"If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility."
- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Chapter IV: Calm Before the Storm

Black Knights mobile battleship Izumo
Libya, Britannian Empire
February 19, 2025

With the ease and grace of a kestrel gliding along the wind, Major Kallen Kouzuki brought her Guren Nishiki toward the waiting receiving bay of the mobile battleship Izumo. While it had not been damaged from the battle, Kallen could tell that just like her, her loyal red steed was spiritually exhausted and was quite willing to return to its domain to rest for the next coming battle. She knew this because it had been her machine for the past eight years, and she could tell what condition it was in just by the feel of it moving across the ground and the sounds its insides made to her touch. Besides Kallen, the only other human that had such a connection to the red knightmare was none other than the machine's creator herself.

By now the rest of Kallen's 0 Knightmare Squadron "Rei", better known as the elite Zero Squadron or by its callsign "Rei" (which in turn was Japanese for "Zero"), and the others had returned to the Izumo's hold, leaving Kallen's Guren and General Kyoshiro Tohdoh's Zangetsu as the only remaining units that were still outside. But now that they had made sure their respective subordinates had landed safely, both Kallen and Tohdoh themselves were free to reenter the Izumo without any worry. Upon touchdown, she slowly guided the Guren into the hangar deck, all the while swiping a gloved hand across her forehead to take some of the sweat off and unconsciously brushing back her short red hair, which, for certain reasons, she had kept in her "Stadtfeld" style (the combed down style she wore as a Britannian student) as opposed to her once ubiquitous "Kouzuki" style (the spiked style she wore as a Japanese insurgent). She couldn't help but laugh a little as she did. He made me sweat after all…

As she fully entered the hangar, Kallen let her eyes scan over the tremendous strength of the Black Knights' fighting force as she guided her machine down the middle of the hangar, then to its rightful place where she had it set down, just before she went through the power down sequence. Divided into rows at the left and right, the hangar deck was lined with Gekkas, all of which were sitting on their knees in traditional Japanese seiza form, cockpit hatches open and waiting to be called upon to fight. Their black colors ironically seemed to shine in the light cast upon them, as if referencing how their name stood for "moonlight" in the Japanese language. Aside from those, there were also the eleven Guren Isshiki units of Zero Squadron, nearly indistinguishable from her Nishiki though being somewhat less powerful. They were even painted in the same shade of crimson as her machine, both to symbolize their status as the elite of their organization and their association to her, their commander and the once famous Ace of the Elevens.

Overall, the Order of the Black Knights was now a military fighting force that was unlike any other in the world. Not bad for an organization that used to only have eight people and one knightmare frame; what was bad, however, was that the person responsible for their creation and growth was not with them. As it should have been.

Lowering herself from the Guren's cockpit, Kallen then took the next moment to enjoy the relative fresh air of the Izumo's hangar deck. She hadn't felt so exhausted in eight years.

"You really look like hell Major," Colonel Kotetsu Urabe spoke up from nearby, handing over a much needed water bottle.

Kallen allowed a sigh to escape her lips as she took the bottle. "Comes with the territory," she exclaimed as she then took a deep, much needed swig. "And have I ever told you how appreciative I am to Colonel?"

Urabe smiled at that. "Once upon a full moon."

Handing back the bottle, Kallen nodded her thanks to her comrade and superior. "I was that close Urabe," she let out exhaustively. "I almost had him."

"I know Major," Urabe answered back sympathetically, then shrugging. "Could have been worse however."

"How so?" Kallen asked.

The Colonel then explained. "Well for one thing, this was the first combat engagement the Black Knights had in over eight years, and it was against four high class Britannian devicers, their seventh generation knightmares, and a few hordes of Sutherlands and Gloucesters with them. The fact we managed to do damage and return in relative piece will be a serious morale booster to the rest of our little army."

Kallen could only shrug at that herself. "I suppose," she said. "And what of those that didn't make it back with us?"

Urabe looked at her a little more firmly. "They fought and died as Black Knights for their comrades and for the dream of a reborn Japan. Nothing more," he stated, then handing her the bottle for her to finish. "See you at the debriefing."

"Thanks," Kallen said, again taking the bottle in gratitude. She then turned toward the woman's changing room, where she would be back into uniform in the next few minutes.


Imperial Army Headquarters Tobruk
Tobruk, Libya, Britannian Empire

No sooner than when the Mordred towed into the headquarters' hangar and placed at its appropriate space did Lelouch feel the exhaustion finally catch up to him. Quickly he reopened the cockpit and allowed his chair to extend out, soon feeling the hands of others on his shoulders and arms to help pull him up and out of his knightmare. Usually Lelouch would have insisted on letting himself out, but this time he did not protest. That battle had taken everything he had, and therefore he did not mind the aid. And to top it off, Lelouch's mind was still racing to figure out what was so familiar about that red knightmare, as well as why he had not put up any resistance when it moved in to claim him.

As he was bodily lifted from the confines of the Mordred's cockpit and back into the cavernous hangar, the first thing Lelouch took notice of was Augustus standing by, waiting for him with a datapad in hand. Already the prince could feel his insides cringe, as well as his eyes closed in resignation. He knew it what was about to happen, and he didn't even need to see the expression on his aide's face to confirm it. "How bad?" he simply asked.

With similar resignation, Augustus answered. "We lost nearly thirty percent of our knightmare forces," he said, handing Lelouch the datapad. This time Lelouch's face cringed as he looked over the data. "The only positive outcome is that no enemy units made it into the city."

It was at that moment that Suzaku, Gino and Anya came up, with the former two wearing similar expressions to Lelouch. Or at least Gino was; Suzaku looked positively unnerved, in a way Lelouch had never seen before. However, Lelouch ignored that as he passed the datapad back to Augustus. "They weren't aiming for Tobruk," he explained to both his aide and the trio. "They were aiming to capture me."

Gino's face degenerated into one of pure concern at that revelation, while Suzaku's eyes narrowed and teeth clenched as he held back a mixture of emotion. Augustus himself looked positively aghast at the prospect. "Were you able to identify the group with the Druid System?"

Lelouch shook his head. "Unfortunately no, but it wouldn't have mattered," he said. "They weren't EU; their fighting style was entirely different from what we fought so far, and so we were totally unprepared against them. Likewise, they were far too well equipped to be mere terrorists like Zulfiqar."

"Could they have been part of the Chinese Liberation Army then?" Gino finally spoke up. "Kidnapping a Prince would give them some leverage in their fight against Britannia."

The Black Prince actually laughed a little at that. "The CLA only field Yaoguais for their knightmare forces, which are far less advanced than what we encountered tonight. That and a competent commander like Li Xingke would never attempt to launch such an operation so far from his territory," he frowned in thought. "No, this enemy is an entirely different force from what we've fought against so far."

"Indeed," Suzaku concurred, now wearing a more unreadable expression.

Lelouch looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "Is there something wrong, Suzaku?"

Hearing that, Suzaku shook his head in reply, but still kept his eyes narrowed. "…It's nothing Lelouch," he replied, though somewhat unconvincingly.

A seemingly uncomfortable silence followed, before Lelouch let out a breath of air to break it. Whatever had happened, he knew it was past for now. Even if the enemy remained in the former state, there was no way that force would launch a follow up attack now, as Lelouch and company would be more than prepared for the next raid. And in another two days, the Black Prince will have returned to his homeland. "Regardless, we should be alright for the time being," he exclaimed. "They will not attack again after this."

"Agreed, but should they actually do so, Your Highness," Suzaku stated, his formality causing disconcertion to those around him. "I believe it would be more prudent for you to remain within the city."

This time, Lelouch was sure that there was more going underneath the surface than the Knight of Seven would have wanted him to believe. However, knowing that he would not give him an answer if prodded, and ultimately seeing no other alternative, Lelouch reluctantly agreed. "Yes, I know Suzaku," he replied. "But I really hate the feeling of hiding away like that."

Sensing another uncomfortable situation rising, Gino stepped in with a chuckle. "Can't be helped Lelouch," he said. "It's just common sense, given how vital you are to the war effort. You are not a coward for doing it."

Lelouch remained far from convinced, but didn't show it. "I'll take your word for it Gino," he replied, before stifling a yawn. "Is there anything else Colonel?"

Catching the underlying message, Augustus shook his head. "Nothing that can be dealt with later on, Your Highness," he said.

"Very well. I shall take my leave then," Lelouch replied before making his way past his aide and the three Rounds. Even as his back turned to them, he knew Suzaku was looking at him with an expression bordering on concealed anxiety, but for the moment there were other things on his mind.

Namely the image of a beautiful, red haired woman. Although her face was faint, Lelouch could see two distinct caricatures of her, one being dressed in a school uniform with her short hair combed down and her face showing a meek looking expression, and the other where she was dressed in a black military uniform of some sort with her hair kept in a wave pattern, this time her face showing nothing but determination.

And no matter what Lelouch tried to do, he could not shake the image of her, or how she seemed to look back at him with nothing but admiration and loyalty. It all felt as though she had been one of his soldiers at some point in time, but that was impossible.

Just who is she? Lelouch thought as he entered a nearby elevator, clenching his teeth and trying recall more, but not being able to. It was almost as if there was an invisible wall in his mind that kept him closed off from the information he sought. At the very least however, he knew the woman in question had some sort of connection to that red knightmare, perhaps even being the pilot. It would not be long before Lelouch would be able to find out more about her and the rest of her force.

And most importantly, the nature of their apparent connection to him.


In ancient times, a young prince by the name of Siddhartha Gautama once imparted a piece of wisdom to his followers: "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, only concentrate your mind onto the present moment." For Suzaku Kururugi, however, the only thing his mind could do now was dwell in the past. It was after all where all of his ghosts laid to rest, or so he had foolishly thought.

After the previous exchange with Lelouch, Suzaku had not bothered to talk to anyone else. Instead, he passed off the maintenance of the Lancelot to the hangar mechanics and, with concealed but ever growing furiousness, made his way out of the hangar, ignoring any questions that were directed toward him in the process. He had finally managed to throw himself into a nearby elevator, which took him to the deck that his quarters were on, and from there it was a simple but fast paced walk before Suzaku found the shelter he so desired.

Now in the silence and safety of a small but cozy room that he had taken for himself within the Tobruk headquarters, Suzaku moved over to a nearby cabinet. As he expected, it contained a bottle, which he immediately grabbed. The liquid was dark and the label was in German, but at that point Suzaku didn't care what it was. So long as it contained alcohol.

With more strength than he intended, the Knight of Seven undid the top of the bottle and took a deep swig. He immediately grimaced at the taste; despite his several of his comrades' wishes, Suzaku was not a social drinker. Only when he felt he would truly needed the aftereffects did he truly take to alcohol, and this, more than any other, was one such occasion.

Of all the people that died that day… Suzaku's mind began to call out, its mantra gaining power with each passing word. Of the entire Japanese race… Of all of the innocents that had their lives taken in that flash of fire and smoke…

His teeth gnashed and his eyes widened with unchecked fury as he at last mentally cried out. Why were they the only ones spared!?

With ever growing violence at those thoughts, Suzaku seethed as he took another swig from the bottle, his eyes widening and fingers tightening around the bottle he hyperventilated. Already he could feel himself slipping away, his appearance now more akin to a beast than a man, as something all too familiar began to overtake him; a shadow that he had carried within himself since the Devastation and beyond. It had rarely emerged over the last eight years, as he had managed to keep it within the depths by focusing on his duties and all that they had entailed. But now it could not be denied, nor could he resist its temptation. And with it, the will to destroy. To burn the whole world, the world he hated for so long, around him.

All while a certain presence continued to gaze upon him, a dominant grin across his lips…

Yet only one factor kept Suzaku from giving in; a simple fact that remained in his conscious mind. They had failed; they did not have Lelouch. And without him, the demon, whose reemergence Suzaku had dreaded for eight years, would remain within the past. Within Suzaku's distant memories.

At that, Suzaku felt his rage begin to recede and his body start to relax, allowing him to slump into a nearby chair. Slowly but surely he felt the shadow withdraw from him, moving back into the depths from whence it came. And with it, that certain presence, whose gaze once again became shadowed. Thereby leaving Suzaku alone with himself once more.

With a far more steady hand, he took another drink from the bottle, this time slowly and gracefully. Although his mind was now calm and stable, he still felt a familiar mixture of emotions within himself: wrath, despair and sorrow. A combination that he never wanted to feel again, having already felt them twice before. The first after the death of Princess Euphemia li Britannia on the day that should have brought Japan's salvation. And the second after the death of his entire people no more than a few hours after that.

Although urban legend within the Imperial Court stated that noble Suzaku Kururugi never shed a tear for the simultaneous deaths of the Elevens on that fateful day, the truth was quite the opposite. Suzaku had spent a total of three days in mourning, either locked in his quarters aboard the Avalon or in a manor prepared for him at Pendragon, with nothing but the cold comfort of alcohol and the memories of better days to keep him from losing his mind and willpower. Although wakes were more of a Western based custom than Japanese, Suzaku had willingly adapted the tradition for himself, as with the combined deaths of Euphemia and Japan, he had lost everything he held dear enough to fight for.

Yes, he had been labeled a traitor to his people, but very few knew his original reasoning of joining Britiannia: the liberation of his race by working through the system. Whereas many had found him comparable to Ephialtes of Trachis, Gaius Cassius Longinus, Marcus Junius Brutus, Judas Iscariot, Benjamin Franklin and many other infamous traitors who sold their lands, leaders, and people out to aggressors in exchange for power, wealth, and purpose, it was for sake of the Japanese that Suzaku had continued to fight on under a different flag. After all, he was no different from them; he too had suffered from the discrimination, the abuse, and the elitism of Britannian society. He as well had been bound in the same bondage, whose chains had been forged from race instead of iron, forced into servitude for a foreign power on his own homeland's soil. And he did all with a willing heart, which in turn isolated him from his own people, hoping and dreaming for the day where he could have gained enough power to change the rules and free the enslaved from their chains.

Thus, how could a man not grieve when the dream he strove for was snatched away from him, never to be fulfilled?

But as the universe had it, it was the ones who had caused Black Rebellion at the beginning who had survived the Devastation, the ones who above all else had deserved death. The very same people that claimed to have been fighting for the will of the Japanese, but were only creating chaos and destruction in their wake, that had claimed more lives than they had saved. And to make matters worse, they apparently knew the identity of their leader now. The mysterious revolutionary whose name still lived in infamy even to this day…

The mere thought of it all, namely that demon, threatened to cause the shadow to reemerge within him once more. But again, Suzaku kept it back with simple knowledge. They did not have Lelouch; the Black Prince was alive and the Demon King was long dead. And as long as he was capable, both would remain so. As they had been for the last eight years.

Thus, taking another slow sip of the Eurasian liquid, Suzaku at last allowed the alcohol to run through his system and perform its desired effect.


Black Knights mobile battleship Izumo
Libya, Britannian Empire

The Izumo's staff briefing room was almost entirely occupied now. The long banquet sized table was packed tight with staff officers, all of whom were veteran members that had been part of the organization since the Black Rebellion if not before. However, none of them were speaking, as their attention was directed toward the side of the room toward the main monitor that took up the majority of the far wall. Playing over the aforementioned monitor was footage from the battle that had happened not too long ago, depicting the Guren Nishiki's duel with the Mordred, along with some of the other battles with the accompanying Knights of the Round machines.

"This truly presents a problem," General Kyoshiro Tohdoh commented as he stroked his neatly trimmed goatee, which he had grown over the years, in thought. "They will obviously step up defenses to prevent any follow up attempts; even with our current force we would not be able to overpower them again. And worse, our target will soon be within the Imperial Homeland in just two days' time."

"But we can't just give up," Kallen spoke up, feeling fairly ashamed of the whole situation. It had been up to her to capture the Mordred and its pilot after all, which she failed to do. "As you said we still have two days. There's still a chance to…"

"I know you want to have a second chance Kallen, but the risk is too great now," General Kaname Ohgi, Vice Commander of the Black Knights replied with some sympathy. "It's just as General Tohdoh has said, they will be on alert and waiting for us. And knowing Lelouch, he'll likely have come up with a plan to repel another attack like that."

"So we just give up?" Urabe asked, leaning forward. "I thought we all agreed if we're going to fight Britannia, that we can only do it with Zero as our leader!"

"Do we really need him that badly?" Colonel Nagisa Chiba put forward. "Doesn't anyone else think we have a good enough force without him?"

"What the hell!?" Major Shinichiro Tamaki blurted out. "You sayin' we should just abandon Zero after all the shit he's done for us!"

"If it comes down to it Major, then yes. Do I have to spell it out for you?" Chiba snapped back at Tamaki.

"Fuck that! We have no chance against Britannia without Zero and you know it, Chiba." Tamaki smarted off, purposely not speaking Chiba's rank. "If it weren't for Zero, there'd be no Black Knights in the first place!"

"Yes, you've told us that a thousand times Tamaki," Colonel Shogo Asahina stated. "But if it means having to fight Britannia directly to liberate one man, then I say we go without him as well. We risked enough with the last attack as it is."

"Ah, not you too Asahina!" Tamaki replied.

"That's Colonel Asahina to you, Major," Asahina growled.

"I'll call you whatever I feel like, damn it! I was a Black Knight long before you or Chiba, so I could care less about…!" Tamaki snarled back.

"Alright, that's enough!" Colonel Chigusa Ohgi shouted, silencing everyone. "Fighting amongst ourselves won't solve the problem. Let's remain focused on the objective at hand."

A moment of silence entered the room, which was only broken by the sound of laughter at the far end of the table, specifically the seat across from Kallen and right beside the table's head, which nobody dared to sit at this point in time. As attention turned from Tohdoh over to the originator of the laughter, the woman simply flashed a sardonic smile.

"You people are amusing," the woman commented. "After one botched operation, you're all ready to abandon the one chance you have at getting revenge over Britannia for the destruction of your beloved home country?

The woman then tilted her head, seemingly in thought. "There is a certain word for that."

"Shut up, witch! We didn't ask for your messed up opinions!" Tamaki roared.

As Tamaki spoke that line, the green-haired woman got up from her seat and marched to the front of the room so that she could face everyone directly. While in the absence of Zero command of the Black Knights officially fell to Ohgi, nobody questioned that the woman standing before them was the organization's spiritual leader at this time, as well as the one who had kept them all together. She had, after all, been the one closest to Zero in the past, as well as the person who had granted him his unique power.

"Well then, I will offer them anyway, since it's quite obvious you are all lost without them…" C.C., or Major Cera Cathcart as she was publically known, began now that she could face everyone. "Yes, I agree that this operation didn't go exactly as planned, but that doesn't mean we lose all of our chances at resurrecting Zero. In fact, I think it works out better this way, since now we don't have to lie to everyone about holding Lelouch for ransom and then staging a raid on some Britannian prison for the official liberation of Zero. Less of a hassle that way."

"I suppose you have an alternate plan then?" Ryoga Senba said with interest.

C.C. seemed to give a small thoughtful glance. "I did put something together in my spare time, yes. It's a bit complicated, and some of the people at this table may lack the mental powers to follow it without aid…" Even without looking over, she could sense Tamaki's glare and upraised middle finger. "But if executed correctly, then you'll have your fearless leader returned to you."

"It doesn't have anything to do with a direct assault on Pendragon, does it?" spoke Major Kento Sugiyama, causing everyone to look up in hesitance.

"As a matter of fact it does, but that is not the crux of the operation," C.C. explained without pause. "As you all know, the reason our dear Black Prince and company are being called back to the Britannian mainland is for celebrating Crown Day, specifically in the form of a huge jubilee that all imperials and nobility must attend."

She nodded as the others began to catch on. "While Lelouch was never much of a party person, he will undoubtedly be at that one, which presents a key opportunity for us."

"An infiltration op?" Major Naomi Sugiyama. "I admit that it is indeed an opening, but isn't that a bit too public a place to kidnap a prince?"

"Obviously the person we send in would have to lure Lelouch into a private space…" Major Rai Sumeragi thought out loud from the opposite end of the table, considering C.C.'s idea with seriousness. "But the question is who do we send in? It can't be just any one of us since they would recognize Japanese, but at the same time we would need a Britannian who was once part of the nobility."

Ohgi frowned at that. "Not to mention that we would need a written invitation."

"Funny you should mention that General Ohgi," C.C. said with a smirk. She then gestured at her arms like a magician showing there was literally nothing up her sleeves, before reaching back and withdrawing a sealed envelope out of nowhere. The seal on the envelope was recognizable as the Emperor's. "His Majesty requests the pleasure of your company at the jubilee ball, in honor of Britannia's two-thousandth and seventieth anniversary."

Asahina's eyes widened in surprise, much like everyone else's, minus Tohdoh and Senba, while Rai merely arched an eyebrow. "How the hell did you get that!?"

"I could explain, but I seriously doubt you would understand. Just be happy with the fact we have this," C.C. said, fully amused with the reactions she was getting.

Chigusa nodded. "Okay, we have an invitation." she said in place of her husband. "But we still haven't figured out…"

"With respect, Colonel, you are wrong," C.C. replied. She then turned and looked at Kallen in the eyes. "Isn't that right, Kallen?"

"Wait, Kallen!?" Tamaki admonished, speaking what the majority were thinking. "Are you out of your mind, you green-haired harpy!?"

"Kallen's not nobility! There's no way they'd let her in!" Colonel Yoshitaka Minami, captain of the Izumo let out.

C.C. just shook her head in mock disappointment. "For such devoted comrades, you seem to know very little about your friend's background. Perhaps you were too interested in her B Cups to notice that she is half-Britannian and looks like it as well?"

"B Cups!? They're Es!" Kallen shouted in a sharp, angered outburst. This was followed by a very short but uncomfortable moment of cold silence, as if the room had been filled with liquid nitrogen, with everyone at the table staring in amazement at her while C.C. flashed a triumphant smirk.

"Oh, they are? My mistake," C.C. replied with mock innocence. It was only then that Kallen realized she had fallen for the immortal witch's trap without even realizing it, and the witch took great delight in seeing her sink back into her chair. As a bonus, Kallen even managed to elicit a very jealous gaze from Naomi and Chiba, while Rai stifled a chuckle.

Having enough fun for the moment, C.C. decided to pick things up again. "Now then, as I was saying, Kallen's father was James Stadtfeld, 9th Baron Stadtfeld of Charlotte and descendent of a prestigious family which holds a long line of service to the throne. Or am I wrong?"

Kallen was hesitant for obvious reasons, but she answered C.C.'s question regardless. "Yes, that is true."

"And is it also true that you have no other living siblings, legitimate or otherwise?" C.C. followed up with.

That one Kallen answered right away. "Of course not! Naoto and I were his only children!"

The atmosphere in the room again chilled, but C.C. continued anyway. "Then per Britannian protocol, your father's title was passed down to you in the event of his death during the Devastation of Japan. Congratulations Kallen, you are officially a Baroness."

"No, it won't work!" Ohgi protested. "Nobles have to be knowledgeable of Britannian etiquette! There's no way Kallen…"

"As the daughter of a Baron, Kallen would have gone through such training when she was a child. Any elementary school student could tell you that," C.C. pointed out, which Kallen confirmed with a nod.

Despite that response, Ohgi placed clenched fists upon the table. "I still won't allow this. If Kallen gets caught, who knows what the Britannians will do to her…"

"The chances of their finding her are quite doubtful," C.C. assessed objectively. "Remember, the Britannians would be looking for Kallen Kouzuki, ace of the Black Knights, if they suspected her to be alive. On the other hand, Kallen Stadtfeld, Baroness and heir to the Stadtfeld family name, would be able to slip by them without detection as long as she doesn't do anything out of the ordinary."

As C.C. explained all that, Kallen turned back toward Ohgi to show some reassurance. Of all the Black Knights, he was the one who was most like a big brother to her, unconsciously having replaced Naoto's role in her life. And just like any big brother, he feared for her safety, even when some things just had to be done. "It's okay Ohgi; I have to do this. If we ever want to come out of the shadows and fight the Britannians directly again, I have to go and return Zero to us. Even if I have to drag him all the way back."

Knowing that there was no way he could argue with Kallen when her mind was made up, Ohgi could only sigh in defeat at her. "Fine, I'll trust you to do it. But don't get reckless out there."

"I take it the attack on Pendragon you mentioned is a distraction for Kouzuki to slip out with Zero in hand?" Tohdoh asked.

"What kind of an escape would it be without the grand diversion?" C.C. replied, hitting a button on the table that switched the monitor to show a map of Pendragon, specifically that of St. Darwin's Street where most of the Britannian imperials lived. "After making contact with Lelouch, Kallen will direct him back to the Aries Palace here, which is Lelouch's home when he isn't fighting for Britannia in Africa. With Sayoko's assistance, Kallen will then subdue Lelouch and bring him to the knightmare hangar that is next door, where Lelouch will have no doubt parked the Mordred. From there, she will proceed to hijack it and return to the Izumo."

She then pressed another button, causing the view of the map to zoom out, showing the entire city now. "Upon Kallen's signal, we will send units to attack these military bases here and here, as well as another unit to attack the palace district. This will all go towards disguising the operation as a 'mere' terrorist attack and allow Kallen to slip out more easily."

"What will our fighting strength be?" Kento asked.

"Everything we have available. The Izumo will stay away from the battle zone so that when the time comes, she can launch Gefjun Missiles to provide an opening for retreat with the Hayabusas," C.C. explained.

"And what do we tell everyone else?" Naomi inquired. "Besides the people gathered in this room and a few others, no one else knows of Zero's identity."

C.C. expanded the view of the map and highlighted an area on the northeastern corner of the city. "There is a mental institution here, which houses many criminally insane patients. During the battle, two of the present company will break off and perform a mock raid of that institute. From there we will claim that was where we rescued Zero, and all Kallen did was attempt to assassinate Lelouch and liberate the Mordred in the process. The Britannians will no doubt follow up on that story, since no one in the Imperial Court would ever wish to admit that a prince had been kidnapped on Crown Day."

Tohdoh took all this in like sponge absorbing water, and in his mind he could see such a strategy play out perfectly, even if taking the Imperial Guard forces and Knights of the Round into account. After a moment, he chuckled to himself at the brilliance of it all.

This behavior of course confused C.C. and everyone else. "I'm glad to see you're entertained by all of this, General Tohdoh."

"It's nothing. I just find you more and more of an interesting woman, 'Major Cathcart'," Tohdoh explained, eying the woman carefully. "Not only are you a skilled warrior and unit commander in battle, but you also possess a talent for strategy. Are you sure you shouldn't be the one to lead us?"

The green haired "witch" simply laughed at that assessment, even though she knew Tohdoh wasn't being serious. "I assure you, whatever good I am as a leader, Zero is much better; I am merely his devoted partner in crime," she then looked down a little. "Besides, it's not so bad being a follower this time around…"

Tohdoh raised an eyebrow, signifying his curiosity. "Are you implying that you were a military leader once before?"

That statement also gained the curiosity of the other members. While everyone knew that the woman known only as C.C. was immortal and possessed mystical powers beyond imagination, the mysterious being did not ever speak of her past to anyone, thus causing much intrigue around her. This also made it both surprising and not so surprising whenever she showed certain skills that nobody had expected of her at first glance, just like now.

"I imply nothing of the sort, General," C.C. replied with a certain "That-Is-For-Me-To-Know-And-You-To-Find-Out" chide in her tone.

Even though she didn't want to, Kallen asked another question. "You said I had to lure him to his palace. Does that mean I have to…?"

C.C. looked at her with a smile. "It means you have to do whatever it takes to get Lelouch away from that party without drawing attention. If that entails you dressing up in a pink bunny suit and motioning him back to his palace, you do that."

"I don't think there's a need to go that…" Ohgi started to protest.

"Relax General, Kallen won't have to do anything of that nature." C.C. reassured him. "The idea is to draw the sweet prince away from the crowd; from that point, either Kallen knocks him out with a drug or Sayoko does it physically."

"You make it sound so easy, considering this is a man with an IQ over 200." Kallen said.

"As I'm sure you've figured out Kallen, boys are easy to manipulate when it comes to girls, even the smart ones." C.C. said knowingly. "But if you don't want to, I'm sure Colonel Ohgi could…"

"I already said I would do it." Kallen growled, as if warning.

The two girls' eyes linked over that, and C.C. could detect something that lurked underneath the surface of the red-head. Something of a more personal nature than Kallen would have let on vocally. I wonder how Lelouch is going to deal with this…

"As long as you are willing, Kallen, then I have no issues," C.C. replied, then looking up to the rest of the audience. "It will not be long before Crown Day; I suggest we move out immediately."


Imperial Army Headquarters Tobruk
Tobruk, Libya, Britannian Empire

The corridors of the headquarters building were eerily silent, broken only by the echoing footsteps of Gino Weinburg as he casually made his way up and down them. Even though the battle was long since over, the Knight of Three was too wired now to even think about sleeping; all he could do was walk around the base until he found something to do or relax himself into fatigue. He even contemplated running a combat simulation on the Elyan, but decided against it.

If only I had a hot girl waiting for me back in my room... Gino thought and sighed.

Eventually he came across the recreation room where he and Suzaku had been playing pool earlier, and inside he was a little surprised to see Anya sitting there, playing with her cellular phone. Gino smiled briefly, wondering how Anya could be so casual after such a hard battle; if there was any exhaustion in Anya Alstreim after that ordeal, then she was doing a good job at not showing it. Deciding he could use a more friendly kind of company, Gino walked into the room and sat down on one of the couches. After a minute, he looked over at Anya. "What are you doing there?"

"Organizing," Anya said without looking back.

"Any shots from that last one?" Gino inquired. "If so, you may want to save them for Intel to look at, so they can identify those black knightmares."

"Some, but not very good," Anya replied. To show what she meant, the Knight of Six turned the phone toward Gino, which displayed one of the shots. Indeed, the dark sky combined with the equally dark colors of the knightmare in the picture made it hard distinguish the machine from the background. "Can't use them."

"Still, it's better than nothing. If we could so much as identify the nationality of those machines, I'll be happy," Gino said shrugging and settling back into the couch. Then slowly, he pulled something out of the pocket of his trousers, which appeared to be a cellphone of his own.

Her curiosity getting the best of her, especially when it came in regards to photography and keepsake items, Anya moved closer to Gino to get a better look at the screen, all without turning her head or even shifting her eyes. It was one of her habits when she was truly interested in something; she didn't want to admit she was interested in anything, so she tried to make it look like she wasn't all the while getting into a better position to look with her peripheral vision. Not many understood it, but then not many understood Anya Alstreim.

Gino, of course, saw her, and smiled at her actions. "Just looking through my family album."

The Knight of Six looked at her comrade with slight confusion, which could only be picked up on through her expressionless glance by those who truly knew her. "I thought you ran away from home."

"I did, but they're still my parents, and all they ever did was care for me. Can't hate them for that," Gino explained, though the tone of his voice seemed to contradict his words.

Now Anya was especially curious. "If you love your parents, then why did you run away?" she asked.

Gino considered that question for a moment, and then clicked through the photos until he came across one in particular. "Because of this."

Hesitantly, the Knight of Three flipped the phone over to show the picture to Anya. The picture was of a young woman dressed up as a maid, sitting on a chair while smiling brightly. However, what made the picture truly unique was that the woman wasn't a Britannian like one expected; instead, she had features that Anya found comparable to Suzaku in terms of facial structure and posture.

"She's Japanese," Anya observed.

"That's right." Gino said. "Her name is Aoi Hoshitaka, and she was a maid who came into the service of my family. She's a Cancer, loves strawberries and sugar, has one of the best singing voices in the world and loves going to the beach year round."

Taking all this in, Anya was quick to realize a key fact. "You were in love with her."

"That's right," Gino said, obviously reminiscing. "She was indeed my first love, at first sight even. I was only fourteen at the time and she was seventeen, but that didn't matter to either of us."

He sighed as the memories began to flow in. "Most of her family was killed during the Second Pacific War, so she came to Britannia to get extra money for the ones who survived. I admit we had a rocky start with that in mind, but I managed to turn her around with my charm and the fact that I didn't care if she was Japanese, just someone I loved and admired."

Swallowing slightly, Anya could only ask the obvious question. "What happened to her?"

That question made Gino's face darken visibly, such that a tinge of anger found its way into his voice. "My parents found out about our relationship," he replied in a low growl. "My father got so angry he almost killed her and then threw her into the streets, all because a 'damned Eleven dare put her vile hands on his son'. And when I tried to defend her, he knocked me around too."

Though her outward expression didn't change, Anya felt something shift inside of her. "Horrible," she exclaimed.

"Yes... It was," Gino murmured darkly at the memories, before continuing. "After that, they tried to 'reprogram' me to be like them and the other nobility: judging people by their origins while ignoring their qualities. Eventually I got so sick of it I ran away from home and joined the military."

Gino sighed, continuing to remember. "I have yet to forgive them for what they did to Aoi," he stated. "And I probably never will."

Anya considered her next words carefully. "Did you find her again?"

Gino sniffed. "You could say that," he said, with that bit of anger still lurking in the depths of his voice. "She returned to Japan and is believed to have died with the rest of her family when the sakuradite went off."

The Knight of Six said nothing to that. Instead, she continued to stare at Gino as if she were expecting something to happen. Gino in turn, took it in stride like he usually did. "Don't worry, it happened a long time ago, so I don't feel so bad talking about it…"

"You're crying," Anya said as a statement of fact.

Gino stopped in his pleasantness at that statement. Reaching his hand up, he wiped a finger across his right eye and brought it back down; indeed, there was a teardrop on his fingertip. Seeing no way to disguise it any more, Gino turned away to face toward the end of the room.

"It's not right Anya," Gino continued, shaken. "For all of the good our people have done for this world, we've also done terrible, terrible things to it. Invading foreign lands without provocation, discriminating and enslaving people that are different from us, judging everything and everyone else by our own standards…"

He tilted his head and closed his eyes, stifling the tears. "And yet," he murmured. "Weren't we just like them at one time?"

"We have forgotten," Anya assessed.

Gino nodded, letting off a pained laugh. "You're right," he said. "That's why I find Crown Day all the more ironic, because Britannia started out in the same position as the Japanese: a small group of islanders standing against a greater empire hell bent on conquest. Sickening to think about, which is why I got a little put off by Suzaku earlier."

"Someday, Lelouch will change it," Anya answered to that.

The Knight of Three looked up with a peculiar glance. "You really think that?"

Anya blinked. "I don't know why," she said, looking away herself as her cheeks began to tinge. "But I…"

Gino understood what she meant, and in the midst of his inner pain, he smiled once again. "Yeah, me too," he said, leaning back. "Lelouch is just that kind of man, always has been."

He then relaxed a little more. "I really could see him turning the world into something better, for everyone."


Black Knights mobile battleship Izumo
Mediterranean Sea

Seamless in her movement, the Izumo made the transition from the desert sands of Libya to the somewhat choppy waters of the Mediterranean easy enough. As one of the Black Knights' mobile battleships, as well as the Order's very flagship, she was specifically designed for such a transition; to operate in virtually any environment around the world, from the shiftings sands of the Sahara to the frozen tundras of Siberia to even the jungles and swamplands of Southeast Asia. And of course, within the various water bodies of the world as well, something that no Britannian or Eurasian land battleship could ever hope to follow. Indeed, the Izumo and her line were the perfect vessels to transport the Black Knights' military might and mission across the world.

And indeed, they would be moving well across the world in the future, Ohgi knew all too well. No longer would the Black Knights be confined to one operating area, just as they would no longer fight for the liberation of one nation and one race. Once their leader, their true leader, was returned to them, the Black Knights would embark on the biggest revolution that the world would ever see. One that would end Britannia's tyranny once and for all, just as it would see Japan reborn from the ashes of the Devastation.

For now however, Ohgi, along with perhaps the rest of the ship and Order, contented himself to wait a few more days. Standing within the Izumo's observation deck, Ohgi could just barely make out the shifting surface of the Med from the darkness of the night sky. Just beyond, somewhere in the distance, was the Strait of Gibraltar, the gateway to the Atlantic. And beyond that, well across the latter, was the eastern coast of his enemy's homeland. Where the man, who had been a mere teenager eight years ago, that started everything would be waiting, albeit unknowingly. Where the first step of their revolution would take place, after eight years in exile.

To say Ohgi was completely invigorated toward that prospect would be a lie however. In truth, he couldn't help but hold a mixture of feelings, with uncertainty being paramount among them. Eight years ago, he and the Black Knights had, under the direction of their masked leader, set out on another revolution. One that would have seen the world's first true free nation, where all would have prospered regardless of their race or creed. The Devastation, for whatever events that had come before, had ended that revolution as swiftly as it nearly had the Japanese race and civilization, to say nothing of the Britannians that were also present. Could this new revolution, one that would see itself across the whole of the world than a seemingly insignificant set of islands within the north Pacific, fated for a similar outcome? Even with Zero leading them once again?

Sighing, Ohgi looked down slightly, his officers issue commissar cap shielding his eyes from the viewport. Eight years ago he had been a different man; a school teacher turned terrorist cell leader over the death of his best friend, who only had his comrades to fight alongside him. Now, he was a General and, de jure anyway, second-in-command of the most powerful military force the world had yet to see. And with that transition, he had gained much, much more to lose…

"Kaname," a new voice spoke up from the entryway. Turning around, Ohgi watched as Chigusa, still dressed in her own Black Knight uniform, move across the deck to join him. Her bright golden eyes, which were partially obscured by her bob cut silver hair, bespoke of serious concern toward her husband.

Meeting her eyes for a moment, Ohgi closed his eyes and smirked. "Couldn't sleep," he explained truthfully. "Too much on the mind."

"You and the rest of the ship," Chigusa dryly commented as she moved to stand by her spouse, her eyes shifting toward the Med as well. "For a fair portion of us, it will be the first time we've returned to our old home in eight years."

Ohgi nearly kicked himself. As much as he knew Chigusa was Britannian, it was difficult for him to remember the connotations of that. "I'm sorry," he exclaimed hurriedly. "I…"

The colonel merely chuckled. "Relax Kaname. I know we've been married for so long, you don't think of me in that way anymore," she replied knowingly. "Just as it is with every other Britannian that survived that day."

Ohgi nodded at that, his mind recalling exactly how things used to be. Though they were very much in love now, it had been a rocky start for both of the Ohgis. Like many other things, it had all begun eight years ago; back then he had been second-in-command for the just started the Black Knights, while she had been Major Viletta Nu of the Britannian Imperial Army, a soldier and knightmare pilot who had aims toward attaining nobility and status. Not only that, but she had been a member of the Purist Faction under Colonel Jeremiah Gottwald, 19th Margrave of Dade, holding true hatred for the Elevens and all who were not born Britannian. By all accounts and purposes, the two of them were never to have met, and if they did, they would have surely killed each other.

And yet, fate had other plans for them. Shot and wounded shortly after the Battle of Yokosuka, Major Nu had been left to die upon the peer where Ohgi had found her, suffering a severe case of amnesia. From that point he had intended to keep her as his prisoner, at least until her memories returned so that he could properly interrogate her, but somewhere along the way they had both fallen in love. That is, until she had in fact regained her memories and, initially believing that their relationship was just a product of Zero's Geass, shot Ohgi in an attempt to break things off between them during the Black Rebellion.

Just like with everything else however, the Devastation changed all thereafter. Though she had a head start on getting out of Japan and back to the Imperial mainland, even Viletta couldn't escape the destruction, and by nothing but sheer fortune had managed to find cover and survive it. But while she had been physically unscathed by some miracle, emotionally it had turned her entire world inside out, as despite her previous hatred for the Elevens, she had not wished for that kind of destruction and was shocked beyond all measure to learn Britannia was willing to carry out such large scale genocide. So putting aside her prejudices along with many others, she assisted in the efforts to track down and rescue survivors. And to both her relief and her shame, Ohgi had been one of the survivors along with the main group of the Black Knights.

Shortly after they had all been transported to safety in Ryukyu, she had visited him again, and in great remorse offered him the same gun she had used on him before. Though she knew that her life amounted to nothing compared to the millions that had been lost, a small amount of justice could still be served for what her people had done. Needless to say, it was to her surprise that Ohgi turned down the offer of her life, admitting that despite everything they had done to each other, he still loved her and believed her to truly be the kind, gentle person she had been as "Chigusa", the name he had given her when she could not remember her own. And then to Viletta's even greater surprise, Ohgi proposed to her then and there, apparently having planned on doing it for some time as he even had a ring. Viletta, going against any remaining doubts on her part, accepted, such that she took on the name Chigusa thereafter. Three months later they were married.

And so, for the last eight years within the darkness of the current era, life had continued on for the Ohgis. Even when the Black Knights were officially reformed and Chigusa had joined as a Colonel and the commander of the 6th Knightmare Squadron "Kyosha", the two had remained close; perhaps even more so than they had in the beginning. Such that, as Chigusa had highlighted just now, they no longer thought of each other as Britannian or Japanese, much less as former terrorist and former Purist. They were simply family, as were what they had left behind in their new homeland.

Sighing, Ohgi waited an uncomfortable minute before he spoke again. "So," he began, purposely avoiding the previous subject. "You think we'll be able to pull this off?"

As he was turned to face the viewport he didnn't actually see his wife's face, but he could feel her shift to the same professional seriousness she held in her younger days. "I think you know the answer to that," she sternly replied. "Just what the hell are we about do Kaname?"

The Black Knight General let out a 'heh'. "Exactly what we have to do Chigusa," he replied. "And in my opinion it is well worth the risk."

"One man is hardly worth the risk of storming the Imperial Capital." Chigusa replied staunchly. "When I was in the Army, my unit often drilled in mock invasions of Pendragon; I know how strong that city's defenses are."

Her eyes narrowed. "If we do manage to survive, it will be nothing short of a miracle in itself."

"Don't get me wrong Chigusa, I know it's all stacked heavily against us," he replied with grim resolve. "If anything, many of us will never make it back to Ryukyu."

Despite that apparent belief however, Ohgi remained resolute. "Yet all the same, that one man we're about to risk everything for is our only chance of fighting back."

Chigusa sighed, knowing that Ohgi was speaking the truth. "I understand Kaname, it's just…"

The colonel considered her words. "When I think about Zero, I still see that boy in a costume instead of the messiah everyone says he is," she looked up in brief remembrance. "It feels just like yesterday I found him at that dock unmasked and vulnerable, all because he made a tactical miscalculation."

She shook her head. "If it had not been for that girl, I would have brought him in and everything would have ended there."

"But if you had done that…" Ohgi pointed out. "We never would have met."

Chigusa smiled a little at that. "I know, and I'm grateful that things turned out the way they did," she replied. "But my point is, that's not the kind of person I feel safe entrusting our future to, not when he could have been brought down so easily."

Ohgi smiled himself. "In a way, I still see him as a kid in a costume too," he admitted. "But even that doesn't matter when you see the miracles he performs."

The general turned serious again. "Chigusa, you know we can't hide forever," he stated. "For the last eight years, we've known that we were on borrowed time; that one day the Britannians would eventually return to finish us all."

The thought alone made Ohgi shiver inside, but he did well to keep it from his exterior. "I know there are some that think the Black Knights were reformed for vengeance, but the true reason why we came back was to ensure a future for our people."

Hesitantly, he reached out and brought his right arm over his wife's shoulders. "Our children deserve that future, as will their children and their children's children. That's why I chose to continue fighting and why I choose to believe," he said. "That's why we all chose to continue fighting, and why we all choose to believe."

Relaxing toward her husband's warmth, Chigusa slowly fell into his side embrace, closing her eyes in resignation. "…I hope we know what we're doing Kaname," was all she could say after a brief period of silence. "Putting all of our hopes and dreams into that boy."

Ohgi nodded, inhaling the scent of Chigusa's short silvery hair, which she wore in a bob cut these days. "So do I Chigusa," he answered as they both continued to gaze toward the dark horizon. "So do I."


"Goddammit!" Tamaki hollered across the mess hall as the vidscreen displayed the final score. Once again the Fireballs had triumphed in the WNKL semi-finals, complete with their leader Alessandra Dolos doing a victory pose on her Pwytren. "I should have known!"

"Indeed Major," Rai replied with a bemused smile, then reaching out a hand. "That's five hundred you owe me, and I don't take IOUs."

Growling in response, Tamaki could only reach into his trousers to withdraw the appropriate amount of cash. "Goddamn Zero Squadron prick…" he muttered as he handed over the wad.

"Technically he isn't Zero Squadron anymore," Naomi replied as she watched the whole display beside Sugiyama. "Or did you transfer back without us knowing Rai?"

"Not last I checked," Rai replied as he pocketed his winnings, and then looked down over himself. "Nope, I'm still the commander of Raiden Squadron," he then fixed a smirk on the loser of the bet. "As well as a repeat obtainer of Major Tamaki's money."

"Which he richly deserves," Kento commented as he took a sip of his drink, earning a dark glare from Tamaki. "Seriously, the Fireballs versus the Thunderbirds? Come on Shinichiro, our youngest could have guessed that one, and she's only four."

"Though our eldest is a fan of 'Hunter' Granger," Naomi murmured in thought. "You think we can get her autograph while…we're…"

Though it was meant for humor, the comment only had the opposite effect in sobering the group; even Rai became silent as he watched the three other knightmare squadron commanders turn deep into thought. All while the vidscreen switched over to sports news commentary, which broadcast throughout the mess hall. Which was fortunately empty, save for the four of them.

"We're really going to do this, aren't we?" Naomi finally spoke up as her husband reached his arm around her and drew her close. "Storm the enemy capital."

Rai nodded. "To liberate our long lost leader, yes," he confirmed. "And put the fear of a very angry god into the Britannians along the way."

"And possibly get ourselves killed in the process," Kento dryly commented as he took another drink with his opposite arm.

Rai merely shrugged at that. "It was bound to happen sooner or later."

"Besides, we're going to rescue my buddy, you know?" Tamaki staunchly added. "I say it's for a good cause!"

It took a bit of effort for the Sugiyamas to keep from rolling their eyes. Even after all this time, Tamaki still referred to Zero as his "buddy". In spite of past evidence to the contrary of course. "Nobody here is saying it isn't worth it Shinichiro," Naomi pointed out. "It's just that this reeks of a suicide mission. We're about to storm the most heavily defended city on the planet."

"The Wings of Talleyrand got in easily enough," Rai helpfully pointed out.

"And they were completely wiped out," Kento shot back. "Besides, they staged an air raid. We're going in with knightmares."

"Which I doubt they'll expect," Rai answered, taking a sip of his own drink. "Any more than they would account for the Black Knights surviving the Devastation. Much less building ourselves up from then."

"Hell yes! We're nothing like we were eight years ago!" Tamaki nearly shouted. "We've become the biggest, most badass army this world has seen yet!"

The other three nodded, albeit hesitantly on Kento and Naomi's part. There was no disagreeing on that; they were nothing like what they were eight years ago. The latter description was self-explanatory as well.

"If anything, we should count ourselves lucky," Rai continued. "We're only the cavalry, whereas it's up to a certain someone else to bust Major Tamaki's 'buddy' out of jail."

Once more another round of nods. Nobody envied Kallen's role in all this. "Speaking of which," Kento spoke up, looking around slightly. "Has anyone seen her? She sort of disappeared after the meeting."

Neither Naomi nor Tamaki could answer that, while Rai shrugged again. "Last I saw her she was returning to her quarters," he explained, then adding in what he knew all too well to be an understatement. "She probably has a lot to think about."


Very much alone in the relative comfort of her personal quarters, Kallen laid upon her bed, stripped down to a yellow tanktop and her underwear in an effort to cool herself while staring at the ceiling. She would have been sleeping, should have been sleeping, but she didn't feel up to it. There was just too much on her mind to even consider sleeping at this point, too many thoughts and memories that spanned all the way back to eight years ago. And so, instead of letting herself drift into the realm of dreams until she was called upon again, Kallen decided to try and alleviate those thoughts.

Shifting a little, she unconsciously rolled to her side, which gave her a good view of one of her room's walls and the picture board that was hung upon it. Aside from a select few of family and comrades, the majority of the pictures were those of her enrollment at Ashford Academy. They were all fairly random shots of friends that had been taken while she was there under the guise of Kallen Stadtfeld, the sickly girl that none except one had ever suspected of being a Japanese resistance fighter. Different situations, different faces, different smiles. One picture, however, stood out from the others, as it was of a certain black haired boy sitting at a lunch table, pen in hand while reviewing some Student Council papers, smiling innocently at the camera.

"Lelouch…" Kallen muttered his name out loud as she took a long, hard look at the picture. Even now in the silence, that boy was the only thing on her mind; not even the prospect of avenging Japan's destruction had as high of a place within her as the subject matter of Lelouch vi Britannia. No, Zero…

Upon the regrouping of the Black Knights after the Devastation of Japan, the first questions that had been asked, even before the ones regarding how they were to move forward, was the identity of the masked man that had led them valiantly. C.C. was very forthcoming in that story, which she only told to the key members of the Black Knights; that the man behind the mask was in fact a Britannian prince cast out from his homeland along with his baby sister and had led the Japanese with a mixed desire of vengeance and justice upon the world.

She had also explained his true power, the magic known only as Geass, and how it was both his greatest weapon and his personal curse, and along with that latter description, the true reason behind Princess Euphemia's mysterious betrayal that day. The reactions were mixed; while Zero's more dedicated supporters such as Ohgi, Tohdoh, Tamaki and Diethard Reid took these revelations in stride, several of them were justifiably furious, whether be it toward Lelouch's being the Eleventh Prince, Geass or both. Some of them wanted to abandon Zero altogether, while others even considered assassinating Lelouch in revenge. A fierce debate followed after that, and Kallen soon found herself to be the only one that had not chosen a side, largely due to the final encounter at Kamine Island.

It was at that point, fortunately, that C.C. made the most decisive argument against the incensed Knights: that whatever action Zero had made, whatever deception he had created, was specifically aimed so that not only were his intentions fulfilled, but also those of his friends and supporters. Indeed, no matter his motives, Zero had never betrayed them and had instead labored tirelessly so that Japan would be liberated, which was what they wanted, all the while also taking steps so that the Britannian hierarchy and those who held dominance suffered from the Black Knights' victories, which was what he wanted. Chiba had attempted to counter those claims by reminding the gathering how their leader abandoned them during the Black Rebellion to pursue his intentions over theirs, but C.C. rebuffed her by pointing out Zero had made sure that they were in victory's reach before departing, and that if it did come down to it being either his desires or those of whom he was fighting for, then Zero's attempt to have the Black Knights join the Special Administration Zone of Japan was proof enough of how far he was willing to go for them. While this didn't change the fact not everything went according to plan, it still said a lot about their leader's character at least.

After that meeting, they all went through a period of slow acceptance of everything Lelouch had done under that black mask. Some took longer than others, but eventually they all came to realize the truth: the only hope the Black Knights had in ever paying the Britannians back for all that they had done was in the very man that began everything. And so here they were, heading deep into the heart of the enemy's land, hoping against hope that they could somehow liberate their leader from the invisible prison that was his false life.

In all truth, Kallen did not know how she really felt about it all, or at least didn't know how to go feeling about it. For the longest time after their last meeting, she wanted to hate Lelouch for lying to her and manipulating her and her countrymen as chess pieces. It was only the natural reaction, and she was sure anyone else in her position would feel the same way. However, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find any hatred within herself for him; she was even able to see the logic of his actions. And it was this feeling in her that led to Kallen's other dilemma.

Even though it had all happened eight years ago, Kallen could still remember the encounter on Kamine Island as if it had happened yesterday. She saw herself standing before the shrine, with Suzaku Kururugi further up facing down the cornered Zero. She could remember the first gunshot when Suzaku asked if she wanted to know Zero's true identity, as well as the splitting of the mask to reveal the face of Lelouch Lamperouge, only to be followed by their inevitable showdown before her. And above all else, Kallen remembered the eerie red glow Lelouch's left eye cast in contrast to its normal purple color, as well as the mysterious winged sigil that shown at its center. It was an image that Kallen would never be able to forget, even if she wanted to.

It had been brought up at the original meeting whether Lelouch had Geassed the Black Knights to be loyal to him and follow his commands. To answer that accusation, C.C. pointed out the fact that they were able to question those commands as well as their very allegiance meant Lelouch had not used his power upon them. The others had been able to accept that fairly easily, but Kallen could not; if Lelouch had not used Geass on her, then how was she able to look into his left eye without being influenced? She had confronted C.C. in private on the subject, and while the immortal girl did say it was possible that Lelouch had used it on her, she doubted that her partner would demand absolute obedience out of Kallen, because aside from the already given reasons, "it wasn't his style". Even so, that still left doubts in Black Knight ace over what command he could have given her.

With that thought in mind, Kallen rolled over to the opposite side, now facing away from the picture. As she began to finally drift to sleep, the ace took one last look within her heart and soul. And again, for everything that Lelouch had done she still couldn't bring herself to hate him, even when she had all the reasons to; in fact, the very image of him in her mind caused her chest to tighten in reaction, such that she subconsciously reached a hand up and enclosed it around the fabric of her top to try alleviate the sensation. While she was far from idolizing him and only him as she had during the initial days of the Black Knights, she knew in absolution that she had no hatred towards him. Instead, for all her confusion about how she really felt, there were somethings she was most sure of: she wanted to see him again, and even more than that, she wanted to free him and return him to the man he was. The man that had saved them and given them purpose. The man that had saved her and given her hope.

For that, Kallen would walk straight into the lair of her enemies, even at the risk of losing everything in the process.