AN: I do not own Code Geass

DarkDremora: I'm actually glad you think it's sad how Kallen replaces her NT counterpart, as it'll be something that'll come up later. Also, NT Milly (Along with characters in simliar situations) are their own. The reason they have deja-vu with certain characters, is due to their strong connection with them in previous timelines. Also, I'll keep in mind the need to take breaks. I just like having a set schedule so I don't just shrug this story off.

The First Oracle: I see your point with KT Suzaku being a problem, and I'll admit, with the amount of knowledge he has, he'll be a tricky character to write.


Chapter 49: Confrontation

ASEEC Warehouse.

"What the hell were you thinking, Lloyd!?" Cecile reprimanded the scientist by smacking him across the head with a newspaper. In the background, Suzaku watched as the mechanics were repairing the Lancelot's chest. "Honestly, what if Suzaku had died!? Actually, I don't have to think about that, because he almost did!"

"Relax, Cecile. It all ended well, so I don't see the problem." the mad scientist responded casually as Rai took a seat at the table.

"Yeah, but he was forced to use that new Slash Harken system we installed, which by the way, if it wasn't up and running earlier that morning, he would've been a goner!"

"Yes. That's a good point." Lloyd glanced at Suzaku while his assistant rambled on, "I would like to know how exactly you knew the code to activate it. Especially since it was just perfected that very morning."

"Are you even listening!?" the indigo-haired girl pulled his cheek, before sighing, "It's pointless… you don't even care."

"That's not true at all-"

Cecile ignored Lloyd and turned to Suzaku, "Speaking of which, I still don't understand why you didn't take Rai with you. After all, you're a team!"

Suzaku's dull green eyes looked at her for a second, before returning to the warehouse floor, "Lloyd, could I visit Shinjuku today?"

This question made everyone at the table tilt their head in confusion, "What?" Cecile asked, "Suzaku, what's wrong with you?"

"What do you mean? I'm fine." he answered without skipping a beat.

An exasperated look appeared on the indigo-haired woman's face, "Well, at least take Rai with you."

"That won't be necessary." the White Knight stood up, shocking his wingman in the process, "I won't be gone for long. I just want to check on its… reconstruction."

With that, the Japanese man left the warehouse without saying another word, leaving a stunned Cecile at the lunch table, "I wonder what that was about…" Lloyd muttered while walking toward the Lancelot.
"Wait! We can't just let him leave like that!"

"Why not? Suzaku can take care of himself. Besides, I'm sure he just needs some space."

"Space?" Rai asked.

"Yeah. You know, it really gets to him every time he fails a mission. And this is just one of the occurrences."

The silver-haired boy looked down with sad eyes, "Suzaku said he'd be willing to hear me out if I ever had a problem, and yet… I'm not able to do the same for him."

Upon seeing the boy's distraught look, Cecile said, "Hey, Rai. How about you secretly follow Suzaku into the ghetto?"

"Wh-what? But he said-"

"Who cares what he said? Suzaku's clearly hurt, and I think you're one of the few people who can help him right now." The indigo-haired woman picked up the boy by his arm, and ushered him toward the main warehouse shutter, "Just make sure he doesn't spot you, okay?"

With that, Rai was shoved out of the ASEEC building, tasked with following his wingman into Shinjuku. Though, he did feel slightly out of place committing such an act, as, despite the little time he's spent with Suzaku, he thinks of the White Knight as a good friend and mentor. So, spying on him felt weird to say the least. Nevertheless, if it was to help him with whatever he was going through, then Rai would oblige.


Shinjuku Ghetto.

Naoto watched as four Britannian construction workers took a smoke break from a nearby train station. The wind blew in a cool sea breeze that cleared the man's mind. "Hopefully construction will finish in a few months. As much fun as it is living with Tamaki and Ohgi, I'd much prefer having my own place." That's when he remembered the injury to his head, which was covered by a bandage, "Damn… Suzaku got me good yesterday. But I swear, the next time we meet, the outcome will be different."

Just as the Kozuki was about to walk away, he noticed the presence of a new onlooker to his left. It was Suzaku Kururugi, wearing sunglasses and a blue jacket with a black shirt and blue jeans. To say his presence surprised Naoto would be an understatement. "Why are you staring at me?" the White Knight asked in an almost hostile tone.

"O-oh… um… I just…" the resistance leader struggled to find the correct response, as Suzaku's appearance at the ghetto was just too much for him right now, "Is he here to arrest me? Does he know I'm a part of the Black Knight's? No… how would he know? There's no way he could-"

"Is it because I'm an Honorary Britannian?" Suzaku asked abruptly, interrupting his thoughts. Of course, Naoto wasn't the only one who was overthinking this interaction, "Those eyes… they're the same look the Black Knight's gave me in my timeline."

"I mean… yeah, I'm kind of surprised you're here, that's all." the resistance leader finally answered, "Are you here to watch the settlement's construction?"

"Naturally."

A comfortable silence overcame the two as they watched a cement truck back up into position as per command of a worker on the ground. "What do you think?"

"About the construction? I think it's great." The boy's green eyes surveyed the landscape intently, "The Viceroy didn't have to do all this, so it just goes to show how kind she is." In truth, Suzaku was very pleased by this outcome. It was certainly better than having Cornelia, who would be too busy obliterating every resistance group in sight. Though, maybe it would've been better if Cornelia was here. At least that way, there would be someone who could challenge Lelouch. "Who am I kidding… even if Cornelia was here, there's no guarantee she would win, especially with Lelouch somehow getting the JLF to side with him."

While he didn't have solid confirmation of this being the case, Suzaku knew that General Katase wasn't dead yet, meaning that Tohdoh and the four Holy Swords were still under his charge, so they wouldn't work with Zero. Not until the prison break, at least.

"Is there something wrong?" Naoto asked, breaking the White Knight out of his thoughts.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, your eyes. They look kind of… dead."

Suzaku took off his sunglasses, and looked at the colorful world through a clear lens, "I think… it's just my glasses."

Of course, these were precautions he was taking to make sure that he wouldn't get Geassed by Lelouch again. However, considering that he should be in Ashford right now, Suzaku has nothing to fear.

"No, it definitely isn't." the Kozuki added while leaning over the railing, "Mind if I lend an ear?"

Suzaku sighed before joining him. While he couldn't tell him about the previous timeline, the Knight needed to make a choice right now. One that could change the fate of this timeline for the better. Or worse. "My thoughts are plagued by Zero. A while ago, I failed to capture him in battle, and because of that, innocent people were killed. Currently, I'm trying to fix my resolve. Do I kill him by any means necessary? Or… should I save it for the battlefield?"
"What's that supposed to mean? He doesn't know Zero's identity, does he?" Naoto quirked an eyebrow of curiosity. Regardless, he couldn't just ask such a question right away, "Well… I think Zero's not that bad of a guy. I mean, he fought Carine, and from what I hear about her, she's a monster who takes pleasure in seeing others in pain." This was the easiest path to take, as most Eleven's, and numbers in general, held high opinions of the masked man. So, it wouldn't be too suspicious for Naoto to express his support to Suzaku.

Of course, hearing such kind words about Zero only served to enrage the Knight, "What? Do you really think Zero's any better? You think he cares about you?"

"Oh shit. He totally knows I'm part of the Black Knight's"

"About the Elevens?"

"Never mind."

"About Japan?" Suzaku took a step toward Naoto, causing him to instinctively back up, "That bastard's a murderer. Someone who'll stop at nothing to get what he wants. Honestly, I don't even know why I'm hesitating to kill him. I thought… I thought I had resolved myself to heartlessly slaughter him at the first opportunity." the White Knight clenched his fist to the point his palm started bleeding, "And yet… here I am." He delivered a punch to the railing, causing it to bend under the pressure, "Looking at Shinjuku and wondering, 'Is this the right thing to do?'. Of course it is!"

Naoto felt his entire body quake from the amount of hate that was radiating off the Knight's body, "This… this isn't the same Suzaku Kururugi we saved. I don't feel any care, or kindness from his demeanor. Now, there's only hate. Hate for Zero. But why? What caused such a dramatic transformation? From what I recall, Lelouch hasn't killed any innocents. So where does this hate stem from?"

In the background, the train finally arrived at their station, cutting their conversation short, "Thank you." Suzaku muttered while picking up his backpack, which had his Okatana, wrapped in a brown cloth, strapped to the side, "I've realized what I have to do now." Naoto watched as the Knight headed off to the train, but not before stopping to ask, "What's your name?"

Despite being surprised by this question, he answered only a second after, "My name's Naoto."

"Naoto? Why do I feel like I've heard that name before?" Suzaku quickly shook away the thought, "Thank you, Naoto."

Once the Knight was gone, the Kozuki took out his phone, and dialed Lelouch's number, "I really don't have a good feeling about this."

"What's wrong?" the Prince asked upon answering the phone.

"Hey, listen. I just met Suzaku by the Shinjuku ghetto, and I gotta say… there's something wrong with him."

"What? Explain."

"I mean, it's like he's a completely different person. His eyes are dull, devoid of the hope it once had. Also, he was angry at Zero."

Lelouch leaned back in the chair of his room and said, "I see. I'll talk to him later. And try to find out what's wrong. Thank you, Naoto."


Once the train came to a stop, Suzaku stepped off, before being stalked by Rai, who hid behind a nearby wall, waiting for his mentor to head down a flight of stairs. That's when the boy's phone suddenly rang, "Hello? Cecile?" he whispered. Of course, when he told the indigo-haired woman he didn't have a cell-phone, she was utterly furious. Then, she heard that Suzaku didn't have one either. So, that same day, she went out and bought both of them a phone. Naturally, she already put in her and Lloyd's number, so the boys could contact them at any time.

"Rai, where are you?" she asked as he began following Suzaku down the stairs.

"I don't really know. I think we're heading toward some kind of school…" Rai answered while ducking into an alleyway.

"Well, I've got Princess Euphemia asking for Suzaku over here. Do you think you can get him back here?"

The silver-haired boy poked his head out from behind the wall, only to find his mentor missing, "Uh… he disappeared…"

"What!?"

"I… I apologize, Cecile."

The indigo-haired woman let out a sigh, "It's fine. Do you know the name of the school?"

Rai headed out into the open street, and stood in front of the school's gate, "It says Ashford Academy."

"Alright. We'll be there in 10 minutes. In the meantime, find Suzaku and get him to the front."


Suzaku mindlessly approached the Ashford Academy clubhouse, holding his backpack with one hand, "Lelouch… it'll all end today. I swear." he entered the patio and rang the doorbell. After a minute, Sayoko answered the door, "Hi. Is Lelouch there?"

The maid's eyes narrowed upon scanning the boy's figure. In his timeline, she revealed herself to be a valuable ally with top-notch information gathering skills, and excellent training in the way of the ninja. That's why Suzaku wanted to avoid a confrontation with her as much as possible. While he had good odds of winning if he attacked her now, the chances of him being too injured to fend off Kallen, who was surely guarding Lelouch, were too high. "Do I know you?"

"Oh… have I not met her in this timeline?" the White Knight put his hand on his chest, "I'm Suzaku Kururugi. Lelouch and I were friends before the second Pacific war. If you don't believe me, you can ask Nunally about me. She'll tell you."

Instead of checking with the Princess, Sayoko stayed at the door, making sure the boy didn't make it past her. Her gaze locked onto the boy's Okatana, as she knew from the look in his eyes, he wasn't there just for tea with the Prince. "I haven't seen that look in so long. It's of someone who only has murderous intent left in their heart."

While she didn't have any proof of this being the case, she wasn't willing to take the chance. Or at least, that was until the Innocent Princess chimed in, "Sayoko? Who's at the door?"

The maid sighed internally, before saying, "It's a boy named Suzaku Kururugi."

"Ah! Suzaku's here? Let him in, I want to speak with him."

The boy in question put on a false smile, before heading inside, "Nunally, and…" behind the girl's wheelchair, stood Alice with narrowed eyes, "Who are you?" he feigned ignorance.

"This is Alice Lanfranc. She's recently transferred to this school with her sister, Clara." Nunally explained, "We were actually just about to have some tea. Would you like to join us?"

"Clara… that's the girl with a Geass ability similar to Lelouch's. Last time I faced her, she managed to instill a command on me to kill Zero. However, due to my slave command, her ability was overwritten once Lelouch ordered me to kill her." Suzaku kept his 'innocent' smile and said, "Actually, I was looking for Lelouch. Do you know where he is?"

"Oh… that's a shame. Maybe afterward, you could join us?"

"Of course. Now, where is he?" he replied with a bit more force.

"Last I checked, he and Kallen were going to spend some time in Ashford's Garden."

"I see… Thank you so much. Save me a cup of tea, I'll be back in a few."

"Bye-bye!" Nunally sent off the Knight, while Alice glared at the boy's retreating figure.

"Just what is he doing here? And what does he want with Lelouch?"


Kallen unbuttoned her Ashford Academy jacket and allowed it to flow freely as a cool breeze blew through her hair. Lelouch chuckled as he watched his girlfriend stretch her arms and shoulders. The wind gave her a majestic and astonishing look of freedom, "You look so relaxed." he commented while sitting with his back on a grassy slope.

"Isn't that a good thing?" she asked while laying next to him, "After all, yesterday was super stressful. And I know Maya and Mario appreciate the breaks."

The Prince closed his eyes and faced the sky, then he took in a deep breath, attempting to take in the fresh air, only to catch a whiff of his girlfriend's shampoo, which was orange-scented this time. "They're not the only ones who deserve a break. I have to give credit to the Gardening Club, because the variety of flowers here is incredible. It really helps calm the mind."

"Can't disagree with that."

A moment of comfortable silence overcame the couple as they watched fluffy white clouds pass overhead. Despite it still being winter, today was a particularly warm day, with the snow from the previous days melting just enough for it to feel like fall.

Kallen rolled onto her side, and asked, "Hey, what did you think about my pilot suit?"

This made Lelouch's eyes widen slightly, "Oh… um… I think it was alright."

"Oh? Is that it?" the red head inched closer to the boy's face, "Because… I remember how you were staring at me yesterday."

"I… I have no idea what you're talking about." the Prince replied while rolling onto his side away from his girlfriend.

Despite this, Kallen persisted by practically climbing over him, putting her mouth next to his ear, "Oh, c'mon Lulu~, you can be honest with me."

"D-don't use my nickname in that tone!" the boy protested while rolling away, much to her amusement.

"But why~" she whined, "Do you not find me attractive?"

It was a rhetorical question. She already knew he did off his facial expression, she just wanted him to say it aloud. ""Y-you're being way too much right now!"

Kallen crawled up to his face and giggled, "Am I? Then I think you were staring a bit too hard at my sides yesterday. Along with… something else."

With that comment, Lelouch finally stood up, and proclaimed, "I'm going to the bathroom!"

As he was walking away, the red head asked jokingly, "Would you like me to come with you?"

"Why is everyone picking up on Milly's tendencies around here!?" he exclaimed before running out of sight.

"Maybe I pushed it a little too far." Kallen giggled before laying on her back. Though, that's when she caught the sight of Suzaku approaching from her left. "What's he doing here? Don't tell me he's been enrolled in Ashford." Despite what happened yesterday, she ended up writing it off as the Knight entering the zone. It may have been wishful thinking, but it's what she had to think to keep her mind at ease. "Hello, Suzaku. Are you here to see Lelouch?"

The boy stopped dead in his tracks as the red head stood up to meet him on the concrete path. His first instinct was to grab his Okatana, but if he could successfully get to Lelouch without having to kill her, he'd take it, "Yeah. Do you know where he went?"

Kallen scanned the boy's demeanor, noticing the sheath of his weapon sticking out slightly, thus she asked, "What's with the Katana?"

Suzaku glanced at his weapon and adjusted the cloth, "It's nothing, just something I'm getting into the habit of carrying. Now, where's Lelouch."

"I don't like your tone." the red head challenged.

"Just tell me where he is. I need to talk to him about something."

Kallen's eyes narrowed, "He's at the clubhouse."

"I already went there, and Nunally told me he was with you."

The red head's eyes widened with surprise for a second, before returning to normal. Now, she was preparing her muscles for combat, "How do you know where the clubhouse is?"

"I asked Milly where she thought Lelouch was, and she pointed me in the direction of the clubhouse."

"Milly's absent today." Kallen replied with cold eyes.

Suzaku sighed in defeat, "Looks like there's no point in lying now." the Knight took out his Okatana and tossed his bag at the red head, forcing her to swiftly retreat while pulling out her pink pouch, activating her knife, "Do you really think that'll be enough?" he asked while unsheathing his weapon.

"How long have you been back?"

"Long enough." he held the weapon on-guard, "I don't want to hurt you. You know that, right?"

"Neither do I. Because I want to kill you." Kallen explained with a grin, "And now, I've got a proper reason to."

The Knight slowly began approaching his opponent's position, "You were a fool not to kill this timeline's version of me before I awakened."

"No. Unlike you, I can actually think my plans through. After all, if you attack Lelouch now and fail, you'll most likely never see his face again." the red head commented, causing the Knight to come to a stop.

"Then I just won't fail." he replied while charging forth, clashing his blade with Kallen's tiny knife, which snapped from the pressure. Now weaponless, the red head began backing away from her opponent, expertly dodging each slash with maximum efficiency. It wasn't until he overextended, that Kallen grabbed his arm, and tossed him through one of the school's many windows, causing him to crash into an empty classroom. She viciously followed close behind, before opening a supply closet and grabbing a wooden broom handle as the boy shook glass out of his hair.

The two readied themselves before charging forth for another clash, this time, Kallen ducked Suzaku's slash and countered with a kick to his abdomen, causing him to stumble into the lockers. Then, she tried to hit him over the head with her 'staff', but this move was easily dodged, before the Knight began applying pressure to her once again. With each slash, the red head felt her weapon growing weaker and weaker. She had to find a blade, and fast. However, Suzaku wouldn't relent, as he sent one powerful slash that cut through his opponent's weapon, simultaneously cutting her shoulder. Now that her guard was down, he delivered a devastating kick to her center, causing her to crash through the classroom's sliding door, breaking it off the track.

With her back to the derailed door, Kallen looked up only to see Suzaku leaping at her, his Okatana poised for a finishing blow. Luckily, she managed to barely roll out of the way, before using her two wooden parts to strike his back, causing the boy to groan in pain. That's when he stood up and sent a powerful slash toward her chest. Though, it came up short. As it sailed past her body, Kallen used one stick to strike Suzaku's hand, attempting to disarm him this way. Of course, the boy knew what she was trying to do, so in response, he drove his shoulder into her abdomen, knocking her back, dropping a student ID in the process.

With his opponent slowly getting up, Suzaku noticed they were right next to the elevator that led to the tunnels below the school. So, he picked up Kallen's ID, and charged toward her, this time, he made sure to over extend, that way, when she danced around his flailing body, he was able to swipe her card on the elevator panel, allowing it to open.

The red head made sure to use her sticks to strike the boys back as hard as possible. Despite the lack of reaction, she knew he was in pain, because in the next second, he turned around and desperately slashed upward, cutting a few strands of her hair. Though, she took this chance to run past his defenseless abdomen, striking it with her sticks in the process. Regardless of how effective this attack was, it now put her back to the open elevator, which is what Suzaku wanted.

In a second, the Knight turned around and sent a lightning-fast kick into his opponent's chest, causing her to slam into the elevator back-first. The sheer pain caused Kallen to release her dual-weapons, slumping against the elevator walls in an attempt to catch her breath. Of course, her opponent wouldn't grant her such a luxury, as he immediately followed up with a flying thrust toward Kallen's head, which she narrowly moved out of the way. Consequently, Suzaku's blade pierced through the elevator, leaving it stuck there as the red head took the chance to run away.

Though, the Knight released his sword, and grabbed Kallen's retreating hand, before slamming her back into the elevator, using her ID to press the basement button on the panel, closing the doors for a close quarter encounter.

While Kallen would normally have an advantage in such a closed environment, due to the damage she sustained to her shoulder and back, she wasn't able to fight effectively, thus allowing Suzaku to keep the momentum. The red head rolled out of the way of a strike aimed at her head, and countered with a punch to her opponent's side, causing him to stumble slightly. Then she tried to send a kick to his face, which was easily caught midair, before countered with a punch to her chest. Kallen laid back-first on the ground with Suzaku on top of her, preparing to send numerous strikes to her face.

However, before he could begin wailing freely, the red head spat in his face, blinding the boy long enough for Kallen to kick him off her, causing him to crash into the elevator door. Then she burst forth, sending a punch into his solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her opponent. After that display, she grabbed his arm, and judo slammed him into the metallic ground, before assuming the position of superiority.

With Kallen on top of him, Suzaku was forced to block her continuous strikes, while recovering his lost air. Of course, in this time, the red head managed to deliver several critical strikes to his face, breaking his nose, making his vision blur. But this wouldn't stop the Knight, as once the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened, he sent a punch to the girl's throat, before bringing up his foot, kicking her out in the process.

Kallen tumbled across the concrete floor of the Ashford underground hallway, before coming to a stop, where she began bleeding profusely out of her shoulder. Though, she managed to stand up, only to watch Suzaku's figure crawl to the elevator controls, and press a button, causing the doors to close, sending it up. "N-no…" she muttered while collapsing to her knees, "L-Lelouch… I have to get to Lelouch…" With great tenacity, the red head stood up, and made her way to the nearest staircase, which, at this point, seemed utterly perilous. "Damn it… if only I had my phone… I could call Lelouch and tell him to get to safety." Regardless of her current regret, Kallen quickly ran up the stairs, desperately trying to catch up to the corrupted Knight.


Suzaku ran through the halls of Ashford Academy with a bloody nose and deranged look, muttering, "Lelouch… Lelouch. Where the hell are you?"

Unbeknownst to him, the Prince had already spotted the bloodthirsty boy as he ran through the halls, and chose to hide in a classroom. "What the hell is going on!?"

Suddenly, he felt the air nip the back of his neck, causing him to turn around, only to come face to face with Sayoko, who was still in her maid outfit, "Master Lelouch. I advise you to leave through the basement stairs, as both Kallen and Suzaku fought in the elevator moments earlier."

"What!? Kallen and Suzaku fought…" Lelouch muttered, "What happened to her?"

"Her current status is unknown. Though Suzaku was the only one to return." This news infuriated Lelouch at the possibility of the red head's death.

But that's when he scanned his best 'friends' body, and noticed the state he was in, "No. The chances of him killing her are far too slim. Especially with how he's walking… it looks like he's in a hurry, so he probably just knocked her out and took the elevator back up."

While there were certainly flaws in his reasoning, Lelouch was looking for any excuse he could to make it so Kallen was alive in his mind. "You go on a head, I'll distract him," Sayoko explained while pulling two Kunai from underneath her outfit, before heading out to confront the Knight.

This display obviously surprised Lelouch, but he didn't have time to spend thinking about such a thing. The Japanese maid pulled out a mask and put it on her face, before activating it, changing her identity to Cornelia li Britannia. "Hey, boy." she shouted, gaining her opponent's attention.

Despite his vision being blurry, it was clear to Suzaku that the woman he faced now was Sayoko in disguise, "Do you really think you're fooling anyone with that? Pretty sure a Britannian royal's never worn a maid outfit in their life."

Regardless of his reaction, Sayoko sent a Kunai flying toward his face, which the boy easily deflected with his Okatana, before being forced to retreat, as the maid swiftly appeared in front of him a moment later. "Damn, is she faster than before?" he questioned while blocking her relentless assault, "Or am I just getting weaker?"

In one attack, Sayoko hooked onto the boy's Katana with her weapon, leading it off to the side before kicking him through another window, sending him tumbling through a few bushes, and stopping in front of Rai. "Suzaku!" he shouted after seeing the state of his mentor.

The Knight stood up with his weapon shakily on guard, though soon after, he narrowly dodged a Kunai aimed for his eye, which nicked his cheek, "This is too much right now… We need to retreat." he explained, ignoring the boy's presence.

The disguised ninja leapt in front of the duo with two Kunai in each hand, "Is this who attacked you? Cornelia?"

"No. It's someone disguised as her." Suzaku explained, "We have to capture this woman, as she has information regarding Zero's identity."

"Zero…" Sayoko's eyes narrowed upon hearing those words, "Is that what this is about? Does he suspect Master Lelouch knowing about that masked man? Or perhaps… he suspects him of actually being Zero."

Rai looked around for a weapon, only to grab a random stick on the ground, and hold it up defensively, "Um… I don't think it would be wise to pick a fight with her right now…" he muttered, "After all, you look pretty beat up, while she's-"

"Suzaku!" the voice of Euphemia called, distracting the two long enough for their opponent to throw down a smoke bomb, and escape. The Princess rounded the corner, only to be met with the sight of the duo on the ground coughing, "W-what happened!?" she exclaimed while checking on them.

"I… I apologize, Princess." Suzaku uttered, "I thought I had successfully come across a lead regarding Zero's identity, so I secretly carried out this operation, but now… my quarry's escaped." he was lucky with Sayoko's involvement, and Rai now being a witness, as if he was randomly caught running around the school with a bloody sword and a deranged look, then there'd be no way to explain what he was doing. Perhaps Kallen was right with what she said earlier.

"We should get you to the hospital!" the pink-haired Princess suggested frantically, "Come on. Let's leave before things get worse."

Rai watched as Euphemia led Suzaku out of Ashford Academy, simultaneously scolding him for coming to Ashford Academy alone, and asking why he thought it was a good idea. However, the thing the silver-haired boy took note of, was his mentor's blade, which was already covered in blood, "He fought someone earlier. That woman didn't have a single scratch on it. So who was it?"


"Kallen! Kallen!" Lelouch shouted while shaking his unconscious girlfriend awake. While she was trying to ascend the stairs, she eventually passed at the fourth or fifth floor from the top. This is where he found her body, "What happened?" he asked as she leaned into him.

"Suzaku… he attacked me out of nowhere. I think… he might know you're Zero."

Those words shook the Prince to his core, as hundreds upon thousands of questions ran through his head, "Why didn't he just tell the police of his suspicion? Why was he trying to kill Lelouch instead of taking him into custody? Why'd he fight Kallen? And who is Sayoko?"

He had too many questions, and not enough answers. But one thing's for certain: an investigation's about to be conducted into Ashford, and Lelouch couldn't be here when it happened.

"Master Lelouch." Sayoko suddenly appeared before the two with a briefcase containing the Zero costume, "I advise we get out here. Suzaku's just been retrieved by Princess Euphemia."

"Euphie's here? Was she in on this? No… there's no way. She would've tried talking to me first. Just what the hell's going on?"

Kallen put her hand on the boys, and said, "We should leave. I know your mind's in a mess right now. You need time to think, and staying here won't do you any good. We can have Milly tell Nunally you and I went on a field trip or something."

Silently, Lelouch agreed. He needed to decide his next move. With it being confirmed that Suzaku does know his identity through Kallen, the Prince had to make a choice on how to deal with him.


"What!? You don't want us to investigate Ashford?" Euphemia asked Suzaku as he laid in a hospital bed, "Why not? Shouldn't we look into that person you fought today?"

"No. There's no point. We won't be able to find anything now. They were only using Ashford for its underground tunnels to move covertly. Now that I've confronted them, they won't return for a long time." Suzaku lied. In truth, the real reason he didn't want OSI looking into the school is simply because of Nunally. Last timeline, she was killed due to her identity being exposed to the public, so Suzaku understood the consequences more than anyone else in that regard. He couldn't afford to lose her, not again.

"Well… if you say so." Euphemia naively gave into the Knight's request, "If you think this is for the best. Oh! I almost forgot, how are you feeling?"

"I'm still in pain, though the swelling in my nose is finally going down." he responded bluntly, causing the Princess to giggle.

"That's not what I meant. I'm talking about yesterday. I remembered how you chastised yourself for failing to capture Zero and his Ace pilot before, so I just wanted to make sure you weren't beating yourself up over it."

"Oh… that's what you meant. I'm fine. After all, there's no point in worrying about something you can't control. Yesterday was just one of those things." he lied again.

"How mature of you." the pink-haired Princess teased, "You know, something's different about you."

"Like what?"

The girl stared into his eyes, "I don't know. You just seem… older. Like you're not the same Suzaku I met a few days ago."

In response, the Knight shrugged, "I mean, I'm the same I've always been. Nothing's changed." his eyes narrowed upon remembering the death of Euphemia in the timeline, "Not yet anyway."

Meanwhile, Rai stared at his mentor from the doorway of his room, "Something's changed about you. It seems to just come out of nowhere, too. Just a few days ago, we were chatting like normal friends, but now you hardly acknowledge my existence. It's as if you don't even know me." he stood outside the hospital room, "Suzaku, I wish you'd let me into your life, and tell me what's wrong. Otherwise, it'll make Cecile and the ASEEC crew sad. They don't like seeing you in pain. And quite frankly, neither do I."


AN: One of the many limitations I'll be putting on Suzaku is naturally his want to keep Euphemia and Nunally alive in this timeline. Since he knows what'll happen once he identity gets out, he'll try to keep the military out of his personal vendetta against Lelouch as much as possible. Another limitation is the sheer inconvenience killing Lelouch actually is, because this is a feat easier said than done, especially with Kallen around.

Also, it might be a bit controversial, but I'm putting KT Suzaku in the normal Lancelot above OT Kallen in the normal Guren, simply because, while both of them did spend a year in these variations, it's the quality of what KT Suzaku was doing (he had to fight the Knight of the round, who had flying Knightmares. This logic also applies to KT Kallen.) vs the hiding OT Kallen was doing (She was laying low after the failed Black Rebellion). Though, in every other aspect, Kallen absolutely dominates Knightmare combat. (Also, I know he fought the Knight of the Round with the normal Lancelot, because it took Rakshata a year to develop the air glide system despite having the blueprints for a float system from the Gawain.)