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.

44. Papa!

Ashford Academy

"Why the Hell isn't he answering my calls?!" Suzaku thought angrily.

After that confrontation with Nunnally, Suzaku had called Rolo to see what the situation was with Lelouch, he never picked up. He tried calling Villetta, she never responded to him. Having it up to here, he decided to go to school and investigate himself!

When he got to the academy, he didn't see Lelouch, Rolo, or Villetta anywhere. Rivalz and Shirley seemed to be out of sight as well.

He rode down the elevator and went through the doors leading to the OSI Surviellance Room.

"Where is Lelouch Lamperouge now?!" Suzaku asked tensely.

"There is no unusual activity." A OSI member told him in monotone.

"I asked where he is! Where's commander Villetta?! Where's his brother Rolo?!" Suzaku asked angrily, having no more patience.

"As I said, there is no unusual activity to report. It's the same as always." Another member said in monotone.

Suzaku could see the red rims around their eyes. His face and fists tighten in rage.

"So that's it. The entire O.S.I. staff has been…!" Suzaku muttered with gritted teeth before going on his way.

There was no denying it, Lelouch was Zero again!

He punched the elevator in frustration. "Damn it Lelouch! If the Emperor finds out about this, I won't be able to protect Nunnally!"

As he exited the elevator back into the library, he stopped in his tracks when he saw three familiar individuals standing before him.

It was Shirley, Milly, and Rivalz. All looking at him with angry expressions, Milly even had her arms crossed.

"Guys?! Wha...what are you..." Suzaku sputtered his words as they all witnessed him leave the secret elevator.

"Wat'cha doing Suzaku?" Milly asked with an edge to her voice.

"Come to do some light reading?" Rivalz asked with a sarcastic tone.

"W-Well...I-I was just...what you saw just now..." Suzaku continued to stutter nervously.

"Was what? A secret elevator that leads to a surveillance room where you, Villetta, and the OSI have been spying on us for the last year?" Shirley accused angrily.

"After you let the Emperor take away our memories!" Milly added viciously.

Suzaku froze at that and he could feel his heart drop into his stomach. "Dear God, they remember." He thought with dread.

"Guys...I..."

*SLAP*

Suzaku didn't get to finish as he soon found himself on the ground after being on the receiving end of Shirley's hand.

"That was for betraying Lelouch." Shirley said with a low voice, tears sprouting from her eyes.

"Shirley, please. I-I didn't..." Suzaku tried to explain as he stood back up.

*KICK*

Only to receive a kick in the balls by Milly.

"AUGH!" Suzaku squeaked as he fell to the ground, hands clutching his crotch.

"And that was for betraying us!" Milly said angrily.

"Will you guys please just let me explain!" Suzaku said quickly as he struggled to get back up.

"Explain what! That you let Lelouch's asshole father change our memories just so you can get a rank in status?!" Rivalz asked angrily.

"It-it wasn't like that! I had to stop Lelouch! To stop all the fighting!" Suzaku explained hastily.

"Oh?! So what does that make us then? Collateral damage?!" Milly asked angrily.

"NO! I-I didn't want it to happen but I couldn't disobey the Emperor! I had no choice!" Suzaku pleaded.

"We all have a choice, Suzaku! You made yours when you betrayed Lelouch." Shirley said bitterly.

"Why are you guys even defending him!? He's Zero! He killed Euphemia! He made her into a murderer" Suzaku said angrily.

"And you really think he would do something like that on purpose?! To his own sister!? Did you always hold such little regard for him or only after she died?" Shirley asked angrily.

"Yeah man! And that doesn't excuse what happened here!" Rivalz said angrily.

"You made us forget Nunnally! All those memories I had with her, just gone!" Milly said, tears gathering in her eyes.

Suzaku cringed at that, he wanted to plead his case more but he could see that he would be no use.

"How is this even possible? How did you get your memories back?" Suzaku asked.

"It's..." Rivalz started to say.

"None of your business." Milly finished for him.

"(Sighs)...Where's Lelouch and Rolo?" He asked softly.

"They're gone." Rivalz told him bitterly. "And no! Lelouch did NOT geass him! Unlike you, he actually cares about the people around him."

Now that definitely hurt Suzaku.

"R-Rivalz...I...I do care about you guys..." Suzaku tried to say gently.

"Enough. We assaulted you and aided a terrorist in escaping. By all means you have grounds to arrest us, if that's not the case, you can leave now." Milly said blankly, not bothering to even look at him anymore.

"Guys-"

"JUST! ...Go." Milly said with finality, deathly look in her eye as she stared into his soul.

Suzaku stood there frozen in shock for a moment, he then took a deep breath, stood up straight and went on his way.

Milly and Rivalz looked down at the ground with sad looks on their faces while Shirley looked wistfully at Suzaku leaving.

...

Suzaku slowly walked towards the library's entrance, feeling the weight of his guilt on with each footsteps.

"First I let Euphie die, then I lose Joseph's and Nunnally's trust, and now my friends hate me..." Suzaku thought to himself bitterly.

The more he tried to accomplish his goals, the more he seemed to lose.

"Is this what Lelouch felt when he became Zero?" Suzaku couldn't help but wonder.

"Suzaku!" A voice called out to him.

He turned around in surprise and saw it was Shirley catching up to him.

"Shirley?" Suzaku said.

"They don't hate you if that's what you're worried about. They're just very angry, as they have every right to be." Shirley told him sternly.

"I know but-"

"And they know you still care about us, otherwise you have already had us arrested." Shirley continued. "And even though you're angry at him, I think you still care about Lelouch too."

Suzaku's eyes widen in surprise at that. "What are you talking about?"

"Joseph told me how you saved Lelouch's life at the Empress' banquet. Despite not knowing he was Zero or not, you protected him from Nina." Shirley said softly. "Would you really have done that if you didn't care about Lelouch?" She asked.

"What Lelouch did was irrehensible! I can never forgive him!" Suzaku said angrily.

"The same way you can't forgive yourself for killing your father?" Shirley asked.

Suzaku looked at her in shock.

"He...he told you?" Suzaku practically whispered, Shirley nodded.

"It's why you work for the Emperor, isn't it? Because you want to punish yourself all those years ago." Shirley said sympathetically.

"I'M DOING IT FOR JAPAN! ANYTHING GAINED THROUGH TWISTED MEANS IS WRONG!" Suzaku yelled.

"Then doesn't letting the Emperor conquer other countries with an iron fist make you a hypocrite?!" Shirley asked angrily.

That stopped Suzaku in his track. Shirley took a deep breath to calm down.

"Lelouch told me that with war, people get hurt, whether it be an enemy or an innocent person. It's our job to try and minimize those causalities as much as possible, but it's not always guaranteed." Shirley told him. "The Black Knights go out of their way to do this, can you say the same for Britannia?" She asked once again leaving Suzaku stumped.

"I think you know I'm right, and it's why you won't let yourself forgive Lelouch. Because if you forgive him, it means you can forgive yourself for your own horrible actions." She said gently.

"Shirley...he killed Euphie...all those people at SAZ..." Suzaku said with shaking eyes.

"And he still hasn't forgiven himself for it. It's a burden that will always weigh down on him, a nightmare that will never go away." Shirley said as she looked down at the ground sadly. "But it's up to us to let him know he's still loved. And he wants you to know that you're still loved, that you're still his best friend. And I know deep down you still consider him the same." Shirley said determinedly

"Shirley..." Suzaku said with quiet surprise.

At that, she turned around and walked up the steps.

"You got Joseph to believe in you again, Suzaku. I can do the same. Please don't let me be wrong." Shirley said as she went back to her friends.

Suzaku stood there, feeling more conflicted than ever as he thought about what Joseph said to him:

"Don't hate you. Hate what become."

...

Horai Island

Ikaruga

Kallen walked inside the the knightmare hangar of the Ikaruga with Urabe.

She received word from Tamaki that Zero had completed his mission and had come back early in the morning, apparently with a sick C.C.

She would have to find out more about that later. Rakshata, Tohdoh, Chiba, Asahina, Sugiyama, and Minami were also there.

"Did Lelouch say anything yet about the mission?" Urabe asked quietly.

"So far he's been vague about it. He probably wants to make sure we're behind closed doors first just to be safe." Kallen explained, Urabe gave a silent nod.

Right now her focus was on seeing Joseph. Who she had learned also participated on the mission with Lelouch.

"Alright, Kallen. You're just going to tell him how you feel. If he doesn't feel the same, no harm, no foul." Kallen reassured herself. "And maybe with C.C. being 'sick', I won't have to deal with her teasing." She thought with annoyance.

"I wonder why Zero didn't want anyone to see C.C.?" Sugiyama wondered.

"Maybe he wanted a little personal time with his mistress." Tamaki hinted cheekily. To which, Kallen swat the back of his knee with her crutch. "Ow!"

"It's bad enough we hear it from Kaguya and C.C., we don't need to hear it from you!" Kallen lectured.

"Yeah! Don't talk about stuff like that." Minami said with annoyance.

"Geez! It's a joke!" Tamaki complained. "And what do you care Kallen? Your eyes are all on the moron anyway." Tamaki teased.

"How about I shove these up your ass?! What then?!" Kallen threatened with her crutches, making Tamaki yelp and run away.

"Never knows when to quit." Asahina said with a roll of his eyes.

"My, my. Someone sure is feisty today. Anxious about our prince are we?" Rakshata asked with a smirk.

Kallen just sighed tiredly.

"Kallen, have you received any word from Ohgi at all?" Tohdoh asked as he approached the group with Chiba.

"No, I haven't heard from him at all since yesterday. I'm starting to get worried." Kallen said with concern.

"You don't think he's in trouble do you?" Urabe asked.

"Hopefully not, if he doesn't turn up soon, we'll send a squad out." Chiba told them.

Soon enough, a familiar knightmare came into the the hangar.

"The Vincent?" Minami said in surprise.

"Isn't that Rolo's knightmare?" Sugiyama asked in surprise.

"At least what's left of it." Rakshata said blankly.

The Vincent landed and Rolo exited the cockpit.

"Hello everyone. It's been awhile." Rolo said politely.

A majority of the group greeted Rolo with smiles.

"Hey! Joseph's little brother!" Tamaki greeted as he wrung his arm around Rolo's shoulder. "I thought you were in school! Not trying to cut classes I hope!" He teased the kid.

"Uh, we're on a break at the moment." Rolo said uncomfortably. "I wanted to help with this mission for Zero and big brother." He explained.

"While almost completely destroying the Vincent?" Rakshata asked as with annoyance as she looked at the damage done to the knightmare.

"Uh, apologies Miss Rakshata, it was a tough battle." Rolo said apologetic confusion.

"Well at least you're okay." Sugiyama offered.

"Don't take it personally. She nearly blew a gasket when the Guren got wrecked, which wasn't my fault!" Kallen said as she approached Rolo, before shouting that last part to Rakshata, who simply ignored her and focused on the knightmare at hand. "Either way, it's good to see you again, Rolo." Kallen said with a friendly smile.

"You as well, Kallen." Rolo said with a polite smile before looking down at her injured leg. "I'm sorry to hear you were injured, I hope you're doing better." He said with actual concern.

"It's healing. And hey, I rather have an injured leg than be a prisoner of Britannia." Kallen reassured him. "But word of advice, if you ever find yourself needed to be saved, let it be someone other than Joseph." She said tiredly.

"Understandable, he told me what you two endured during the Chinese Federation operation." Rolo said simply. "I assume you're here to see him?" He asked curiously.

"Uh, well, I just heard he was on the mission with you and Zero, so, I just wanted to properly greet him. That's all." Kallen said quickly.

"To thank him for saving you?" Rolo asked.

"Um, not exactly." Kallen said with a blush.

"Then what?" Rolo asked, still not understanding.

"Well...uh..." Kallen stuttered, her blush getting deeper.

"Hey, it's a cargo ship." Asahina said with surprise as he looked at the incoming ship.

Kallen looked up and her eyebrow quirked in curiosity and caution.

"I thought we already went through a supply run?" Tamaki asked in confusion.

"We did." Tohdoh said catiously, his defense rising.

"It's okay everyone, they're allies." Rolo reassured the Black Knights there.

"They?" Kallen asked.

Soon the cockpit opened and everyone's eyes widen in shock when they saw who exited the pilot seat with a smirk.

"What the Hell?!" Tamaki asked incrediously.

"Orange-boy?!" Kallen said, shocked by this revelation, Jeremiah couldn't help but chuckle.

"'Orange'. Such is the name of my loyalty. Thank you for reminding me, Lady Kozuki." Jeremiah told Kallen with a respectful nod, who just stared at him even more confused if not cautious than before. "Greetings, Black Knights. A pleasure to remake your acquaintance." He said as he gave small bow to them.

"What the Hell are you doing here?!" Chiba asked viciously as she aimed her weapon at him.

"I thought you were dead!" Tamaki said angrily.

"Hmm. He seems different, perhaps he was dead." Rakshata said with intrigue as she looked at his body and the piece on his eye.

"In a lot of ways I was. It's only recently I've truly felt alive." Jeremiah said with a smile, not at all afraid by the hostile welcome.

"Stop speaking in riddles! What are you doing here!?" Urabe asked in frustration.

"Everyone, please, calm down. I told you he was an ally." Rolo told them, coming to Jeremiah's side.

"You weren't around for this kid, but this guy was the same person who was in charge of the Purebloods! The group that made it their personal mission to terrorize Japanese civilians in the ghettos!" Minami said angrily.

"And he framed Suzaku for killing Prince Clovis!" Kallen said angrily. While she wasn't a big fan of Suzaku's at the moment, what happened to him back then was still messed up.

"What reason should we consider you an ally, Gottwald?" Tohdoh asked calmly but bitterly.

"I will admit, you don't have many. Your hatred and distrust towards me is warranted and you have every right to shoot me where I stand. But I've come to realize my mistakes, and I want to try atone for them as best I can, I have the chance to do that now thanks to his Majesty." Jeremiah started to explain.

"'His majesty?' Wait, you mean Joseph?!" Sugiyama asked in surprise.

"Of course..." Chiba muttered with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh come on! You know Joseph too?!" Tamaki asked in annoyance.

"Indeed. I met his highness several times when he still lived in Pendragon." Jeremiah said proudly. "Now that I know why he's here, I was quick to join him in his fight against Britannia. As long as I can make my prince proud, I will truly be satisfied!" He said determinedly as he was secretly refering to Lelouch.

The group looked at him incredulously, but didn't lower their guard.

"Come on guys! Jerry cool!" They heard a voice yell at them from inside the cargo ship that just opened its door.

"Joseph?" Kallen said surprise but also anticipation as she was happy to hear his voice again.

But then it became confusion as she heard a smaller voice after his.

"Yeah! Don't be mean to Uncle Jerry! He's nice!" A girl said defensively.

"And strong!." A boy added.

Kallen became even more confused when she saw Joseph walk up to the group, because he wasn't alone.

Currently, he was holding the hand of a purple-haired little girl and the hand of a boy with a bowl-cut. They themselves were holding hands with a girl with short burgundy hair and a boy with dull blue hair. And sitting on Joseph's shoulders was a blonde-haired girl with pigtails.

They looked around the Ikaruga with curiosity and wonder.

"Kids! Welcome to Black Knights' big awesome command ship!" Joseph proclaimed with a wave of his arm.

The kids looked around in awe, fascinated by the inner workings of the ship.

The adults, however, were really confused.

"Uh...Joseph...who-DAH!" Before Kallen could finish her question, she was suddenly tightly embraced by Joseph.

"Kal Pal! Missed you!" Joseph said excitedly as he swung her back and forth.

"I missed you too! Even though we never met!" The blonde haired pigtail girl said estatically as she hugged Kallen's head.

Despite not being able to breath, she was at a complete lost by what was happening.

"Who's the squirts?" Tamaki whispered to Minami.

"Not sure. Reports did say that children were rescued during the mission, but..." Minami said.

"Kal Pal! Meet kids!" Joseph started to say after he set her down. "This Longe." He introduced the dull blue haired boy.

"Hello." Longe said politely.

"Animi." Joseph introduced the short, burgundy haired girl.

"Nice to meet you." Animi said with a small bow.

"Umbra." He introduced the girl with the pig tails as he put her down.

"Can I play on Cherry Dynamite?" Umbra asked excitedly, confusing Kallen to no end.

"Kaecus." He introduced the long, purple haired girl who hid behind Joseph's leg.

"Hi. Y-You're...you're very pretty." Kaecus said shyly.

Kallen smiled kindly at her. "Thank you. You're pretty too." She told her, making her smile back.

"And this Potestas!" Joseph introduced the bowl-haircut kid, who simply nodded at her. "Kids! This Kal Pal!" He said as he wrung an arm around Kallen's shoulders, making her blush.

"You're our Papa's 'best bud?'" Potestas asked curiously.

"Is your leg hurt?" Kaecus asked with concern as she looked at Kallen's cast.

"Did you hurt it fighting other knightmares?!" Umbra asked excitedly.

"Uh, well, not exactly. It's kind of..." Kallen started to explain before she realized something. "Wait...PAPA?!" She shouted with confusion.

That caught everyone else off-guard as well. Did they really hear that word right?!

Joseph and the kids didn't seem to notice though as they already went onto another subject.

"Wait a minute! You have a baby mama!?" Tamaki shouted in surprise.

To which Sugiyama elbowed him in the ribs.

"Papa, can I ride on your shoulders next?" Longe asked.

"Wait! I wanna ride on papa's shoulders!" Animi argued.

"Hold on. I'm the oldest, so it should be me." Potestas countered.

"No way! It's still my turn!" Umbra argued back.

"You got to be on papa's shoulders for 10 minutes!" Potestas told her angrily.

"Guys, it's not a big deal." Kaecus tried to tell her sibling.

"Easy for you to say, you got to be on papa's shoulders three times already!" Umbra said angrily.

"Kids. Kids. Remember lesson." Joseph gently lectured as he kneeled to their level.

The kids grumbled and said in unison: "Argue and fight only when people be stupid or mean."

"Good job." Joseph told them with a thumbs up, which cheered the kids up and they gave their own thumbs up.

"Um, excuse me Joseph. I'm sorry, but, who exactly are these kids?" Urabe asked as he approached Joseph.

"Mine." Joseph said casually before bringing them into a big hug. "Best kids ever!"

"Best Papa ever!" The kids said in unison.

The confusion among the Black Knights just kept rising.

"Can someone please explain what's going on?!" Chiba asked angrily.

"Apologies. These kids are part of the group that were rescued during our mission. Big brother has decided to watch over them." Rolo explained politely.

"Not just watch! Nurture! Care for! Love! I be best Papa ever!" Joseph declared as he jump on top of a crate to make his proclamation, kids still in his arms.

"Yeah Papa!" The kids cheered.

Jeremiah couldn't help but chuckle in delight while Rolo gave a small smile.

Everyone else looked at Joseph as though he grew a second head.

"...Huh?!" Asahina shouted incredulously.

"Sounds to me like you gotten yourself in quite a scenario again, Joseph." Rakshata teased after he jumped back down and put down the kids. "How did you little ones come to know our moron?" She asked them sweetly.

The kids however looked at her with with fear, concern and hostility. Specifically Kaecus who clutched Joseph's leg tightly and Potestas who got in front of his siblings and scowled at Rakshata, who looked at them in confusion.

"P-Papa..." Kaecus said with a scared tone.

"A-Ok, Kaecus. She friend. No worry." Joseph told her gently after picking her back up and holding her close. "All good, my man." He told Potestas, ruffling his hair.

Potestas was still weary, but trusted his new father and relaxed, as did the other kids.

"Bad scientists all life. Not good." Joseph explained to Rakshata as he brushed Kaecus' hair to calm her down.

"I see." Rakshata said simply. "Not to worry children, the only things I tinker with are the big kids there." She told them as she pointed at the Guren with her smoke pipe.

The kids looked at the knightmare in awe and excitement.

"Is that Cherry Dynamite?!" Animi asked.

"It's so big!" Longe said excitedly.

"Wow! You make the coolest knightmares!" Umbra told Rakshata with a twinkle in her eye, who took the compliment with strive.

"I do indeed." She said with a smug smirk.

"But please don't call our papa a moron, he's the smartest man there is." Potestas asked politely.

"'The smartest man there is'? That's laughable. I'd be surprised if he even had a brain cell in there." Chiba joked.

"Hey! Don't make fun of our papa!" Potestas said angrily marching over to Chiba, surprising her.

"Yeah! He's the greatest in the world you old hag!" Umbra said angrily. Chiba's eyes widen at that.

"Old h-I'M ONLY 29 YOU LITTLE BRAT!" Chiba said angrily.

"Well Papa's only 22, so that makes you much older than him." Longe countered.

"And you're grumpy." Animi added.

"I am not grumpy! You kids have some nerve!" Chiba said defensively.

While the five of them continued arguing, Joseph watched the scene with Kaecus still in his arms.

"Aw. They bonding." He said as he looked on pleasantly. Kaecus was just confused.

"Joseph." Tohdoh called out, walking up to the two.

"Sensei!" Joseph greeted happily before turning to Kaecus. "This Sensei, best Sensei ever!" He told her excitedly as he put her down.

"I-It's nice to meet you, Oji-Sensei. Thank you for teaching Papa how to protect us." Kaecus said gratefully as she gave him a formal bow like Joseph showed her and her siblings.

Tohdoh looked in surprise from being called Uncle in his native tongue. But then a small smile bloomed on his face as he watched the girl ask Joseph if she pronounced it right.

"It's nice to meet you as well. You can just call me Tohdoh." Tohdoh said nicely.

"Um...is it okay if I like Oji-Sensei more?" Kaecus asked nervously.

"Totally fine! He love it!" Joseph told her before Tohdoh could answer.

"Right." Tohdoh said simply, knowing there would be no use arguing. "Joseph, could you explain how this situation happened?"

"I would like to the know the circumstances as well." Said a metallic voice, coming from Zero.

"Zero!" Kallen said in surprise.

"Admiral Zero!" The kids said in excitement and awe, remembering what to call their new uncle when he was wearing the mask.

"Top of morning, Admiral Zero! Meet kids!" Joseph said as he went over to Lelouch, wrung his arm around his shoulders, and introduced his kids.

"Yes. Longe, Animi, Umbra, Kaecus, and Potestas, was it?" Zero asked, getting their names from Rolo earlier.

"Yes. It's an honor to meet you, Admiral Zero." Potestas said respectfully as he gave him a bow, the kids following his lead.

"Papa's says you're a superhero." Umbra said excitedly.

"Are you able to fly?" Animi asked curiously.

"Or teleport?" Longe asked.

"Do you have super strength like Papa?" Kaecus asked.

"No, but I have been known to make a plan or two." Zero told them with a chuckle, amused by the kids' imagination.

"Master Zero, I've made sure to put away all the 'cargo'." Jeremiah told him with a subtle smirk, referring to a certain princess.

"Very good, Jeremiah." Zero told him.

"Zero, is Jeremiah really part of the Black Knights now." Asahina asked.

"That is correct. He is determined to atone for his sins, and I for one see nothing wrong with redemption." Zero told them.

"Thank you, Master Zero." Jeremiah said with a formal curtsey.

Kallen and Urabe looked at this interaction with intrigue, wondering what the story was between these two.

"As for you Joseph, may I please speak to you privately." Zero asked politely.

"No prob! Come on kids, climb jungle Papa!" Joseph said as he stretched out his arms.

The kids cheered and climbed onto their new father like a jungle gym.

"Joseph, I meant only..." Zero tried to explain only for Joseph to zip back him, kids laughing along the way.

"Onward! To sleepover!" Joseph cheered as he entered the elevator.

"YAY!" The kids cheered.

As the elevator doors closed, the Black Knights stood there, minus Rakshata and Tohdoh, completely baffled.

"...Okay seriously. What the Hell is going on?!" Tamaki asked incredulously.

Zero sighed and went after them.

"I'll be back shortly. Until then, Jeremiah, make sure you show Rakshata the schematics of the Siegfried." Zero said simply.

"Of course." Jeremiah complied.

"Siegfried?" Rakshata asked with curiosity.

"I'm sure you remember the sphere-shaped knightmare with the spikes from the Black Rebellion last year. It's one accustomed to my settings, so to speak. I have a feeling you'll find rebuilding it quite engaging." Jeremiah said with a smirk as he took a flashdrive from his pocket and handed it to Rakshata.

"Consider me intrigued." Rakshata said with her own smirk.

As Zero went towards the elevator, he straightened the cuffs of his cape.

Which Kallen, Urabe, and Rolo took as: "Meet in the studies."

...

Lelouch took off his mask and gave Joseph a stern look.

"Joseph, I want a good-OOF!"

Before Lelouch could continue his lecture, he was suddenly swarmed by the five kids who hugged him, making him fall over.

"UNCLE LELOUCH!" The kids shouted with glee as they tackled him.

"We're finally meeting you!" Umbra said excitedly as she clutched his chest.

"Papa says you're the smartest person in our family. But not as smart as him, right?" Potestas asked curiously.

"You're skinny, like really skinny. Can someone be that skinny?" Umbra asked with elated curiosity.

"Can I try on your mask?" Animi asked, holding the mask in her hand.

"Is it hard to walk around with a cape?" Longe asked as he examined Lelouch's cape.

"Can you mind control people with your Geass like papa said?" Potestas asked as he got up close to Lelouch's eye.

Lelouch was getting overwhelmed and Joseph just laughed at the situation.

"A little help?" Lelouch asked with annoyance as he put on his contact lens.

"Kids wanna know Uncle! They family now!" Joseph reasoned excitedly.

"Joseph, I don't think..." Before Lelouch could continue, he saw Kallen, Rolo, and Urabe come into the room.

"You can't go one day without making everyone lose their minds, huh Joe?" Kallen asked tiredly.

""It would definitely save us the headaches." Urabe said in amusement.

"It feels like you two would be more used to his behavior by now." Rolo said simply.

"You just learn to tolerate it." Kallen muttered so only he can hear it.

"I didn't properly introduce myself earlier. I'm Urabe." Urabe said to the kids with a friendly tone, kneeling down to their level.

"Hi Urabe!" The kids greeted with glee, though Kaecus was a bit quieter.

"Papa told us you helped Uncle Lelouch get his memory back from our evil Grandpa!" Animi said in awe.

"And that big brother Rolo almost killed you!" Umbra said excitedly.

Urabe and Rolo gave each other awkward glances at that.

"Anyway, what exactly happened to you guys down there? And where's C.C.?" Kallen asked, changing the subject.

Lelouch gave a sad sigh at and looked towards the library section of his studies.

"It's alright, you can come out. I promise, they won't hurt you." Lelouch said gently.

The group looked in confusion as they saw something they never thought they see.

A scared C.C. peeking over the shelf, her eyes wary.

"...Are...are these your friends, Master?" C.C. asked nervously.

Before anyone could say anything, the kids rushed towards her.

"Seaweed!" The kids shouted in excitement.

Only for C.C. to yelp and fall to the ground, hands for covering her head.

"I'm sorry! Please don't beat me hard again!" C.C. said frightfully.

The kids and the adults looked at her in surprise. Lelouch looked down in shame.

"That's definitely not the Seaweed I know." Joseph thought to himself

Kaecus looked at the shaking C.C. in understanding and approached her.

"Miss Seaweed...it's okay." Kaecus said gently, C.C. uncovered her head and looked at the child nervously. "Just take deep breaths." Kaecus told her and proceeded to demonstrate. "In.(Inhales) And out.(Exhales)"

The rest of the kids joined her, as did their surrogate father, who smiled at C.C. He didn't know what was wrong with her, but he knew a frightened child when he saw one.

"In.(Inhales) And out.(Exhales)" The kids and Joseph repeated together, showing how it was done.

C.C. was confused by this but copied what they were doing and actually felt better.

"It okay. We friends, remember?" Joseph asked her gently.

"...Friends?" C.C. asked in surprise.

"Don't you worry. We would never do anything to harm you at all." Lelouch told her gently, C.C. looked at him with scared cautious. "It's the truth. I promise you." He reassured her.

"Does this have anything to do with those memories I saw? I must investigate!" Joseph thought determinedly. "Kids, hang with Aunt Seaweed. Have grown-up talk with Uncle." He told his kids.

"Okay Papa." The kids agreed.

As they kids and C.C. got acquainted, the rest wanted some answers.

"What's wrong with her?" Kallen asked.

"C.C. lost her memory. It happened because she was trying to protect me. So the C.C. you knew is gone now. Erased. And it's my fault." Lelouch said regretfully.

The group looked at him in shock.

"Will...will she ever get back her memory?" Urabe asked.

"I don't know. I don't even know how." Lelouch told him.

"Big brother..." Rolo said quietly, hating to see his brother like this.

"Bet Uncle V.V.'s fault!" Joseph said angrily.

"V.V. had nothing...wait, Uncle?!" Lelouch asked with a double-take, realizing what was just said. Kallen, Rolo, and Urabe also looked at him in shock.

"Oh yeah. Don't know." Joseph said wondrously.

"Okay, can one of you start explaining please?!" Kallen said, starting to get annoyed.

And thus, Lelouch told the group about his time in C's World. Where he found out about the partnership between C.C. and his father and the fact that their contract would involve her dying and Lelouch taking her code, himself becoming immortal. He saw her memories of how she was raised as a slave and made a contract with a nun, she gained a Geass that made others love her, and in the end the nun betrayed her so she could die. To make things worse, his father gained immortality and would have likely ran the world amuck if it hadn't been for C.C. trapping him inside C.C.'s world.

And with Joseph, things were even stranger. He apparently was able to see C.C.'s memories as well and even confronted V.V. himself! Now only that, Marianne knew who C.C. was as well, even being friends with her!

And to top it off, he learned that not only was V.V. their uncle, he was the one who killed Marianne, and then he tried to kill him as well. Thankfully, a giant Phoenix bird appeared and destroyed V.V. for good, which confused everyone to know end.

When he woke up, he realized he was trapped with the kids he saved and taught them things of the outside, even comforting them in their time of need. Somehow it got to the point where the kids asked Joseph to be their father, and of course he said yes like it wasn't a big deal.

After hearing all this, Lelouch slumped onto the couch with complete shock.

"My mother and C.C...she never said anything..." Lelouch said quietly trying to make sense of this.

"Do you think they made a contract with each other?" Urabe asked.

"Seems like the only explanation." Kallen said.

"But first my father, now my mother? And V.V...her murderer this whole time? Damn it all!" Lelouch said angrily as he slammed his fist on the table.

"Sorry little bro." Joseph said sympathetically as he put a hand on Lelouch's shoulder.

"No, thank you for telling me Joseph. And thank you for scratching him off the face of the Earth." Lelouch told him.

"No thanks me! Thank giant Phoenix guardian!" Joseph said proudly.

"Yeah, that really needs to be explained to me. Same with your deceased mother appearing out of nowhere." Urabe said, definitely at a lost.

"Unfortunately, the only person who could possibly explain was C.C." Lelouch told him.

"Argh! I can't believe that woman! The whole time she was just using you to hand off her miserable life and I can't even get angry at her!" Kallen complained bitterly.

"Easy Kal Pal, did save little bro. Change of heart!" Joseph told her while patting her head to calm her down, which just made her sign tiredly.

"And all I did in return was revert her to the slave girl she once was." Lelouch said, feeling ashamed of himself.

"Please don't blame yourself big brother, it was C.C.'s choice to save you from the Emperor." Rolo told him.

"And don't be quick to let her off the hook, she has a lot of explaining to do, because I'm sure there's a way to get her memories back." Kallen said. "And when she does, I'm going to give her a good talking to." She said as she cracked her knuckles.

"Good ole Kal Pal." Joseph said cheerfully as he slapped Urabe hard on the back.

"Ow..." Urabe said quietly.

"I suppose we'll have to see." Lelouch said in a hopeful tone before turning to his little brother. "Rolo, did V.V. ever mention Ragnarok to you, was 'Killing God' part of it?" He asked.

"He never went into too much detail. The most he ever said was it was the greatest plan he and the Emperor ever came with, a plan to rid the world of liars." Rolo said solemnly.

"'Rid the world of liars'? What could it mean? And did they mean killing God in a literal sense" Lelouch tried to decipher.

"Lelouch, are you sure the Emperor is trapped in that world as you say?" Urabe asked cautiously.

"Yes, it's a victory that'll definitely help our rebellion in the long run." Lelouch told him.

"Thanks to Seaweed." Joseph said with a knowing tone as he elbowed Kallen.

"Erg. I guess we do owe her one." Kallen said with a grumble.

"And your mother, I don't want to make accusations, but if she knew both C.C. and your Uncle? Do you think maybe she knew about their plan as well?" Urabe asked solemnly.

Lelouch looked down in silence.

The thought had crossed his mind, it was clear there was things about his mother he no idea about and C.C. was the only source who knew anything about it. He didn't want to think of his mother in a bad light, but the evidence may prove otherwise.

"I honestly don't know. But when the time comes, we'll deal with the matter upfront, and I will get my answers from C.C." Lelouch said with absolution. "But now onto the elephant in the room. Or perhaps the five little ones I should say." He said as he turned to Joseph with a stern eye, the others looked at him as well.

"...What?" Joseph asked with his dopey smile, having no idea what he was talking about.

"(Sighs)Listen Joe, I let you get away with a lot of things. I didn't say anything when you burst into my school without a proper cover. I didn't complain when you interfered at Narita. I didn't lift a finger when you decided to dress as a clown when we rescued Tohdoh! And I didn't rim you out when you stupidly decided to rescue Kallen out on a raging battlefield!" Lelouch started to lecture, getting more angry with each statement. It honestly unnerved Kallen, Rolo, and Urabe a bit, Joseph was just confused by the anger.

"But this? This, is too much! You are not taking these kids under your care!" He continued to reprimand, and that definitely shocked Joseph.

"What?! But little bro! I Papa now! You uncle!" Joseph told him incredulously.

"You are not...!" Lelouch started to say before rubbing his eyes in frustration. "Joseph, these are not house-pets. They are living humans who need support and nurturing. It's hard to just take care of one child, I should know, I took care of Nunnally for years. And you're wanting to take on five!" He lectured.

"So just extra love then!" Joseph said happily as he hugged himself, making the group sigh tiredly.

"I have to agree with Lelouch, Joe. Your heart's in the right place but you don't know anything about being a parent." Kallen told him.

"14 years with mom, enough experience!" Joseph said proudly. "And Rolo help too!" He added, pulling Rolo next to him.

"Me?" Rolo asked in confusion.

"Yep! Their big bro after all." Joseph told him with a big smile, surprising Rolo.

"Um...well..." Rolo said unsurely, until Lelouch gave him a hard stare. "Perhaps it's better we send them to the shelter so they can be properly attended to." He told him.

"Exactly. I'm sorry Joe, but the kids have to leave." Lelouch said, putting his foot down.

Joseph looked at his brother in contemplation and just sighed.

"Okay." Joseph said disappointedly.

He went over to the kids, who were getting C.C. to open up, and crouched down to their level.

"Hey kids!" Joseph said excitedly, startling C.C.

"Papa!" The kids shouted with glee as they hugged him.

"Having fun?" He asked them.

"Yeah! Seaweed's really nice!" Umbra said happily.

"She's really shy though, please don't scare her." Kaecus said gently.

"No worry be. Gotta go Seaweed. Bye bye." Joseph said as he waved goodbye to her, as did the kids.

"Bye Seaweed." The kids said, waving goodbye.

"Uh...g-goodbye." C.C. said nervously with a wave, never being treated with so much kindness before.

Joseph and the kids went back over to the group and he kneeled before them.

"Kids. Got bad news." Joseph started to say sadly, scaring the kids.

"What's wrong Papa?" Animi asked in concern.

"Are you hurt?" Potestas asked with fear.

"I am, in here." Joseph said as he clutched his heart. "'Cause Uncle Lelouch not want you here." He told them.

Shocking the kids, and especially Lelouch.

"Wait, what?!" Lelouch asked, not sure if he heard that right.

"Uh oh." Urabe said quietly.

"Yep." Kallen agreed, knowing where this was going.

Rolo just looked on in confusion.

The kids turned to look at him with hurt expression.

"You don't want us here, Uncle Lelouch?" Longe asked, not understanding.

"D-Did we do something wrong?" Kaecus asked in a scared tone.

"No! It-it's nothing like that! It's just-" Before Lelouch could explain, Joseph came to his side and pointed accusingly at him.

"He think I be bad father!" Joseph told them.

"WHAT?!" The kids asked in shock.

"I didn't say that!" Lelouch said quickly.

"It was only implied." Rolo said matter-of-factly.

"Rolo!" Lelouch said in annoyance.

Suddenly the kids closed in on Lelouch.

"Papa's the best papa ever!" Umbra insisted.

"He taught us so many things!" Animi told him.

"Like dancing and music!" Longe said.

"He showed us how not to be scared." Kaecus said, tears forming in her eyes.

"He saved us! He loves us! You can't take him away from us!" Potestas said angrily, his Geass forming in his eye.

He would have used it too if Joseph hadn't grabbed his shoulder.

"Po. Calm." Joseph told him politely but firmly. "Remember?"

Potestas looked, feeling ashamed. "Only use superpower for emergencies." He said quietly before tightly hugging Joseph.

The other kids joined in and Joseph tightly hugged them in return.

"Please let us stay, Uncle Lelouch. We promise to be good." Kaecus said sadly.

"Papa told us that we have to keep your identity a secret, we won't tell anyone." Umbra said, tears falling down her face.

"We're so happy here, don't make us leave." Potestas said tearfully.

"I...I..." Lelouch stuttered, not sure what to say.

"Pleeeaassseee." The kids said in unison, having the saddest faces Lelouch had ever seen. Joseph joined them in making a sad face.

Lelouch was stumped, he looked at Kallen, Rolo, and Urabe for support. Kallen covered her mouth to stifle her laughter, Rolo rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, and Urabe just smirked and shrugged his shoulders in "oh well".

Finally, he let out an aggravated groan. "Alright! Fine! They can stay. But they are YOUR responsibility!" Lelouch lectured Joseph.

"YAY!" The kids and Joseph cheered.

"Hug Uncle!" Joseph told the kids.

"Wait! Wait!" Lelouch tried to say, but it was too late as he was tackled once again into a bear hug by the kids. Lelouch could only sigh tiredly at his situation. "Real dirty trick, Joe." He said bitterly.

"I know." Joseph said with a smirk. "What we say, kids?" He kindly asked.

"Thanks Uncle Lelouch!" The kids happily said together.

"Papa says you have books with pictures inside, can I see them?" Longe asked excitedly.

"And what's Chess? Can you show us how to play?" Animi asked.

"Can we watch you use your Geass?" Umbra asked with anticipation.

"Uh, how about we find a time to hang out later. Right now I think it's best you kids find some proper clothes, right Joseph?" Lelouch suggested.

"Abso-toda-lutely! Come kids! Find some threads, some dreads, and all those steads!" Joseph told the kids as he pointed out the door.

"Yeah!" The kids cheered as they ran out the door, Joseph following them.

"Rolo..." Lelouch said tiredly as he pointed to the door.

"Already on it." Rolo said as he went after his siblings.

"(Sighs) He is going to be the death of me one day." Lelouch said wearily.

Kallen then playfully punched him on the shoulder.

"You're such a softie" Kallen teased.

"Shut up." Lelouch said with an eye roll.

"You sure you're okay with this?" Urabe asked with a teasing smirk

"Not really. But who am I to judge, I was a kid when I became Nunnally's caregiver." Lelouch told him. "And I suppose he'll have us to help." He said with a small smile.

"Oh? So they're not just his responsibility?" Kallen asked with a knowing smirk.

"Come off it, Kallen." Lelouch told her. While he would never admit it, hearing those kids call him "Uncle" felt nice.

"Master Lelouch." Jeremiah called over his monitor.

"Yes, Jeremiah. What is it?" Lelouch asked.

"Our guest is properly situated in Section 4-I." Jeremiah said.

"Very good, I'll be down there shortly." Lelouch told him.

"Yes, my Liege." Jeremiah said before shutting off comms.

"So, what's the story with Orange-Boy?" Kallen asked with a cocked eyebrow.

...

"Ohgi! Where the hell have you been?!" Tamaki asked loudly as he saw his friend enter the Ikaruga.

"Yeah man, you went radio silence for a whole day, everything okay?" Sugiyama asked with concern.

"Uh, yeah. Sorry everyone, I had some business I needed to take care of." Ohgi told them.

Suddenly, Diethard came in from behind and patted him on the back.

"Well we're glad to have you back in command, now we can move forward with our plans." Diethard said with a knowing smirk.

Ohgi gave him a subtle glare, thinking about their conversation earlier.

...

(Flashback)

Ohgi and Diethard sat across from each other as footage of Villetta unconscious and tied up was shown on the monitor.

"All right. Just what are you trying to achieve by threatening me, Diethard?" Ohgi asked with a glare

"Threatening you? Oh, no. I'm simply asking you to continue working as a member of the Black Knights as you have been." Diethard told him.

"What do you mean by that?" Ohgi asked.

"Look, I'm only saying that I don't want you to be any trouble to Zero. That's all. You should be lucky Sayoko brought this to my attention." Diethard said.

"Why? There are plenty of people who can replace me." Ohgi said angrily.

"You're valuable for the simple reason that you're a man of ordinary character." Diethard said blankly.

"Huh?" Ohgi said, not understanding.

"Organizations need more than brilliant leadership and star players in order to succeed." Diethard told him solemnly.

(Flashback End)

...

"Well while you guys were gone, Waldo decided to become a dad!" Tamaki said incredulously.

Ohgi and Diethard looked at him in confusion.

"Say what now?" Ohgi asked.

...

Knightmare Hangar

"Kinoshita." Asahina addressed the Black Knight.

"Oh. Captain Asahina." Kinoshita said in respect.

"Blood stains?" Asahina asked in surprise when he saw Kinoshita's knightmare. "What exactly happened on that mission?"

"Well, I can't say much about it, but I can say we personally did a public service." Kinoshita said determinedly.

"Public service?" Asahina asked in confusion.

"I'm sorry Asahina, but the details must be kept top secret, even General Tohdoh isn't allowed to know. Those are Zero's orders." Rolo said, popping out from behind a knightmare.

"I'm surprised Zero is let you in on such a mission, considering you're still a new member." Asahina said, a bit suspicious.

"It's as I said-AH!" Before Rolo could explain he was tackled from behind by Umbra.

"Tag! You're it, big brother Rolo!" Umbra shouted excitedly.

"He's it! Run kids! Run!" Joseph shouted frantically to the other kids.

They screamed and laughed as they ran away.

"I didn't know running and chasing could be a game!" Potestas said excitedly as he and his siblings ran out of the knightmare hangar.

"Wait, what?" Rolo asked, trying to figure what's going on as he got back up.

"You it, little bro! Come on, get them!" Joseph encouraged as he took Rolo's arm and ran after the kids.

"Oh-oh right!" Rolo said in compliance, still not sure what was happening.

They left a confused Asahina and Kinoshita.

"I'm guessing the prince is why." Kinoshita said, a bit dumbfounded.

"Yeah. I'd be annoyed if he wasn't who he was." Asahina said with a smirk.

...

Meanwhile, Lelouch was taking the time to confront his sister, Cornelia. Who was currently sitting on a chair, her legs strapped together, one arm tied up in the air and the other in a sling.

"I thank you again for saving her life, Jeremiah." Lelouch commended.

"Of course, your Majesty. I couldn't dare let another member of the Britannian Royal Family die." Jeremiah said stoically, kneeling in respect.

"Tell me, Lelouch. What is it you're seeking with that accursed power?" Cornelia asked bitterly.

"What am I seeking? I'm seeking to bring peace to the world and save a sister that I adore." Lelouch told her.

"How dare you...!" Cornelia said viciously, not believing him for a second.

"It's the truth, Princess! Master Lelouch just wants to create a gentler world!" Jeremiah insisted.

"I would expect his puppet to agree with him." Cornelia said venomously.

Before Jeremiah could deny her accusations, Lelouch raised his hand.

"Jeremiah, please give us a minute." Lelouch ordered.

"Yes, your Highness." Jeremiah complied as he rose back to his feet and left.

The two siblings stared at each other for a moment, one with harsh eyes and the other with blank ones.

"I'm sorry that our reunion has to be like this Cornelia." Lelouch told her softly.

"Why? Because I'm your hostage or because you cold-heartedly killed my sister?" Cornelia asked bluntly.

Lelouch gave no reaction but did wince internally.

"Euphemia's death was truly not my intention that day." Lelouch told her simply.

"No, you just wanted to make her out to be some sadistic monster. Everything else was collateral damage." Cornelia said with a sneer.

Lelouch couldn't find the heart to refute those words, because deep down he felt them to be true.

"I understand your hate for me. Despite everything that's happened, I still hate myself for it." Lelouch said admittedly.

Cornelia's eyes hardened at that. "Bastard! Trying to extract pity out of me?!" She thought angrily. "Then why don't you do the world a favor and-"

Before she could finish that statement, the door revealing a red-beard man and five little kids.

"CORN!" Joseph shouted with joy as he quickly moved into the room and lifted his older sister into a bear hug. "MISSED SO MUCH!" He cheered as he swung her back and forth.

"J-Joseph?" Cornelia asked with struggling breath.

After he finally let her go and put back down on the chair, he turned to the five children.

"Kids! Meet Corn! Your aunt! Corn! Meet nieces and nephews!" Joseph introduced with glee.

"Huh?!" Cornelia asked, not sure if she heard that right.

"AUNT CORN!" The kids cheered as they ran up to her and hugged her, which caused the chair to start falling, which was thankfully stopped by Joseph.

The kids had changed their clothes since then. Potestas wore a simple white t-shirt and black shorts, Kaecus had on a blue smock with a blue skirt, Longe had on a gray hoodie with black jeans, Umbra had on a white blouse with a bright green skirt, and Animi wore a violet short-sleeved buttoned shirt with blue jeans.

"Jeremiah..." Lelouch grumbled towards the cyborg.

"Apologies, your Highness. They ran right past me before I could say anything." Jeremiah said awkwardly.

After the kids let her go, they gather around her with curiousity and excitement.

"Hi Aunt Corn! I'm Animi! Did you really change Papa's diapers back then?" Animi asked excitedly.

"Did you change Uncle Lelouch's diapers?" Longe asked curiously.

"I like your hair. I-It's purple like mine." Kaecus said with a small smile.

"Sorry V.V. held you prisoner. We found out how much of a bad person he was." Potestas said apologetically.

"But now you're Uncle Lelouch's prisoner, isn't that weird?" Umbra said with positivity.

Cornelia looked at these kids completely dumbfounded.

"I see some of them have already taken after Joseph..." Lelouch thought with a sweatdrop.

"Precious little guys." Joseph said sweetly to Cornelia as he hugged her from behind.

"It seems our little chat has come to an end, Cornelia." Lelouch said as he went on his way to leave, but not before turning his head back. "I truly am sorry about everything." He said quietly.

Joseph looked at Lelouch sympathetically while the kids looked with sadness and confusion.

"Is he okay, Papa?" Kaecus asked with concern.

"Is it because of Aunt Eup?" Potestas asked.

Cornelia's eyes widen at that. "They know about that?"

"Yeah. Kids follow, help cheer up, okay?" Joseph suggested to them. "Quality time with Corn."

"Okay Papa!" The children happily agreed.

"It was nice meeting you, Aunt Corn!" Longe said.

"Let's do stuff when you're no longer a bad guy!" Umbra said excitedly as they went out of the room.

Joseph turned back to Cornelia.

"So, how be?" He asked with a friendly tone and smile.

"You're really going to ask me that?" Cornelia asked with a glare.

"Come on Corn, been while. Wanna catch up." Joseph insisted.

"Why? Trying to distract me from the fact you working with Euphie's killer?" Cornelia asked bitterly.

Joseph resigned at that and just sighed as he sat down by the side of the wall.

"Hoping to. Really have missed." Joseph told her gently.

Cornelia could tell he was sincere and just sighed tiredly.

"I missed you too." She muttered, Joseph smiled at that.

They sat there in silence for a moment, not sure what to say to each other.

"...So what's with the kids? They're from the Geass order aren't they?" Cornelia finally asked.

"Yep-per-rooni! I Papa now!" Joseph proclaimed happily as he jumped back onto his feet.

Cornelia deadpanned at him, not believing those words actually came out of his mouth.

"Joseph...that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say." Cornelia said bluntly.

Joseph couldn't help but be offended. "Come on, Corn! Very responsible!" Joseph argued.

"You are literally the most irresponsible person I've ever known!" Cornelia said incredulously.

"But getting better." Joseph said with a smug smile, making Cornelia groan in annoyance.

"But why take in those kids? They have Geass! They're nothing but dangerous killers!" Cornelia told him angrily.

To which Joseph flicked her hard on the head.

"Corn! Those your nieces and nephews! Be nice!" Joseph lectured her angrily.

"I bet it was Lelouch who told you to recruit them." Cornelia said.

"Geez, Corn! Think Lelouch do that?!" Joseph asked in shock.

"Yes! Because he killed Euphemia! He made her into a monster and yet you've betrayed her and your country by helping him continue his rebellion!" Cornelia said angrily.

"It accident, Corn! He loved Eup!" Joseph insisted.

"And I'm sure he's gotten you to believe that, even without his Geass." Cornelia said with venom.

Joseph stared at her for a moment before looking down in sadness.

"...He our brother." Joseph finally said quietly, a last ditch hope to reason with her.

"...My brother died eight years ago. There's only Zero. And when I have the chance, I will kill him." Cornelia said with finality.

Joseph could see there was no reasoning with her so he sighed and went on his way.

"If you really care about those kids, then keep them as far away from Lelouch as you can. There is only tragedy down his path." She warned him.

Joseph stopped for a moment and looked at Cornelia solemnly.

"Revenge best served frozen, Corn." He told her, leaving Corn with her own thoughts.

...

"...And when the player is able to completely trap the king, it's called checkmate, declaring them the winner and ending the game." Lelouch told his new nieces and nephews as he explained the game of chess.

Jeremiah had gone to do some tasks for Lelouch.

"Sounds complicated." Longe said.

"And boring." Umbra complained, Lelouch couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"It's a game that requires a lot of patience. You have to be able to use your wits and make decisions on the fly, especially in competition." Lelouch explained.

"Is it true you've been playing since you were our age?" Animi asked.

"I have indeed." Lelouch said a bit boastfully.

"Wow, our Papa must be the best player in the world if he beat you twice!" Potestas said with awe.

Lelouch's eye twitched and smile thinned at that.

"That's incorrect actually. You see, he did not play the game right so those victories were never valid in the first place." Lelouch explained calmly.

"Papa did say you were stingy when it came to losing." Umbra said disappointedly.

"But I didn't-" Lelouch tried to argue, only to feel Kaecus pat his leg.

"Don't worry Uncle Lelouch, I'm sure you'll become a great chess player like Papa one day." Kaecus told him sympathetically.

Lelouch stared at her for a moment before sighing and shaking his head in amusement.

"Thanks, Kaecus." Lelouch told her with a small smile and a pat on the head, she smiled in return.

"Hey Fam!" Joseph greeted them, arms wide.

"Papa!" The kids cheered as they ran and hugged Joseph, who laughed with joy.

Lelouch couldn't help but admire the bond that was made between them.

"Did you have a good talk with Aunt Corn?" Animi asked.

"Corn cranky, gonna cool off." Joseph told her as he picked her up.

"I suppose that's my fault, I'm sorry Joe." Lelouch told him solemnly, knowing Cornelia probably saw Joseph as a traitor now.

"A-Ok, bro! No regrets!" Joseph told him happily.

Lelouch gave him a nod of appreciation.

"Oh, before I forget. I wanted to give this to you, Longe." Lelouch said as he took something of his coat pocket. It was a book and he handed it to Longe, who looked at it with curiosity. "You said you wanted a book with pictures in it, I figured A Christmas Carol would suit your needs." He continued.

Longe flipped through the pages and looked at the illustrations with awe, as did his siblings who gathered around him.

"You weren't kidding Papa!" Umbra said in amazement.

"This is so cool!" Animi said excitedly.

"Thank you, Uncle Lelouch!" Longe said with gratitude.

"My pleasure." Lelouch said with a genuine smile.

"Aw, who's a good uncle!?" Joseph asked playfully as he put Lelouch in an headlock and ruffled his hair.

"Alright, Joe. Come on." Lelouch said with a laugh as he pulled himself out out.

"Now, who hungry!?" Joseph asked excitedly!

"ME!" The kids cheered.

"To cafeteria!" Joseph proclaimed as he pointed down the hallway.

They charged in that direction, leaving Lelouch alone.

"I wonder how long it'll be until he realizes that's not where the cafeteria is?" Lelouch wondered in amusement.

...

Viceroy Palace

"Lord Guilford, we've finished preparations for your troops review." A Britannian Soldier told Guilford over the phone.

"Very good. On my way." Guilford told the soldier before hanging up. Only to receive another call a second later. "Yes? Don't worry, if it's about the troop review I under-"

"Lord Guilford." A familiar voice said over the phone, one Guilford never thought he would hear again.

"Orange-Boy?!" Guilford asked in shock.

...

Horai Island

Jeremiah smirked after he hung up with Guilford.

"Now his highness will have another trick up his sleeve." Jeremiah thought deviously.

"Hey, Orange-Boy!" Kallen called out as she approached him on her crutches. "Or Jeremiah, sorry." She corrected herself, sheepishly.

"Oh, Lady Kozuki." Jeremiah greeted politely. "No need to apologize, it's a name I welcome now." He told her proudly.

"Yeah, Lelouch told me about your past history with him and Joseph, as well as what happened to you after Narita. And I, well..." Kallen started to say before scratching her head in awkwardness.

"...Yes?" Jeremiah asked in confusion. To which Kallen groaned in annoyance.

"Look! I'm not going to apologize for almost killing you in Narita if that's what you're hoping for! You were my enemy and I was trying to free my country!" Kallen angrily explained, confusing Jeremiah even more. She then looked down in frustration. "But had I known what was going to happen to you afterwards...I...maybe...would have gone a different way of...taking you out." She said as she crossed her arms and looking away in awkward irritation.

Jeremiah stared at her for a moment before breaking out in laughter.

"What?!" Kallen asked angrily, thinking he was laughing at her.

"Apologies, I just didn't expect you to feel bad for my situation is all." Jeremiah said after calming down. "Honestly, your condolences are unnecessary Lady Kozuki. I know the man I was back then. When Lady Marianne was assassinated, I let myself wallow in guilt for failing to protect her, but then it was nothing but rage and anger when I thought her children perished as well. In the end, I took it out on those who didn't deserve it, I prejudiced against the Japanese to sooth my own emotions. Innocent people, even children, it's something I'll have to live with for the rest of my life." He said with solemn wistfulness.

Kallen was surprised at the confessional from Jeremiah, but she couldn't help but remember how she acted when her brother was killed, or how Lelouch carried on after what happened to Euphemia.

"Yeah, I can understand that." She muttered quietly as she looked down at her feet.

"In some ways, I think what happened to me was punishment for my actions. But it gave me a second chance to do right by his highness, to be better than what I was before, and I don't intend to let him down again. I know I have a lot to make up for, but I meant what I said earlier. I truly wish to atone for my mistakes and I hope you give me a chance." He said with determination.

Kallen wouldn't lie, the guy knew how to use his words effectively.

"(Sighs)Well, I'm not sure I can trust you yet, but both Joseph and Lelouch vouched for you, so I'm willing to start over." Kallen said solemnly as she extended her hand towards him.

"I thank you, Lady Kozuki." Jeremiah said with respect as he took her hand and shook it.

"For starters, please stop calling me Lady Kozuki. It makes me feel old. It's just Kallen." Kallen said lowered eyebrows.

"Of course, my apologies." Jeremiah said with a smile and a slight bow.

"So, Joe being a dad. So think that'll actually work out?" Kallen asked as they walked together.

"I won't lie, Prince Joseph is an eccentric fellow, but he's a good-hearted chap. I have no doubt those kids will have a bright future." Jeremiah said optimistically. "And I'm sure motherhood will welcome you with open arms." He said proudly.

That made Kallen's head snap up at him.

"Motherhood?! What the Hell are you talking about?!" Kallen asked with shocked confusion.

"Well I heard word around the area that you and his highness were becoming entwined with each other, I assumed this meant you would be taking in the kids as well." Jeremiah said, oblivious to the red taking over Kallen's face.

"TAMAKI!" Kallen shouted with rage as she furiously marched towards the Ikaruga with her crutches, knowing someone was going to die tonight.

"...Was it something I said?" Jeremiah asked himself as he stood there by himself.

Or at least he thought he was by himself.

"Call it, 'young love.'" A woman's voice said out of nowhere, surprising Jeremiah for a moment.

"Ah, Lady Sayoko. A pleasure to see you again." Jeremiah said genuinely with a bow.

"You as well, Lord Jeremiah." Sayoko said as she bowed in return. "I couldn't help but overhear your speech with Lady Kallen earlier. You managed not to sound too pompous this time." She teased with a smirk.

"Yes, I'm learning to tone it down as you advised." Jeremiah said with a chuckle.

"I'm glad you took it to heart." Sayoko said.

"Of course. I would be a fool to turn down the advice from an exquisite lady such as yourself." Jeremiah said with appeal in his voice as he approached her.

"Always the charmer." Sayoko said as she traced a finger down his chest.

Their faces were inches apart, looking as though they were about to seal the deal.

Only for Sayoko to strike a kunai between them, shocking Jeremiah.

"I do believe you owe me a rematch, sir." Sayoko told him with a smirk before pocketing her weapon. "It'd be rude to keep a lady waiting." She said as she walked away, gesturing him to follow her.

Jeremiah looked at her in surprise and then smiled in amazement.

"What a woman." Jeremiah thought with desire. "It would be indeed!" He said with delight as he went after her.

...

Cafeteria

Joseph let out a huge burp after eating the meal prepared by Naomi.

"Delicious!" Joseph complimented, rubbing his belly.

"Damn Joe, making the rounds already!" Tamaki cheered his second best friend, having joined him and the kids.

The kids let out their own tiny burps. Some laughed while the others flustered.

"Excuse us." Kaecus said shyly.

"Better out than in!" Joseph told her as he patted her on the head, making her smile.

"That was so good!" Umbra said with joy.

"I never knew food like that even existed!" Animi said happily as her eyes sparkled at the meat.

"Or that you could make drinking liquid out of fruit!" Longe said in disbelief as he looked at his orange juice.

"What is it you called it, Ms. Kozuki? Tep-pan-yaki?" Potestas asked.

"That's right. It was a popular dish back in my country." Naomi said, delighted that Joseph and the kids liked her food.

"Is it okay if I have more?" Animi asked nervously, usually they were allowed only one serving per course when they ate at the Geass Order.

"I'm starting to like these kids." Tamaki said with a smirk, filled with pride that these children were taking a liking to Japanese food.

"Why of course dear." Naomi said with a kind smile.

Animi barely heard her as she quickly dug into another helping.

"Remember napkin." Joseph told her in a fatherly tone as he took napkin and swiped her face.

"Papa!" Animi said embarrassingly.

"Tamaki!" Kallen yelled as she came in through the door, ready to murder someone.

"Ah crap." Tamaki whispered at the blood drain, knowing he was about to be murdered.

"Kallen!" Naomi shouted with joy as she came over and hugged her daughter.

"M-Mom?" Kallen asked in surprise and confusion.

"My little girl is growing up so fast, you and Joseph taking in these kids without hesitation!" Naomi cheered as she tightly hugged her daughter before looking at her with a tearful smile. "You made me a happy Obaasan!"

"K-Kaa-san!" Kallen exclaimed, steam practically coming out of her ears as she looked angrily at Tamaki. "You!"

"I-I-I-I can explain...!" Tamaki stuttered quickly, afraid of dying.

"Hi Kal Pal, your mom's really nice!" Umbra said happily.

"And her food's delicious!" Animi praised with her mouth full.

"Anything for my soon-to-be grandchildren!" Naomi said, practically beaming.

"MOM! They are not-"

*CRASH*

Before Kallen could explain, they heard a glass break. It belonged to Kaecus' cup of orange juice as she accidentally knocked it over while reaching for some vegetables.

"Oh no! I'm sorry! I-I'm so sorry!" Kaecus said in a scared tone, bowing her head deeply to Naomi. Remembering how she would be punished making mistakes like those.

"Easy there, it was just an accident." Naomi told her in a motherly tone as she came over with a rag, surprised by the girl's apology.

"She right. Do all time." Joseph reassured Kaecus as he pointed at himself.

"Really?" Kaecus asked, surprised that her Papa would make mistakes.

"Yep!" Joseph told her before knocking over his own glass of juice. "See." He showed with a smile.

The kids looked in surprise, if they purposely did something like that, they would running experiments and exercises all day.

And yet these adults weren't angry, instead they laughed at Joseph's action.

"Oh Joe." Naomi said as she shook her head in amusement, coming over to clean the juice up.

"Allow moi." Joseph said sweetly as he took the rag and wiped up the juice. "See kids, mistakes common, just clean up afterwards." He told them.

To which he then grabbed a plate and offered it to Potestas, he looked at Joseph with surprise and then scared caution. Joseph just gave him a gentle smile and nodded.

Potestas slowly took the plate, looked at it and then dropped it on the ground, letting it shatter.

"Alright! Up top!" Joseph cheered, offering a high-five.

Potestas confused frown turned into an ecstatic smile as he high-fived his new father.

"Can I try?!" Umbra asked excited.

"Yes please!" Joseph encouraged.

"Um, maybe we shouldn't overdo it." Naomi kindly suggested.

But it was too late as Umbra quickly threw her glass on the ground. Followed by Longe who threw his plate down and laughed, as did Animi, even Kaecus who dropped her fork with cute nervousness.

"Hell yeah!" Tamaki cheered as he grabbed a bunch of plates and threw them against the wall.

"Tamaki!" Kallen reprimanded.

"What?! They're doing it!" Tamaki argued.

"Exactly! How it feel?!" Joseph asked.

"Great!" The kids cheered.

"Good! And remember, what we do after?!" Joseph asked excitedly.

"Clean up!" The kids said, ready to get to work.

"Then cleaning supplies!" Joseph declared as he raced to the closet.

"Yeah!" The kids followed after.

The all entered the closet while the Kallen, Naomi, and Tamaki looked in confusion. A moment later, Joseph and the kids came popping back out.

"Wrong closet!" Joseph proclaimed.

"Wrong closet!" The kids repeated.

They proceeded to run to another door, looking for cleaning supplies.

Naomi couldn't help but laugh in joy. "They're so precious. I want to scoop them up and never let them go."

"Yeah, they're nice kids." Kallen said with a small smile of her own, until she saw the knowing look from her mom. "Mom! Whatever Tamaki told you, they're not-"

"Relax dear. I was just teasing you." Naomi reassured her daughter.

"I...wait, what?" Kallen asked, dumbfounded.

"Come now Kallen, you really think I'd believe you would spontaneously marry Joseph and adopt five kids on the word of Tamaki?" Naomi asked with a chuckle.

"It was a joke!" Tamaki said defensively, afraid of getting hurt.

"I just felt like pushing your buttons is all." Naomi said with a bright smile.

"Kaa-san! You're so mean!" Kallen whined with a cute pout.

"A mom can dream though." Naomi said as she hugged her daughter.

...

Ikaruga

Zero's Private Quarters

Cecina looked around, so many things were a wonder to her. Her new master was the kindest person she ever served in her life and the people he knew seemed to be just as kind, especially that man with the black coat and his kids. However, it felt as though she was transported to a new world, all this new technology scared her.

And it didn't help when the black rectangle suddenly came to life.

"Hi, everyone! How are you?" A blonde girl shouted happily from the rectangle.

"I'm so sorry!" Cecina quickly shouted, cowering behind the table. She didn't know what this was but she didn't want to make it angry.

"It's up-and-coming one-woman festival with Milly Ashford here!" The woman known as Milly Ashford introduced herself.

"Well, you're not exactly alone, you know." The man beside her reminded her.

"Guess what, audience? We're going to the jungle right here in the city!" Milly continued.

"We are?" The man said, completely confused.

Cecina looked at the rectangle in scared awe, it seems these people were not aware of her presence.

Her thoughts were soon put to a halt when she heard the door open and she saw a stranger with a mask and cape walk in. She quickly hid behind the couch in fear this stranger might hurt her.

"I brought you some food." The stranger told her with a metallic voice as he pushed a metal cart with a strange circle-shaped food on it, she still didn't move. The stranger then removed its mask, revealing to her surprise to be her master. "It's only me." He reassured her as he set down the plate. "It's called pizza. I think you'd be hungry by now. I really wanted you to have some so asked Sugiyama to help me out." He told her.

Cecina slowly stood up and approached him and the food, she never seen anything like it.

"You don't remember, do you?" Her new master said gently as he took a piece of the food and ate. Suddenly she felt her stomach grumbled, not realizing she hadn't eaten all day. "Go ahead. Try it." He told her kindly. She quickly kneeled by the table and smelled the food. It was amazing! She looked at it and saw it was bread with melted cheese on it, along with circular rolls with meat inside on the end of each piece. "It's all right. You can eat." He assured her.

"Okay." Cecina said as she grabbed a piece and took a bite.

Her eyes light up, never tasting anything so wonderful before. She quickly devoured the rest in hungry joy.

"It's good, isn't it?" Her new master asked.

"Oh yes, yes. It's really really good!" Cecina said with a full mouth as she quickly went for another piece.

"I thought so. I'm glad you like it." He said sweetly as he grabbed a device from the table. "Prez, I'm not sure that's the way to start out a new career." He muttered to himself, he pushed something on the device that made the people on the rectangle disappear, shocking her. "I see. That's right. You don't even know what this is, do you?" Her new master said said sadly.

She wondered if she had upset him somehow. "I'm sorry Master, please forgive me."

He looked at her in surprise but then smiled warmly at her.

"It's alright, it's not your fault." He told her as he reached his hand out towards her.

She flinched for a moment, afraid she was to be punished. Instead he gently patted her head, she looked up at him in surprise and saw no anger or deceit in his eyes.

She smiled in return. She didn't know how long she would be with this master, but she hoped it be for a long time.

On his end, Lelouch couldn't help but wonder just what other secrets C.C. kept from him.

...

Cafeteria

After cleaning up, Joseph stood atop a table, hands on his hips and looked at his kids, ready with motivation.

"Alright younglings. Now cleaning done, time for education." Joseph declared.

The children looked at their new dad with wonder and awe.

"Oh, this I gotta see." Chiba said with a smirk, wanting to see how the dimwit would "educate" these kids.

"Chiba." Tohdoh warned, to which she pouted.

"He made cleaning up look like fun at least." Urabe said with a smirk.

They had joined the others while Joseph and the kids were cleaning up their mess and they managed to catch Joseph pole dancing with a mop.

"This is where you all are." Ohgi said warmly as he entered the cafeteria with Diethard.

"Ohgi! Where have you been?" Kallen said as she came over and gave him a hug.

"Sorry, just working out some personal stuff." Ohgi reassured her as he returned the hug, he then looked at the kids with surprise. "Are those the kids I heard about?"

"Yep, just when I thought Joseph could stop surprising me, he goes and pulls this." Kallen said with amusement.

"The Dimwit Prince becomes a father, who would of thought." Diethard said with an intrigued smirk. Something that neither Kallen or Ohgi liked.

"What are we gonna learn Papa?" Kaecus asked curiously.

"Covert skills?" Longe asked.

"Handgun assembly?" Animi asked.

"How to kill someone and get away with it?" Potestas asked, the most intrigued.

The group looked at the kids with disturbed expressions, wondering why those were their first suggestions.

"Even better! Today be music!" He proclaimed proudly.

The kids looked at him in surprise while the adults sighed tiredly.

"Of course." Chiba muttered as she rolled her eyes.

"Yay! I love music!" Umbra said happily.

"Me too!" Animi said joyfully.

"Me three!" Kaecus said, just as happy.

"Hey Joe! What gives? Learning about music isn't exactly helpful in life." Tamaki said bluntly as he walked over to them.

To which Joseph grabbed him by the cheeks brought him up close to his face.

"Au contaire, Tom-Tom. Music most helpful thing in universe, and show why!" Joseph told him passionately before throwing him to the side, turning his attention back to his kids.

The kids looked in awe from hearing their dad's words, never seeing such conviction before, not even from V.V.

Kallen couldn't help but smile, she could always see how much he loved his music.

"Shall teach you importance! History, genre, instruments, it all benefits! Do you accept!?" Joseph asked determinedly.

"Yes Papa!" The kids cheered happily.

"Then first Elvis! King of Rock and Roll!" Joseph declared as he grabbed his walkman, put in a tape, and press the play button.

The music started to come out of the speaker.

"The horns." Joseph told them with a wise tone.

"Oooooh." The kids said with wonder

If you're looking for Trouble

You came to the right place

(Joseph started to lipsync the lyrics while moving his arms to the beat)

If you're looking for trouble

Take a look right at my face

(Joseph points at his face, making a silly expression, making the kids and Kallen giggle. Chiba just rolled her eyes)

I was born standing up

And talking back

My daddy was a green-eyed mountain jack

(At the last lyric, Joseph started to shake his legs with the rhythm)

Cause I'm evil, my middle name is misery

(Joseph did the splits and slow rose back up, impressing the kids and some of the adults)

Well, I'm evil, so don't you mess around with me

(He took his walkman, treating it like a microphone and pointed at his audience)

"Drums! Cowbell!" Joseph proclaimed as the beat took it up a notch.

I'm evil, evil, evil, as can be

(Joseph stood on top of his tippy-toes and waved his arm in a circular motion as he continued to lipsync into his walkman. The kids looked at him with excitement, amazed by his moves).

I'm evil, evil, evil, as can be

(He then jumps and flips around on the other tables in the cafeteria, making his kids and Tamaki cheer.)

So don't mess around, don't mess around

Don't mess around with me

(He then fell flat on the table and started shaking around to move himself with the beat.)

I'm evil, I'm evil

Evil, evil

So don't mess around, don't mess around with me

(Joseph jumped off the table and then danced with his kids, who got jiggy with the beat.)

"Come on Kal Pal." Umbra said joyfully as she came over and pulled Kallen to join in the dance.

"Oh no no, I don't really..." Kallen tried to dissuade her as she took precaution not to put too much weight on her injured leg.

"Please, Kal Pal." Kaecus said shyly as she took Kallen's other hand.

"Join lesson!" Joseph encouraged as he took her arms and danced with her, much to her dismay.

"This Elvis guy definitely had a voice on him that's for sure!" Tamaki said with a grin as he also danced with the beat.

Even Chiba herself was subtilely bopping her head with the beat. Tohdoh saw this and gave her a smirk, Chiba instantly froze and her cheeks redden.

I'm evil, I tell you I'm evil

(Joseph couldn't to lipsync as he danced with Kallen, who did her best to keep the red off her own face while looking away.)

So don't mess around with me

(He then let go of her and fell to his knees, lipsyncing into his walkman. Kaecus took Kallen's hands and danced with her, who gave her a gentle smile in return. The rest of the kids danced around their papa.)

Yeah

(At the last beats, Joseph made different poses with his arms like Elvis would have before throwing his walkman in the air and catching it to say "Yeah.")

The kids cheered and applauded their father, as did Kallen with a shake of her head in amusement.

"That was amazing, Papa!" Animi said excitedly.

"It was awesome is what it was!" Umbra said, learning that word from her father recently.

"Yeah! That's my second best buddy right there!" Tamaki cheered.

"Thank you, thank you very much." Joseph said with an Elvis impression.

"I'm confused though, that Elvis person kept saying he was evil and the music seemed to agree with it. But you're not evil, Papa." Longe said in a confused manner.

"No worry Luu, song words just for show, what matter is the feels." Joseph told him.

"The feels?" Potestas asked in a confused manner, Joseph gave him a gentle smile.

"Come here." He told him with a gesture, confusing Potestas.

"Yes Papa?" Potestas asked curiously.

Joseph then gently took Potestas' hand and had pressed it against his chest where his heart was.

"You feel it?" Joseph asked him with a knowing smile.

Potestas closed his eyes as he felt his father's heart reverberate against his hand, it carried a rhythm somewhat similar to the song that played just now. The kids, Kallen, and Tamaki looked at them, wondering where Joseph was going with this.

"Yes." Potestas said.

Joseph then brought his hand back over to his own chest.

"How about now?" Joseph asked.

Potestas felt his own heart beat and gasped in surprise as he realized something.

"It's the same." Potestas said in amazement.

"Exactly. Like in cave, right?" Joseph asked as the other kids put their hands over their hearts, wondering if they were beating the same as well.

"I...I think so." Kaecus said a bit of nervousness but also in understanding.

"That...power of music. Gets you right here(pumps a fist to his heart). It hardens, soothes, elevates, relaxes, all those 'es! Messes with emotions like life itself. Not know what come but many ups and downs, like notes." Joseph told his kids in a wise tone as he gathered them around.

The adults exchanged glances, confused at that last statement.

"Feeling right now, hold onto, never forgot. Will keep you warm, bring joy, remind not all bad, that it enough. It is enough." He concluded as he smiled at all his kids and gave them a thumbs up.

The kids looked at their Papa with amazement.

"Remember. Okay?" Joseph told his children firmly.

"Yes, Papa." The kids said respectfully in unison with smiles on their face.

"Good. Now group hug!" Joseph said happily as he opened his arms in invitation.

The kids laughed and tackled their father into a group hug, making him laugh as well.

Kallen smiled at them, finding his words to actually be wholesome, even though they didn't entirely make sense.

"Aw man, I think I have dust in my eyes." Tamaki said as he swiped his eyes, his tone emotional.

"Well, it's not the craziest analogy I heard from him." Ohgi said with a smile, taking delight in the newly made family.

"Indeed." Tohdoh said with a small smile.

"Not bad for a dimwit, eh Chiba?" Urabe asked with a smirk.

Chiba just sighed, not bothering to argue. Diethard looked at the group with a keen eye and a smirk.

"Alright! Another lesson, kids?!" Joseph asked them excitedly.

"YEAH!" The kids cheered.

"Then Ray Charles it be!" Joseph proclaimed as he popped another tape into his walkman.

...

Some time later...

"Well this is rather annoying..." Rakshata said blankly as she stood over the prince and his new kids who were currently sleeping in her favorite spot.

That being the couch.

Rolo stood next to her, back in his school outfit.

"Where they get all that energy, I have no idea." Rolo said with a small smile.

"They are cute though." Sugiyama said with a small smile as he observed the sleeping spectacle in front of them.

Currently, Joseph was sitting up with his head dow, lightly snoring. Potestas was sleeping in his lap, Animi was sleeping on his left side, Longe on his right, Umbra laid against his legs, and Kaecus sat upon shoulders with her head resting on his.

"I do wish they found another spot to tucker out on." Rakshata said with a frustrated eyebrow.

From afar, Kallen, Jeremiah, Sayoko and Lelouch(in his Zero mask) watched the group sleep.

"He's honestly really good with those kids." Kallen said in surprise.

"It makes sense, he is a kid at heart after all." Lelouch said with a gentle smile inside his mask.

"I say he has the qualities of his mother." Jeremiah said with pride.

"Not sure if I should be worried about that or not." Lelouch said jokingly.

"In any case, we'll be there for any assistance needed." Sayoko said with delight.

"Like you said Zero. We're here to help." Kallen said with a smirk.

"Hmmm. Already looking forward to motherhood, Kallen? Perhaps you and Joseph are perfect for each other." Lelouch teased, making Kallen's eye twitch.

"Shut up! Tamaki has his head up his ass." Kallen complained.

"Maybe, but it did look like you wanted to tell Joseph something when we got back." Lelouch told her.

"Uh...it's nothing, it doesn't matter." Kallen said quickly before deflating. "I mean, he's a father now, I doubt he has time for my feelings anymore." She said quietly.

"You won't know unless you talk to him, will you." Lelouch told her gently.

Kallen thought about it, but still wasn't sure.

"If I may, Miss Kallen." Jeremiah spoke up.

"Just Kallen..." Kallen grumbled.

"Perhaps the best way to express yourself towards his highness is meet him in his own domain. He loves music after all, ask him to participate in some ballroom dancing." Jeremiah suggested.

"Is he always this old-fashioned?" Kallen asked Lelouch with a quirked-eyebrow.

"I found it be part of his personality." Lelouch said tiredly.

"Well if not music, perhaps a sparring match. Prince Joseph has shown himself to be a capable fighter after all." Jeremiah continued. "I myself have found great conversation with Lady Sayoko along with the skills of a true warrior after all." He complimented the maid/ninja.

"Don't cut yourself short, Lord Jeremiah. You've shown your own hand of skills outside of being a cyborg. Give it time and maybe one day you'll be just as strong as a member from the Shinozaki Clan." Sayoko teased.

"Well then, perhaps you would like to take a stroll with this cyborg and tell him all about this clan of yours." Jeremiah offered his arm with a charming smile.

Sayoko took it with a chuckle and walked with him, leaving Lelouch and a very stumped Kallen.

"O...kay...how long have those two been a thing?" Kallen asked, dumbfounded.

"Long enough apparently." Lelouch joked. "Strange though, a year ago I never would have imagined they have feelings for each other." He said truthfully.

"I guess he really is trying to turn over a new leaf." Kallen said.

"I suppose that makes two of us." Lelouch said quietly, to which Kallen grasped his shoulder in support.

...

Dallas Research Lab

Schneizel's Office

"With the way tests are going, the FIEJA should be ready for weapon use in a manner of days your highness." A Dallas Research Tech told Schneizel.

"Excellent. Then we'll prep for our visit back to Area 11." Schneizel said.

"Yes, Milord." The tech said before curtsying and going on his way.

It was then Kanon entered the office.

"It took charming some officials and bribing some military, but I was finally able to receive the footage from one of the knightmares that was destroyed when Zero took the Empress." Kanon said as he gave a tablet to Schneizel.

"Very good as always, Kanon." Schenizel said with a smile.

He then played the footage as Kanon came to his side.

And his eyes slightly widen when he saw his half-brother catch a knightmare's slash harken and then proceed to throw it into the air.

"God Almighty..." Kanon said in awe as his eyes shook with fear.

"Indeed." Schneizel said simply, starting to come with some backup plans.

...

Area 11

Viceroy Palace

"What do you mean she's not seeing anyone?! I'm her advisor!" Miss Lohmeyer said angrily as she, Suzaku, Gino, and Anya waited outside Nunnally's office.

"I'm sorry, Miss Lohmeyer. But the Viceroy has specifically ordered that no one disturb her the rest of the day, including the Knights of the Round. She was adamant." One of Nunnally's aides told her.

"Techincally she has no authority to bar us from coming in." Anya said blankly as she looked at her phone.

"Anya, please. Let's just respect the Viceroy's wishes." Suzaku told her.

Miss Lohmeyer just scoffed and left in a bitter mood, the Knights followed behind her.

"Do you know what's going on with her, Suzaku?" Gino asked in concern.

"...Yes, and unfortunately it's something by my own hand." Suzaku said quietly, Gino looked at him in confusion but didn't push. "Nunnally..." He thought with worry, wondering what was going through her head.

...

Inside her office, Nunnally sat by her desk with the school documents of Lelouch and Rolo's enrollment, but yet not hers.

There was absolutely no record of her ever attending Ashford Academy.

"Why is Lelouch registered but not me? And who's Rolo?" Nunnally asked herself.

This Rolo was apparently the same age as her and listed as Lelouch's brother. According to his records, he even had the same hair and eye color as her.

And Suzaku knew all about it.

"Nunnally! I am just trying to protect you!"

Protect her from what? Was Lelouch involved as well?

"I don't have time to explain. Right now, we have to act like we're strangers. It's necessary. Just follow my lead. I'm going to come for you. I swear it. So until then…until then…I love you, Nunnally!"

When she thought about it, there was a lot of things Lelouch never really told her.

"But just know you can tell me anything, right? I'll love you, no matter what."

"Thank you, Nunnally. I promise, when the time comes, I will."

In face, the more she thought about it, the more she realized Lelouch was always missing when Zero appeared on the news.

He was always going on vacations, taking business trips, gone for long periods of time.

"He'll be leaving on a three day trip starting today."

"Oh, I see. My, your brother's been going out quite a bit recently. Think it's a girlfriend?"

The same amount of times Kallen would be absent from school, as it turned out to be because she was a Black Knight.

And then there was Joseph, who stuck by Zero's side. Despite him killing Euphemia, he chose to stay with him.

"Because Nunne! Rather be on superhero's side than supervillain!"

"But wherever he be, misses you tons and tons."

"Listen Nunne, no worry about Lelouch. Does things not with you all time! Things that help people thrive! Loves it too!"

"Joseph's decisions are his own. He simply wishes to help make the world a better place."

Nunnally gasped at that, remembering what she told Lelouch.

I wish the world was a gentler place.

When the day finally comes that you can see again, I'm sure that it will be.

Really?

I promise.

And that dream...

"And I know if Lelouch was here, he would be feeling double the amount of pain and guilt I'm feeling, and he would want to make it right as much as I do."

And the day she came back to Japan,

the day Zero tried to take her,

he screamed her name.

Nunnally thought she was hearing things, or maybe her mind just wanted her to think she was hearing things.

Maybe all the clues were right in front of her this whole time and she just didn't want it to be true. It couldn't be true!

But she heard it.

It was loud and clear.

It was panicked, it was angry, and it was too familiar.

"NUNNNALLLLYY!"

Nunnally's mouth slowly dropped open and tears fell down her closed eyes.

"...Big brother?"

To Be Continued...

...

GUESS WHO'S BACK?!

BACK AGAIN!

First off, sorry for the long absence between chapters again.

Got caught with work, projects, the holidays, and just life itself! There's only so much time you can put into your day writing a fanfiction.

Hopefully I'll be able to get back on track again and it won't take another three to four months to release another chapter.

Anyway, this is one I was happy to make as I got to write Joseph and his new kids spend quality time together. I wanted him to teach his kids more stuff but I didn't want to wait any longer getting this chapter out, plus I can always write them in the later ones.

And I got to write more JeremiahxSayoko fluff, which is always fun _ .

As you can see, Suzaku is starting to deal with the consequences of his actions. Will it change him for the better later on? We'll have to wait and see.

Not only that, it seems Nunnally has finally figured out her brother's secret!

For those who think this was sudden, I feel like the clues were there for Nunnally in the anime, it was just a thing where her mind chose not to connect the dots due to her own gentle nature and innocence. Now that she doesn't always have Miss Lohmeyer and Suzaku hanging over her like shadows in R2 and Joseph's encouragement to be her own person, she's finally using her brain!

Will it affect her relationship with Lelouch? I refer to earlier statement.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter, let me know what you think in the comments.

Until next time!

P.S. I finally updated Joseph's look based on some Starlord fanart I found!

You can see a larger version on my Archive Of Our Own post.

And this is the Original Image Location: /png_view/rocket-raccoon-star-lord-rocket-raccoon-yondu-drax-the-destroyer-fan-art-png/ci2yF0ia