Code Prime - R2: Revolution

by Iron117Prime

Britannia has fallen, and the Decepticons are well on their way to the complete global domination of Earth. However, hope is not lost. Six months after the failed Black Rebellion, Zero and Optimus Prime have returned to finish what they've started. With their Autobot-Black Knight alliance grown with new additions, our heroes have ever intent on freeing Earth once and for all.

9. Leave of Absence

Hi everyone, I apologize for the delay. I had a severe case of writer's block last week, mostly due to a lot of renovations my house had to undertake, but it's all taken care of now and I'm finally back in the groove. So, this is mostly a breather chapter here, not a whole lot of action, barley at all actually, just a nice break from all the intense fighting. But don't worry, there will be plenty more action in the chapters to follow. With all that being said, let's get started.

Leave of Absence

"The recent success of the Autobots and Black Knights in your mission has certainly turned some heads, Zero." General Smilas said to the hologram of the masked revolutionary as he sat in his office.

"I would hope so." Zero responded. "The main line of the Euro Britannian forces have been pushed back."

"However, I fear this may be a faux victory." Smilas said with concern. "News of the Decepticons' presence in Euro Britannia is not to be taken lightly."

"Believe me General Smilas, I'm more than aware of the damage they are capable of." Zero replied. "But we will have the means to remove the Decepticons from the region."

"I wish I had your confidence." Smilas muttered before getting back on track. "What is the status Major Malcal, as well as the WZERO and your own units?"

"The Autobots have all returned to Castle Weisswolf and have taken the Knightmares with them to be repaired and receive any necessary modifications." Zero answered. "My Black Knights as well as Leila's soldiers are still here with me in Warsaw getting rest. We will be returning to base shortly."

"Understood. I will contact you again should anything else arise." Smilas nodded.

"Thank you general." Zero said before his hologram vanished.

Smilas gave a slight sigh as he leaned back against his chair. He would be a fool to get his hopes up, he knew Zero understood the Decepticons, but he too understood what they were capable of. They destroyed the entire Britannian Empire in less than year, and they were the most advanced superpower on their planet. If they were allied with Euro Britannia, it may be only a matter of time before the EU suffers a similar fate, especially if the cowardly politics were to fall apart as he expected. But, perhaps Zero and Leila being together could serve as a symbol to unite the people. Both were such important figures in the world; Leila being the daughter of Bradow von Breisgau, and Zero the masked hero who stood among titans. And if something were to happen to them… not only would they serve as excellent martyrs for the people of the EU, but perhaps a means to bring the Autobots and Black Knights to his side and create a new European Empire.

---

Horai Island – The Bridge of the Ark

Optimus Prime had received a full report from Elita One of all that had transpired in the EU since the arrival of hers and Zero's team; meeting with General Smilas and Leila, working alongside the WZERO and their newest recruits, and their most recent mission.

"The presence of the Decepticons in Euro Britannia is unfortunate but not unexpected." Optimus commented after hearing the last of the report. "But my greatest concern is this Shin Hyuga Shang character and how he apparently wields a Geass of his own."

"Cera says she didn't give it to him, and I believe her." Elita told him. "The only other suspect would be V.V., but she's not one hundred percent sure it's him either. I'm honestly hoping that it is him, because if it isn't…"

"It would mean there is someone else who can grant the ability of a Geass." Optimus knew the many complications that could arise from that. "I will have Wizard and Cornelia look into Shin's background to see if we can find any information that could give us some answers."

"Good. Akito may be Shin's younger brother, but I do not think he's going to give us any solid answers." Elita said. "Just looking at him made the poor kid freeze, so I don't think there's any sibling love there. What about OZ's inquiry regarding Claus and Smilas?"

"Wizard's connections through Peace Mark are working as speak." Optimus replied. "Should we find anything, you and Lelouch will be notified immediately."

"Thank you, Elita out." She signed off, leaving Optimus alone on the bridge until he heard the door open behind him and turned around to see the group consisting of Nunnally, Shirley, Milly, Rivalz, Nina, Misty, and even Alice enter the bridge.

"Hey Optimus, was that Elita?" Shirley asked first. "How are things going with Lelouch and the others?"

"They appear to be doing well at the moment." Optimus explained. "The Decepticons appear to be in Euro Britannia, but our own forces have the situation under control." He saw expressions of worry on the former Student Council members change into relief; while they were all quite concerned with the Decepticons, they knew their friends could handle themselves. He then noticed the reserved expression on Alice's face, an awkward attempt to avoid eye-contact with the large Autobot. "Alice, I am glad to see you are up and about."

Alice was briefly surprised by that. The Autobot leader just greeted her! And in a friendly tone of voice no less! "Yes… I'm well… thank you." She turned around as she nervously tugged on her own hair.

"It's okay Alice." Nunnally put a hand on the girl's shoulder. "You don't have to be so stiff around him."

"Yeah, Optimus here is the coolest Bot around. You got nothing to worry." Rivalz added as well.

The Autobot leader understood Alice's nerves. Based on what he heard from Nunnally, the poor girl had practically spent most of her life in the Geass Order, repeatedly experimented on to further enhance her physical senses and abilities, and that's not even considering the possible horrors she experienced and saw at the hands of Shockwave. Alice was reserved with nearly everyone she saw, human and Autobot alike. The only one she seemed to be comfortable around was Nunnally, and whoever else was with her to an extent, including the former Student Council. There was no way to describe the pity Optimus felt for the poor girl on what she had already experienced, but he was nonetheless glad that Nunnally was helping her to come out of her shell bit-by-bit.

"So, what were you and Elita talking about, Optimus?" Milly asked in a slightly teasing tone.

"She was informing of our progress in the EU. So far it would seem everything is proceeding smoothly, despite a few unexpected surprises." Optimus informed.

"Oh? Is that all?" She continued to tease.

"Is there something you wish to know in particular?" Optimus asked.

"Well, we heard how the two of you had quite a history on Cybertron." Milly replied, the look in her eyes not fading. "Now you here together on Earth, fighting for the same cause of freedom and justice. But… that's not all your fighting for, is it?"

"Elita is a capable soldier and commander, as well as a good friend, I am indeed glad she is here." Optimus noted.

Milly's look of teasing morphed into comic disappointment. "Oh, come on! You are just no fun!"

"We did try to tell you Milly." Nunnally said with a wincing smile.

"Yeah, this kind of thing won't work with him." Shirley added.

"Even I could see that. I used to be the most socially conscious of the group." Nina added, which only made Milly sulk even further.

"Sorry about her, Madam Pres. likes to tease people." Rivalz quickly told the Autobot leader before asking something else. "So, where exactly are Lelouch and the others anyway?"

"Lelouch and the Black Knights, along with the WZERO unit are currently in the Warsaw military base getting much needed rest from their previous mission." Optimus replied. "The Autobots with them have returned to the WZERO base with their Knightmares."

"So, their mission was a success. That is good to hear." Misty said with a smile.

"Do they have another mission to go to?" Shirley asked. "As in, right away?"

"No. Is there something you would like to ask them?" Optimus responded.

"Well…" Nunnally began. "If Big Brother and the others aren't doing anything… could we possibly use a Groundbridge and pay them a visit? It be a nice way for us to spend some time together, maybe even get to know his new friends a bit. Is that alright with you?"

Optimus' only response was with a genuine smile.

---

Warsaw Sports Stadium

Cera and Akito both sat in a small bunker alone as the former put her hand onto the latter's forehead, concentrating hard with her own powers, hard enough that the Geass emblem on her forehead has glowing as she attempted to purge the Geass command from Akito's mind. But, it would seem she was incapable of it as she felt herself being pushed back before she finally released him.

The immortal girl almost fell back before she steadied herself and took the time to catch her breath. "I'm assuming you were unsuccessful?" Akito said, his seemingly stoic expression still on his face.

"I'm sorry." Cera shook her head. "Normally I can purge the effect of a Geass from somebody, but you're… a special case."

"I see." Akito looked away, though his expression remained cold, Cera could clearly see the look of disappointment in his eyes.

"But it does appear that you at least have it under control to an extent." She commented. "You're able to turn it on and off of your own accord."

"I wouldn't say I can control it. It's more like I can 'aim' it, so to speak." Akito explained. "Even before I knew what it was, it's kept me alive for so long. Ironic, isn't it? Something that was supposed to have killed me has helped me to survive."

"There's a reason for that." Cera replied. "Based on what I've learned so far, you were told to 'die' when you were just a child. You were too young to understand exactly what that meant, but the effect itself has remained a part of your mind. Suzaku has something similar, Lelouch gave him the Geass command to live, and Suzaku has found a way to turn it into a weapon on the battlefield."

"I see." Akito understood.

"So…" Cera tried to phrase her question very carefully. "That man… he was indeed your brother?"

"Half-brother, but yes." Akito confirmed.

"Do you know why he wants to kill you?" Cera asked.

"No, and honestly, I don't care." Akito said as she saw the look of anger, even bloodlust in his eyes, a brief red ring flashed. "He's lost his mind, which is why I am going to kill him."

---

Meanwhile; the rest of the Black Knights, consisting of Kallen, Suzaku, Rai, Orpheus, Gino, and Monica hung around in the bleachers around the stadium with Leila, Ryo, Yukiya, and Ayano.

"So, this place is a stadium, huh?" Gino asked, trying to strike up conversation. "Why'd they convert into a military base? Shouldn't they be playing soccer here or something?"

"It's called Football." Leila corrected him. "And most people in the EU seem more concerned with the war effort, so something like sports seems rather trivial." She said with a slightly sad expression.

"She's got a point there." Yukiya pointed out. "Whole world's going crazy with giant alien robots duking it out, not the time to host a world cup."

"Probably because they're worried there won't be a world when it's all set and done." Ryo said.

"You guys always this pessimistic?" Rai questioned.

"When you live in the same kind of hell we have, your optimism tends to die out." Yukiya said.

Orpheus gave a slight snark. "Oh please, you know nothing of hell."

"Oh? You got something to say pal?" Ayano stood up with a slight flare in her temper. "You think your life is miserable?"

"Alright, that's enough." Suzaku stood up firmly. "Look, we don't need to be at each other's throats right now. We're supposed to be getting some rest."

"Kinda hard to do in a place like this." Kallen pointed out. "Old stadium is one thing, but the people here…"

"Hey, check it out, it's the Black Knights." The group turned to see a group of European soldiers walk up the stairs to mockingly greet them.

"The saviors of the world. What are you doing in a dump like this when you could be hanging out with your alien buddies?"

"They probably think they're better than us just cause they got a 'grand purpose'."

"Well, if they're 'grand purpose' helps them take the bullets instead of us, then let then."

The soldiers laughed while most of the young pilots all glared, particularly Kallen, Rai, and Ayano, the later looked like she was ready to march up and beat the crap out of them herself, but Monica quickly grabbed her arm.

"Don't. They're not worth it." The former Knight of the Round commented.

"Well, what crawled up their tailpipe and died?" Gino questioned. "We're trying to help them."

"For some people, they believe the Black Knights and the Autobots are the reason the world is in such a chaotic state right now." Leila explained.

"Seriously?!" Kallen questioned. "We're the ones who are fighting the Cons just so they don't have to!"

"The actions of the Autobots and Black Knights have disrupted Britannia." Monica said. "Which, to some people, gave the Decepticons the chance they needed to overthrow the Empire and plunge the world into chaos."

"Even though the Decepticons could have done that any time they wanted to." Orpheus pointed out. "But these people just seem more concerned about keeping each other safe right now."

"Yeah, that's just human nature for you." Ryo said in a low grumble. "Selfish and petty to the end."

"I'd say that applies to maybe fifty to sixty percent of humanity." Cera commented as she, Akito, and Lelouch walked up to join them. "It may not seem like it, but there are more good people out there than you think."

"Well look who decided to join us." Yukiya said. "His majesty Zero, the axe-crazed Ghost of Hannibal, and the immortal queen with fancy cosmic magic."

"So, what's our next move, Lelouch?" Suzaku asked.

"Our next move, is to get out of this place." Lelouch replied, much to his friends' surprise. "The Autobots are at Castle Weisswolf, working to fix up the Knightmares and other projects. There's nothing else to do here, so we might as well explore the city outside since none of you seem eager to stay here."

"Best idea I've heard all day." Ayano was already on-board as the group stood up and prepared to leave. However, just as the group made it to the top of the stairs, they were surprised to see a Groundbridge portal open up right in front of them, and even more surprised to see familiar faces stepping outside.

"Hey guys! Did you miss us?" Milly waved as she stepped out first, followed by Shirley, Nunnally, Rivalz, Nina, and Misty; they even brought Anna and Euphemia with them, the former princess wearing a hat and sunglasses. Alice was also present as she hung a bit further behind Nunnally.

"Wha… what are all of you doing here?!" Lelouch questioned as the rest of his fellow Black Knights were beyond surprised for this unexpected arrival, the WZERO unit looked in expressions of surprise and confusion.

"We came here to surprise you, big brother!" Nunnally instantly ran up to him and wrapped her arms around his torso. Though still not over his surprise, he smiled as he returned the embrace. Lelouch noticed Alice's presence as well, he tried to give a friendly smile, but she simply looked away with a shy expression.

"Did you guys seriously just Groundbridge here from Horai Island to pay us a visit?" Kallen questioned.

"Well, Groundbridges do make world-wide trips a lot more convenient for us." Shirley pointed out.

"Yeah, no more messy air lines or being stuck between a couple of sick people on a regular plane." Rivalz added.

"And technically we made a quick stop on our way here to pick up two more people." Nina gestured to Euphie and Anna behind them.

"Euphie?!" Suzaku exclaimed as the former princess gave him a hug. "I thought you were back at the castle with the Autobots!"

"Nunnally and everyone else dropped by and asked to join us. Elita said it was alright." Euphie responded. "Anna was also with me and she wanted to see if Leila was doing alright."

Leila herself looked in surprise at her childhood friend, who also gave her an embrace. "Leila! I'm glad you're okay! You have no idea how worried I was about you during that mission!"

"I'm alright Anna, don't worry." Leila assured.

"It's so good to see you guys again!" Gino was the first to greet his friends, followed by Rai, Monica, and even Orpheus who exchanged a smile with Misty. Rai looked towards Shirley with a smile, which she returned with a slight blush on her face. Nunnally even shared a hug with Cera, who returned it as well.

"I'm a little surprised Sayoko isn't here." Cera told the younger girl. "Isn't she supposed to be your bodyguard, Nunnally?"

"She's with Kaguya in the Chinese Federation." Nunnally replied. "Considering I'm surrounded by almost every Autobot and Black Knight on Horai Island, and Kaguya is surrounded by so many potential enemies, she might need a little more help than just Xingke."

"Makes sense." Cera nodded.

"Ahem!" They all heard Ryo clear his throat loudly as they turned to the rest of the WZERO. "So, introductions, please?"

"Right, of course." Lelouch stepped aside to introduce the respective groups. "These are some of our fellow Black Knights and close personal friends of ours. Milly Ashford, Shirley Fenette, Rivalz Cardemonde, Nina Einstein, Misty Ix, and Alice. As well as my younger sister, Nunally. Everyone, these are soldiers of the WZERO; Akito Hyuga, Ryo Sayama, Ayano Kosaka, and Yukiya Naruse."

"Hi, it's nice to meet all of you." Shirley greeted friendly as she extended a hand to Akito first, who returned with a handshake of his own, but still caried his stoic expression.

"So, you're Lelouch's younger sister." Leila leaned down slightly to greet Nunnally. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Nunnally. Your brother speaks very highly of you."

"And you must be Leila, it's nice to meet you too." Nunnally greeted with a smile. "You're even more beautiful in person."

Leila was slightly caught off guard by the praise but soon smiled with a slight blush. "Oh, thank you very much."

"Alright, now that everyone knows everyone, let's explore the city!" Gino urged. "Come on! We're all on leave of absence AKA military vacation, so let's make the most of it!"

---

Castle Weisswolf

Claus sat casually on a fishing boat which floated atop a lake that was just outside the castle's perimeter. He gave a slight sneeze before shivering. "Seesh, it's cold. Lucky for me, I've got a little booze to warm up my bones."

However, before he could take a sip from his flask, he heard the sound of a loud engine from the west side of the pond and saw a certain monster truck shoot out of the woods before it transformed into Grindcore, who leapt into the air and gave a mighty call.

"CANNONBALL!" The large green Autobot called out as he performed a cannonball into the pond, causing a massive wave to form as Claus looked at it with a blank expression before the wave carried him and his boat to shore before toppling over.

Claus got up to see Grindcore's head poking out of the pond. "Oh, sorry man! Didn't see you there!" The Autobot apologized.

"Having fun, I see." Claus commented with a sardonic grin.

"Oh yeah! Trying to see who can make the biggest splash!" Grindcore gave a toothy grin. "Oh, and you might wanna move out of the way."

Before he could ask what that meant, Claus heard a similar engine sound from the forest behind him. He just barley rolled out of the way as Bulkhead's own vehicle mode shot out from the woods before he transformed and jumped into the air as well.

"CANNONBALL!" Bulkhead shouted as he performed his own cannonball. This wave ended up being much larger, which happened to roar over and splash all over Claus.

"Whoo, that was a big one!" Grindcore said as Bulkhead stood up from the water. "Hey, let's try doing that with a smelting pit! Splash it over the Cons!"

"Sure, if you wanna get melted yourself." Bulkhead said in a joking fashion.

Despite being soaked all over, Claus couldn't help but chuckle. "Guess I'm still babysitting." He said as he ended up chugging down his whole flask.

---

Meanwhile, in a separate area of the forest surrounding Castle Weisswolf, Prowl sat in a small clearing in a meditative stance, observing everything around him. Every tiny little detail from the wind blowing across the trees, to the changing colors of the leaves, to even the tiniest of animals that flew and scurried around him. The normally sarcastic and serious Autobot couldn't help but enjoy the serenity of Earth's nature; it was quiet and peaceful, a welcome change to the chaos and destruction of war.

However, his smile faded as he heard a twig snap from behind. He already sensed their presence and had hopped they were only observing; but given how young these two Autobots were, he wasn't at all surprised as Smokescreen and Sideswipe leapt out from behind to get the jump on him.

Prowl simply leapt into the air and allowed the two young Autobots to collide into each other before landing on top with his feet to pin them to the ground.

"Ah man, thought we had him that time!" Sideswipe complained.

"Goes to show why he's in the Elite Guard." Smokescreen commented with a smile.

"Patience and observation." Prowl said as he walked off Smokescreen and Sideswipe, allowing them to stand up. "You would learn a thing or two from even one of these virtues."

"Hey! I'm observant!" Sideswipe argued. "I know which Con needs to be sliced up the most and I take him down!" He drew his sword for emphasis.

"You can identify the most dangerous adversary." Prowl noted. "A useful tactic; but you shouldn't rush without strategy. That is suicide."

"Well, what if you're the only one standing between the bad guy and total defeat? And it's all on you?" Smokescreen asked. "Gotta make a stand, right?"

"If you have a plan for victory, then yes, make your stand." Prowl understood Smokescreen was asking genuine questions to learn, which he would respond with answers he thought was best. "But if you die, then you die. And depending on the circumstance, an instant death could mean the end of your entire cause."

"So… basically, have a plan, right?" Sideswipe summed up.

"It seems you are capable of learning." Prowl said with a smirk.

---

At the same time, Strongarm sat on the rooftop of the castle, overlooking the footage of the previous battle and taking notes on what she saw when she was approached from behind by Arcee and Bumblebee.

"What are you doing?" Arcee asked, causing Strongarm to stand up in military fashion.

"Arcee, ma'am, I am reviewing our previous battle." The Autobot rookie replied. "There is much we need to understand about our enemy."

"That's good and all, but you've been doing it since we got back." Arcee told her. "Take your mind off it for a minute and relax a bit."

"Ma'am, all do respect, any time we have to ourselves, I feel we should use to better prepare for the next battle." Strongarm explained her reasoning. "This way we will be able to better handle any unexpected circumstances that may arise in the next confrontation."

"[Listen Strongarm, it's good that you want to better yourself, but you also have to take some time to rest.]" Bumblebee told her. "[Your mind needs as much rest as your body, otherwise you might overexert yourself.]"

"Do you think this is the best course of action?" Strongarm asked.

"Yeah, kinda." Arcee said.

"Then I will review this footage later." Strongarm put the footage away. Though Bumblebee and Arcee were pleased to see she was going to rest, it seemed more like she was doing it because she was told to. She was a good Bot, but still a rookie, with so much to learn. They only hoped she would grow out of it soon; war doesn't take too kindly to rookies.

---

At the same time, on the bridge of the Iron Will, Ultra Magnus and Elita were speaking with Sophie and Jetfire over the communications.

"And you simply cannot sever the neural link?" Magnus asked.

"It's not like you're cutting a string with scissors." Sophie said. "This link maximizes performance by providing tight coordination with the pilots. The system is integrated with these Knightmares, we can't just 'delete' it like an old video game or anything."

"Besides, we might be able to use it to our advantage." Jetfire added. "What happened to Akito and the others was unexpected, but it might actually be of use to us."

"See what you can find and report back to us." Magnus ordered before ending transmission. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I." Elita admitted. "Whatever that Shin-character did to Akito… I can't even imagine. I know Geass is dangerous but actually seeing its effects in action like that… it's rather terrifying."

"A power like that shouldn't even exist." Ultra Magnus said. "It's corruptive influence is one thing, but what Megatron has done with it…"

"There's nothing we can do now, other than find a way to turn it to our advantage." Elita told him. "We've seen with Optimus and even Lelouch that Geass itself isn't evil. Dangerous and risky? Yes. But it can help."

"There is also the possibility of it being connected to Unicron." Ultra Magnus commented. "Which only makes me all the more anxious."

"But we don't have much to go on. You're right to be concerned, Magnus. However, until we have more information to work with, all we can do is just keep an eye out and see how things develop." Elita said. "I know it's not your style, and you want to get things done as quickly and effectively as possible, but you might have to make an exception with this case."

Ultra Magnus carried a serious expression, silently saying that he understood that, but he didn't necessarily have to like it.

---

Warsaw

Meanwhile, the large group of young soldiers and Black Knights had spent quite a bit of time wondering around the city of Warsaw, just exploring the bazar for the most part, eyeing some of the shops and stands and what they had to offer, while also spending some time getting to know each other quite a bit. Shirley was quick to get on everyone's good side, already hitting it off with Leila, Ayano, Anna, and even Ryo and Yukiya; Milly quicky reestablished her old status as the 'Ashford She-Devil' with her teasing of the WZERO soldiers, their skin-tight uniforms easily sticking out; Rivalz was an all-around friendly individual, whom Ryo took a slight liking too; Nina wasn't as active as everyone else, but she was able to establish some common ground with Anna and even Yukiya with their tech-savviness. Nunnally soon found herself talking non-stop with Leila, the two hitting it off almost instantly, much to the pleasantness of Lelouch, Suzaku, Rai, Euphemia, and even Kallen. Misty smiled with everyone, but she seemed rather reserved, not necessarily anti-social, just a bit distant compared to everybody, the only one she seemed to around was Orpheus and Monica by extension. If one could be considered anti-social, it would be Alice. She didn't talk to anybody, answering only the questions that were asked of her, but she simply choose to fade into the background, sticking only around Nunnally.

Even though the group didn't really buy anything, they seemed to enjoy their time together as they took the time to catch their breath and rest up by the stairs to an old building.

"I've never really been to the EU before, but this is pretty amazing!" Shirley stated with a grin.

"Sure, this place looks nice, but trying going to the ghettos. A pretty girl like you won't last long there." Yukiya said with some cynical humor.

"But why the heck are their ghettos in the EU? Isn't that a Britannian policy?" Rivalz asked. "And Britannia's kinda gone now."

"Apparently, when Japan was invaded, the EU was worried Britannia would attack them for sheltering any Japanese refugees or immigrants." Kallen summed up. "Doesn't make it right though."

"I'm so sorry." Shirley said toward Yukiya, Ayano, and Ryo.

"Hey, it's not your fault most politicians are a bunch of cowards." Ayano commented.

"Well, after we take down the Cons, we're gonna make some serious changes." Rai stated.

"I agree, things have to change, or they'll stay the same forever." Euphemia agreed.

"Hey, what's with the disguise anyway, Euphie?" Gino asked, taking note of her hat and sunglasses.

"Are you serious right now, Gino?" Monica elbowed him irritably.

"What?" He questioned.

"First of all, she's a former Britannian princess, and we're in a territory that was enemies with Britannia." Lelouch explained a simply as he could. "Second, her face has caused quite a bit of controversy with what happened at the Special Zone in Japan." He made sure to phrase that last part very carefully, knowing his half-sister still felt terrible about that whole ordeal.

It still hurt her though. She understood her brother wasn't trying to offend her or anything, and what happened at the SAZ wasn't entirely her fault, it didn't make it any less painful to being forced to see it. Nunnally and Suzaku tried to comfort her as best they could, the former putting her hand on one of Euphie's, while Suzaku reached his arm around her shoulders.

"Right… Sorry." Gino said with a wince.

"It's alright…" Euphie muttered, accepting the comfort from her sister and boyfriend; even Ryo and Ayano looked a bit in sympathy with everyone else.

As the group continued to talk, Alice hung a bit further away, only to find she was actually standing particularly close to Akito. The two exchanged eye-contact but choose not to say anything. It was almost as if they were engaged in visual combat with one another, instinctively analyzing each other on first glance. Cera leaned against the wall near them, having a good idea what was going on between them until something got all their attention.

"Poor children…" All three of them looked towards an elderly woman, clad in black with black glasses over her eyes, who dropped her walking stick as she walked closer toward them. "Cursed children… I can sense it…" She reached out and grabbed Akito's wrist along with Alice's. "You've been touched by the Devil…"

That got Cera's attention.

"What the hell are you…?" Alice did not like this at all.

"Let go…!" Akito muttered as he tried to shake her off, but she held firm onto both of them, but seemed to focus her gaze on Cera in particular.

"You… You have seen the Devil… his mark is on you!" As she appeared to be ranting, Cera couldn't help but recall looking into the evil gaze of Megatron's Dark Geass, or even what she saw in the vision of Akito and Shin's childhood with the skull and the dark face behind it.

However, it seemed Akito and Alice had enough of the elderly woman as they shook her off. "No!" Akito exclaimed.

"Get off of me!" Alice shouted as the elderly woman was thrown back, which got the attention of all their friends.

"What's going on?!" Suzaku questioned, only for everyone to see a group of elderly gypsies run toward the elderly woman, who appeared to be in agony.

"Are you alright?!"

"Her leg is so banged up! She can't walk!"

"What happened!?" Nunnally exclaimed.

"Can we help!?" Leila offered.

"She's in such poor health! Even a scratch could kill her!" One of the gypsies stated as their fellow gypsy continued to 'wail'.

"We don't have enough money to take our poor sick friend to a doctor."

"If only we could afford medicine for our dying friend here."

"We…we could call the hospital for you!" Anna offered.

"Oh, they don't need it, cause their friend isn't sick at all." Milly said as she leaned in close to the elderly gypsies. "Sorry ladies, but you can't fool me with your little act. If you want to swindle money with us, hate to say it, but we're all flat broke."

"What?!" The gypsy in black from before stood up, completely dropping her act with the others. "What is the meaning of this?!"

"Turns out their broke." One laughed.

"All that for nothing?"

"But one did see through our act, not bad, most people would give us their life savings after most of our stunts." Another said with a grin.

"Hey, Lelouch, do we really have any money at all?" Rivalz whispered to his friend. "Most of us had Britannian currency and well… with Britannia gone…"

"You really want to learn our complex budget plan for the whole Black Knight-Autobot alliance?" Lelouch asked rhetorically.

"Eh… on second thought, forget I asked." Rivalz quickly said, not wanting to know just what kind of crazy financial plan he cooked up; the Student Council was already crazy enough, and that was just for Ashford.

"Well, we don't really have the need to carry any money." Misty explained logically. "We can call for a ride any time we wanted. So if you really were hurt, we could have easily taken you to the nearest medical facility."

"Oh well isn't that sweet of you." One gipsy said.

"So why don't we repay your 'kindness'." Another said with a grin.

---

Less than an hour later, the group of seven gypsies had led the larger group of twenty-two teenagers (if you count the immortal Cera as a teenager) to their camp, which was at the edge of a forest and a river, far on the outskirts of Warsaw. They had several large wagons with them as well as the gypsies had set up the table and began pouring some wine and laughed.

"Ah, nothing like a glass of wine after a hard day's work."

"Sure is nice to have so many young and able-body servants here to cater to our every whim."

"They got so many pretty girls and really cute boys. I really like that one with black hair and purple eyes."

"But those outfits of theirs are so… indecent."

"My goodness…"

"I think I might have a heart-attack."

"You know you'd like it!" The gypsies all shared a laugh, while the young soldiers looked more than a little confused.

"Um… what just happened?" Rai asked.

"How did we get dragged all the way over here?" Orpheus also wondered as everyone silently wondered the same thing.

"I thought old ladies were sweet." Ryo commented.

"All the ones I've met have been nice." Shirley said.

"Not in my experience." Ayano said.

"Ironically, I'm actually older than all of them combined." Cera commented.

"Why the hell did we volunteer for this?" Kallen muttered. "Why don't we just call for a Groundbridge and get out of here?"

"Because these elderly women said they would need some help, so we should help them." Suzaku said.

"No offense Suzaku, but I don't necessarily think they need it." Even Euphie seemed to agree with everyone else.

"They all seem to be rather healthy for their age." Misty observed.

"Did we just get scammed?" Gino questioned.

"Yes Gino, we've been scammed." Monica confirmed with a hint of annoyance in her voice.

"Well, I think we should stay here." Nunnally offered, much to everyone's surprise. "It's nice here and we could all use a little vacation."

"Hey yeah, this could be a great bonding experience for all of us!" Milly was already on board. "It'll be so nice to not worry about the fate of the world for a change."

"Well, let's give it a chance." Shirley seemed alright with it.

"Worse comes to worse, we can leave via Groundbridge." Lelouch said. "So, fine we can stay for a little bit."

"You could just use that fancy Geass of yours to make these old ladies your slaves, ya know." Yukiya said cynically.

"Not happening." Lelouch shot down the thought immediately.

"Are you kids finishing gossiping over there?" One of the gypsies called out to them.

"Hurry up and get your working clothes on."

---

Ten minutes later; every single one of them had been forced to dress into various colorful outfits suited for gypsies. They all wore a multitude of different colors, shirts, pants, dresses, anything that the elderly gypsies forced upon them. While some of them allowed themselves to be undressed of their own accord, others were forcibly stripped down, with the elderly women having the most fun with Kallen and Ayano.

Already, most of the young men and women were dressed up in outfits they never expected. Akito wore a green shirt with white pants. Suzaku had a grey and white open top with black pants. Ryo had a dark purple open vest with black pants. Kallen wore a vibrant red dress. Rai's was a simple blue top with navy blue pants. Ayano wore a dark purple top with a light purple dress underneath. Gino had something akin to his old Knight of the Round uniform with a white open top and white pants with a golden sash tied around his waist. Yukiya appeared to be stuck with women's clothes with a light purple top and a dark red knee-high dress. Orpheus wore a white top with black pants. Leila wore an orange gyspy dress with a green scarf tied at the waist. Anna had something similar that had a light-yellow top and a sky-blue dress. Monica wore a rather short yellow dress that showed off her legs with a white top. Euphemia's clothing was almost exactly like her old princess uniform, only more vibrant in pink, white, and red. Milly's outfit was primarily yellow and sky blue. Shirley wore a dark green dress. Rivalz's outfit was a black sleeveless top with blue pants. Nina wore something simple such as a red top with a black dress. Alice was stuck with a pink top and dress herself, while Misty wore something that was much more bland; a white top with a black dress. Now, they had to simply wait for Nunnally, Lelouch, and Cera to step outside.

The immortal and former princess stepped out in their owl colorful dresses. Cera had a dark green top with a blue and yellow dress at the bottom, while Nunnally wore something that was white and pink at the top with a darker pink dress on the bottom.

"Well, it's better than a straitjacket." Cera said.

"Well, aren't you two beautiful." One of the gypsies commented.

"Takes us back to when we were young and sexy."

One of them also took notice of something beneath Nunnally's dress. "Hey, what you got under there?"

"Oh, it's something to help me walk." Nunnally replied, which caused the present Black Knights, particularly Suzaku and Euphemia, to look with sympathy as they recalled how she still needed to wear her cybernetic leg braces to walk while the nanotechnology inside repaired her nerves. Alice was among those looking in concern as well.

"Hold on, one of you is missing."

"Hey! Come on out Lelouch! We're waiting!" Kallen called to him. But so far, no response.

"Is he okay in there?" Rivalz asked.

"I'll get him." Suzaku walked into the wagon. "Come on Lelouch…" But he stopped upon seeing what he was wearing. "Why are you…?"

"I think I'll just wear normal clothes. I'm not wearing this outside." They all heard the young revolutionary's voice from outside.

"It doesn't look that bad." Suzaku tried to reason with him.

"I'm not wearing this!"

"Oh, come on, don't be such a spoil sport Lulu!" Milly quickly ran in and helped to drag him out. "Come on Suzaku! Help me out here!"

Despite resisting with all his might, Milly and Suzaku had dragged out Lelouch into the open to reveal he was wearing a primarily black and dark purple dress. Almost instantly, everybody laughed. The old women were among the first, followed by Ryo, Ayano, Yukiya, Rivalz, Gino, Monica, Rai, even Orpheus found himself smirking with Euphemia giggling alongside Shirley and Nina bit.

Cera smirked towards the giggling girl at her side. "Nunnally, I never knew you had a long-lost sister." She joked, resulting in Nunnally laughing even harder as Lelouch's face turned red.

"I hate this."

"Hey… you… you said we could stay here. Reap what you sew, Lelouch…!" Kallen said in-between laughs.

"Oh…. Don't mind them Lelouch. I honestly think you look beautiful…!" Leila tried to stifle a laugh, but almost completely failed.

"Yes… it… it suits you really well big brother…!" Nunnally continued to laugh.

"Is he what people call a transvestite?" Misty asked Alice, and Akito, the only two who didn't appear to be laughing, but Alice did have a smirk on her face.

"No, I'm pretty sure it's because that's the only outfit available." Alice said.

"There are twenty-two of us, and only seven of them. So, it would make sense they have limited clothing." Akito said logically.

"Alright, that's enough fooling around. Time to get to work people!" Milly announced, already getting into her Madam President mode. "There's almost thirty people here total and that's a lot of mouths to feed! So, Ryo, Suzaku, Rai, Orpheus, Gino, and Alice will handle the firewood; Leila, Shirley, Ayano, Monica, and Misty will help set up the tables; Kallen, Yukiya, Nina, Anna, and myself will prepare the food; Akito, Lelouch, Euphie, Nunnally, Cera, and Rivalz will get the water."

With that, each group went to perform their respective tasks as Ayano, and Misty wiped the tables clean with Leila, Monica, and Shirley laying done one of the large tablecloths.

"These outfits feel kinda… musty." Ayano commented.

"I still think there's dust in mine…" Shirley tried to brush some off her side.

"That's because we haven't taken them out in fifty years." One gypsy revealed, much to their surprise.

"I would recommend we wash them then." Misty pointed out.

Meanwhile, Ryo, Suzaku, Orpheus, Gino, and even Alice were handling all the firewood as they chopped down with their respective axes.

"Damn it… crazy old bats." Ryo muttered.

"Come on, they were nice to offer us their own place for us to stay. The least we could do is offer our help." Suzaku said.

"And I'm actually having fun." Gino smiled as he cut down a piece of wood himself. "Nice to have a break and get away from everything."

"I don't mind hard work either." Orpheus added. "Actually, helps to keep us in shape…" He was suddenly grabbed in the rear by a gypsy that appeared out of nowhere, who also reached out her hand to do the same to Suzaku. A second one also appeared to reach out to the rears of Gino and Ryo; much to everyone's shock.

"Wow you could bounce a coin off that."

"This one's got a nice ass right here."

"Hey! Boundaries! Please!" Suzaku exclaimed as the four young men backed away, while Alice's face turned red for a reason she couldn't quite explain.

"Aren't you a little young to be doing something like this?" A third gypsy asked Alice. "And chopping firewood is a man's job."

Alice sighed. "Trust me, I've handled worse. And I'm a lot stronger than I look." She grabbed a small log with her bare hands and ripped it apart with raw strength alone; much to the shock of all the young men and elderly women present, even Ryo's jaw dropped in pure shock.

At the same time, Milly's group consisting of Kallen, Yukiya, Nina, and Anna were helping to prepare the food as Yukiya skinned the potatoes like an expert while Kallen did the same for the apples, Milly worked to cut the vegetables while Nina and Anna rolled the dough needed to make the pasta.

"Wow, you're pretty good with a knife Yukiya." Anna complemented with a smile.

"Well, when I was a kid, it was either learn how to cook or go hungry." He replied.

"You'd be surprised what you'd have to cook if you're staying in the ghettos." Kallen commented. "Rats actually taste pretty good if you roast them right."

"Didn't you live with your step-mother though, Kallen?" Nina asked out of curiosity.

"Before joining the Black Knights, my friends and I would have to hunker down in the ghettos to avoid the authorities back in Japan." Kallen explained. "We'd hold out for a few days, so we had to take what we could get when it comes to food."

"Come on people! Less talk, more cooking!" Milly ordered.

"Geeze, is she always like this?" Yukiya asked Nina, who only smiled apologetically.

"When she's not working us to the bone, she's either fishing around for gossip or saying something really perverted."

"Huh, she really is a she-devil." Yukiya commented.

"I wear that title with pride." Milly smirked dangerously.

Finally, the group consisting of Lelouch, Akito, Nunnally, Euphemia, Cera, and Rivalz were down by the river. While the girls worked to gather some water, the boys were sitting down with fishing rods, hoping to catch whatever was biting.

"Man… this is boring." Rivalz yawned.

"You've only been here for two minutes." Akito commented.

"Fishing takes time Rivalz." Cera told him as she filled a bucket of water. "Some people have to wait hours before they catch a bite."

"Hours?! Aw man!" Rivalz sulked even lower.

"I'm just glad we all get to spend this kind of time together." Nunnally smiled. "I can't even remember the last time we all did something like this."

"I agree. This work is hard, but I'm enjoying myself." Euphemia smiled as well.

Despite some of the humiliation he previously faced, as well as the hard work they had planned for, Lelouch couldn't help himself but give a relaxed smile. This was nice; just being out here on a nice sunny day, not worrying about politics or the next battle to fight. Honestly, if the war against the Decepticons were to come to an end soon, and the world placed in much safer hands, this is the kind of life Lelouch would look forward to.

His thoughts were brought to a halt as a gypsy appeared next to him to grab him by the cheeks and proceed pinching them.

"Oh my, such a pretty face. If I were only fifty years younger, we'd make such beautiful babies!"

That caused Lelouch to stumble backwards and fall into the river, which caused everyone around him to laugh, even Cera got a good laugh out of it. The only one who didn't laugh was Akito, but that didn't stop him from smiling.

---

Euro Britannia – Hyuga Residence

While Shin Hyuga Shang was with his adoptive mother and sister inside, the Decepticon known as Steeljaw remained in his vehicle mode outside the manor as he accessed a private communication frequency.

"Steeljaw to Lord Megatron, do you read?"

"Steeljaw, what is your status report?" The leader of the Decepticons made contact.

"We've established a firm presence in Euro Britannia, and it seems you were right about the Autobots and Black Knights reaching out to the EU." Steeljaw gave his report. "They are personally being led by Zero."

"Are you certain?" Megatron asked right away.

"I've seen him myself, Lord Megatron." Steeljaw confirmed.

"What of Optimus Prime?" Megatron questioned.

"No sign of him, my Lord. Though Ultra Magnus was present, which leaves me to believe Optimus isn't in the EU." Steeljaw replied.

"More than likely, he is reaching out to the Chinese Federation." The leader of the Decepticons assumed.

"Also, the only remaining Britannian royal, Marrybell Mel Britannia, and her own personal attack force is also allied with Euro Britannia." Steeljaw revealed. "Though they don't seem particularly happy with our presence, I can still see a use for them, as pawns that is."

"Excellent work Steeljaw." Megatron congratulated. "You're just the type of Decepticon I had been hopping to recruit."

"You humble me, master. Oh, but one other thing. What exactly is a Geass?" Steeljaw asked. For a moment, Megatron didn't respond right away, which only confirmed Steeljaw's suspicions that Megatron had been keeping secrets from some of his fellow Decepticons. "Master?"

"Where did you hear of that?"

"Because it would seem that one of our newest allies possess it. His name is Shin Hyuga Shang, and I can see quite the future for him." Steeljaw said.

"You are certain this human possesses the ability called Geass?" Megatron questioned.

"One hundred percent, master. Is there something I should know?" Steeljaw asked humbly. "I do not wish to pry or anything, but I want to be as helpful to our cause as I can, and there is only so much I can do with limited information."

"That is something you must earn Steeljaw. Be careful not to overstep your bonds." Megatron warned.

"Of course, merely curious." Steeljaw said.

"Continue your work in Euro Britannia. If you perform well, you may get your wish, but only if you are able to deliver adequate results." Megatron signed out.

Steeljaw couldn't help but chuckle. This was all going well. All he had to do was keep working with Euro Britannia, he already had a plan to begin chipping away at the EU and forcing the Autobots and Black Knights into a corner before seizing on his prey; and he was certain Shin would gladly contribute to their cause. He could see it in his eyes, that man was a true Decepticon in human skin if he ever saw one.

---

Lelouch stood alone, he stood completely isolated, clad in his Zero armor, bracing his arms against his face to keep away the roaring blizzard that he found himself trekking through. However, this was not a blizzard of snow, but rather one of smoke and ash.

"Keep going…" He said to himself as he tried push forward. "You… you have… to get to them…"

"Why?" A new and familiar voice echoed across the smokey blizzard. "There is nobody left." The raging cloud of ash began to clear, allowing Lelouch to see something that caused him to look in genuine horror.

He saw the empty and lifeless husks of Autobots and Knightmares alike, countless human skeletons laid all across the ground around him, several wearing the tattered uniforms of Black Knights and even civilians.

"No… I was too late…?" He muttered to himself before the ground below him began to shake.

"You were always too late. Always too weak." The voice said to him as the ash and skeletons around him began to part as he himself felt elevated on the ground, which was revealed to be a large metallic hand. Soon, Lelouch found himself literally in the palm of a titan-sized Megatron. The Decepticon war monger gazing down on him, his Dark Geass flaring through his purple eyes as he sneered evilly at Lelouch, laughing maniacally as he crushed him in his grip.

Lelouch awoke with a slight gasp, despite awakening from the nightmare, he was self-aware enough not to scream and yell, or else he may awaken everyone else. He calmed himself down and looked around and reminded himself that he had been asleep in one of the gypsies' wagons, alongside all of the guys who were separated from the girls as they slept in their own wagon. Though Lelouch did notice a couple of the elderly gypsies were clinging to Ryo as well as Gino, the later sleeping peacefully while the former appeared to be shuddering as he slept.

Lelouch couldn't help but chuckle at that, though he did notice Suzaku was not present in the wagon. He probably went out for some water or to relieve himself. Deciding to get some air, Lelouch quietly stepped out of his bunk and stepped carefully to avoid waking anybody up before stepping outside.

Once he sat down on the ground, he began to take in the environment around him; the starry sky that laid above him, the gentle sounds of the river in front of him, the faint breeze in the trees behind him, even the city in front of him seemed to shine in the distance like stars as well. This caried a familiar feeling to when he, Optimus, and Euphie were stranded in Kanime Island. Though that wasn't an adventure he'd be eager to repeat, it wasn't all bad.

"Not much of a sleeper, I take it." He heard Akito's voice as he stepped outside as well.

"Guess that makes two of us." Lelouch commented as Akito sat down next to him. For a moment, the two sat in silence, not sure of what to say to each other if there was really anything to say at all. "You know, we're actually quite a bit alike." Lelouch said.

"You really think so?" Akito asked, a slight feeling of skepticism in his voice.

"You've been dead inside for a long time." Lelouch began. "Even in battle, you've just been going through the motions of life, as though you were a zombie. In your mind, it really didn't matter if you lived or died, feeling like everything you've been doing will all just be for nothing."

"That sounds about right." Akito admitted.

"And the whole reason we were both like that, is the exact same. We were both betrayed by someone from our family." Lelouch said. "My father, and even a few my own siblings, betrayed me; just as your brother betrayed you." Akito said nothing but looked toward Lelouch as he continued. "I don't know what exactly happened between you two, but I can tell there was something there, maybe you two were close once upon a time, until he betrayed you. Something he did caused your whole world to collapse, and now here you are, just going through the motions without appearing to give a second thought to anyone else. But underneath that cold exterior, there is at least one person in this world that you feel you have to protect. For me, it was just my sister in the past; for you, it's Leila."

"She's my commanding officer, and I her soldier. It's my duty to look after and protect her." Akito said.

"Maybe, or maybe there's something else." Lelouch told him.

"What exactly are you implying?" Akito began. "Are you trying to get me to open up? Trying to become my friend and show I'm not alone in the world?"

"I'm not going to tell you what to do with your life, Akito." Lelouch said. "If you want to open yourself up to others, or just shut yourself out from them, that's your choice. It's your life, your choice. But… I will say this. Once I opened myself up to others, I didn't feel so alone anymore. You'd be surprised how much that can change your whole perspective."

Lelouch could tell right away that Akito had gone through a very similar experience to him; he didn't know the details, but he did recognize that dead expression when they first met. They even carried the same initial cynical attitude. The young revolutionary tried to speak in a way that he thought Optimus would speak, or even Nunnally, they both could see the good in people even when others couldn't; and even he was slowly beginning to see things through their perspective as well. Maybe Akito could be as well.

Akito, meanwhile, didn't say anything and just choose to continue looking out into the stars. He probably wouldn't say anything to Lelouch again for the rest of the night, but he had the feeling that Lelouch found that acceptable. Though he will admit that Lelouch was right, he had to protect Leila, she was his commanding officer first and foremost. However, at the same time, he recalled all the times she tried to speak to him in a less-than professional manner, and more friendly. At first, he dismissed that as just something from her age, but the more he thought about it, was she just really trying to be a friend to him? And it seemed like many of Lelouch's other friends in the Black Knights, even a few of the Autobots, were trying to do the same; and he'd be lying to say that it didn't feel nice. He tried to push away those thoughts, because whenever something like that came to the surface, so did a memory he desperately wanted to forget.

At the same time, Leila had also woken up a little bit ago, having been unable to sleep a bit herself. She had managed to listen to what Lelouch and Akito were talking about, though it wasn't her intention to eavesdrop, she couldn't help but listen to what they were saying. She blushed a bit when she heard Akito talk about her, though she did know that he was speaking about her professionally, a part of her felt there was a bit more than that.

"You know, it's kinda rude to eavesdrop."

She was slightly startled by Suzaku, who approached with a slight smile. "S…Suzaku… what are you…?"

"I had to relieve myself." He explained. "I'm guessing you're having a hard time sleeping, but you couldn't help but listen to those two, right?" He said with a slight joking grin.

Leila made no effort to hide her embarrassment as she sat down and leaned her back against the wagon. "Yes… Guess I'm not as mature as I thought."

"Nothing wrong with that." Suzaku said as he sat down next to her. "In all honesty, I kinda find it refreshing. I know we're at war against a ruthless enemy and the fate of the world literally rests on our shoulders, but… it's nice to act like a kid because… well… we are kids, or teenagers, but you get what I mean."

Leila giggled. "Yeah, I do. Thank you for understanding."

Suzaku smiled but it quickly faded. "I just wish I could have done something like this sooner." That got Leila's attention as he began to confess aloud. "I wish I could have worked with my friends… but I was too stubborn, and that led me straight to Megatron, and I almost became the very thing I thought I was fighting against."

"Based on what I've heard, Megatron is a master manipulator." Leila replied. "So, I would say that was mostly his fault."

"Not all of it." Suzaku continued. "Megatron is pure evil, I acknowledge that. But… he wasn't the one who convinced me to join the Britannian military, that was me. And what happened… to my father…"

"Your father?" Leila looked in surprise. "But… didn't he take his own life to protest Japan's continued resistance against Britannia?"

"No, he didn't." Suzaku shook his head. "It wasn't suicide… it was murder. Murder at my hands."

Leila couldn't contain her gasp. She had to double take, just to make sure she heard correctly. Did Suzaku just say… he killed his own father?!

"He didn't protest the military actions, to the contrary he encouraged it." Suzaku began as a look of guilt formed in his eyes. "He even called for do-or-die resistance when Japan was invaded. But… that would have led to millions of people dying… I couldn't accept that. I tried to reason… even beg him to stop but he wouldn't… I took a knife and tried to threaten him… but he called my bluff, or at least it was supposed to be a bluff. But… before I knew it… I drove that knife into his heart… I didn't think I just… I just acted." He clenched his fists on top of his lap as Leila continued to listen. "And the worst part… people who worked with my father actually tried to protect me. I expected to be punished, but I was protected! I killed my own father, and I was being protected!"

"Is… is that why you joined the Britannian military?" Leila asked.

"Yes." Suzaku confirmed. "I thought it was a way I could atone… I tried to tell myself that if I could prove myself to them… I could rise up the ranks and invoke change from within. But… truth-be-told, it seemed the best way for me to be punished. I was an Eleven, the son of the former Prime Minister no-less. They would send me on suicide missions, they wanted me to die… and I felt that was the best way I could atone. Die for a righteous cause, or at least what I thought was righteous. But I just an idiot wanting to be punished."

His fists continued to clench, his shoulders shaking as the guilt he had been feeling continued to build up, that is until Leila put a gentle hand on his shoulder. The act alone was a surprise, but an even greater one was the fact that she was smiling toward him.

"You made mistakes… some that can never be undone… but the fact that you've acknowledge them… and you're here now, wanting to change… that shows how much of a good person you are." Leila said with a smile. "And you are a good person, Suzaku Kururugi."

Though his guilt would probably continue to weight at him for years to come, he was grateful for the support she had given, as well as that of his friends. "Thank you. Is it true, that your parents were Britannian but defected to Europia?"

"Yes, it is true." Leila confirmed. "My father, Assembly Man Breisgau. He was my hero growing up. Even as a child, I knew there was something wrong with the world, but I also felt that my father was the man who could change it. That is… until he was killed, along with my mother."

"I'm sorry." Suzaku said. "But… now look at you, look at where you are. You're following in your father's footsteps, wanting to change the world; and you're not the only one. The Decepticons want nothing more than to drain the Earth dry, leave it a lifeless husk like they did their own home world; and I'm not naïve enough anymore to know there are plenty of people who'd do the same thing. But, there are just as many people out there who want to change things for the better, and the Autobots fight for that every day, even though this is not their home, they're willing to put their lives on the line for it. Look, what I'm trying to say is, you shouldn't give up the fight. I'll hold onto my sins for the rest of my life if I have to, but I'm not going to quit or even die trying. I'm going to live and help the people I love save this world, and you can do that too, Leila."

She tried to wipe the tears from her eyes as she smiled at him. "Thank you, Suzaku."

---

Castle Weisswolf

It was nighttime too in Sophie's personal room, she looked out the window expectedly until she saw the face of Jetfire peer inside.

"You said you wanted to talk to me, Miss Randal?"

"Please just call me Sophie." She said before getting to the point. "Let me show you something."

Sophie pressed a few key commands on her laptop before a special compartment along the wall opened up, revealing some kind of stasis pod that had a man hooked up to life support inside.

Needless to say, Jetfire was more than a little surprised. "Who is that?"

"My husband, Takeru Randle." Sophie replied, much to Jetfire's surprise. "He's still alive, physically anyway."

"What happened?" Jetfire asked.

"Five years ago, we were experimenting with that neural link for the Alexanders." Sophie explained. "Our dream was always to put BRS into practical use. It's our hypothesis that feelings and emotions could be shared by manipulating resonating brainwaves. If were to use that with our Knightmares, we could establish a neural link to all the pilots together and they would be able to act as one. Takeru volunteered for an experiment, but his mind couldn't handle it."

"And we almost saw that with Akito and the others on their previous mission." Jetfire said. "But it wasn't just from the Alexanders, you know that, right?"

"Yes. Something you explained called a Geass." Sophie replied. "And for some reason, you haven't gone into all the details about it."

"Because we're not one hundred percent certain where that power comes from." Jetfire explained. "We have some theories, but they're not good. And by 'not good', I mean that the source itself could be incredibly dangerous and not something to mess around with. I've seen the destruction something like that is capable of, it led to the destruction of our home. Just because we can experiment with something, doesn't mean we should."

"Restraint, I know, and I completely agree." Sophie said. "I'm not a mad scientist or anything like that, but I still believe in miracles. And… I'm talking to one right now." Jetfire looked toward her curiously as she directed her gaze toward him. "Do you think, your advanced Cybertronian science could finally wake him up?"

Jetfire smiled. "I'll need to know exactly what happened, and if you have any data on the incident that would certainly help. But yes, I think we can do something; maybe even something with that neural link you were talking about."

Sophie smiled as she looked towards her comatose husband. "Thank you…"

---

At the same time, Ultra Magnus was outside the castle, gazing up toward the stars before he found himself being joined by Elita One.

"This feels familiar." The pink female Autobot commented. "Takes you back, doesn't it? To when all of us; you, myself, Orion, Ratchet, Ironhide, even Megatron found ourselves gazing toward the stars, wondering for what the future might hold, and hoping it was a better one than what we had now."

Ultra Magnus smiled. "If I recall, you and Orion shared a few moments to yourselves for a time."

Elita smiled back before it faded slightly. She truly did miss those nights, just as much as she missed Orion Pax, the Cybertronian she fell in love with. While she respected Optimus with every ounce of her spark and would follow him into hell and back if he wanted to, he wasn't quite the same Autobot she knew. Though they were still good friends and solid comrades, who fought for the same goal of freedom, it wasn't the same as before. But she was able to find peace with that.

"However, nothing could have prepared us for what future Cybertron had." Magnus said as his smile faded. "Or rather, its lack of thereof."

"Maybe hope isn't lost." Elita said. "Optimus caries the Matrix, and as long as he does, Primus still lives. The Allspark is also out there, somewhere across the stars. I know it's fleeting, but I still believe in hope. Hope not just for our planet's salvation, but for this one as well."

"Earth has a chance at survival." Ultra Magnus said. "But we must steel our resolve. It will take far more than hope to stop Megatron."

"And we will stop him." Elita said with a serious expression gazing at the stars. "Because as Optimus has faith in the humans who fight alongside us, so do I."

---

The Next Day

The young soldiers awoke and were once again back at work with every day chores, which included doing the laundry; something that Milly and one of the gypsies was helping to teach Leila.

"Come on Leila, put your back into it!" Milly ordered.

"Right!" Leila exclaimed as she continued to pound some of the water out of the clothes.

"That girl is a ruthless coach." Ryo commented as he, Anna, Rivalz, Suzaku, Kallen, Nina, Ayano, and Yukiya continued to watch while they worked with more of the laundry themselves.

"Yeah, when Milly's in charge, it's always about giving one hundred and ten percent." Rivalz said.

"Ya know, I kinda respect that sort of tenacity." Yukiya said.

"I still think it's sad that Leila has to learn how to do laundry." Ayano said.

"Give her a break, she's rich. She's always had a servant, or something do that kind of stuff for her." Kallen commented.

"Or they just have a laundry machine." Suzaku added.

"Leila always insists on doing what she can to help." Anna explained. "Even when it comes to chores, though she's not quite good at it. But don't tell her I said that."

"She's about as klutzy as Shirley is sometimes." Rivalz said.

"Well, I could use a little help myself." Euphemia said with an apologetic smile as she held a series of sheets that needed to be cleaned.

"Oh, Euphemia let me help with that!" Nina ran over quickly.

"You know how to do laundry by hand, Nina?" Euphemia asked with a hopeful smile, which caused Nina to blush with embarrassment

"Um… no. But… I can help still I…"

Ayano sighed toward Kallen. "Come on, we should help them out."

Kallen gripped one sheet by one end with Euphemia grabbing the other, while Nina and Ayano did the same for the second.

"Okay, hold on tight Euphie." Kallen told her. "Ready, set, go!" She spun her end of the sheet to ring the water out while Euphie held on as best as she could.

"You too Nina. Hold on as tight as you can." Ayano told her.

"Right." She nodded firmly as Ayano began to spin and ring out their own sheet.

"Hey, that looks fun. Why not let me join in?" Ryo offered.

"You've got your own job, remember?" Kallen reminded.

"Ugh, fine." Ryo sulked as he took a pair of buckets and walked toward the river to fetch some water. But as he bent down, he felt his rear getting groped by a set of wrinkly hands, startling him as he backed into the river.

"Can't keep my hands off it." A gypsy joked. "Can't an old girl get a little bit of love?"

"Not from me!" Ryo backed away even further, only to end up sinking into the deeper water; much to everyone's surprise, and the horror of his friends.

"Ryo!" Yukiya exclaimed.

"He can't swim!" Ayano also shouted.

"Oh no!" Euphemia gasped.

"Somebody help him!" Anna exclaimed just as Suzaku dove into the water with Kallen right beside him. The two were quick to pull Ryo out of the water as everyone else ran to help him out.

"You okay, man?" Rivalz asked.

"That water is deeper than it looks." Milly commented, looking toward the river.

"I had no idea you couldn't swim." Suzaku said as Ryo was helped back to his feet, but Suzaku quickly felt something around his own rear, causing him to stumble backwards as another gypsy had groped him as well.

"Well, aren't you a hero? How about a little reward for your selfless act." She teased.

"Um… no thanks! I'm good!" Suzaku quickly said, resulting in everyone else, even Ryo, laughing at his expense.

---

Meanwhile, Nunnally, Shirley, Alice, and Misty had brought in several logs toward the group consisting of Lelouch, Rai, Gino, Orpheus, Akito, and even Monica as they used their hatchets to cut down on the logs to make firewood.

"Wow, look at you go Lulu." Shirley said in a joking tone. "A year ago, I wouldn't imagine you doing any kind of labor."

"We can thank Sayoko and Tohdoh that they helped you to finally gain some muscle." Nunnally added.

"Ha, ha, very funny." Lelouch said with a smirk.

Gino brought down his hatchet to cut down some wood before wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Man, this is great! I never did work like this with the other Knights."

"Because manual labor was beneath us." Monica commented in a slight joking tone herself. "That's reserved only for the lower class."

Most of the group chuckled at the remark before Rai spoke up. "Ya know, even though you guys' Knights of the Round, who are supposed to Britannia's elite and all that; you two and Nonette are some of the nicest people I know."

"Not everyone from Britannia is a racist bigot apparently." Akito said somewhat cynically.

"Yeah well, the whole Number system seemed like garbage if you ask me." Gino commented before a sad expression fell on his face. "Too bad my parents didn't feel the same way." Everyone looked toward him as he continued. "When I was fourteen, we had a maid at our household, a teenage Eleven girl who was around my age. Her name was Rin, and she was amazing." He smiled fondly. "I didn't care if she was Japanese or not, didn't stop me from getting a major crush on her." That took them all by surprise. "My parents found out though and kicked her back out on the street before my old man beat her with a stick." His fists clenched around the hatchet. "Two years later, I left home to join the military. It was better than being stuck in that stupid mansion for the rest of my life."

"Gino… I'm sorry." Shirley apologized as she, Nunnally, and Monica looked the most sympathetic, even Rai and Lelouch looked toward him with pity.

"I got no idea where she is now, or if she's even still alive." Gino commented as he looked towards the clouds. "And I miss her almost every day."

"I know how that feels." Orpheus said, getting their attention again. "I lost somebody I loved too, only she wasn't 'kicked out' or anything like that; she was murdered."

"Was she in the Geass Order with you?" Lelouch asked.

"She was." Misty confirmed. "Her name was Euliya, and the three of us escaped the Geass Order, fleeing to a village in Hungary. But Pluton tracked us down and laid waste to the village, Orpheus and I were the only ones to survive."

Anger flashed through his eyes, almost instinctively activating his Geass, as he recalled the bloody massacre. Monica, being the one closest to him, put a comforting hand on his back to try and quell his rage, which seemed to work a bit.

"It seems everyone here has lost someone at some point in their life." Akito said. "Family, friends, lovers… I suppose that gives us all something in common."

"It's sad, but at the same time, it's also beautiful." Nunnally said, surprising most of the group. "I mean, what happened to everyone was tragic and… it should have been avoided but… the fact that each of us are here, that we're standing back on our feet even though so many people and monsters have tried to break us down… we're all stronger because of that. But… above all, I think we're strongest when we're together."

Lelouch couldn't help but smile at his sister's resolve. Though she was growing into somebody was also quite fierce and strong like those around her, there was also that same kind of optimistic and hopeful personality she had when she couldn't see or walk for seven years; the same kind of personality that saw only the best in people.

---

Meanwhile; another person who observed everything was Cera, who had been gathering smaller pieces of wood for kindling by herself. She had seen everything that everyone had been up to, and smiled with both humor and hope at each of their interactions.

"You, Cera is it?" She heard one of the gypsies as she walked toward her.

"Yes?"

"Why aren't you down there with your pals?"

Cera hesitated before answering. "I'm just… used to keeping my distance sometimes…" She said before walking away.

---

Later that night

Everyone had once again gathered around for a large feast, enjoying each other's company, and helping themselves to whatever grub was in front of them.

"This is amazing!" Shirley beamed.

"I know! Who knew we were such good cooks!" Rai agreed as they shared smiles.

"Um… I think you have my coaching to thank for all that." Milly commented. "Who was it that kept things organized?"

"You mean beating us with a whip, Miss She-Devil?" Yukiya teased.

"Hey, hey, easy ladies." Gino said as a pair of gypsies sat close toward him. "If you want to share my food…"

"Oh, I don't think they're interested in your food there, Gino." Monica teased.

"Yeah, those ladies are hungry for something else." Kallen smirked as Ryo went through the same kind of ordeal.

"Come on, hands off ladies." Ryo said in a tone that indicated he was actually enjoying it.

"I love men who know how to eat." One gyspy said as she was already groping Ryo by his abs.

"Suzaku, would you care for some of this? It's quite delicious." Euphemia offered Suzaku a spoonful of food, which he took as she fed it directly to him.

"Thanks Euphie."

"Awe, you two are so cute." Rivalz teased.

"They do make such a darling couple." Nunnally teased before turning to her friend next to her. "What about you, Alice? Are you enjoying your meal?"

"It's delicious." Alice said with the faintest of smiles.

Ayano tried to offer some of her food to the boy next to her as well. "Akito, you've got to try this meuniere!"

"I'll pass." Akito said without hesitation, much to everyone's surprise.

"What's wrong? You don't like fish?" Orpheus asked.

"I don't understand how anyone can eat that stuff." Akito said.

"Seriously? You don't like any kind of seafood?" Rai questioned.

"What about sushi or prong?" Suzaku offered.

"Lobster? Crab cakes? Salmon?" Shirley asked.

"Even I enjoy the occasional shrimp." Even Lelouch said.

"Are you allergic to seafood, Akito?" Nunnally asked. "If you are, we're sorry."

"Not allergic, I just don't like it." Akito tried to look away, not expecting Ryo to suddenly appear behind him.

"What kind of Eleven won't eat fish?" He questioned as he placed his arm around his shoulder in an assertively friendly manner.

"Come on Akito, just give it a try. Don't knock it till you try it." Gino told him.

"No way!" He tried to force himself away.

"Well, this won't do at all." Milly stood up as she grabbed Akito by the shoulders. "Come on Ryo! Help me hold him down!"

"You got it!" Ryo and Milly held onto him tight. "Ayano, you shove it in!"

"Guys, come on! we shouldn't force him!" Shirley tried to protest.

"He doesn't have to try it if he doesn't want too!" Euphie also protested; but despite that, the group couldn't stop themselves from laughing, even Alice and Cera smirked at their antics.

Dinner soon came to an end as everyone lied back in exhaustion, allowing the food to digest, some people were even getting ready to turn in for the night. The eldest of the gypsies, the one in black that had previously tried to scam them, was among those preparing to leave.

"Well, that's enough fun for one night." However, she almost tripped and fell, but Cera was quick to catch her.

"Here, let me help walk you back." Cera offered.

The immortal helped the elderly gypsy walked back toward the wagons, a lantern in one hand, and the elderly woman's in the other. "You know, you may keep your distance from others, but you're such a sweet child underneath."

"I'm not a child. Trust me on that one." Cera commented.

"No, you're certainly older than you let on, I can tell." The gypsy said. "But… I think there might be more of a child inside than you think. I can offer you a reading if you like."

"Read my fortune?" Cera questioned.

"Yes, if you want of course."

Cera shrugged. "What could it hurt."

---

They both kneeled on the floor of one of the wagons as Cera saw the gypsy lay out a parchment that had something akin to a star or even a pentagram on it with various other markings all across; she'd seen similar symbols with other fortune tellers she's met in her long life, as well as cultish practices. As she heard the old woman chanting, while rolling a cluster of colored rocks in her hands like a pair of dice, she didn't really think this would do much for her, but she thought she'd humor the old woman.

The rocks were thrown toward the ground before the woman spoke. "You've been touched by the Devil. You've seen his face. His power dwells within you. A great and terrible evil looms over you like a shadow."

"No offense, but I've been told stuff like that for a while now." Cera said. "People say I'm a witch, so of course I've been told that I've consorted with the Devil or demons or whatever."

"You are no witch. Witches are those who give their souls to the Devil in exchange for power. But you did not give up your soul, rather your soul was taken from you."

"It doesn't matter if it was taken or I gave it up, I've lost my soul a long time ago." Cera said as she looked down with a sad expression.

"Would you like to have it back?" The gypsy asked, surprising Cera. "When something is lost, it can also be found. Would you like to find your soul?"

Cera didn't know what to say. Find her soul? For a long time, she had been dead inside. It wasn't until she met Lelouch and Optimus, and began to experience new things by working and fighting alongside them that she began to feel emotions again. She knew that she wanted to stay with them, but at the same time, she couldn't help but fear that she would outlive them like everyone else. Of course, Cybertronians had much longer lifespans when compared to humans, but they were still mortal, and they could die all the same; but she couldn't. Her greatest fear was being left alone again, but at the same time, that fear seemed more like an inevitable reality, and this war against the Decepticons seemed like a distraction from it. But… find her soul again? Was that even possible?

Her thoughts were interrupted when the elder gypsy gently touched her hand. "You've already begun to find your soul. Your heart beats with joy, fear, sorrow, rage, hope, and love. Slowly, your soul will return to you. You may have experienced terrible hardships, but you are stronger than you know. Soon, everything you've endured, it will all be worth it."

"How can you know that?" Cera asked, emotion creeping through her voice. "You don't know what I've been through…"

"Maybe not, but I have faith." The elder gypsy smiled. "Because if the Devil exists, then there must be a God out there as well. Maybe not the same God you hear in churches, but a God. Afterall, if there is evil in the world, then there must be good too."

She didn't quite know what to say, but those words reminded Cera of the time she spoke with the original Primes. That was true, they were evidence that as long as there is evil, good will always rise against it. They were even willing to allow her to form a contact with Optimus and give him a power that instilled hope in people. The immortal smiled as she felt the hope in her chest only grow larger than before.

---

The Next Day

"Yeah, alright, I understand Elita." Lelouch said over the phone. "Okay, we'll be back tomorrow. Thank you." He got off the phone before speaking to his friends, teammates, and the gypsies. "Thank you for being so hospitable to us, but tonight will be our last night."

"So we're really heading back?" Kallen asked.

"Yeah. Things are getting a little dicey with the EU and Euro Britannia again." Lelouch explained. "We spend the rest of the day here, but tomorrow the Autobots are gonna come and pick us up. We still got a job to do."

Pretty much everyone present looked with understanding yet disappointed expressions. "Ah well, it was fun while it lasted." Milly said with a sigh.

"Yeah, I really liked it here." Gino added.

"No rest for the wicked after all." Orpheus commented. "It's not like the Decepticons are taking a vacation themselves."

The gypsies were already in tears. "You're really planning to leave us so soon?"

"Sorry… but war's calling and we can't wait much longer." Rai winced.

"Thank you for everything though." Suzaku said honestly. "We won't forget any of you."

"We'll miss you kids so much!"

"Yes… we'll miss you too…" Leila was crying as well, along with Nunnally, Euphemia, Anna, and Shirley.

"You made us feel so welcome here… we can't thank you enough…" Nunnally said with watery eyes.

"This was honestly the most fun I'd ever had…. I'll cherish this memory always…!" Euphie said.

"You mean all the memories of the hard work they put us through?" Ayano said with a wincing grin.

"I'm sure they'll look back on our free labor fondly." Yukiya commented.

"Please grannies!" Ryo was also in tears, much to everyone's surprise. "Don't you dare go senile and forget me, okay?!"

Suddenly, most of the gypsies began to pile all around Ryo, as well as Suzaku, Gino, and Orpheus. "Oh, how can we ever forget such beautiful boys?"

"These bodies are unforgettable!"

One gyspy even began to caress Lelouch's face once more. "And this pretty face is one I will never forget."

Cera shook her head with a smile. "Well, if it's going to be our last night together, let's at least make the most of it. We'll prepare the biggest feast we've done yet."

"Whoa… Cera, you really seem into this." Rivalz looked in surprise.

"Well, as someone who's been dead inside for probably longer than any human in history, I'd say it's time we begin to live things up a bit, wouldn't you agree?" She said with a grin.

---

As everyone gathered all the necessary food and items to prepare for the feast later tonight, Ayano had brought up several buckets of water when Kallen walked up to her and handed her a sheathed Kodachi.

"Hey, I think this is yours." Kallen said as Ayano took it. "Sorry it took so long, Leila wanted to give it back to you after our last mission. But when things got crazy, we thought it be best to take a mental break before giving it back."

"What? Thought I'd go berserk and slice you all with it?" Ayano joked, causing them both to laugh. "But thanks, seriously."

"So, were your ancestors' samurai?" Kallen asked out of curiosity.

"Yep, at least that's what I've been told." Ayano replied as the two sat down together. "But, I wouldn't know too much considering I've never been to Japan."

"You were born in Europe?" Kallen asked in surprise.

"Yeah, my sister and I." Ayano confirmed. "So were Ryo and Yukiya. It was a pretty good life for a while, until Britannia invaded Japan and EU politics choose to put us Elevens in internment camps, even though we were full European citizens. But… I'd love to go to Japan one day, all of us."

"You're not missing out on much now." Kallen said with a sad expression. "Britannia steamed rolled over most of it, and the Cons wiped out everything else. Now the whole thing is nothing more than a graveyard."

"I know…" Ayano admitted, but still smiled. "But… I'd still love to see it. To rebuild."

Kallen smiled a bit herself. "So, your sister, what happened to her?"

"She died." Ayano said, looking down. "We were part of Ryo's gang, but one-by-one, they all bit the bullet, even she did. Now the three of us are all that's left."

"I'm sorry. I lost my brother the same way." Kallen said. "And it's not just him, I had somebody else who was also like a brother to me. An Autobot named Cliffjumper, but he ended up dying to. I know they both died fighting for a cause that was worth it, but… I still miss them."

"Guess we have more in common than I thought, huh?" Ayano said as the two exchanged emotional smiles.

---

Later that night

Celebrations were high, after everyone ate, Milly and the gypsies decided to throw something akin to a dance party. Instruments such as flutes, lutes, accordions, violins, and other similar tools were used to bring the music as nearly everyone danced around the fire. Some danced with the gypsies or even by themselves. Rai had offered Shirley a dance, and the two seemed to be enjoying their time together, even Suzaku and Euphie were dancing together. Ayano danced on her own, and Ryo appeared to be dancing alongside a few gypsies. Milly had even offered Rivalz a chance to dance, which he accepted with little hesitation, even Orpheus appeared to be sharing a dance with Monica.

Anna looked around with smiles as Yukiya approached her. "Hey, everyone else is having fun. Wanna join in?" He offered his hand. Anna looked in surprise with a blush before she smiled and accepted.

"Yes… I would love to dance." They joined in the celebration with everyone else.

Gino walked over to Misty. "Yo, you wanna dance too?" He asked in a friendly smile.

"I honestly don't know how to dance." Misty said.

"Oh, come on, it's super easy. Let me show you!" Gino took her hand and pulled her along.

Nunnally even ran up to Alice. "Come on Alice! Let's go!"

"Wait… Nunnally I… I don't know how to dance either and…"

"You don't have to know. Just have fun with it." Nunnally encouraged as she took both of Alice's hands and began to pull her along. Nunnally laughed the whole time she twirled with Alice, who couldn't stop herself from smiling and laughing along with her, honestly having fun herself.

Kallen was even approached by Lelouch. "So, you want to dance?" He asked, offering his hand.

The redhead sighed. "You know I'm not one of those pick-up dancey, types; right?" She reminded.

A playful smirk fell on his face. "What's the matter Kallen? Scared? That's not like you."

"Scared?!" Kallen then looked to him with a borderline evil smirk. "Oh, it is so on!" She grabbed his hands rather fiercely and pulled him into something of an aggressive dance.

Meanwhile; Nina sat down with a smile, not really interested in dancing, but simply choose to observe everyone with a smile. The moment she set her eyes on Euphemia and Suzaku however, her smile faded slightly.

"Must be hard, hmm?" Milly sat down next to her former classmate. "Seeing someone you like with somebody else?"

"Is it really that obvious?" Nina asked, looking away.

"Even back at Ashford, it was pretty easy to tell you had a thing for Euphemia." Milly began. "But it must have been hard considering she was a princess, and you were a commoner. But now, in this crazy new world where social status doesn't really matter anymore, the time when you might actually have a chance, you find she's into somebody else."

"I won't lie and say that I'm not upset." Nina admitted. "But… she just seems so happy. And if she's happy, then I guess I'm happy." Nina said with a sad smile.

Milly couldn't help but smile as well. "You know Nina, I'm really proud of you. A year ago, you were terrified of even walking out on the streets and catching even a glance at somebody who was Japanese. But now look at you. You're working with people you'd never thought you'd work with, even freaking aliens, and you're even admitting you're alright with your crush being someone else and someone who's Japanese no less. You've grown." Milly said as she put a friendly arm around the girl's shoulder.

"Thanks Milly. I like to think I have too." Nina accepted the gesture with a warm smile.

As everyone continued to party, Cera and Leila both sat close to Akito; the immortal girl simply smiled while Leila openly laughed. "This is so much fun."

"Well let's not let the party stop! The night is still young!" Rivalz approached.

"Hey Akito, you wanna join us?" Gino asked.

"Cut me out." He muttered to himself before standing up. "This is stupid." He began to walk away into the forest, much to their surprise.

"Geeze, what crawled up his tailpipe and died?" Rivalz commented.

"I'll talk to him." Leila stood up and followed Akito, with Cera casting a concerning glance in the direction she walked off into.

---

Leila quickly made her way through the forest before she finally spotted Akito sitting on a long alone in a small clearing, the moon light shining over him. She couldn't quite explain why, but Leila could tell there was something really bothering Akito. Mustering a bit of courage, she walked closer to him.

"Akito, can we talk?" She asked as she sat down next to him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm afraid…" Akito shuddered. "Moments like this always make me feel that something bad is just around the corner. This reminds me of that night… The moon looked so pretty… My parents and the rest of the clan were laughing and having a great time… Except for my brother."

"You're brother?" Leila remembered seeing Shin back in their previous mission.

"Just like that, they were dead…" Akito continued. "So was I at first… but for some reason I came back…" His entire body began to shake with his eyes, the painful memory resurfacing. "And when my brother saw me… He just said…. 'Akito, die now'."

Leila covered her mouth with a gasp as she continued to listen to Akito. "I was supposed to die… with the others…" He was on the verge of breaking down, his body shaking even more. "But I… I… I didn't…" His body then suddenly began to calm as he spoke in a more murderous tone of voice. "There's no hope for my brother. And I have no choice. I must kill him."

Before he knew it, Leila had wrapped her arms around him and pulled him into a comforting embrace. Though this was a surprise for him, he made no effort to resist.

"Akito… I'm happy that he didn't kill you that day. That you survived." She said as her voice began to crack. She pulled him in closer, and he honestly felt more relieved, not just at getting this in the open, but that someone was actually providing him comfort. "If you had died, I'd never would have met you." She pulled away and helped him to stand on his feet. "Come on. Let's head back."

Leila would soon lead Akito back to the campfire, and it is there that they soon danced as well. It was honestly the most beautiful out of all the dances present; so much so that everyone around them couldn't help but be mesmerized by it. In that moment, all the demons that had plagued Akito seemed to vanish, not entirely as he knew they would return, but it would seem they have gone silent for this night. He truly did enjoy himself, as did Leila.

Cera continued to watch not only their dance, but everyone else having fun; laughing, eating, drinking, and continued dancing. Though she never danced herself, this was enough. She smiled as tears flowed from her eyes almost automatically.

---

The next day

A large Groundbridge portal opened up in front of the group of young soldiers as they prepared to return to Castle Weisswolf.

"So, you guys are all coming with us?" Rai asked the group consisting of Nunnally, Alice, Shirley, Milly, Rivalz, Nina, and Misty.

"Absolutely. I'd love to see the castle, as well as see how Bumblebee, Elita, and the others are doing." Nunnally smiled.

"I'm sure we can find a way for you guys to help." Suzaku seemed to accept. Even Lelouch was silently glad, though he knew they could be put in danger from this, he was happy that his sister and friends were joining him.

As the group prepared to enter the portal, Ayano groaned. "Please tell me traveling through this is easier without a Knightmare."

"Oh no, it is worse." Kallen smirked. "It's so much worse."

"God no…" Ayano gulped as one-by-one, they all entered the Groundbridge portal. Leila was first, followed by Anna, Akito, Shirley, Rivalz, Ayano, Ryo, Yukiya, Nunnally, Alice, Misty, Orpheus, Monica, Gino, Milly, Nina, Kallen, Suzaku, Euphemia, Rai, and Kallen.

Lelouch and Cera were among the last before they turned around to see the group of gypsies one last time who waved them goodbye as some were already shedding tears. Lelouch gave a wave himself before stepping into the portal.

'There's still so much left for us to do.' Cera thought to herself, still looking at the gypsies. 'I can't even imagine how this is all going to play out. But one thing is for certain, I did enjoy my time here. And I hope… maybe one day… we can all do something like this again. Right, Optimus?'

With that, Cera smiled and waved to the gypsies before stepping into the portal, which shortly closed behind her.

Done.

Again, I thank you for your patience. Yeah, I'm pleased with how this chapter turned out as everyone appeared to enjoy their time off, we had some bonding moments from everyone as they even shared some dark moments about their respective pasts; even the Autobots and the WZERO got to talk to each other as well.

I also cut out Pierre Anou, mostly because the guy was annoying and served no real purpose to the story. So, don't expect to see him at all, just so you know.

But now we're getting back to the action, and we will see some more human-Bot bonding as I know this feels like the Autobots got the shaft here in terms of bonding with their human partners, though we will be seeing more of that in the future. We may even see more of what Optimus and the other Black Knights have been up to in either the next chapter or the one after. Plenty of unexpected surprises await us.

Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there.