their reasoning? Superiority meant survival? If people chose to utilize their own strengths rather than comparing themselves to others…no one would be worthless. Everyone would have a purpose and there wouldn't be a need to be afraid.

"What of the Incuria? How do they fit into all of this?" He was starting to calm down and he managed to look Lelouch in the eyes.

"They contribute to the fear. But most importantly…as unfortunate as it is to admit, it's also a very helpful political move," he murmured and averted his eyes. There was a flash of guilt that Suzaku caught. "Don't misunderstand. I can't stand repression of free will. People have the right to know what is taking place and they have the right to decide for themselves. I don't want people to die in the name of a 'perfect world' that requires lives to be thrown away, rather than rearranging the pieces on the board until the puzzle fits together more smoothly."

"But it's not just that?"

"…It's not just that." Lelouch seemed reluctant to explain himself. "That part is simply taking advantage of something and making it useful in multiple ways."

"Tell me," Suzaku said firmly and tried to meet Lelouch's eyes again.

The cat boy refused to look at him and fell silent. Suzaku felt oddly persistent, and both calloused hands moved to cup Lelouch's cheeks. He gave a startled and indignant noise as he was forced to look at Suzaku again, eyes narrowing at first in irritation before the lines of his face smoothed out again.

"Lelouch…tell me," he repeated with that same patient firmness.

"…Distrust. They won't trust the old government," he started slowly and quietly. "We can overtake it easily amidst the chaos and public opinion of us shouldn't become too negative. By stressing that the old order was able to keep things from them, even things that could have meant their death, support for something more representative and open would be higher than it currently is. Cats, dogs, and humans…will also need to work together at some point to remove a common enemy. We can stress similar interests and work towards eroding past racisms put in place. It won't be instant and it'll take significant effort and energy but…" he trailed off and swallowed tightly, his eyes searching Suzaku's. There was a touch of hopefulness, and the realization slowly dawned on Suzaku that Lelouch was seeking approval. He was worried that his actions could be seen in the wrong light.

Lelouch…he really wants someone to understand his way of thinking. Has he told anyone else?

Without thinking a thumb traced the curve of Lelouch's cheekbone. The skin of his face was as unbelievably soft – if not more so – than his hand, and his throat grew dry.

I've never seen him like this…ah, any Lelouch, I suppose. Is this what the one I know would be like if he didn't hide everything behind a mask? What is he afraid of?

"…You haven't told anyone that part, have you," his voice came out surprisingly gentle. There was a touch of relief in Lelouch's eyes, relief that…he wasn't rejected? That Suzaku wasn't showing strong disapproval? A shake of his head was his response. "I don't know a thing about politics and I won't pretend to," he started thoughtfully. What could he say to that? He wasn't even sure how he felt about the matter. "But when you talk about that part…I think you're forgetting the most important thing."

When Lelouch became confused, he smiled. Was Lelouch always so cute? How could he not have noticed it before?

"You care," he said simply after his moment of admiration. "You've looked at everything and tried to decide what might be the best way to solve the problem, right? You care about the people. You care about their freedom and rights, you want to save lives and you want to make life better for people. You say it like it's only about the politics, which…I will admit, can make it sound like you're just using situations and people, but…" he paused as he felt Lelouch wince. "Hey, Listen. I'm not done. I know that's not the reason. The Incuria are a problem and the way the government works right now is a problem, you want to take care of both. Taking care of the Incuria just so happens to have the possibility of opening up a way for you to try and reform the government as well. I can't say whether or not it's the best way of doing it but…let's work on it together?" he shot him a reassuring smile.

The gratitude and relief that became evident on Lelouch's face made him melt.

"Thank you, Suzaku…" he murmured. "I don't know why I'm trusting you so much…" Lelouch laughed softly. "You seem to know me so well already…"

Suzaku just continued to smile in response as he felt his own sense of gratitude…as well as a rush of excitement. Lelouch trusted him!

Could it be…he's afraid of being rejected? Of having someone he trusts throw that back in his face? Is he worried that someone will think of his actions in the exact way he's scared they'll be interpreted? But thinking and feeling that…he wouldn't be able to explain himself, even if it could mean acceptance!

Suzaku wanted more to go on between them. The rest of the barn had faded from his mind as his focus honed in on Lelouch, and he had a feeling their moment wasn't over. Things still needed to be said. But the man with the weird black hair and eyes approached them, though his expression was one of unease.

"Lelouch…" he started tentatively.

"Yes, I know, Ougi," Lelouch said, cutting the man off much to "Ougi's" relief. Suzaku reluctantly allowed Lelouch to get to his feet before following suit and brushing off his knees. "We have a lot to talk about with everyone. Let's take care of that now."

All three of them walked to the round table where a map was now stretched across its surface. Kallen was leaning back in her chair with her feet propped up on the table, once again shocking Suzaku with her lack of lady-like qualities. Something told him that wasn't completely out of place, though.

Ougi fetched a leather bound book to lay out on the table before taking a seat next to Kallen, and a few other people hanging around the general area took the hint and started wandering over as well.

There were only a few people here. One was a man with short, very dark brown hair and small eyes, a touch of a beard present on just his chin. He was also a dog, and acted an awful lot like one around Lelouch, despite the obvious difference in age. He wanted to be near Lelouch, which earned him a sharp comment from Kallen. They probably would have continued had Lelouch not shut them up and gestured for the man to take a seat. A quiet and small woman in a simple dress remained standing off to Lelouch's side. Her hair came up to about her chin and was a lighter black than Lelouch's. Her ears were small and floppy and her tail was short, the tip curled inwards towards her back. Her eyes were light, milk chocolate brown. She looked very familiar, but Suzaku glanced away quickly when she turned her attention to him. He swore he had seen her face before somewhere.

It was the last member present that really shook Suzaku, however; another dog, taller than the others, with very sharp features. His hair and eyes were also black, and his hair was trimmed very short. His eyes were squinted, very nearly closed altogether, even as he walked over with even and confident steps. He had thin and pointed black ears that stood straight up and forward, and Suzaku couldn't see the sign of a tail from his current angle.

"T…T-Todou?" he spluttered, his voice soft, so as not to draw attention if he had made a mistake. The name was there in his mind. It was a name he had known for a long time, he felt…it belonged to that face, the face of the man who had stopped walking to stare at him through his small eyes. There was no sign of recognition, but that was to be expected.

"…You've heard of me?" he addressed Suzaku in a deep voice. It commanded experience and power, and something about that awakened a deep respect in Suzaku. While he could not recall a single memory with this man, he was finally sure of something for the first time since he had recognized Lelouch. There wasn't a haze around it, there wasn't a question about whether he might know someone similar. He knew that face, even if, for the life of him, he couldn't conjure up any details to go with it. Feeling the eyes of everyone there on him, he gave a hesitant nod. "Who are you?" the man asked without a readable tone to his voice.

"Yeah! I've been wondering that myself…a human, and he looks kind of shifty, don't he?" the man with the sparse goatee piped up, trying to make himself sound tough and important. He shut up the moment Lelouch sent him a look, his ears lowering.

"Why don't you introduce yourself to them," Lelouch said, one hand on Suzaku's shoulder and the other gesturing to the group gathered around the table.

"…I'm Suzaku," was his simple and quiet response after a moment of hesitation. Green eyes flickered between the faces to try and gauge reactions. Boredom, polite curiosity, contempt, unreadable. None of them seemed particularly welcoming or friendly. "That's…all I know about myself." Now he sounded sheepish and tried to smile at them.

"Like we'd believe that!" the guy said again.

"Tamaki!" Lelouch startled him with the force behind his voice. That was all it took to get "Tamaki" cowering again.

"…sorry boss…" he mumbled.

"All of you, I want you to meet Suzaku. Please treat him respectfully. He's very important to our cause, and we want him to feel welcome here. If you question what he says about himself…I'll deal with you personally. He really is suffering from amnesia, but…I trust him. I won't ask you to, but I will ask you to put some trust in my decisions."

He waited until he had gotten a nod from everyone before continuing, this time addressing Suzaku.

"This is a very small portion of the group I've worked on bringing together. Dogs are the most open to the idea, it seems, but we do have some cats. For now I want you to meet some of my best people." He gestured to the group. "Please introduce yourselves properly."

"We've already met," Kallen drawled dully with a roll of her eyes while fiddling with a piece of straw.

"I'm Tamaki, Lelouch's right hand man! His best bud!" Tamaki exclaimed, his previous energy and confidence suddenly restored. He proudly jabbed a finger at himself and grinned widely while his tail wagged behind him. Kallen was ready to snap again, so Ougi spoke up.

"I'm Ougi. I uh…lead a part of the group when Lelouch isn't around…kind of," he gave a slight laugh and rubbed at the back of his head.

"My name is Sayoko. It's a pleasure to meet you," the quiet woman said and bowed politely.

"It would appear that you already know my name," Todou started, paused briefly, and then said anyway, "I am Todou. I don't know why you recognize me, Suzaku, nor do I see any reason to put trust in you. But because it is Lelouch asking, I will give you the benefit of the doubt until you have proven yourself trustworthy." And then he was silent and perfectly still again. Suzaku got the feeling that he had said more than he would usually. He was left wondering, hopelessly, if the Todou he knew was that way and that's why he had the feeling.

"You should spend some time talking with everyone to learn their reasons for fighting," Lelouch said, breaking him out of his thoughts. The boy nodded and offered Lelouch a bit of a smile, to which he briefly responded before returning his attention to the group. "For now we have important business to attend to." He gestured grandly to the table in front of them.

Ougi immediately cleared his throat and scrambled to get everything laid out properly for their leader. He seemed like a nervous person, although Suzaku had yet to see Lelouch give the man any reason to feel that way.

"It's actually pretty lucky that you didn't meet up with us as originally planned. When we arrived in town the place was…it's falling to pieces, Lelouch. Buildings are slowly collapsing, plants and animals are dying…what I had wanted to report to you there was that we had noticed an increase in Second Generations and a slight decrease in First Generations. They appear to be evolving."

"So soon? But it hasn't been long since our last meeting, and the town was only in a state of minor disrepair…" Lelouch seemed confused and agitated by this information. He draped a graceful hand over his mouth and stared intently at the ground.

"We were shocked too. The destructive power of the Second Generations is noticeably greater than that of the First Generations, but I think that the major issue is…number. It's always been difficult to count them, but I really believe that they're growing in numbers at a phenomenal rate. Second Generations also seem to be more aggressive than First Generations. They know when you can tell that they're there…and if you pose any kind of threat at all they'll attack." Ougi gave a heavy sigh, his brow furrowed and eyes glancing furtively between their leader and the map on the table. "It's getting really hard out there. Our weapons seem to be less and less effective."

"If we have Suzaku that won't be a problem any longer," Lelouch responded firmly before returning his gaze to Ougi. Suzaku found himself blushing a little at the sheer confidence this cat Lelouch held in him despite only knowing him for…a few days? "As I told Ougi earlier," here he addressed the rest of the group, "Charles zi Britannia spoke to me of the monsters. He called them the Incuria."

There was a pregnant pause amongst them, during which a shared feeling of unease threatened to send shivers down the spines of the five members.

"As we previously suspected, they are indeed very harmful to the health and safety of all things. He told me that their entire purpose…is to judge us of our worth and usefulness. He said that they would create a perfect world by removing those they deem unnecessary. But he won't reveal their existence to the people, he won't give them the opportunity to choose to resist." He swept a hand out dramatically in a way that seemed peculiar to Suzaku. The epic gesture reminded him uncannily of someone, as did the authority and charisma evident in Lelouch's voice. For someone who refused to fully explain himself or trust anyone, he seemed terribly good at gaining the trust and obedience of others.

And as the cat boy had hoped, those that had chosen to follow him became riled up at his words, spurred on by the intensity of his tone and the obvious outrage that had him standing rigid before them.

"That bastard!" Kallen yelled, finally removing her feet from the table to slam her fist down on the surface, a fierce glower on her face. "We can't let it happen!"

"I'll kick his ass!" Was Tamaki's loud declaration. As if to one-up Kallen, he got to his feet and pumped a fist into the air. The red haired girl next to him growled at the unspoken challenge and proceeded to tackle him to the ground. This time no one moved to stop their wrestling match.

"Lelouch…what're we going to do? With their numbers and strength rapidly increasing…"

"It'll be easier to let the world know, won't it?" Lelouch finished for him. Kallen and Tamaki stopped rolling around in the dirt to look up at him, Tamaki pinned underneath the more physically capable girl and looking to be the one worse for wear. At the questioning looks Lelouch nodded and continued his explanation. "Soon it will be impossible for them to ignore that something is wrong. Before the Incuria couldn't do much. They rotted food, broke things, killed plants…all very unpleasant, obnoxious, and with an occasional death as the consequence, but now they're capable of doing far more destructive things. If they truly are more capable…who could ignore a constantly growing number of mutilated bodies?"

"Are you suggesting we allow them to continue?" asked Todou gruffly from his seat, arms folded over his broad chest and small eyes shut.

"Not at all. I'm already coming up with strategies to combat them as effectively as possible, to reduce damage. But if what you said is true…if that whole town was nearly destroyed by them, how much longer can people continue to delude themselves that nothing is wrong?"

The elder man nodded slowly, but there was a sense of unease in the barn once again. Suzaku felt it was necessary to pipe up and break the awkwardness.

"…Have you tried to locate where these things are originating from?"

All eyes turned to him. He kept his posture straight and refused to allow himself to feel intimidated or nervous. He had to convince himself that Lelouch really believed in him to bring him here like this, and because everyone believed in Lelouch, they would accept his presence as legitimate. Ougi cleared his throat and moved to smooth out their map. Upon closer inspection Suzaku realized that there were various markings made on it with black ink.

"We've been doing our best to keep track of them as much as possible, but it's really difficult. All of these are basic estimates…"

Lelouch moved closer to the table to inspect the map with slightly narrowed eyes. Ougi hurriedly got to his feet to explain to him. Suzaku could discern the palace from a small drawing near the middle of the map, up against what he believed to be mountains. Spreading out from the palace in a crescent shape were scrawling words he took to represent names of towns, each accompanied by a little house or two.

"We've noticed a high concentration from this area over here, a spot behind the palace on the mountains. There are many that appear to linger around the back of the town, but…it's almost as if most of them go out to the other surrounding towns. In the past we've thought that they pop up anywhere because we aren't sure of how they multiply or come into existence, but we've started to believe that they all come from this one source and travel out to places inhabited by people…"

"Is the pattern similar in dog territory?"

"If by similar you mean that, from the same spot, they spread over into places inhabited by dogs…it seems like they use the mountains to get into dog territory, judging by the density of the population in towns closer to the mountains versus farther away."

"All of them originating from one spot…we should send in some scouts to try and discern whether or not that's really what is going on." Lelouch stood up straight again and Ougi nodded quickly while offering Lelouch the book he had taken from their makeshift shelf. He was about to explain what it was when they were interrupted by a soft and smooth voice, clearly belonging to a female.

"It's worse than you originally thought, Lelouch." She sounded bored and otherwise emotionless. Everyone immediately looked at her, and both Kallen and Tamaki tensed. Ougi seemed a little nervous, but the other two members kept their gazes even.

She was a petite girl with long green hair and golden eyes that reflected the lack of emotion in her voice. Compared to the others around the table she was dressed in a regal dress, but she showed no sign of having any ears or tail like the others; she was a human, just like Suzaku. There was a nagging sensation that he knew her as well, but the frustration of not being able to remember her name or anything about her was enough to make him swat the thought away. He didn't really know any of these people, he reminded himself.

The silence lasted and it seemed like one of the more rambunctious members would demand her explanation, but she finally continued with her eyes locked on Suzaku.

"Charles isn't just eager to support the Incuria…but his plan is to use them until the world is molded to his own liking," she waited until they were done with their shocked and outraged noises, and then followed the statement up with a very grave, "For now…he's found a way to bend them to his will."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Firstly...I was nervous introducing all these characters at once, so hopefully they seem "in character" enough for you. I plan to have more, of course, but I've never been that good at focusing on a bunch of different personalities. Secondly, Kallen probably seems more brusque than necessary, but I thought since she's the rebellious type, she'd be acting more like this because it's not too acceptable of women in...wherever they are. Lastly, I am well aware that a dog and cat mating doesn't yeild a fox. Please just accept it as a convenient term for this story n.n;

Anyway I hope it was enjoyable! I'd love your feedback~