Its been a long time since chapter one, but I'm about ready for some more Lelouch/Clovis-centric goodness – I hope you all are too, because that is largely all there will be this chapter. Hopefully people liked the prospect of their relationship when it was introduced back at the beginning, because that was done solely for this reason here. Yes Clovis got minimal focus between these two points, but that is perfectly okay. And it is because of that that I feel no worry in giving an entire chapter entirely to him. I can't say how long this chapter will be – I have plotted out the beginning and the end but next to nothing in between – but expect it to be good... I hope.

And with the introduction of Lelouch's evolved Geass in episode 21, I'm exceptionally delighted to know that it wasn't done in such a way that removes all logic from my way of doing it – that has been a constant worry since I started. That is, making decisions that are made illogical by revelations from the anime. I've avoided such a fate so far, and I hope to continue to do so – should I fail this will simply become an AU excluding those realities. I mean, lets face it; this fic is way too far in to recover from any such mistakes anyway. Hope nobody will be bothered by that – on the upside, I've been lucky enough so far and my fic has no huge revelations on the way this chapter, so we'll hopefully continue to avoid this fate. And with my fic being delayed by school, odds are R2 will have ended before we come to a point where this is a major issue.

Let us hope, anyway.


"Grand Commander of the Empire of China, Lelouch Lamperouge." Lelouch froze as he heard the icy tone of a voice he could recognize immediately – the voice of his brother, Clovis La Britannia, his voice carrying such a disdain that if Lelouch had any reason to believe it wasn't him – he desperately wished he did – he would have jumped at the opportunity to cling to that reason. The voice reminded him of the voice he once carried, the voice of someone driven only by hatred and malice.

The voice that only a side of him he'd long since discarded had. A side he was slowly resurrecting. A side that the very man who now addressed him had convinced him to discard – that fact alone pained Lelouch beyond words. And try as he might, he couldn't block out the icy tone his brother took as he continued, "I am Chancellor Clovis La Britannia. By my authority as the new overseer of Area 11, I demand that you cease all acts of aggression in my land before I am forced to resort to force. You have ten minutes to give me your answer; if you fail to do so, I will respond accordingly."

Hot tears stung Lelouch's eyes as he clenched them shut, "But brother, I..."

"Lelouch?" It was Ogi.

"A-a-ah, Ogi..." he couldn't hide the sadness in his voice as he spoke. "Give the order to retreat, now..."

"Hmm?"

"The r-reinforcements..." he choked for a moment as the tears began to flow. "We can't fight them as well... tell Tamaki to make sure our back is safe on the way back to Kyoto."

Ogi was not convinced in the least that the amount of reinforcements was the problem – in fact, he knew that was not the issue at hand, though he didn't press the issue. "... Of course," he spoke hesitantly, but he didn't disobey – Lelouch wouldn't put his personal problem first, would he?

Twenty minutes later when Lelouch walked into the command center, mask in place, he found an intervention-like scenario waiting for him. A circle composing of his highest ranked people – Xingke, Todo, Ogi, Suzaku, Karen, C.C., Tamaki, the Shisei-ken, and Jeremiah – was before him, an empty seat between Suzaku and C.C. empty and with his name on it... literally. Hesitantly he took this seat, eyeing all of the members of the circle intently for any betrayal of emotion that would tell him what they thought – they must have learned from him well, because he saw no such betrayal in their eyes.

"Why did we retreat, Lelouch?" Xingke started, frowning. "Even with their reinforcements, we..."

"We would have won, I know," Lelouch finished monotonously. "Victory and defeat mean nothing in this situation."

Todo glared at Lelouch as he said, "Area 11 is still in Britannia's hands. Until we take the Tokyo Settlement, our actions are little more than disturbances to them. Why would victory and defeat be irrelevant now, of all times?"

"Does victory matter when you have to fight family?!" Lelouch cried out, standing. "Suzaku, would you be able to fight your father?! Would you be able to fight Kaguya?! Would you be able to kill your family without remorse?!"

Suzaku flinched and tears began to sting his eyes, but he kept them at bay. "Lelouch, you fought Schneizel... you fought Cornelia... you even fought Clovis --"

"-- I fought him to protect him! Now he is in charge of Area 11, trying to kill me, and you expect me to fight?! Don't screw with me!" he slumped back into his seat, never having felt more glad to have a mask separating his emotions from those around him as tears found their way down his cheeks once again. "I can't kill Clovis... even when he..."

"When he... what?" Ogi pressed, confused.

"Clovis and I, we..." Lelouch removed his mask and closed his eyes, letting his head drop. "We have always been close. As close as Nunnally and I. Now he wants to kill me." Surprise was evident as people saw tears fall from his eyes and to the waiting ground below, Lelouch making no attempt to hide his sorrow. "I don't know why... I..."

"Geass?" Xingke tried, raising an eyebrow.

Something clicked in Lelouch's head at that moment; could it have been Geass? Could his father – or someone else in Britannia – have the power to do this to Clovis? Turn him into the hate driven man Lelouch had spoken to – or rather, listened to – out there? Clovis had always adored Lelouch, so it was likely... "That may be it," Lelouch said at last, his resolve building. He lifted his head, eyes closed still as a safety insurrance to hide those around him from his Geass, "There is only one way to find out."

"There is?"

"We have prisoners that can help," and Lelouch's smirk returned full force before it was once again covered by a mask.

o--o

"Why is Lelouch attacking?! Doesn't he love us?! Father?!" Cornelia reached over from her throne to the smaller seat next to it and tightly hugged a clearly hysterical Euphemia, comfortingly rubbing the back of her head. As Euphemia continued to weep Cornelia slowly brought her little sister into her lap, snuggling Euphemia against her chest as she continued to pour hot tears onto Cornelia's shoulder. The long pink strands of her hair were strewn all about without any attempt to brush them, some strands matted to her face by the tears soaking her cheeks. She looked like an absolute wreck in Cornelia's opinion – granted, Euphemia, like Cornelia herself, wasn't a fashion obsessed person by any means. But like anyone, she did take pride in looking presentable.

"Lelouch has chosen his path, Euphie..." Cornelia lifted Euphemia's head so their eyes met, continuing, "He loves you very much. I don't know why he's fighting us, but it isn't your fault. We'll find out someday, alright?"

Sniffling, Euphemia nodded, though she went on, "B-but what if he does hate us? What if he thinks that we are his enemies?"

"Euphie, think about it," Cornelia started, placing a small kiss on Euphemia's forehead. "When you found him, he was already Zero. Even then he cared for you, right?"

"W-well yes, but..."

"But nothing. He's fighting for what he believes is right – whatever that is – and not because he hates us, okay?"

Any further argument was cut off by the doors at the far end of the large chamber opening loudly and several soldiers rushing in, announcing, "Now presenting the Chancellor, His Royal Highness, Clovis La Britannia!"

As Euphemia returned to her seat Cornelia looked over at her with a forlorn look, saying, "Now him, on the other hand..."

Clovis walked briskly into the room, a black cape flowing behind him. His eyes sent a chill down Cornelia's spine as she stared into them, rendering her completely silent until he was standing in front of her, smirking as he bowed mockingly, "It has been a while, sisters."

"What business do you have here, Clovis?"

"Father has decided that the defense of Area 11 is beyond your capabilities and that the battle against Lelouch is one that requires complete competence – which is something that he does not believe you have," Clovis replied, almost too happily Cornelia had to note.

"And how does that require the presence of the Chancellor? I would have thought you were busy elsewhere," Cornelia shot back snidely, smirking despite the surprising nervousness she felt creeping up simply from being in the presence of Clovis.

"Schneizel is dealing with the EU; the only other foe requiring our immediate attention is the EoC, and you are unfit to deal with them. And so by my authority as the Chancellor I will be hereby taking control of all armed forces in Area 11."

Euphemia jumped up from her seat and cried, "Thats insane! Sister has been nothing but fair to Area 11, and her decisions in the war thus far have resulted in minimal casualties! You can't just oust her from her position because she hasn't yet stopped them!"

"Restrain her," any further remarks from Euphemia were cut short as Clovis said those two words, gesturing toward her with one arm and beckoning two soldiers to carry out the deed. Cornelia looked ready to jump up and stop it at any moment, but a single look from Clovis stayed her hand, "I will not repeat myself, Cornelia. With the exception of the Royal Knights, I have the authority to do as I please here and I will do so. And so, I believe I'll be taking back my Governorship now, sister."

Cornelia growled under her breath as she stood up, stepping to the side and allowing Clovis to take her seat. As he sat, she said, "I'll be taking my Royal Knights. We will not be assisting you as you are."

"And so you would deny me if I were to humbly ask that you come with me to wipe out Lelouch?" Clovis asked, smirking.

"You'd actually try to outsmart him? He is leaps and bounds above how strong he was when you two last fought. He truly has made miracles."

"Father has given me command over the Knights of Rounds at the moment. I have the Knight of Ten with me right now, and as smart as he is Lelouch will not be expecting them to join a battle of this scale."

Breaking out of her momentary shock, Cornelia said, "If we take the initiative, Lelouch will be on his guard for any irregularities – he may overlook things at times, but he's a paranoid person at heart." When all Clovis did was not, she went on, "How do you plan to draw him out?"

"Mt. Fuji," Clovis replied, grinning maliciously.

o--o

"Lord V.V., what shall we do now? Protecting this Thought Elevator is..."

"Yes," V.V. replied immediately, frowning. "It is Charles telling us that he no longer trusts me. That my use in his plan is nearly gone."

The old man next to him nodded in agreement, "Then what shall we do? If Lelouch finds this place, we will have nowhere to run."

His cape waving out behind him, V.V. turned about and stared at the door before him – yet another door holding the sigil of Geass on it – and retreated into the deep recesses of his mind for a moment. What would they do? His brother's world without lies had become their life; nothing else mattered to them. But if it had come to the point where he would be tossed aside once his part was done, what was V.V. to do? That answer, he thought, was simple. "We will look for another to carry out this task. A new way to create our ideal world. We will find a new Charles."

The logic was simple enough, really. But finding another Charles? That was a task that was much easier said than done, simply put. Charles was one in a million – brilliant, authoritative, a convincing leader... Charles was the ideal king the world needed. There was only one other like that, and... the old man shivered at the very thought. Noticing this, V.V. said, "Yes, there is only one who can take Charles' place in this world of lies, and only one that can take his place into making one without lies.

"Lelouch."

"There is no other," V.V. didn't seem nearly as displeased as one would have thought. In fact, the notion of working with Lelouch seemed to be... something V.V. was eager to do?

It must have been his imagination, the old man decided. There was no way V.V. would be considering the merits of such an idea... right?

"That aside, Lord V.V., what shall we do here? Even if we were to work with..." A groan cut him off, "Lelouch... the fact remains that he is our enemy at the moment. Even if he finds this place, he cannot be allowed to breach it! What would you have us do?"

A sigh, "Set up another mind trap. That should halt him long enough for us to escape if the time comes."

"We wouldn't defend this place?! Why not?"

With a smirk, V.V. said, "We aren't because Charles wants us to."

As V.V. walked away to do... well, do whatever V.V. did alone - not even his closest allies knew - the old man turned to look at the rest of the surviving Directorate members standing nearby, giving them a blank look. They seemed to understand as they all snapped to attention, rushing over to him and saluting in a very soldier-like fashion. "I hope you know what we have to do," he remarked, shaking his head disapprovingly.

"Yes, Lord Bertram," they all replied in a rehearsed unison.

Nodding, Bertram paced in front of them, saying, "Lord V.V. has always put the plan first. He has always been resolute in his decisions because they were beneficial to the plan. But Lord V.V. no longer cares for the plan. That being the case, what we need to do is make sure the plan is still our priority."

"Of course, Lord Bertram."

"For the new world," Bertram said dramatically.

"For the new world!" the rest of them echoed.

o--o

Villeta and Kewell were just finally growing annoyed of the restraints that had been placed on their wrists and ankles so long ago when Lelouch entered their cell, smoothly bringing down the barred wall that divided the two sides of the cell each were on – yet another testament to Lelouch's paranoia. They both looked up at him in wonder and he looked down at their seated forms one after the other with a smirk. The silence was just about the most unbearable thing either had faced – and they had faced many things in their nearly thirty years of life – but both were determined to hold back any words, unwilling to give Lelouch the satisfaction of beating them in this game of silence. If he was playing to begin with, that is. Neither Villeta nor Kewell were entirely sure.

Finding himself losing this game that he was indeed playing, Lelouch avoided their gazes as he looked around the cell, his eyes glazing over with a sadness he was determined to not let them see. The walls were bland and without any decoration to speak of – not that a cell should have any, Lelouch noted off-handedly. The only thing of any real variation were the beds both sides were provided with; a small bed roughly half of a Queen size bed with pitch black sheets that actually looked comfortable, all things considered. Villeta sat on her respective bed as she noticed Lelouch's gaze on it, and Lelouch couldn't help but change his opinion when he heard the loud screeching of the springs beneath Villeta. Clearly, India hadn't had prisoner comfort in mind – not that Lelouch was complaining.

Finally having her patience wearing thin, Villeta asked, "Why are you here?"

"To talk," Lelouch replied nonchalantly, shrugging.

Kewell shuffled as best he could with the restraints around his ankles until he settled onto the bed next to Villeta, looking up at Lelouch, "About?" he asked irritably.

"Reconsider your decision to join us."

Kewell laughed bitterly, "All hail Britannia!" he recited jovially, giving Lelouch a look that clearly said that was where his loyalties were.

Villeta nodded as she too said, "All hail Britannia," although with considerably less emotion.

That remark alone told Lelouch he'd have to resort to Plan B – a plan he was absolutely dreading, to boot. It was one of those things he couldn't help hating, no matter what the end result was. And little as he liked to admit it, even the prospect of Clovis being saved didn't make him feel better about the possibility. And that was why he couldn't help scowling as he bowed before Villeta and Kewell, begging pitifully, "Please, save Clovis. You are the only ones who can do so."

"... Save Clovis?" Villeta repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"The Emperor has a Geass that has turned Clovis into a cold hearted man bent on my death," Lelouch clarified, tears stinging his eyes as he recalled Clovis' attitude before he had retreated. "He is not the caring brother he once was. The Emperor has forsaken his own son in favor of a machine he can use against me because he knows that I care for Clovis." Raising his head enough to see the stunned expressions on their faces he continued, tears pouring freely, "So please! You can hate me! You can want to kill me! You can go back to Britannia and my father when you are done – anything! But please, save Clovis!"

"Save Clovis..." Villeta seemed to ponder the idea for a long moment, much to the shock of Kewell. "Even if your father has Geass, you have it as well – you are no better than your father, Lelouch."

"I don't care!" Lelouch snapped as he glared up at Villeta. Taken by surprise she jumped to her feat, almost fearing the feral look in Lelouch's Geass-infused eyes at that moment. Unnoticing or simply uncaring of this Lelouch went on, "Make me out to be a demon. Make me out to be some insult to humanity, if it makes you happy. If you save Clovis, I don't care – I will accept it all!" His eyes grew wide as the tears streaming down his cheeks turned into rivers of flowing tears, shocking Villeta further still, "No matter what! No matter what it takes, I will do it! But please save Clovis!"

Kewell watched on in some reasonable amount of shock, glad they had been taught to make it second nature to keep their Canceller and Neutralizer active when in Lelouch's presence – he would have been under quite a few orders were that not the case, Kewell was sure. But since that was hardly a thought to dwell on, his thoughts instead went on to more important matters – such as the prideful and arrogant Lelouch bowing before them, begging them to save his brother. "I can relate..." Kewell muttered under his breath, understanding Lelouch's plight perfectly. Nodding as a means of getting his nerves under control, Kewell said, "I will do it."

"Kewell?!" Villeta gasped out, turning on her ally – or former ally now, she wasn't sure. "Are you mad?! Help him?!"

Kewell countered by saying, "We are loyal to Britannia, Villeta, but the Emperor is not. That much is clear now."

"Even so..."

"Lelouch is not evil, that much is certain," Kewell stated simply, frowning. Behind Villeta Lelouch was slowly standing with an all too grateful smile on his face, but Kewell ignored it, "He – like us – has chosen his path. I too thought that because his path was not one that benefited Britannia, he was evil. But if our Emperor is doing things like this, is it wrong of us to make the same decision? Even though it may be under a different name, Lelouch could recreate Britannia. He could make a new world – one we would be honored to serve."

"Such things do not matter to soldiers!" Villeta snapped, glaring at Kewell. "We carry out our orders to the best of our ability, and that is all."

"We carry out our orders because they are beneficial to our country. But what use is that when we are no longer sure that what we are doing is truly our own will?" Kewell shot back.

"I..."

"We should join Lelouch and save His Highness. After that, we can decide what we will do," Kewell stated, in such a way that it was immediately clear that there was to be no argument. Villeta seemed to get the idea quickly and she slowly nodded her agreement.

"I thank you both," Lelouch bowed – this time without dropping to his knees – and smiled almost unnaturally happily at the both of them. "If we can save Clovis, then I..."

"Shhh," Villeta held a hand up, shaking her head. "I am doing this for His Highness, not for you, Lelouch."

"Of course."

o--o

With new resolve and reinforced troops, we began our march through Gifu and on toward the Tokyo Settlement. There was no visible discontent to the revelation of more Britannians joining the army, and Villeta and Kewell were even welcomed with open arms by the Anti-Britannian Front because of their loyalty to me. I caught Karen giving them a few dirty looks from time to time, but that was to be expected from someone who had spent the most of their life either fighting or simply hating Britannia and I think even they realized that. Karen warmed up to them quickly enough however, though it remains a mystery how they won her over – I'm not sure I care to know.

The knowledge that we were going to be facing off against Clovis weighed heavily on everyone who knew my relationship with him. Day after day it became commonplace for me to be greeted by many sending their regards to me for the tough situation I was faced with. I was determined not to let it get to me, but it was hard – Clovis and I were as close as Nunnally and I. While Nunnally was my lifeline to an extent, Clovis was my resolve. It was because of them that I started my rebellion, and now I was to face one of the people I relied on most. It was painful no matter how sure I was that he could be saved.

The army abandoned its attack on Gifu – mainly due to the fact that Clovis had pulled back all forces stationed there – and continued on. The Tokyo Settlement was mere minutes away when a news report sent news of the Third Prince leading troops to Mt. Fuji for some kind of memorial service. Naturally a memorial service in wartime – so near the battlefield at that – is absurd and it was a trap, but Clovis was challenging me. Daring me to come and steal away Britannia's Sakuradite resources. And I would take that challenge, because it meant saving Clovis with a justifiable reason. And so, on March 8th, 2018 a.t.b. the Empire of China began its operation to seize control of one the world's largest Sakuradite resource.

o--o

"Britannian forces in the Mt. Fuji area consist of six airships and three hundred units, all Sutherland. The battle is our's the moment we launch."

"But the commander is against any action that will endanger the life of the enemy commander. This won't be as easy as it seems."

"Lelouch isn't like that! He will do what he has to do."

Lelouch groaned as he slumped back in the Gawain's cockpit, sending it into silence with the flick of a switch – he hardly wanted to hear about people hoping he wouldn't be impaired by something as selfish as friendship and brotherhood. Instead he flicked another switch and said, "Xingke, have Villeta and Kewell's Frames been fitted with Float Systems?"

"They have. We await only your orders," was Xingke's distracted response, the same hopeful voices filling in the background. "What about C.C.? Isn't she..."

"C.C. will be watching over the Hogosha with Ogi. I will be joining you out there instead."

"You will?" Xingke exclaimed, his voice reaching much higher levels in his shock. "But for you to be out there..."

"This is not to be debated!" Lelouch snapped. Realizing his mistake he calmed down and said, "Sorry, Xingke. But Clovis is... and I..."

"I understand how you feel, Lelouch," Xingke responded. "But making selfish decisions will only hurt the army now. Please reconsider."

"I will not," Lelouch replied sharply, narrowing his eyes. "I will take care not to get carried away, but staying behind in this battle is not an option. If it satisfies you I can leave the ground troops to Jeremiah and Suzaku can protect me, but I..."

"If you are so determined, I will not deny your wishes," Lelouch could hear the regret in Xingke's voice as he said that, but at that moment he hardly cared. "But I would be at ease if you would take Suzaku with you."

"Very well," Lelouch concluded, flicking that switch as well and returning to the blissful silence of the Gawain's cockpit. "I'm coming for you brother. Please wait."

o--o

"Your Highness, the Anti-Britannian Front has arrived. Our forces deployed on the east side of the mountain are under attack and are struggling."

Clovis chuckled as he looked at the messenger carrying the unfortunate duty of reporting to his icy commander, replying, "Tell Cornelia to launch with the Royal Knights. They are expendable."

"Y-your Highness? To say your own sister is expendable is..."

"I care not if she dies," Clovis shrugged, averting his gaze. "If she is adverse to the idea, remind her that Euphemia is back in the Tokyo Settlement and that she is in the palm of my hand."

"... Yes, Your Highness," the messenger saluted before turning tail and running, leaving a laughing Clovis behind. The laughter turned maniacal before long and those on the bridge hastened to obey his silent order that he be alone. Once alone he placed his head on interlocked fingers and sighed contently, saying, "Lelouch, how do you do it? Emotions are a burden – all people must be treated equally if you are to be a successful commander. Peons and generals alike are completely worthless – they are to serve you until they can no longer, and then they are to be disposed of. That is all."

o--o

Cornelia was seated in her Gloucester awaiting permission to sortie when the order came, telling her what she was to do. It went without saying that she was furious – and being reminded that Clovis had control over Euphemia didn't help whatsoever. But orders were orders and even as commander of the Royal Knights she was outranked by the Chancellor, which was why she complained no further and now found herself leading the Royal Knights down the side of Mt. Fuji to a waiting Anti-Britannian Front, outnumbered and outmatched. It was suicide to fight them even with the advantageous position they held and Clovis surely knew that. "So why..."

"Cornelia," Clovis' voice filled her cockpit in all of its icyness, freezing her thoughts and her words in their place. "Lelouch will surely be using a decoy. Make sure the troops on that front do not push too far, and leave the main force to me. What you are fighting is no more than a decoy."

Gritting her teeth, Cornelia said, "So you would use me as canon fodder against decoys... and father would accept that..."

"If you understand, hurry up. Lelouch won't kill himself --"

"-- Is that all you think about?!" Cornelia snapped, glaring pointedly at nothing in particular. "You and Lelouch used to be so close, Clovis!"

"That is insane," Clovis replied dryly. "I have always hated Lelouch. Father has always been preparing me for the time when I may finally kill him. That will be today."

o--o

The battle was every bit as one-sided as everyone thought it would be.

Be it the Gawain or simply the advanced firepower of the Frames at their disposal, particularly the many Han-Shu their army had, the battle was nothing short of a massacre. Anywhere they attacked they were victorious, the Sutherland before them unable to do more than put up some pitiful defense before they fell to either some form of weapon or to a massive Hadron blast. The Lancelot alongside the Gawain only made matters worse, swiftly cleaning up whatever was left behind in the Gawain's wake.

Which was what made the tide of battle shift so drastically when Lelouch suddenly abandoned the army in favor of going after Britannia's airships.

"What are you doing, Lelouch?!" Suzaku shouted, held up by a squad of Sutherland and unable to move.

"Stay there and make sure we aren't pushed back," Lelouch replied, landing his sights on one of the white Avalon-like ships. "And tell Villeta and Kewell to join me. We are going to save Clovis."

"Lelouch!" Suzaku reprimanded, growling in annoyance as again his attempts to chase after Lelouch were thwarted by a Sutherland taking a shot at him. "Acting so selfishly is...!"

Lelouch took a moment to consider that. Was he being selfish in wanting to save Clovis? Naturally it was something that benefited only him, but... "It isn't selfish," Lelouch responded finally. "But I can't just let Clovis die. If he dies, I will..." Lelouch paused before he took another step down the path of being selfish and promptly smacked his head. "If we save Clovis, this battle ends and we take Mt. Fuji," he finally declared, overly proud of his idea.

"Very well," Suzaku responded, and though he tried to sound displeased Lelouch could tell a part of him was glad. "I will make sure the battle on the ground goes well. Good luck, Lelouch."

"To you as well, Suzaku."

Lelouch ignored everything around him as he closed in on the ship he had marked as his first victim, sending a stream from his Hadron cannons through the center of the ship. Slowly the initial explosions spread toward the outer areas of the ship and finally engulfed the entire ship, taking it out in one final, cumulative explosion so large it shook the Gawain even from the distance Lelouch was at. Without pausing he turned and repeated the process, taking almost too much pleasure in watching the ship go down so easily.

"Lelouch," Ogi's voice reverberated through the cockpit, bringing him out of his – dare he admit it – blissful stupor. "We have sighted twenty Knightmare VTOL units. They are trying to reinforce the east side of the mountain."

Lelouch didn't respond, scanning the horizon until he saw them moving toward him, a broad line. Laughing he opened fire, turning ever so slightly as he went to take them all out far more easily than one would think possible. In the wake one other ship fell victim to his attack as well, but he didn't bother to watch it explode as he moved on.

When Villeta and Kewell caught sight of Lelouch from within their Float System-equiped Gloucesters, Lelouch was unleashing his Hadron cannons on another ship, carefully making a point of destroying all but the command airship and was well on his way toward that ship as well. They had almost reached it when a Gloucester was suddenly launched from the ship, making an imposing sight for the three it stood before. It was a far deeper purple than Cornelia's Gloucester and a black cape extended behind it, so large that all but the wings of the attached Float System were invisible. Kewell seemed to recognize it immediately as he gasped out, "Its the vampire! Britannia's Knight of Ten!"

"The Knight of Ten... Sending him out means that my brother is willing to pull all the stops to see me dead," Lelouch sighed, shaking his head. "Villeta, how do you fare against the vampire?"

"In mock battles? I am no match for him – I can last ten minutes, at best. And I was one of the best to ever attempt such a feat," Villeta responded grimly, frowning.

"That will have to do. When you can hold him off no longer, flee. Kewell, you and I will take the opportunity to get into the ship and get Clovis." Calling on the small flicker of hope still shining within him he added, "He won't let this go on if he is right of mind."

Much to Kewell's surprise, the plan went without any problems. Despite its size the Gawain was ignored once Luciano got into fighting with Villeta and Lelouch and Kewell safely reached the ship, breaking into its prison sector with ease. The hallways were deserted as were the rooms, which wasn't surprising. It wasn't until they reached the bridge level that they found any resistance. Even then it was little more than a nuisance; a small threat that could be tossed aside with ease. Which wasn't too far from the truth as everyone that crossed paths with the two was subjected to a simple, "Die," from Lelouch. The light the poked through the windows lining the right side of the hallway added a bright hue to the blood that stained the ground, and a sight that had once brought about the emptying of his stomach now got little more than a passing glance from Lelouch.

It was a circle that Lelouch had only just completed. Clovis had given him the resolve to begin his rebellion and he had first spilled blood that day, and now as he returned to Clovis' side it finally registered itself in his mind that he had changed greatly since then. Though the face people saw was still that of a child, the mind beneath it was one of someone much older. His eyes held more pain in their depths than any his age should; to some, they held more pain than any person reasonably should. And that was before noticing the red sigils in his eyes, telling the world just how far beyond normal people he was. In both mind and soul he was hardly human, though whether that was a good thing or not was surely a subject worth debating.

"You," Lelouch looked up to see a soldier guarding a large door, Britannia's emblem embedded in the center and golden trimmings lining the outside. The look in the soldier's eyes was one of mixed boredom and unmistakable fear – a look that undeniably told Lelouch it was his brother who waited beyond this door. The boredom seemed to win in the end however as his eyes drooped to a half-close, "You need Level Seven clearance or higher to enter here. Your uniform isn't even a Private rank, so... Wait, what rank are you?"

"Oh, sorry." Lelouch draped a hand over his eyes and he smirked, continuing, "I am not with the military, but I would like to see His Highness."

"And why should I let you?" the soldier asked tiredly, narrowing his eyes to near-slits.

Lelouch removed his hand from his eyes and said, "Lelouch Lamperouge commands you to let me pass."

The soldier broke into a salute and said, "Yes, sir!" before taking the card key hanging around his neck and swiping it through a slot to the side of the door. A green light flashed as the door slid open and the soldier broke into another salute as Lelouch and Kewell passed by and into the command center. The room was not much different from the one on the Hogosha. A large Britannian flag hung in the center of the room and the emblem was crested into the ground beneath them; there were people seated in a horseshoe formation around a central table tending to their own duties, the table itself unoccupied; a flight of stairs to the right of where Lelouch stood led up to a throne as regal as the Emperor's own where Clovis sat, either unaware or uncaring of his half-brother's presence. Much like their prince the room's other occupants were unaware of his presence, though Lelouch owed that to the simple fact that they were far too busy tending to their own jobs to notice. Such had often been the case on the Hogosha, anyway.

"You got farther than I suspected you would, Lelouch," Clovis' voice echoed through the room in such an icy tone that it was a wonder to Lelouch that he could consider any person before to be evil. Though it was no more than a voice, a possible falsehood, the icy tone contained such malice that it was impossible to consider it anything but evil. "But then, you are my brother. I should expect nothing less from one of my own blood," with a wave Clovis dismissed everyone else – who had since turned to watch their prince carefully – and Lelouch proceeded toward Clovis as they departed, waiting for his brother to add the words he knew he would add. He knew he would because he knew the person in front of him; he knew the man in front of him to be every bit the man he'd taken his father to be. Which was why he did nothing but nod absently as Clovis added, "Or should I say father's blood."

"Those are not words my brother would say," Lelouch replied immediately. Clovis scowled a scowl Lelouch hadn't seen since he had been named a political hostage before the whole of the royal court in Pendragon, nearly eight years ago. Chills ran down his spine and he clenched his eyes shut, willing away the tears that were threatening to return at that moment. Tears that he had hoped to discard once the battle had begun – tears that he would be unable to stop unless he acted quickly. "Kewell, if you would."

Kewell nodded and stepped forward, his eye glowing with a blue sigil as he said, "I am sorry, Your Highness," and activated the power held within. The coldness within Clovis' eyes seemed to dispell immediately and he fell forward, gasping for breath. Lelouch broke any commander-like composure and rushed forward, embracing his brother and running his fingers through the blond locks, repeating over and over that they were together again. Clovis nodded numbly as he came to and Lelouch pulled back, fresh tears of happiness running down his face. "Brother..."

"... Lelouch," Clovis' voice was soft and caring, completely different from the icy tone it had held previously. Upon hearing it Lelouch rushed forward once more, sobbing into his brother's chest as they once more embraced. Kewell watched on with a small smile, nodding every so often in approval of the scene before him. Any that disapproved would be heartless people, he decided; they looked far too happy to be torn apart simply for being enemies. "Why are you here, Lelouch? I..."

"It doesn't matter, brother," Lelouch choked out, pulling back to look into his brother's eyes with pure adoration. "You are okay. You're okay! That is all that matters."

o--o

Villeta groaned as she managed to only barely block yet another of Luciano's relentless attacks. They came in quick succession and without any regard for his own Frame, and the thought had crossed Villeta's mind that he hadn't even noticed the damage he had done to his own Frame in the process of thrashing her around. The notion of her being helpless to all the abuse was a distant one at the moment – her thoughts were far too wrapped in other matters. Were Lelouch and Kewell okay? Had they finished their end? Much as she needed to turn tail and run she couldn't afford to; if they needed more time and she ran, they would be abandoned and Luciano would come for them next. It was only a matter of time, and she needed to buy as much as possible.

"Does life matter this much to you?" Luciano drawled with a heavy laugh, one both carefree and burdened at the same time. "It is a precious thing, after all! But you are clinging far too tightly!"

"Life is something you have to hold onto. Losing it isn't something to fear, but you can't throw it away either," Villeta responded calmly, kicking aside Luciano's lance thrust and countering with one of her own. Luciano dodged with incredible ease and assaulted her again, sending her spiraling toward the trees below. "For His Highness, I am prepared to lose mine here. But fighting you? I'll make sure I take you with me!"

"For His Highness?!" Luciano broke out into a laughter so sadistic that Villeta was frozen in place for the entirety of it. "Losing your life for someone else is stupid! You are an idiot!"

Villeta finally spurred into action, dodging the incoming bullets Luciano was sending her way and closing the distance between them, thrusting her lance through one of his arms. "You are an idiot, fighting without purpose. You aren't a hero – you are nothing more than a murderer."

"In wartime, people are aloud to kill though!" Luciano chimed, pulling his arm away from the lance it was impaled on and discarding it, leaving it to fall to the ground below in a useless heap. Such was how a person was meant to live after all; discard what is no longer useful, and use only what can be made use of. Those that are weak or inferior had no value – such were the words of the Emperor himself.

"This is the Third Prince and Chancellor of the Holy Britannian Empire, Clovis La Britannia," Clovis' voice echoed over the entire mountain in all of its authority, devoid of the cold tone it had previously held. Villeta breathed a sigh of relief as his voice was heard and listened all too eagerly as he went on, "All forces are to cease fighting immediately! Anti-Britannian Front, I have entered into negotiations with your commander and we have decided to order a truce; all forces, cease fighting now!"

"You hear that?" Villeta taunted, lowering her lance. "You are no longer aloud to kill. If you continue now, you are no more than a murderer."

Luciano just laughed as he thrusted his lance at Villeta, nearly catching her in the arm. "Let nobles talk! We are soldiers! So long as we are enemies, we can kill one another!" The worst part was that there was some logic to the madman's words. As shocking as it was in itself to admit that a man of questionable sanity made sense, it was even more unbelievable that she found herself agreeing with his logic. 'I'm not supposed to think that enjoying killing is okay!' she tried to reason, to no avail. Her thoughts eluded such thoughts from then on and replaced all attempts at reason with words of discouragement, telling her she had every right to let go and go all out this once. After all, how much worse off could she be? She was siding with a traiter, fighting against her own country... letting go was a distant thing, she realized all too suddenly.

"You are right, we can kill eachother." Villeta grabbed her rifle and opened fire, following Luciano whenever he tried to dodge. When it grew evident that such an effort was pointless she tossed her rifle aside and readied her lance, swiping at Luciano's other arm. Swerving the attack proved to be a bad idea when the lance instead caught the Float System on his back, destroying it immediately and sending him hurtling toward the sloped ground below. Villeta followed him as he fell, dodging around the shots sent her way from Luciano's attempts at taking her down with him. One shot resulted in her Float System being removed as well, though she managed to catch onto a long tree branch to stop herself from taking any real damage as the ground met her.

Luciano was waiting for her as she came to, lance poised at the throat of her Gloucester, and his cackling laughter surrounded her soon after, a booming sound that chilled her to the core. "Are you ready to die? Are you ready to lose your life?" Villeta scowled but didn't answer, grabbing onto a tree branch above her and avoiding the lance by pulling away from the attack, grabbing her own lance and pointing it at Luciano.

"I am ready to lose my life, but I'll be taking your's first," she replied coldly, pushing her lance forward the extra few inches necessary to pierce Luciano's Frame. Before the lance actually pierced Luciano leaped backwards, grabbing a nearby Sutherland – one that, Villeta noticed in a state of complete shock, happened to be one of his own allies – and threw him into the path of the lance, forcing him instead to take the brunt of the attack. Wide-eyed and in disbelief, Villeta muttered, "Y-you...!" as best as she could given her shock. And unfortunately, her shock didn't leave much room for successful speech. So when she could manage full sentences she tried again, "You would waste a soldier's life for your own?!"

Luciano laughed loudly at that, "Life is your most important thing! Compared to that, nothing should matter!" before tossing aside the remains he still held, grabbing his lance and slicing off one of Villeta's arms, knocking her lance to the ground in the process. Villeta growled under her breath as she slowly backed herself away and helplessly opened fire from the machine gun mounted on her chest, though to little success as Luciano began looping through the forest surrounding them, faster than her bullets could follow him. She even lost sight of him for a brief while only to find him as he suddenly emerged from between two trees, lance swinging in front of him. And to her great disdain, Villeta had no choice but to eject.

o--o

"Lelouch, what are you doing?!" Clovis cried as Kewell loaded himself and Clovis onto a small transport ship, Lelouch watching on from the side as he checked the cartridge of the pistol in his hand. Lelouch wore an indifferent expression despite his inner turmoil, warring with himself, telling himself not to let Clovis go. Telling himself that leaving Clovis in Kewell's hands would mean he'd never see Clovis again. It was a foolish thought – after all, Clovis was far safer with Kewell than on a ship where soldiers were trying to take him out for assuming he is in league with Lelouch. But at the same time Lelouch couldn't help but worry, and he had no idea why.

"I will protect you, brother," Lelouch said tenderly as he turned away, willing himself not to tear up again. "I will not let them take you from me again. For now, trust Kewell."

Without another word Lelouch took off through the halls, finally coming to the entrance he and Kewell had used when they had first breached the ship. Waiting outside was the Gawain in all of its glory, all but crying out to him. He wasn't about to deny its wishes as he extended himself up to the cockpit and climbed in, starting up the large Frame and running over spec checks as quickly as he could manage. Which, while it was fast, it was far from fast enough in Lelouch's mind. Images of Clovis floating over a battlefield, helpless and left to be shot down crossed his mind but he blocked them out, willing himself to believe that he would get Clovis to the safety of the Hogosha and that he, along with Nunnally, would be safe.

"Lelouch! Their forces aren't pulling back! A purple Sutherland has assumed command of them and is charging down the front of the mountain!" Lelouch had expected that, of course, though he hardly cared at the moment. As the Gawain took off to the sky at the same time that the transport ship was launched from the linear catapult, all that mattered to him was Clovis' safety. It was a selfish notion, but the lives of his men came second to the life of his half-brother.

Even so, as a commander he had to make some form of action. With a sigh he replied, "Abandon all other fronts and prepare to hold the main line. Suzaku and Karen will attack from behind. And patch me through to Cornelia."

A long moment passed before a deep and questionably feminine voice invaded his silence, heavy with exhaustion and displeasure, "Lelouch?"

"Cornelia," Lelouch acknoledged with a nod, despite the fact that she could not see him. "It has been several months since we last spoke. Better circumstances could be had, but..."

"Cut to the chase, Lelouch; we're enemies," her voice showed no patience for her rebellious half-brother but Lelouch kept his cool still, reminding himself of Clovis' hopes that he not lose control of his emotions so easily.

With that thought in mind he replied, "I have my half-brother in my possession. I will ask only once that you withdraw at once." A sharp gasp followed by several muttered curses followed. Definitely like Cornelia to be so aggressive even in her mannerisms and speech.

"You would bribe me with your brother's safety? Clovis isn't the only one that has changed," she said at last.

"It is a long story, Cornelia; Clovis was not himself and I have returned him to normal, though I cannot say how at this time. Please believe me." A long silence followed but Lelouch could tell she was considering his words. They were perfectly believable after all – Clovis was indeed a different person lately, and Lelouch wouldn't have gone after him without a plan of some sort. When Cornelia let out a breathy sigh Lelouch let out the breath he'd been holding in, waiting for her response.

"Very well, Lelouch. But if you are lying to me..."

"I swear I am not."

Another sigh, "We will pull back. I will speak with you later, Lelouch. I expect a full explanation then."

Lelouch couldn't help but grinning to himself as he returned his full attention to the transport ship in front of him. Though in reality it was no more than twenty inches from front to back and five from side to side, it held more of Lelouch inside of it than anything else. The black lines running along the sides and mixing in with the yellow and white color scheme of the ship only deepened his belief in that fact – the little corruption that was him mixing in with everything else, so to speak. ... Okay, so that hardly sounded proper. But as Lelouch watched the ship as they sped along, the Hogosha now waiting for them on the horizon, he didn't care how much sense he made in his analogies.

"Ready to lose your life, Rebel Prince?" Lelouch's heart stopped as those few, simple words invaded his calm.

o--o

Down below, Luciano watched as the Gawain escorted the small transport ship – surely it held Clovis, Luciano reasoned – overhead. His first instinct was a simple one; remembering the Emperor's words he quickly took position and grabbed his rifle, aiming carefully through the treetops at the small ship. It was a difficult shot to make, but that only added more excitement to the kill. After all, a foe who isn't easy to kill is always a more satisfying one when they finally draw their final breath. Luciano's life would be a very boring one if nobody fought to keep what was most precious to them, he thought gleefully.

"Ready to lose your life, Rebel Prince?" he asked with a chilled laugh as he pressed hard on a second trigger, sending a grenade soaring up and into the air. It took only a moment for it to hit its mark and as the small transport ship burst into little more than a ball of flame and falling remnants he couldn't help but laugh harder still, almost too pleased with his achievement – even if it had been relatively easy to accomplish.

Lelouch, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as happy about the situation. His arms fell limp at his sides and he just stared, hard, praying to whatever gods he still had on his side that this was a nightmare. That this was another one of his mind's almost too real worst case scenario conjurations. But no, no matter how hard he tried, he knew. He knew that this was real and that Clovis had just been engulfed in that explosion. Kewell was all but forgotten and all that was on Lelouch's mind was Clovis; the caring older half-brother who hadn't done a single thing to deserve such a fate. When he was right of mind, anyway, but that was hardly a relevent point.

"C-commander..." Ogi started, eyes wide as he watched the Gawain come to a sudden halt. He didn't have to be able to see within the Gawain to know the state its occupant would be in at that moment, and that reality made him feel that much worse.

"Ogi..." Lelouch replied, his voice hoarse and choked with the sobs that nearly escaped from his throat. But instead Lelouch stayed calm; in his sorrow he didn't shed a single tear, instead directing all thoughts to one simple thing. "Launch all reserve forces now."

"W-what? We're already overpowering them! More troops would mean..."

"I don't care," Lelouch shot back, his voice low and devoid of any of the anger one would expect at such a time. "Just... send them out."

"... Why?"

"Britannia has committed an unforgivable war crime here. We shall act accordingly – we shall kill them all."

"B-but Lelouch, I'm sure if we told them that they would..." Ogi tried – in vain, he knew – to reason with the emotionally unstable commander.

"I have given my orders! Britannia will pay for this! Kill them all – if they are in a Knightmare Frame, they are to be taken out! Do not rest until they are all gone!"

Ogi knew he had no choice but to obey, despite his misgivings. Flipping another switch he said, "Orders from Commander Lelouch. We are to begin an all out extermination of Britannian forces in the Mt. Fuji area. Do not rest until they are all eliminated."

The battle from that point on could be described with one word. Carnage. Britannia was helpless as the torrents of Sutherland, Gloucester, Burai and even Gekka charged at them, carelessly taking out any Knightmare Frame that they crossed paths with. The Britannians tried to retreat – on more than one occasion – but the enemy would not have any of that, blocking off all escape routes as quickly as they became available and further cutting off the enemy from their safe haven... wherever that happened to be. Lelouch was the worst of it, though. From overhead he sought out large groups of Knightmare Frames and, not listening one bit to the pleading words of the soldiers below – they hadn't cared when it was Clovis that had a gun pointed at him, after all – as he opened fire with his Hadron cannons, taking out as many as ten Knightmare Frames in a single burst.

Suzaku tried several times to reason with Lelouch, but his attempts were met with little more success than Ogi's attempts or the pleading words Britannian soldiers had to offer before their lives were turned to dust. In the end he couldn't stand to watch the massacre and retreated to the Hogosha – not that Lelouch even noticed. He was far too busy taking his vengeance out on just about any enemy that moved. It took little more than twenty minutes for the entirety of the Britannian army to be wasted, but even that left Lelouch wholly unsatisfied. And no matter what he did, he knew he'd never be satisfied until Luciano's life was put to an end.

o--o

Lelouch was no more stable when he returned to the Hogosha's hangar, exiting the Gawain and lowering himself to the ground. His eyes were a lifeless daze as he stared ahead of he, dragging his feet as he went, giving no more than a passing nod to any who tried to greet him. Suzaku tried handing off his mask and though Lelouch took it gratefully, Suzaku too got little more than a nod in greeting. Suzaku knew not to press Lelouch at that moment and so he left him alone, though others didn't have the same insight and continued to pester their commander, finally resulting in him snapping. Turning on the unlucky one to finally break him down he said, "I just want to be alone! Go speak with Xingke!" before taking off in a more purposeful stride toward his room.

It was little surprise that C.C. was waiting for him in their room, though he ignored her too, collapsing onto his bed with a soft thud. His mask was once again discarded and tossed haphazardly across the room but Lelouch didn't care, finally breaking down and showing the first flicker of emotion since Clovis had been struck. Tears began to flow down his cheeks silently, halted not by the drooping of his eyelids – he just lay there, eyes closed and trying to sleep, with tears running down his face. It hardly registered in his mind that C.C. crawled into his bed next to him, wrapping her arms around his chest and pressing her face into his back. The comfort did little to cast aside his sorrow at that moment.

"So, Clovis died..." it was little more than a thoughtful observation on C.C.'s part, but it served little more purpose than to make Lelouch even more unstable. He threw himself out of her embrace and turned around, glaring at her. He didn't seem to care that the glare looked hardly threatening with tears rolling down his cheeks – that fact seemed to cast aside any additional threat that the Geass could throw in – and C.C. wasn't phased in the least, though she made no attempt to respond to his glare. "... I'm sorry," though she did say that, much to Lelouch's shock. Lelouch blinked a few times to make sure it was in fact C.C. he was looking at – she wasn't one for such sentiments, after all, and her teasing hardly counted – before he smiled ever so slightly and nodded.

"We can't bring back the dead – dwelling on such a hope is idiotic," he responded, taking in with great interest the flicker of emotion on C.C.'s face that seemed almost... sad? He pushed away the very notion and went on, "But Clovis has taught me something, even in death." Another pause was had before he finished, "I need to be ruthless – cold and willing to do whatever it takes – if I am to defeat my father. Today I tried to save Clovis as I fought; that was a weakness as a commander. I need to be willing to do away with such things."

Another very un-C.C.-like moment occurred as she reached her hand out, gently moving a strand of hair from Lelouch's face, saying, "Don't forget why you are fighting to begin with. If you forget that..." she didn't bother to finish the sentence, but Lelouch understood perfectly. He offered a small smile of reassurance that was hardly convincing and C.C. shook her head, chuckling slightly as she went on, "Don't pretend to be okay. You've done enough pretending in your life."

Lelouch really couldn't dispute that point.

His mind left all the worries and all the sorrows that had recently corrupted it and settled on a far more simple matter. C.C. herself. Why was she being so... well, not C.C.? She'd been cold to him in the beginning and they eventually built something resembling a normal bond over time, sure, but her current attitude was... almost normal, as far as female behaviour went. It was a bewildering thing to consider and it did nothing but confuse Lelouch to no end. Just what was she after by treating him as more than a partner? Did she want him to be her friend? Or was it some sort of scheme on her part that required her present kindness?

Though he couldn't begin to be sure, the latter possibility seemed far more likely.

"This war will be over soon," Lelouch stated, clearly wanting to change the topic. C.C. nodded her agreement and softly closed her eyes, not retreating from Lelouch's bed. Lelouch didn't comment on that as he went on, "Area 11 can't be held with Mt. Fuji under our control; Sakuradite mines are largely only in this area. So long as the area around the mountain and the shores are under our control, Area 11 is our's."

"Just remember that we still have things to do beyond taking down your father," C.C. replied softly. She felt Lelouch nod and, waiting a moment, she softly pressed her lips to his before standing up. "So long as you remember, I will be here. Remember that." Again Lelouch nodded, this time as a reflex because he couldn't think of anything else to do or say, and she retreated to her own bed, throwing down the sheets and slowly crawling in. Lelouch drifted to sleep not long after, unable to understand a single thing that had gone on between the two of them that night. All he knew was that his head was begging him not to trust her current attitude.

The next morning came all too quickly and Lelouch was hardly feeling any better. After a quick refreshing session he placed his mask over his head and made for the command center where Xingke, Todo and Ogi were standing around the table in the center, seemingly in discussion. Without a word he took his own place on one side of the table, disheartened but not completely put out by the fact that the only looks he got from them were ones of sympathy. "Cornelia Li Britannia has regained control of the remnants of Britannia's occupying army and she has declared her intent to resist us to the last," Ogi went on, waving his arms in a frantic manner. "On top of that, several insurgent groups have taken arms in the Tokyo Settlement area and are making a stand because of the lack of military presence on Britannia's part. If this goes on we will lose the people's support."

"We will dismiss that matter for now," Lelouch responded, surprising everyone with his input. "For the time being we need to make sure that Cornelia doesn't try to reclaim control over the mines here. We need to make sure we have our own miners in there working and keeping Britannia away." There were nods of agreement around the table that Lelouch took to be a sign to continue, and so he went on, "Schneizel has something planned, so we will hold our position here for now. It will give us a chance to regroup and get some rest."

Xingke looked down at the table as he said, "What will we be doing with the Sakuradite resources? Mt. Fuji has one of the largest deposits in the country – all nations will be sending representatives to get their hands on some of the Sakuradite here."

It was only the ever present sorrow of the present situation hanging over Lelouch that kept him from smirking as he said, "For all of our success so far, we don't have the manpower to fight Britannia on completely equal terms. We've done well so far, but we need to increase our power if we are to take the fight to their stage."

"You want to use our hold on Sakuradite to unite the world against Britannia..." Xingke mused, and despite the frown on his face he seemed to be seriously pondering the idea. It took only a moment for him to nod, saying, "It would be effective... but to go so far is..."

"Its a bit much," Todo finished bluntly.

"If we let motives hold us back we won't get anywhere," Lelouch shot back immediately.

"That being said, there remains the issue of our growing number of prisoners and stowaways," Ogi stated, more or less with a stern look in Lelouch's direction.. "What will we do about them?"

"Nunnally is staying," Lelouch replied immediately, and nobody dared argue that. "As for the others, we can provide transport to the Tokyo Settlement. Our prisoners will remain here for now, but the others are students from Ashford Academy."

Twenty minutes later and Tamaki was ready with a small transport vehicle with seating for five, parked outside the now grounded Hogosha. Lelouch was standing nearby with his friends, his mask discarded and his hand over his eyes. An awkward silence hung over them as each willed another to speak, though none of them could bring themselves to say anything in that situation. Lelouch was the only one willing to speak, though he refused to be the one to break the silence. Of his friends, not one was looking away from his hand-covered eyes, deciding that his demonic eyes were far more interesting than any of the various things lying around the ground. Not even the large ship next to them beat his eyes in the interest department.

"Lelouch... I..." Shirley started, finally making an attempt at breaking the heavy silence. Lelouch turned his head to stare at her, though his eyes were still covered, as he waited for her to continue. "I don't really know what to say..." a nervous chuckle. "Its too hard," even without looking Lelouch could tell tears were rolling down her cheeks.

"Shirley..." Lelouch tried to formulate a response but all he managed to do was wildly fling his arms around, momentarily revealing his eyes. He swiftly covered them and ignored the slightly dazed expressions on his friends' faces as he formulated the only real word he could get settled in his mouth, "... Goodbye."

"Why can't you just return to Ashford with us, Lelouch? Live a normal life?" Shirley tried, the tears falling harder still. "Its not too late to forget all this and come back. You, Kallen, Suzaku..."

Lelouch shook his head, "I can't. You heard what happened out here yesterday – the ship that was destroyed. It probably hasn't occurred to you, but that..." he too began to cry as the memory came back, but he willed himself to remain strong. "My half-brother was on that ship. I lost my half-brother yesterday. If I stopped now, I'd be making his death pointless. I've sacrificed things like that because I had to, and those sacrifices would be worthless if I gave up."

The reality of that statement sunk in all too quickly and Shirley silenced herself, looking away and stepping back almost fearfully from Lelouch. Milly took her place a moment later, far more composed as she placed a hand on his shoulder and gripped tightly, saying, "Take care of Nunnally. I won't forgive you if you lose her too." She was breaking down on the inside, Lelouch could tell.

"Of course," Lelouch nodded, and Milly took a step back as well. Peaking through between his fingers Lelouch turned to Rivalz, smiling bitterly as he said his name softly, barely more than a breath.

"Lelouch," Rivalz responded, hesitantly. Lelouch could tell he was trying hard to not be the spontaneous friend Lelouch had long known him to be, breaking down and crying into Lelouch's chest. Instead his voice was firm, portraying well just how mature he was trying to be. "I was wrong. You are a traitor Lelouch, but you are doing what you feel is right. I can't fight that."

"I am going to hell," Lelouch agreed, holding his hand out tentatively. Rivalz took it and they shared brief handshake before Lelouch continued, "But I'll go to hell knowing I fought for what I think is right. And it is good knowing I'll die with friends, instead of alone like this cursed power is dooming me to."

Nothing more than emotional embraces were shared before his friends took their leave with Tamaki, out of Lelouch's life forever. But they were still his friends, even from so far away. They were still people he knew would be there when the world was his enemy, when it would come to such a thing. The thought brought further tears to his eyes. Suzaku took his place by Lelouch's side and placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly, saying, "It was better than keeping them with us."

Lelouch knew he was right. Steeling himself he said, "It is as you said. At this time, they are nothing more than burdens on us. They are our friends, but they are not safe with us. They, like so much else, are things that must be sacrificed for our cause."

And Suzaku too knew that Lelouch was right.

o--o

Mt. Fuji was a place of bitter memories to Lelouch, even if they were just a day old.

The place was stained with an invisible layer of blood that Lelouch had on his hands. The entire mountain had become the site of a massacre he'd found himself wondering if he would ever live down. Between allies and enemies over one thousand had died in a matter of minutes, and it was all because of his emotional impulse. It was for this reason that it was such a fitting place to be making a grave; nothing more than a large stone stuck in the ground, with a golden crown placed atop it. Two sets of flowers were placed in front of it and in front of them stood Lelouch, a third bouquet in his arms. Karen and Suzaku stood on either side of him, watching him carefully. No more tears were shed. A thick silence was all there was, devoid even of something as trivial as the wind. It was as if the world stood still for them.

"I couldn't protect you, brother," Lelouch started, staring hard at the crown resting atop the stone. Suzaku and Karen hung their heads in silence as they listened on to Lelouch's continuing speech, "But I won't dwell on your loss. You wouldn't want that, would you?" A bitter laugh, "But then again, you didn't want me to allow hatred into my heart. You wanted me to keep my head up. But I couldn't do that either. I couldn't live up to your words or your wishes. I'm truly a terrible brother.

"But as a leader, this is a success. The kindness you wanted me to hold on to is a weakness in this world, and without you I can't keep clinging to such an ideal. If I am to move on I need to be ready to forget that kindness. Please forgive me."

A small breeze picked up suddenly, ruffling Lelouch's hair. He looked toward the sky and smiled softly; not a bitter smile showing all the pain he felt, but a genuine smile that brought tears to the eyes of Karen and Suzaku. "You forgive me, I hope," was all he said before he walked forward, placing the bouquet between the other two. Placing his hand on the crown he said quietly, "I won't say goodbye, brother. I'll make sure you are never forgotten, and so long as I live a piece of you will too."

The wind whistled between tree branches as the three walked away. Nothing had been said on their way there and nothing would be said as they left – no words were needed. For all the pain Lelouch felt, words couldn't properly express what should be said at such a time. But even so, he was understood perfectly. He could be able to move on – of that much there were certain.


This chapter ended up being far longer than I thought it would be. Phew. Sorry if the last scene seemed rushed – it wasn't really, to be honest, but it didn't need to be all that long. The battle over Mt. Fuji is the last battle of the war, but there will be more excitement to come, or at least I think so. We'll soon find out if you feel the same way.