As Suzaku and I run through the Shibuya settlement's backstreets, I find myself asking the important questions in life. Questions like... why the hell is Euphemia already in Japan when Clovis's murder hasn't even been made public yet?

And why do I hate myself slightly less when she's in my and Suzaku's shared field of vision?

Suzaku doesn't reply, his attention focused more on where we're going and on predicting potential dead-ends or other obstacles, but our rose-haired cutie has no problem with interrupting my thought process. "You're Suzaku Kururugi, aren't you?"

Hang on, we're not infamous from Jerry and Reid framing us for Clovis's murder yet. How'd she recognize us?

"I am," Suzaku admits as we dart out of an alleyway and into a street bordering the ghetto.

He holds up a hand to stall Euphie's response, listening for the sound of pursuit. The enemy is still closer than we'd like, but it seems like we might have some breathing room. With that, Suzaku lowers his hand and nods in acceptance, scanning the street for escape options and letting me focus on the conversation. "How'd you know?"

"Well," Euphemia begins, "as the son of the last Eleven Prime Minister, you're not exactly anonymous. Even as an ordinary infantryman, there are people in high places with eyes on you."

Suzaku doesn't say anything in response to that... but he's definitely not happy to get the reminder, either.

"On top of that," she continues, "you seemed to recognize me and even called me by my personal nickname. The only way it makes sense that you could do that is if Lelouch and Nunnally, who stayed at your residence before the invasion, told you stories about me. Isn't that right?"

My, my, that must be the most delightfully convenient excuse I've ever heard-

"Unless we were lovers in another life and our hearts still remember each other," Euphie nervously blurts out with a giggle.

...Suzaku, should I be concerned that her phrasing can be considered accurate from a certain point of view? Wait - oh shit, is she hinting that she's a time traveler?!

Don't overthink it, she's probably just making some kind of comic book joke to break the ice, or to distance herself from the stress of angry gunmen chasing her. You should understand, since you tend to use the same kind of coping mechanisms.

So you're just blowing off the possibility altogether?

It doesn't have any bearing on the fact that she's relying on us to protect her. As far as I'm concerned, that's the only thing that matters right now.

Suzaku… your discipline and focus in this moment are as admirable as they are infuriating!

"Some things in life, you just do." Didn't one of your heroes say that?

...

"In any case," he says out loud while turning to Euphemia, "I ask forgiveness for my earlier slip, Your Highness - but I also don't understand what's going on."

Euphemia opens her mouth to say something, before shaking her head. "Of course, let me get you caught up…"

Euphemia li Britannia, third Princess of the Holy Britannian Empire, held back a sigh of dismay. I was far more at ease when he called me Euphie, she thought, but from what I've heard about Elevens they don't open up to strangers easily - and that goes triple for foreigners like me.

As Suzaku led her down the street, she put her thoughts toward summarizing the situation. "To make a long story short," she began, "you're aware that Grand Duke Bullsworth retired from office as Sub-Viceroy a week ago, because of his advanced age?"

At Suzaku's nod, she continued. "I convinced my brothers - er, the Prime Minister and the Viceroy - to let me take his place as Clovis's new Sub-Viceroy, so that I could have a chance to work hard and show everyone I'm not merely a spare princess with a head full of flowers."

For a long moment, Euphemia wanted desperately to expand on that-

No, I shouldn't. He'll get annoyed with me for wasting time.

-before she swallowed instead, forcing the impulse back down. "I haven't been properly introduced to the public yet, so it was decided that I would arrive in the Area incognito and make my debut while accepting the position of Sub-Viceroy. In spite of the ongoing resistance movements, the Viceroy's reports always gave the impression that things were under control. Unfortunately, we only came into the harbor yesterday morning, and while I was in transit to the capital…"

When the Princess trailed off and remained silent for a few seconds, Suzaku realized she might not have had a complete understanding of everything herself. "The fighting in Shinjuku Ghetto must have already escalated to a point where it alone occupied His Highness's attention. ...I bet they stashed you in a secure penthouse or something to keep you safe, right?"

His abrupt change in vocabulary with the word stash struck Euphemia as a little odd from how he'd been speaking prior, and then she spared an instant to berate herself for getting distracted. "Yes. Some men from the Viceroy's Royal Guard explained that I was to remain in the shelter they had provided, and that His Highness would get in contact with me once the battle was over."

"...but then you never heard from him," Suzaku muttered, frowning at the street in thought. "He must've been killed in or after the battle... and since it hasn't hit the news yet, they probably don't have any leads on the suspect."

Euphemia nodded in agreement. "Yes, I came to the same conclusion. This morning, some armed men wearing orange ascots came to the room I'd been put in. They claimed that an Honorary Britannian had assassinated the Viceroy and that I was to remain in place until…"

She swallowed. "Until they had confidence in my ability to meet their expectations."

Suzaku watched her for a second, before nodding in understanding. "...so the Purists are attempting a coup d'etat and exploiting your relative anonymity by labeling you a terrorist to discourage civilians from believing or helping yo-"

The pair had only an instant's warning as roaring landspinners cut through the muted city bustle, before a Knightpolice Glasgow with orange shoulder pauldrons descended upon them from the rooftops. "All units, I've got eyes on the Peace Mark-"

Its factsphere port opened and flashed for a few seconds, before the Knightmare aimed its automatic rifle squarely at Euphemia. "Situation update, the Princess has been taken hostage by an Eleven!"

The sheer, visceral glee in the pilot's voice made Euphemia sick to her stomach in a way that she hadn't known was possible.

I… I finally start to come out of my sister's shadow and get the chance to prove I'm a worthwhile person, only to be wrapped up in a conspiracy to exploit my brother's death for their own ambitions? And just when I find someone who seems like they might be on my side, as things start to look up…. Is this really how it ends?!

Euphemia's emotional dam finally cracked, as she struggled to maintain a mask of dignity through her tears.

I can't stand this cruelt-

And then Suzaku strode past her, expression resolute and voice steady. "Rest easy, Your Highness."

The Glasgow pilot aimed at the pair with a dramatic flourish. "The Empire doesn't negotiate with terrorists!"

Euphemia desperately reached out to hold Suzaku back, praying that she could stop him from throwing his life away so cheaply.

"SUZAKU, D-!"

An instant later, the young soldier had bounded off the wall in a corkscrew, before coming out of his spin to deliver a wild kick that sent the Knightmare twisting into a crumbling wall.

The Princess shook her head and brushed away her tears, but the impossible sight before her remained unchanged: a Knightmare Frame, the mass of which she could only guess at but imagined to be in the tons, was buried face-first into the ruin of what had once been a prominent banking office and attempting to get free without burying itself completely. And yet, a young man around her own age had put it there with brute force and technique without the aid of any visible weapon or tools, before using the momentum of his attack to vault onto a nearby street lamp.

"Wh, what? How did he…?"

While Euphemia stared in shock and awe, the Glasgow struggled with the concrete and mortar it had been embedded in. "Bloody…! Fucking…! NUMBER!"

With a high-pitched whine of servos and motors, the KMF finally escaped from its confines, minute twitches racking its form due to internal damage and the pilot's own deteriorating frenzy. "Some kind of cloaking tech for your new toy, eh Camelot?!"

Euphemia's eyes widened as she processed that. Wait, is Suzaku with Camelot…? That means he can get me in contact with the Prime Minister, and we can alert the homeland!

Rather than answer the enemy pilot's question, Suzaku's legs tensed atop his perch for an instant, before he quietly leapt onto the Knightmare's shoulders while it spun in place searching for him.

"What the - did you just step on me?!"

Seemingly without effort, Suzaku danced around the Glasgow's attempts to grab onto or dislodge him, before opening a panel beneath its helmet and tearing out a handful of wires, forcing the cockpit block to abruptly slide back and open. "As a soldier of His Majesty's Knightmare Corps, and in the name of Her Highness Princess Euphemia, I'm commandeering this machine!"

"Filthy Eleven bastard, don't think you'll-"

From her position on the ground, Euphemia couldn't see everything that transpired and was struggling to even hear the two combatants, but an instant later she heard a scream of pain. Mere seconds after that, an unfamiliar Britannian - obviously the pilot - was casually thrown to the ground, both of his arms dislocated. The movement of his exposed and bruised chest indicated that he was still alive, but either the fall or Suzaku's assault had knocked him unconscious.

"Your Highness! I've acquired a helmet and some body armor I've…" for a moment, Suzaku's expression turned a little awkward. "...remodeled. It may not be the most comfortable fit, but it should at least help to protect you from shrapnel in case of cockpit failure."

That statement, and what it implied, almost startled her as much as the unbelievable stunt she'd just witnessed. "You want me in there with you?! Won't it be too tight for the both of us?"

Euphemia remembered the sensational display of power and athleticism Suzaku had displayed just seconds prior, and then imagined her body and Suzaku's tightly squeezed against each other. She could already imagine the feeling of his rippling muscles, kept distant only by her thin clothes and his somewhat thicker casual attire.

Her cheeks immediately turned a deep red. "I, I, I, I mean - are we certain it's the safest thing to do?!"

Suzaku, for his part, looked nearly as embarrassed as Euphemia felt. "I can understand if the idea makes you uncomfortable, but trying to carry you in one of its hands would put us at a serious disadvantage in terms of maneuverability. I know mine isn't worth too much, but I have to eliminate as many risks as possible where your life is concerned."

...he hates himself, Euphemia quickly realized. Just like I hate myself. "Oh no, that's not what I meant at all!"

No sooner had the words left her mouth, then her eyes shot wide open in alarm. Wait… am I going to have to tell him what I WAS thinking about to set him at ease?! He's so capable and kind, but if he gets the wrong idea about me?! ...arguably worse, the Princess mused as her cheeks turned red again, what if he gets the right idea?

Suzaku's posture relaxed a little bit, before he pulled a phone out of his pocket. "All the same, Your Highness, I am sorry to inconvenience you like this. The least I can do is call for backup - aaaaand of course there's no signal," he abruptly spat with a tone full of venom. "Fuckin' Purists must've leaned on the communications companies to arrange a service blackout and keep us from getting the word out."

After a split-second pause, his voice returned to the more calm, dignified tone he had held moments prior. "Which also explains why the Princess hasn't gotten in touch with anyone either."

At least someone has their priorities in proper order, Euphemia thought with a laugh at herself. Even if he does appear to have a slight... Jekyll and Hyde temperament.

As Suzaku settled into the cockpit of his borrowed KMF and had it kneel to pick up Euphemia, he spared some attention to the passenger in his head.

Is there a reason you've kept randomly putting me in the driver's seat when talking to Euphie?

"After seeing how Clovis reacted when we changed places out of nowhere, I thought it would be better to… prime people for any dissonance between our personalities from now on, by just tagging in and out in front of them. I know it might lead to rumors that we're bipolar or have some kind of mood disorder, but-"

But we both need psychiatric help regardless, One mused. So in that sense, it doesn't really make a difference. You gonna try calling for backup with military channels now, since the civilian-use networks are shut down?

Suzaku nodded as his hands danced across the Glasgow's controls, before he frowned and let out a sigh. "That was Plan A... but it looks like our radio transmitter got scrambled when I put this machine through the wall earlier, so all we have left for communicating with the outside are the Frame's external speakers."

You say that, but how do we know they aren't fucked too? Did you test them?

"I plan to after the Princess is safely in the cockpit with us and we're cleared for evasive action."

As if his comment had summoned her, Euphemia popped up over the edge of the cockpit block… and Suzaku immediately had to draw his eyes up to hers, lest he instead end up focusing on the way her new body armor squished her breasts together and made them look bigger. "Even though it's a tight fit, the chest in this still feels looser than I would have expected," Euphie said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think it had been damaged..."

"Erm, I... punched its previous wearer when I took over the machine. So, that would be my fault."

As she processed Suzaku's statement, Euphemia slowly paused in her efforts to climb into the cockpit and instead stared at him, each second feeling as if it dragged on for an hour. "You... punched a man hard enough to pulverize the protective layers of a kevlar vest?"

Okay, partner, here's your chance to step up!

Wait, what-

With no further warning, Suzaku took his hands off of the metaphorical steering wheel and left One in charge to think of an excuse. He needs more experience in speaking with women he's interested in anyway, he decided.

"Well, I, uh, you see-"

One pitifully scrambled for words as their eyes tried to escape Euphie's bosom, only to be inevitably drawn back like a man trying his damnedest to fight gravity by jumping. After several seconds, however, he finally seemed to manage it… only to end up fixating on her soft, pink lips instead. "Given how scrawny that other pilot was," he babbled, "it's only natural I had to do some, ah, emergency resizing to make sure you'd be able to get any degree of protection at all out of it! Even something's better than nothing... right?"

For a long moment, Euphie stared at him... until, finally, those lips turned up in a smile. "Thank you, Suzaku."

"Hop on in," One said with an awkward smile and patting his lap, "and let's mosey."

Euphie took another glance down at the cockpit. "It looks like a real squeeze," she muttered. "Are you sure we'll fit?"

"With faith, trust - and a little bit of pixie dust, we'll manage."

"That was cheesy," Euphie accused, even if she grinned while bunching up her skirt to ensure it wouldn't be caught on her descent.

Aw hell, her slim legs are perfect too-

And with that, Suzaku mentally declared, I'm taking back the wheel for now.

Go ahead, dude. Not like I'd do more than make her hate us anyway.

Suzaku was about to remark on the stupidity of that statement, when Euphemia lost her footing with a yelp and promptly fell onto his lap.

"Oof - Your Highness, are you hurt?!"

"No, no, I'm fine! It's nothing I can't bear with," she explained while starting to squirm -

"Gkh!"

-before Suzaku's leg involuntarily jerked under Euphie's behind, causing her to abruptly sit up as she realized exactly why she'd been unable to quite sit comfortably.

For several seconds, the blushing teens studiously looked anywhere but at each other, even as they tried not to be obvious about basking in the other's body heat and unexpected closeness.

"...so," Euphemia eventually spoke up.

"So?"

"Those traitors coming after me - that was today, wasn't it?"

"I'm afraid so, Your Highness."

The Princess let out a sigh as she frowned, her fist clenching a handful of Suzaku's jacket. "I wish we could stay like this a while longer."

"...I wish we lived in a world that was kind enough to let us," Suzaku replied.

"But since it isn't," One continued, "I guess our only option is to get out of this ghetto and beat some manners-"

"Where the hell are the targets, soldier?!"

Two more Knightpolice Glasgows rolled into the ghetto street, sidearms in firing position.

"I can see the Eleven," a female muttered, "but the Prin- wait, that's Private Chevinsky there on the ground!"

"Then his unit must be...!"

Before either could open fire, Suzaku's Glasgow leapt to the air and shot its Slash Harkens into the remains of the bank behind them. "Pissed off that you interrupted a private conversation!"

With that cry, the reclaimed Glasgow yanked back on its Harkens and collapsed what remained of the crumbling structure onto its pursuers.

Euphemia put a hand to her mouth, eyes wide with shock, as Suzaku revved up their Glasgow's landspinners and escaped further into the ghetto.

"Did that… kill them?"

"If not," One muttered, "the justice system probably will anyway for trying to frame and then murder a Princess, so it doesn't really matter. Now, where the hell do we go from here?"

In the time it took Euphemia to decide whether she needed to address his question or his apparent disregard for human life - even if the lives in question belonged to treasonous criminals - another Knightpolice Glasgow, again with orange pauldrons marking it as Purist-affiliated, appeared from around a corner with its weapon ready to fire. Suzaku promptly fired a Slash Harken to sever the relevant arm before the new arrival could pull the trigger, and then knocked it onto its back with a kick to the waist. Damn, I meant to kick it in two…! I'll have to keep in mind that this Glasgow can only match a small fraction of what the Lancelot can do. "Even if Lancelot's down for maintenance," he muttered, "ASEEC is probably still our best bet. Miss Cecile said yesterday that they have an emergency communications line to the Prime Minister; we can use his authority to suppress the coup d'etat forces without further violence…!"

So caught up in her self-pity, the Princess hadn't realized that Suzaku had taken one hand off of the controls to hold her close until it was far too late. He smells nice, she realized with wide eyes. ...wait, why am I thinking about that at a time like this?!

"Don't be so quick to forget that you're the one in charge here, Euphie. Even if I'm the muscle in this operation, it's still me who follows your lead. All I want is to protect and support you, no matter what you choose… but someone has to put all the options out on the table, even the ones that hurt to think about."

Euphie's heart skipped a beat, and she tried to shake her head against his chest. "I, I don't know what you're-"

"Lying doesn't suit you, you know?"

Caught red-handed, Euphie didn't even try to deny it. "I know I said earlier that I want to prove I can be independent and make my own way, but I'm…!"

She gave up trying to stop her tears, and wept freely into Suzaku's jacket even as he resumed guiding them to safety. "I'm not blind, Suzaku! I can see all too plainly from the last several minutes that I'm too useless and weak to do anything but depend on the people around me!"

"That's, uh, one way of looking at things," Suzaku admitted. "...but another might be to say you're our key to victory!"

"Key to… to victory? Suzaku, what are you…?"

"Look at me, Euphie… and do you want the good news first, or the bad news?"

Anxiously, Euphemia raised her head to meet Suzaku's gaze. "...I would like the good news, please."

Suzaku's answer was immediate. "I've got an idea for how we can get ourselves out of this mess and to safety, decapitate the coup d'etat, and debut you to the public in a way that no one will associate with the girl you're afraid of being seen as."

That sounds… entirely too good to be true, Euphemia felt as her lifted spirits once more began to sink. "Let me guess: is the bad news that our Knightmare's almost out of power, or that we need resources that are impossible to obtain?"

"Oh, no," Suzaku said, waving away her concerns. "We're great on that stuff. Energy filler levels are fine, and all we need to pull off the operation is you, me, and some good ol' Britannian can-do attitude. The bad news is that my proposal's so utterly reckless I'm afraid you'll think I have a death wish just for having come up with it, and assuming we pull it off then I'm pretty sure everyone who loves you will swear to grant me one for even suggesting it to you."

Euphemia took a second to process that as she wiped her tears away, convinced at first that the pilot had to be exaggerating. "Let me be the judge of that, Suzaku. Please, what do you have in mind?"

"Well…"

And so it was that Suzaku explained what he'd come up with, with Euphemia's eyes growing wider by the second.

It was bold, certainly; one of the most audacious battle plans she'd ever heard, and as the younger sister of General Cornelia li Britannia, it wasn't entirely without competition.

It could also be aptly described as suicidally stupid, and Suzaku was right to say that Cornelia might have skewered him for suggesting that Euphemia be involved in it.

"That," Euphemia began, and then stopped to measure her words. "That is a very reckless plan," she shakily agreed. "If we attempted it, what would you say are our chances of success?"

"Fifty-fifty," Suzaku replied without hesitation, and Euphie almost jumped six inches off of his lap in surprise.

"That high?!"

"...either it works, or it doesn't. If there are only two outcomes, then-"

Euphemia was no professional mathematician, but even so, she was absolutely certain that statistical probability did not work that way. She opened her mouth to say as much, before she noticed the way Suzaku's arms were shaking at the controls… and, upon following that observation, she realized that nearly his entire body was shaking.

...he's not delusional. He's afraid and desperate - but instead of giving up, Suzaku's grasping at straws to try and find any way forward at all, no matter what.

"There's every possibility that we might come up short and die for nothing, Euphie. It doesn't make a difference what we choose, that part always stays the same. ...but if we don't flip the coin at all, then we're done for sure. You're a Princess, and from what I understand, you can basically take Viceroyship now if you're willing to step up. I know it doesn't feel like it, but you're the only one with the power to end this meaningless violence - I just need to create the opportunity for you to do it. Or if you'd prefer, we can make a mad dash for ASEEC instead; I don't care about doing one or the other, I'm just…"

Suzaku swallowed, and his next shaky, whispered words shot straight through her heart. "I just want to help you be happy and safe."

"I…!" As a young lady, Euphie couldn't remember the last time someone other than Cornelia had been so earnest and sincere with her. As a Princess, Euphemia couldn't remember the last time she wanted so desperately to reciprocate. "I can't trust myself not to fail. ...but I trust you, Suzaku. I believe in you, so if you believe in me, then… I might have a crazy suggestion of my own to make."

Slapping her cheeks, Euphemia took a metaphorical hold of her remaining insecurities and roughly shoved them someplace out of the way. "Sir Kururugi, let's place our bet."

[-to be continued...]