The parade begins. The stage has been set. Time will tell what performance will be delivered, but for now Lelouch was content simply to watch, and watch he did. He watched the crowds around him, from out of the corner of his eyes as he started intently into the distance, and he did not let their fear break him. What he was about to do was far too important to allow himself the privilege of breaking. Not if he wanted to end this without ending himself. So instead, he simply watched, planning and rehearsing and marking everything he saw so he'd know exactly when to stop.

The moment arrived.

He held up a hand, and the procession stopped. Jeremiah looked up in confusion, but he did not question his master, and in that moment Lelouch thanked him in the only place he never had before – his mind. Oh, he'd spoken it aloud, but this time he truly meant it. He was only sorry it had taken him this long before.

Lelouch spoke, voice echoing through the hidden microphone on the collar of his robe, still resting indolently in his chair, eyes half-lidded as if the very thought of existing bored him. In many ways, that was not a lie.

"Absolute power is so frankly boring, isn't it? I can simply point and tell, say, you in the red shirt and everyone around you—but no more than fifty people, or else I'll be decidedly unhappy—to start dancing, and they will. For no other reason than that I asked them to. Well, not really asked… but you know what I mean, don't you?"

True to his word, exactly fifty people, including the man in the red shirt he'd spoken to, had started performing a ridiculous series of dances, and he knew they weren't going to stop until he asked them to. So he did.

"You can stop now. You're all terrible. I should have you shot. But maybe later, I have business to attend to."

He turned to the prisoners, meeting their eyes one by one, laughing at what he saw. He never looked at Kallen, of course, but then again she wasn't a prisoner, even less so than they actually were. He only wished she knew that, but he hadn't had time. What he was about to do was spur-of-the-moment stuff, and the less people knew about it, the better.

"Congratulations! I've decided executing you the standard way is far too boring. I need some amusement, don't I? So, I've decided on a—hush now Tamaki, I didn't give you leave to speak. Do it again and your tongue won't be the only one I rip out—far more interesting diversion. We're going to play a game."

Lelouch smiled, this time only looking at Kallen. It was a smile that didn't reach his eyes, which was a good thing, considering he was smiling like a demon while silently begging her to trust him. From her tiny, imperceptible nod that he was only mostly certain he hadn't imagined, she did. That was good.

"The rules are very simple. You get to speak to me once. One sentence. If you interest or impress me, I'll let you go. If you're really, really interesting, I'll not only let you go, but grant you one request as long as it's within my power.

However, if you fail to be interesting or impressive, or worse, you're plain boring, I won't only kill you; I'll torture the two people next to you in front of your eyes, and then kill you.

Of course, you have the right to remain silent, in which case I'll just execute you the boring, old-fashioned way. So, who's first? Answering that question doesn't count to your one-sentence limit. I'm not that heartlessly cruel."

He paused for a few moments.

"That was a joke. But my statement still stands."

Slowly and carefully, Kaguya spoke. Her voice carried clearly over the crowds; her experience as a skilled orator and politician had served her well. It had given her confidence, and Lelouch knew that without a clue as to what he was doing, she'd have needed every ounce she could muster to risk the lives of her friends on the whims of him, of all people. All for a chance he'd set them free. She was so very brave.

"I choose to speak."

Lelouch smiled, this time in earnest – out of everyone there, with the obvious exception of Kallen, she was the most likely to say something he could use to end everything.

"Very well, former Chairwoman. What say you?"

"Why?"

There was silence for a moment, as Lelouch processed the question. He'd expected something insightful and perhaps even witty, but he'd never suspected something like that. Then he smiled, once again in earnest, and for once he let his eyes match his smile. Kaguya noticed of course – she half-matched the smile as her eyes widened with surprise.

"Oh, very good. Very good. I only know one or two other people who've ever bothered to ask that question. Or at least ask it seriously. Colour me impressed, Lady Kaguya. In fact, colour me so impressed that I expect your next statement to be a request, and one I'm inclined to grant."

He could hear the disbelieving mutters of the Black Knights, as well as a few expressions of surprise from those such as Gino, but he waited in silence, wondering what Kaguya would ask of him. He hoped he wouldn't have to be proven a liar this early.

"Could you please kill Kallen?"

In between his jaw dropping Kallen's gasp and his half-step back, he wondered what the hell Kaguya was think—oh, you clever girl you.

"Amusing, Lady Kaguya. But I did specify it had to be within my power, and I think you know as well as I that your request clearly isn't. But first round to you, nonetheless. What's your real request?"

He knew that there weren't many others in the world that would have a clue about what had just happened, but they didn't matter. Kaguya had just about saved the world, because now he wasn't scared out of his wits about whether or not his plan would succeed or not. He was having fun. Kaguya spoke again, and this time Lelouch relaxed.

"Very well then. I humbly ask that you return the Chairpersonship of the UFN over to me."

"Consider it done, Madam Chairwomen. And since I seem to remember a certain promise, Jeremiah, would you please release the lady? I'm sure she's feeling a little uncomfortable."

Jeremiah obeyed, freeing Kaguya and placing her next to Lelouch at his gesture before resuming his place, never once questioning his orders out loud. Lelouch doubted he was even truly questioning them inside his own head.

"What the hell is going on?" Kaguya whispered, as Lelouch was about to ask for his "game's" next player.

"Sit back and enjoy the ride, Lady Kaguya. Because I'm not quite sure myself."

Lelouch turned away from the reinstated Chairwoman of the UFN and back to the prisoners, who were looking at him with different variations of abject shock, expressions he was sure they shared with at least half the world.

"So, who's next? Come along, I really don't have all day! Well, I do, but that's beside the point."

There was silence for several seconds, time stretching out almost to breaking point as Lelouch wondered if she was going to speak up, but finally she did.

"I am." Kallen's voice broke the silence, and this time Lelouch didn't have to force his eyes to match his smile. He looked over to her, mouth framing perhaps the most important question he'd ever ask. Well, second-most important question if he thought about it rationally. But that would imply the certainty of a future, and he couldn't guarantee that, not yet. Zerozaku (like he said before, the demon's pact's black sense of humour expressed itself in… unique ways) was due to arrive very, very soon.

"So, what say you, milady?"

Her response came out as a whisper, but Lelouch already knew what she was going to say. He'd seen it in her eyes a long time ago, but it wasn't until that visit in her prison cell that he'd finally understood. After all, it was then that he'd come up with this frankly audacious plan that he wasn't even sure if it would work. But it had to. It was for her. Because the pain he'd feel not getting to spend the rest of his life with her was nothing compared to the pain she'd feel when he died, and if he had to choose between her feeling pain and the world, well, Lelouch thought the events of today would make his choice quite clear.

"I love you."

The heads of the captives around her snapped towards her so quickly Lelouch was slightly worried they'd broken their own necks, but they were the only ones who'd heard, apart from him, and he didn't count because he already knew the answer. So he spoke again, a lazy grin stretching up his face, because even if he'd already known it made him unbearably happy to hear her say it.

"I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"You damn well know what I said!" she yelled at him, the Kallen he knew never very far away.

"Yes, I do, don't I? So, your request?" Lelouch could sense the crowd's confusion, and perhaps the world's as well, but he didn't really care. He had too much to do, and not enough time.

"You." This time her voice was much louder.

"If you insist," he said, bowing. "I hear and obey, oh my mistress."

Jeremiah was already moving, halfway through the process of freeing Kallen before Lelouch had finished his last sentence. The moment he shattered her bindings, Kallen leapt downwards, somehow landing gracefully despite the height of the fall, and stalked (stalked was really the only word he could use in polite company. And it really was stalking, in a way) towards Lelouch, up the float and towards his throne. He saw the expression in her eyes as she started walked up the ramp, and decided to stand up, just in case she did decide to throw him off. As she got closer, she started to almost yell at him, loud enough to be picked up by the microphone.

"Lelouch, you are the most arrogant, conceited, ruthless, heartless, diabolical bast—" she reached him on the last word and before he could react she was kissing him, a lot harder and a lot more passionately than the last time. He surfaced a little while later, wondering what on earth had just happened, and blinked, Kallen's face coming back into focus before abruptly vanishing again as she slapped him across the face. Hard.

"Never do that to me again." She demanded. Of course Kallen would have the nerve to demand something of the most powerful man in the world. He wouldn't have her any other way.

With that, she moved, standing to the opposite side of his throne as Kaguya, perfectly at ease, like she belonged there.

Typically, just when Lelouch thought things might finally be going his way, Suzaku appeared on the horizon. It seemed he'd retained the talent regardless of whether they were allies or not.

Great timing, Suzaku, he thought bitterly.

Author's Note: Welcome back! I hope you're enjoying the ride thus far, and don't think Lelouch (or his plan) is a little too OC - like I hinted at in the last Author's Note, Lelouch is hamming it up, and there's a specific reason for that. As for the 'game', well, that's part of the plan as well. Because what else would a ridiculously over the top Demon Emperor do but create sadistic games for his literally captive audience to play? And what would he do if he's secretly Lelouch underneath, trying to get out? Let them win, of course!

Next chapter, of course, we deal with what Suzaku thinks of the massive changes in the plan, as well as exactly what Kallen telling Lelouch she requests him will mean.

Until next time,

Magery

P.S The way Kallen's reactions are written in this chapter will not make sense unless you've read Decode. Like I said before, these two stories take place in the same canon.

P.P.S Lelouch. He's sooo changeable!