AN: Another content packed chapter for you guys! Today was my day off and I had nothing better to do, I really enjoyed writing this one!

A quick response for Des Shinta: Long boi review, much appreciated! And I'm glad you caught on to Bradley's role as an instigator while keeping Cornelia empathetic. Thats exactly what I was going for.

Shibuya was in flames, smoke billowed into the sky as dark clouds gathered above, covering Japan in a dreary overcast that swallowed the light and made all beneath bathe in shadow. Sirens sounded off as a smog of ash and smoke choked the air in a haze of death. The stench of sulfur and blood was thick in the polluted air.

Cornelia's Gloucester raced down the main avenue with Guilford and the Glastons close behind. Britannia's goddess of victory held tight onto the controls and snarled with barely restrained rage and anguish.

The streets were filled with the carcasses of second Battalion. The roads ran red with their blood as their bodies laid strewn about in a display of unmatched carnage. Tanks with their Turrets popped off and treads de-tracked as fire erupted from their wreckage, cooked out APC's and Armored cars were tipped over and blown into nigh unrecognizable chunks of charred metal. Gunfire was all around her as the battle raged, and her forces were on the backfoot.

Her eyes caught sight of movement in one of the windows a few blocks down-

"Missile!" She reported, swiftly shifting her landspinners to side-step the incoming anti-tank rocket that smashed into a building behind her and blew out chunks or glass and concrete before she raised her KAR and unloaded into the apartment block the shot came from.

"Contact to the rear!" Bart called out as he and Claudio turned their frames to open fire on a number of Burai who attempted to strike from behind, clipping one of the resistance frames in the leg and forcing the pilot to eject while the 3 others broke off down adjacent streets.

Cornelia's eyes narrowed. "I want 360 security!" She ordered.

"Your highness?" Guilford's frame rolled up right next to hers.

"We're being hunted." The witch of Britannia declared, readying her spear.

"Correct." The sound of Zero's voice echoed through the streets of Shibuya, causing the 8 Gloucesters to group up and start looking around with their weapons poised.

"Zero!" Cornelia challenged over the loudspeakers. "Come out and die like a man!"

"A fine suggestion. I might take you up on the offer when a worthy opponent shows themselves." He mocked.

Cornelia ground her teeth at the biting remark. "You stand accused of regicide! You killed my brother Zero! I will have your head, justice will be served!"

"Justice?" Zero snapped over the loudspeakers rigged up around the Ghetto. "What is Justice to the countless thousands who died under Britannian rule? What is Justice to the innumerable innocents who suffer day in and day out? Who have done so for 7 long years. What of the people you JUST KILLED!? You're just like the rest of the Empire! You're just like the rest of the Royal Family! You're a rabid dog! And I'll be the one to put you down here and now!" Zero's voice echoed with finality and Cornelia and the Glastons tensed

"Contact! 12 O-Clock High!" Alfred called out this time as Cornelia looked up just in time to see a Black Burai standing on top of a rundown building with a Raven insignia stamped on its chest. Without further invitation it lowered its right arm, displaying the business end of its 2×4 missile battery.

"BURN WITCH!" Lelouch spat with vitriol as a cluster of rockets flew out at high speed with white contrails following them.

"Scatter!"

Cornelia was already moving when she gave the order as she and the Glastons broke formation and the missiles struck their former positions.

"Lousy shot Zero!" Edgar mocked.

"Am I?"

Before Edgar could question Zero's short retort, the ground gave way beneath him, and took both Claudio and Darlton as they fell into a subway tunnel.

"Fuck!" Cornelia spat as she dodged gunfire from Zero's Burai by ducking into an alleyway with Guilford following. "Are you alright!? Darlton!"

"We are your highness! Don't worry we'll find a way out- contact!" Darlton was cut off as he and 2 of his sons suddenly got shot at from down the tunnel, forcing them to fall back.

'Damn him!' Cornelia internally railed. 'He's separating the pack and cutting us off from eachother! He'll pick us off one by-' Cornelia's train of thought came to a screeching halt as a shadow passed over them, and she came to a stop as a red blur came crashing down from above. A cloud of smoke blew out from the impact before a red fist came swinging out, smashing into the head of Cornelia's Gloucester Custom and snapping one of the horns.

While her frame stumbled back from the sudden hammer-blow, Guilford came to her defense, raising his lance to block the follow-up strike from a revolving blade sword.

Cornelia bristled as the smoke cleared thanks to the movements of the Knightmares.

'Thats- the red knightmare!' She had gotten briefings on the resistance having a crimson-plated Knightmare with an ace pilot but she didn't fully appreciate the rumors until now, as it engaged in a heated melee with Guilford and actually put her Knight on the defensive.

This... wasn't good.

'So how have you been, old friend?' The voice of Marianne echoed through C.C.'s mind through the telepathic link, and the immortal let out a noncommittal hum as she laid sprawled out on Lelouch's bed.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She asked aloud. To anyone who might be watching it looked like she was having a conversation with herself.

'Oh come now C.C. is that any way to treat a friend?'

"A friend who leaves me in the hands of that blonde brat? Yeah, some friend you are."

'We didn't actually know- V.V. was very tight-lipped about your whereabouts.'

"Why hasn't Charlie killed him yet?"

'He's necessary for the-'

"No he isn't. His code is necessary, but he himself is not."

'Charles refuses to act against him...'

"You know for someone that he literally murdered in cold blood you are awfully lenient."

'I yelled at him for years to do something about it-'

"You have Anya, make him do it."

'Oh and how do you suppose I do that?' Marianne asked mirthfully.

"I dunno, start throwing shit at him."

Marianne snorted over the link. "How uncouth-"

"Be quiet, you used to swear like a sailor."

'Moving on-' Marianne deflected. 'How's my son doing?'

C.C. rolled her eyes. "You ask about your son but not your blind and crippled daughter?" She asked, less in disbelief and more just because she was a little pissed off. It wasn't that she didn't have emotions, she was just good at hiding them.

'Sorry to say this but Nunnally is useless.' Another strike against Marianne in C.C.'s personal book of grudges.

She herself was an orphan oh so very long ago, deep down she did empathize with Lelouch and Nunnally at least a little for their situation. It's why she decided to stay and keep them company... that and the free pizza because Lelouch didn't keep track of his credit card.

'Speaking of-' C.C. thought as she got up off the bed and started walking out of the room to the door, the Pizza delivery would be here any second now if she timed this right.

'C.C. are you still there?' Marianne asked.

"Yeah, yeah sure. Useless daughter, understood." C.C. finally acknowledged. Her voice was perfectly calm and emotionless, but Marianne struck a nerve, she could tell.

'You and I both know it's true- besides it doesn't matter, once God has been slain we can all be together again!' Marianne replied as C.C. opened the door just as the delivery boy was about to knock, carrying several boxes of Pizza Hut.

"Uh-huh, sorry, I forgot I was dealing with an absolutist nihilist." She said with a completely straight face and a bored tone, taking the boxes of pizza from the confused delivery boy and closing the door with absolutely no context for the poor guy. It probably didn't help that she answered the door wearing only a partially buttoned undershirt and no pants

'I don't understand why you're so upset.' Marianne admonished. 'What brought this on?'

'I don't respect you anymore is what happened.' C.C. responded in a corner of her mind with sarcasm dripping off of every syllable, but she held her tongue. "I'm just agitated that I haven't gotten my fill of Pizza." She replied as she walked back up to Lelouch's room.

'Ugh... I don't understand how you can eat nothing but Pizza all day every day, doesn't it get boring?'

"Nope."

'And the stench! I swear it smelled like greasy pizza every damn day in the Villa!'

"It smelled better than that compost pile you call a garden." She declared while setting the Pizza down on the bed before plopping down next to the food of the gods.

'Why you cheeky little-'

"Do you want to hear about your son or not?" C.C. cut her off.

'... Fine, yes.'

"He's doing as well as expected, I got a good look into his mind when we made the contract. Your death, his banishment and the subsequent invasion really fucked him up." That was an understatement if C.C. ever said one.

'It was necessary to keep them safe-'

"Even when you blew up the Kururugi shrine and murdered half the island?"

'...'

'Yeah that's what I thought.' C.C. grumbled internally.

'Look, like I said before we had to keep them safe from V.V. and if we tried to send someone to get them it would only paint a target on their backs. Our best bet was to pull strings and have them dissappear so that little goblin lost interest.'

"Well now you have an angry teenage son and his girlfriend preparing to overthrow Area-11, have fun with that."

'Wait- GIRLFRIEND!?'

"Did I forget to mention that?" C.C. asked airily, but with a small smirk.

'WHO IS THIS SLUT AND WHAT IS HE DOING WITH MY BABY BOY!?'

'Oh so now you're protective of him?' C.C. thought privately as she rolled her eyes. "She's everything to him from what I've gleamed off of his thoughts. She's in the same league as Nunnally in his mind."

'You're kidding! What does she look like?'

C.C. sent a mental image of Kallen from the night they met, and Marianne let out a low whistle.

'Hot damn, guess he has a thing for redheads-" Marinne hummed with a playful tone.

"From their memories I've found out that they actually met when they were kids during the Invasion. They've been attached ever since."

'Oh, childhood friends? How romantic~!' Marianne swooned.

"Oh yeah sure, meeting in the middle of the bloodshed and carnage of an invasion, SUPER wholesome."

'Oh hush you.' Marianne was quiet for a moment. 'Wait a fucking second- THATS MY KNIGHT OF HONOR BROOCH!'

"Oh yeah, apparently the redhead is an ace Knightmare pilot, she swore herself to him as his Knight of Honor."

'... BAH-HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!'

C.C. frowned. "Whats so damn funny?"

'He-he's just like his father!' Marianne spluttered in the midst of a fit of giggles and choked wheezing. 'He likes women that can kick his ass!'

C.C. smirked at that remark, amused at the prospect. "Speaking of kicking ass, she's currently handing Cornelia her own butt on a silver platter right now."

'Really?'

"Yup."

Cornelia was getting her ass handed to her. She would have been impressed if this wasn't life or death.

She grit her teeth as she ducked out of the way of the Red Burai's pile-bunker and then was forced to back off as she tried to gain some distance in order to use her KAR.

The Red Knightmare pivoted and expertly used it's revolving blade, locking-swords with Guilford's pronged lance before redirecting the strike, deflecting it before trying to swing again at his Gloucester, and he raised his lance to block. Sparks flew and both knightmares shook as their weapons made contact.

"Guilford get clear!" Cornelia ordered, and Guilford parried the Red Burai and used his landspinners to disengage. When her Gloucester made ready to fire, she only managed to get off a short burst that did superficial damage before the red knightmare began evasive maneuvers.

With practiced ease, it threw off her aim before she was met with a Salvo from the enemy frame's harkens, she dodged the first one. But the second one was expertly timed to catch her in the middle of dodging the first and smashed into her KAR, destroying her ranged weapon.

'Damn it all!' Cornelia cursed internally as the red knightmare then charged at her again, slashing ruthlessly with its revolving blade. Cornelia's Gloucester ducked, weaved, dodged and sidestepped before trying to thrust her Spear towards the cockpit of the red frame.

But the enemy pilot was fast on the throttle, the red knightmare side-stepped the lance, a strike that Cornelia had committed to and was still mid-thrust when the enemy knightmare raised their blade and then swung.

Cornelia couldn't react quickly enough as both of her Gloucester's arms were cut off, with most of one limb missing and the other having lost it's hand and forearm.

Cornelia paled, as she reacted on instinct trying to go into full reverse, she fired her slash harkens at the red knightmare-

Only for it to GRAB the cables of her harkens and then use them to be pulled towards Cornelia's Gloucester at high speeds and jumped in the air, kicking into the Gloucester's chest and crushing it inwards.

Cornelia let out a choked scream of pain as the cockpit block's control panels exploded outwards, sending glass, shrapnel, and electrified components flying in her direction at high speed before being forced to eject, and she blacked out as the cockpit block struck the side of a building and tumbled across the road.

"Princess!" Guilford yelled, as he sped towards her, rocketing clean past the red knightmare and rushing to the cockpit.

Kallen narrowed her eyes in her Burai, she should finish the job-

"Q-1!" Lelouch's voice interrupted her dark musings. "I'm about to be cornered, I need immediate assistance!"

That was all she needed to hear as she immediately disengaged from her battle and sped towards her leader's position.

She veered around the corner of a city block to see Lelouch's knightmare was pinned down by the 3 remaining Glastons who were firing on his position as his Burai was taking cover, firing pot-shots in response.

Kallen moved in, attacking from behind, but she did not go un-noticed as they turned to open fire on her. She swerved from side go side in an erratic and unpredictable pattern and used her slash-harkens, firing up at a building and gaining elevation even as bullets whizzed past her, and she made it to Lelouch's position.

"Now Maya!" Zero ordered.

Kallen's distraction had bought the other Ace an opportunity as she blitzed out of an alleyway, both of her blades raised as she ruthlessly executed one of the Gloucesters, forcing David to eject.

"Shit!" Alfred cursed as he turned to fire at the Blue Burai, but he was too late as Maya swiftly decapitated his machine and caused him to eject as well, leaving only Bart who dropped his gun and raised his Lance to block Maya's strike.

Lelouch watched the battle unfold with sweat dripping down his brow before his eyes flicked down to the Tactical map and he grimaced. "Enemy IFF's, from behind!"

He and Kallen both turned their machines to see the battered knightmares of Edgar, Claudio and Darlton round the corner and open fire. Lelouch managed to move his Knightmare out of the way quickly enough- but not Kallen as gunfire riddled holes in her left leg, causing it to burst and alarms began to go off.

Kallen flinched before watching as Darlton's Gloucester aimed his cannon right at her.

"Oh shi-" She raised her arms on instinct to cover her cockpit block just before the general could fire, the large Artillery shell made direct impact with the Burai's arms, blowing them to pieces and causing her Knightmare to skid across the pavement with only one leg to kneel on.

"Eject Kallen! Eject!"

She wasted no time in punching the jettison switch, detaching her cockpit from the brutalized Burai.

Lelouch cursed. "Disengage! All forces disengage! This battle is no longer sustainable, Q-2 on me!"

Across the Ghetto, Japanese resistance forces pulled back from their firefights with the Britannian army. The Burai's popped chaff and discharged smoke, providing cover for the infantry as they sped away, and the sound of gunfire slowly came to a stop.

Major Cornwall limped with her medic, helping him to drag a more heavily wounded Trooper, she had lost her rifle in the scuffle and had only a service pistol in her hand. She was approaching the position of a known APC even as her radio kept going off with calls for reinforcements and pleas for Medics, stepping around the carcass of a destroyed Sutherland.

She stopped as the sound of a safety turning off clicked. And her head snapped around to see a terrorist sitting on the rubble with an assault rifle pointed right at them.

She swallowed. The man had dark red hair from what she could tell, and he looked angry.

There was no way she could get the first shot, her pistol was still pointed at the ground, hanging limply in her hand.

Tamaki stared at the 3 Britannian army Troopers in front of him. The one with the pistol looked to be an officer thanks to the gold chevron on their shoulder. The second one standing was clearly a Medic due to the red cross band on their arm- he had no weapon to speak of. The third was limp, being dragged by the 2 formerly mentioned soldiers, either dead or unconscious. All 3 were covered in dirt, grime, ash and blood- some fresh and some dry that stained their armor from head to toe.

The Britannian officer dropped their pistol, much to Tamaki's surprise, and raised their free hand in surrender.

Tamaki grit his teeth, this was not what he expected, wanted, or planned to deal with after his Burai got blown up from beneath him. He stared at them for a few very long seconds, his finger on the trigger, itching to take the shot.

But is that what his best buddy would want? Is that what Naoto and Ohgi would want? Would killing 3 unarmed Britannians do anything meaningful or would it just satisfy his own ego?

He hesitated, mulling over his options and slowly calming down from his initial shock and anger before slowly lowering his rifle.

Cornwall watched as the terrorist in front of her lowered his weapon, and she let out a sigh of relief, her shoulders sagging.

"Thank you..." She said quietly.

This made Tamaki flustered, both at the fact that it was a woman and that a Britannian was thanking him. "W-whatever! Get out of here before I change my mind!" He shouted in broken English.

She nodded, and signaled to the Medic to continue, making their way down an alleyway, towards an APC that was still miraculously functional and operating as a makeshift medivac transport. She stumbled forward with the others at the home stretch, and helped the Medic lift the unconscious Trooper into the back hatch before the Medic went in with him.

The Medic turned and offered a hand to her, helping the Major climb into the back of the transport.

It was a shit-show, several men lay on the floor being operated on by Medics while one Trooper sat in the corner seat, huddled up in a fetal position and shaking, his armor was covered head to toe in blood.

More blood covered the floor in a slick puddle, intermittently broken up by piles of bandages, empty magazines, and rifle-caliber shell casings.

"Wait!" The major turned around to see another pair of Troopers, one was helping the other, holding a piece of cloth to their comrades neck as blood squirted out of the open wound, they were jogging and limping towards the APC.

She leaned out of the hatch to help get the wounded in. And one of the Medics quickly began to give him attention.

"You gotta help em doc! You gotta! Please man- please!" He begged as the wounded one was set on the floor, and the Medic set to work on the bullet wound.

Cornwall stared blankly through her helmet's visor as she watched the Medic try to save the wounded, the other Trooper was holding one of his hands with both of his own.

"Stay with me! Stay with me!"

She couldn't watch, instead turning to look out the back hatch as the APC slowly began to move. It offered a view of the smoldering ghetto ruins and the corpses of second battalion.

She didn't want to see this either, so she simply leaned back and closed her eyes.

"We're losing him!" The Medic shouted as the Trooper coughed up blood in his own helmet, and his grip on his friend's hand grew weak.

"No- no no NO COME ON YOU'RE TOUGHER THAN THIS! DONT DIE ON ME YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

"Restrain him!"

The Medic shook his head as 2 other Troopers moved to grab the one in hysterics, only to then throw his bandages down in frustration as the man bled out on the floor and choked to death.

Cornwall sat there until the APC made it back to base. And the moment it came to a stop, she dragged her bloodied self out of the back and ripped her helmet off, dry-heaving onto the pavement and falling to her hands and knees. Her face was pale, her red eyes dull and her black hair matted.

All around her the tattered remains of second Battalion regrouped, there were more wounded than not, and the vehicles that made it back looked ready for the scrapyard as one Sutherland finally broke down and collapsed, falling on its face with chunks of cracked armor and parts clattering onto the ground and smoke seeping out from it's energy filler slot.

The wounded kept piling out, many of them dying before making it to triage, some of them dying after the fact, and most of their vehicles shredded with smoke billowing from their engine blocks, missing wheels, dented and torn armor, and covered in blood.

Second Battalion was a write-off.

Luciano Bradley sneered at the crippled army battalion from his position on the sidelines while Cornelia was pulled out of her broken cockpit and rushed to the infirmary.

'Useless... all of them.' He thought before a wicked grin made it's way onto his face. "Luckily, I know just who to call!" He laughed before turning around and leaving the assembly area. All the while a bucket of water was used to wash the pool of blood and bullet casings out of the APC.

The Black Knights returned to base, their spirits low. Ohgi wasn't speaking to anybody, Tamaki seemed especially agitated, and Kallen was forlorn even as Lelouch gently applied anti-bacterial cream with a Q-tip to the cuts she had recieved from her ejection.

He stopped applying the cream, lowering his arms as he sat in front of her and stared.

"Kallen?" His voice made her look up at him, he saw shame in her eyes.

"Lelouch I..." Her eyes watered. "I'm sorry, I failed you."

Lelouch frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I... my knightmare, I let my Knightmare get destroyed, and I couldn't even capture Cornelia like you wanted!"

"Kallen." He said firmly, reaching his hands up to cup her cheeks and tilt her face up to look at him. "Listen very carefully, you did NOT fail me."

"But-"

"No buts." He cut her off. "Kallen, Knightmares can be replaced, and while it is unfortunate we couldn't capture the Viceroy we Bloodied her nose and saved the Iron Shoguns."

"I couldn't save the civilians..."

"What could you have done?" He asked pointedly. "That was a long range missile fired from a Gunship well outside our weapon range. There's no way we could have stopped it from happening. Those deaths are on Cornelia, not you."

He leaned in, gently letting his forehead rest against hers and locked eyes. "Kallen, you can lose as many knightmares as you want. We can always build more. But I can't replace you. You'll only fail me if you don't come back." He spoke with gentle passion. "I order you to live. Follow that order and you will never fail me."

Kallen's heart skipped a beat as she moved in for a passionate kiss, reinvigorated by his speech, and he accepted it without hesitation, allowing his lips to melt into hers for a good while before they broke apart for air.

"Why don't we go back up?" Lelouch offered. "I'll make us a nice dinner and we can relax, maybe skip class tomorrow?" He said with a playful smirk.

Kallen smiled back. "I'd like that."

And without any hesitation, they both stood up together and held each other's hands as they walked towards the elevator, letting the Soon-to-be Black Knights lick their wounds and unwind from the battle they just came back from.

When they arrived upstairs, Sayoko was with Nunnally, and after greeting them both as well as giving Nunnally a kiss on her forehead, he sniffed the air.

"Why do I smell Pizza?"

Sayoko smirked with amusement. "Your Guest, miss C.C. has been placing orders for Pizza quite frequently."

Lelouch rolled his eyes and muttered about cheap cardboard pizza under his breath while strutting up towards what used to be his bedroom before C.C. rug-pulled it out from under him. He raised a brow seeing that the green-haired girl was napping on his bed, and a tower of Pizza Hut Boxes was leaning ominously in a haphazard stack that looked ready to fall over.

He sighed, and slowly began to move empty boxes down to the trash before seeing the half-eaten one next to her on the bed.

'Damnit, she better not have gotten pizza grease all over my sheets, this stench is disgusting!' He half-heartedly raged internally before sighing and picking that box up too before carrying it and throwing the damn thing in the dumpster.

He then returned to the living room where Kallen was helping Sayoko brush and braid Nunnally's hair, making him smile before he walked over to the kitchen.

He thought for a moment about what he might make, crossing his arms as he stared into space, contemplating his options.

'Let's see... maybe...' He hummed. "Oh, I know just the thing. Let's see if she thinks Pizza Hut is any good after this!" He chuckled evilly (but not really) and began to pull out ingredients.

About half an hour passed as C.C. woke up from her cat-nap with a yawn. She vaguely heard the purring of a cat before she woke up to see that, with the mountain of pizza boxes no longer cluttering the room, Arthur had decided to grace the immortal with their presence.

C.C. absentmindedly reached a hand out to start petting the kitty, who chirped happily as she ran a hand through his fur. Arthur nuzzled his head into C.C.'s hand, and while her facial expression didn't change, she did find this to be rather enjoyable.

Her other hand reached behind her for some more Pizza- not caring if it was cold, only to frown as her hand hit the empty mattress.

She KNEW she left her pizza in that exact spot. 'Did it fall on the floor?'

She sat up, pulling her hand away from Arthur as she looked for her remaining pizza, scowling to see that it was missing, as well as all the other boxes.

Someone stole her pizza, there was hell to pay.

Now an immortal witch on a mission, she slid out of bed and randomly changed into some of Lelouch's clothes. She opted for a short brown jacket with long sleeves, a black shirt, blue jeans and slip-on shoes before stepping out and heading downstairs.

She saw Kallen and Sayoko having tea and light conversation with Nunnally. She kept her expression neutral as she walked towards them, and Kallen turned her gaze to C.C.

"Did you take my Pizza?" She asked simply.

Kallen shook her head. "Lelouch went up to check on you and cleaned up while you slept, he didn't want to wake you so he was going to let you rest until dinner was ready."

C.C. hummed. She was appreciative of the fact her sleep wasn't disturbed, but still miffed about her missing Pizza.

"Where is he now?" C.C. asked.

"In the kitchen." Kallen answered with a shrug.

"Whats he doing?"

"Cooking...?" Kallen supplied, as though it was obvious as she gave C.C. a dumbfounded expression.

C.C. was a little surprised. "He cooks?"

"Yeaaaaaaaah?" Kallen drawled. "Why?"

"I'm not used to men cooking in the household." That was the truth at least, living through the centuries, cooking was almost always considered the job of the housewife, female servant or slave.

"Well he does." Kallen huffed, rolling her eyes. "Is that really so hard to believe?"

"My Nii-Sama is a great cook!" Nunnally said with excitement. "His food is always good! He could be a chef at a famous restaurant!"

'Interesting.' C.C. mused. "I'll be the judge of that." She declared before turning and walking over to the kitchen where Lelouch was wearing an apron and preparing to open the doors of the oven.

He turned his head to look at her. "Oh, you're awake." He said lightly. "You must have a sixth sense or something, dinner is about ready."

C.C. crossed her arms, staring at him. "You took my pizza."

He frowned. "It was old and cold." He defended. "Besides I have something better."

"Nothing is better than my Pizza."

Lelouch shrugged. "Oh well, I guess if you don't want my own home made pizza I can just give it to the cat or-" He didn't get to finish that sentence as C.C. seemed to teleport right next to him from across the kitchen at the mention of the home made Pizza, glaring up at him with indignation.

"Show me."

Lelouch smirked, opening the oven door and pulling out the rack to reveal the pie. Thin crust with a nice char, the cheese looked delightfully gooey and bubbly with some light browning, and a comination of seasonings bespeckled it as the tomato sauce let out a lovely aroma... the smell... oh that beautiful smell... it reminded her of her very first Pizza when she visited Italia.

C.C. didn't realize she was staring with wide eyes, or that her mouth had begun to water until she heard Lelouch chuckle. On reflex she schooled her features and turned away with a huff.

"I'll be waiting in the dining room..." She mumbled indignantly while walking away and exiting the kitchen.

Lelouch continued to laugh at her expense before pulling out the Pizza and setting it on a cooling rack.

He walked into the dining room with the large pie a few moments later and used a pizza cutter. He knew by her reaction that it would probably be a poor choice to keep C.C. waiting, so he served her first before anyone else, laying the slice on her plate before getting one for Nunnally, Kallen, Sayoko, and finally himself.

To his surprise she didn't immediately scoop it up and lodge it into her mouth, instead staring at it until everyone had been served.

"Everything alright?" Kallen asked, noticing the behavior of the yellow-eyed girl who calmly regarded the redhead.

"Too hot, I want to taste it, not burn the roof of my mouth."

'Ah.'

Everyone nodded at that, and Lelouch decided he might as well continue to be a good host as he went to the kitchen before coming back with a pitcher full of a reddish-brown liquid and poured a glass for everyone with a bit of ice.

C.C. noted the scent of a fruity and herbal aroma and cocked her head to the side. "Tea?" She guessed.

Lelouch nodded. "My own recipe, a sweetened blend of a few choice tea leaf species and an infusion of raspberries." He informed while placing a straw in Nunnally's cup and helping her drink. The little girl hummed with delight as she drank the tea and her big brother gently ruffled her hair.

It was an endearing sight, even C.C. could admit that, and the tea DID sound good, she decided to sip it and immediately was hit with a strong, but appealing flavor of fresh fruit and herbal sweet tea, with a hint of citrus.

It was good.

She then finally had enough waiting and picked up her slice of pizza, taking an experimental bite.

She froze as the familiar flavors and texture hit her. It could be... no, it WAS the best pizza she ever had, and that was saying something.

She couldn't even hide it, she all but moaned as she happily chomped down on the Pizza slice with a smile that reached her eyes as she relished the taste hitting her tongue.

'Woah what the hell- C.C.? Whats-'

'SHUT UP MARIANNE I'M ENJOYING MYSELF!' C.C. yelled over the telepathic link.

'Whatthefu-' Was the last bit of Marianne's voice she could hear before C.C. mentally slammed the door on her old contractor, and proceeded to ignore Marianne banging on it from that point forward.

She couldn't help but savor the pizza slice she had been given, but as soon as she finished, Lelouch put another one on her plate.

Ok, that was it, she had to ask.

"Why are you doing this? What do you want?" She asked, her eyes narrowing.

"Pardon?" Lelouch asked while Kallen frowned at the precieved insult and Nunnally tilted her head in confusion.

"What do you want from me?" C.C. asked crossing her arms.

Nobody is this nice without wanting something or expecting something in return. So what did they want? Information? A favor?

Lelouch blinked. "Well, I want you to enjoy yourself?"

C.C. stared at him. "And?"

He shrugged, saying nothing else and just looking confused.

There's no way this was real.

"Then... why are you doing this?" She asked again, more quietly this time.

"Because this is my way of showing gratitude. You saved my life, and the gift you gave me will help me immensely. So... thank you, C.C."

C.C. visibly recoiled.

'Nobody's ever... thanked me before...'

Before she could say anything, Nunnally reached across the table, leaning over and instinctually finding one of C.C.'s hands, laying her own palm across the back of C.C.'s hand. Nunnally smiled at the immortal.

"Thank you, miss C.C., for protecting my brother." She said softly.

C.C.'s heart skipped a beat, something that would have drawn her curiosity if she noticed it. Her eyes had more life in them now than they did for the past hundreds of years.

Before anything more could be said, Lelouch noted that C.C. was having difficulty coming to terms with what was going on.

The mysterious girl had been closed off and not very forthcoming with much information since Shinjuku, so he didn't know anything about her, but her reaction to their kindness was something he made note of. She seemed overwhelmed, so he would grant her some measure of mercy. He placed his hand on Nunnally's shoulder.

"Hey, your pizza is getting cold you know." He reminded her gently, and Nunnally nodded, pulling her hand away.

The rest of the meal was quiet. C.C. didn't make another peep as she quietly enjoyed her Pizza.

Sayoko stood up once Nunnally was finished and gently pulled her away to get her changed for bed, and Kallen stretched, letting out a squeak, and then a yawn. "I'm gonna go take a shower, I feel kinda gross after Shibuya."

Lelouch nodded, raising his glass of tea and taking a sip as he relaxed in his seat. A pleasant aura of contentment around him as his eyes closed and he enjoyed his beverage.

"Thank you."

Lelouch opened his eyes and let out a questioning hum as he gazed at C.C.

Her head tilted to the side and she didn't make eye-contact with him, but she said those words.

"You're welcome." He said with a pleasant smile. "Would you like for me to make Pizza for you again?"

C.C. blushed slightly at that. "Yes." She admitted.

He chuckled at her reaction. "How about I make you stuffed crust next time?"

Lelouch could have sworn he saw stars in her eyes after he said that

C.C. cleared her throat, trying to re-center herself. "I can sleep on the couch from now on." She said suddenly.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow, before then shrugging. "The couch actually isn't too bad, we sleep well, no back problems or anything."

C.C. stared at him incredulously.

Noticing her look of confusion he spoke again. "Clovis did some terrible things to you, I saw what happened, and while I haven't shown Kallen any of the research files... she understands. We're both happy to let you have the bed, and I left my credit card out for a reason."

C.C. again, could not compute, staring at him in disbelief. He was being so nice, so understanding, and he wasn't asking for a damn thing... except that she 'Enjoy herself'

She had never met anyone like Lelouch before, especially not a contractor, all selfish people without a lick of kindness in their whole body.

This boy was different, and he made her feel things that she hadn't felt in a long, long time.

"I... don't know." She was hesitant about letting it go. In any other scenario she would have shrugged it off but for whatever reason she just couldn't now. Had he really affecter her so much with so little?

"Well why don't I get a futon?" He suggested. "A really nice one, I can move some of the furniture in my room and clear out a space for you, maybe get you a nightstand for some spare clothes?"

God damn it...

C.C. didn't know what to say, and just nodded silently.

Lelouch excused himself shortly afterwards, and C.C. slowly stood up, staring at the table for a minute before walking back up to the room she had been staying in and falling into the sheets.

Her mind wandered, going over the interaction she had with her dinner, simply unable to wrap her head around it. But eventually, realizing she wouldn't be able to truly understand how she felt about the whole thing, she gave up on her introspection and her mind wandered over to the thought of all the Pizza that Lelouch promised to her.

She heard a banging sound inside her mind. Who the hell-

'Oh, right, Marianne' She hummed, opening the link again.

'WHAT THE SHIT WAS THAT C.C.!?'

'Meh.' C.C. answered back as her mind wandered.

'C.C.' Marianne said more sternly.

'Pizza.'

'... Huh?'

'Stuffed crust Marianne.'

'... Huh?'

'You can eat it in reverse.'

On the other side of the Pacific ocean, in Pendragon, Anya Alstreim suddenly slammed her face into the Emperor's desk, startling the ruler and making him blink.

"Marianne?"

"I... I swear to fucking god, I'm done with this woman." She struggled to say in her thralls of confusion and exasperation.

A city burned, a raging inferno consuming the buildings and the lands around it, the firestorm consumed all in it's path, burning through countless anchors of farmland and forests, the sky choked with smoke and smog, blackening the area even under a full moon and starlight. Warsaw was set aflame...

"No voice in our ears but the lord." A hymn began

People ran through the streets, terror in their bloodshot eyes as they sprinted for dear life.

"We relish the sound of his call."

The gunfire never stopped, shell casings littered the roads next to the bodies and rivers of blood as Knightmare frames swept through, guns blazing away with reckless abandon and explosions ripping buildings apart.

"The stragglers we didn't slaughter-"

Flesh rends from bone and blood splatters across the wall, the choked cries of the innocent wail through the night

"-Will spread the word of his law."

A white metal hand snatches the leg of a man and drags him across the asphalt before lifting him into the air.

"They Scream and they run but that's part of the fun~!"

A huge gun was held up in front of him as he dangled from the black hand

"~Cuz the templars are coming to kill ya!"

The under barrel flamethrower audibly whined as gas was released and a fire consumed the man as he screamed

"Oh Soldiers, Soldiers of the lord, slaying heretics who shun his accord!"

The cremated body is dropped and clatters on the ground, it's remains smoldering before a white metal foot crushes the remains into a bloody paste.

"BURN, MAIM, CRUSH AND SHRED!"

A collection of white Sutherlands with black crosses on their cockpit chest plates crowded in town square

"DRINK IN THE MOANS AND LEAVE THE DEAD!"

They smacked their shields with bloodied blades and stomped their left foot on the ground, their armor stained with blood dripping to the ground.

"GOOD SOLDIERS, SOLDIERS OF THE LORD, SLAY THE SINNERS, LET RIVERS RUN RED!

A single white Gloucester stood in the center, standing on a toppled statue, it's golden sword raised high

"FOR BATTLE, FOR CONQUEST, FOR GLORY, FOR GOD; WE SLAUGHTER THEM ALL, THEY DESERVE TO ROT!"

The singing stopped with a loud "OORAH" as thunder cracked and lightning flashed, the bloodied knightmares cloaked in ash and death raised their weapons high and roared, and then began to laugh.

"KNIGHTS OF THE BLACK TEMPLARS! WE ARE VICTORIOUS!"

"OORAH!" They raised their swords and axes high

"BUT OUR MISSION IS NOT FINISHED! NOT NOW NOT EVER!"

"OORAH!" Their weapons went higher still

"TONIGHT WE CELEBRATE, TOMORROW WE GO TO BATTLE ONCE MORE!"

"OORAH!" Even higher!

"FILTHY ELEVEN SCUM HAVE TAKEN THE LIFE OF HIS MAJESTY'S SON PRINCE CLOVIS, AND OUR GOOD FRIEND SIR BRADLEY CALLS FOR OUR AID, WILL WE STAND FOR THAT!?" The Gloucester questioned, pointing it's finger at the others as it turned

"NO!" They stomped their feet, the knightmare's shaking the earth and breaking the ground beneath

"WHAT WILL WE DO!?"

"KILL EM ALL! KILL EM ALL!"

"WHEN THEY BEG FOR MERCY-"

"-WE SHOW THEM NONE!"

"FOR THE EMPEROR!" The Gloucester pilot roared, his blade pointed to the sky.

"OORAH!" The Knightmares raised their lances to pierce the heavens

"OORAH!" Shields clattered against swords and axes

"OORAH!" Thunder cracked, the rain fell, a war torn city sent straight to hell

A/N: So, before ANYBODY cries "C.C. is OOC": I honestly don't think so. C.C. is very emotional like Lelouch, and like Lelouch she wears a mask. We see her time and time again, whilst normally being aloof and a sarcastic bitch, becoming very emotional about small, but genuine gestures of kindness and affection. Lelouch is more empathetic because of his character arc early on becoming friends/lovers with Kallen as well as gaining an adoptive big brother in Naoto and a more stable relationship with the Kozuki resistance/black knights.

As a result, he is far more likely to show these gestures of kindness, empathy, and affection to C.C., because she saved his life, gifted him his Geass, and he saw what she went through with Clovis. And in turn, C.C. is more likely to have her mask break and show her true self even when she tries to hide it. She fell in love with him even when he acted like a cold-hearted jackass most of the time so this is just expediting the process. And because I know someone is gonna ask: yes, C.C. will be joining the Black Knights and joining Zero Squad, piloting her own Knightmare, at least until the Gawain finally comes around.

All that aside, I seriously doubt anyone is going to have legitimate complaints about cute/wholesome/funny C.C. moments

Otherwise, I hope you all enjoyed! And PLEASE review