Do Something, Do It Stupid

by codegeassfan123

Everyone knows about the Britannian Imperial Family, even Lady Marianne's deceased children have their place in history. Yet everyone often forgets about the one prince that left Pendragon 7 and a 1/2 years ago, and that's the Dimwitted Prince, Joseph Du Britannia. Now that he's crossed paths with his brother on a highway in Area 11, there's no telling what adventures might ensue.

34. Lennon Leaving India!

Tokyo Settlement

"There's no point. Leave her." Lelouch said quietly, knowing what he had to do.

"I have to kill them all! These Japanese people — they have to die!" Euphemia exclaimed as she picked up a gun and shot at the Gawain.

Lelouch put his mask on and descended the Gawain. After Euphemia reloaded her gun, she looked at him in surprise.

"Oh, I thought you were one of them." Euphemia said in relief as he quietly approached her. "So, I was thinking, we could run the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan together. Oh, wait…Japan?" She said, as if remembering she was suppose to kill all of them.

"Yes. I would've like that." Lelouch said quietly as he stopped a few feet away from her. "You and I together…"

It took all the strength he had to raise his gun, squeezing the trigger felt like pulling a ton.

But eventually he did raise the gun.

He did pull the trigger.

He fired, and the bullet went straight through her heart.

"Farewell, Euphie. You may have been the first girl I ever loved." He thought as silent tears ran down his face.

"NOOOOOOO!" He heard Suzaku shout from the Lancelot as it came charging in.

...

SAZ

Lelouch stood on the stage as he looked at the torn, battered, and bloodied Japanese civilians.

"People of Japan and all who are oppressed by the empire of Britannia! Long have I waited, all through the struggles against Britannia's injustices, I've waited for them to come to their senses! But that hope was betrayed, by an act of barbarism that can only be called a genocide!" Zero declared.

The people roared in hate at Euphemia.

"Never forgive Euphemia!"

"She's a murderer!"

"She's a filthy witch!"

"Liar!"

As much Lelouch wanted to tell them they were wrong, he had to continue, he had to for the sake of her dream, for Nunnally's.

"Euphemia is the symbol of Britannia's hypocrisy — a murderer cloaked in the flag of a nation!" He said fiercely, the crowd watched him with awe.

"I hereby declare our independence from Britannia! But don't take this to mean the resurrection of your fallen nation! We will not turn back the hands of time! The new Japan we go on to build shall be one broad enough to accept all peoples, histories, and ideologies where the strong shall not reign over the weak!
And it shall be called… THE UNITED STATES OF JAPAN!" Zero declared with a mighty voice as he waved his arms wide.

And the people cheered with strive and passion.

"Zero! Zero! Zero! Zero!" They chanted over and over again.

"This is the cross I must bear now." Lelouch thought to himself.

...

"Don't worry about it — your Geass has no effect on me. You know that, don't you?" C.C. reminded him as he looked away, afraid what he might do.

"...That's true, isn't it? With my Geass out of control now, I can never see anyone." Lelouch said matter-of-factly. It was then he heard his phone ring, he brought it out and it tore his heart when he saw who the caller ID was. "Yes, Nunnally?" He answered as normally as he possibly could.

"Hi Lelouch. I was wondering, um…do you suppose I could talk to Euphie again?" Nunnally innocently asked over the phone, shocking Lelouch. "I was thinking that the three of us could go to the school festival together. You see, Milly said they were organizing another one since everything got all messed up the other day. So I was hoping that we could go to the new one together too, you could bring Shirley along too since they haven't had the chance to properly talk to each other yet." She suggested, Lelouch stayed silent as he wasn't sure what to say. "Oh, I'm sorry, I know you don't want us meeting ever again. But I thought maybe, since we have been able to see big brother Joseph, maybe we can find a way you and I could see her again…"

"Nunnally, haven't you heard the news?" He asked in confusion.

"Oh, well, the radio cut off mid-broadcast earlier. Why do you ask? Did something happen?" She asked innocently.

Lelouch sucked in a breath at that.

"Of course not. Everything is just fine. Sorry. I'll be home by-"

"Oh, hi Shirley!" Nunnally perked up, surprising Lelouch. "Yeah, big brother's on the phone right now...sure, you can talk to him. Lelouch, Shirley's here, she wants to talk to you. Here you go." Nunnally said as he could hear her past the phone to Shirley.

"Nunnally, that's not..." Lelouch tried to interject but he could already Shirley's voice greet him.

"Hello, Lulu." She said sweetly.

"S-Shirley..." Lelouch stuttered.

"Nunnally, I'll be right back. I have some stuff I need to talk to Lelouch about. Dinner plans, flirting and such." Shirley told her sweetly, after a few moments of Lelouch assumed was her going into another room, she spoke again. "Lelouch, are you alright?" She asked with quiet concern.

"...No...but I have to be right now..." Lelouch told her with a calm voice.

"Can I ask what happened?" Shirley asked gently.

"I...I..." Lelouch tried to get the words out, but couldn't;t find anything.

"It was an accident, wasn't it?" Shirley answered for him.

Lelouch's eyes widen at that. "How can you be so sure of that?" He asked, his voice starting to break.

"Because I know you, Lulu. You're not the type of person to do that." Shirley said kindly.

Tears started to sprout from Lelouch's eyes. "Don't say that. Please don't tell me that. I don't deserve it." He thought with agony. Instead he just said, "I have to go now, Shirley. Tell Nunnally I love her and we'll discuss it more when I get back. And...and I'm so sorry for what's about to happen..." He said with an empty voice.

"Lelou-" Shirley tried to say, but he hung up.

"Euphie…she tried to resist the Geass…and my orders…" Lelouch said as he sat down on the couch. "I was wondering if my power had weakened…but I think…I think such a malignant command was simply against her." He said as he struggled to speak. "I guess that's all...it was something…" He said as he gripped his fist together, starting to break down.

To which then C.C. took his head in her arms.

"We have our contract. I promised to stay with you...to the very end." C.C. said gently.

Tears ran down his face as he wished this day never happened.

To which then Kallen opened the door.

...

G1

"Thank goodness I made it in time!" A young 14 year old girl with long black hair who went by the name of Kaguya said excitedly as she appeared in front of Zero. "That was so mean of you, the way you headed off to the battle without me!" Kaguya complained cutely.

"This girl — she's a relative of Suzaku's." Lelouch thought to himself, remembering seeing her at Kururugi Shrine when him and Nunnally were political hostages. He always thought she was bit quirky, but a good-hearted girl.

"I've been a huge fan of yours ever since your big debut! I was hoping that I'd finally get to talk to you. Wow, you're really tall, aren't you? Don't worry though, I'll catch up with you pretty soon!" She said vastly, clearly happy to just be in his presence.

"L–Lady Kaguya, I thought the heads of the Six Houses remained in Fuji." Diethard said, surprised by her sudden appearance.

"I followed after you! So I can watch my future husband fight." She said with a bit of a flirtatious tone, surprising C.C. and Diethard.

"Don't joke around." Zero said, unamused.

"Well, once you win this battle, you'll eventually need a wife, won't you? I mean, I know your identity is a big secret and all, but you're gonna need somebody as your public face, right?" She said optimistically.

"Really? You believe we're going to win this battle?" Zero questioned.

"Of course! I am the Goddess of Victory after all." Kaguya said proudly

"I'd be lucky to have you then. Unfortunately, I've already made a contract with the devil." Zero told her solemnly.

"Huh?" Kaguya said, not sure what he meant by that.

"I have no room in my life for deities right now." Zero told her as he left with C.C., leaving her with conflicting thoughts.

...

Gawain

"Lelouch, it's me." Suzaku said over the phone.

"Suzaku…why are you calling me now?" Lelouch asked curiously.

"Lelouch…are you at the school? Have you heard what's going on?" Suzaku asked.

"Yes, and I'll be there soon." Lelouch told him as he looked over the settlement.

"I see. I called because there's a couple of things I want you to tell everyone for me." Suzaku said,

"And what would that be?" Lelouch asked.

"First is that Cornelia had Joseph transferred out of Area 11. He's going back to Pendragon." Suzaku told him.

Lelouch eyes lit up in surprise then relief. "A small mercy I suppose..." He thought to himself as he wondered if Joseph saw everything he did. "I see, well I'm glad he's out of harm's way." He said.

"And the other is the sky — make sure no one looks up the sky." Suzaku told him.

"What?" Lelouch said in confusion.

"Lelouch…is there anyone you could ever hate so much that you'd actually want to kill them?" Suzaku asked solemnly.

"...There is. Yes." Lelouch told him as he thought about the Emperor.

"I used to feel that sort of thinking was unacceptable — that unless you followed the rules, killing someone was just murder. But now… it's hatred that's guiding me. I'm fighting to kill someone. I'm going to become a murderer in the skies of Tokyo, so please…" Suzaku said as his voice started to strain.

Lelouch wanted to tell him to forget it, to let it go, to not let his anger guide him like it had him for many years. But they both knew they were past that now.

"Embrace your hate. Just think of Euphie. I made my own mind up long ago — I've no intention of turning back." Lelouch told him.

"For Nunnally, you mean." Suzaku inquired.

"Yes. I have to go now." Lelouch told him as he watched his clock countdown to midnight.

"Thank you, Lelouch." Suzaku told him.

"Forget about it. I mean, you and I are friends after all." Lelouch said, feeling like it would be last time these two would talk to each other as friends.

"For the last seven years." Suzaku added.

"Right. See you then." Lelouch said.

"Yeah, later." Suzaku said.

And as Lelouch hung up, the clock struck midnight.

And as the clock struck midnight, the tokyo settlement collapsed in front of him. All the freeways, all the buildings, they all came a tumble.

And Lelouch looked at it with a vicious grin.

"These hands of mine have been dirty for a long time now, Suzaku. Your coming to face me now doesn't matter at all, it is a sin I will be probably punished for anyway. I mean, of course, you and I are friends…" Lelouch said as he slowly started to chuckle. "Hmmhmmhmmhmm..." The chuckle became laughter. "Hahahahaha..." The laughter became a full blown hyena. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Tears ran down his face as he knew there was no going back now, the only path left was straight ahead.

And as he laughed, C.C. could only look at him sadly.

...

Viceroy Palace

Cornelia laid against her knightmare. Battered, bruised, and bloodied with a broken arm and a bleeding head.

"I see…so you were Zero… the entire time…" Cornelia said slowly, trying to keep conscious. "Darlton was right…he said it was someone with a grudge against the Britannian Imperial Family…y–you did this for Nunnally?" she asked.

"Correct. I will demolish the present world then build a new and better one in its place." Lelouch told her, his mask off to let her see the person he had become.

"You killed them all for the sake of that madness?! Clovis…even Euphie?!" Cornelia asked angrily as tears sprouted from her eyes.

Lelouch wanted with all his heart to get down on his knees to beg his sister for forgiveness, to let her know that it was just a mistake and he loved her with all her heart. But he knew she wouldn't listen and that she wouldn't forgive him. And honestly, if the roles were reversed with him and Nunnally, he wouldn't either. He was nothing but a villain to her now, and that's what he would be.

"What happened to Euphemia was a tragedy. But we cannot change the past, can we?" Was all he said.

"It would seem…that talking with you further would prove to be utterly pointless." Cornelia said as she struggled to get up, a defeated tone her in voice.

"Indeed. Well, then…Lelouch vi Britannia orders you to answer him!" Lelouch said as he flashed his Geass towards her.

"...Go on." Cornelia said as she felt the Geass take over her.

"Sister, who killed my mother?" Lelouch asked.

"I don't know." She answered, surprising Lelouch.

"But you were put in charge of her personal guard, were you not? Why did mother ask you to withdraw?" Lelouch asked.

"I don't know." She said again.

"Damn it. Did my mother know she would be attacked that day?! No…that can't be…if she did, she would have gotten us out of there!" Lelouch thought angrily. "What really happened back then?! Who killed her?! Who killed my mother, dammit!" He asked with rage in his voice. Cornelia opened her mouth trying to answer him, but nothing came out. "You don't know the truth? Then who does?! Someone must know! You yourself investigated what occurred that day!" He asked.

"I remember His Majesty, the Emperor, ordered Schneizel to transport the body out of there." She answered.

"The body? You mean mother's? Then what was in that coffin?" He asked as he was getting more questions than answers.

"Hey, get back in here!" C.C. suddenly said urgently.

"I know! The government bureau defense forces will be here soon." Lelouch said as he walked back towards the Gawain.

"No! Your little sister's been kidnapped!" C.C. said quickly as she reached the knightmare's hand towards him.

"Hmm? C.C., this is not the time for jokes." Lelouch said, not in the mood for C.C.'s humor at the moment. "We'll take Cornelia back to the command center as our hostage." He told her.

"She's been taken! I just know because shes the reason you live! She's on Kamine Island!" C.C. told him, no sense of joking in her tone.

"Kamine Island?" Lelouch said as he remembered the island that him, Suzaku, Kallen, Euphemia, and Joseph ended up on, the island that had the Geass symbol.

Before he could think about it more, the ground below suddenly abrupted.

"ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!" A voice shouted, a voice he hadn't heard since Narita.

...

Over the Ocean

"If I've lost Nunnally…then what have I been fighting for till now?! What's the point of this war of independence?! Why did Kallen risk herself knowing her mother could lose another child!? Why did Joseph take that bullet for me!? Why did Euphie have to be sacrificed?!" Lelouch thought with despair, wondering if he could save his sister in time.

"Kamine Island in sight!" C.C. told him.

"I'm taking Nunnally back… no matter who tries to stop me!" Lelouch thought with determination as he saw the island closing in. "It figures it would be here. Do you have some sort of connection to this place?" He asked as they flew over the entrance.

"...Not this one." C.C. said quietly.

"Humph. Meaning there are other places similar to like this one? Does Nunnally's abductor have a Geass power?" He asked.

"I don't know that much." C.C. said, making him grunt at her. "It's the truth." She insisted.

"I don't doubt it. We've been accomplices for quite a while now, so I should give you the benefit of believing you." Lelouch told her.

"Thank you." C.C. said, meaning it. But suddenly she saw something.

"What's the matter?" He asked, wondering what got her attention.

"I see! This is–!" C.C. tried to say before she stopped mid-speech.

"What?!" Lelouch said as what was ever affecting C.C. was now affecting him.

He was suddenly pulled into the same vortex he saw when he was granted his Geass power.

"Calm down! We're caught in a trap that was set for intruders." C.C. told him as he saw planets aligning with one another. "The one who activated it is–"

But before she could say anymore, they were both pulled in what appeared to be...

"The past…?" Lelouch said as he saw visions and images of C.C.

One was a time before knightmares even existed, a time when the entire world was at war. She came down into a bunker was shot in the head by a soldier.

Another was her being burned at the stake.

Another where rocks were thrown at her.

One where she was lying naked in a church.

And ones where she was tortured over and over.

"NOOOOOOOO!" C.C. screamed a painful scream, one filled with regret, sadness, and anger. A scream Lelouch never thought he would hear from the witch.

And it pained him to hear her like that.

"STOP IT!" Lelouch screamed as they finally ended up in a strange white void, their bodies shed of any clothes. "C. C., these visions — are these of your…"

"All I have left are my memories from when I was a witch. Other than that, I don't even know if I was ever human to begin with. Every person who has ever hated me and each and every one that has showed me any kindness are gone forever; they've vanished into the current of time. Always existing with the endless flow of eternity, I am utterly alone." C.C. told him bluntly.

"You are not alone!" Lelouch told her.

"Huh?!" C.C. said in surprise.

"We're each other's accomplice. Therefore, if you're supposed to be a witch, then perhaps I should be a demon." Lelouch told her.

"Odd thing to say at a time like this." C.C. said with a chuckle.

The white void brighten around them and when it faded, they were back at the cave entrance.

"C.C., you okay?" Lelouch asked

"Don't you know who you're talking to?" C.C. said sarcastically.

Suddenly, a huge spike came towards them, which they dodged in time. They looked up and saw it was the the sphere-shaped knightmare with spikes on it. The one that the upgraded Jeremiah Gottwald was operating.

"Zero! It is I! Repent is now!" Jeremiah declared as he came charging at them.

"Stubborn ass!" Lelouch said in annoyance.

The Gawain dodged spikes left and right, but was able to get a few good hits in.

"There's one shot left in the Hadron Cannon!" C.C. told him. Thankfully, she knew exactly what to use it for. She aimed the cannon right at the ocean, causing to water and mist to rise above and blocking Jeremiah's vision. "I'll handle this lunatic! You go after Nunnally!" C.C. told him.

"But, we're out of energy!" Lelouch told her.

"I'll be all right!" C.C. insisted, but then she chuckled. "Well… I am nervous." She said, surprising Lelouch a bit. "You have to prevail, over your own past, and over the outcome of your own action." She said as she kissed him on the forehead. "Besides, Shirley would kill me if anything happened to you."

She landed back on the island and put Lelouch down.

"C.C., don't die." Lelouch told her.

"Who are you talking to?" C.C. asked with a smirk.

"You have a point." Lelouch said with a chuckle before making his way back to the entrance. "That trap at the entrance was designed to buy them time. Was I the intended target…or was it C.C.?" He asked himself as he looked at the large sealed door with the Geass symbol in front of him. "No matter. The first thing to do is make sure Nunnally is all right." He thought, coming in close to it so he could see how to open it.

However, a gunshot was made and the bullet struck near him.

He turned his head and saw a familiar figure.

"Turn and face me, very slowly." Suzaku ordered.

This day for Lelouch had become the worse ever.

...

Pendragon

Throne Room

Lelouch was slammed into the ground by Suzaku.

He struggled to lift his head up and saw someone sitting on the throne.

It was the man he hated more than anything else, the man who turned a blind eye to him, his sister, and his mother's murder. The man who he sworn to kill.

Emperor Charles zi Britannia

"The former 17th heir to the Imperial throne, Lelouch Vi Britannia. It's been a long time, hasn't it my errant son?" Charles said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

"How dare you!" Lelouch said angrily, trying to get back up, only to have his head slammed down again by Suzaku.

"You won't use your Geass." Suzaku told him.

Lelouch looked at him with piercing eyes.

Suzaku, his first friend, his best friend, the one who he would rely on for anything, betrayed him like this!

"Your Majesty, I have a request. Please sire, allow me to join the Knights of the Round, the twelve strongest knights of the Britannian Empire." Suzaku requested with an even tone, shocking Lelouch.

"As a reward for capturing Zero, is that it?" Charles asked.

"You…" Lelouch said with venom in his voice.

"I told you before, Lelouch, that I was going to change this world from inside." Suzaku told him neutrally.

"Even if it means selling out your friends?!" Lelouch asked aghast.

"That's right." Suzaku said simply, making Charles chuckle.

"Very well. I like the answer you just gave him." Charles said with a smirk as he rose from his throne. "Now then, as a Knight of the Round, I order you, cover up Zero's left eye." He told him.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Suzaku complied as he raised Lelouch up and covered his eye.

"My unworthy son who raised the battle of rebellion although he was a prince. Still, there's another way we can make use of you." Charles said as he came down the steps and approached his son.

"What?" Lelouch asked in confusion, and then his eyes widen in shock as he saw the symbol in his father's eyes.

"I will rewrite your memory about being Zero, about the death of your mother, about the very existence of Nunnally." Charles told him, his eyes now lit with the same power he had.

"No…Geass!" Lelouch said in shock.

"You'll remember none of it. You'll just be insignificant." Charles said with a sneer.

"No, stop! You're stealing what is most precious to me again?! First, my mother and now you're taking Nunnally!" Lelouch said angrily as he struggled to break free of Suzaku's grip, who kept his right eye open.

"Charles zi Britannia engraves into you…" He started to command

"STOP IT!" Lelouch yelled with despair.

" …false memories of a false life!" He told him with finality.

And Lelouch screamed as he saw nothing but red.

...

2018

Ashford Academy

It was a bright sunny day outside, a new year at Ashford, and things seem to finally return to normal.

Lelouch was walking down the hallway when he heard a certain coach call out his name.

"Lelouch!" The brown-skin, silver-haired woman said to get his attention.

"Ah not again, you are persistent." Lelouch said wistfully.

"You are not going to get away this time." Viletta said smugly before seeing he chose to run off.

Students tried to talk to him but he could only respond with a: "Sorry! Catch ya later."

"Lelouch, you come back here!" Villetta said in pursuit.

"Vice Prez!", "Hope you get lucky!" A couple of female students cheered

"Yeah whatever…" Lelouch said tiredly.

He ran into the science club room, already tuckered out.

"You lost the moment you turned this into a contest of strength and speed." Villetta lectured.

"Aren't you overreacting? I mean this is just about making-up a P.E class." Lelouch said.

"No. Quit cutting class, Lelouch." She scolded.

"I have more than enough school credits to pass, don't I?" Lelouch tried to bargain before dumping a chemical onto some powder, resulting in smoke coming out and blinding Villetta's vision, who cover her mouth. "Don't worry. It's only colored smoke!" He reassured before running off again.

"Wait!" Villetta tried to tell him.

Lelouch ran down the stairs, with Milly waiting for him.

"Hey Vice Prez, hang in there!" Milly told him as she threw him his lunch.

"Ah, thanks a lot." Lelouch said as he caught it and continued down the stairs.

"What kinda Student President are you?!" Villetta complained.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Lost my head." Milly said cheekily.

Villetta was determined though, she looked out the window and saw Lelouch coming her way on the ground level.

"Lelouch!" She yelled as she jumped out the window and landed on top of him.

She smiled with triumph, only to realize something when she heard the person below her speak.

"Ouch, are you trying to kill me, coach?!" Rivalz complained as he took the black wig off.

"Rivalz? But how did you…" Villetta tried to question when she suddenly heard a motorcycle go off.

"I need to borrow your bike, Rivalz. See ya!" Lelouch said as he rode in the passenger car, Rolo the one driving.

"Oh Lulu, what are you up to now?" Shirley asked herself as she shook herself in bemusement.

What she didn't realize was Joseph's spirit was floating right next to her, a big smile on his face.

"He's going to back to being a superhero, that's what, new little sis! Haha!" Joseph's spirit said excitedly as he phased out.

...

Joseph opened his eyes and rose back to his face from his meditative position. He grabbed the phone C.C. gave him and dialed her number.

"Ringo to McCartney. Ringo to McCartney. Lennon leaving India. Repeat, Lennon leaving India." Joseph told her.

"Joseph, I know what you're referring to, but remember to use the code names we told you about." C.C. said with a bored tone on the other end.

"But this more fun! Lelouch is Lennon!" Joseph argued.

"(Sighs) Is Kallen in position?" C.C. asked.

"Yoko performing 'Cut Piece'!" Joseph said with reassurance.

"Copy, we'll be there soon." C.C. said as she ended the call.

Joseph looked over the edge of the tall building he was on, which happened to be Babel Tower, and couldn't help but bounce his feet up and down.

"Gonna save you, little bro!" He cheered with glee.

...

Meanwhile in the middle of the Tokyo Settlement

A blimp with the logo, Britannian Farms, hovered over the city.

"This is 2-D-4. We're now entering Tokyo Settlement-controlled airspace." C.C. told ATC.

"Roger. Your flight objective here is commercial advertising, correct?" The ATC officer asked over the comms.

"No change in that. As filed the duration of our flight will be fourteen hours." C.C. told him.

"That is confirmed. You're cleared for flyover." The ATC officer authorized.

"Acknowledged. I appreciate it." C.C. said with a smirk.

Behind her were the remaining Black Knights and the knightmares they had.

Urabe stood in the middle of them, drinks in their hands.

"We're the only ones left now. This is all the remains of The Black Knights, who along with Zero, once struck terror in the heart of Britannia." Urabe said with a tint of sadness in his voice. "Still it's too soon to give in to despair. If Operation Flying Swallow 4 is successful, then…" He said with reassurance.

"Yes." The remaining Black Knights said, understanding the mission.

"Forgive me. Here's to you." Urabe said as he drank from his cup. "To victory. Long live Japan!" He declared as he threw his cup to the ground, shattering it.

"Long live Japan!" The Black Knights declared, doing the same.

...

Highway of the Tokyo Settlement

"For crying out loud, can't they give me a break and leave me alone after school?" Lelouch complained to his "brother", Rolo Lamperouge.

"But they only do that because you are always skipping class, big brother." Rolo told him.

"Because I find them insufferably boring." Lelouch said nonchalantly as he ripped a piece of his cinnamon roll off and offered it to Rolo. "Here. Have some. It's from Milly." Lelouch said.

Rolo couldn't help but stare at it with curiosity, as if he never seen such a bakery before. As he reached his head in for a bite, the bike started to tilt. When he realized what was happening, he quickly swerved to get back to normal.

"Wow, I can't eat and steer." Rolo said in astonishment.

"You're right. I'm sorry." Lelouch apologetically, he looks towards the city with a blank look on his face.

"It's been a year since Britannian Forces crashed Black Rebellion, the revolt instigated by Zero. Things are finally quieted down, even here in Area 11. When the insurrection began, all sorts of rumors were flying. At one point, I considered returning to the homeland with my brother. I am sick and tired of being a student. But I'm not ready to get a job and join the system, either. Besides, what could I ever hope to attain by entering the workforce? Big corporations and the nobility would still be above me. A structured mature world. I would simply be absorbed into the hierarchy of adults." He thought to himself as he passed by a large television on a building showing Japanese resistance fighters being executed.

The current Viceroy of the Area 11, Donald Calares, gave an announcement.

"We all need to understand that this is not discrimination, but rather, it's differentiation! The Elevens revealed themselves to be a dangerous, belligerent race. They followed the scoundrel Zero and took up the name Japanese. It's our duty as Britannians to control and educate them!" Calares declared on the screen.

On another screen showed the situation of other Black Knights.

Kaname Ohgi - ARRESTED

Kyoshiro Tohdoh - ARRESTED

Shinichirō Tamaki - ARRESTED

Nagisa Chiba - ARRESTED

Diethard Ried - WANTED

Rakshata Chawla - WANTED

Zero - DECEASED

"The Elevens lost. They didn't have the strength. If they'd only kept quiet and behaved, this place wouldn't have been downgraded to a reeducation zone. Zero, he was a fool. No matter what you try, world is just a…" Lelouch thought to himself bitterly.

...

Viceroy Palace

"Viceroy Calares, please hurry. The delegation from the Chinese Federation is waiting." A Britannian Soldier told him.

Guilford was among the soldiers with the Viceroy, he had a sour look on his face though.

"I understand. Are those O.S.I. people going to carry it out? What about the Intelligence Agency's plan?" Calares asked.

"Yes. At Babel Tower, my lord." The soldier said.

"On today of all days. What could His Majesty be thinking? I seriously doubt the scattered remnants of the Black Knights can do anything to us at this point… esides, Zero is long dead." Calares said with annoyance in his tone.

...

OSI Secret Base

Several members of the OSI watched from their monitors as they observed Lelouch and Rolo travel along the highway.

"Do you think she'll show this time?" An OSI member asked his commander.

"I just know we can't afford to fail. We're taking the huge risk by letting Lelouch go to the settlement's outer edge." O.S.I. commander said.

...

Babel Tower

"All right then. You can come with me but I warn you, you have to watch out. Because today I'm going to be breaking the law." Lelouch said as he took off his safety glasses.

"Don't get caught." Rolo warned.

"Cops don't scare me." Lelouch told him.

"Why do this? 'Cause, I mean, you are not even doing this for the money, are you?" Rolo asked curiously.

"Need you ask? It's because I wanna battle more challenging opponents." Lelouch said as if it obviously.

As they rode up the elevator of the tower, a thought went through Lelouch's head. "That's a lie. I do this out of sheer boredom. In short…I'm…"

Before that thought could finish, the elevator dinged and they entered the casino.

Many events such as card games, slot machines, and even fight clubs to the death against Japanese siblings were happening.

...

Meanwhile in an air vent

"Ah man, I wish I could do something about this siblings fighting each other. But I can't blow my cover just yet, for Lelouch's sake." Joseph thought as he crawled his way to an opening on the ceiling, it was the Chess room, exactly where Lelouch was going to be.

Soon enough, he saw the door open and in came Lelouch and his little "brother".

"There they are!" Joseph thought excitedly.

Kallen moved in on him with her bunny costume on and "accidentally" spilled a drink on him.

"I'm terribly sorry!" Kallen said apologetically.

"No, it's fine. Don't worry." Lelouch reassured.

"But I am an Eleven. And you are a Britannian student. This is inexcusable." Kallen said in a lowly fashion.

"Man, Kallen sure could win an Oscar if she wanted to!" Joseph thought with a smirk.

"All the more reason to excuse you. I hate having our social class held over you like a sword." Lelouch told her.

"It doesn't matter. Powerless have no choice but to bear their lot in life. Regardless if their oppressor is wrong." Kallen said with a sad smile.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't push your values on me. I'm not interested." Lelouch told her neutrally.

"I beg your pardon." Kallen said, Joseph could see the tracker in her hand.

"Alright! Here we go!" Joseph said excitedly.

But suddenly, she had her hair pulled by a dark-skinned, brawny looking Britannian, who had a couple of nuts in his hand. Which made her drop the tracker.

"Who the Hell is this Jerk?!" Joseph thought angrily as he was getting frustrated the guy was ruining their plan and he was hurting his friend.

"Come here. Let me take a look at you. Hmm…nice goods you've got here." The dark-skinned man said as he gave Kallen a look over, who she wished she could knock right on his ass at the moment.

"Yes, we have a large quality catch of bunnies today." A weasly Britannian said with other Japanese woman in bunny suits who were being held prisoners behind him.

"That guy hurts Kallen, I might just have to break cover." Joseph thought to himself, also silently swearing he would save those women.

"You're wrong, sir. I'm not for sale." Kallen tried to tell him.

"But you are for sale. You should know by now. Losers don't have any rights." The dark-skinned man said smugly. "Curse your own wretched birth for not having been born with power. That's what His Majesty always says, isn't it?" He continued with a sneer.

"His Majesty…" Lelouch quietly muttered with a hiss.

"The guy is mafia, Lelouch." Rolo tried to warn.

"What an arrogant display. Feeding upon the weak are you?" Lelouch said, getting the man's attention.

"This is the grownup world in here, schoolboy, so get lost." The dark-skinned man said arrogantly.

"Then will the adult world devour the student or is it the other way around?" Lelouch asked with a sense of flair in his voice.

"Even with your memories changed little bro, you're still a badass!" Joseph couldn't help but think as a proud older brother.

"Why don't we find out the answer with this?" Lelouch said as he opened his briefcase and revealed his chessboard and pieces

"With chess?" The dark-skinned man asked with surprise.

"Big brother, don't!" Rolo tried to warn.

"Too late, fellows. Right boys?" The dark-skinned man asked smugly to his henchmen, who laughed at Lelouch.

"Oh you guys laugh now, but just you wait and see what he can do!" Joseph said with a smug grin on his face.

"Students really don't know much of anything, do they?" The dark-skinned man said, full of himself.

"That's not true, Mr. Black King. You're a famous chess player in the gambling arena, aren't you?" Lelouch asked, who could say with equal arrogance.

"So you know who I am, huh?" The Black King said, his smug grin becoming bigger.

...

Britannian Prison

Tamaki was kicked to the ground by a guard as he was taken back to his cell, grunting in pain.

"If Zero was here, you wouldn't be acting so tough." Tamaki said as he struggled to bring himself back in.

"Do me a favor. Don't say that traitor's name again." Chiba said bitterly from her cell.

"Hey, Zero didn't betray us!" Tamaki told her angrily.

"Shut up, you stinking Eleven!" The guard ordered as he hit Tamaki in the back.

"Okay! Sorry!" Tamaki said, not wanting to get hit again.

"There has to be a reason for what he did." Ohgi tried to reason from his cell.

"What Reason? Why'd the commander vanish during the final decisive battle like that." China argued.

"Stop it! It serves no purpose. Zero's dead after all." Tohdoh said with finality in his tone.

"He's dead?" Ohgi repeated, still not wanting to believe it.

...

Babel Tower

"And that's Checkmate." Lelouch said as he put his king down.

"Impossible…" The Black King said in shock.

"That's my little bro!" Joseph thought proudly.

"Looks like you're the one who's been devoured here." Lelouch said smugly.

"Damn. That's inconvenient. How will I ever be able to show my face in public if word of this gets around." The Black King said with playful regret.

"I would never spread rumors." Lelouch told him.

"No, school boy. Not that. What I'm saying is that others will hear how you cunningly cheated me." The Black King said with a smirk.

"I what?!" Lelouch said with shock.

"Such a naughty little man." The Black King said evilly.

"This scumbag!" Joseph thought angrily.

"Get him and hold him. Now to whip up a little evidence against the kid." The Black King told his henchmen.

"You filthy lying adult!" Lelouch said angrily.

"Fair play doesn't win the game. Learn that, school boy!" The Black King as he pulled a gun out, his henchmen grabbing Lelouch.

"That's it! I don't care if I break my cover, I'm not letting these guys hurt Lelouch!" Joseph thought determinedly, ready to crash through the ceiling.

Suddenly, he felt a rumble and the lights flickered on and off.

"Finally!" Joseph said excitedly.

He saw Kallen break her lowly persona and kick that Black King's ass, also bringing his henchmen down a peg. She then grabbed Lelouch's hand and pulled him away.

"Come on! This way!" She said hurriedly.

"H-Hey!" Lelouch said in surprise.

"Lelouch!" Rolo said, running after them.

"Yes! Kal Pal's got Lelouch. Which means..." Joseph thought as he turned his attention to the three bunnies being held prisoner.

"Come on! I may have lost that redhead, but I can still collect a booby-prize!" The Black King said with a sneer as he tugged on the women's chains, who looked at him with fear.

Suddenly, Joseph broke through the air vent and crash landed on one of the henchmen, effectively knocking him out.

"HAKUNA MATATA!" Joseph declared as he pointed in the air.

"What the-" The other henchman didn't get to finish as he was elbowed in the face by Joseph, sending him flying into the slot machines.

"It can't be! The Dimwit Prince!" The Black King said in shock.

"That Mister Dimwit Prince to you!" Joseph said

"Urgh! The emperor should have just finished the job on you!" The Black King said with angrily as he pointed his gun at Joseph.

Joseph made sure to get the line of fire out the women's way and swiftly dodged the bullets. Once he got close enough, he grabbed the hand holding the gun, pulled it downwards, and shot The Black King's lower weapon off.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHH!" The Black King howled in pain as he fell to the ground and clutched his wound.

"Don't abuse women!" Joseph lectured as he waved the gun at him before throwing it to the side.

"YOU BASTARD!" The Black King yelled with fury as he tried to get back up, to no avail.

Joseph then approached the weaselly Britannian, who shivered with fear.

"Key, please." Joseph asked politely as he stuck his hand out and gestured the man the hand it over.

"O-Of-Of c-course!" The weasel stuttered as he quickly gave the key that unlocked the women's chains.

"Thank you." Joseph said gratefully before kicking the weasel right in his ass. "Leave, weasel!" He instructed as the weasel left with a frantic step.

He turned to women with a smile. "No worry bunnies! Get you out here!" Joseph said happily.

...

OSI Base

"An airship…hum…their final gasp? Office of Secret Intelligence. Initiate Operation Valhalla Seven." The OSI Commander ordered as he got into his knightmare.

"Yes, My Lord!" The OSI soldiers said.

...

Babel Tower

As knightmares crashed through the tower, Joseph unlocked the chains and cuff links, the three women couldn't help but look at him in astonishment.

"You're...you're really helping us? Mere elevens?" The woman in a purple bunny suit asked.

"Course! Now, onward to safety!" Joseph encouraged enthusiastically as he started moving towards the direction Kallen took Lelouch, pulling the hand of one of the women.

The shocked bunnies made sure to keep up.

...

Tokyo Settlement

"We welcome you here to Area 11." Calares said to the two Chinese Federation delegates.

One was a skinny High Eunuch by the name of Gao Hai, who he shook hands with.

The other was Li Xingke, a stoic man with long, black hair. Who really wish he didn't have to negotiate with the Britannians, but if the message he gotten was correct, than he wouldn't have to deal with them for too long.

"We didn't expect an armed reception especially after hearing that Zero was dead." Gao Hai said with his high pitched voice.

"Zero? You have a wrong idea. I hoped it would offer you and the other representatives of the Chinese Federation a better understanding of us Britannians." Calares explained.

"My, an uncommonly straightforward approach." Gao Hai said with a smirk.

"May we have what you're carrying, sir?" A Britannian Soldier asked Xingke, who narrowed his eyes at him as he was referring to his sword.

"Our security is perfect. You don't need to carry that antique-weapon here." Another soldier said.

Suddenly, Xingke took out his sword and swiftly swung it through the soldier's belts. When he put it back in its sheath, the belts fell in half, shocking Calares and the soldiers.

"Xingke, that was rude of you." Gao Hai said.

"Please forgive me. But I hoped it would offer you and any other Britannians a better understanding of the Chinese Federation." Xingke said neutrally.

"Why you..." Calares hissed before he heard an explosion come from Babel tower.

Xingke looked with a serious eye. "It seems to have started..."

...

Babel Tower

"Where are you Kal Pal?" Joseph thought himself as he scanned the area for her and Lelouch.

He then saw her not too far away.

"Kal Pal!" Joseph said happily as he and the three women ran up to her.

"Huh? Joe?" Kallen said in surprise.

Joseph looked around and noticed someone missing.

"Where Lelouch?!" He asked quickly.

"That Rolo kid took him." Kallen said sheepishly.

"You lost him!?" Joseph asked incredulously

"I didn't lose him! The kid got the jump on me somehow!" Kallen argued with annoyance, and then noticed the three bunnies there. "And why are they here?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh! Meet Purple suit bunny! Yellow suit bunny! And Black vest bunny!" Joseph happily introduced the three women, who awkwardly waved. "Gotta save!" He insisted.

"Joe..." Kallen said with a sigh and head shake. "Come on" She gestured them to follow her.

...

"We what?! Lost sight of the target?!" Urabe asked in shock.

"Yes, that is correct. We will be going in now." A Black Knight told him.

"Understood." Urabe said.

...

"Terrorists?! What are leftover fragments of the Black Knights doing here?" Lelouch thought to himself as he and Rolo ran through the shopping center there.

Suddenly, a knightmare belonging to the Black Knights landed right in front of him and Rolo.

Strangely enough though, it didn't try to attack them. Instead, it stuck its hand out, specifically towards Lelouch.

Soon enough though, sutherlands came crashing through the windows.

"Britannian Military!" Rolo said with relief.

Only for them to fire upon not only the terrorist knightmare but Britannian civilians too. Lelouch and Rolo left in the midst of chaos while the knightmare fought back against the Sutherlands.

...

"Filthy Britannians!" Kallen yelled angrily from all the anarchy they were causing.

"Hey! Showered today!" Joseph complained.

"Not you!" Kallen deadpanned.

They eventually made it to a checkpoint the Black Knights made.

"Sorry, we weren't able to bring him here like we planned." Kallen said apologetically.

"Don't sweat it. Urabe and the others are looking for him right now." A Black Knight member said, setting down a large piece of cargo.

"Understood." Kallen said.

"Hey dude! Help this bunnies to safety?" Joseph asked as he gestured to the frighten women.

"Oh, uh, of course. We'll get you ladies out of here." The Black Knight member said, still finding it weird a Britannian prince was helping them out.

"Thanks dude!" Joseph said gratefully, and then he was suddenly engulfed into a hug by the Yellow suit bunny.

"Thanks you so much, your highness!" The Yellow suit bunny said tearfully, and Kallen help but gape at the action.

"We knew you really did care after you saved Zero!" The Black Vest bunny said happily, also tears in her eyes.

"All day's work, ma'am!" Joseph said professionally as he saluted with his palm facing forward. "And no worry, Zero coming back soon!" He said excitedly.

"Really?" The Purple suit bunny asked, eyes full of hope.

"Abso-toda-lutely! Now get going!" Joseph told them, they nodded and left with a Black Knight and his knightmare.

"Man, such nice bunnies, right?" Joseph said to Kallen, who currently had a envious red on her cheeks.

"Uh...yeah..." She said a bit bitterly as she grabbed the USB drive that activated her Guren.

"Alright, Cherry Dynamite!" Joseph cheered.

"Come on, Joe. Let's find Lelouch." Kallen said determinedly as she got in the pilot seat.

"Right-eo!" He agreed as he rode piggyback on top of the Guren, making her sigh tiredly.

...

Lelouch and Rolo eventually made it to an abandoned area of the tower, Lelouch needed to catch his breath.

"What the hell is going on? That Knightmare earlier…was it trying to...?" Lelouch asked himself

"Lelouch, what'll we do now?" Rolo asked with a fearful tone.

"Don't worry. We'll be all right. I promise you. I'll get us out of here. We will be able to get away." Lelouch reassured him.

"Yeah… I'm sure. We'll be fine." Rolo said with a relieved smile.

Lelouch smiled back but then noticed a Black Knight aiming his gun right at Rolo.

"Rolo!" Lelouch yelled, pushing him out of the way.

Before the Black Knight could fire again, a explosion occurred, knocking Lelouch off the floor. Rolo tried to grab him but he missed.

"Lelouch!" Rolo yelled out to him.

...

Ashford Academy

"And now Lelou's giving all of his same bad habits to Rolo." Shirley complained as cut and twigs sticking out of the shrubbery in their garden.

"Admit it, Shirley. You're worried about your darling Lelouch." Milly teased.

"No, I am not!" Shirley complained.

"There she goes again." Rivalz said with a smirk.

"Oh, whatever…" Shirley said with a sigh.

...

Babel Tower

Thankfully, Lelouch landed on a cushiony area of ground, saving him.

"R…Rolo?..Rolo!" Lelouch called out in fear. He received no response, he checked his phone. "I'm out of range? What do I do now? At this rate, we'll both be…no, I have to try and save him." Lelouch thought, getting himself up and traveled upwards to find Rolo. "The least I should be able to do is save my only brother! Even I ought to have enough strength in me to do that. I have to…" He thought determinedly.

He then entered a room with dead bodies all over, both Japanese and Britannian alike.

"Terrorists are responsible for this? But Elevens were killed too…" Lelouch thought in shock, ready to upchuck his lunch. He saw one of the Japanese civilians had a photo of Zero on them. "Are these people still counting on Zero to rescue them?" He thought angrily as he then noticed a certain knightmare a few feet away from. The same one he encountered earlier. "The Black Knights…What do I do? Will they kill me? Even if I run…." He thought frantically.

However, the knightmare hatch opened and what stood was a pale skin woman with long, green hair and a white pilot suit on. She had a look of longing on her face.

...

"Got it. Thanks." Kallen said, getting off her comms. "Joe, C.C. found him, he's on level 7." She told him.

"Great! Meet down there!" Joseph said excitedly as he jumped off the moving knightmare and went his own way.

"Joe, wait!" Kallen tried to warn, but he was already gone. "(Sighs) Always on impulse..." She said tiredly as she stuck to her path.

...

"I'm the only one who knows you, the real you." C.C told him.

"...What does she mean? 'Real me'?" Lelouch said to himself quietly, he wasn't sure about this girl but for some reason, he felt as though they did have a connection.

As he began to walk up to here, she reached a hand towards him with a small smile.

Only for a gunshot to ring off and red started to spread through her suit.

"L-Lelouch…" C.C. said weakly as she fell from her knightmare

"H-Hey! Are you all right?" Lelouch asked frantically as he caught her.

He then noticed a Sutherland and a group of soldiers, all pointing guns at him. "Why are soldiers…" He said quietly, but then he saw one of them with a flamethrower start to burn all the bodies. "Hold on…what are you…" Suddenly he a woman screaming in pain. "Stop it! That woman is still alive!" He shouted, only for the soldiers to shoot her dead.

"You served your function well, Lelouch Lamperouge." The OSI Commander said with a sneer.

"Function? What are you talking about?!" Lelouch asked in a really confused tone.

"We've had our eye on you for a very long time now, young man." The OSI Commander said as he took out a small journal. "Wakes up at 6:59 am. From 7:12 am, watches the news with his little brother while eating breakfast. No ideological deviations with the program he watches. 8:45 am, goes to class. Doesn't attend his morning homeroom or first period class. Instead, he reads on the roof. During his second period physics…" He read from its content.

"Those are things I've done today…" Lelouch said in shock.

"I prefer to think of it as a pet diary or bait journal." The OSI Commander told him.

"Bait journal?!" Lelouch asked.

"Or call it a trap, if you wish, for that witch. All to lure C.C. out of hiding." The OSI Commander said smugly.

"No, wait, please! What's going on?!" Lelouch asked frantically.

"Boy, I'll have you know that I am a Baron. I'm through wasting words on bait like you. Now time to dispose of you. And there won't be any witnesses left." The OSI Commander said without remorse and gestured for his soldiers to take aim.

Lelouch could only stare in dismay.

"Dispose? Is this…the end for me? Without even knowing why? So matter-of-factly?" Lelouch thought with no hope in his tone.

*CRASH*

"RRRRRRRAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" A maniac screamed out as he came bursting through the wall.

Before Lelouch, the Commander, or any of the soldiers could react. He charged right into the first row of the soldiers and slammed all of them into the wall on the other side.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" The OSI Commander screamed as he, Lelouch and the rest of the soldiers were flabbergasted by the sudden events.

"NO HURTING LITTLE BRO!" The maniac, who was in fact Joseph Du Britannia, screamed furiously as he pulled himself back from the hole filled with unconscious, probably dead, OSI soldiers. A murderous look in his eyes.

"Men, kill him!" The OSI Commander ordered as he pointed at Joseph.

He responded by jumping into the air and landing his knees right on a shoulder's chest, breaking the ribcage and crushing his lungs. He then charged the soldier behind, grabbed the arm that was holding the gun and bent it backwards over his shoulder, making him shot the soldier behind him! Joseph then grabbed said gun and threw it at the soldier's head that was next to him, shattering his skull. He then broke the neck of the current soldier he was holding and proceeded to charge to another soldier as he swiftly dodged more bullets.

"J-Joseph...he's back?" Lelouch said in shock, remembering hearing he was still in a coma. "But why is he here?" He asked himself quietly as he continued to watch the dimwit take down soldiers one by one in awe.

"He's here for you." A voice below him said.

He looked down and saw C.C. staring up at him.

"W-What the...how..." He stuttered when she suddenly put her forehead against his.

And it all started to flood back.

"Remember…remember who you really are…the Power of the King. Now let the seal be broken!" C.C told him.

The memories, they broke through like water bursting through a dam.

Shinjuku, Saitama, Narita, Lake Kawaguchi, Kamine Island, Fukuoka Base, the SAZ.

"I see now…persistent irritation that pricked me like thorns in my everyday life." Lelouch thought.

His ideals, his identity.

"Yes…it was all the phony memories implanted in me. But I remember now…I am…Zero!" He declared.

Nunnally, Joseph, Kallen, The Black Knights, Kaguya, Mao, Clovis, Cornelia, Euphemia...Suzaku...

The night, the night he lost, the night he overstepped, the night he crossed bullets.

The night he was betrayed.

"Lelouch, I'm not asking for forgiveness. After all we're friends, aren't we?" Suzaku asked, pointing his gun at him.

"Yes…that's your answer, isn't it…Suzaku!" Lelouch thought with anger.

And of course, he remembered his Geass.

"For God's sake, he's one person!" The OSI Commander said angrily as his soldiers were being killed left and right, as he started to aim his gun at Joseph.

"Indeed he is, and you are just a lowly Baron, are you not?" Lelouch asked smugly, catching the OSI Commander's attention. "Before you dispose of me, I'd like you to answer a question." Lelouch said as stood up to his feet, C.C. alongside.

"Impossible! She was shot through the heart!" An OSI soldier said, raising his gun at her and Lelouch.

That is, until he felt a hand grab his face and was then thrown into the last soldier, who both flew into the wall, by Joseph, who looked at his brother with giddy anticipation.

"Lelouch..." He quietly said with excitement.

"If being powerless is so terribly wrong, then does having power make you right? Do you find vengeance evil? What's your value of friendship? Is it justice?" Lelouch asked.

"There is no justice or evil! The only truth that's left for you bait is the simple reality of death!" The O.S.I. Commander said angrily by the turn of events.

"I see. Then that reality is all that remains for you as well. I, Lelouch Vi Britannia command you...die!" Lelouch told him with a wave of his hand as his left eye turned red, his Geass awakening.

"It can't be-" The O.S.I. commander started to say, but soon the command took over. He put a smile on his face, aimed his gun at his neck, and fired.

"Ever since that day, my heart simply couldn't accept it. This fake life I was never able to fit into. All the time that was lost. These false memories planted in me giving me a life as one of the herd. Yet…The truth continues to guide me toward itself. That's right! It wasn't me who was wrong. It was the world! The world has to change. So I will change it." Lelouch thought with an emotionless face.

Soon enough, both Kallen's Guren and Urabe's Burai broke through the ceiling and land before Lelouch.

"We've been waiting for you, Master Zero. Please give us your orders." Urabe said through the speaker as he the Guren kneeled towards him

"Very well. Because, after all, I am Zero. The one who'll destroy the world and the one who'll recrea-" Lelouch didn't finish his speech as he was suddenly lunged into a bear hug by Joseph.

"LELOUCH! YOU BACK! HAHAHA!" Joseph said with glee as he rolled around on the floor with Lelouch in his arms, happy to finally be reunited with his brother.

"Agh! Joseph!" Lelouch said with a tight breath as he tried to get out of Joseph's grip.

C.C. couldn't help but chuckle in amusement as she watched her contractee struggle.

"Oh Joe..." Kallen said from inside her knightmare as she shook her on tiredness.

"Well, I certainly didn't expect that." Urabe said as he looked on with raised eyebrow. He knew from what C.C. and Kallen told him that Joseph was close to Zero before he revealed himself to the world, but he didn't expect such a deep connection.

...

Pendragon

Charles came out of his throne room as a tall, blonde-haired 16-year old boy by the name of Gino, a short, pink-haired 15-year old girl by the name of Anya, and Suzaku waited for him.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I have no intention of assigning this task to anyone else. The one who will kill Zero shall be me." Suzaku told him solemnly.

...

Babel Tower

Britannian Sutherlands came from below the tower and shot their way in, taking out Black Knights one by one.

"This is hopeless. Let's run for it." A Black Knight said worriedly.

"Just hold out a little bit longer. Wait until Zero can get the layout of the building. We'll back you up but you got to stand firm!" Kallen told them from her Guren, she and Urabe left Lelouch, C.C., and Joseph to talk.

...

"Now, who you be?" Joseph asked.

"Lelouch vi Britannia." Lelouch told him patiently.

"And..." Joseph asked, wanting him to lead on.

"...Zero..." Lelouch said tiredly

"Who Nunne?" Joseph asked.

"My little sister." Lelouch said.

"How many fingers?" Joseph asked as he held up all 9 and a 1/2 fingers.

"Joseph, I remember everything." Lelouch reassured as he pushed Joseph's fingers down. "I remember that your mother's favorite animal was turtles, which is why she had a sticker of one on her walkman, which you inherited. I remember how you bit Cassius on the arse because he was bullying me and Nunnally, I remember how when you were living with us, we would sometimes sit on a hill and watch the sunset peacefully. I remember everything, my older brother." Lelouch reassured him with a small smile.

Joseph couldn't help but breath a small sigh of relief and connected his forehead with Lelouch's.

"Missed you, little brother." Joseph said quietly with his own smile.

They disconnected and looked at each other for a moment.

To which, the smile that was on Joseph's face was replaced with a scowl, and a fist connected with Lelouch's face, knocking him to the ground!

C.C. raised an eyebrow in surprise at that, forgetting he was going to do that.

As he regained his sense, Lelouch couldn't help but look at Joseph in surprise.

"Joseph, what the-"

"'Kill all Japanese...' 'KILL ALL JAPANESE!?' COULDA SAID, 'CLUCK LIKE CHICKEN'(imitates a chicken), 'DO LIMBO'(imitates doing the limbo), BUT NO! 'KILL ALL JAPANESE' WHAT WRONG WITH YOU!?" Joseph screamed in fury.

Lelouch's eyes widen in shock.

"You...you saw it?" Lelouch asked, aghast.

"ALL OF IT! YOUR ORDER! EUP'S ORDER! EUP KILLING! YOU KILLING EUP! OUR LITTLE SISTER! OUR INNOCENT SISTER!" Joseph screamed at the top of his lungs as tears sprouted from his eyes.

C.C. wouldn't lie, she was a bit stunned by Joseph's anger. He got pretty intense when he learned about Lelouch's amnesia, but this was on whole other level.

After taking a few deep breaths, he calmed down and dropped to his knees by Lelouch.

"...Why you say that? ...Why?" Joseph quietly asked, tears sprouting from his eyes.

Lelouch looked at him with shaky eyes and a shaky breath. He only seen Joseph like this when Lady Rebecca had died, so he knew how much this affected him. And it was his fault that he was being affected.

He took a deep breath and put on a neutral face, he wouldn't allow himself to mourn for the sister he killed and tarnished, he didn't deserve that.

"Joe...there will never be enough times I can I'm sorry...there will never be anything I can truly do to make up for it...even if it was accident, I still gave her that order, I was still the one who turned her into a killer, and I was the one who had to put a bullet through her heart...and I'll hate myself for the rest of my life, knowing what I did to Euphemia." Lelouch told him solemnly, surprising Joseph. "The only thing I can do is make sure her death wasn't in vain, by making her and Nunnally's dream come true." He said as he and Joseph stood back up.

"I will be Zero again, and I will lead this world down a new path, a path away from the one our father created, and I'll live through it all to properly atone for my sins." Lelouch declared with determination before looking at his brother and offering his hand to him. "Even though I don't deserve it and I won't blame if you don't, will you still help me in this crusade?" He asked Joseph.

Joseph looked at Lelouch's hand, then at Lelouch, a smirk formed on his face.

"Well duh, bro." Joseph said, no doubt in his voice. He grabbed Lelouch's hand in a tight grip, who smirked right back.

But then he saw the scar where Joseph got shot and looked down shamefully. "Speaking of regrets..."

"You really just needed to get that all out, didn't you?" C.C. asked with a bored tone.

"Yes I did!" Joseph said slyly as he pointed at her. "Besides, not all fault. Reason superpower went all cuckoo." He told Lelouch as he swirled his finger in a circular motion by his head, surprising Lelouch.

"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked.

"How about we get to that after we get out the tower that is filled with Britannian soldiers?" C.C. asked sarcastically.

"Hmm. Indeed." Lelouch said solemnly as he went over to the dead OSI Commander and grabbed the bait journal he had. "I was defeated by the old me, by Suzaku and by my biggest enemy. The Britannian Emperor." Lelouch said with subtle tone of hate in his voice.

"Darth Father..." Joseph said in a serious tone.

"C.C…" Lelouch began to ask.

"Don't even think it. I'm not the one who gave him his Geass." C.C. said with her bored tone.

"Also connected with superpower haywire!" Joseph added.

"I see. Where is Nunnally now?" Lelouch asked.

"Oh, back in Pendragon." Joseph said casually, Lelouch turned his head at that.

"...What?" Lelouch asked, not sure if he heard that right.

"Yeah, saw when woke from coma. Doing good, back with family and Suzaku." Joseph said with a smile.

Lelouch stood up and looked at him, now very confused.

"Joe, why-" Before he could continue his question, they heard a knightmare approach.

C.C. quickly pulled Joseph behind the Sutherland with her to hide.

"What are you doing there? That's a student's uniform, isn't it?" A Britannian soldier driving the approaching Sutherland asked through the speakers.

"Oh, you're a soldier. Thank goodness. We need to help this man at once." Lelouch said with a fake smile of relief as he kneeled down next to the dead OSI Commander and put his hand on his chest.

The soldier got a closer look at man and recognized his uniform.

"Office of Secret Intelligence? What are the Emperor's personal agents doing here?" The soldier asked himself as he turned off his knightmare and opened his hatch.

Lelouch couldn't help smirk. "Good. His reports are accurate. Calares's forces don't know about me. So I can use the data in this journal." He thought to himself.

"There's only one survivor?" The soldier asked as he slid the down the Sutherland and approached Lelouch.

"Yes, just you." Lelouch told him.

"What?" The soldier asked in confusion.

"That's right. Now, give me your Knightmare." Lelouch ordered as he waved his hand over his Geass eye.

"I understand. The ID code is QR5-YK1D6." The soldier said in a monotone as he handed him his key.

"Thank you." Lelouch said. "And make sure you forget you ever saw me." He added, he didn't want another situation like with Villetta.

"Even though you need direct eye contact, are those theatrics necessary?" C.C. asked.

"Uhhhh, yes." Joseph said as if it was obvious. "Superhero flair." He said as he twirled his fingers over C.C.'s face, making her deadpan at him.

Lelouch just looked at him sadly. "You still think of me such, Joe? Even after everything I've done, do I even deserve it?" He thought to himself. "This has the layout of the building and detail, it'll be useful getting us out of here." He said as he looked at the journal. "Joseph, we let's find a secure location and discuss things." Lelouch asked, wanting to dive further into the situation with Nunnally.

"Okie-dokie!" Joseph said happily. "Thanks dude." He said to the stiff Britannian soldier, patting his shoulder in gratitude.

...

Chinese Consulate

"The terrorists are staging a counterattack?"" Calares asked as he looked at he smoking tower.

"Yes, it seems that they've managed to capture some of our Knightmares." Guilford explained.

"That's disgraceful." Calares said in annoyance.

"Still, their numbers are small. I could join the battle." Guilford offered.

"No, you're still a guest here and under our protection. As Viceroy, it's my place to go out there. Besides..." Calares told him as he looked over at the High Eunuch. "I don't like the spices in Chinese food." He said.

"Huh…" Guilford said in confusion.

"However, I might enjoy a man hunt." Calares said with a sneer.

...

Babel Tower

As a Sutherland tried to shoot down more Japanese civilians, the Guren came bursting through the wall and grabbed it by the hand.

"Let me see you burst, Britannian!" Kallen shouted as she activated the Radiation Wave Unit and watched the knightmare explode.

...

Meanwhile, Lelouch and Joseph were in the control room where they could see everything happening.

"Well done, Q1. Now, head up to level 21." Lelouch said with a smirk, comms in his ear so he could give orders. "P4, block the stairway. R5, left, 30 degrees. N1, fire barrage 50 meters ahead angle toward the ceiling." He gave out orders without breaking a sweat.

One by one, the Britannian forces decimated.

"Oh yeah! Captain Zero back! Or should say...Admiral Zero!" Joseph declared, happy he gave him a new Superhero name.

Lelouch could only sigh.

...

G1 Base

"Contact lost with Lord Emilio." A Britannian soldier said.

"Change I.F.F. codes!" Another soldier ordered.

"We have. Five times already!" Another soldier said.

"Who's directing these terrorists?!" Another said angrily.

"What are you doing?" Calares asked as he entered the G1, annoyed by all the chaos.

"Viceroy…" A soldier said in surprise.

...

Babel Tower

"So, Zero really is just a student, huh? Well, he is something special!" Urabe said in strive as he sliced Sutherlands left to right.

"Zero supplied more stolen Sutherlands for us to use. Get on them fast!" A Black Knight told others.

"With Zero here, we can win!" A Black Knight said happily.

"He'll make a miracle for us. He will!" Another Black Knight said with a hopeful tone.

...

"Shouldn't Viceroy Calares be making his appearance soon?" Lelouch asked himself quietly

As he saw things were going smoothly, he turned towards Joseph.

"Joseph you said Nunnally was back in Pendragon with Suzaku?" Lelouch asked.

'Ya-huh." Joseph said casually.

"So you actually saw her before you came here, you were together?" Lelouch asked, trying to clarify everything.

"Yep." Joseph said with his dopey smile.

"...So why didn't you take her with you?!" Lelouch asked incredulously, to which Joseph looked at him in confusion.

"Uh...couldn't. First save you, you in danger." Joseph told him.

"You couldn't bring her along?!" Lelouch asked angrily.

"For big search party? No thanks dude! Looking for her, yes. For me, dimwit, nope. Simple geometry." Joseph said proudly.

"Joseph, every minute she's there is a minute too much, especially with that man!" Lelouch insisted.

"Not gonna hurt her. Would of already. Suzaku protecting her." Joseph told him.

"He sold me out to the Emperor! He betrayed me!" Lelouch said with rage.

"...Yeah, not Nunne though." Joseph told him casually.

Lelouch stared at his brother intensely, his eye started to twitch madly. He then quietly walked up to a drawer, opened it and dipped his head in.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" He screamed into the drawer, Joseph looking at him with a raised eyebrow.

"Uh...did I miss something?" Kallen asked as she walked into the room just as Lelouch screamed.

Lelouch kept his head in the drawer for a few more moments before pulling it out and closing the drawer, a blank look on his face.

"Very well, this is something we'll deal with later on. Kallen, I thought I sent you to level 21." He said calmly.

"I wanted to check up on you as we haven't had a moment to talk yet." Kallen said. "And to do this." She said as she came in for a hug, surprising Lelouch. "Thank you for saving my life, Zero." She said gratefully, Lelouch couldn't help but smile a bit as he put a hand on her shoulder.

"I would do it again, Q1." Lelouch said with slight happiness. "And I am thankful to both of you for doing all this to help me." He said to Kallen and Joseph. "Even if I am frustrated with how some issues were handled." He said with a subtle glare at Joseph.

Joseph just gave him a look that asked: "What'd I do?"

"Kallen, what about Sayoko? Why wasn't she there to protect Nunnally?" Lelouch asked.

"She and Diethard, along with Rakshata and my mother escaped to the Chinese Federation." Kallen explained. "She was there, both her and mother were incapacitated." She said.

"Incapacitated? By who?" Lelouch asked.

"Same guy who made superpower go nuts! Same guy gave dad superpower! All connected bro! Conspiracy!" Joseph exclaimed as he waved his arms in the air.

"Who?" Lelouch asked.

...

Unknown

Charles and Suzaku walked together through what seemed to be a foggy area of Pendragon.

"It would seem that somebody is nibbling at the bait we left in Area 11." Charles told him.

"Is it C.C., your Majesty?" Suzaku asked. "Joseph perhaps?" He said with a bit of a hopeful tone.

"We do not know yet. Kururugi, even among Knights of the Round, you are the first one ever allowed to enter this place. Even Schneizel and the others aren't aware of it." Charles told him as they continued to walk.

"I'm honored, Your Majesty. But…why me?" Suzaku asked neutrally.

"Because you are the only one of the Knights of the Round besides Bismarck who knows….about Zero's identity and Geass." Charles told him as they stopped walking.

The fog cleared and Suzaku looked around him in surprise, they appeared to be on some sort of platform with pillars around them. The sun and clouds floated in front of them, even other platforms seemed to be floating.

"This place…is it a shrine?" Suzaku asked.

"No, it's not. This is a weapon for destroying God." Charles told him.

"A weapon?" Suzaku asked in surprise.

"It is called the Sword of Akasha." Charles said.

...

Babel Tower

Lelouch didn't to know what to say about the bomb that was just dropped on him. The one who made his Geass lose control, the one who gave the Emperor his geass, the one who kidnapped his little sister, was all done by this immortal boy who went by V.V.! The leader of this apparent Geass Order that C.C. also happened to be apart of at one point!

"C.C.! How could you not tell me about any of this?!" Lelouch thought angrily as he tighten his fist. But his true anger lied elsewhere, for at the end of the day, it all came down to this V.V. He was responsible for all of it! "I swear V.V., I will find you, and I will stick your head right on a pike!" He thought with a vengeful tone.

He calmed down though and looked at Joseph and Kallen with apathetic face. "Thank you both for telling me this. I will be definitely be asking C.C. some questions later. And this V.V. will atone for his actions, as I will have to atone for my own."

Joseph and Kallen looked at him sadly, seeing he still blamed himself for what happened to Euphemia. She then decided to pick at the touchy subject. "Listen Lelouch, what happened with Euphemia-"

"By the way, are you ever going to change out of those clothes?" Lelouch asked out of nowhere, confusing Kallen.

She looked down and saw how her the top parts of her breasts were showing.

"Don't look at me, you pervert!" She said angrily as she quickly covered herself, a red blush of embarrassment on her face.

"Oh, is that the way you talk to Zero now?" Lelouch teased.

"I'm saying it to you, Lelouch!" Kallen argued.

Suddenly she felt a coat being put on her shoulders. It was Joseph's coat, who looked at her with a smile.

"There you go, Kal Pal. Nice and protected." Joseph told her with innocent reassurance.

Kallen looked at him with surprise and then looked away with a blush. "Um, thank you, Joe." She said quickly as she wrapped the coat closer around him.

Lelouch then saw the shirt Joseph was wearing, it had a cartoon sponge on the front.

"Nice shirt." Lelouch said with a quirked eyebrow.

"Yeah! Cool, right?! Kallen got me!" Joseph said proudly as he pointed at Kallen.

"Did she now?" Lelouch asked with a teasing smile.

"H-He, he needed clothes! The only thing he was wearing when C.C. found him was a strange gypsy outfit!" She stuttered frantically, the blush not leaving her face.

"Captain JoeBeard!" Joseph declared happily, Lelouch couldn't help but chuckle. But then he heard a message coming in from his comms.

"Go ahead." Lelouch said.

"Britannian reinforcements are here." C.C. told him.

And soon enough, the group could see on the maps all the ships that were circulating around Babel Tower. More and more Sutherlands were coming in.

...

Ashford Academy

The Student Council could see the ships around the smoking tower.

"What's happening over there?" Shirley asked in concern as she worried about Lelouch and Rolo.

...

G1

"Special Weapon Britannian 4 has begun to drop. Show the Chinese Federation, show them our emperor's might, the overwhelming power of our Holy Britannian Empire!" Calares ordered with a sneer.

"Yes, My Lord!" The soldiers said.

...

"They're coming in from above, too." Kallen said worriedly as she put her arms into the sleeves of Joseph's coat. It was big, but she actually found it quite comfortable.

"That's right. Viceroy Calares must have arrived, the escape would be difficult. That's why, I'm going to win." Lelouch said with confidence.

Oh yeah. Time for peach kicking." Joseph said with a grin as he punched his hand with his fist.

Lelouch and Kallen on the other hand, just stared at him with WTF faces.

...

G1

"Assault Team 2 now has control up to floor J." A soldier said.

"That leaves only one escape route the Black Knights can use." Another soldier said as the screen showed their only way out was an underground level.

"And our main fighting force is right there waiting for them." Calares said.

"Yes, sir. We just need to drive them out." A soldier told him.

"Set up our broadcast link quickly. We'll make extermination of these terrorists a media event." Calares said with a vicious grin.

...

Babel Tower

Joseph was rather annoyed at the moment. He wanted to partake in all the action but instead they made him stay up on one of the upper levels of the mall area.

Apparently there was a single knightmare taking out Black Knights one by one and Lelouch didn't want to take any chances.

Right now, him, Kallen, and Urabe were waiting for C.C. to finish planting the bombs so they could get out of there

"Well I'm still going to watch!" Joseph thought determinedly.

Suddenly, a wall burst and what appeared was a large, golden knightmare! It had red horns and took out two swords.

"Okay, not gonna lie. That is one badass robot." Joseph thought as he looked at the knightmare in awe.

"We've got the advantage in close-range combat!" He heard Kallen say determinedly through the comms that was given to him by Lelouch as she and Urabe charged the knightmare.

"Yeah, get it Cherry Dynamite!" Joseph thought excitedly.

But suddenly, a giant red sphere appeared from the knightmare and engulfed Kallen, Urabe, and Lelouch.

"What the?" Joseph asked quietly.

And for some reason, the Guren and Burai that were charging it stopped right when they were about to strike. And they just stood there in that position as the gold knightmare attacked them and then moved over to Lelouch's Sutherland.

"Guys, what are you doing?! Move!" Joseph thought in annoyance and confusion.

When they did finally move, they looked in confusion as to how the gold knightmare got over there.

"It vanished just like that…" Kallen said in shock.

"Fast as a god." Urabe said amazement.

"What the Hell are you guys talking about?! It was moving at regular speed, you were the ones NOT moving!" Joseph thought in frustration, wondering what just happened.

The gold knightmare then connected its swords together and made a two headed spear, that it flipped around in style.

"Oh come on! That's so cool!" Joseph thought in annoyance as he didn't want to cheer for the bad guy.

The gold knightmare moved towards Lelouch.

"It's closing in!" Lelouch shouted.

And once again, before Lelouch could shoot it, that red sphere appeared and engulfed the three again, freezing them where they were.

The gold knightmare moved behind Lelouch, who fired at nothing. As it was about to strike, Urabe's Burai pushed the Sutherland out of the way and blocked the gold knightmare's attack, but now putting himself in a deadly position.

"Urabe!" Lelouch shouted.

"Oh, No!" Kallen said in concern.

"What the Hell's going on?! Either that knightmare has a time freezing device or..." Joseph thought as his eyes widen in realization.

"Zero, I don't care if you're really a student or what your background is. And I know you meant it when you said we're not expendable. I knew that every fighter we've got counts." Urabe said as if he was saying goodbye.

"Oh God! He's gonna do a heroic sacrifice!" Joseph thought in despair.

"Kozuki!" Urabe shouted to her through the comms.

"Ye-Yes!" Kallen stuttered fearfully.

"Protect Zero. He's our last hope. And hope is what our people need." Urabe told her stoically.

"Urabe..." Joseph thought with shock as he looked at the Burai with respect.

Even knowing that his brother was both a Britannian and a student, he stilled believed in him, followed him, even willing to sacrifice himself for him.

A true warrior, and a loyal one at that!

And Joseph would not standby this time! Not again!

"Zero, save Japan!" Urabe shouted as he was about to stab his own knightmare.

But then...

"BLALALALALALALALA!" Joseph roared out a battle cry, flicking his tongue back and forth.

He landed on the back of the gold knightmare and put its head in a headlock.

"Joseph!?" Lelouch, Kallen, and Urabe all shouted in shock from their knightmares.

"Leave! Friends! ALONE!" Joseph shouted angrily as he punched the top of the gold knightmare's head. Actually putting some dents in there.

The knightmare responded by activating its red sphere again and then tried to grab him but then Joseph started to crawl around it like a spider.

"Nah-nannah-nah-nah! Can't catch me!" Joseph mocked as he stuck his tongue out.

It then moved around the area at a fast speed, trying to make Joseph let go. But he held on with a tight grip!

"Whoa! Yeah! Maximum Overdrive! Hahahaha" Joseph shouted in excitement as he felt like he was on a roller coaster.

For the rest of the group though, they were just stumped by what was happening. For all they were seeing were:

"Wh-, ah-, mum-, dri-, hahaha!" Joseph said as he and the knightmare transported all over the place.

"What on Earth?" Urabe asked quietly from inside his knightmare.

"How the...?" Kallen asked in her Guren, wondering what was happening in front of her.

"What the Hell is going on? How is Joseph able to keep contact with the knightmare despite its speed?!" Lelouch asked himself, flabbergasted by what he was seeing. But then his eyes widen in realization. "Unless..."

But he could ponder it more, Joseph was finally thrown off the knightmare.

"Joe!" Kallen said though her speaker as she caught him with the Guren.

"Yeah! Do again!" Joseph said excitedly as he stood up on the Guren's hand. Ready for another round. Kallen could only sigh tiredly.

"But...how did you..." Before Urabe could question it further, C.C. contacted them.

"I have bad news everyone. We are all finished here." C.C. told them.

"Then it is done." Lelouch said from inside the Sutherland with finality as he lifted up a trigger shaped like a chess piece. "Everyone, hope begins now!" He declared, pressing the button.

To which the bombs that C.C. set up went off, sending their group down below and escaping the gold knightmare.

...

G1

Calares and his soldiers watched the Babel Tower blow up with astonishment.

"Damn, terrorists! A suicide attack! Uncivilized monkeys!" Calares said angrily.

...

Babel Tower

As the Black Knights safely made it to their escape route, Urabe's opened the hatch of his Burai and looked at Joseph, who was now on Kallen's shoulder.

"Joseph...you saved my life..." Urabe said with surprise in his voice.

"Course! Comrades after all!" Joseph said proudly as he beat a fist over his chest.

"...Thank you." Urabe said with a small smile.

Kallen herself couldn't help but smile as well at the scene inside her knightmare, happy that a trust was being built with the two. "That's it. The tower will smash the enemies above us and crush them as it falls!" She said with anticipation as she looked up at the falling tower.

"Not just that." Lelouch told her from inside his knightmare, surprising her. "Calares, your mistake was sealing off your escape route. And signaling your location like that made you so easy to target." Lelouch thought with an evil smirk.

...

Tokyo Settlement

The tower slid off and was landing right at the G1.

...

G1

"No, it can't be! AAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!" Calares said in despair as he screamed his last breath, the tower crushing him and everyone inside the G1.

...

Babel Tower

"HAHAHA. Good bye, Viceroy Calares…" Lelouch cheered with a sneer.

While the Black Knights celebrated this victory, Kallen and Joseph couldn't help but look at him in concern.

"Lelouch..." Kallen thought to herself.

"I really hate he keeps laughing like that..." Joseph thought worriedly.

...

Sometime later...

Viceroy Palace

"The Viceroy has been killed?"

"Where's Lord Cornwell?"

"He was with the Viceroy."

"Then, who's next in the chain of command?"

"The Minister of Internal Affairs."

"A civil servant in charge now?!"

As a bunch of soldiers were panicking, Guilford stepped in.

"This is no time to panic. I am taking command. This is not a grab for political power. It's a temporary measure. I swear it in the name of my Princess. I ask for your cooperation." Guilford told them.

"The princess?"

"Does he mean Princess Cornelia?"

"In that case…"

"Right."

With that, the soldiers stood up straight and saluted the new Temporary Viceroy.

"Yes, My Lord."

"Thank you. I am grateful to you." Guilford said before turning to five soldiers who were Andreas Darlton's adopted sons: Alfred, Bart, Claudio, David, and Edgar. "Now then, I'll go to the scene to direct emergency rescue operations. Alfred, you contact the police. Bart, you remain here…" He started to instruct them, that is until they noticed something on the screen.

"What's that?" Alfred asked in shock.

"What's wrong?" Guilford asked, turning his attention to the screen that currently glitching.

The glitching eventually transitioned into an image, an image that no one saw coming.

"I am Zero!"

"What the Hell?!" Guilford asked.

And indeed it was Zero.

Zero, who was Japan's last hope, who everyone thought was dead, was now on every television screen in the world!

...

Tokyo Settlement

Britannian citizens looked at the big screen that was on the building. Many chattered about what they were seeing.

"Isn't that Zero?"

"I thought he was dead."

"How could this happen?"

"It can't be the real Zero, can it?"

"People of Japan. I have returned!" Zero declared.

...

News Station.

"Kill the video!" An executive producer demanded.

"I can't! It won't take my access code!" A technician told him

...

Chinese Federation

Diethard pushed the discarded food and drinks off his table and immediatedly grabbed his tablet.

"That's it! The omega line that I set up! And the only one who knows about it is Zero! Yes, I knew you were still alive!" Diethard said with glee as he waved the tablet around, amusing Rakshata and Sayoko. Naomi was also with them, but she couldn't help but be worried.

"Kallen..." Naomi thought quietly.

...

Chinese Consulate

"Hear me, Britannia! All you who have power, heed my words carefully. I am burdened by sorrow. War and discrimination. Malicious deeds carried out by the strong. The same abhorrent interplay of tragedy and comedy. The world has not changed. The people still suffer." Zero declared to the camera.

The group behind the camera, consisting of Joseph, Kallen(still wearing his coat), Urabe, Xingke, and Gao Hai, watched with fixed attention.

Joseph himself was bobbing his feet up and down like a giddy child. Xingke looked at him with a subtle narrow of eyes.

...

Chinese Federation

"That is why the resurrection of Zero was necessary." Zero said.

Kaguya watched the broadcast from her private quarters, enchanted by his words.

"Zero...I knew you'd come back!" She thought happily.

...

Pendragon

Knight of the Rounds Private Quarters

Suzaku watched the scene with the other fellow Knights of the Round. Consisting of Bismarck Waldstein, Monica Krushevsky, Luciano Bradley, Gino Weinberg, and Anya Alstreim.

"So long as the strong oppress the weak, my rebellion will continue to grow! It begins today with the divine punishment I have brought upon the inept and foolish Viceroy Calares." Zero continued.

"Man, oh man, the Eleven's rebel leader sure popped back with a vengeance, right Suzaku?" Gino asked with a smirk a bit of snark.

Suzaku just grunted.

...

Viceroy Palace

"The signal's coming from the Chinese Federation consulate." A soldier told Guilford.

"Chinese Federation?" Claudio asked in surprise.

"Has he defected?" Alfred asked, referring to Gao Hai.

"They broke through our encirclement." Guilford said thought, then he was hit with realization. "Of course! They've stayed inside the fallen building. They've made Babel Tower itself their pathway. But, what about the Chinese Federation? Did they plan this out with them beforehand? Is that possible?" Guilford asked himself.

...

Pendragon

Knight of the Rounds Private Quarters

"Come on, Zero is dead, isn't he?" Gino asked as he put his arm around Suzaku.

"Yes." Suzaku said simply.

"So this guy is a fake? And whoever he is, if we'd just go over there and storm the consulate-" Gino tried to suggest until Suzaku said:

"…then we'd be breaking our treaty with them, risking an international incident." Suzaku told him.

"He's saying that he's Zero, and Zero killed our royals. That give this equal status with the EU war." Gino argued with a friendly tone.

"It's a slippery slope either way." Anya said emotionlessly as she continued to look at pictures on her phone.

...

Chinese Consulate

"Killing the Viceroy and securing our escape route, he was able to do both at the same time." Kallen thought in awe.

"Zero, you truly are something else..." Urabe couldn't help but think with a smile.

"Such cunning audacity is impressive…" Xingke admitted in his mind.

...

Testing Lab

Nina stepped away from her project tuned into the broadcast with scorching eyes.

"I shall fight against all those who abuse their power. Therefore once again, here and now, I declare the establishment of the United States of Japan!" Zero declared.

"You...you who manipulated my prince and had him taken away from me...ZERO!" She thought, hatred piercing her heart.

...

Chinese Consulate

"Are you certain about this? We still haven't received direct orders from the empress." Xingke asked with a stoic face.

"Are you dissatisfied with my decision?" Gao Hai asked, his eyes with red rims around them.

"No…never mind…" Xingke said simply.

"(Chuckles) Zero, you've actually founded the United States of Japan." Gao Hai said excitedly, his mind now belonging to Zero.

...

Ashford Academy

Student Council Building

"Starting from this moment, this room shall be the first dominion of the USJ." Zero continued.

"Terrorists forming a nation?" Villetta thought in surprise as she watched the broadcast with Milly, Shirley, and Rivalz.

"Race, ideology and religion will not matter. Being a citizen will have but one requirement, to do that which is just!" Zero concluded.

Of the three students watching, one made a small gasp in surprise.

...

Chinese Consulate

"I trust you understand the consequences if you force your way in." Xingke warned the Britannian soldiers as he had his own soldiers aiming their guns at them.

"...All right. We'll settle this in diplomatic chambers later." The Britannian Captain said trepidatiously.

"Zero…how useful will he prove to us in the end? And is it really smart to have that senseless prince here as well?" Xingke asked himself as the military left. Suddenly, the gold knightmare from before approached the consulate. "If you're Britannian, you have already been asked to leave. Or are you one of Zero's followers?" Xingke asked with a cautious tone.

The hatch opened, revealing to be Rolo.

"I'm not sure. Which am I?" Rolo asked in monotone.

"I'm not terribly fond of riddles." Xingke said, not amused and preparing to cut the boy down if needed.

"Yes. I'm exactly the same way myself. What I wanna know is the truth. That's why I came here to kill Zero…" Rolo said, his left eye red with Geass.

To Be Continued...

...

And done! Two episodes of canon in one chapter!

The reason for this is because there are certain plot points I want to get to and I can be pretty impatient sometimes. So expect the the next few chapters having more than one episode of canon in there.

Also, Urabe gets to live this time around! I mean after all, with Joseph being there in the flesh this time, he just had to intervene. Plus, with Geass not being ble to affect him, it makes him the perfect opponent against Rolo.

Will Urabe learn about Lelouch's past as royalty and the inner workings of Geass? Only time will tell.

I will probably write a couple more chapters for this story until I write a new chapter for Code Squarepants, which is a new genuine fanfiction crossover I started between Code Geass and Spongebob Squarepants. Give it a read when you have the chance!

Anyway, comment and tell me what you think!

Until next time!