Not much to say here, really, that wasn't said at the end of the last chapter. This fanfic will be getting a change from Adventure/Romance to Adventure/Drama until further notice, considering the fact that keeping it as it was seemed to be gradually getting further and further out of place as more and more chapters with no even slight hints at romance came along. On a totally unrelated and previously mentioned note, I'm planning to introduce Mao soon, as well as my secret (although if you look closely, it's not hard to figure out) character. As such, this chapter will be all talk no conflict, really. Also, it will be the first divergence from my overly long chapter routine. I'm looking at keeping this one and all succeeding chapters at about half the length of past ones (or even less, depending), once again for the sake of update frequency (and to cut back on my procrastination ). Don't take that to mean it'll be another disaster on part of my writing (perhaps slightly better, even, if all goes according to my hopeless vision), as I am overly interested in my little side project here. And while I won't delve into what I have planned, I will say this: Expect much (much unwanted, to some people) fluffiness for Lelouch and C.C. in chapters to come.

Also, I noticed and am quite interested in the fact that this fanfic has already achieved status amongst the top three longest of all Code Geass fanfics, and is quickly gaining ground on first place. I don't particularly care for pride's sake, but I am intrigued that I've had the drive to achieve such a thing. And so, I'd like to extend a huge thanks to all of you for egging me along with this, and giving me the drive to keep going. I doubt I'd have come so far otherwise (because let's face it, I have the long term interest of a... thing with no long term interest whatsoever ).

And so I'll give another thanks to my reviewers for good measure, as always, and we're ready to get going!

--

Lelouch sat at poolside facing the pool, one leg folded over the other and laptop securely held in his lap, tapping gently at the keyboard as he read through various reports he'd had sent in from different places. One was from the Kyoto house, detailing a new shipment of Burais and the long awaited development of some new Gekkas, and that the majority of the Kyoto house were in support of giving them to the Black Knights rather than to the Japanese Liberation Front. Which delighted Lelouch, to say the least, though he would never openly say so.

He closed up that particular folder, diving into one from Henry. He was slightly unnerved by the 'Urgent' written in size 36 font at the top of the report, and took his time reading this one. After all, for a duke Henry was quite the laid back man. And so, something even remotely urgent was serious. "We succeeded at securing the schematics for the Lancelot Club, and plans are being made to include some of the Lancelot specs in newer Knightmare Frames. However, it seems Schneizel has caught on. The JBU and I are in hiding at present, and I am making arrangements to take refuge in India. I'll do what I can from there." Lelouch read aloud, thanking Henry mentally for his quick thinking. This would do more good than harm in the long run.

"This will cut back on your supplies considerably, won't it?" C.C. remarked, head propped up on the edge of the pool, clad in a tight fitting blue school swimsuit. It was a little small on her, but Lelouch didn't particularly have the luxury of having one fit specifically for her. Not if he wanted to keep her identity secret from his friends for the time being, that is.

"Yes, but it's not a bad thing," Lelouch responded, closing the laptop. "We have more than enough supplies to have everyone in a Knightmare Frame, and we still have the Kyoto house. But India, being capable of making such things as the Guren Type-02, are a useful ally. And if Henry can work his way in, we'll have them funding us almost exclusively."

Lelouch stood up, placing the laptop on the nearby table, and yawned quietly as he stretched. He proceeded over to the men's showering facilities where several dozen towels lay either neatly folded or haphazardly tossed onto the pile, and grabbed one. By the time he'd returned to the pool C.C. was climbing out, and he carelessly tossed the towel over to her. "But relying on the Burais isn't favorable compared to using what Henry was supplying us with," she remarked, running the towel quickly over her arms and legs before placing it over her hair, allowing it to linger,

"It isn't, but firepower isn't an issue if the strategy is flawless," Lelouch shot back, picking up the laptop and placing it carefully beside his various seldom used notebooks that occupied his book bag.

"What of the Lancelot, then?" C.C. asked, smirking slightly.

"An irregularity, nothing more. We know how to deal with Suzaku, and can do so at any time."

The remainder of their trip back to his room was silent. While it would have been anyway, given the demand for stealth so as to maintain secrecy, this silence was far more companionable. As soon as they'd returned and explained their absence - with a lie to Sayoko, of course - they made for their room and both collapsed tiredly onto their respective beds. While C.C. cuddled up to Cheese-kun, Lelouch simply stared up at the ceiling, lost in thought. "C.C.?"

"What is it?"

"What will happen to me?" it was an innocent enough question, Lelouch reasoned, but it was one that every bit of his uncertainties were directed to. And it was a question only C.C. could answer, whether she chose to or not.

"I told you the concequences when we made our contract, Lelouch. The Power of the King is a lonely thing."

"...I suppose," he allowed his eyes to drift to a close ever so steadily. However, the response did nothing to alleviate the building worry within him. Be it the Geass or his rebellion, one of them was distancing himself from everyone bit by bit. Everyone except C.C. of course, who was the only one he could rely on when the world became his enemy. But would she be able to save him from the inevitable consequences he'd one day face? Moreover, would she be willing to?

o--o

Suzaku found himself working furiously on his homework yet again, having to sneak in sips of his drink and bites of his food - if Cecile's creations could be called such - only when he possibly could, his right hand never leaving the pen held within. Lloyd had found it more than amusing that the great pilot of the Lancelot had to do homework, but as of yet had made no attempt to stop the boy's ritual. Cecile was just more than happy to play the motherly figure, feeding Suzaku and assisting him with his work. Save for the fact that the student in question happened to be the pilot of the most feared Knightmare Frame in Area 11, it was no different than being a real mother.

"Okay, and..." Suzaku finally lifted his hand from the paper in front of him, stretching his fingers to fend off the quickly building cramp in his hand. "Done," he finished, sighing with relief as the strain on his hand gradually began to let up.

"Ah, Suzaku," Lloyd started, hardly looking up from the papers spread out haphazardly in front of him. "How is that boy you were talking about doing? The one that you thought died in Shinjuku."

"Oh, Lelouch..." Suzaku started, his voice sounding almost reminiscent in it's distant happiness. "He's good. Not the studious type despite how smart he is, though. Shirley says he could go far with that mind of his, but he doesn't use it wisely..."

"Lelouch?" Cecile asked. "That's his name?"

"Yeah. Lelouch Lamperouge."

"Don't you mean Vi Britannia, Suzaku?" Lloyd put in, grinning widely, still not giving more than a passing glance to Suzaku before resuming his previous task of reading through the various papers in front of him.

"How did you..."

"Princess Euphemia isn't good at keeping secrets," Cecile answered, smiling. "The majority of Britannia knows of the survival of it's exiled prince and his reunion with his siblings that took place a few nights ago by now," she explained, as if the news meant nothing to the quickly recoiling recipient.

"I see... will they be trying to get him to return, then?" Suzaku asked, hesitantly. He couldn't see his friend - the very friend who once swore Britannia's destruction - returning to Britannia. And should Lelouch make such a move, Suzaku had to wonder: just what would Lelouch have in mind?

Cecile reached over for her own sandwich, biting into it before speaking, "His Highness Prince Schneizel has expressed such a desire, yes. However, he's being met with strong resistance from His Highness Prince Clovis, who seems to believe such a move is unwise," Suzaku raised an eyebrow, pursing his lips in thought as that new piece of information sent him recoiling once more.

o--o

"Stop sleeping, man!" Lelouch nearly squealed - much to the amusement of the rest of the student council - as his senses came to full alert and he just narrowly dodged a history textbook that instead slammed hard where his head had been resting in his folded arms just moments before. "Jeez, what is with you, Lelouch? You've always been so tired lately? You haven't been out playing games without me, have you?" Rivalz asked skeptically, narrowing his eyes.

"Something like that..." Lelouch yawned, carelessly rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he fought off the remnants of sleep that urged him to lay his head to rest once more. "Anyway, President," he turned toward Milly, "What have we got planned?"

"We've all got our jobs," Milly pointed out. "What we need is for you to cook, and secure two new members."

"...Why?" Lelouch asked, skepticism heavy in his voice.

"We can't exactly hold a school-wide ball with just the four of us on duty, can we? I want you to invite Kallen and Suzaku, since you seem to be acquainted with the both of them," Milly explained, smiling in such a way that came off as adorably sweet. To Lelouch, it came off as a "there is no room for negotiations" look that spelled immediate defeat. Checkmate in a single move, so to speak. "Alright?"

"I got it, President..." Lelouch sighed, standing up. As he made for the door, he turned his head over his shoulder, glaring ever so slightly, "I'll have them here within the hour."

Why he'd made that boastful claim, he couldn't recall. What he did know however, was that such a claim was idiotic at best and it now had him racing around the school in search of the two. And anyone who knew him even the slightest bit knew physical activity and him did not mix.

Suzaku would still be in the school, he knew, for whatever reason. He'd had a meeting or something earlier that day - excusing him from class early, inadvertently sparking Lelouch's envy in the process - so he had no outstanding things that needed doing, of course. Besides, the boy had seemed to want to speak to Lelouch about something, so this could potentially kill two birds with one stone. The problem, however, was Kallen. With her double life between Kallen Stadtfeld and Karen Kozuki, she was far less predictable. Finding her still on school grounds would be an unlikely thing.

His first stop was the cafeteria, having had the unintelligent - as few as they were - idea that Suzaku may have been there. Strike one. His next stop was the courtyard, which was never a bad place for just about anyone to go to unwind. Strike two. His last and only intelligent destination was the roof, where he found Suzaku standing, looking down at the ground far below. And the pitcher must have pulled a muscle, because Lelouch just struck a home run! "Ah, Lelouch," Suzaku said, slightly in a daze and not averting his gaze from where it rested.

"Suzaku! I came to ask you --"

"Return to Britannia with me, Lelouch," Suzaku cut him off, looking at his childhood friend so sternly that any distant hope of him joking was sent flying out the window.

"W-what? Suzaku, you can't be... this isn't the time for..." Lelouch tried, at an embarrassing loss for words.

"It won't be long until news of your prince-hood is known worldwide. You won't be safe if you stay here, Lelouch. So come with me! Back where you belong! In Britannia! And we can fight to catch Zero together!"

"Suzaku," Lelouch started, equally as stern, his previous goal forgotten entirely. "Are you where you truly belong? Can you honestly say with no doubt that you belong at the side of Britannia and not at Zero's side?"

"I..." Suzaku tried to reply, but found himself in the same position Lelouch had been in moments before. "I don't know. But Zero's methods are wrong, Lelouch. Illegal methods will not make a better world."

"And what is the better world you seek?"

"Lelouch... you almost sound like you support Zero..."

"The world needs to change. I won't lie; like many others, I have the small urge to believe in such a man," Lelouch couldn't say he hated his new life of never-ending lies more than right then, seeing the almost crushed look on Suzaku's face. But as always, his own needs came first, and so Suzaku was simply left on the receiving end this time. A small part of him wished he as masquerading as Zero at that moment, however. To be able to say such things without feeling anything. That is, until he realized how ridiculous the notion of using a mask to hide his feelings was.

"So you... want Britannia to fall...?"

"Not fall, no. I want to see Charles Di Britannia fall. To such an end, I believe Zero's means are justified."

There was a long silence that followed, and it was Lelouch who finally broke it, after several minutes, "Suzaku, what do you want? What is your dream? What is it that you seek?"

"I... I want to make the world better. But not through terrorism. From the inside. From within Britannia," Suzaku replied, determination slowly filling him. His eyes - which had previously taken to observing the ground out of desperation - locked with Lelouch's.

"And do you believe you can do that? Do you believe you can change Britannia?"

"I do."

"You're wrong. So long as the ideals of Charles Di Britannia remain, you'll fail."

"I can at least save the Japanese," Suzaku retorted, almost angrily.

"Is that your sense of justice, Suzaku? Save the Japanese, and leave all other numbers to suffer further? How are such selfish actions any better than using the wrong methods to help everyone?" Lelouch shot back quickly, glaring ever so slightly for the added emphasis.

"Then I can change his ideals from within!"

"You can't," Lelouch deadpanned. "Charles is a powerful man on his own. But he also has a power... a terrible one. One you couldn't possibly expect to exist."

"What are you talking about, Lelouch? And how do you know about this... power?" Suzaku questioned, once again on the defensive in his bewilderment.

"I can't tell you that. What I can tell you is that you can't defeat him. It would have to be done from the outside. And even then, the odds aren't much higher," Lelouch explained quietly.

"Lelouch..."

"I've said too much," Lelouch concluded, turning away. Which was a complete lie, he thought deviously. But the more doubt Suzaku had in his own ideals, the easier it would be for Zero to show him the error of his ways. "Milly wants me to ask you to join the student council. It may help you with your difficulty of being socially accepted, so it may do you good. Later, Suzaku."

Lelouch made his way through the school's halls once more, aiming to return to his home for some quick rest before he'd have to put up with more of the president's constant rantings. He'd spent far longer than intended in his search for Suzaku and by extension his talk with him, so he decided he'd have no shot at finding Kallen that day, which in turn told him there was no harm in a quick rest. He pulled out his cell phone, and sure enough he'd gotten a couple of text messages from Shirley, the last of which telling him to be back at the council room in an hour. As soon as he'd closed his cell phone it went off, though. Sighing to himself, he answered it.

"Yes?"

"Lelouch!" Henry's slightly exasperated voice shouted.

"Ah... yes? What is it?"

"You may want to get in touch with the Order. And soon," Henry said quickly.

"Why is that?" Lelouch asked, growing slightly annoyed. As little as he liked it, maintaining two lives meant that the Black Knights would have to be put on the back burner for the night.

"My operatives tell me Princess Cornelia is amassing a large force to wipe out the Japanese Liberation Front headquarters at Narita. She'll be attacking within the next couple days."

There went the possibility of putting the Black Knights on the back burner. This opportunity was the one he'd been waiting for! The chance to strike a decisive blow to Britannia and rendezvous with the largest terrorist group in Area 11 was not one he could pass up. "I understand. I'll get in touch with them soon. Goodbye."

He walked into the foyer of their home, immediately making his way up the stairs and toward his own room. Nunnally would be in her room playing games with Sayoko, as usual, which meant he'd be alone with... C.C.. Part of him hated that fact, but it could also prove to be an effective method of unwinding. With how stressful things had been all day, dividing his thoughts between matters regarding the Black Knights and how to balance in his school life, he'd found himself getting nothing conclusive. Except a massive headache, of course.

As he stepped into the adjoined room, the aroma of pizza immediately filled the air. He turned and slowly opened the door to his own room, sighing, "C.C., at least clean up all your pizza boxes..." he said bemusedly, noticing the pile of pizza boxes resting on his desk. What he also noticed was the open window, which was definitely not left as such when he left, and the evident lack of any green haired witches in his room. Which was weird, to say the least.

Not that C.C. on her own wasn't weird. But that just didn't click with Lelouch on this occasion. Something seemed - dare he admit it - wrong. Out of place, even. And like the last time it occurred, there certainly was no books out of place or any specs of dirt on the ground. What there was, he noticed on a second glance, a piece of paper left on his bed. He walked over to it, picking it up slowly and reading it to himself.

"C.C...!" he muttered angrilly to himself, slamming a fist onto the bed.

--

Is Lelouch finally in over his head, trying to balance everything? As little as I care for cliffhangers (notice how this is my first real cliffhanger), you'll have to wait to find out! Things will be pretty hectic next chapter, to say the least. Narita preparation, saving C.C., and keeping his school life running! All at the same time! Needless to say, I'm going to be having fun next chapter. At least I hope so, anyway. We'll have to wait and find out, won't we?

And, much to my annoyance, this chapter hardly broke three thousand words in length. I'm reasonably impressed with how quick this all came together, but at the same time the length depresses me. The chapter as a whole is also rather poor and poorly put together, but it was mostly a setup for future events. This is finally an ending I'm rather satisfied with, however, so I'll forgive myself. I hope you will too! Next chapter will probably be a bit longer, but we'll have to see. I may have most of it all planned out, but dividing things into chapters is something I'm kind of doing as I go along.

Bye for now!