Warnings: not much really… not in the yaoi section at least ;-)

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Chapter six:

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"Sir Weinberg, you have free reign"

Gino watched shocked as the Shinkiro started to fall towards the ocean after that message. He had heard the strain in Lelouchs voice but didn't know what was going on. As much as he wanted to fly towards him and pull him from his fall, Suzaku was not letting him go, attacking him ferociously to get past him and it took everything he had to keep up with him.

Suzaku may not be able to use any of the more important weapons in his arsenal but that didn't mean that he was an easy opponent, keeping him on his toes and refusing to let up so that he could save Lelouch.

They had anticipated this but not that Lelouch would not be able to fly to safety. He needed help and that fast!

Just then the system of the Tristan picked up movement that was too fast to follow and he heard the voice of salvation.

"Go rescue him, I take care of the traitor once and for all!"

Kallen immediately attacked the Lancelot, freeing him from the battle and he didn't hesitate in turning around, changing into fortress mode and flying at full speed towards the falling Shinkiro.

Kallen didn't waste any time as soon as she heard that Suzaku had turned traitor once again, freeing Gino from his fight took no consideration at all.

She may not have all information, there was more going on than she knew but she had discovered enough to once again put her trust in Lelouch and whatever had made him decide to take the throne she had the feeling that he was still working towards a good goal. And she would be damned if she allowed Suzaku to once again turn on his friend and take away her chance to finally discover the whole truth.

She smashed into the Lancelot with full force, backing him away from the Tristan and giving Gino the freedom to finally go after the Shinkiro. She trusted him to do everything he could to save Lelouch but she didn't watch, knowing she would need her full attention if she wanted to defeat Suzaku.

The Lancelot tried to get past her, probably to follow the other two Knightmares bur she intercepted him again, the speed of the Guren matching the other and they danced around each other. By the time Suzaku realised he would not get past her with speed alone, two other frames had joined her. CC and Gottwald had also arrived and while the black and green machine only hovered near them, the Sutherland Sieg clearly tried to get near the Lancelot.

"Kallen, try to pin Suzaku down for a moment so that Jeremiah can get close for a second."

"This is my fight, CC. I can handle it!"

"Sure. Still do it and after that he is all yours."

There seemed to be more going on than she knew so she heaved a sigh before shooting off a long-range Radiation blast which forced Suzaku to move away and that brought him closer to Gottwald. She didn't waste time to see if he would do as hoped and was already at his side again and trying to grab him with her claw. Again he did what she hoped for, flying backwards which brought him nearer to CC.

Now they were closing in from three sides and the moment Suzaku tried to break free on the one open side she again blasted the radiation his way, stopping him in his tracks.

During that Jeremiah finally got near enough for whatever he was trying to do and she could see the Lancelot dropping down a bit before breaking free and hovering some distance away, facing all three of them.

"He is all yours now. I'm fairly certain you don't want help?"

"Damn right you are. This will finally end here. Once and for all."

"Please try not to kill him. Other than that, have fun!"

She shook er head at the transmission of CC, even now she was tying her nerves the moment she opened her mouth. She watched as the two Knightmares flew some distance away and now she faced the Lancelot alone. Both of them didn't move for some time and she couldn't quite control the resentment churning inside her.

"Let's settle this, once and for all, you traitor!"

She didn't give him time to answer, locking her wings into full speed and flying straight at him. She once again fired the radiation at him and intercepted him with her knife when he moved out of the way. Suzaku blocked her with the sword and she had to duck away when one of his slash harkens came towards her.

Before she could go back to attacking, Suzaku came for her with his favourite spinning kick which she intercepted with her right wing and used the force of the attack to spin around him.

"Why the hell are you here? This has nothing to do with you Kallen!"

"Because it's the right thing to do. It's also where I belong! It's called loyalty, something you can't seem to understand!"

She attacked him with her slash harkens, forcing him to evade both before sweeping in to attack with her knife. For some reason Suzaku was not using any of his long range weapons like the VARIS and even the MVS sword seemed to be not working right. It blocked her attack without problem but it seemed to be without energy. Just a piece of metal, while still sharp and dangerous it lacked any additional force.

"I am loyal! Loyal to my princess. I am doing this for Euphy, for her dream!"

"Her dream was to betray her brother? Even though, you also swore yourself to Lelouch for some reason and now you're once again stabbing him in the back!"

Suzaku once again came at her, punching at her frame and she only managed to bring the radiation arm between them after the third blow landed. She grabbed the fist and triggered the radiation but Suzaku just blew the arm off and she dropped the heated piece of metal towards the ocean. She stayed in position while the Lancelot widened the distance between them again.

"You don't know everything! Lelouch broke his promise to me! He killed Euphy! He doesn't deserve to live!"

"That may be so, but even I can see that Lelouch is trying to change Britannia and give peace to this world!"

Suzaku charged at her with his sword and she easily evaded his attack. There was clearly something wrong with his frame as he wasn't fighting with everything in his arsenal. She opened her channel to CC to ask about that while dancing away from his attacks while waiting for an answer.

"We've cut the energy supply for his weapons. He can't use them to their full capacity."

"That's just wrong. I want a fair fight!"

"As you wish."

That was the emotionless reply from the immortal and not a second later the green energy wings of the Lancelot glowed brighter and Suzaku let loose a volley of energy blasts from them. A little more warning would have been nice but she managed to bring her shield up in time.

Not a moment later two slash-harkens flew at her and she grabbed one and readied the radiation but Suzaku had had enough time to get the VARIS ready and she had to let go of the harken to fly away from the blast. Now they were equal once again. She didn't care that it was more dangerous now, she wanted to beat Suzaku fair and square and prove once and for all that she was the better pilot.

"I will not let you win Kallen. I will get justice for Euphemia and with Nunnally alive Britannia will have a worthy Empress."

"And you think she will just accept your plan for her after you killed her brother?"

"He is the last real danger to peace. With his father and Schneizel dead, he is the last monster alive of this time."

"Maybe, but a monster that made the change of Britannia even possible in the first place!"

Kallen went on the offensive again, using her left slash harken and a long range blast on he right to box Suzaku in before flying straight at him and managing to grab the VARIS. Before she could turn the gun into heated scrap Suzaku let it go and attacked her with the sword.

She dropped the VARIS and parried with her knife. The fight was as ferocious as every one they had in the past and despite the danger she revelled in it. Suzaku had been a thorn in their plans from the very beginning at even now it seemed that he couldn't look past his own wishes.

He had hindered the freedom of Japan because of his revenge, had sold Lelouch to his father for a position of power and had then used Nunnally against Lelouch. How the two came to be working together she had no idea and she had had a hard time accepting it. She remembered what Gino had said to her at Ashford while the meeting with the UFN was taking place.

'Sometimes lies are used to protect'

She had understood the hint and now when she thought back to that damn situation on the Ikaruga she could finally see the truth. She had prided herself in knowing Zero/Lelouch better than most and she still fell for his lies. After everything else that happened since that one eye-opening sentence she could finally see that Lelouch was still working for a better world despite sitting on that damn throne.

The others may still have problems with him and his geass but she had had a long time to accept this power of his and she understood that he would do everything to get what he wanted. He would force the world into peace if he had to and it wasn't too different from what he did as Zero. That's why she had joined this battle.

Even if he was now Emperor of the country she despised, Lelouch was still the same. With the same wishes and goals for the world and she couldn't blame his change of paths when he hadn't had any other direction after the betrayal of the Black Knights. It was this resourcefulness and cunning that had made the Black Knights what they were today and when he lost them he had found another way to reach his goals.

Just like he pointed out, he had wanted to destroy Britannia since he was a child and he had just found a different way to do exactly that. With Lelouch on the throne and working with the UFN she was sure that peace would finally be achievable.

Maybe Lelouch didn't deserve to live like Suzaku thought, but despite all his fault he was the one to bring peace, one way or another. She had known that from the start, recognised his power to change everything and he had managed to do more than she had anticipated. She wanted to see this through to the end, see the world he had promised her come alive and she wanted him to survive and enjoy it too.

One could view him as a monster, like Suzaku, but she understood that Lelouch didn't care about that. That he would always do what he thought was best to achieve his goals and she wanted to make sure that he survived to enjoy the peace he would bring. Never again would she betray him.

She would make sure that Suzaku couldn't hurt him anymore and she would never again waver in her loyalty.

Despite the speed of the Tristan it was a close call but he managed to stop the fall of the Shinkiro before it hit the ocean.

When he looked back up he saw that Kallen was beating down on the Lancelot with the same ferocity that Suzaku had shown, but she actually could use all her weapons in her arsenal. CC was now also hovering near them but didn't join the fight and he could see Gottwald trying to get close to the Lancelot.

As much as he would like to follow this battle he had a more important task, getting Lelouch back to the Avalon.

On his way there he had time to allow himself to feel the sadness he had kept at bay until now. It had been CC that had wanted to take precautions for the possibility of this happening. She hadn't trusted Suzaku enough to believe that he wouldn't try something against Lelouch at one point.

She had been the one to convince Lloyd to manipulate the Lancelot in time for this battle, giving her the power to shut some systems of the Lancelot down should it be needed. As her Knightmare was based off of it they were able to work something out. As far as he knew Lloyd had only agreed because she said they only wanted to have a better chance of capturing him should he turn traitor on them. It was meant as a precaution. He was sure the mad Earl hadn't been happy but if it meant less destruction to his beloved Knightmare he agreed.

He didn't understand exactly what it was, just that CC had the ability to cut the energy supply to the VARIS and other weapons off. The energy wings were still operable as he had the misfortune of discovering himself when he had engaged Suzaku and while they didn't have any special abilities the swords were still dangerous.

Despite all that he was quite sure that Kallen would win this, not only was her Knightmare better equipped but she also had fought Suzaku in the past and knew how to handle him and should Jeremiah be able to cancel the geass, Suzaku would also loose the advantage the 'live'-command gave him. They didn't want to take any chances.

When he arrived at the hangar he was met with a flurry of activity, the crew already awaiting his arrival, CC had probably radioed ahead which was a good thing because he had totally forgotten. He set the Shinkiro down carefully before landing the Tristan not too far away and hastily powering it down before getting out and making his way over to Lelouchs frame. Some engineers were already opening the hatch and he pushed them out of the way to personally pick up the unconscious form of the emperor.

He cautiously climbed down again before he rushed out of the hangar and to the medical room where he deposited the small body on a medical bed and backing away as medics rushed to examine him. He reached the wall and slumped against it, the adrenalin leaving him and a feeling of complete exhaustion overtook him.

Out of the corner of his eye he had seen that Nunnally had been waiting in the hangar and Sayoko had stood beside her, probably on Lelouchs orders, therefore he wasn't too surprised when the two came through the door and joined him in his observation.

"What's wrong with him? He was fine when we left the Damocles."

He couldn't help but smile at her. He knew that the relationship between them was probably still strained but that didn't mean that the girl didn't worry for her brother.

"I'm not sure. We will have to wait on the doctors."

She nodded at him before turning back to watch them working on Lelouch.

"What will happen to Suzaku?"

"That's really up to him. We agreed that we would try to capture him if possible because we know how much Lelouch still cares for him, but in these kind of circumstances it's always possible that something goes awry."

She only hummed her understanding before falling silent again. They watched as the activity around the emperor slowed down and it didn't take too much longer until they were approached by the doctor in charge.

"It seems like his Majesty has aggravated his last head-injury again. As it wasn't completely healed, all the stress of the battle and probably being shaken up quite a bit at some point worsened again. As it is a renewed injury it's a bit more severe than it originally was. This time he really has to take it slow when he wakes up and should take the stronger medication and rest as much as he can for the next days. But overall he is fine and should make a full recovery if he takes time to recover this time."

The three of them let out a sigh of relief at the same time and Gino couldn't stop himself from rushing towards the bed, gazing down at the person that had become so dear to him. He looked even worse than the last time but lacked a bandage around the head at least. He stroked some of the hair to the side and smiled down at the still figure.

"You care for him."

He actually flinched a bit, so absorbed in his own mind as he was he had not realised that Sayoko had pushed Nunnallys wheelchair to the other side of the bed.

He only nodded before settling his gaze back on his emperor, not able to stop a smile from appearing. He was just so happy that he was alive and well. That they all were alive. Against all odds they had won and now they had a better future ahead of them.

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When Lelouch regained awareness it was to a splitting headache which made him groan. There was movement around him after that and a hand squeezed his own. When he opened his eyes he was glad that the room was only dimly lit as he was quite sure that light would only hurt his head more.

"You're awake, thank goodness."

He found the source of the voice easily, Gino was sitting next to his bed, looking completely dishevelled.

"What happened?"

"You aggravated your head-injury again. As it wasn't fully healed that was quite easy to accomplish with everything going on."

He hummed his understanding, that sounded reasonable. High blood-pressure and the fights would surely be enough.

"What did I miss?"

"Not much. We're still in the same spot, only a bit farther away from the border. I send some of the contingents back home to various bases. But we have to move soon as we're low on energy despite all the supplies we took with us."

"The UFN?"

"Has contacted us but is content with waiting until you feel better. And this time, my dear majesty, I will not let you back to work as soon as the last time!"

That got Gino a small huff of laughter and he just grinned back. They both knew that it wouldn't be that easy. When Lelouch turned his head, breaking eye contact he steeled himself for the next question he was sure would come next.

"And Suzaku?"

"Well… we did all we could to capture him. But he was too far gone for us to reach and in the end managed to blow the Lancelot up with him still inside."

The others had shared the happenings after they came back. Suzaku had been adamant that Lelouch could not be allowed to live and nothing they had said had reached him. He had insisted that he was doing it for Euphemia and that the world would be better without Lelouch, claiming that now with Nunnally actually alive, Britannia would have an Empress it deserved.

While Gino understood where Suzaku was coming from he still didn't agree. Nunnally was a wonderful person and surely a great benefit to the new Britannia but she lacked the ruthlessness needed to force the change upon Britannia. Such a complete change in direction could not occur with just pretty words alone and you also needed to have enough strength to do what had to be done. When everything was settled he had no doubt that she would be a great Empress but during the change someone like Lelouch was needed.

It hadn't gone unnoticed by Suzaku the moment the geass left him and when he had been backed into a corner he said he couldn't accept a world where Lelouch was alive and still had power and blown the Lancelot up, nearly taking Kallen with him.

"So he finally got his wish. Throwing his life away for his beliefs."

Gino didn't answer that and just took Lelouchs hand in his own trying to be there for him. It was hard for him too, even though he had prepared himself for the possibility of Suzaku betraying them in the end he hadn't thought that it would end quite like that.

He would mourn and miss his friend but he couldn't truly regret it because for him, Lelouch was now more important for many different reasons.

They made arrangements with the UFN concerning the Damocles which would be under the protection and surveillance of both Britannia and the UFN and had been brought to Horai Island, a neutral territory. They would meet as soon as Lelouch was well enough to further decide on what would happen to the fortress and also to resume the peace talks. Kallen went back to the Black Knights after getting an update on Lelouchs health.

When Kaguya had revealed that before that they wanted a private talk between the Black Knights and the Emperor it had been CC who answered before Lelouch could say anything. Telling them that after what they did the last time she would not allow Lelouch near them before he wasn't completely healthy again and definitely not without adequate protection. To their surprise Kaguya had answered with a smile and promised them that they only wanted to talk and clear a few things up and would surely find a solution for a meeting that would satisfy them all.

After that had been taken care of they finally flew back to Britannia.

They had taken up residence in the second most secure villa that belonged to the emperor. Under Charles it had never seen much use apart from hosting a few galas as the emperor either stayed in Pendragon or with one of his wives. It also wasn't too far away from the crater that once was Pendragon.

After arriving Lelouch had wanted to oversee the security but had been shot down by everyone as they all insisted that they could handle it and he should rest. When even Nunnally joined in saying she would not talk to him until he was better he admitted defeat.

Not surprising Gino stayed at his side the whole time and when they arrived in his new quarters it didn't take long before both fell into the arms of the other and they shared a kiss that spoke of the fear and the relief they both were feeling after everything.

At one point they landed on the bed and continued there, Lelouch straddling the taller frame of Gino and pulling him as close to him as possible. When they needed to separate to breath probably, Gino embraced Lelouch so tightly that he couldn't move, allowing the other to move them to the side so that they were facing each other their foreheads touching, their breathing still irregular.

They stayed like this for quite some time, enjoying the close proximity of the other and were just happy to still be alive and after some time they settled down into a more comfortable arrangement, wrapped around each other and sleep came easily.

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When Gino woke on that first morning back in the homeland he couldn't stop himself from letting out a small sigh before tightening his embrace on the person sleeping next to him

So much had happened and he had a hard time processing it all. It didn't matter that they had prepared for the possibility of Suzaku betraying them, it still hurt. He had thought of Suzaku as his friend despite his cool behaviour and some of his decisions. Especially now that he had so much more information as to why Suzaku had become the kind of guy he was.

Now Suzaku had finally found what he had been seeking, redemption by death but for those left behind it felt hollow. No matter that he had made bad decisions in the past and betrayed the one person he had sworn to protect he still thought that Suzaku should have been able to overcome that.

He had also fought for a better world, in his own way, but had still decided to follow his own wishes in the end. He hoped that he was now enjoying afterlife with his princess even if he was sure that Euphemia would have preferred him to stay alive and at the side of her brother. But that were just his thoughts and he shouldn't dwell on things that were better left alone as he had other things to worry about.

Namely the person in his arms.

He would keep his promise / threat this time and not allow Lelouch to work until he was healthy enough. He knew that CC and Jeremiah would be able to handle whatever was coming and he would stay with Lelouch making sure that he took his time for recovery. With another small sigh he entangled himself from his bed partner and went into the bathroom to start his day.

Some time later he was sitting beside the bed going through some papers that had been brought to him.

Lelouch still hadn't woken but that was to be expected. Not only was he healing, he had had a lot of sleep to catch up from the days before the battle and the stress of the fight surely had also taken its toll.

CC and Jeremiah had started their work the moment they had landed and continued early this morning apparently. It seemed like there were still some opponents left who tried to use the confusion and happenings of the last days to their advantage but the two trusted people of Lelouch knew how to handle it and the report in his hand indicated that it was nothing that would need Lelouchs attention.

Everything was still running smoothly, or as good as one could get it after the capitol was wiped out. Overall the shock of the attack on Pendragon was still high but the victory they had achieved against the one who did it seemed to make Lelouch even more popular than before. The fact that it had been the beloved former Prime Minister who had attacked Pendragon did a lot of good for Lelouchs cause.

For now there wasn't much to do for him. He looked over some reports dedicated to the status of the military after the battle and made a few alterations where needed. When a knock sounded he went to see who it was and wasn't too surprised to see a maid with a breakfast tray, courtesy of CC sending her. While sleep was the best medicine, Lelouchs body desperately needed fuel.

He thanked the maid and took everything to the bedroom, he was determined to treat his emperor to breakfast in bed.

Setting the tray aside he set down at the edge of the bed looking down at the sleeping person before reaching out and running a hand through the soft black hair. He leant down to kiss the forehead softly before slightly shaking his shoulder to wake him.

It didn't take long and he was treated to the wonderful sight of sleepy amethyst eyes that hid nothing of the feelings swirling behind them. While Lelouch surely was more open to him than he had expected after such a short time, years and years of hiding himself made it natural for him to not show his emotions or at least hide the majority of them.

He laughed when Lelouch grumbled about not being allowed his usual morning coffee but otherwise it was a fairly good first morning in a new era.

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Nunnally was anxiously waiting that the plane would arrive at their destination.

After they had arrived back in Britannia, she had spent the first day getting more used to her new sight and asking questions.

Questions that had been lurking in her mind for far too long and no one had ever really or truthfully answered them. She knew the best person to go to would be her brother but on one hand she didn't want to disturb him while he recovered and on the other she felt that she should do it herself.

For so long she had relied on others, first her brother than Suzaku and her other siblings. Never really questioning the happenings around her even when she felt that there was more going on than was revealed to her. With Lelouch she had always known that he was doing it to protect her, to not burden her with harsh truths. But the world had held no such hesitance and the time has come that she should not only literally open her eyes but also metaphorically.

As Sayoko had not left her side she had started there.

She had felt anger and betrayal by the things revealed to her. Sayoko, the woman who had become some kind of mother figure to her over the years had been part of the Black Knights fairly early. Before the SAZ even and had also helped trap Suzaku at Ashford Academy during the Black Rebellion.

The woman that cared for them for years had joined a rebellion fighting against their country. Even now that she knew that Lelouch was at the head of said rebellion she had a hard time accepting it. The answer Sayoko had given her had been able to soothe the hurt she felt but gave way to another.

"I was and always will be loyal to you and your brother. No matter what I would have never betrayed your true identities or location to anyone. Not even to Master Zero.

"But I also couldn't just stand by while my people and my country suffered. Despite knowing some Britannians and even two royals who were nothing like the majority, I still thought it my duty to fight for the freedom of Japan.

"I haven't been part of any resistance until Zero came and I joined him because he was different, he was someone worth working for. Still I took care to stay in the shadows so that if he failed I would still be able to stay with you and your brother.

"Learning that Master Lelouch was actually Zero… It was great. Despite knowing some of his thoughts on his own country I never could have imagined that he would take it this far. Never was I prouder to serve him than in that moment, it was actually during your SAZ attempt when he rescued so many people. It was glorious."

This had led her to her next question. The SAZ. Not only her own but also the one Euphemia had tried to create. She had actually asked Kallen about it too before she had left the Avalon to go back to the UFN. Sadly both of them had given the same answer.

Neither her sisters nor her own attempt was ever really well received.

The first attempt may have gotten a lot of participants but many had only wanted to join in hope of a better life if only by a little bit. Those that were more or less comfortable in their life or were steadfastly against accepting anything from Britannia saw it as a gilded cage. A change of shackles but nothing worthy of being called freedom. Words like peace and freedom from Britannia were viewed as insult no matter who said them and the sincerity behind it.

It had been hard to accept. She had loved the idea of the SAZ the moment Euphy had announced it, especially as it was her sister who did it. Ignoring the fact how it ended she had really hoped that it would change something. To hear a person she knew so well and trusted say that it was not something she would have ever accepted and how she viewed it was a harsh lesson.

Her own attempt may had a better ending but was still a complete failure. Hearing that only Suzakus intervention had stopped another massacre had hurt. That the people around her at that time had been more than ready to shoot them all down just because they were 'Elevens' and obviously working with Zero. The way Lelouch had played them to get all of these people to safety was something she had only learned about much later. Everyone had always kept things from her and no one had wanted to allow her to govern Area 11 the way she wanted.

She had volunteered for the Viceroy position for various reasons.

First she had felt caged and stifled in Pendragon. While the few people she had had contact with were nice and doing their utmost to make her life comfortable she hadn't felt at home. In the beginning she had thought it would just take time and she was happy to be reunited with some of her siblings but it had also not taken long to see that not everything was the way it seemed.

While Schneizel, her main contact at that time, did his utmost to keep her far away from court she still was able to pick up on the various degrading comments that were said about her once she started to listen. Not only about her but about Suzaku as well.

It didn't take her long to finally realise why Lelouch had never once even contemplated the idea of going back. She had over the years asked of course and while he hid a lot from her she had known that his main reason was their safety and that in Pendragon they would be in danger. She had accepted it readily as she was happy living with Lelouch at Ashford.

Without Lelouch and not getting any information about his whereabouts she had had to accept the truth that was the life at Pendragon. She was treated as the princess she was born as but apart from a few people no one cared about her, no one expected anything of her.

Applying for the Viceroy position was her way of trying to show that she was more than a blind and crippled princess. That she too could accomplish something despite her disability.

But most of all, she had wanted to go home. Being in Pendragon had made her realise that it hadn't been home for a long time and never would be again. Her life and her heart was in Japan – Area 11. She had hoped that she would be able to better the lives of the Japanese as a Viceroy but had quickly come to realise that no one but her and Suzaku wanted that.

The harsh truth had been that the majority of Britannia didn't care about the numbers and the people she had spent her life with where the exception and not the norm. She understood the actions of her brother so much more now.

Hearing the proclamation of the forming of the UFN had made her happy. She had liked what she heard very much and she had entertained the thought of reaching out to them until she heard the people around her talking about it. Scoffing about the countries that joined and talked about freedom and peace. That they were weak to seek things like that. And she wondered… Why was it weak to fight for things like that?

Not that she would have had the time to try and contact the UFN as they quickly declared war on Britannia in Japan.

She had already been so sad and disillusioned that when Schneizel revealed the truth about Zero, about Lelouch she couldn't take anymore. Believing him as bad as Britannia she vowed that she would stop him and in her emotional state she had thought that FLEJA could end the wars and suffering, bringing peace to the world.

Now she understood that she had been played, time and time again.

First when her father appointed her as viceroy. She had truly thought that he cared for her and wanted to give her a chance to prove herself and now she had to accept the fact that he only saw it as an additional way to control Lelouch. Dangling her in front of him like some macabre price and trying to lead him into a trap. Something even Suzaku had exploited.

Then Schneizel had essentially done the same.

Only it hadn't worked again. When she thought about their conversation now she could see so much clearer what he had tried to tell her. Now she was glad that Lelouch hadn't given in, hadn't stepped down from the path he was on.

Gazing down from a safe place of the plane into the crater that was once Pendragon she couldn't stop her tears.

There was still much she wanted to know but she couldn't be angry with Lelouch anymore. No matter what he had done in his quest for peace she had no right to hold it against him as she was just as guilty as him. Played she may have been but she still had been a part of it and she would have to live with what she had done in her naivety.

Something CC said to her before she departed came back to her and she now understood what she meant.

"The only thing we can do is move forward. Your brother knew that and acted accordingly and he will continue to do so. What matters now is that we move forward and do our best to make up for the mistakes of the past."

Looking at the destruction she too had caused she vowed in her heart that she would help Lelouch build Britannia anew.

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Wow, 31 followers and 18 favorites. Thank you all so much!

I completely reworked this chapter from its original rough draft and split it. The original lacked quite a few details and was way too rushed so now here is the first half of what I've rewritten. (It got an additional 3k words and I decided to post it despite the shorter length.)

I thank all my readers, old and new and hope you enjoyed!

Until next time!