If there was one thing that C.C. loved, it was seeing others being exasperated at her antics. The looks on people's faces were one of the only things she still found to be enjoyable after so many centuries.

The face that Rivalz was making was no different. It was one of shock and disbelief, no doubt, but also one of confusion and concern. His shoulders looked quite tense too.

She'd have been here earlier if not for the fact that she hadn't been able to find a way onto the school safely. Well, that and she wanted to tell exactly where her contractor and the enigma of a boy were staying. But as she saw that look of terror on his face, she realized that she arrived at the best possible time.

"May I come in?" she asked in what she thought was a smug voice, not particularly caring for whether he would say yes or no; just wanting to make him as uncomfortable as possible. As Rivalz tried to formulate a coherent sentence, she decided to push past him into the building.

"Rivalz, I told you, let me -," whatever the exiled prince was going to say next was cut off by the sight of the green-haired immortal. His face was similar to his blue-haired friend. This made her smile.

"Nice to see you again, Lelouch," she said like she was talking to an old friend. In a way, it wasn't that wrong an analogy.

As Lelouch's brain began doing all it could to process her living, Rivalz managed to regain his composure. He stuttered out, "W-well, what about me, then? J-just gonna i-ignore me?" It seemed that while he was shaken by her appearance, the stuttering was more out of nervousness than anything else, she noted.

"I'm not here for you," she turned to face Rivalz, "If I were, I'd be waiting at your dorm, making your roommate both uncomfortable and jealous of you."

Rivalz flinched back at the remark, having a light red brush his face. C.C. wondered if he would be as open as he was in Shinjuku when someone he knew was in earshot. 'Put the ball in his court,' so to speak.

"Um, Rivalz," Lelouch started, "Is this your friend?" So he was trying to make sense of the situation, then.

Rivalz's eyes widen as he a bit frantically replied, "Uh, yeah! Yeah, I met her after we got split up the other day. Not really a friend, though! Don't know why she's here!" He punctuated his statement with a nervous laugh.

C.C. took this as her sign to step in. "I'm here to meet the two people who saved my life," she said blandly.

She looked at both of the boys next to her, scanning their faces for what they were thinking – something she had gotten very good at in her many years. Lelouch's face hardened, as she suspected it would. Rivalz, on the other hand, was sucking in air, wincing at the remark.

She continued, "By the way, I'm going to stay here." She noted that while Lelouch seemed to be experiencing more confusion in the last two minutes than the rest of his life all combined, Rivalz looked like he had expected this. Another mystery that this boy seemed to be at the center of. "It's the most convenient option for me, so why wouldn't I?"

Lelouch looked like he wanted nothing more than to object to her claim but stopped himself, glaring at Rivalz as his frustration began to replace his disorientation. Seemed like he didn't want to involve the blue-haired boy in anything. She wondered if Lelouch knew that he was already involved in the thick of everything.

"Well," the ex-prince said with no small amount of indignation, "there are many reasons. Most of them are due to logistics."

"I have to agree with Lelouch here, lady," Rivalz said. "Even if there was more time to prepare, there would still be quite a few issues to work out," he seemed to be talking form experience. After a brief moment he added as an afterthought, "Why would you even want to stay here anyway?"

"I need to hide from what remains of the military that are after me," C.C. replied much to Lelouch's chagrin, "and I need to keep an eye on both my contractor and the enigma that is yourself." This time it was Rivalz who was surprised and angered at her speech.

"H-hey! What do I have to do with any..." Rivalz trailed off before shrugging in resignation. "Fine, I guess the cat's out of the bag. Yes, I met her at Shinjuku, specifically during the massacre that was caused by Clovis just days ago."

Lelouch looked like he was on the cusp of simply swearing as to get answer out of someone, anyone, as to what was happening. Yet, he restrained himself; whether he was doing so to wait until one of the others explained everything or if he was doing it to calm himself down and not blow up, she didn't know.

Lelouch also looked like he was concerned to hear that Rivalz was in such danger. Like he had relived a horrible memory. C.C. could guess as to what nightmare he was remembering.

Rivalz paused for a moment before he continued, "I hate that someone like him would be willing to do something so vile. It's why I wasn't too upset at the news just now: it's bad that he was killed, but when someone like him dies, maybe it makes the world a bit brighter, ya know?"

Lelouch seemed to lighten up at his remark, satisfied at the explanation his friend gave. However, he still had some questions to get answers to and a persona to stay in character, and thus asked, "Why were you even in Shinjuku? And what do you mean 'massacre caused by Clovis'? Wasn't it the terrorists who used poison gas?"

Rivalz groaned at that. "I was there Lelouch, and I know you were too; I saw you! I was following that truck you fell in and that lead me to the ghetto. And we both heard that it was Clovis who called off the fighting which has to mean that he started it! And I doubt that you could've escaped before then, there were quite a few border patrols surrounding the area." He sighed and looked down before muttering, "I thought we were best buddies that trusted each other..."

Lelouch's expression near instantly changed to one of hurt. C.C. understood why; if she hadn't been through all she had, she would feel a bit uncomfortable and out of place, wanting to leave the two of them to their moment. But she was just annoyed that she was basically a third wheel right now.

Lelouch responded in a somber voice, "I'm sorry, Rivalz. I didn't realize that you were there when it happened. We're both lucky to get out without lasting injury, much less our lives. I was just not wanting anyone to know the truth about what happened at Shinjuku. I can hardly believe what happened myself."

Rivalz looked less downcast than he did a moment ago, but still upset. He smiled sadly and said, "I kinda understand, but I'm still not over you lying to me. I want you to know that I'll always be there for you, no matter what. Heck, I was going to mention this to you when we were interrupted by the green-haired chick here!" He motioned over toward C.C. at that last part.

Lelouch looked exasperated as he smiled and shook his head. He replied, "I suppose that makes sense. Though, there is one more thing that I'm wondering about. How did you meet her?"

C.C. decided at that moment to mess with the two of them. Before Rivalz could explain anything, C.C. spoke up saying, "He brought my unconscious body to the back room of an abandoned restaurant." She purposefully chose the worst series of words she could have possibility said.

Rivalz had a flush of red enter his face as he sputtered a response, "Wha- no! I-I mean, that is what happened, but putting it that way implies I was going to do something really bad! There was more context to it than that!" He took a deep breath before continuing, significantly less flustered. "I found her in a warehouse with several corpses and carried her to the safest place I could find, which happened to be, as she put it, 'the back room of an abandoned restaurant.'"

Lelouch looked a bit embarrassed at C.C.'s statement, but was more composed after Rivalz explained things a bit more. "I see," he said looking like he was thinking about something. "And you could tell she was not one of said corpses?"

"W-well, I guess I just noticed that there wasn't nearly as much blood around her as the others. I guess I was hoping that she wasn't another victim," Rivalz's voice was a bit shaky as he spoke those words.

'A lie,' C.C. thought. 'Even if I wasn't as good at reading people as I was, he knew about Mao, he knows about Geass, and he knows about me. He knows that I can't die. The question is "how does he know?"' She looked toward Lelouch. 'Are you able to see through his deceptions as well?'

In the end, even she couldn't tell if Lelouch fully believed his friend. All that came from the ex-prince's mouth was a hum of acknowledgment and a glance at the floor in thought. And C.C. hoped beyond hope that her newest contractor would be competent enough to fulfill her wish.

Lelouch was lost. It was feeling he wasn't familiar with. From the green-haired girl whom he saw take a bullet to the head, to his long time friend who was apparently at Shinjuku that same day and rescued her.

If he didn't already have a supernatural power, he would have thought himself insane. He'd have thought the situation, nay, the world insane. But, truth is stranger than fiction, it seems. As such, he began to make sense of it all.

So, he decided to take this absurd situation and treat it like everything else he was troubled by: chess. Look through every possible path, and determine which is the most beneficial. It wasn't always applicable, usually in regard to Milly, but it was good enough for this scenario.

As he considered everything he knew and was told, there was one conclusion he came to above the others: the girl wasn't human, at least not fully. She gave him a power he never would have imagined could exist; that itself was a sign that she was supernatural in nature.

What he couldn't wrap his head around was how Rivalz fit into this if at all. How much did he know? It was obvious that he was lying about why he saved her, but how could he possibly know the truth? Even if he had seen his 'Geass' – he believed it was called – in action, he would have no reason to think that she would be able to live after a bullet to the brain.

That was another question: did he know about his Geass? And perhaps, more importantly: should he know about it?

There were pros and cons to both; too many to be considered at the moment. He was a genius, and he was aware of that, but he knew his limits. He couldn't think through every possible scenario in a few seconds. No one could. If he tried, he'd either cause too big a lull in the conversation for it to continue in any meaningful way, he wouldn't fully consider each avenue that could be taken, or he'd simply make a mistake. Once he had more time, he would have an answer as to which is better. But for now, he'd have to settle for probing his friend for what he knew. If he knows about Geass, then Lelouch might be able to work out a plan.

But he was hurt by Rivalz's words. He really was. He was hurt that he had betrayed Rivalz's trust. They had trusted each other each time they were in danger of a noble's fury. And each time they had managed to make their opponents believe that they had the advantage, only to be outwitted in the most shameful way possible. Lelouch had kept quiet about Shinjuku mostly because he didn't want his friends to worry, but even after Rivalz acknowledged that he knew the truth, Lelouch still lied to him. Lelouch hoped that their friendship would stand firm through the upcoming events he had planned.

A small part of him wondered if their friendship was even real at all.

"Well, I hope that you don't have to deal with anymore death than necessary. That sort of thing can stay with you for a while," Lelouch said with a somber undertone. "Most of the Elevens can attest to that." While he truly did care for Rivalz, Lelouch couldn't let him know about his ex-royal status. If anyone let slip that he wasn't dead, he and Nunnally would be in great danger. 'Although,' he thought, 'that is less of an issue now that I have this Geass power.'

His uninvited guest decided to speak up. "While it has been invigorating to watch you guys talk, I have a question of my own." Her voice was dripping with sarcasm and littered with sass. "When exactly did you see Lelouch at the Ghetto? The truck we were in didn't make it there."

Rivalz's eyes widen for a fraction of a second before he began to formulate a response. Meanwhile, Lelouch was criticizing himself. How could he have missed that detail?! Especially when he suspected Rivalz of being the voice that warned him of that prototype Knightmare.

"W-well, uh..." Rivalz began racking his brain for any explanation he could give that wouldn't be incriminating, Lelouch noted. He suddenly went wide-eyed again, this time in realization. "W-well, I saw someone that looked really similar to you exiting a Knightmare cockpit, and I knew that truck was heading this way, so..." He trailed off, looking mildly awkward at the two of them.

Lelouch's eyes narrowed, mostly in confusion. Rivalz was lying; he couldn't lie all that well, at least to his friends, but that wasn't what was confusing. No, it was how he knew that Lelouch was in a Knightmare at all. Lelouch briefly considered that Rivalz was watching and hearing him give orders over radio, and that matched what he knew about the mysterious voice, but that didn't explain how he knew Lelouch was piloting a Knightmare and not just leading from the sidelines with a radio in hand.

"If a king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?" Those were the words he spoke to Rivalz just minutes before the Shinjuku raid. Had Lelouch's words given Rivalz enough insight to realize that he wouldn't try to lead without being right there with them; safe and out of direct danger, but still present?

The alternative was that Rivalz had seen Lelouch enter the stolen Knightmare using his Geass. If this was the case, then Rivalz should be intrigued at best and horrified at worst, but he wasn't. The only way Lelouch saw that not happening was if the green-haired lady told Rivalz about his ability, as there was no other way for Rivalz to know about it.

Which, now that he thought about it, Rivalz had been wary about making eye contact with him lately. That... was something to think about later, for now, he had dinner with Nunnally soon. Lelouch didn't mind if Rivalz decided to join if able, but he didn't want an effective stranger near his sister.

"There are a couple of things I'd like to talk more about," Lelouch stated, "but, Nunnally and I will be having dinner soon, and you might have a job you need to get to, Rivalz. We can pick this up sometime in the future."

Rivalz's face turned to one of anxiety at the mention at his job. He groaned and said, "I completely forgot about it! Man, I've got to get going soon or I'll be late!" Lelouch thought he heard Rivalz mumble something about getting the day off because of Clovis's death, but he wasn't sure.

Rivalz gathered his thing, said his goodbyes, and left the student council club house, leaving only himself and the mysterious girl.

When he noticed that she was making no effort to leave, he spoke up saying, "I believe I said that me and Nunnally will be having dinner soon. Alone." There was an edge to his voice, mostly of annoyance. He had to think things through, and while there were questions he had for her, he was just wanting a moment to unwind, especially after the fiasco with Kallen and the danger she posed.

His guest turned toward him, and in the most monotone voice, replied, "I heard. But I'm wanting to meet my contractor's sister." She began walking further into his home.

It was at this moment that Lelouch realized something important: even with his Geass, he would never be able to control the women in his life.

As the club house front door closed, I let out a wheeze as the best alternative to a silent scream.

I was this close to messing things up royally! I had all of one second to think how I could weasel out of explaining exactly why I was at Shinjuku and what I knew, and while I wasn't lying when I talked about Clovis, I wasn't being fully honest either. If either of them realized I was lying and called me out on it, I was toast. My greatest advantage would be revealed, and I would lose about half of it at best, as the little trust I've cultivated would go into the negatives. In the most realistic scenario, Lelouch would make me forget all about my past life and just go back to being normal Rivalz. I wouldn't play anymore of a part than what I've already done. That and losing my past self terrify me.

I'm just glad I that I accidentally guilt-tripped Lelouch into being more open with me. While it wasn't my intention at all, it just sorta came out of my mouth. I have to thank Rivalz's lack of tact for that, I suppose. Regardless, I'm glad that Lelouch is more willing to talk to me. I don't expect him to tell me about his involvement with the Black Knights immediately, but perhaps I can wear his resistance down so that I can help.

While I'm still thinking about memory alteration, I need to find a good time to tell Lelouch about his father, mother, and uncle's plan to remove free will.

But that comes later. For now, I need to focus on everything that's immediately in front of me. Like say, a certain masked miracle worker's first appearance? But what would I even need to change about that encounter? For the most part, it all ends up going incredibly smooth: Zero reveals he killed Clovis, demands that Suzaku goes free, uses "Orange" to sow infighting in the Purists, and leaves unscathed.

…

How in the name of the World of C did I forget about Orange Boy?!

Getting Jeremiah to at least be Lelouch's ally would be huge; even if he hates Zero, Jeremiah wouldn't know that there are both, and even then. But at the beginning, let him think that Zero and Lelouch are separate people.

I suppose the only thing to consider is whether Jeremiah is more valuable earlier or later with the Geass

Canceler. If I could find a way to get both that would be ideal but that would be a miracle in and of itself.

I'll have to think about it. Even if I decide to get him on board as soon as I can, how would I even get the message to him?

I began walking toward my dorm room while glancing at my phone for any messages. I sighed. Knowing my luck, there'll be more people at the bar today, mourning the death of Clovis.

It's going to be a long day, isn't it?

AN

… This was the most difficult chapter to write so far. I had practically two weeks to write it, and it's still shorter than the others. The conversation between Rivalz, Lelouch, and C.C. took a week to get to a point where I was satisfied with it, so I hope you all are as well!

Anyway, things should be going how they normally do, unless I get what I like to call "Writer's Block Deluxe" again. I would greatly appreciate any constructive criticism and advice!

Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and have a good day!