I don't own Code Geass

...

Deep Within the Imperial Palace, Pendragon, Holy Empire of Britannia, 2017

"We, the Black Knights, shall be the ones who stand in righteous judgment of this world!"

"Ha! That's my boy! Go Lelouch, kick Cornelia's-"

"Are you watching that video again?" Emperor Charles Zi Britannia asked as he walked into his private chambers. "That broadcast is three weeks old. You've seen it at least a hundred times."

"If you're so concerned about my watching it, perhaps you should order the news stations to stop running it," Empress Marianne Vi Britannia retorted, the gleeful grin never leaving Anya Alstreim's face. Marianne jumped giddily as the footage of Zero flinging out his harms repeated, though this time with an anchor's voiceover. "Oh, look at the way our son dances Charles!" she exclaimed, raising her arms with the same exaggerated movements, a grin brightening the face of the young girl she possessed. "He moves like a puppeteer, manipulating the mindless dolls on the stage, awing the audience with his theatrics and enrapturing them with his voice." She sighed dreamily, raising her hands to rest her face against them. "What a showman our boy has become."

"Indeed," Charles agreed. A sudden mischievous thought occurred to him and he smirked coyly. "It seems Clovis left quite the impression on him after all."

Anya's body shivered suddenly. She hugged herself, whirled around and said reproachfully, "How can you compare our dear Lelouch to that cad, Charles?" She huffed in annoyance, bending over and resting her hands on her hips. "Clovis was an utter novice, and a foolish one at that. Lelouch runs circles around that idiot in every respect."

Charles burst out laughing, eyes closed and head rocking back. Marianne glared at him crossly. "You mock me, husband," she said, raising her right eyebrow dangerously. "You would do well to remember what happened to those who mocked me."

The Emperor was still smirking when he replied, "I seem to recall having a number of them discreetly removed."

" "Removed." Such a lovely euphemism for assassination."

"I did not have them all killed," Charles protested, raising his hands. "Some were merely banished to the various Areas."

"Where guerrillas and other insurgents got to them within weeks," Marianne added dryly, straightening up and crossing her arms. "You always did like sending people you didn't like to places you meant to invade."

"I do happen to like Lelouch," Charles replied to her unspoken accusation, annoyed. "Kururugi's stubbornness was unexpected, though fortuitous."

"And yet you didn't try to recover Lelouch or Nunally," Marianne pointed out. "Had you found them, we might have Zero on our side, instead of blowing up generals and shooting princes."

"We knew they weren't dead, wife," Charles returned. "And in truth, so long as they remained "dead", V.V. wouldn't be trying to kill them. Aside from which, we now know where C.C. is."

Marianne nodded, mollified. "Knowing C.C., she'll want to stay as close to her contractor's side as possible to help him develop his geass."

"Which means that we can't lose," Charles finished her thought. "Whether we're able to capture her first or Lelouch takes her Code, there will still be another immortal for the Ragnarok Connection."

He moved to stand next to her, sliding his left arm around young Anya's waist. Marianne settled Anya's head against his barrel chest. "Just imagine it Charles," she murmured, "you, me, and our children, immortal, ruling a world devoid of lies, able to speak to one another without fear of falsehoods. Together, as a family."

Charles' hand came up to cup her face, tilting it up until he could see her eyes. Anya Alstreim's red eyes were a rude accompaniment, as was the child's slight frame compared to Marianne's buxom figure. But in those red-rimmed eyes, the love and fun-loving nature of Marianne Vi Britannia were rich and warm, drowning him in their depths. He leaned down, lips parted.

Anya's hand came up, fingers splaying across his lips. "No, my love," Marianne whispered, eyes half-lidded. "This is not my body, and it would be very suspicious if Anya found out she had lost her maidenhood and couldn't remember."

"I only wanted a kiss."

Anya smiled sadly. "We both know what that will lead to," Marianne pointed out quietly. Charles grunted angrily but let her go. Once more his hatred of his brother, the reminder of what the little mongrel had taken from him, enflamed in his chest.

Marianne said, "I'm returning Anya to her room. Poor girl needs some sleep tonight." She turned from him, stepping lightly over to the door. She swiveled Anya's head around, and her voice was low. "I look forward to the night when I return to my body, and we can be together again."

She opened the door and walked out. Charles watched the small body of Anya Alstreim saunter down the hall with Marianne's graceful gait, the image of his dead wife strong in his mind long after she left.

….

Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Kallen had never felt so beat in her life. Zero had been working them overtime for the past three weeks: contraband smugglers, slave traders, corrupt bureaucrats, civilian targeting terrorists, none of them were safe from the justice the Black Knights dispensed with ruthless efficiency. With each victory, each crook hung from poles in the streets, each successful firefight with Britannian soldiers, their legend grew. And every day, more Japanese showed up on their doorstep, ready to swear their service to Zero and his cause, often bringing along friends, and sometimes even their own Knightmares. Consequently, Zero was now Britannia's Most Wanted, edging closer and closer to the number one spot, with wanted posters on every street corner and ads daily about his exploits.

Unfortunately, the newfound notoriety had taken its toll on Kallen: she hadn't gotten a real good night's sleep since they started, and it was starting to affect her presence in class; just today she had woken up in class, stood up proudly and shouted before the entire class room "The Black Knights!" which had led to no small amount of embarrassment on her part. Now she walked down the halls of Ashford Academy on her way to the Student Council room, anticipating another day of endless paperwork and witnessing their President's never ending harassment of her subordinate council members.

The thought made her smile. Milly's only alive to mess with the others because of us. The thought of having helped her friends re-energized her so that when she arrived it was with a slight bounce in her step. The sight that greeted her was as much as she had expected: Milly was groping Shirley's breasts while Rivalz stared at them, eyes shining. Nina sat in her little corner, typing away on her keyboard, and Lelouch and Suzaku were chatting good-naturedly as they went over a stack of papers. Suzaku…

The sight of the Honorary Britannian took a little of the wind out of her sails. It wasn't that she particularly hated Suzaku, but there was no denying the irritation she felt whenever she saw him, which was sad because by all rights, she and Suzaku should be the best of friends: Suzaku was kind, fun-loving, honorable, and as polite and friendly as one could imagine. He was strong, intelligent, and all around would have been a great friendly rival for her were she able to display her athleticism. But then she had to confront the truth of him: the man was a disgusting traitor, fully prepared to gun down his own people on the orders of the Britannian dogs.

Kallen had nothing against Honorary Britannians: she could accept, even though it made her sad, that a number of her people had given up their pride and national spirit so that they and their families could live some semblance of a normal life. To protest otherwise would have made Kallen into a hypocrite, considering her own situation. But to her, there was a difference between kneeling before Britannian scum and actively arming oneself to fight for them. Those were the traitors she despised, the filth that would turn guns on their own brothers and sisters just so they could be a part of the ruling class rather than the serfs, no matter how low on the totem pole they were.

And then there are those who sell themselves into servitude to be with men who will never love them. Kallen banished the angry thought and the uncomfortable implications away, turning her attention instead to the Vice President.

Lelouch isn't so bad, though, she decided when the boy nodded a greeting to her while still engrossed in his and his friend's conversation. Really though, that description could be applied to any one of the other Council members that she had the pleasure of getting to know, but for some reason it seemed important to single him out and just how out of odds he was to the rest of the group. Where the others were boisterous and friendly, Lelouch was more quiet and reserved, possessed of a natural aristocratic air that belied his commoner status and a charisma that made his friends want to know him better. And while he was more overtly lazy, evidenced by his own naps in class and frequent skipping, he had earned her respect when he tried to rescue the others, even though it was unnecessary.

And he has nothing against Numbers, she observed, finding the friendship between Lelouch and Suzaku strange yet, somehow, right.

Kallen took her seat on Lelouch's opposite side, pulling a pen out of her bag to begin work. Before she could begin the grueling process of attacking the forms in front of her, the sound of gunfire roared behind her. She whirled around in an instant, combat instincts already taking over, when she saw Nina lifting her head, her expression torn between fearful and apologetic. Belatedly Kallen realized that the gunfire was coming out of the speakers on her computer. "Sorry," the mousy girl squeaked, moving the mouse with her hand, "I forgot to turn off the sound."

"What is it you're watching?" Rivalz asked, leaving his pile of paperwork to stand behind her. "Hey, isn't that a news report from Lake Kawaguchi?" Nina nodded shyly, bowing her head and drawing her hands down between her legs.

"What are you looking at that for?" Shirley asked, using the distraction to extricate herself from Milly's perverted grip. When she saw the timestamp on the video she quirked an eyebrow in confusion. "This is from a few nights after it happened. Why would you be looking at something so old?"

"The homeland is starting to crack down on recent coverage, so I was copying some of the better reports," Nina replied. "I was hoping to learn more about the Black Knights."

"What's to know?" Lelouch asked, still seated at the table. "They've told everyone who they are."

"They have?" Rivalz asked confusedly.

Lelouch smiled patiently. ""Knights for Justice" remember?"

Kallen felt a little warm when he said that, then saw Suzaku's frown. "What's the matter Suzaku?" she asked him in her best sick girl voice, startling him out of his musings. "You don't seem too happy about the nickname."

Suzaku shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful that Zero rescued everyone," he said, crossing his arms and leaning back against the wall, "but I can't help but feel that if they had wanted to act like heroes, they could have just joined the Knight Police. Now they're a bunch of crooks with good publicity that we'll end up having to track down."

"You wouldn't call Zero a hero then?" Lelouch asked, puzzled.

"I think he gave up that right when he assassinated Prince Clovis," Suzaku pointed out, turning to look at his best friend. "No matter what so-called noble deeds he accomplishes, he's still a regicide in the end, and still subject to Imperial law."

"But his actions led to the rescue of the hostages," Kallen argued. "He was able to respond more effectively than Princess Cornelia at any rate, even though the situation was so spontaneous."

"Of that I'm not so sure," Suzaku said, bringing his hand up to clasp his chin. "How did Zero get inside the hotel? We had the building surrounded, and the water was carefully watched, so there's no way he could have gotten through.

"And then there's the yacht he used to make his escape- it just happened to be there, ready for use? And how did his soldiers get into the building, and in such a position to be able to take out the JLF? No," Suzaku finished, declaring, "Zero and his men would have to have already been inside the Hotel when the JLF took over. No matter which way you cut it, Zero knew it was going to happen. And worst of all, he let it."

"But why would he do that?" Shirley asked, horrified at the thought.

Suzaku's eyes darkened with anger. "Because he wanted people to think he was hero," he ground out. "Think about it: with one strike he outwits both the terrorists and the Viceroy, saves a large number of hostages, and announces to the entire world his little group of terrorists. He not only has clout as a military leader, he has the image of being a crusader of justice, champion of the weak and slayer of giants. And all he really is is a craven scumbag who was willing to use innocent people to achieve his ends."

Kallen didn't like at all where this conversation was heading. "Maybe he was just trying to make sure that the terrorists didn't get away to strike again later on."

"If Zero had informed the Britannian military," Suzaku said, shaking his head, "we could have evacuated everyone and sent in our own men in disguise. That way no civilians would be in danger."

"And you think the JLF wouldn't have recognized fellow military personnel?" Lelouch cut in sharply. "That Kusakabe guy would have just attacked a different location and then where would you be? Flat footed with no way to know when it was coming, and a potentially larger amount of life at stake."

"Lives were lost regardless of the decision Zero made," Suzaku countered, making Lelouch flinch. "The lives of the people who were murdered in the initial take over are his responsibility. Their blood is-AARGH!" Suzaku yelled, jumping up suddenly. The others jumped too, startled. Suzaku lifted his foot, one eye closed in pain, revealing Arthur, the cat Princess Euphemia had left with him, hanging onto his ankle by the teeth. "Probably should have guessed that was coming," Suzaku winced, trying in vain to extract the homicidal feline from his leg.

"Want some help there buddy?" Rivalz offered, scratching the cat's belly in an attempt to make it relax. It worked, partially, as Suzaku still had to pry the hungry feline from his body, but by the end of it the tension that had filled the room as the argument became more heated had vanished, replaced instead by peals of laughter from all involved, even Suzaku.

"Looks like Arthur was feeling left out," Milly said lightly, petting the cat's head with a smile.

"Why do you even keep that thing?" Lelouch asked, giving the cat the evil eye.

"He was a gift," Suzaku explained, smiling fondly, "from a friend."

"Then he deserves a proper welcome," Milly declared. "I hereby proclaim that three days hence will be our first ever cat festival! Costumes are mandatory."

Kallen said "Cat festival?" at the same time that Shirley said "Costumes?"

Lelouch sighed in annoyance. "You're just looking for an excuse to throw another crazy party aren't you?"

"For that, you can take on the responsibility for planning our soirée, Lulu. Don't let me down!"

"Yay…" Lelouch mumbled, rubbing his forehead in exasperation.

"Come on, Suzaku," Milly said, grabbing the Honorary Britannian's arm and leading him out the door, "let's get your sizes for a proper costume. Must look spiffy for our guest of honor."

"I'm going to go get some air," Lelouch said in irritation, maneuvering around the others. "Somehow, I get the feeling that I'm going to need it."

….

Stadtfeld Manor, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

She flinched, terrified, as the tray of glass crashed to the floor. Almost like clockwork Lady Stadtfeld screamed, "You useless fool of a woman! That cost more than you could make in ten years."

"I'm so sorry, My Lady," she apologized, barely managing to hold back the tears. "I'll clean it up right away."

"Consider your pay docked for the rest of this week," Lady Stadtfeld snarled. "You're lucky I don't have you whipped for your incompetence."

"Yes My Lady, you are so gracious and mercif-"

"Enough of your useless prattle," the Lady dismissed, "just get this mess cleaned up." The Lady of the House left the dining area, climbing the stairs to her room.

The maid servant returned to the janitorial closet, searching for a broom and dustpan to get the shards of glass off the pearl floors. As she did so she heard two other members of the staff, both women, talking in voices low enough to not disturb Lady Stadtfeld, but loud enough for the maid to hear.

"Did she break something again?"

"Don't act so surprised, you know how that Eleven is."

"Why does his Lordship keep her employed? How much damage have those worthless hands caused the household?"

"Too much if you ask me, but it's not my place to decide."

"She must have something on him, some blackmail or something of the like to be able to stay."

She sighed, trying her hardest to tune the two women out, finding the materials she needed and striding back over to the cutlery debris.

At least its glass, she ruminated as she began sweeping it up. Were it anything else, someone would have kicked it across the floor.

She found little cheer at the idea. I can't keep my hands from shaking. If this keeps up, he might just dismiss me, regardless of our agreement.

I have to quit taking that poison. Even as the thought occurred to her she knew she wouldn't. Refrain had her in its addictive grasp; no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stand the withdrawal. She was too weak, too tired, and too miserable to deny the happy relief the drug brought her.

The door opened behind her with a loud groan. She turned, a warm smile lifting lovely face at the sight of the entrant. "Good afternoon, Lady Kallen," she said, bowing slightly, "you're home rather-"

"What did you break this time?" the red head said rhetorically, shaking her head. The smile left the woman's face, and with it the light that had been so brightly lit.

"I am sorry, My Lady," she murmured, turning her blue eyes back to the trash. "I'll try to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Just clean it up, quickly." She stamped to the staircase leading to her room as quickly as she could without running.

Holding back her tears again, as she'd had to do for so many years, Ms. Kozuki watched her daughter retreat from her and head to her room.

….

Ashford Academy Rooftop, Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

"I've been keeping an eye on him. He is my contractor after all."

"I just want you to make sure nothing happens to him. He's important."

"Yes, yes, yours and Charles' plan needs at least one of us to be immortal for it to work."

"Is that all you think I'm concerned about? He is my son."

"And you're not going to win any Mother of the Year Awards any time soon, regardless of what you may think of yourself. And you seem to have forgotten about Nunally."

"Nunally is unimportant when it comes to this conversation. A sweet girl, but sadly irrelevant in the long run."

"That girl is more capable than you think."

"And yet not made for the work that we are doing. She'll be perfectly at home in the new world, but for now she's useless to our objectives. There's no reason to involve her in the plan. And besides, Lelouch is looking after her. What more could she ask for?"

"A mother who actually loves her would be a good start."

"I love her enough, C.C. We'll all be together again when the time is right. Until then, look after them."

C.C. felt Marianne's presence recede from her mind. "You can come out now," she said loudly. "She's gone."

Lelouch stepped out of the shadows of the roof staircase, joining her at the wall overlooking the Ashford courtyard. "What did she want?"

"She told me to look after you and keep you safe," C.C. answered, leaning against the low wall.

"I take it then that she knows about my geass."

"Your mother and I share a psych link as a result of her geass, so unfortunately I can't block her out. I can keep her away from my memories, but there's no restricting conversation with her."

"I doubt it would be a very enlightening dialogue," Lelouch joked, though C.C. could hear the resentment in his voice. "Psychopaths have never been that interesting to me."

"Marianne intrigued me in the past," C.C. shrugged, watching students mill around with their clubs. "She became tedious rather quickly."

"I can imagine," Lelouch said. C.C. heard a ring of sadness in his tone.

"What's wrong?" C.C. asked, shifting her eyes to him.

Lelouch sighed. He leaned down, resting his arms on the wall and laying chin on them. "Just trying to think how I could have done a few things differently."

"Like Lake Kawaguchi?" Lelouch nodded. C.C. rested her hand on his shoulder. "You saved a lot of lives in there, Lelouch. Don't let Suzaku convince you otherwise."

"Am I really that transparent?" Lelouch asked, forcing a smile.

C.C. smirked fondly. "I've been at this game a lot longer than you have, boy," she said, ruffling his black hair. "Everyone is transparent to me."

"What if he was right though?" Lelouch asked, the smile quickly fading away from his face. "Maybe if I had just informed Euphie, or brought it to Jeremiah, those people wouldn't have died."

"Kusakabe is dead," C.C. said stonily, "and no longer able to hurt another person again. Suzaku can think what he likes on the matter, but in the end, you saved a lot of people, not just at Lake Kawaguchi, but all the people he could have potentially murdered. With a little more work, Suzaku will be able to see that." She shrugged. "Or he won't and we'll just have to kill him."

"We're not killing Suzaku," Lelouch said caustically.

"Speak for yourself Lelouch," C.C. returned easily. "I'm not going to shed any tears if he loses his head in an upcoming battle."

"Don't hate Suzaku for a decision I made," Lelouch cautioned, standing up and looking her in the eye.

"I don't," C.C. replied, returning his gaze. "I hate him for never once protesting it. I hate him for being a naïve twit that got you killed."

"I made my own share of mistakes, C.C."

"And none were greater than trusting him." C.C. turned away from him, staring this time at the skyline beyond the academy.

Lelouch sighed, collecting himself. "We can discuss this more later," he said, ending the conversation. "For now I have to head to Stadtfeld Manor with Milly. There's someone there I need to speak with." He turned to go.

"Lelouch," C.C. called to him. She heard him stop. "Keep trying to turn the boy all you want. If he tries to kill you though..." she paused for dramatic effect, "his life is forfeit."

"Noted," Lelouch said simply, leaving her alone on the Ashford rooftop.

…..

Student Council Clubhouse, Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Nina had stayed behind while the others filed out, claiming that she still had work to do for class. A lie of course: she'd worked her way through it in less than ten minutes when the Student Council meeting began. Instead she was sifting through news articles from both reputable organizations and blogger sites. For the most part, her search was frustrating: most of the coverage focused on Zero and his actions during the hostage crisis and the Black Knights' debut, but precious little of it focused on the masked terrorist's underlings, and even less of it had graphics of the members that stood behind him.

Zero, Zero, Zero, all they care about is Zero! Nina railed angrily. I don't care about Zero!

Resolving that the next would be her last before heading home, Nina slammed her thin finger down onto the clicker, pulling up the website. She gave an agitated sigh. At the top of the page was a picture- Once again! - of Zero, and underneath that a wall of text. She scrolled her way down through the story, already picking up her bag to get ready to leave-

Is that... she thought as she stopped on the graphic, her heart beginning to race. She clicked on the graphic, opening up the picture in a separate page. A wide grin spread across her face.

I found you. The graphic was of both Zero and his followers, a wide shot that encompassed the entire group. And in the back stood her.

A red haired woman in a black and silver coat and skirt, hair thrown back and a visor obscuring her face, stood in front of her, submachine gun in her right hand, her left hand held out.

Nina copied the file to her flash drive, then opened it up on the computer and zoomed in. She was in the back row, just over Zero's left shoulder, eyes unreadable behind her visor. Her red hair was still flung back, arms held stiffly at her sides. Her mouth was turned down in a scowl, fierce and harsh. A warrior woman, as enraged as her leader at the taking of innocent life.

Nina felt herself growing warm between her thighs, and her chest ached inside her tight blouse and coat. Her cheeks burned as she blushed.

Who are you? she wondered, lifting her hand and resting her fingers on the digital representation of the woman's lovely face. She was knocked out of her stupor when her watch beeped on her wrist. Seeing how late it was, she ejected the flash drive and logged off the computer. The mysterious woman's face followed her all the way home.

…

Stadtfeld Manor, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

"Excuse me, Lady Kallen, but you have visitors." Clad in a long sleeved shirt and a pair of shorts, Kallen made her way down the stairs in response to her mother's voice. She was surprised to find Milly and Lelouch standing in her doorway, Milly smiling up at her while Lelouch explained pleasantries with her mother.

"Madame President, Vice President," Kallen greeted, "what are you doing here?"

"Business I'm afraid," Milly said, looking slightly put out. "Lelouch brought some documents to my attention and I needed to discuss them with you."

Alarm mixed with confusion and Kallen narrowed her eyes. "All right, come up to my room, we can talk there."

"If it's alright with you, I'd prefer to stay down here," Lelouch said. "It would be rather uncouth for a man to be in a woman's room."

Milly giggled. "Such a gentleman, Lelouch," she said, chuckling. "Suzaku must be rubbing off on you."

Lelouch shrugged, asking, "Is it okay if I borrow your maid for a minute?"

"I'd honestly recommend a different one," Kallen said coldly, avoiding looking directly at the maid in question. "There's really no telling what she'll break next." She felt her heart wrench when her mother wilted. Just say something, she wanted to scream. Walk out and leave!

Lelouch surprised her with a smile. "I think she'll do just fine," he said.

Kallen fought down the urge to protest, saying instead, "Whatever works for you, I guess." She turned her attention to Milly. "Follow me, my room's this way." Milly nodded and followed her up.

….

Parlor, Stadtfeld Manor, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11

Ms. Kozuki fought to keep her hands from shaking as she carried the tray of tea to the young Britannian. He sat on the large sofa in the center of the room, texting someone over his phone, his dark hair hiding the violet eyes that had nearly made her stammer when she first greeted him. The teen smiled up at her as he finished whatever conversation he was having, closing up the phone and waiting. She set the tray down, retrieving the tea cup from next to the pot with trembling fingers, lifted the pot, and upturned the steaming liquid in an unsteady stream to his cup.

"Do you take your tea with anything?" she asked, relieved when none of the drink sloshed out.

"Milk if you have it," he told her, relaxing into the seat. Inwardly Ms. Kozuki cursed; she'd forgotten the milk.

"I'll go get you some," she said apologetically, pivoting around back to the kitchen.

"When you do, could you bring a second cup?" Ms. Kozuki had to refrain from asking "Why." He probably meant it for the blonde that had accompanied him. She nodded and traipsed quickly to the kitchen.

She returned a minute later, walking quickly to keep the shakes down. Before she could set the cup down and pour his milk, he said, "Please, sit," and rising from his seat, took both the milk and the spare cup from her. Her brief attempt to protest was stopped when he gave her a hard look and said, "I insist," and she sat down, watching in amazement as he poured a cup of tea, mixing the milk into it, and offered it to her. She accepted it, too wonderstruck to refuse.

A silent minute passed between them as they sipped their drinks, the young man sighing quietly, a smile of pleasure lifting his cheeks. "You make excellent tea, Ms. Kozuki," he said, taking another sip.

Ms. Kozuki blushed, bowing her head slightly. "Thank you, My Lord."

The youth shook his head. "None of this "My Lord" nonsense," he told her, tone laced with amusement, "just Lelouch will be fine." Ms. Kozuki nodded uncertainly, taking a nervous sip to try to calm her nerves, only to cry out when the drink spilled over her lip and down her chin, dribbling onto her maid uniform before she could stop it. Her emotional resolve slipping uncontrollably, her hand began shaking violently, drenching much of the rest of the tea onto her hand and skirt. A sob made its way out of her mouth, her eyes growing wet with tears.

A pair of milk white hands suddenly surrounded and enclosed her own, gently but firmly holding them, slipping the now empty cup out of her grip and placing it back down onto the metal tray. She turned into his warm embrace, burying her face into his chest, muffling the sounds of her anguished screams into his coat. He held her as her body was racked with shudders and shakes, keeping her close until the worst had passed and she was able to control what little was left.

"Does this happen often?" he asked her, still cradling her in his arms. She could do little else but nod. "I see," he said, nodding. "You haven't had a dose of Refrain recently, have you?"

She jerked away from him in sudden horror. "Wh-what are you talking a-about?" she stammered, attempting to pull away. "I don't-"

He grabbed her by the wrist and wrenched up the sleeve of her uniform, revealing a half dozen red puncture marks up the length of her arm. She turned away from him, her blue eyes, red and bruised from the tears, starting to fill up again, but she felt his hand press against her left cheek, swiveling her back around to him. What she saw stunned her: his eyes were filled not with condemnation but with pity and a strange sense of understanding. For some reason this calmed her down, and she settled back into place.

"How long have you been using?" he asked.

"A little less than a year," she answered, somehow able to look into his eyes.

"How many times have you tried to quit?"

"Since I first started." But she was weak, too weak, and she bowed her head in shame.

She saw him nodding out of the corner of her eye, bowing his own head and saying, "I understand, better than you can guess, the kind of despair it would take to turn to a narcotic like Refrain in an attempt to escape. A mistress that hates you, an old flame who doesn't love you, coworkers that torment you, and…" he paused for a second. "A daughter that resents you."

Ms. Kozuki's face shot up, sudden terror gripping her. Before she could attempt to refute his assertion he went on: "That's what they're discussing upstairs right now. We found Kallen's birth records. We know she's half-Japanese."

"Please don't expel her from Ashford," she pleaded, panicked. "I'll do anything, just please, don't expose her!"

"Ms. Kozuki," Lelouch said, clasping her hands once more in his own, "we have no intention of doing so. Kallen is our friend, and neither Milly nor I care about her ethnicity. Milly's telling her that we've buried the information so no one will ever find it."

Ms. Kozuki gasped in relief. "Thank you, thank you My Lor- Lelouch," she amended at his stern look. A sudden thought occurred to her. "But why are you telling me all of this? Why is it important that I know?"

Lelouch smiled. "Because I know something what Milly doesn't." He let go of her hands, reaching into his coat to pull out what looked like a photograph. He handed it to her. Her breathing stopped at the image in the picture. "Your daughter is a Black Knight."

She wanted to deny the truth but couldn't: there in the picture was Kallen in the black and silver uniform of the terrorist organization, surrounded by the grinning faces of Naoto's old friends.

And in their center stood Zero.

"We took that picture shortly after the Lake Kawaguchi crisis," Lelouch told her, leaning forward. "There was something of a party afterwards: sake, champagne, straight beer, though we made sure Kallen didn't have any, young as she is."

Her mind was still buzzing from the shock but she recognized the inclusiveness he used. "We?"

He nodded. "I'm standing in the middle." The middle? But the only one in the center is-

"You can't be," she said, stunned. "Zero is-"

"About medium height, slight build, and sounds exactly like this?" Zero's voice interrupted her, lacking its metallic sound, but the power and charisma was still as present and forceful as it had been on the TV. And it was coming from the boy in front of her. "The mask has a microphone in it to make it a little bit louder and distort my voice."

She stood up, stepping away from him. "I don't understand," she babbled. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because Kallen needs you," Lelouch said, standing up. "You can't help her here because she doesn't understand you. She doesn't understand what you've gone through to give her a shot at life. She doesn't understand that the only reason you're here is to make sure she's safe. If you stay here, she will forever shun you, and eventually you will be forced to leave her side, whether you want to or not."

"So what are you suggesting?" Ms. Kozuki asked, though she could already guess.

He confirmed her suspicions. "Join the Black Knights," he told her. "Leave this miserable existence behind and be where your daughter needs you to be. Be the rock she can lean on, the smile that renews her spirit, the person she can turn to when she needs help." He held out his hand. "Join me, and show Kallen what you're really made of."

Her spirit soared in that moment, and the image of herself and Kallen standing together made her heart race. That image, and her excitement, deflated when she looked back down at her arm, tracing the needle marks with her eyes. She shook her head.

"I'm an addict, of no use to anyone. I can't even drink tea without making a mess." She buried her face in her hands.

"I can make sure you never want to use Refrain again." She looked up now, seeing the warmth in his eyes. "All you need say is that you want it gone, and it will be. There's a car outside. If you say yes, I can have you in a safe house within the hour, where you can ride out the withdrawal. And you'll never so much as touch Refrain ever again."

She didn't hesitate for a second. "Yes, I want to join you."

He grinned. "Keep your eyes open."

She gave him a confused look. "How are you going to do this exactly?" she asked.

"Well," he said, and his left eye began to glow, "it's a kind of magic."

…

Foyer, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11, Ten Minutes Later

"Thanks again for your discretion Milly," Kallen said as they descended the stairs.

"Don't worry about it," Milly said, waving her off. "You're a friend. We at Ashford make it a point to look after our friends."

Kallen couldn't help but smile. Lelouch was waiting for them at the bottom of the stairs, talking to someone on his phone. When he saw them he said a quick goodbye and closed it up. Kallen frowned; her mother was nowhere in sight.

"Lelouch, where did the mai-," she stopped herself, feeling foolish. "Sorry. Where did my mother go?"

"She spilled some tea on herself while she was serving me," he said, shrugging. "She had to go and get her clothes cleaned off."

Kallen sighed in annoyance. "Sorry about that," she apologized, though not really feeling apologetic, "but I did warn you she wouldn't be up to the task."

To her surprise, Lelouch beamed at her. "Don't be," he said, "we had a delightful conversation. Send her my best."

Kallen dismissed the feeling of confusion and just nodded. "I will," she promised.

"I guess on that note we'll take our leave," Milly said, smiling, grabbing Lelouch by the arm and pulling him out. "Tootles!" Milly marched to their car at a hard pace, dragging the scrawny teen behind her.

Kallen was about to wave when her phone rang, flashing "Ohgi" on the caller ID. She flipped the phone open immediately. "I'm here," she said, shutting the door and making her way back to her room.

"Good," Ohgi said on the other end. "Zero's got a job for us tonight."
"What kind?"

"Drug bust," he replied. "It's called Refrain."

…..

Stadtfeld Manor, Tokyo Settlement, Area 11, The Next Day

Kallen had been tired and shaken when she returned home last night. The sight of so many of her fellow Japanese hopped up on the hallucinogenic drug, to the point where they could no longer distinguish their dreams from reality, had shocked her to her core. To think that so many people would have to turn to that drug for just a little relief, she had mused as she pulled off her coat. Damn the Empire for what it's done to my people.

She had settled into an uneasy sleep, plagued with nightmares of dancing addicts and vials of Refrain strewn across the floor. When she exited her room that morning she was surprised to find that her mother wasn't waiting outside her door as was her habit. Instead of feeling relieved a sense of unsettlement nestled within her stomach and refused to leave. This feeling continued when she was served breakfast by a servant she'd never spoken with. Trying to dismiss the unease she felt was impossible throughout the rest of the day as she went through her daily routine of classes and council meetings. That worry heightened when she returned home and an entirely new servant greeted her in place of her mother.

She found one of the other maids who had been here nearly as long as her mother and asked her, "Excuse me, have you seen Ms. Kozuki?"

"Didn't you know, My Lady?" the maid asked, looking at her askance. "Ms. Kozuki resigned."

"What?" Kallen nearly shouted. "When did this happen?"

"Shortly after you left yesterday," the maid replied. "She called Lady Stadtfeld over the phone to tell her she was leaving."

Stunned Kallen asked her, "Did she say where she was going?"

The maid shook her head. Kallen turned quickly away from, practically sprinting up the steps to her mother's room. "Alright," she said, anger and fear mixing together as she barged in, "what's going-" She was horrified by the sight that greeted her.

'We'll kill you.' 'Get lost.' 'Filthy Eleven!' These were just a few of the threats and curses that had been scrawled across the walls of her mother's otherwise small, spartan room, consisting only of a clearly uncomfortable bed and a dresser drawer.

Tears filled Kallen's eyes. "Idiot," she whispered. "Why didn't you leave sooner?" She began searching through the drawers, finding in the second one a black box. She opened, finding inside a tray of empty vial holders and empty pumps to go along with them. A needle, point broken, lay with them. Fury and grief welled up within her. "You damn weak fool of a woman," she said, the moisture in her eyes spilling over and down her face. "You couldn't take the fact that he didn't love you so you resorted to this?" She threw the empty Refrain box to the floor, falling down to sit on the bed, trying desperately to stop the tears that streamed down her cheeks. She opened her eyes and was immediately entranced by a small paper corner just beneath the dresser. She leaned down and picked it up.

It was a photograph, but the contents shocked her to her core. Rather than a photo of her mother and father together, it was instead of herself, her mother, and Naoto, identical to the one that Kallen had in her room. Stunned, Kallen turned the photo on its back. On it was writing in bold black color. It said: I love you Kallen. Always.

The anguished scream ripped its way out of her body. She crumpled the picture desperately in her hand and charged out of the room. She dodged past alarmed servants, deaf to their entreaties as she sprinted out the front door.

Once outside she pulled her phone from the inside of her coat and pulled up Ohgi's number on speed dial. "Ohgi!" she cried when she heard his line click. "Call Zero, we have to find my mom!"

"Hold on a second, slow down," Ohgi soothed her over the phone. "What are you talking about?"

"My mom quit her job," Kallen explained, coming to a stop and rubbing the tears from her eyes. "She quit yesterday and left and I didn't even know!" She choked on a sob and continued: "There was Refrain in her room and a note to me and I think she's about to do something bad please Ohgi we have to find her."

"Kallen calm down, it's okay, we-"

"How in the Hell is it okay?" Kallen shouted. "She's been treated like garbage, I've treated her like garbage, and she's been on drugs, and I don't know what she's going t-"

"Kallen, for God's sake, shut up!" Kallen held her phone in shock silence. "Your mother's alright. Zero has her set up in a safe house. One of his associates picked her up yesterday. She's going to be fine."

Kallen's heart stilled. "I don't understand," she whispered. "Why didn't Zero tell me?"

"He left it to me and I got sidetracked," Ohgi explained. "I'm sorry. He didn't want you told until after the raid last night so your head would be clear."

"Why's she in a safe house," Kallen asked, suddenly afraid again. "Did something happen?"

"No, don't worry about it. Zero has her locked up to help with the withdrawal symptoms."

Withdrawal? "How does Zero know she was an addict?"

"We found her name in a list of known buyers when we were preparing for the raid last night. He had her brought in so we could help her get over the addiction."

Kallen sank down to the ground, relief filling her. "Thank you, Ohgi," she said, trying to scrub the tears off of her face. "And tell Zero I said thanks too."

"I will," Ohgi promised. "I hate telling you this Kallen, but I need you to get your head back in the game. Zero's got a major operation planned not long from now, and we're going to need your help."

"What's the operation?" Kallen asked, trying in vain to go back into her soldier mode.

"I'll tell you later," Ohgi said, and she felt the call was coming to an end. "Until then, calm down and get some rest. And don't worry about your mother: Zero's got it covered." There was a click and Kallen closed her own phone.

She sat where she was for an hour, slowly getting her emotions back under control. Once she felt in control again, she made her way back home. She ignored Lady Stadtfelds angry glare and the curious looks of the servants and returned to her room.

She lay down on her bed and looked at the picture that she had found in her mother's room, its message replaying over and over again in her head.

I love you Kallen. Always.

She did not move for the rest of the day.