AN: This chapter took longer to write since I didn't want to overdo, or underdo Kallen's talk with Lelouch. This is the best I could come up with, without making it seem overdone.

DarkDremora: I appreciate the review, and I don't think it was that scrambled. As for a tactical KMF system for Lelouch, I've seen plenty of suggestions for such a thing, and I'm currently considering it, especially since they have the ASEEC trailers, which could have anything in there. Though, I'd imagine the system wouldn't be nearly as advanced as the Zero system from Gundam

Samurai Seven: I mean, I'm not going to have Lelouch be completely useless. Sure, he'll train, but it won't mean much, unless you count adding a few extra seconds to his life counter against Suzaku.

Leon Kennedy: For now, he'll be using swords with Kagero, since it still has to mirror Naoto's version (at least somewhat), but in the future, that could change.

Guest: Euphemia does care for Suzaku, though, like in the original series, it took a bit for her to realize she loved him. Sure, OT Lelouch COULD take over NT Lelouch's body, but that'll be talked about later, alongside NT Suzaku and NT Kallen. OT and NT Lelouch having a conversation may or may not happen. I haven't really thought of it. A system similar to the Zero System could be implimented, but it won't be nearly as powerful.

Chapter 72: To Love

"Are you sure you're okay?" C.C asked as Naoto leaned against the cave entrance.

Underneath his shirt, the Kozuki had bandages wrapped around his body. They were bloody and poorly put on. Clearly, he was in a rush, and wanted to get back into the action as soon as possible. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking." he answered while Clara sat on a rock with binoculars.

"We've got incoming." the pink-haired girl stated, "It's Mario and Maya." her eyes widen, "They're… carrying the Guren cockpit."

Before C.C or Naoto could ask any more questions, the duo already arrived, using their harkens to scale the remaining cliffside. Kallen's pod was set down, and soon, she exited, rushing toward the cave entrance. "Kallen. What are you-"

"I need Lelouch." she stated, trying to walk past her brother. "Is he in there?"

"Wait." Naoto stood in front of his sister, "I know you want to talk to him, but you need to understand, he's-"

"I don't care. I need to see him." the red head easily pushed past her brother, who brought little resistance due to his injuries. "Lelouch!" Kallen called as she headed deeper inside the cave.

"It appears you have company, my lord." Jeremiah bowed, "Shall we continue some other time?"

The Prince watched as his girlfriend rounded the corner and ran toward him for a hug, "Ah- Kallen. What's wrong?" he asked, surprised by the sudden affection. Of course, he didn't reject it either. He sighed and turned to Jeremiah, "I believe it would be better for us to discuss this later." the rest of the group walked in, "Thank you once again. I expect we'll talk again soon."

"I do this all in service of you, my lord." the Margrave bowed before heading out of the second cave entrance.

Kallen began rubbing her cheek on Lelouch's face, seeking comfort from the man she loves. "Kallen… what's wrong?" he asks gently while sitting her down. Instead of answering his question, the red head shakes her head, and continues to stay as close as possible to him. Clearly. Something traumatic happened to her. "C.C. Do you know what happened?"

The Immortal looked off to the side, "I don't think it's appropriate to say without her consent."

Lelouch's hold on his girlfriend grew stronger, "The hell do you mean? My girlfriend is hurting right now, and you don't want to tell me!? Why? What are you hiding?" the group stood silent before him, "Does it have something to do with that day you tried rescuing me?" suddenly, he saw Clara shiver. This drew his attention to her, "What do you know?"

C.C stood between them, "Please. Lelouch. I think it would be better if we waited for Kallen to-"

"No…" the red head whispered, "I… I…"

The Prince leaned in, "You what?" he whispered gently.

"I…" Kallen looked him in the eyes with tears welling, "I need you. I need you, Lelouch." she buried her head into his chest, and held him tightly.

Her boyfriend returned the gesture in full, "Please. Tell me what happened. I hate seeing you like this, Kallen." he lifted her chin, forcing her to look at him, "Please. Talk to me."

The red head nodded, and took a deep breath before shakily saying, "I've… been having some thoughts. It's… about me." she closed her eyes, "I… Mao… he revealed something about me on the roof that… I don't want you finding out. Not right now, okay?"

This reveal made the Prince curious, and wanted to know what it was. But, to respect his girlfriend, he held his tongue, "But you'll tell me in the future?"

Kallen hesitated, before saying, "Of course." she let out another shaky breath, and Naoto took a step forward to hear better, "Let's just say… what he revealed was something I'm really insecure about. Suzaku heard about it… and before… breaking my leg, he taunted me by saying I'd never be able to save you…" she held onto the Prince even tighter, nearly suffocating him, "And when I woke up and found out that Naoto failed to save you… I… I assumed the worst." she began crying uncontrollably, "I thought I failed! Lelouch… I thought I failed you again…"

Kallen couldn't help but let a bit of information that happened on the rooftop slip. After all, she was incredibly vulnerable right now, and needed someone there for her. "Wow… I had no idea my… my failure caused all of this…" of course, Naoto couldn't help but use this as evidence to further reinforce the thoughts he had about being the replacement Zero. He failed his sister. He hurt her because he couldn't succeed in retrieving Lelouch. "Sorry, I need to step out…" he whispered to Mario.

The Disel siblings both nodded and focused on Kallen, "I suppose now's not a good time to bring up the time travel stuff. Clearly, she doesn't want Lelouch to know. And honestly, it's understandable." Maya massaged her face, "This runs so much deeper than I thought."

"Maya's not saying anything. I suppose we're holding off on confronting Kallen, for now." Mario rub his arm as he heard the red head balling her eyes out, "I… really feel bad for her though. She was going through all this doubt, just because Mao revealed her secret?" his eyes wandered to Clara, who looked guilty as she was the one who caused this, "Yet… Kallen's letting her stay with us. Why? There has to be more to this."

"Kallen." Lelouch called with a smile, pulling her close, "Don't listen to what Suzaku has to say. You never failed me, and you never will. To me, you're everything. Nothing Suzaku, or anyone can say will change that." he puts his hand on her chin, and gently forces her to look at him, "I've… been meaning to say this for a long time… and I honestly… it's kind of scary. So, here it goes." he took a deep breath, "Kallen. I love you." he looks her dead in the eyes, "It's not easy for me to say… since I've closed off my heart for so long. But… I'm trying to get better. I'm trying to get better, so I can be more open with you." he smiled, "And then… maybe you could start being more open with me."

Suddenly, the weight of all the lies Kallen had told to get to this point crashed down on her conscious, and she cried even more, holding onto Lelouch with an iron grip, "Lelouch!" she shouted, "Lelouch!"

"It's okay. I'm here for you." he said reassuringly while rubbing her back, "You can tell me everything. I won't judge."

"Should we… leave?" Mario whispered.

"Not yet. I want to see where this goes." Maya replied while keeping an eye on Kallen, who stared at Lelouch with longing eyes.

"Lelouch… I messed up so much. Getting to this point… I've… hurt a lot of people. Most of them deserved it, but there were some that I… I misunderstood…" of course, the only part that mattered in this confession was the 'misunderstood' part, as it referred to Princess Euphemia, and Lelouch in particular. There were others, but they were the ones on her mind.

"Kallen, I'm sure you had your reasons." the Prince attempted to reassure her, but he didn't understand the whole picture. So, while he was trying his best, he simply fell short simply because he lacked the necessary information to understand what Kallen was going through. "I didn't know killing was taking so much of a toll on your mental state. I was… inconsiderate of your feelings. Forcing you into battles again and again. Even this one. I knew you hadn't properly recovered from that time on the roof, yet I still sent you in." he rested his forehead on hers, "This is my fault."

C.C sighed at the misunderstanding. But surprisingly, Kallen began scratching the back of Lelouch's head, "Don't say that. I was… stubborn. I wouldn't take no for an answer, and I forced you to send me in, regardless of warnings from my peers."

"It looks like she won't be revealing time travel here." the Immortal took note, "Good. There's no need to complicate this situation any further. As long as Lelouch will provide her with comfort, this is fine. Kallen needs reassurance more than anything. The guilt of the past timeline… it's something that she simply won't let go." she took a step forward, attempting to add onto the conversation, but she was quickly stopped by Lelouch, who outstretched his hand, as if to tell her to stay back. "Kallen needs to learn to forgive herself. The choice to turn on Lelouch at the end wasn't her fault. She needs to understand that more than anything. But how? My words only seem to stall those negative thoughts, not solve them. The only one who could possibly put those thoughts to rest permanently, is the Original Lelouch. But… that isn't possible now."

C.C backed away and allowed the couple to continue, "Kallen, whatever Suzaku said to you on the roof, and whatever he said to you today wasn't true. He doesn't know you like I do. To me, you're not just my girlfriend, but you're the first person to ever show me HOW to love. Sure, Nunnally and I love each other, but that's not the same with you." cupped her face, as her eyes grew puffy from crying, "I know you're a strong person, especially in front of others, but I've seen the softer side of you, especially when we're alone. To me, that's the real Kallen. Not Kallen Kozuki, who fights for the freedom of her people through Knightmare combat. Not Kallen Stadtfeld, who's a meek, and frail girl at Ashford Academy. No. To me, you're Kallen, and that's all you have to be." he gives her another hug, "And that's all you have to be."

"But… what about the Black Knights? You need me to be Kallen Kozuki. You need me to fight in the Guren, and beat Suzaku-"

"Stop." he firmly grasps her face, "Stop thinking of yourself like some kind of pawn in a game. I love you for who you are. Will I be proud of you if you can successfully beat Suzaku? Of course, I will. Just like I'd be proud of you for any other achievement. But am I going to let those losses define how I see you? Hell no! I won't let ANYONE tell me how to view you." he smirks, "Not even you." he begins ruffling her hair playfully, "Understand?"

"Stop…" Kallen protests while trying to hold back her laughter, "I said stooop!" she begins laughing uncontrollably. C.C's right. These words might not provide a permanent fix to Kallen's doubt within herself. But… it'll help relieve her worries for a little bit. And honestly, even if it's only for a minute, it's great seeing Kallen be Kallen again. "Lelouch, if you don't stop, I'm gonna beat you up." the red head said while trying to put on a menacing face.

But to Lelouch, it only comes off as cute as her cheeks are red from laughing, "Awe." he pushes her over playfully before running away, "You'll have to catch me first!"

The Kozuki laid on the ground for a second, before realizing what had just happened. Though, before she could run after her boyfriend, Maya said, "Kallen. I don't mean to spoil the mood… but once we get back to Ashford, we have something to talk to you about." the group turned to the red head, staring her down.

"Okay." Kallen nodded, "We'll talk at Ashford.

Kallen ran out of the cave, and came across Lelouch using Naoto as a shield, "I'm telling you, she's gone insane. You have to deal with her."

"Eh!? What do you want me to do?" the older Kozuki asked as he desperately tried to get away, "There's no way I'm gonna be able to stop Kallen."

"Seriously? You're just gonna let your little sister bully you? How shameful. You're a disgrace to big brothers around the world!" Lelouch playfully proclaimed.

"What!? I am not!" Naoto rolled up his sleeves while approaching the red head, who was less than impressed by his display, "Listen, Kallen. You can't just bully Lelouch, you got it-" Once he got close, Kallen tapped Naoto's chest hard, causing pain to surge throughout his body from his wounds. "Ah! That hurt!" he shouted while rolling on the ground, clearly overexaggerating the pain he was in.

Though, he stopped upon seeing his sister pounce on Lelouch, pinning him to the ground, "Lelouch, I don't know what you said to her. But… Kallen finally seems like she's back to her old self. Of course, I don't know how long this'll last, but for now… this moment… I don't want it to end."

Finally, Kallen pins Lelouch to the ground and smiles in triumph, "Ha! I got you!"

The Prince continued to squirm underneath her, trying to escape her grasp. But it all proved futile, "Fine. You got me." he said with a confident smile, "Now what?"

The red head took a deep breath, before looking him in the eyes with a hardened stare, "I love you."

Those words made the Prince instantly blush, and Naoto shouted, "What!?" the couple turned to him, "I mean… I figured you liked him, but…" he shook his head, "Never mind. I'll shut up now."

Kallen smirked and turned to Lelouch, "I didn't get to say it back. So I thought now would be a good time."

The Prince looked off to the side and muttered, "Cheeky."

C.C giggled while watching the sight, then she caught of a glimpse of Mario and Maya, who were giving her the 'eye', "Of course this can't last. I know that. But… just wait until we're at Ashford." she told them with her eyes.

The group arrived back at Ashford wearing their uniforms, while Naoto returned to the Black Knight warehouse, where he would oversee the relocation of safe houses across multiple sectors. The 'Suzaku Threat' as Lelouch called it, was beginning to get on his nerves. He didn't know how the Knight was able to find their warehouses, but it was a relatively easy fix, especially if he only knew those few locations. Regardless, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Kallen clung to Lelouch as if her life depended on it. Meanwhile, Mario and Maya watched in the distance, their curiosity not yet sated, and the immortal knew it. But, could she separate the red head and Prince long enough? Would she even leave his side if asked at this stage? Only one way to find out, "Kallen." C.C called, "Could we speak with you… alone?"

Lelouch looked at the group with a curious eye, "What's so important that you have to speak with Kallen alone?"

"It's nothing dangerous. I swear." the green-haired girl answered, "We just needed to have this talk a while ago, but never got the chance. It won't take more than 10 minutes, tops."

The Prince turned to his girlfriend, who hesitated in going, "I know I have to face the music, but… I don't want to leave Lelouch's side. What if Suzaku attacks? He'll easily overpower Lelouch, and kill him. That's something I can't risk. But… I know Mario and Maya are getting impatient." she clenched her fist, "Damn it. Why'd you promise that I'd tell them, C.C?"

Lelouch gently put his hand over the red head's fist, calming her down, "It's okay. I'll stay out of trouble."

C.C pushed Clara forward and said, "She'll be guarding you while we talk."

The raven-haired boy raised an eyebrow, "You're trusting her to guard me? That's odd."

The Immortal smirked, "What? Don't trust my judgment? I haven't been wrong yet."

"Not that I know of." Lelouch answered as his girlfriend slowly let go of his arm.

"We'll be in your room. Can… you and Clara sit on the benches just below the window? That way I can keep an eye on you." Kallen meekly asked.

"Of course. I won't leave your sight." the Prince motioned the pink-haired girl to follow him, "Besides, I have some questions I want to ask you."

"I-I'll make sure to keep him safe." Clara bowed before following Lelouch.

Mario, Maya, C.C, and Kallen headed to Lelouch's room, where the red head stayed close to the window overlooking Clara and Lelouch, who sat next to each other on a bench. In her personal opinion, they were too close. Way too close. "Kallen." Mario called, distracting her, "I think you know what this is about. C.C already informed you."

The red head nodded, "I… yeah. I know."

"Then please… are you really from the future?" Maya asked with the subtleness of a freight train.

Kallen slightly squirmed at the directness of the question, but eventually answered, "Yes. I'm… from the future."

Mario rolled his eyes as his sister smiled, "Seriously!? Do you know how? And why are you here? Oh! Don't answer that one! Are you really here for Lelouch? What happens to him in the future? And-"

The black-haired boy slapped her upside the head, "Quit pestering her with questions."

C.C stepped forward, hoping to relieve the pressure off the red head, "Kallen and I somehow had our subconscious transferred to our bodies from our timelines. Well… I don't actually know what happened in detail. After all, Kallen was the first to awaken. But don't pester her with too many questions. I'm pretty sure she doesn't know the details either."

Maya nodded slowly, "Oh. I'm sorry." she turned to her friend, "Do… you mind if I ask you a few questions?"

Mario facepalmed, "We just- you know what? You don't have any manners."

"Hey! I'm the one trying to get answers here!"

"But you're being insensitive! Kallen's clearly-"

"It's fine, Mario." the red head finally spoke up, "Yes. I did come back for Lelouch." she answered, "And in the future, he-"

"Wait!" Maya suddenly shouted, "What if telling me what happens causes the space-time continuum to collapse?"

Mario let out a heavy sigh, "Do you wanna hear why she's here or not?"

"Only if the universe isn't in danger!"

"I doubt something like that would happen." C.C answered, "I mean… I haven't experienced something like this before. But I doubt telling you about something that hasn't happened yet is going to do any serious damage."

The black-haired girl nodded, "Okay! Continue, Kally!"

"Is she ordering me around?" Kallen shook her head with a smile, "Anyway, in that future, Lelouch…" she covers her mouth, "He… dies."

Mario's eyes widen, "Seriously? I… for some reason, I can't ever see that happening."

"I know right?" his sister added, "He always seemed so… ahead. The only real people who posed a direct threat to us were those Eden Vital weirdo's. Other than that, everything was going swell."

"If by going swell, is getting our teeth kicked in by Suzaku, then yeah. Things are going swell."

"Semantics. Semantics." Maya waved off her brother's comment, "Wait! Suzaku's also from the future too, right? Did he kill Lelouch? That would explain the whole," she did a slitting throat motion, "You know?"

"Well… he did kill Lelouch. But it's complicated." Kallen turned to C.C, "This is going to take way longer than 10 minutes."

The Immortal nodded, "I'll tell Lelouch if he asks."

The red head returned to the Disel siblings, "You see… that Suzaku we're dealing with is from another timeline. Now, I don't exactly know what happened in that timeline, but apparently his Lelouch did some terrible things. How that all ended is unknown, but I can't imagine it went as… 'swell' as our timeline."

Maya nodded, "I see… but you said Suzaku killed your Lelouch, right? How'd that happen?"

Kallen gave a quick rundown of the Zero Requiem, and the plan to turn the world against Lelouch, forcing everyone into working together to fight a common enemy, "Seriously? I always took Lelouch as the type of guy who wants to reap the rewards he fights for." Mario looked out the window, and saw Clara and the man in question still talking, "Of course… if it was for his sister, I suppose I could see it happening."

Maya sat back, "Wow. This is easier to understand than I thought."

"Well… I haven't exactly said anything confusing yet."

"That's true."

Kallen sighed, "Anyway, that's why we have to protect Lelouch from Suzaku. He's a dangerous, unstable psycho path-"

"Who clearly took some notes from his Lelouch." C.C added, "I don't remember our Suzaku being able to play mind games like he did. He's also smarter, considerably smarter."

Kallen nodded in agreement. She noticed how Suzaku treated each situation differently. He wasn't just some raging psycho trying to kill Lelouch at every pass. He was biding his time. Waiting for the right moment to strike.

"Wait… so was your Suzaku a dumbass?" Maya asked.

"Indubitably." the red head answered without a second thought, "Well… not a complete idiot. His heart was in the right place, it's just…"

"He was naive." C.C cut through Kallen's thoughts, "He believed he could change Britannia from within, when in reality, everything he gained was because of Lelouch. If it hadn't been for him, Suzaku would've stayed an unknown Eleven, where his voice would never be heard."

"So… the Suzaku we're dealing with, is he only here to kill Lelouch?"

"Correct." Kallen answered, "After he completes his objective, I have no idea what he'll do."

"So… all we have to do is separate you two from the rest of the group?" Mario added, "If it's a one-on-one, you should win, right?"

"I definitely think I have the advantage in-" suddenly, Kallen remembered how Suzaku defeated her. While the mental battle played a major part in her defeat, she couldn't shake the moves he pulled, "Actually… I don't know."

"You don't know?"

"He… He's probably the most comfortable in the base Lancelot. I could tell, just from how he fought, Suzaku knows the Guren's weak points. Hell, I didn't even know the surger had that weakness."

"But you won't get hit by that move again, right?" C.C asked with a smirk.

"Of course not." Kallen answered confidently, "Though, I will have to take a cautious approach when I face him next time. There's no telling what other tricks he has up his sleeve."

"That's right." the Immortal playfully flicked the red head's forehead, "And don't let him into your head again. You have people who care for you. More than he'll ever understand, okay?"

Kallen looked out to her boyfriend, who had gotten slightly closer to Clara. Clearly, whatever they were talking about wasn't something they wanted the public to hear. And she understood this. But even still, she was slightly jealous, "You're right." she turned to the Disel siblings, "Any more questions?"

"Ah! If we're gonna be protecting Lelouch, we should have a secret group name." Maya suggested.

"We don't need something so stupid." Mario answered bluntly.

"Shh. I'm thinking." his sister looked at the Prince, "How about… Royal Guard?"

"That gives away too much."

"Then… Lelouch's Angels?"

Mario grabbed his sister by the hair, "that's it, you lose your naming privileges."

"Ow! That hurts!" the black-haired girl pouted, "Fine, how about Zero's Angels?"

"No." Kallen proclaimed, "We should call ourselves the Zero Squad."

"Zero Squad? Is that something from your timeline?"

C.C stepped in, "They were originally supposed to be an elite squad under Lelouch's control. Kallen was the captain, but it never really panned out."

"Seriously?"

Kallen nodded, "Well, now we have more than enough people to make an elite squad." she began counting people on her finger, "Myself, C.C, Maya, Mario, and Clara."

"Clara? You're including her too?"

"Of course. Someone's gotta keep an eye on her."

Lelouch sat a comfortable distance from Clara as they watched students going about their lives naturally. The pink-haired girl was naturally uncomfortable sitting next to the man who could end her life at the drop of a hat. But, C.C was right. She had to speak with Lelouch, and gain his trust. It was integral to recovering her Geass. "Clara." the Prince broke her out of her thoughts, "What's on your mind."

She shifted in her seat upon being questioned, "Um… I…" she let out a breath, "I'm just focusing on keeping you safe."

The Prince looked at her out the corner of his eye, "Is that so?"

Clara nodded.

They continued to sit in silence for a few more moments, until he broke the silence, "You did great today."

"Th-thank you."

"It's to my understanding that you were the one who defeat… Alice? In Knightmare combat. Right?"

"That's right."

"Well, I think it's safe to say you're no longer a spy." the Prince scooted closer to her as a group of students passed by, "But… I need you to tell me what you know about the Eden Vital."

"The Geass Order…" she whispered.

"Correct." Lelouch looked both ways, "Who is their leader?"

She let out a soft sigh, "His name is V.V."

"V.V?" he raised an eyebrow, "I can't help but notice he and C.C share some similarities in name choices."

Clara nodded, "Much like C.C, he is also immortal. But his goals are far more… sinister. I suppose…"

"Do elaborate. I'd hate to be caught on a cliffhanger."

The pink-haired girl crossed her legs and bounced one foot, "I don't know the details. Only from what I've overheard while sneaking out at night. Like the perfect world, or Sword of Akasha. But that's about it."

Lelouch sighed, "Great. Just another guy who thinks he knows what's best for the world."

"Heh. Aren't you the same?"

The Prince glared at Clara, causing her to instantly shut up. Upon seeing her fear, he shook his head, "I suppose… everyone thinks they know what's best for the world." he turned to face her fully. His body language open to her, "You mentioned 'sneaking out', where were you sneaking out?"

"Are you… asking the location of the Geass Order's base?"

"Yes."

"It's in China. I can give you the coordinates now. Though…"

"It doesn't do me any good."

"Right."

Lelouch looked into the distance, "Please write it down for me when you have the time. We might not be able to do anything about it now. But in the future, I'll deal with it."

Clara nodded as the Prince returned to his original position, "Is there anything else you want to know?"

"Yes. Just how many Geass assassins are there?"

"Hard to say. Rolo and I were the main ones. Though, I'd say our numbers range in the hundreds. But, most of them are just kids."

"I see."

Clara let out a shaky sigh, "Well… this is going great, isn't it?" she looked at her hands, which were shaking uncontrollably, "Damn it. Why am I so scared? He's not going to hurt me… I'm too useful, right?" she looked at Lelouch, and noticed he was studying her intently, to which she panicked, "Uh- Ah- is there something wrong?"

"Your Geass. What was it again?"

"Um… it was similar to yours. I could issue orders that someone would have to directly follow, so long as I say their real name and have eye contact."

"I see… And you countered my… command, by giving yourself one that contradicted it?" Lelouch asked while avoiding saying the 'word'.

"Correct."

"Interesting." he leaned back, "Thank you for that information."

"N-no problem." she looked at the ground, "What's taking them so long!? This is so awkward!"

"Clara."

She glanced at him, "Y-yes?"

Lelouch sighed, and tried to sound reassuring, "I'm not gonna hurt you."

The pink-haired girl's eyes widened in shock, "S-seriously? Why?"

"Because, C.C told me about you. She's… grown fond of you for some reason, and has asked to keep you alive." he looked into her eyes, "So that's what I shall do. I won't hurt you. I promise."

Clara was still in shock. She couldn't believe what she was hearing, "Are you serious?"

"Yeah." he stood up as his girlfriend exited the Clubhouse in the background, "Welcome to the Black Knight's, Clara."

The former Geass assassin smiled with joy, "Th-thank you for having me."

Lloyd anxiously tapped his foot as he was on a call with Carine, Marrybell, Lila, and Euphemia. They were all inquiring about the latest Black Knight face off, and the fruits of their battle, "And as you can see, our first field test of the radio jammer was a huge success. We managed to separate the Black Knight's long enough to deal a crushing blow to the JLF. Of course, we still have to work out the kinks, as unfortunately, Princess Marrybell's forces suffered malfunctions with their IFF's, rendering their radio's ineffective."

"Thankfully, they managed to restore the Sutherland Eye's private radio frequency, and recovered quickly before any serious damage could be done." Cecile chimed in, "It's still unfortunate that the Glinda Knight's suffered so many losses to friendly fire."

Marrybell's eyes narrowed, "Yes. Quite." she side-eyed Carine, who got off scot-free by shifting the blame to Dasko, her Knight, who attempted to attack Anya Alstreim. Though, it was due to this, that the Hero Princess suspected her of being in cahoots with Zero, "I wouldn't put it past her. Especially with how bold she was in attacking Anya." even though she thought this, Marrybell still had her doubts with this theory. But for now, it's the only explanation as for why Dasko turned on them like that.

"Anyway, how has decrypting the data from the…" Lila tapped her chin, "What was it called again?"

"It's called the Zero Kagero." Lloyd corrected the Viceroy, "While we were lucky to get the cockpit intact, it seems the blast from the hadron beam fired by Ms. Alstreim corrupted most of the data. We're currently working on deciphering some radio logs, but other than that, all we have is the name of the pilot, Naoto Kozuki."

"Kozuki?" Suzaku, who was in the same room as the mad scientist alongside Rai, widened his eyes upon hearing that name, "That's why his name was so familiar! He's Kallen's brother! But how is he alive now? Did she save him? Regardless, it all makes sense." he recalled the time he faced off against the Kagero during the battle with the Blood of the Samurai, "That must've been him. There's no other explanation. He has to be the second Zero." he tapped his foot, "To think… I always thought Kallen was just boasting about how great her brother was."

Rai, who sat next to Suzaku, noticed the change in his demeanor, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Just… connecting some dots in my head." he replied casually. "He's certainly no Lelouch, but he had people fooled for a time, so I'd say he's more than a suitable replacement. Perhaps after I kill Lelouch… Naoto could continue leading the Black Knight's. I'd much prefer them under his leadership than that monster."

"Well, keep up the good work." Euphemia told the ASEEC leader with joy, "Also, Suzaku. I'm glad you didn't choose to continue pursuing Zero in that canyon. As you should know, your safety is our top priority. There's no use in playing into risky maneuvers if it just gets you killed in the end."

"Thank you, Princess. I'll keep that in mind in the future." the Knight bowed before turning to Cecile, who wanted to say something.

"And, might I add, your victory over the Guren was certainly impressive. It felt like before, the pilot was some unstoppable force on the battlefield, but it seems your training paid off." the indigo-haired girl complimented with a smile.

"Thank you so much. But I couldn't have done it without Rai's help." Suzaku stated humbly, trying to make up for his outburst against Lloyd from before.

"Well, I'm glad that you're back to your normal self." the mad scientist stated as he sat back in his chair, "You must've been very stressed out thinking of facing off against her again, right?"

"You don't have to worry anymore, Suzaku." Lila cut in, "We have the Knights of the Round here to assist us. Next time we face off against that pilot, we'll have a full plan to counter her ready."

"That's right. Which is exactly why I want you to join-"

Before Marrybell could finish her sentence, the Viceroy protested, "No! Shut up! You can't have him!"

Carine and Euphemia giggled at the interaction, before the former stated, "This was a very insightful conversation, Lloyd Asplund. Is there anything else? Or shall I end the call?"

"Wait!" the Hero Princess shouted, "How are those 'Special Projects' coming along?"

"Ah. You don't have to worry. With the funds you've provided us, you'll have those Knightmares very soon, Princess. I just hope you don't mind us using some leftover parts."

"That's quite alright. So long as I get those Knightmares, I'll be fine."

"Then you needn't worry."
Carine nodded, "I'll be hanging up now. Have a good day, Asplund."

"To you as well, Princess'." Lloyd bowed before the call ended, "Oh boy. That sure was stressful." he leaned back, "I'm just glad that's another weight off my shoulders."

"Lloyd." Suzaku called while standing, "I just want to say… I'm sorry for my outburst when I came in demanding Rai's location." he bowed, much to the silver-haired boy's surprise, "It was immature of me. And my judgement was clouded. It won't happen again."

Cecile smiled as she saw the boy finally apologizing. But of course, she still had to scold him, "You should be! After all, you gave everyone a fright, you know?"

"I… I know, Cecile. And I apologize for that." Suzaku bit his tongue, taking these words on the chin.

"It's alright, Suzaku." Lloyd stated with narrow eyes, "I understand the stress you were under at the time. It all gets to us. At least you understand that you were in the wrong. Just…" he sighed, "Don't let it happen again."

"I understand." the Knight rose, "Good. Now that that's done. I can focus on the next step: Dasko. It's clear that he was Geassed, but when is the question?"