Evolution Geass: Uzumaki of the Retribution

by SoulEmbrace2010

Naruto, Naruko, and Lucienne aim to destroy Britannia, in memory of their departed loved ones. The trio trained and prepared for the future war, but their hands are forced when they got caught up in the Shinjuku incident. In response, they start their campaign early to free Japan, only to find that there's more going on, and the world is at stake. AU, OOC, Naru/Harem, Mass-Xovers

5. STAGE 04: Ride of the Crusaders

Castle: *…..Rolling tumbleweed…..*

Soul: Hold on! *crash* Lemme get my coffee!

Castle: Where were you? I've been waiting here for hours.

Soul: My bed is too comfortable but I'm here now! *downs coffee*

Castle: You and your late-night podcasts...I swear. I take it the gang is on their way?

*BOOM*

Soul: I think that's them. Where's Lelouch?

Lucienne: Locked him in the house with Merrybell and Oldrin. He'll be fine.

Castle: Are you trying to have him sucked dry?

Naruto: He needs to get laid. It's for his own good. His constant doting over Nunnally, where understandable, makes him out to be quite the sis-con.

Nick: It's a better alternative than that 'the hero must be chaste' bullshit from Asanagi's doujin.

Nunnally: Who?

Nick: NOTHING.

Castle: She's a bit young to be an aunt.

Soul: Eh, it'll be fine. I was an uncle before I even knew it.

Naruko: Perks of being the youngest?

Soul: Yes. Now let's see what's in the mail. Our regular, Gundam Meister Uzumaki…Jaegers from Pacific Rim? We already have Knightmares and Metal Gear. They're good. XenoBlaze, Nero and/or Tamamo for Naruko and/or Milly, we shall see. Calderoneric758 says why Flare? Why not? I mean there are a lot of royal children not seen or used as Neo Infinity says, and Flare (and her sister) fits perfectly in the Britannia lifestyle. Patriot-112, it can't be…who~?

NS: No, he is not Ozpin.

Castle: Hey, NS. Where'd you sneak in from?

NS: Well, I was having some lunch and ended up hanging off the Raiser's Landspinners when it was heading back to base…

Lucienne: Well, that'll surely drive that Fox guy from the Reading story nuts. Anyway, let's get on with it.

Castle: So, in the words of the famous Lotar: *British Accent* Roll...the crap!

---

"Goooooddddd tidings everyone, M.M. here!

Naruto and the girls finally made contact with Kallen and Akiza, two resistance fighters of the infamous Kōzuki group! Could things get a bit steamy now the twins and Lucienne have two lovely redheads to play with? As for poor Suzaku-"

*CRASH*

"Eh?"

"I thought something was weird. Why are you using my appearance?"

"What? It was to introduce a new Code Bearer to the esteemed readers!"

"A Code Bearer who's working with the Uzumaki, just like you. Now reveal yourself and stop using my appearance!"

"Okay, fine! But it'll be on my terms! Sorry readers, but I am not the lovely M.M.! Tune in to the Suzaku Kururugi Rescue Operation to see my grand debut!"

"You know I don't go by that!"

"Let me have fun, Emmie! Stage 4 starts now!"

"I swear to the Caretaker, you-!"

---

[Area 11, Tokyo Settlement, Britannian Military Complex]

"Do you know anything about this weapon, Suzaku Kururugi? It was the one used to rob Prince Clovis of his life. The barrel striations leave little doubt, and we've taken the liberty of doing a little homework on you as well. You're the eldest and only child of Japan's Prime Minister, Genbu Kururugi, are you not? Your motive here is clear."

In the interrogation room within the Military Base, Suzaku was sitting on a wooden chair wearing a prisoner's restraint jacket, with guards around him, and a wooden table in front of him. Across from him was Margrave Kewell Soresi, the leader of the Purist Faction. He was looking smugly at him, sitting all relaxed, and was tapping at a gun concealed in a clear plastic evidence bag.

"You're making a mistake. I have never even been trained to use a gun, much less laid eyes on that one," Suzaku protested before a guard kicked his chair out from under him. "Gah!" he yelled, falling to the floor on his side.

"We found your fingerprints all over this weapon. You're also suspected of murdering the members of the Royal Guard." Kewell continued lazily, holding up the evidence bag so Suzaku could see from his position. "Come clean now, and you'll be judged as though you were born a Britannian, not some worthless Eleven."

"You're wrong! I've done nothing!" Suzaku cried out before a kick to his face for his troubles.

Kewell cruelly smirked as the guards started stomping and kicking the prisoner, relishing the grunts and cries of pain when they target the latter's injured side.

…

On the other side of the glass, Jeremiah and Villetta were watching the proceedings. Both were appalled at how the "interrogation" was going since the whole thing was meaningless.

Clovis was never killed with a gun. When his body was found, his eyes were bloodshot and rolled back in his head, his mouth was foaming with his tongue out, and there was a black stake protruding through his chest, with his heart at the end of it. Whatever had gone through the command center inside the G1-Base was inhuman, but all the aides and soldiers inside were killed with bullets, cracked necks, and black stakes through their hearts.

Of course, they knew that Lucienne, the twins, and C.C. had dealt with him, but that was beside the point.

"We're surrounded by idiots…" Villetta grumbled, a cup of coffee in her hands.

"Kewell is such a fool. Honorary Britannians are not permitted weaponry of any kind, no matter what," Jeremiah growled, infuriated by Kewell's shit-eating grin at the treatment of Suzaku. "Anyone with a brain like Our Lady can easily turn that argument around on him. Britannia has the image of absolute strength, but one ounce of complacency will have enemies coming out of the woodwork."

Villetta raised her coffee in confirmation, "It's exactly what Clovis did. But fate was not kind to him on that day. And even if the kids weren't tied up in it, Lady Kushina would find out and have Uzu move to take on Britannia. It makes me…excited, for the future."

"You and me both, Villetta." Jeremiah nodded, relieved that the guards stopped beating on Suzaku. "Do you have a car ready for us to go to Ashford for tonight's meeting?"

"Prepped and ready to go. I look forward to seeing Lady Lucienne again, and Lady Nunnally should time permit it," Villetta said softly. "I can only hope that when the fighting starts, Lady Nunnally is kept safe."

"Just like Lady Lucienne, she has the protection of the Uzumaki. She'll be fine. For now, let us think about how we'll deal with Kewell and the rest of the Purebloods as a whole." Jeremiah said as they continued to witness the 'interrogation'.

---

[Uzushio, Uzu Council]

Uzushio, also known as the Land of Whirlpools, is where the ancient Uzumaki clan originates from and resides. It is an island-country located way off the coast of Japan, and is the only area of Japan unconquered by Britannia. It is also surrounded by violent whirlpools and powerful spirits that make landfall impossible unless having an Uzumaki as a guide. Another way to get to the island is by air, which Britannia did by flying their aircraft over the eddies and dropping their Knightmares onto the land.

Too bad that the ninja, samurai, and their Metal Gear ripped them to shreds when they tried to invade.

Over the years, Uzushio continued to thrive while taking in as many Japanese refugees who were lucky enough to make the trip to the island as they could. The small towns around the island were the last bastion of Japanese heritage, with their architecture, food, and culture. The refugees weren't idle, picking up jobs to help the island flourish; the extreme troublemakers would be exiled back to the conquered mainland with no memory of their time there.

Near the main city was the capital of Uzushio, Uzushiogakure, or the Hidden Whirlpool Village, the main headquarters of the Uzushio military and the ninja and samurai protecting the whole island. It had several high-rise buildings, a wide river that ran through the village that was gapped by large bridges, and the surrounding countryside was dominated by steep hills. It was also home to the Uzumaki clan, the ruling family of the island, with the Clan Heads being the supreme rulers of the island, known as the Uzukage Daimyo.

The current Uzukage Daimyo was the successor of Uzumaki Mito, the mother of Naruto and Naruko, and one of the most powerful women in the world: Uzumaki Kushina. She sat in the Uzumaki Castle and was sitting on an elevated stage within the Council Chambers.

She was a tall, beautiful woman, with long, bright red hair; a trademark Uzumaki trait; with two buns that held up her elaborate golden headdress. Her eyes were an alluring violet, with fair skin and a slender, yet feminine and busty frame. It was the body of a Goddess that would make any male or female die of a nosebleed, with natural J-cup breasts brought about by two children. Her attire was a white kimono that showed up her cleavage, with draping sleeves and red trim, black spiral designs, and a large red obi with a bow in the back.

She was kneeling with a sheathed katana in front of her, her eyes narrowed in fury at the footage being presented to the council. It took all of her composure to not flip out at the footage of the Shinjuku Massacre, instead clenching her fist and teeth tightly as she and the others saw unarmed civilians of all ages killed in ruthless fashion. Hearing the radio chatter did not help at all, due to the gleeful voices sounding way too happy to commit genocide on the innocent.

Her features then softened as her children and Lucienne sprang into action, and she raised an eyebrow upon seeing C.C. in the footage. Lucienne led the resistance cell to glorious victory, while Naruto ran circles around the Lancelot, and Naruko saved the resistance and civilians from getting killed until the ceasefire happened. She was proud of the way they handled the situation, but was concerned about the Lancelot and its movements, deeming it a threat to their own Knightmare Frames in development.

"And that is all we have of the Shinjuku Incident and the skirmish that followed," Nines reported as the footage ended with the kids leaving the G1-Base, leaving C.C. to deal with Clovis. "I'm still peeved at how roughly Naruto and Naruko handled the Gun-Frames, but they did surprisingly well in this emergency. But with the strain they pulled on the parts since the Raiser and the Artorias are not optimized for combat, it's going to take some time to get them up to par."

Despite his young age, Nines was an official member of the Council as Head of Uzu's Research and Development sector. His intellect and innovative ideas were recognized even as a young child, and his contributions to Uzu during the Britannian Invasion greatly aided them in repelling the empire. After all, he had 'provided' the plans for Metal Gear and the High-Frequency Blades that allowed Uzu's ground forces to slice through Glasgows like a hot knife through butter. Seven years of continued R&D only made these assets more valuable to Japan's last island nation.

"Thank you, Nines," Kushina said curtly. 'I daresay you learned your lesson, C.C…'

Nines nodded and returned to his seat, with 'Emmie', a red-eyed violette with glasses in a white lab coat, standing next to him.

"This report and footage is…disturbing," said the Intelligence Officer, Aoshi Shinomori, grimly, "We know that Britannia encourages oppression, but we didn't think they would play their role like this."

"It's downright criminal," the Military Commander, Kusanagi Mokoto, concurred coldly, "Even Britannia's own people would find this appalling! A battlefield is supposed to have fair and dirty tactics, not involve civilians! We cannot let this stand, Kushina-sama! We need to take action!"

Kushina sighed and nodded with all eyes on her. "Before I make my judgment, General Iroh," she addressed the eldest member of the Council. "What are your thoughts?"

The Military Advisor, hummed in thought, stroking his beard with a grave expression. "No matter what we've heard about Britannia's treatment of their conquered subjects, we've always held firm in waiting to build our army and resources up to combat Britannia. But after this massacre that they orchestrated, it'll only embolden Britannia if there is no resistance."

"The people need to know about this. They need to see this footage," said the Head of the Torture and Interrogation department, Morino Ibiki. "And not just the Britannians, but the whole world, so that even if they don't want to see it, they can't deny it."

"While I don't agree with that assessment, I believe it is for the best." The busty Chief Medical Officer, Senju Tsunade, agreed. "We can't go on the offensive without the world not knowing why. It'll affect everyone's mental health, but it needs to be done."

Kushina nodded and turned to the only major members of the Council that hadn't said anything. "Konoe-chan? Reeves-san?"

The Civil Advisor, Reeves Tuesti, shrugged. "Other than the fact that our PR's going to be on overdrive, once we join your children in launching our campaign against Britannia, there's nothing else to add on my end."

"We will all follow you to the end, Kushina-sama!" the Captain of the Guard, Tsurugi Konoe, said from Kushina's side and saluted.

Kushina smirked. "Indeed. Then we are all in agreement," she concluded, looking from the Council to the Clan Heads, who were looking on. "Britannia's attempted domination of the world has gone on long enough. And now that we know the reason: that Charles zi Britannia is going after the Thought Elevators to initiate Ragnarök. We cannot let that happen!" she declared, grabbing her sword and standing tall with fire in her eyes. "I, Uzumaki Kushina, Uzukage Daimyo, hereby order all of Uzu to prepare for war against Britannia! All hidden FOBs around Japan are to operate at 100% capacity to assist Uzumaki Naruto, Uzumaki Naruko, and their allies!"

"What of Kururugi Suzaku's plight and the Purebloods scapegoating him?" questioned Aoshi. "Surely something can be done."

"Naruto and the others will be meeting later tonight to plan what to do, among other things. Meanwhile, Emmie and I will have the underground trains fully functional by midnight." Nines informed them, with Emmie adjusting her glasses.

"Good! Get ready for long nights everyone. It's time to do our jobs as the vanguards of this world we live in, and take down Britannia!" Kushina yelled, raising her sword.

"Yes, Daimyo-sama!" everyone chorused, standing up and saluting.

Kushina grinned. "We must thank Clovis la Britannia, for his foolishness gave us the opening we needed! Finally, we get to stick it to that bastard Charles zi Britannia, dattebane!"

---

[Ashford Academy, Private Bath]

After the "heartbreaking" news of Prince Clovis's death, Milly decided to break the ice by having all the girls of the Student Council convene in the private girl's bath, and even invited Claire, who cautiously accepted. She, Shirley, and Nina were unnerved by the news, while Milly, Naruko/Natalia, Kallen, and Akiza were not, for obvious reasons. The only one missing was Lucienne, as she'd decided to tuck Nunnally into bed. As for the boys, Nick went back to the boys' dorms, while Naruto and Rivalz prepped the Command Center for tonight's emergency meeting.

In the girl's bath, there were no towels; all of the girls inside were as naked as the day they were born.

"Sorry about what happened before. We planned for your welcome party to be a lot more exciting than that." Milly apologized to the Kōzuki sisters with a knowing wink.

"Wait, it wasn't? After what happened?" Kallen asked with a tilt of her head.

"Well, after that newsbreak of Prince Clovis's assassination, even I didn't feel like partying much," Milly admitted while kicking her legs in the water.

Kallen was confused until seeing Akiza's look of understanding. It wasn't just for their sake, but for Shirley's and Nina's; the two girls in the Student Council who had nothing to do with their crusade against Britannia.

"Well, I suppose that's all right, but why invite us for a bath? I mean, I already showered." Kallen said softly.

If Shirley, Claire, and Nina weren't there, she and Akiza would use their normal voices and be their normal selves.

"Don't worry about it. This is just another form of informal social gathering. A little meet and greet in the flesh, so to speak." Milly said cheerfully.

"A shower early in the day? Did something happen?" Claire inquired, her hair out of her usual drill pigtails and draping straight down.

"Rivalz brought some champagne and the party fizzled out as a result. Shirley chased after Rivalz who got Nathan roped into it, leading to Kallen getting wet and Shirley getting groped." Natalia laughed while Claire looked scandalized.

"What den of debauchery are you running, Millicent?!" Claire yelled with sharp teeth while Milly let out a bitch laugh.

"It's not that bad, Claire!" Shirley yelped, waving her hands out, and tried to change the subject. "Still, don't you think Nathan's and Lucy's reaction to that news report was kinda weird? Even you, Natalia. You all looked out of it, especially Lucy."

Natalia shrugged while cupping some water. "What can we say? It was surprising. Plus, Nunna was there too. I think she was the most affected out of all of us. She was always touched by his kind nature." Even as she said that, she thought to herself, 'No way I can say out loud that Clovis is Nunnally and Lucienne's older brother, not with the current company!'

She side-eyed Claire, who was looking at her with suspicion.

'No, there's more than that.' Claire thought, narrowing her eyes at her, 'When I walked in on them, Nunnally looked as if she was going to cry. The twins were troubled, and Lucienne's face was twitching. They're hiding something, but what?'

"I guess Lucienne was more concerned about Nunnally. It's pretty obvious how differently she treats us compared to her little sister," Akiza mused.

"It's called sibling love. You should know that just as well as Nathan and Lucienne, Akiza." Milly said before hiding her mouth with her hand. "In Nathan's case, it makes it hard for…certain people."

"Why are you looking at me while saying that?!" Shirley yelled out, red as a tomato.

"My brother isn't interested in stalkers and girls trying to force him into their ideal man. What you see is what you get. In your case Shirley, all you have to do is be bold and flash him your tits and ass," Natalia told her lazily, lying on her side and making a box-like frame with her thumbs and index fingers, focusing on Shirley's slender, yet curvaceous body.

She missed Claire's twitch of her eye.

"There's no way I'm flashing him!" Shirley yelled furiously, "Besides, it'll be impossible since Milly has a better figure than all of us!"

"Oh, do I~!" Milly cooed proudly, standing up in the water to stretch out.

"Have you no shame?!" Claire snapped, her face red with jealousy despite her figure being almost the same as Milly's.

"You are so lucky that Nick isn't here." Natalia drawled as the girls were treated to the sight of Milly's wonderful figure.

'Kami-sama, what are they feeding that girl?' Kallen wondered, and looked down at her own big breasts. 'Not that Aki-nee and I can talk…'

"Milly, you're intimidating everyone," Nina mumbled softly.

"Not really-" Akiza started to say before gasping at her. "Wait, is that you, Nina? You look so different without your glasses!"

Nina was not quite as busty as the other girls, but without her glasses, she was quite beautiful; with her sparkling indigo eyes, dark green hair that hung down her petite frame.

"Doesn't she?! I've been telling her to get contacts for ages!" Milly squealed and splashed at her. "The little cutie!"

"Ah! Milly, cut it out!" Nina whined, shielding herself.

"Ages? How long have you known each other?" Kallen asked curiously in an effort to get to know her new…friends.

"Milly's my childhood friend. My grandfather worked at the Ashford Foundation. They developed Knightmares." Nina explained, prodding her fingers together.

"Ashford…Ah! You mean the ones who developed the Ganymede and Io series?" Akiza asked, looking at Milly in amazement.

"My my, you sure know your stuff! But yes, my family's company instead developed those Knightmare Frames, but they never made it past the prototype phase." Milly explained with a faraway look.

"Kallen and I like Knightmares. We, er, sometimes read books on them while stuck in bed." Akiza improvised quickly, while Kallen nervously laughed.

Milly smiled at them, knowing that wasn't the case. "Despite Lady Marianne vi Britannia putting the Ganymede on the map with her godlike KF skills, they never made it into official use for the Empire. The research costs kept going up until, coupled with my grandfather's spending habits, the company went bankrupt."

"I'm sorry, Milly. It was all my grandfather's fault." Nina said, poking her finger together.

"Oh, nonsense, don't apologize. It was all Old Man Ruby's wasteful spending. The employees had nothing to do with it," Natalia rebuked her.

"What did he do?" Claire asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He was big on throwing huge, wild parties day and night for no reason at all, unlike me!" the honey-blonde responded cheerfully, making the others sweatdrop. "The only bright spot coming from that is the many connections he made. One of them was what allowed them to migrate to this country and make a living as the principal here."

"That explains the many ridiculous events you pull!" Claire growled out, her eyebrow twitching. "One of these days, I'm afraid you pull a…Birthday S-"

"Claire, shut it!" Natalia suddenly yelled, throwing water all over her as Milly looked confused. "Just zip it! Don't even continue that line of thought!"

The twins put up with Milly's many crazy ideas in order to unwind from the stress of preparing their crusade, but a Birthday Suit party was a disaster waiting to happen. Milly had suggested it multiple times, only to have it shot down hard. The twins made extra sure that her suggestion never reached Nick's ears. They'd never hear the end of it if he caught wind of it.

Shirley giggled. "Ahahaha! You certainly inherited his love of parties, huh Prez?"

"I suppose. You can only get away with crazy stuff like this when you're a student. Nepotism notwithstanding, that is." Milly said with shameless pride, "You know what I mean, right Natalia?"

"Only difference is that my brother and I worked for what we got since we were six," Natalia growled, eyes twitching while she flipped Milly off.

"I'm sure you did." Claire snorted, earning her the finger from Natalia as well.

"Right then!" Milly said, clapping her hands before Natalia and Claire could go at each other. "Akiza, Kallen, are you free tonight?"

"We should be unless something comes up," Akiza murmured, looking at her sister. "Why?"

"Simple. I need your three sizes."

"Huh?!/Why?!" Kallen and Akiza yelped.

"We make costumes for parties and events all the time, among other things," Milly said, stressing the last part out for the two.

"Like…cosplay?" Kallen asked, not getting what Milly meant.

"Bingo!"

"Pass," Akiza said flatly.

"Oh, don't be shy! It's just us girls here." Milly said and gave a mischievous grin. "So anyway…Natalia! Shirley!" she called out, snapping her fingers.

"Figures you would try this without Nick around." Natalia scoffed.

"Sorry, Kallen," Shirley mumbled, "Got her pinned!"

Before the sisters knew it, Natalia had Akiza restrained from behind, with Shirley doing the same to Kallen.

"Gah! What are you doing to them?!" Claire yelled, shooting up. "You know they're invalid!"

"Don't worry, they'll be fine~" Milly said and examined the two redheads with her own eyes. "Mmm, not bad at all~"

"St-stop this right now!" Kallen protested, struggling against Shirley.

'I'm not going to even try…' Akiza groaned to herself, since outmuscling an Uzumaki was about as likely as sending Tamaki on a stealth mission with a one-hundred percent success rate.

"You're…pretty strong, Kallen!" Shirley grunted, getting a better grip around her arms. "Mm, you have a nice body there. I'd never guess you are an invalid."

Kallen blanched, remembering her role, and lessened her struggling a bit. "St-stop, please?" she pleaded, not liking the look in Milly's eyes.

"She's getting stirred up again," Milly laughed, licking her lips as she decided to target Kallen first. "Now then… Time to measure!"

Kallen wailed as Milly started giving her a thorough examination.

"How could this be?" Claire cried on all fours. "I thought the boys were a threat, but I never thought it would be Milly! Why~?"

"Now you see why your so-called Disciplinary Squad is useless? That's because…Milly is the biggest pervert in all of Ashford Academy!" Natalia laughed while Akiza resigned herself to her fate.

She would never forgive Kallen for coming up with the idea to be invalid, and herself for going along with it.

---

[Student Council Building, Uzumaki/vi Britannia Quarters]

Meanwhile, Lucienne had just finished changing Nunnally into her nightgown and was taking her to bed.

"That was Suzaku they mentioned on the news, wasn't it?" Nunnally asked as Lucienne lifted her from her wheelchair and carried her to her bed.

"Yep. It looks like he's still alive." Lucienne nodded, setting Nunnally on her bed.

"Yeah, it's been ages. We haven't seen him since the war ended, haven't we? Even we…" Nunnally said worryingly as Lucienne put the cover on her. "Lucienne? It wasn't true what they said on the news, was it?"

"Of course not. Suzaku would never do anything of the sort. They got the wrong guy," Lucienne assured her.

No way would she tell her what really happened to Clovis.

"Yeah. It must be," Nunnally murmured, taking Lucienne's hand and lightly squeezing it.

"Right. Well, good night, Nunnally."

Lucienne waited until Nunnally was sound asleep, before pulling her hand away and leaving the room.

"Lucienne-sama." Sayoko appeared next to her. "I just received word that Aoshi-sama needs me to help set up the intelligence network in Japan."

"That means that Kushina-san is sending someone else to protect Nunnally?" Lucienne asked as they entered the living room area.

"Yes, however Kushina-sama said the one she's sending is a surprise, and she wants me to send a picture of the others' faces upon the reveal. Their reaction will show that Nunnally is in good hands," the maid said with a smirk, "And yes, I know who it is, and have been instructed not to tell you all."

Lucienne sighed, not looking forward to it. "Got it. I'll take her word for it. I'm off to the bunker." she said and exited the room.

"Don't stay out too late now!" Sayoko called out to her.

Lucienne headed to the private elevator, where she used it to head to the bunker.

---

[Kōzuki Group Base]

"That's why we should have issued a freakin' statement sooner!" Tamaki yelled furiously at Ohgi. "We could have taken credit for it!"

Tamaki turned on his heel to storm off, only to get decked in the face by Yoko.

"Shut it. You're still in the doghouse," she told him coldly as she walked over to Ohgi. "I guess Rei and her friends are the real deal."

"You think they did it?" Ohgi asked.

"Of course they did. Kururugi is obviously a scapegoat since they haven't found the real killer yet, but this works to our advantage. If Rei takes advantage, then we won't have the Purebloods to worry about anymore." Yoko said while eying the news report on the TV.

Ohgi hummed. "You think she'll mount a rescue?"

"The Phantom Thieves aren't known to the populace. What better way to have a daring debut, huh?" Yoko shrugged and thought to herself. 'Still, those Phantom Thieves. Could they be…?'

---

[Ashford Academy, night]

Claire, the leader of the "unofficial" Disciplinary Squad, was wandering around the school grounds. So far, she managed to break up the usual nighttime meetings, though they were fewer in number due to the news of Clovis's assassination. But, feeling frazzled by the revelation that Milly was the biggest pervert of the academy, she was having trouble chasing down the rule-breakers.

After the last one, she was frustrated and was about to head back to the girls' dorm when she spotted two hooded figures from far away, loitering around the outskirts of the school property line. She frowned and walked over to see what they were doing when they disappeared into a random bush. She scowled and increased her pace to give them a proper scolding, only to find them gone.

'They disappeared? But how?' she wondered as she dug around the bushes. "Hello- eep!"

She tripped and fell, but instead of hitting the grass and soil, she landed on metal.

"Ow! What the? What is this?!"

…

"This is amazing!" Villetta said as they walked through the hanger area. "I can't believe that they renovated all of this!"

"No doubt with the help of the Uzumaki," Jeremiah said, looking around. "The grand tour will have to wait, however."

They walked out of the hangar and down the hallway to where the others were. The door opened automatically, letting them into the Command Center.

"Jeremiah Gottwald. Villetta Nu. Welcome to our humble abode," Bagley greeted them as they entered. "You came just in time. We were just showing their new recruits how Naruto and Lucienne got involved in their operation."

Naruto, Lucienne, Milly, Rivalz, and C.C. were all enjoying the various emotions shifting on C.C.'s, Akiza's, and Kallen's faces. The footage they were watching had been captured on the tech visors Naruto and Lucienne were wearing, having gone through an Augmented Reality Reconstruction program created by Nines and managed by Bagley, allowing them to see all angles of the provided footage.

"That's the Royal Guard!" Jeremiah said, pointing at the screen where the General was admonishing Suzaku. "Wait!"

"Yep, the old fart shot him for refusing to kill a civilian. A soldier with morals. Imagine that," Lucienne said flatly. Naruko ate her popcorn, eyes transfixed on the screen.

"Nagata!" Kallen and Akiza suddenly exclaimed, watching as Nagata made Naruto promise to stop Britannia before pushing him away. "No!" they yelled, seeing him activate the suicide bomb.

"The Royal Guard is supposed to protect royalty, not be his or her personal hunting dogs," Villetta said, scowling. "Even 'Captain' Cornelia wouldn't do this, and has respect for all her soldiers, whether they be Britannians or Honorary Britannians."

"Okay, enough popcorn." Lucienne growled, putting the tub away, "Here comes the worst part." She gritted her teeth as Clovis gave the order to wipe out the Shinjuku Ghetto.

"Or I can do this!" Bagley said, skipping to the part where Naruto, Lucienne, and C.C. were ambushed by the Royal Guard. "Much better!"

"Thanks, Bags. We'd rather not relive that," Naruto said flatly, even as he watched C.C. take the bullet for Lucienne.

"I see your hands were moving to kill them. I should've waited until we were clear to give you both the Geass," C.C. commented casually, unaffected by the sight of herself getting shot in the head, reaching to the side and digging out a slice of pizza from her box.

"Eh, what's done is done." Naruto shrugged and turned towards the sisters. "Well? Thoughts?"

"Part of me wants to hit you both," Kallen growled, throwing a dirty look at Naruto and Lucienne. "But all the same time, your meddling saved us," she admitted, looking away guiltily, "So, thank you, I guess…"

"To be fair, we couldn't hear you because our ears were ringing, and we were in a hurry. Still, 'Student Rescue Squad'?" Akiza chuckled. "We didn't need the rescue, but thank you. I knew you had crazy luck Naruto, but I didn't think you would share it with us!"

"Well, now that we got you all caught up, and Orenji and Villa are here," Naruto gestured to the war table. "Let us begin."

Pulling up chairs, everyone sat around the war table. Naruto, Naruko, Lucienne, and Milly were calm, cool, and collected. Rivalz, Kallen, and Akiza were quite nervous due to the presence of Jeremiah and Villetta. As for C.C., she was draped lazily on her chair, looking bored with a slice of pizza hanging from her mouth.

Medusa and Scáthach both melted out of the shadows and stood over their masters.

"So, lemme start this meeting by introducing the new girls to Jeremiah Gottwald and Villetta Nu." Naruko drawled out, rolling her chair back and forth. "And that their boss, this Kewell guy, is a massive idiot."

Kallen and Akiza sweatdropped at that and gave the two Britannian cautious nods. It was still awkward for them considering that just the other day, they were fighting each other in their Knightmares. When they were told by the others that there were two high-rank Britannian knights on their side, the girls were naturally skeptical. Despite reassurance from Lucienne, the two resistance fighters were still nervous being in the same room with two individuals who were, by all rights, their enemy.

"It is an honor to meet you, Glasgow pilots. That Bagley fellow told us about you. You gave me quite the workout, and I'd be honored if we were to go for another round." Jeremiah said with a pleasant smile. "Jeremiah Gottwald, at your service."

"...I'm Kōzuki Akiza, and this is my little sister, Kōzuki Kallen. We're half-Japanese, half-Britannian." Akiza introduced herself and her sister.

"The best of both worlds. Not bad." Villetta praised them, much to their surprise. "We'll talk more later since we're on limited time."

"Indeed. And it's just as young Naruko says, our boss is an idiot." Jeremiah nodded in agreement. "Kewell is so hyper-focused on abolishing the Honorary Britannian system that he's not considering the consequences."

"That's what arrogance does, Jerry. It grows and festers to the point that left unchecked, one becomes blinded and drunk on their own power." Lucienne said while the war table was showing the data on the Purist Faction.

"A lesson we plan on giving him in the coming days. Mark our words that the Purist Faction will go down, with Suzaku safely out of the crossfire. No doubt they'll make a huge spectacle of it, so that's when we'll strike." Naruto said, with a map of the Tokyo Settlement appearing. "The big question is where they'll do it."

"It'll have to be a place where they'll line up Britannians, keeping them at a distance but close enough to possibly throw objects at him," Villetta suggested, with Bagley entering in that variable. "On the way to his court-martial. Problem is that there are several ways of getting to the courthouse."

"Whichever they chose, let us know the moment you learn about it with these," Lucienne told them, handing them a couple of devices. "These Roninman-made spy bugs have a direct line to Bagley. Just put them in whatever you wear and your superiors will be none the wiser."

"Very nice," Villetta said admiringly, taking off one of her earrings to insert the bug into it.

"Do we know who the new Viceroy is yet?" Milly inquired while Jeremiah examined his own bug.

"Not yet, but if I had to guess who'd be on the shortlist to maintain Japan and be trusted by Prince Schneizal, it'd have to be 'Captain' Cornelia. But she's off subjugating the Middle Eastern Federation as Area 18, so it'll be a week or so before she makes it here." Jeremiah informed them, "But we can't wait that long. The longer Kewell's in that seat, the more power gets to his head."

Akiza blinked. "Wait a minute. Cornelia? As in Princess Cornelia? I may not know much about Britannia more than I would like to, but doesn't she hold the rank of Commander? Why do you call her 'Captain'?"

"We were her top officers in Lady Marianne's personal guard. Hell, I'd say we were the only ones closest to them since we were the only ones willing to be dragged around and subjected to the kids' antics back at Aries Villa." Villetta said, remembering those times fondly. "At first, I was annoyed by all the pranking, but it kept me on my toes."

"Because the others were such sticks in the mud and tried to push their expectations on us," Naruko said with a shrug. "And we call Jerry 'Orenji' because of his orange eyes."

Jeremiah snorted. "I thought it was because of my family's history working on an orange grove before we moved up in the world. While it was grating, it grew on me."

"Told you we make it stick," Lucienne said with a laugh.

"As much as the trip down memory lane is delightful." a voice sounded off from the speakers. "I suggest we stay focused, ne?"

A holo-screen popped up from the war table, revealing Kushina in the R&D department.

"Pardon the intrusion, dattebane~!" she said brightly, waving at them.

"Kaa-chan?!" Naruto and Naruko yelped, popping off.

"Lady Kushina!" Jeremiah and Villetta quickly bowed in respect.

"Wait," Kallen pointed a shaking finger at her. "Is that?"

"Yes, that is Naruto and Naruko's mother, the 7th ruler of Uzushio as the Uzukage Daimyo, Uzumaki Kushina-sama." Milly introduced her to the gaping Kōzuki sisters.

Rivalz chuckled. "Heh, so that's what I looked like after I saw her the first time."

"It's good to see you all again, with some familiar company," Kushina said, nodding to Jeremiah and Villetta. "And on that note," she turned her attention to C.C., who was trying to make her as inconspicuous. "Long time no see, C.C. After hearing about your plight, say it."

"Fuck you," C.C. growled out.

"After you say it." Kushina countered, making almost everyone blush.

"You're really going to force this on me now?"

"I think I deserve to hear it right now after I warned you multiple times about Charles selling you down the river. So spill it!"

"Oh, FINE!" C.C. yelled, slamming her hands on the war table. "YOU WERE RIGHT!"

"And that ladies and gentleman, is how you properly burn a bitch on the stake," Kushina continued with a trollish smile, making Kallen and Akiza realize where Naruko got that same smile from.

"IT'S WITCH, YOU BITCH!" C.C. shrieked, throwing a pizza slice through the screen, where it landed on Rivalz's face.

In all of C.C.'s years on Earth, no one had managed to get under her skin quite like Kushina. Sure they were friends, but C.C.'s cynical self got her in trouble more times than she could count, with Kushina never letting her hear the end of it and always being proven right.

"Like old times." Kushina chuckled before clearing her throat. "I don't need to be caught up to speed since Nines already explained everything. I just got out of the Uzu Council meeting to let you know that we are a go for the fight against Britannia. Our forces will be making their way to key parts of Japan to finish up the FOBs that are being constructed."

"I guess that means no more gambling." Rivalz groaned, peeling the pizza slice off his face.

"With Clovis's death and Cornelia possibly coming, we won't have time for that. Hell, the nobility will have a lot of eggs on their faces after we reveal the footage of the massacre." Kushina sighed, to which everyone winced. "I assume you're going to show it during your big debut, right?"

"It's going to suck, but yeah," Naruto said grimly, "It'll be our official declaration of war."

"As well as split their attention between us and Uzu," Lucienne added.

"All right, I'll leave it to you then." Kushina clapped her hands before glaring at C.C. "Now then, C.C. What this I hear about you giving my child Geass?! An ability that he doesn't need?" she stressed, making C.C. sink to the height of the table. "An ability that's proved uncontrollable after it runs away?"

"To be fair, from what I've seen so far, Naruto and Lucienne are the only ones who're capable of perfecting their Geass-" C.C. tried to say.

"Oh I have no doubt they can, but at the end of the day, you're trying to scar them for life! Don't think I don't remember why you were making contracts to begin with!" Kushina yelled, her holo-screen hovering over C.C. and warping in sync with her yelling. "What, is it payback against me or something?!"

"No, I just thought I would give them an edge!" C.C. protested, shielding herself from the angry Uzumaki. "And Charles has one, so…well…"

Kushina blinked. "That's news to me, Celesta," she said eerily.

"Please don't say my real name out loud," C.C. mumbled, now completely hiding herself under the table.

"This is like a soap opera!" Milly squealed quietly, amused at the seemingly unflappable C.C. being scolded like a child, "But, this is a lot to take in!"

"We just need to be careful about using our Geass. While it's nice, I would rather not lose control over it, though it might be inevitable. But, if the sperm donor can get complete control over his Geass, then so can I." Lucienne said while activating her Geass, causing a pizza slice to float into her hand.

"Does your Geass allow you to use telekinesis?" Villetta asked, remember how Lucienne floated down from her Knightmare Frame.

"Close, but not telekinesis." C.C. said as she rose from under the table. "I'm sure Mr. Bagley can detect what it is, right?"

"Indeed. The readings are similar to psionic energy, but I'm detecting a small gravitational flux from Miss Lucienne." Bagley reported. "Odd. Upon further analysis, I'm unable to determine if it's either psionic, gravity, or a fusion of the two."

Lucienne shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you guys. When I activate my Geass, I just think about what I want to happen, and it just happens."

"Geass manifested differently in each individual, based on their inner desires and personality." C.C. told them. "What is your desire, Lucienne?"

"...After my mother and Lelouch were killed, and Nunnally was crippled, and that asshole exiled us, I wanted to lash out at the world. I think I would have, if not for my friends and Japan, as they all helped me deal with the trauma," Lucienne admitted, looking down, "Soon, my desire to see the world burn turned into having the world itself move around me to protect my new family and friends."

"Thus your stopping of bullets, floating safely to the ground and levitating my pizza. Your Geass sounds like a Ward-type, but I'm not sure what to call it yet." C.C. said while the twins put their hands on Lucienne's shoulders.

"I'll perform more stress tests and relay them to Bagley," Lucienne said before munching on her slice. "Don't worry guys, I'm okay."

"What about you, sochi? What do you have?" Kushina asked Naruto, who activated his Geass.

"I could always see the world differently than others," Naruto said, seeing a mix of blue auras on everyone in the room, with hints of pink from the girls. "From what I can see, my Geass dims my surroundings and shows colored auras around people and objects. I believe it shows how I can instinctively sense how people and objects relate to me. Red for enemies and spilled blood, blue for allies, white for information, and gold for other…targets of interest."

"That's literally video game vision!" Naruko said with a pouty look. "Lucky!"

"That's all just on the surface. If I increase my focus on the ability, I find that it further heightens my already trained senses, detects the heartbeat of my target, and foresee a target's probable path. And remember the thing that it dims my surroundings? That's one of two drawbacks I discovered." Naruto said, before seeing a weird aura around Lucienne. It was red, but not the negative kind like an enemy's. Instead, it was the same exact color of the Geass insignia with a fiery that lapped at her body. 'Is it because she possesses a Geass too?'

"Sounds like the Power of Absolute Vision," commented C.C, "A simple enough power, but one you'll be safer with, considering your prior abilities."

"Wait, what's the other drawback?" Kushina asked with a concerned eye.

"I'm still trying to confirm it, but I believe it also depends on my knowledge of the situation at hand. When Villy appeared in her Sutherland back at Shinjuku, I had my Geass on. She originally had an enemy-red aura, but upon recognizing her, her aura turned ally-blue," Naruto revealed.

Villetta let out a sigh of relief.

"So that means no hiding any information, or else you might kill the wrong person," Naruko surmised, "Gotcha."

"And what about those two?" Kushina asked, motioning to Medusa and Scathath. "Are they your Geass Guardians or something?"

"I can answer that, Kushina. When I gave Naruto and Lucienne their Geass, I wasn't expecting the Holy Grail to come into play. It is connected to Geass, which allows users to have their own Heroic Spirits, called Servants. They start out with one and can grow their ranks by defeating other Servants. When all slots are filled, and the Holy Grail is obtained, Geass Users and Code Bearers may sacrifice their Servants to power the Holy Grail for one omnipotent wish." C.C. explained.

"Never going to happen!" Lucienne said, hugging an amused Scáthach around the middle. "A wish like that sounds too good to be true. I'll keep my Scáthach and other Servants I'll get, thank you!"

Naruto nodded and smiled up at Medusa. "What she said."

"Do as you wish…" said C.C apathetically, shrugging. "Just make sure Charles doesn't get them for his grand scheme apart from Ragnarok."

"And that would be?" Kushina stressed, the holo-screen 'poking' at C.C.'s head.

"Even I don't know!" C.C. shrugged, getting a tickmark and waving away the screen.

"Heroic Spirits, like heroes of the past?" Jeremiah asked, looking uncertain at them.

"Exactly so, lad." Scáthach said, summoning her red lance and twirling it around her, "I am Scáthach, Lancer-class. Witch of Dún Scáith and Queen of the Land of Shadows." she said, resting the butt of her spear on the ground.

"Rider-class, Medusa. I also go by Gorgon, but that's my other self, as Avenger-class." Medusa said, unmoving.

"Celtic Mythology's warrior-queen?! And one of the Greek Gorgons, who can turn one to stone with her gaze?!" Villetta gasped in shock. "Those are the type of Heroic Spirits that exist?"

"Yes. There are 11 Classes. The Knight Classes: Saber, Archer, Lancer. The Calvary Classes: Rider, Caster, Assassin. Berserker. And the Extra Classes: Ruler. Avenger. Alter Ego. Foreigner. Those are the eligible Classes you'll be able to summon." C.C. explained. 'There are others like Shielder and Moon Cancer, but they're both missing…'

"That means more help. With all of you added to our army, taking back Japan will be a cinch!" Naruto said with a thumbs up to Medusa, who looked away with a slight blush.

"Wait! If Geass Users have Servants, then that means the Geass Assassin's from the Gress Order have them too!" Kushina stated.

"...Shit, you're right!" Lucienne wailed. "Aw crap!"

"Then we beat them back. We kick their asses, dust their Servants, and summon our own to fill our ranks." Naruto assured her.

"Don't be so cocky. The Geass Assassins are no joke. And with Servants of their own, they won't be easy." C.C. scolded them.

"Tell that to the ones we were sent to hunt and kill. Spoiler alert, we lived, bitch." Naruko said and blew a raspberry.

"Witch, please." C.C. replied evenly. "And impressed. I don't know why I'm even surprised."

"Yeah, we're so out of our depth, with all this talk of Geass and Servants and Assassins that I'm missing normalcy," Akiza mumbled, looking worn out.

Milly went over and ruffled the sisters' heads. "Well, you two better buckle up, because you're already in the deep end! Nowhere left to go but down, amirite?"

"Trust me you two. You'll get used to this all soon enough. If I can, so can you." Rivalz said, leaning on his chair.

"It's all too much to take in, but I can already tell there's no getting off this train," Kallen said, swirly-eyed until she slapped her cheeks. "Right! It'll be a pain to explain to the others, but we'll try. It should be easy enough for them to swallow since you have fans within our group. They're still singing songs about those transforming Knightmares of yours."

"Actually, we want to meet with the top members of your group tomorrow as Joker, Cypher, and Rei. Can you make it happen?" Naruto asked the redheads.

"Why not? We were laying low all this time, so got nothing else better to do." Kallen said before mumbling to herself. "We'll get it done."

"All right, we'll hash out the deets at lunchtime," Lucienne said and looked around the table. "We got anything else to discuss?"

"No. It's been long enough, so we should head back and get some sleep to prepare for the next few days." Jeremiah said as he and Villetta stood up. "We have a lot to sleep on with all of this information. Rest assured that you have our support in all of this."

"Thank you, Jerry, Villy!" Lucienne said gratefully. "Don't worry, I'll have you both visit Nunnally soon enough."

"We'd like that, my Lady," Villetta said with a bow.

"All right. We're set then. We leave it to you all to rescue Kururugi Suzaku." Kushina said.

"Ano…" Naruko raised her hand to draw attention to herself. "There's one more thing."

"What is it?" Naruto asked with a frown, noticing that she was staring at a curious C.C.

"...Can I get a Geass too?"

"EEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH?!"

As everyone yelled at Naruko's out-of-nowhere request, they failed to hear the sound of retreating footsteps from outside.

---

[Camelot Engineering Corps, the next day]

"Aww, we just lost the most important part of the equation," Lloyd groaned, looking up at the repaired Lancelot, which was currently undergoing maintenance.

"Can we do it without him?" asked Cécile, who was standing beside him.

"Don't I wish," Lloyd grumbled, making his dissatisfaction clear, "The other units never let go of a good pilot and even if we got one, it'd be a miracle if they were able to come close, let alone match or exceed his readings. His Operational Efficiency clocked in at 94% and you want to replace him?!"

Despite getting a skyscraper dropped on his precious unit, Suzaku had far exceeded the parameters of operating the Lancelot. He'd crushed the opposition with ease and fought that mysterious transforming Knightmare Frame in an even match, until the red and white one interfered and blew off its arm. But he would never blame Suzaku, since there are always unknown variants on the battlefield, and fighting those unknown units gave Lloyd a treasure trove of data.

It wasn't cheap to replace the arm of course, but it was worth the cost. The only thing that bothered Lloyd was the loss of Suzaku, a Devicer that exceeded all expectations.

"You should tell them that. Perhaps they'll let Suzaku go," Cécile offered hopefully. "We have the records, and-!"

Unlike other Britannians, Cécile never drank the kool-aid of outright discrimination against all non-Britannians. She was too kind-hearted and compassionate for hatred, and never had a reason to hate anyone for no reason. Suzaku may have just joined their group, but she already considered him a part of their family in Camelot.

"He's an Honorary Britannian. They'll never listen," Lloyd scoffed and folded his arms, pouting, "Ever since General Bartley's disgrace, the Purebloods have had the military in an iron grip. According to their neanderthal thinking, only full-blooded Britannians should be allowed to serve in the military. Their view is one of their own could never be a criminal," he said with distaste, his sociopathic tendencies refusing to understand such a backward line of thinking. "But if the criminal was an Eleven, it paves the way for Margrave Kewell to shut down the practice of granting natives Honorary status."

Everyone was the same in Lloyd's eyes. race, gender, and biological qualities be damned. Suzaku had 94% Operational Efficiency with the Lancelot and was all that mattered to him.

"And what about Suzaku?" Cécile asked worryingly. "There has to be something we can do for him!"

Lloyd sighed in resignation. "His fate's all but decided. We can only hope for an impossible miracle to save him."

---

[Ashford Academy]

"Truly, this has been a painful incident for all. The Viceroy of Area Eleven, our beloved Prince Clovis, has been lost to us forever. However, we can and will bear the weight of this tragedy. And from this darkest of hours, draw strength…"

In the school assembly hall where Reuben Ashford was giving the speech, Nick Ward was bored out of his skull, turning to look out the window to a few birds flying by.

Nick had never really been the most patriotic Britannian. Having been adopted from a young age into a commoner family, he'd spent most of his life studying hard, outdoing many of his fellow countrymen, particularly those brats that liked to throw their parents' money around. He'd be lying if he said that he didn't feel bitterly envious of those rich kids' ability to live such oblivious, carefree lives, but ultimately, he knew that it was for the best.

His one real passion in life was the study of other cultures, at least the ones that his own country hadn't managed to completely trample out of existence for the sake of their 'glorious' empire. He enjoyed learning about how the people of the world lived their lives differently from himself, particularly in Japan. When the establishment of Area 11 had been announced, he'd been dismayed and incensed.

'Why don't I do something about it?'

But even as he'd thought that, the teachings that he'd grown up with as a Britannian dulled his outrage, convinced him that he was just blowing it out of proportion. That life for the Japanese might not be so bad that they'd need him to intervene. The rumors he'd heard about bombings by the military in civilian areas were surely not as bad as he'd heard on the internet, right?

'Why do I even have power like this?' he wondered to himself, gazing at his reflection in the window, 'Sure, Knightmares are a thing in this universe, but is it anything that really warrants the blessings I've been given?'

He'd buried himself in his studies, before applying for a scholarship at Ashford Academy. After all, if he was gonna go to school, then why not do so in his favorite country? Inevitably, he found himself surrounded by a bunch of airheaded rich bastards with too much time on their hands, but he had to admit, they weren't that bad. Working on the Student Council felt just a bit gratifying, even if Milly was a total headache with her gadfly ways.

Before he knew it, the speech was finally over, classes dismissed for the day to allow everyone to grieve. He was the last person to get up, feeling lethargic as always. He turned around and followed everyone out, seeing the solemn faces on almost everyone else. He considered schooling his expression to match, but decided that his usual apathetic glower would suffice. As he exited the hall, he spotted Nina and Shirley, who were looking around, the rest of the Student Council nowhere to be found.

"Hey, Nick!" Shirley yelled, calling him over. "Have you seen Prez and the others?"

"They weren't out here when we filed out," Nina added, looking around nervously, "Where could they have gone?"

His brow furrowed thoughtfully. "I doubt that even Milly and the twins would be tactless enough to slip off somewhere to party or whatever," he admitted, "Not at a time like this. Though I guess that doesn't exactly help pin down where they are. How 'bout Claire Harvey? She more or less made it her personal mission to keep tabs on the twins. You tried tracking her down…? Oh, there she is."

The three spotted Claire, who was walking past them slowly, gnawing distractedly at her thumbnail. Whenever someone bumped into her, she would flinch and look around in fright. She then continued on with her thoughtful but nervous expression.

"...Well, she definitely saw something alright," said Nick, his gray eyes sharpening as he watched her countenance, "Something's got her spooked."

"Hey, Claire!" Shirley called out to her, waving when the blonde jumped and whipped around.

"O-oh, Fenette! W-Ward and Einstein too," she stammered before muttering, "Just…you three…of course…"

He cocked his head. "You lookin' for someone else?" he asked her, noting how the question made her stiffen up, "We haven't seen Milly, Lucy or the twins for the past while. I can get them ditching that snoozefest of an assembly, but you wouldn't happen to know where they slipped off to, would ya?"

"Wait, you don't…know?" Claire asked and looked around nervously again.

Shirley looked confused. "Know what?"

"...Forget it. I don't know what to believe these days."

Nick snorted. "Join the club, girl."

"No. No, I don't think I will." Claire said faintly, before taking off. "Later!"

"What was that about?" Nina wondered, tilting her head. "She's acting weird."

Shirley shrugged. "Maybe she had a crush on Clovis?"

The sole boy of their group gave them an odd look. "...I doubt that," was his dry response, "I think she saw something. Can't have been anything lurid, or she would've been blushing up a storm. Hm…what could she have seen that would get her scared like that?" He rubbed at his chin, absently noting that he could use a shave. 'Could it be that she knows something about the Prince's death? Seems a little far-fetched, but let's not discard the possibility. Could the twins be connected to it? Similar conclusion, file it away.'

He thought back to their reaction to the announcement of Kururugi Suzaku's guilt. 'Their expressions back then…that was recognition. They knew that guy.'

"Well, I hope everyone will be okay. Things won't be the same with Prince Clovis gone. I'm going to go call my dad about this," Shirley said and went in the direction of the girls' dorms. "See ya later."

"Ah, I'll go do the same," Nina said and went after her. "Good day, Nick!"

"Yeah," he grunted, only half noticing as they departed. 'Won't be the same, huh? Maybe, maybe not. Let's just hope things change for the better.

And if they don't, then maybe…'

Absentmindedly, he cracked his knuckles.

As he headed back to the boy's dorms, he noticed a duo and saw them out of his eye, making him turn to see the so-called invalids Kallen and Akiza leaving the school grounds.

"Hmm?"

---

[Viceroy's Palace, Kewell's Office]

After his guest arrived, Margrave Kewell Soresi spun around in his seat to speak to him, Diethard Ried. Jeremiah and Villetta were on either side of the Margrave, doing their best to keep the emotions off their faces.

"You handled Prince Clovis's Memorial Program very well." Kewell praised him. "A little too weepy for my tastes, but…"

"Yes well, the masses tend to like tearjerkers, Your Excellency," Diethard replied professionally.

Kewell snorted. "Spoken like a true TV man. Still, I have to acknowledge the finesse you've shown," he said, resting his chin on top of his hand while his elbow rested on his table. "You did well in the short time you had. One would almost think you were expecting Prince Clovis to meet his untimely end."

"After the assassination of former Empress-Consort Lady Marianne, it's become quite common for memorial programs to be set in advance for important VIPs," Diethard informed him neutrally with a bow, noting the eye twitching at Marianne's name from Jeremiah and Villetta.

"Does that include me as well?" Kewell asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Recent events may have bumped you up the list a bit, Your Excellency," Diethard said without pause as if he expected that line of questioning.

"I wasn't deemed important enough till now, is that it? How forthright of you." Kewell chuckled, amused by the blunt answer.

"I'm afraid so, sir," Diethard said neutrally.

"Ever thought of enlisting? The army could use more men like you." Kewell offered.

"I don't think it would be a very good fit. Not really my cup of tea." Diethard replied, since he didn't want to get his hands too dirty.

He was corrupted, but it was the price of his job in the Britannian-controlled state media.

"You prefer the civil sector I take it? No matter, I have another favor to ask of you." Kewell said, now relaxing in his chair. "Tomorrow night, Suzaku Kururugi will be transferred to his court-martial."

Diethard knew where he was going with that. "We should line the road with good patriotic Britannians."

"Excellent, you catch on quickly, don't you?" Kewell said, liking the man more and more. "Be sure the rabble can see his face."

As the two men focused on each other, Jeremiah and Villetta were looking at each other in confirmation. Bagley now had the date of the court-martial. Now all they needed was the route.

"Margrave Kewell, there are those among the Elevens who see Private Kururgi as a hero." Villetta cut in to play the role of the good subordinate. "Some might very well make an attempt to spring him."

"In addition, the real killer may show himself," Jeremiah added. "I advise that we-"

"Absurd." Kewell dismissed them, turning to look at them. "Regardless, I'll be here personally abroad my Sutherland. If anyone even thinks of causing trouble, they'll be executed on the spot!"

'I don't know about that. Once Our Lady makes a fool of you, the Purist Faction's days will be numbered.' Jeremiah thought with a frown.

---

[Tokyo Settlement]

Kallen and Akiza were walking the streets of the settlement, passing by stores while maneuvering themselves around the people. It was supposed to be busy as usual, but since Clovis's death, the streets were a bit clearer. Both sisters were still in their school uniforms, making them less conspicuous.

"I honestly don't see the point in all of this," Kallen said, looking at the map provided by the crusaders. "Why not ask for a straight-up meeting instead of making us walk around this damn settlement. How is any part of this supposed to be a tour?"

Akiza shrugged as she munched on a hot dog. "Since we're supposed to be going through one of the ghettos, I have a hunch. Besides, I think it's more for the other's benefit than ours since we know everything about our saviors."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yoko rooftop-leaping to follow them. Kallen spotted their fellow resistance fighters discreetly following them. Lucienne had had the girls tell them that they wanted to meet Kallen and Akiza alone, which would prompt the others to insist on going. Had the crusaders outright stated that they wanted to meet the whole cell, it would draw skepticism.

"Also, will you please lose the scowl? The last thing we need is someone coming up to us and asking what's wrong," Akiza added, flicking her sister's temple.

"I can chalk it up to being upset that our precious Prince Clovis was killed," Kallen scoffed, then gagged. "Blegh!"

"Not so loud!" Akiza scolded over and looked around.

Nobody paid them any mind as they went about their business. People are walking to get to their next destination, a construction worker walked past them, talking on his radio; a few suits were reading the latest newspaper, and several were loitering around and watching the screens above.

"I can't help but think they're trolling us," Kallen mumbled, looking nervously around. "After everything that we've seen them do, who knows what else they're capable of?"

"Who cares?" Akiza said as their comrades followed them a ways away. "As long as their crazy powers are aimed at Britannia, there's nothing to worry about. Now come on, we're almost at the old Roppongi Ghetto."

As they turned the corner, with the others not far behind; one of the newspaper readers peeked out from behind his papers, before standing up to follow them casually, ambling about seemingly aimlessly…

…

After navigating the Roppongi Ghetto, the sisters found themselves in front of the Old Tokyo Tower, which had long since been reduced to a shadow of its former self. The top of the structure was nowhere to be seen, with its mangled remains serving as the rooftop.

Kallen's phone then rang, prompting her to answer it. "Yeah?" she asked, with Akiza leaning on her to listen.

"Enjoying the tour, ladies?" Naruko asked sweetly.

"What's the point of this?!" Kallen shrieked, finally at her wit's end. "You had us walking for three hours!"

"To be fair, we saw you gals stopping to buy and read stuff. You're lucky we didn't give you a time limit." Naruko scolded her before adopting a serious tone. "Now, after living it out on the town, what can you tell me about the big city?"

Kallen looked back to see the shiny and spotless buildings. "You mean the Britannian city? Stolen from us and built on the sacrifice and ashes of our home and people?"

"...There is so much I want to say about that, so I'll hold my tongue for later," Naruko said with a bit of strain in her voice. "Now for your assessment of the Ghettos!"

"The Ghettos are remnants of a desiccated city after the Brittannians sucked it dry…"

"That is until they decide to expand, but good answer, I guess," she replied nonchalantly, getting a tickmark from the redhead, "Whatever. Continue to play along. Get your friends and your sniper friend, and meet us up the top of the Tower. Chop chop-ttebane!"

"You know, a bunch of adults shadowing two Britannian school girls would look weird, right?" Akiza pointed out.

"Oh our dear Black Rose, you're the ones who decided to go in your uniforms. That's on you. We'll be counting on you two in keeping the idiot in check," Naruko said before the line went dead.

'Black Rose?! Why did she call me that?! Don't tell me they know about my Duel Monsters habit!' Akiza thought fearfully.

Kallen sighed as she contacted Yoko. "Yoko-san, can you get to the roof from where you're at?"

"Yes," Yoko said as she moved from her position. "There's an elevator that can get you all to the roof, but it's out of commission. Unless Rei and her friends fixed it, I don't see another way up there."

"N-No. They assured us there's a way." Akiza said, arriving at the entrance to the Tower. "Let's go."

…

Yoko was about to leap with her grapple gun until she frowned and looked down towards the street.

'Is there…?' she thought before shaking her head. 'Must be my imagination…'

With that, she swung towards Tokyo Tower.

…

Kallen's eye twitched as they walked through the Tower, which had been converted into the Britannian Victory Memorial Center, a museum commemorating Britannia's victory during the occupation of Area 11. Akiza had her hands over her sister's ears, due to the audio over the exhibits praising the Britannians while downplaying the amount of fighting spirit the Japanese had. The last time they were here, Kallen had nearby flipped out over the lies told by the exhibits and had to be restrained by Akiza.

The eldest sister had a lot more tolerance than her younger sister, as Akiza had embraced both sides of her blood and heritage. To her, neither nation was different from the other, as it was the right of the conquerors to do what they wanted with their prize. Britannia could've enslaved the natives, but opted to let them live a new life under their rule. The problem was that they were such dicks about it, stripping them of practically everything else and making them second-class citizens in their own homeland. It was for that reason that Akiza had rebelled alongside her sister.

"Here we are," Akiza said as Kallen finally managed to bat her hands away. "This is where they said to go."

Indeed, the elevator did look out of service, with an 'Out of Order' sign on it. As Ohgi and the others moved closer, the elevator suddenly powered on and opened up, to reveal someone standing inside.

"Well, don't just stand there, ye roasters," Scáthach said, twirling her red lance and beckoning them to come on. "All aboard."

"Who the hell is this lady?" Tamaki asked, looking taken aback by her appearance.

"A friend of Rei's," Kallen sighed as she and Akiza got on.

The rest looked uncertain, but relented and followed the redheads onboard. They did keep a bit of distance from the mystery woman.

"Aw relax, I don't bite." Scáthach laughed as the elevator went up.

"Are you a Britannian?" Tamaki asked abruptly. "You don't look Japanese. What's with that get up anyway?"

"My, aren't you full of questions?" she replied as the elevator arrived at their destination, "I'm Scottish, and the 4th Generation Glasgow's name came from my homeland of Scotland. That's all you're getting for now," she said as the doors opened and she stepped out.

"Huh? Who are you?" asked Yoko, who was waiting outside the elevator and eyed the lance in Scáthach's hand.

"Scáthach," the Lancer introduced herself, "Now come. Rei and her friends await."

She led them up the stairs to the roof and through the mangled support beams, arriving at a dilapidated room on the side of the roof. There, they saw three figures at the edge, looking outwards towards the Ghettos. The first was standing there, the second was sitting directly at the edge, and the third was leaning their back against the wall, their head down and arms folded.

'Is this what's it's like to be in one of those anime before Britannia scrapped them after the war?' Kallen wondered with a sweatdrop. 'It also feels like those noir movies nii-san loved.'

"You think it's a trap?" Yoshida asked the others.

"Only one way to find out," Ohgi said and stepped forward. "Were you the ones that made contact with Kallen and Akiza? The ones who arranged that ceasefire?"

They didn't answer immediately, making the redhead grumble in their minds.

'Oh yeah, they're hamming this up. It must be Lucy's influence.' Akiza thought with a sweatdrop.

"Hey, we're talkin' to ya, so turn around!" Tamaki yelled, waving his fist at them.

"Not introducing yourselves to confirm your identities? How rude." Scathach chided them as she walked away from them. "Why should they answer when you lot haven't confirmed who you are? You could be undercover police."

"What did you say, you-" Tamaki started to yell before Yoko started pulling his ear. "Ow!"

"Right. My name is Ohgi Kaname. I lead the Kōzuki Group after our group's founder was captured and killed." Ohgi introduced himself. "Now, are you the ones who helped us in Shinjuku?"

"Indeed we are!"

The one standing at the edge whipped around, showing their full appearance. They had on a black cape with gold trim and crimson spandex on the inside that covered their entire body, except for the frilled white cravat that covered their neck. On the back of the cape is the golden Geass sigil with a sword in the middle. But the most noticeable feature was the spiky helmet that they were wearing that covered their entire face. It was black with a large indigo visor in the middle and a gold Geass sigil stretched over its bottom. The visor was made of special material that was opaque on the outside, transparent on the middle, and had a heads-up display for the user.

"Gokigen'yō, minna-san. Watashi wa Rei no Playmaker. Yoroshiku onegaishimasu," Rei said with a little bow, speaking to them with a voice modifier. "How was the grand tour we provided? Was it enlightening?" she asked, throwing them off with the perfect Japanese Rei spoke to them with.

"Grand tour?" Ohgi repeated in confusion.

"Oh, come on. It's no way it's these jokesters." Sugiyama scoffed.

"I prefer Joker, thank you very much."

The figure on the wall pushed himself off and stepped towards them. He wore metallic body armor with panels on his upper arms and lower legs, with black camo underneath. His visor, which was once blank, was now active as a neon-blue tactical visor "eyes", which gave him a HUD to provide him the necessary information. He also bore two large pistols holstered on his sides, and a sword sheathed inside the gun-sheath on his side. Also, Naruto added the new Geass sigil/sword symbol to the chestplate.

"Joker?" Yoko repeated, keeping herself shivering from Joker's intimidating appearance.

"That's right. I am Joker, the leader of this esteemed group of troublemaking Phantom Thieves that has run roughshod over the Tokyo Settlement for the past few years," Naruto said, giving a small salute, "So you have nothing to fear. This is no trap, since that would be counterproductive in wanting to work with you all."

"If this wasn't a trap, then what was the deal with the 'grand tour?'" Ohgi added with a frown.

"Elementary, my dear Ohgi. We wanted you all to fully grasp the two worlds," Rei told them. "The Settlement," she raised her left arm to the side. "And the Ghetto." she said, raising her right arm to the side.

As her arms were out, the rest of Lucienne's Victorian-styled suit was revealed. She wore a skintight black Kelvar suit under a lavender corset with gold trim, also lined with Kelvar; as well as a pair of lavender slacks with gold lining, and a utility belt around her waist. It also showed that Rei was truly a young woman, the corset enhancing her bust.

'This one's a showman. Still, what is this feeling about them?' Yoko wondered.

"Yeah, we already know that," Ohgi said. "There's a difference between us and them; a very harsh one. That's why we resist them."

"And a bang-up job you did so far, amirite?"

The one sitting at the edge finally spoke, bending backward and flipping themselves over to an upright position so the rebels could see them- well, her.

She wore sleek black exo-suit armor over her chest, arms, and legs, with black latex covering the rest of her body; similar to how Joker's suit is. She also had a hood over her head with a mask and technical goggles that showed pixelated eye emotes and various eye expressions. She had two katanas strapped to her back, and two handguns on her sides. Like Joker, she had the new team symbol plastered across her chest.

"You were the one in that transforming Knightmare!" Ohgi gasped, pointing at her.

"That's right! The name's Cypher, by the way. Joker's number 2 of our little group. And yes, they did negotiate that ceasefire while I was saving your asses," Cypher told them with a smiling emote, "You're welcome by the way."

"Uh, thank you. But what about that tour? Why make us work through those areas? We already know why we fight," Ohgi said.

"About that, Ohgi-san. Your motives for fighting won't work. Britannia will not, and never will, fall to petty terrorism," Joker said seriously.

"Indeed. In the public and Britannia's eyes, it's nothing more than childish nuisance." Rei added as if scolding a bunch of unruly kids.

"Are you calling us a bunch of kids?!" Tamaki snarled, looking pissed.

"If the shoe fits." Cypher scoffed with an expressionless emote. "I mean, when you got your information about Britannia possessing an illegal weapon, what in the world made you think it was a good idea to go ahead and steal the damn thing?"

"We thought we could use it against Britannia," Ohgi said carefully, while Tamaki gritted his teeth. "I already told you all that we were going to hand it to the JLF to use for their broadcasts!"

"Judging by your friend's reaction, is that really it?" Joker asked coolly, turning his attention to Tamaki. "When you stole that canister of poison gas- when that's what you thought it was…what were youplanning on DOING with it?"

"I kept telling them that giving it to the JLF was useless, and we should've used it instead! We could've wiped out scores of those damn Britannians that way!" Tamaki bit out.

"Oh my god, why are you here?" Yoko groaned to herself.

"Oh, so you were planning on making the Britannians feel justified in their oppression," Joker replied flatly, "Got it."

"The hell you mean by that?! They're the ones who oppress us by even living here!" Tamaki said, looking towards the others for support.

Cypher took a step forward with an annoyed expression on her helmet. "It's pretty simple, you colossal twit. If it's wrong for the Britannians to treat the Japanese the way they do and kill our people, then why the ever-loving fuck would it be alright for you to do the same? Or did it not occur to you that a majority of the Britannian citizens living here are just civilians? You know, just like the Japanese people that got massacred in Shinjuku?"

"Whatever high ground you had over Britannia would be utterly lost," Rei concurred, "Because once you kill that many innocent people, nobody will care how oppressed you are. If you try fighting them by sinking to their level, you will lose, because not only do they have more resources, but they are much, much more experienced at sinking even lower."

"That is why you should know your enemy. It is not the people- Hell, it's not even Britannia itself. It's the head of the snake that encourages that shit, and the one who gleefully slaughter innocents without consequence; the corruption of Britannia itself!" Joker snarled, his anger bleeding through his voice modulator. "It is a war you must wage, but not on innocent lives! We've been watching every single resistance cell in Japan, and all you've accomplished so far is no better than mosquitos pricking at the surface, only to be squashed when you get too close!"

"So instead of bloody taking your flames of hatred upon everyone in sight, take up your swords and fight for justice!" Rei declared as she reset her cape. "Instead of looking like total morons who look ungrateful to the mercy of their so-called fair and just Emperor." she spat in distaste.

"You bitch!"

"Tamaki, no!" Kallen and Akiza yelled as their fellow redhead charged at the crusaders. Normally they'd be pissed as him, but they already had this talk with the others.

Tamaki Shin'ichirō was truly one of the prideful ones. Hot-headed, carefree, rash, impulsive, and reckless, he charged into situations headfirst, damned the consequence. As long as it gave Britannia a black eye, it was a win in his book. He was a friend of Naoto and had been one of the first members recruited into his resistance cell. When Naoto was alive, he'd always held Tamaki in check, but with him gone, Tamaki ran wild. He even believed that he should be the one to lead the group (because he's Tamaki dammit), but in the end, he grudgingly accepted his deceased friend's judgment of Ohgi being leader, in honor of his memory.

But with all the losses piling up, he did whatever he thought was a good idea for the group, but every time it only ended up to the group's detriment. He would always go off script, which would lead to a major fuck-up. It was only because he was skilled in engineering and one of Naoto's friends that he hadn't been kicked out at this point. His actions were inspired by the Phantom Thieves, who were more effective than any resistance cell and even the JLF. But soon that admiration turned to jealousy which led him to be yet more rash and distracted, leading to the situation in Shinjuku.

And now here they were, a bunch of masked freaks, talking down to them(him) about everything they'd done wrong. He felt that it was from an attack not on his comrades, but on him personally (even though they were right). And as Tamaki Shin'ichirō-sama, he wouldn't let that stand.

"Eat this!" he yelled, throwing a wild haymaker at Rei. Neither Joker nor Cypher moved to intercept him, which served as a major warning sign to the others.

His fist was inches from Rei's unflinching mask when all of a sudden, chains sprang up around Tamaki and wrapped him up, halting his attack. He yelped as he was pulled back and left to dangle on the damaged ceiling above.

"What the hell is this?!" Tamaki yelled, voicing everyone's (minus Kallen and Akiza of course) shock and confusion.

"Thank you, Medusa," Joker said, his Servant appearing beside him.

"Your will is mine, Joker-sama." Medusa nodded demurely, holding the chains to keep Tamaki bound.

"How the hell? Who the hell is that?!" Sugiyama demanded, looking between Medusa and Scáthach.

"A sample of our power, just like the transforming Knightmares, Raiser and Artorias, that we wield. And they're not even a fraction of what we bring to the table," said Cypher with a grinning emote, "We have a lot more in our back pocket that's waiting to be unleashed."

"Wait, I apologize for our comrade's recklessness," Ohgi said quickly, looking nervously at the cold aura Medusa was giving off. "Please don't kill him."

"Don't worry, we won't," Joker assured him. "We know that you don't share his views, Ohgi-san."

"I do everything I can to keep our group in check. I don't approve of dragging innocent civilians into our fight." Ohgi admitted firmly. "I just thought that if we got that canister on TV, Britannia wouldn't be able to hide their crimes."

Rei sighed and shook her head. "Right, here's the thing about that. I can tell you're smart and your heart is in the right place, but you clearly weren't looking properly at the big picture. Britannia has the media in their territories in an iron grip. Even if you accused Britannia of having that poison gas, they could have easily turned it around on you. The result: It would put the JLF and all resistance cells around Japan up shit's creek without a paddle, with no way to escape the shitstorm."

Ohgi drooped his head. "It…was the only good idea we had at the time."

"Yeah, a very bad one," Akiza muttered.

"Your plan would also fail in other ways. The JLF has a few radical nutjobs in their group that would make things worse. It's the reason they can't get anything done since Toudou's Miracle. They're also the reason we chose you all to work with because they're incapable of getting their house in order. Despite the dumbass up there," Cypher jerked her thumb towards a struggling Tamaki. "Your group is more preferable than all the others."

"I'm…honored," Ohgi said before asking. "Tell me, were you the ones who killed Clovis?"

"Not directly." Joker shook his head. "But we know the person who did it, and she had more of an axe to grind against the Prince for his machinations against her. Kururugi Suzaku didn't do it, and now the Purebloods are taking advantage. If their plan goes through, the Honorary Britannian system will be abolished, and the Japanese will be fucked more than usual. We don't let that happen."

"Why should we help them? Those Honorary Britannians sold their soul and pride to be one of them-!" Tamaki yelled.

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Akiza screamed, her eyes now full of murderous rage. "Not. Another. Word."

Tamaki was screwed when they got back to base. No one was going to insult the sacrifice of her and Kallen's mother in front of her. Kallen may not care, but she does.

"Why should we help them? Tell me, did you choose your parents? Did any of us choose our parents?" Rei asked, spreading her arms as everyone shook her heads. "No? Didn't think so. Those Japanese endured hell to be Honorary Britannians in order to live their lives free of conflict. It's something that shouldn't be taken lightly. And now the Purebloods want to take even that away, to continue hunting them for sport. To hell with that!"

Joker nodded. "So we're going to spring Kururugi Suzaku. I rather he not take credit for an act we are ultimately responsible for."

"You're going to rescue him? That's a death warrant! It's impossible! Even for Phantom Thieves, that's insane!" Yoshida protested.

"Yes, and it was impossible to mobilize your group of ragtag idiots to strike back against Clovis and rescue the surviving civilians in the Ghettos, but we managed that well, don't you say?" Rei shot back, with Yoshida struck dumb.

"Tell you what. We rescue Kururugi, and you join us at the start of our crusade." Joker offered with his hand out. "Hell, you can all join us in that endeavor if you want…except him," he added, pointing at Tamaki. "He can watch from a TV. I rather not have him fuck up in our operation."

"I say we give them a chance! We would've been killed if not for their leadership and tactics. What do you say, Ohgi?" Kallen asked her brother's best friend, who folded his arms and burrowed his face in concentration.

"I'm in agreement. With their resources, we might stand a chance to free Japan." Akiza added, with Kallen nodding to her.

After everything they've seen and heard, it was a no-brainer to convince the others.

"Come now. If we make the impossible possible, then will you say that we have earned your trust?" Rei prodded them.

"...Let me meet with the rest of my group on this. How soon will you need an answer?" he asked.

"Tomorrow afternoon, since Kururugi Suzaku's court-martial takes place during the evening. Just contact Kallen and Akiza and we'll know." Cypher said as she and others gathered at the edge.

Joker snapped his fingers, with Medusa releasing Tamaki from her chains, dropping him none too gently to the ground.

"Ow!"

"Wait, can you show us your face?" Ohgi inquired.

"Not yet, but soon. Trust us, it'll all make sense when you see the toys we'll be bringing to the party." Joker said as he and the other girls prepared to jump. "Oh, before I forget…"

He tosses something to Ohgi, who caught it and saw that it was a picture of Nagata and his family.

"Consider this fulfilling a promise to your comrade."

"Nagata…" Ohgi murmured sadly, "So he really is…"

Joker nodded. "Yeah. Until then-"

"Wait!" Yoko called out to them. "The Heavens above praise you!"

The three crusaders jerked at that and stared at the sniper, who had a hopeful look on her face, while the others looked at her in confusion.

"...And the Devil cries and curses me," Joker murmured with a smirk under his helmet, "Well well well."

Yoko smirked. "We can trust them. Japan will be taken back!"

"What she said," Joker said as his and Rei's Servant sunk into their shadows. "We'll be seeing you soon."

"Try to stay out of trouble!" Cypher said with a little salute.

With that, Joker, Cypher, and Rei leap off the edge. The resistance cell ran towards the edge and looked down, only to find them gone.

"Where did you find those guys?" Sugiyama asked.

"You wouldn't believe us if we told you." Kallen chuckled and turned to Yoko. "But what was that all about?"

"Trust me. The time is now. Because of who they are, we're going to win." Yoko assured her.

'...She knows them somehow.' Akiza thought.

"Oi! Are we really going to throw in with them?!" Tamaki demanded, only to be silenced by Ohgi glare.

"When we get back to base, we are going to have a serious discussion!" Ohgi growled at him. "Come on everyone. We're leaving."

Unknownst to everyone as they left, there was a figure on the other side of the broken ceiling.

Nick frowned thoughtfully, cocking his head as he lay just out of sight. He remained completely still, patiently waiting for everyone to depart. 'So, the Kōzuki sisters are rebels. Certainly explains why they were always absent; if their health was that frail, then they probably wouldn't bother showing up at all. And those three masked people…they were met in a place that the others 'wouldn't believe'.'

He blinked. '…Are Nathan, Natalia, and Lucy the Phantom Thieves?!' Then he shook his head. 'No…that's not the important part right now. All those things they said…they're not dumb, that's for sure. But that stuff they said about Shinjuku…' His fingers curled, gouging the concrete beneath him. 'A massacre? Did I really sit around waiting while a massacre happened?

This won't do at all. One way or another, I need to start acting by tomorrow night.'

Waiting for ten minutes once the sounds of the rebels faded away entirely, he flung himself out of his hiding place, dropping to the ground and calling the elevator. As he rode it down, he pressed his hands together, staring straight ahead intently. 'I can feel it. I'm getting close to the path I should be taking. Fudou Myo'o…forgive me for remaining idle for so long.'

---

[Europia United, Airport]

A woman wearing glasses, a long maid uniform, and a cross necklace was looking up at the cloudy evening sky. When she was beckoned by an attendant, she grabbed her suitcases and headed to the private jet bound for Britannia.

Her cell then rang, with the woman putting it up to her ear to answer-

---

"AND that is all you piggies get! Sorry, but a gal like me's gotta get ready for her big debut! And Soul and friends wrote too much again, so I'm putting the hammer down on that. Be grateful, and shower them with reviews!

Things are moving at a rapid pace, and Britannian's gonna get exposed! Humans can be so cruel, can't they? I wonder what those proud, patriotic Britannian will think of their military gunning down the innocent? If they can do that to babies, what guarantee is there that they won't do such things to them…

Or you?"

---

STAGE 04 COMPLETE

---

Operation Rescue Suzaku Kururugi is a go. After tonight, the world will change. Allegiances will be shaken, alliances will be forged, reunions will happen, and loyalties will be tested.

Which is all to say…this is going to be fun…

Next time… Stage 05: The World Shift

Soul: What the hell was that?

Naruto: What's wrong?

Soul: My surprise is bleeding through the fourth wall and acting creepy!

Nick: Eh, just give it a bonk.

Soul: Good idea. I'll get that done *digs through a box* as soon as I find the thing!

Lelouch: The world isn't ready for A.I. you know.

Milly: I told you all that showing him that Odyssey movie was a bad idea!

Nick: Change happens in the world, regardless of how ready you think it is. Adapt or die, boyo.

Lucienne: Ubisoft hasn't released that multiplayer patch yet! Come on, I want to make Lelouch miserable.

Lelouch: I'm not playing that! It's not chess!

Nick: ...You disgust me.

Naruko: How about Battleship? Much more fun! It's either that or I call your girlfriends!

Lelouch: Grr~

Soul: Dammit, where the hell is that thing?!

---

[New Crossover Characters]

[REDACTED] ] "Emmie"/[REDACTED]

[REDACTED] / ?

Avatar The Last Airbender ] Iroh

Final Fantasy 7 ] Reeves Tuesti

Ghost in the Shell ] Mokoto Kusanagi

Hanaukyo Maid Team ] Konoe Tsurugi

Rurouni Kenshin ] Shinomori Aoshi

…

[References and Explanations]

Special thanks to Castle for coming up with the Uzu Council. I hope you guys liked who we've chosen for the Uzu Council! Question though, who thought they were going to be all girls?

The bath scene is from the Code Geass R1 Picture Drama 3.25.

There's going to be a new maid for Nunnally. I know you guys will like who it'll be, because V.V. and his cronies won't be getting close to Nunnally with her around.

The Augmented Reality Reconstruction program is from Watch Dogs Legion, and is something Bagley can do with the help of the hacker character.

Kushina and C.C.'s relationship can be summed up like the abridged Alucard and Integra.

FOB stands up forward operating base, like in the Metal Gear series.

There are many possible names for C.C., so I went with Celesta.

So far, Naruto's Geass is Eagle Vision/Sense from the Assassin's Creed series. It doesn't mean that it'll be overpowered since there are drawbacks.

Shielder and Moon Cancer are missing for a reason.

Remember, Naruto has the Arkham Knight suit with Naruko having something similar but as an exo-suit and Wrench's mask from Watch Dogs 2.

Lucienne is wearing a female version of Zero's suit, more fortified, and its appearance inspired by the Lady Zero drawing by SoraTenshi94. The cape and mask are still the same as the OG Zero.

Rei's title of Playmaker comes from Yu-Gi-Oh VRAINS. The full name can be The Playmaker: Rei, or Rei no Playmaker.

Special thanks to NSG for some of the dialog where Cypher and Rei scolded Tamaki for not caring about civilian lives.

"A sample of our power" /Vega in the Street Fight 2 movie would be proud.

"The Heaven's above praise you / And the Devil cries and curses me" is from VFSNAKE's Tradition and Honor story.

And I am…! Oy, you can't keep me in check forever, Soul! I will have my moment- Hey! Don't you dare switch over to the post-credits-!

---

Released: Tuesday, March 23, 2021

---

Kallen sighed, falling on her back and into her bed in her nightwear.

"Nervous?" Akiza asked, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You know, during that botched operation with the poison gas, I literally prayed for a miracle. And now look at us." Kallen said, rolling to her side to look at her older sister. "Involved with the Uzumaki, who were right under our noses with a couple of Princesses. Worse, they're perverted and insane!"

Akiza shrugged. "It still hasn't taken away what they did for us. They could've walked away but they didn't. And now look at us, on the cuff of having a seat at the table. Let them be weird. I don't mind us joining in on their antics."

"It better be all worth it. But count me out if there's ever a Birthday Suit Party." Kallen growled out. "I don't care if I break my cover. I'm running back to base."

"You do that. Meanwhile, I'm going to start pretending that I've been healed by a miracle so I can move around easily." Akiza said gleefully. "Now that we're part of the Student Council, with the President covering for us, there's no need to act sick anymore!"

"Guh…I suppose you're right," Kallen said, catching a pillow that Akiza threw at her. "You think we can do it by their side? Free Japan?"

"Of course we can, but that's half the battle," Akiza said, lying next to Kallen. "Considering that we do drive out Britannia, the government will need to be stabilized, and we'll have to fend off the Chinese Federation."

"Yeah. Japan is a valuable foothold in the world, valued by Britannia and the Federation. Not just for the Sakuradite, but as a strategic territory. Britannia for invading, and the Federation for defense. We can't let either have their way with Japan." Kallen said, raising her fist and clenching it. "With Naruto and Naruko, Naoto-niisan's dream of a free Japan will be realized."

"...Don't you mean our vengeance?" Akiza asked, tilting her head towards her.

"...Yeah," Kallen said with a cold look on her face. "For far too long, our vengeance has been denied to us. But now, the path is clear! With their help, we'll free Japan and avenge our brother!"

'And maybe, I'll get my sweet little sister back.' Akiza thought with a smile.