AN: First one in a while to turn out this long.

Ryuto: Well, KT Suzaku's not fully aware of the Ragnarok Connection. In his mind (because KT Lelouch came to the conclusion that it was Charles who killed Nunnally), next one on the chopping block is logically gonna be Charles, the man who set everything in motion. Though, that's not the reason he became a Knight of the Round.

Guest: We're working on the rest bit, but I do plan on introducing a certain... Geass Order player into the match, that I think will cause some turmoil that may or may not play into Peace Mark. I don't know about the Wings of Talleyrand.

ryder77: Well, C.C's regeneration was stated (in the movies, both sub and dub) that C's world constructs spare body parts, and whenever C.C gets damaged, C's world replaces them. I remember this vividly, because I thought it was stupid for a couple of reasons. Firstly, if C's world is replacing body parts, then how does V.V get fatigued enough for Charles to come in and take his code? In fact, how would the Mao situation even threaten C.C, if her body parts are just replaced, which should've allowed her to kill Mao as he was gloating (the only explanation I thought of why she couldn't heal fast in that instance, was because she was fatigued from searching for him in the past few days, which lowered her healing factor). That's why, I'm making the creative decision to go against that. Obviously, that doesn't explain the talking head, but it was mostly for comedic purposes.

FlashDevil: He's a very distant relative to the main Sameragi household, with his family breaking off to live in Britannia, while the main line stayed in Japan. If you're asking about Sakuya and Rai meeting? That will only happen if the two characters who interest me the most in Roze, turn out to be a part of a certain elite organization within Britannia. Otherwise? It'll probably just be Rai and Kaguya have a one-off interaction.

Chapter 83: Magic Girl Attack

Kirihara Estate. March 21st. 8:00AM

"Magic girl, pow!" Euphemia shouted as she waved a stick around the room, wearing a pink kimono. In the background, a magical-girl themed anime played on their T.V, clearly the source of their new-found excitement.

"Magic girl, pop!" Lila added while waving her own stick, wearing a yellow kimono.

"Magic girl… kazam!" Nunnally added as she shot a bubble gun, causing her sisters to giggle as they ran around the room, trying to escape the soapy substance.

That's when Taizo abruptly entered the room, only for a bubble to pop directly into his eye, causing him to stumble back where Sayoko quickly caught him, "Are you okay, Kirihara-San?" the maid asked while helping him up.

"I'm fine!" the old man complained while brushing himself off, "I'm not that old, you know?"

"S-sorry about that!" Euphemia apologized with a bow, "Were we being too loud?"

Lila joined her in bowing, and sensing the tenseness of the situation, Nunnally did as well, "We're sorry."

Taizo felt like his head was going to burst with rage, but for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to get angry at these girls, "It's… fine." he muttered, "Breakfast it ready, so come to the dining area."

"Thank you." the girls said simultaneously as he walked away.

"Maybe I am getting angrier with age." Taizo thought to himself while opening the sliding door to a flat room, where five trays of food were placed on a kneeling table. Naturally, he sat at the head of the table on a purple cushion, looking over the meal consisting of rice, one egg, leeks, and pork.

Not long after, the girls, including Sayoko who sat Nunnally, joined him at the table, "Thank you for the meal." they all said before chowing down.

"Japanese culture is so much fun." Euphemia commented while trying to pick up her chopsticks, only to fumble them. However, she didn't grow discouraged, and instead grabbed them once more, this time gripping them awkwardly while trying to eat her rice.

"If I may." Sayoko walked over to the Princess, and corrected her hold.

"Ah. Thank you so much." she responded with a beaming smile.

"Um…" Lila gained the attention of the maid, "Can I… get some help too?" her face was a light shade of pink out of embarrassment.

Of course, Sayoko didn't mind, and did the same for her. "Well, I'm glad you girls are enjoying your time here." Taizo tried to strike up a conversation while mixing his egg with the rice.

"Mhm. Those shows you gave us were pretty cool! Especially that magical-girl one!" Lila replied while waving her chopsticks around like a wand, "Pow!"

"Pop!" Euphemia joined in.

"Boom!" Nunnally tried to reach her hand up, only fell backwards, much to her sister's amusement.

Taizo sighed as he immediately regretted such an action, regardless of how cute their display was, "By the way, Euphie." Nunnally caught her sister's attention as she helped her up, "Didn't you say Cornelia was going to join us the other day? What happened to that?"

"Hm? Nellis did say that, right? Maybe she got lost."

That's when they heard their host snicker, "My apologies, but just thinking about the famed 'Witch of Britannia' getting lost in a forest is very… amusing."

Euphemia joined with a giggle, "You're right. Honestly, I can't see it. So, maybe she just forgot."

"Doubt that." Nunnally picked up a piece of pork, before combining it with some rice, "There's no way she'd forget you. That is… if she hasn't changed from back then."

"Oh, don't worry. She might be a bit rougher, but she's still the same Nellis underneath."

"Then…" Lila raised her chopsticks, and proclaimed, "It sounds like she's lost! You know what that means, right?" her sisters eagerly awaited the final piece of her statement, "It means the Magical-Girls must come to the rescue!"

Nunnally gasped with excitement, "An adventure!? Can we?"

"Why not?" Euphemia held her sisters lovingly, "We can go outside, right?" she looked toward Taizo, who merely waved his hand dismissively.

"Just don't go too far out. Okay?" he suddenly got a…playful idea, "After all… they say this forest is haunted, you know?"

"H-haunted?" Lila shivered, causing her chopsticks to drop, "R-really?"

"Yes." Taizo leaned back, "Luckily, we have the premises protected by a ring of talisman, warding off evil spirits. As long as you don't go past them, you'll be safe."

"Yeah right." Euphemia pointed at the old man, "There's no such thing as ghosts! You can't fool me!"

"Then… why are you trembling?" Nunnally asked innocently while holding her sister's hand.

The pink-haired Princess quickly retreated, "Um… it's nothing! Just a little cold!" she then stood up after finishing her meal, "Get ready, Magical-Girls! Our first mission is… find Cornelia, and bring her to Kirihara estate."

The old man sighed while taking careful bites of his food, "Just don't cause too many problems, please."

"We won't." the girls responded as they left the room.

"You're not gonna accompany them?" Taizo asked as Sayoko continued to enjoy her meal.

"You already know the answer to that." the maid calmly responded while putting down her chopsticks, "Thank you for letting Nunnally stay here."

"It's no trouble. Though, they are quite the handful, aren't they?"

"Don't worry, I'll keep track of them." Sayoko headed for the door, before bowing, "We'll be back later."

5 miles from the Kirihara Estate.

Cornelia rose from the back of the car seat, pushing herself off Guilford as he seemed to sleep soundly beneath her. She exited the car, and gazed upon the seemingly endless forest before her, "Guilford."

With a simple call, the Knight bolted out of the car, and stood at attention, "Yes, my lady?"

"Have you got our bearings yet?"

"No." he bowed, "My apologies, but the directions given weren't… clear."

They didn't want to admit it, but they were lost.

"We can't tell Darlton about this, or Euphie." she stretched her arms, "Understand?"

"Yes, Princess. I'll start the car."

Cornelia got back in the car, and began looking at the map. However, with no clear landmarks near them, she ended up holding it upside down, thinking they were north of where they had to go. "I still can't believe this happened." she tapped her foot on the floor as her Knight began driving up the road. Her eyes wandered out the window, where a low mist had captured the dense forest in a chokehold.

"Worry not, Princess. We'll get there." Guilford reassured her while heading the completely wrong way.

3 miles from the Kirihara Estate.

Euphemia hummed the theme song of the anime they were watching earlier while pushing Nunnally's wheelchair along a dirt path. "Ah, the Forest is so pretty, isn't it?"

"Yeah." the innocent Princess took in a deep breath, "And it smells good too. Like… mhm… I don't know how to describe it."

"Maybe refreshing is the right word?" Lila suggested while stomping on some crisp leaves.

"Oh. What's that?" Euphie pointed at a small stone pedestal with a buddha.

"Ah!" Lila held onto Nunnally, "It's… it's… the talisman Taizo warned us about!" she began trembling with fear, "If we go past that point… the gh-gh-ghost will-"

"It's okay." the innocent Princess began caressing her little sister's head lovingly, "If there are any ghosts out here, I'll protect you."

"Y-you will?" Euphmemia suddenly interjected while hiding behind her wheelchair, then she cleared her throat, "I mean, you don't have to worry about such a thing. After all, the older siblings should always protect the younger ones. So, let me lead the way." she directed Lila to push Nunnally's chair, "Follow me!" she grabbed a stick and began waving it around like a wand, warding off evil spirits with a smile.

Sayoko stealthily watched the group from a tree with a smile, "Perhaps I should give them a few hints…"

Soon, the girls came across another pedestal, this time, there was a piece of paper that Euphemia eyed suspiciously, "Wh-what do you think this is?"

"I don't know." Lila added while pushing Nunnally forth, then she gasped, "Ah! It's another one of those talisman, isn't it? We shouldn't take it. What if those evil spirits it wards off come after us?"

From above, Sayoko facepalmed, "Maybe I should've labeled it."

Regardless, it was too late now, so she had to think of something. Though, before she could move to egg the girls on, Nunnally asked, "What does it look like?"

Lila tilted her head in confusion, "It… looks like a normal piece of paper? But it's leaning against the statue."

"It doesn't have any writing on it?"

"N-no…"

"Then it should be okay."

"How do you know?" Euphemia asked while hesitantly moving to the pedestal.

"Well… I don't remember much from my time at the Kururugi shrine, but I know that the monks there had to write talismans on special pieces of paper. From what I heard, they wrote Japanese symbols on them to ward off demons, and such."

"D-demons!?" Lila stuttered.

Euphemia looked back at the paper, "I mean… it looks normal." she grabbed the sheet and quickly ran back to her sisters, as if trying to avoid something. Once she was a safe distance, she opened it, "Ah. It's in English."

"What does it say?"

"It's… directions to the witch of the forest?" she gasped, "Wait… it says the power of three magical-girls are needed to defeat her!"

"That's us!" Lila shouted enthusiastically.

"We have to head north until we reach the next pedestal."

"But, which way is north?" Nunnally asked while tilting her head.

Euphemia looked at the end of the article, "It says… the direction the moss is facing… points north." she turned to a nearby tree, where moss was present, "Ah! Look!"

"So… we head that way?" Lila asked.

"Seems like it!"

Sayoko watched as the girls proudly marched north, feeling a sense of adventure coursing through their bodies, "Good thing the moss around here does grow on the north side." the Ninja moved from tree-to-tree, quickly making her way to the location she last saw Cornelia and Guildford.

8 miles from the Kirihara estate.

"Ugh!" Cornelia groaned as she flipped her map upside down, "Guilford, we've been heading the wrong way this whole time." she looked toward Mount Fuji, and lined herself up with it, "Damn it. We have to go back."

"Yes, my lady." Guilford turned the car around, and continued down the dirt road.

"I hate Area Eleven." she muttered to herself as the car hit a few bumps, "Why couldn't Euphie have just stayed with me instead?"

"Perhaps… she seeks an escape?"

"What?" Cornelia questioned her Knight's words, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well… it's no secret that Princess Euphemia doesn't enjoy conflict, much less the inevitable death that comes with it. Isn't that the main reason why she didn't join us in Area Eighteen?"

"No. She didn't join us because I didn't want to put her in danger."

"Regardless, it's not something she's a fan of." Guilford quickly recovered as he took a curve, kicking up a few leaves as the car silently traversed the landscape, "So, she probably came to Area Eleven to spend time with Lila, someone who shares similar beliefs about violence."

"What are you trying to get at?" Cornelia asked while crossing her legs, "Because I'm talking about why didn't she choose to stay with me while the Viceroy Palace is being reconstructed. I know why she came here."

"But they're intertwined, my lady."

"Explain."

Guilford pushed up his glasses, "Perhaps she wants to further immerse herself in Eleven culture, that way she can better understand, and help them, similar to what Lila wants."

The Princess raised an eyebrow, "Well… that does sound like something Euphie would want. Even so, she's not able to see the harm it could cause her by associating with these… animals. If it wasn't for Schneizel's intervention, then who knows what would've happened to them?"

"That's an excellent point, Princess. But, it's Euphemia and Lila's decision to stay here. If you want to try and convince them, then I'll support you no matter what."

"Thank you." Cornelia leaned back.

Around the bend, Sayoko switched the signs at a crossroads, having the 'Kirihara Estate' sign pointing toward the lake, while the other pointed vice-versa. Just as the Knight rounded the corner, the Ninja disappeared.

"Good news, Princess. We're almost there." the Knight stated while taking the path on the right, "You'll be seeing your sisters soon."

5 miles from the Kirihara Estate.

"Look! Another note!" Lila ran toward the pedestal, and eagerly snatched the paper away as Euphemia pushed Nunnally. "It says… the final battle is approaching! Face the pedestal and turn right toward the lake, there you'll find the witch of the forest!"

The pink-haired Princess giggled as she watched her sister prepare the bubblegun from this morning in her lap, "Let's go defeat the witch then!" the trio began heading toward the lake. Though, Euphemia seemed aware that someone had set this up for them, "The only question is… who? Would Taizo really set up a game like this? Or maybe it's Sayoko? But why would she do that? She doesn't seem like that kind of woman."

Eventually, they reached the lake, where in the distance, Cornelia and Guilford were looking over a map on the hood of their car. "It looks like we made a wrong turn at that crossroad." the Princess muttered as she clenched her fist, "Damn that Eleven, I bet he switched the signs on purpose to make fun of us."

"Look, it's Nellis!" Euphemia whispered as she pushed Nunnally behind a tree, "And she's wearing… khaki shorts?" she snickered as she noticed how… outdoorsy her sister's outfit was.

Along with the shorts, Cornelia wore a purple short sleeved shirt with a hiking hat, and outdoor boots. It was certainly a change from her normal attire. "We should totally surprise her."

Lila nodded eagerly as Nunnally clenched her bubble gun, "What do you suggest?"

"Guilford." Cornelia muttered while looking at the lake, "You see it too?"

"Yes, my Lady." the Knight saw out of the corner of his eye, the back of a wheelchair sticking out from behind a tree, "We're being watched."

"Think they would really try something?"

"It's certainly a possibility." Guilford handed the Princess her pistol, "What shall we do?"

"You stay here, and I'll sneak behind them."

"As you wish."

Cornelia silently ran right, before flanking the wheelchair from behind. Once she got close, she aimed her pistol at the back of it, and looked at the owner, "Don't move, or I'll-" upon seeing who she was threatening, dozens of memories for her and Euphemia's childhood flooded her mind, leaving only one name to grace her tongue, "Nunnally?"

"Boom!" the innocent Princess pointed her bubble gun at Cornelia, shooting a cute stream of bubbles that floated past her frozen face.

Suddenly, Euphemia and Lila ran up behind her, and began poking her with their sticks, "Attack!" the former ordered, much to Guilford's surprise, as he walked in on a frozen witch of Britannia, who stared aimlessly at the girl before her.

"Is that really you…" she muttered while kneeling at Nunnally's side, holstering her gun, "Nunnally…"

"Are you surprised-oh." the innocent Princess felt her sister's arms wrap around her, much to Euphemia's laughter.

"Euphie…" Cornelia turned to her sister, "How is she…"

"It's a long story. Let's head back to the estate. We'll explain there."

"Then allow me to lead the way." Sayoko appeared out of nowhere, taking everyone by surprise, including Guilford, who was certain nobody else was around. "Let me drive, please."

The Knight turned to Euphemia, who nodded in response, so he reluctantly handed the keys over to the Maid.

Area 6

Schneizel sighed as his forces flooded through the town of Rio, aiming to completely obliterate the numbers who had taken it hostage. His eyes were fixated on his tablet, which showed the current camera feed to the Kirihara estate, where Cornelia and her sisters discussed Nunnally's return. To say it intrigued him would be an overstatement, because he couldn't care less. Sure, it surprised him at first, but her existence doesn't serve to aid his plans. However, he did find something… convenient about Nunnally, "I know Uncle hitched a ride on the Avalon to Area Eleven, yet no matter how much I ask, he won't tell me why. Although, I think with the appearance of Nunnally, I've vaguely figured it out."

"Prime Minister." a crew member interrupted his thoughts, "Their leader, known as Zero is offering surrender."

"Kill them all." Schneizel replied heartlessly, "That time has passed."

"But… what if this is the real Zero?"

The Prince sighed, "This is the sixth 'Zero' we've come across. Considering how their commander acts, I know for certain that isn't him. So, kill them all."

"Yes, my lord." the man responded before returning to his post.

"Anyway, from what I've heard, Uncle was seen boarding the Gawain by the mechanics. Of course, nobody stopped him as he informed them it was under my orders." he rubbed his temple, "I'm gonna have to change that. Regardless, he boarded the Gawain, and conveniently, Luciano headed toward Ashford Academy, when I told him to provide support for our main force. It was almost as if someone told him otherwise…" he leaned back, shifting in his seat with an emotionless expression, "And while I don't have direct proof that Nunnally was the reason for uncle heading to Ashford, it's the only possible reason, especially since it seems he's failed. Which would correlate to the bad mood he had before leaving for Pendragon. But where does that leave Lelouch? Could it be that he died fighting uncle off? If that's the case, then that opens more questions than answers."

"Schneizel." Kanon called, "We've successfully eliminated the terrorist's presence at Rio."

"Excellent. Then we'll RTB. Tell the 56th mechanized unit that they've earned the rest of the week off."

"I'm sure they'll be very grateful." his assistant bowed, before approaching the captain as Schneizel left to his cabinet. "For now, I suspect Uncle went to Ashford Academy, trying to retrieve Nunnally for something. Regardless of whether he killed Lelouch or not is irrelevant. He needs Nunnally, which if he and Father are working together for that 'better world', then it directly opposes what I'm trying to create. So, I'll keep Nunnally's location to myself for now."

Kirihara Estate.

"I'm… so sorry." Cornelia hugged Nunnally tenderly, "After everything you two went through, Lelouch didn't deserve such a fate. You should've been able to live a life of peace with your brother."

"It's okay…" the Princess held her sister tightly, burying her face into the shirt, "I just… it's a lot to process."

"I know… take as much time as you need." Cornelia caressed the back of her head, "I'm here for you. Just like Lila and Euphie."

"How long will you stay in Area Eleven?"

"I don't know. If more uprisings happen around the world, I might be dispatched soon."

Euphemia groaned with frustration, "Awe… but I really wanted to show you around Japan!"

Cornelia sighed, "And you still can show me around Area Eleven." she subtly corrected her sister, "I'm just telling you, that if I'm called upon by my country to serve, I'll be obligated to answer."

Lila clasped her hands, "Ah! I know. How about we play Magical-girls, with Nellis being the witch?"

"W-witch!?" Cornelia gasped, "And… Magical-girls? Just what the hell is that?"

"Does it matter?" Euphemia grabbed a 'wand' off the table, and began waving it around, "Here's how it's gonna go, the story is that you've kidnapped Nunnally, one of our members, and it's up to Lila and I to save her!"

The tiny Princess grabbed her own 'wand' and stood up, "That sounds like a great idea!" she pointed her weapon at Cornelia, "Witch Cornelia! How dare you kidnap Nunnally! We'll bring you to justice with our magical power!"

Cornelia sighed, "Hey, I'm not really interested in playing such childish games-"

Suddenly, Nunnally began squirming in her arms, "Save me! I need your help to defeat the evil witch!"

"Oh come on. Not you too, Nunnally."

The two Princesses began running around their sisters as while waving their sticks around playful. Just outside the door, Guilford and Sayoko overheard the interaction, as well as Cornelia's disgruntled complaints as she kept getting bonked on the head with sticks.

Ports just outside of Tokyo Settlement. March 20th. 12:58AM.

"Come on, Benio!" a woman dragged her daughter across the war torn battlefield, keeping their heads as low as possible, "We have to get as far away from the city as possible!"

Benio's father helped his daughter over a large rock and kept moving. Once the battle began, they were at the dead center of Tokyo Settlement, and due to the fighting, it was extremely difficult for them to navigate out safely. However, they finally did it. Or so they thought.

"Secure the perimeter!" a Burai announced as it unknowingly cut them off, "Go! Go! Go!" he directed a convoy through a clearing, with dozens of Knightmare's following suit.

Eventually, they came under fire by a group of Britannian Sutherlands, and Benio's family was forced to take cover, lest they risk getting gunned down, "Keep moving!"

The convoy eventually made it through as the Burais pushed right up to the building where Benio's family was hiding, "You Eleven's don't give up!" a Sutherland reached into its hip, pulling out a chaos mine.

"Oh shit! Take cover!" a Burai tried to retreat, but it was too late as the projectile hovered just above their position, raining down seemingly endless amounts of shrapnel, destroying the building, and obliterating the Knightmares.

Once the smoke cleared, Benio found herself covered in blood, with a large pool of the substance seeping from underneath a piece of rubble that fell from the collapsing building. The only thing that indicated someone was underneath it, was the hand that pushed Benio to safety. "Momma…" she cried… "Papa…" tears began falling as she reached for her mother's lifeless hand.

However, the war didn't stop. "Move up! Hit their sub with the rifle!"

A Sutherland carrying an anti-KMF rifle moved past Benio, while its partner stopped to look at the girl, "Firing!" the first shot went off in the background just as Benio's assailant activated his anti-personnel machine gun.

"What the hell? They have a-"

Before the Sutherland could finish his sentence, a Sougetsu crashed into it, pushing the Knightmare into the water. Then, the Sutherland that was about to kill Benio turned around, only to get destroyed by the Guren, who sliced it in half with its fork knife. The color red engrained itself within Benio's mind while staring at the majestic machine as it flipped its knife around, "Tamaki, start loading your squad onto the subs. We'll take care of the Sutherlands for now." Kallen voice called over the intercom.

"Fine." the Japanese man responded as she jumped into action. Though, once he caught sight of Benio, he stopped dead in his tracks.

As if he was deciding what to do, the man stared at her for a good minute. It wasn't until Mario called, "Tamaki! Get moving!"

"I said fine!" the man shouted while still keeping an eye on the girl. Then, the sound of something slamming in his cockpit caught her attention, "Son of a-" he knelt down and gently took her into his arms, "Sorry about your parents, kid." he muttered while speeding toward the sub, holding her close, "It's gonna be alright."

"Tamaki!" Mario shouted while waiting by the hatch.

"I'm here." the Japanese man hopped in, and thanks to the black-haired boys vision being doubled, he couldn't see what was being smuggled in. Once he dropped into the sub, dozens of Black Knights rushed around the cargo hold, desperately strapping anything that wasn't already bolted down. Tamaki jumped out of his frame and covertly retrieved Benio, before running her to the infirmary, which was vacant at this point. Thanks to the chaos, he once again went unnoticed. He placed the girl on a bed, and began pacing around the room, muttering, "Fuck… fuck… what am I doing?"

Meanwhile, Benio stared at him with a doe-eyed look, almost like she was completely detached from reality. "Hey…" he snapped his finger in her face, only for the girl to be unresponsive, "Shit… did I traumatize her?" he paced around the room faster, running his fingers through his hair, "Damn it. Why am I doing this?"

Suddenly, Mario entered the room, and this time, he had a clear picture of who Tamaki brought it, "What the-Who's this?"

"Gah!? Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Maya insisted I come here to get my eye checked." the boy walked up to Benio, who continued staring at the wall emotionlessly, "Tamaki, did you…"

"I didn't do anything! I just… saw her." the man rubbed his face, "Look, I don't know what happened to her, but she was covered in blood, and nobody was around. So… I thought the people she was with were-"

"Dead?" Mario finished his sentence while wetting a towel with water.

"Y-yeah…"

The boy cleaned the blood off her face, "Well… I'll have Zero deal with this."

"We can't just kick her out!"

"Why are you so intent on saving her?"

"Why aren't you!? Aren't we the Black Knights? Defenders of the weak? We can't just kick a defenseless girl out into the battlefield!"

"That's not what I meant." Mario tossed the towel in the sink, "You're right, we can't kick her out, and we probably won't. But Tamaki, I need you to answer me, why did you save her? And don't just say, 'it was the right thing to do'."

"Do I really have to answer that!?" the Japanese man retorted, "I saw someone in need, and I saved them. What's the problem?"

"It's just… not something I'd ever see you doing."

Tamaki looked to the side, "Yeah… well… I didn't either. My body just reacted."

"So you genuinely don't know why?"

"No."

Mario sighed and turned to Benio, "Well… our doctor will be here any minute, so they'll take care of her." he took a seat on the cot next to hers, "You gonna stay here?"

Tamaki took a stool, and sat down, "I… I think so."

The two sat in silence as the girl continued staring at the wall aimlessly, "Tamaki. What you did today. It was… very mature."

The Japanese man clenched and unclenched his fist, "Th-thanks…"

Present Day.

Benio woke up in a cold sweat as she finally broke out of her nightmare. She quickly took in her surroundings, and realized that she was in a hospital room, with yellow flowers sitting on the windowsill. "Wh-where am I?" she wondered while shakily getting out of bed. Her mouth opened to speak, only for no words to come out, "Water… I need water…"

She hobbled to the door frame, where a bit of light seeped through the cracks. Benio slowly opened the door just as a doctor passed by, "Ah. You can't be walking around, okay?" he tried to gently guide the girl back to her bed, only for her to freak, and dash out the room.

Benio ran through the hall barefoot, feeling the cold tile against her feet as she reached a large check-in area. There, Zero, Kallen, Naoto, Tamaki, and Rakshata were speaking to the owner of the hospital. "Hey, what are you doing up?" Tamaki approached the girl slowly, to which she froze in place. "It's okay… nobody's here to hurt you."

Lelouch watched the interaction from within his mask, before turning back to the owner, "So, they'll be safe here?"

"Correct, Mr. Zero. You can trust us to take care of your men." the owner responded.

"Thank you." he turned to Rakshata and nodded, "Tamaki, we're heading back."

"R-right."

Naoto stayed silent as his friend helped the girl back to her room, still anxious to listen to the tapes he got from Tamaki. However, he couldn't be able to do so until the morning, as nobody had a player for him to use, meaning he had to find one on his own time. Luckily, the Black Knight's had just gotten set up, so all he had to worry about now, was getting a good night of sleep. Or at least that's what he was trying to tell himself.

Of course, his mood didn't go unnoticed, as Kallen had figured out from Lelouch the fate of Ohgi and Naomi. And, while she didn't necessarily agree with Ohgi on everything, in this timeline and the last, it's not like she wanted him to die for it. Hell, she wasn't even expecting him to die in the first place, and hiding her shock was nearly impossible, as Lelouch immediately called her out on it. Naomi, on the other hand, wasn't someone who she was particularly close with. However, Lelouch made her aware of the relationship Naoto and the woman had, thus connecting the dots on why he was so impacted by her death.

Kallen wanted to say something to comfort her brother, but no matter how much she thought, the words never seemed to come out as intended. So, in the end, she chose to not say anything. Instead, binding her lips to silence, waiting for the right moment.

The group arrived at the warehouse the Black Knights were staying at for the time being. Much like their old warehouse, the catwalk overhead had a room completely dedicated to their leader, which was already filled with his things, which he brought in personally from the sub. Lelouch made sure the black-out curtains were secured, before taking off his mask, resting it on the table, "I didn't know India could be so hot." he muttered while turning on a fan, "Pretty sure the Middle East was cooler."

"I'd say… this is more humid." Kallen replied while wearing loose clothing, "I'd say the Middle East was more… sizzling heat, which we normally dealt with by being in our Knightmare's."

"Maybe you're right." Lelouch took off his Zero outfit, and put on a white dress shirt, "Luckily, Sayoko packed some of the more… useful items before the Clubhouse was destroyed."

"Speaking of which." Kallen wrapped her arms around her boyfriend as he laid in bed, "What are you going to do about Nunnally?"

"I'll call her later." Lelouch answered with a yawn, "If Sayoko did as instructed, which I believe she has, then she'll know I'm alive. But, I want to call just for reassurance."

The red head smiled while pressing herself against his back, "That's… good. I'm sure Nunna will appreciate it." she played with his hair lightly, trying to relieve her own stress, while taking away his, "By the way, how are you feeling?"

That's when the Prince slightly shuttered, "I… I'm fine."

"Liar." Kallen whispered softly, "Tell me, what's on your mind?"

Finally, Lelouch turned around, and looked her in the eyes, "Can we… talk about this later? I just… we're both tired, and I think it'd be better if we had this with clear minds."

The red head wanted to push a bit more, but realized that rest is what they needed now. So, she regrettably yielded by kissing her boyfriend on the lips, "Alright. We'll talk in the morning then?"

"How about in the afternoon? That way, we won't have the pressure of getting everyone settled in on our minds."

"You're just trying to avoid the talk for as long as possible."

Lelouch chuckled while turning around, "Maybe."

"Whatever, Mr. Aloof." Kallen teased while nestling into his neck, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Ms. Lioness."

The red head playfully pinched his side at the comment, before drifting off to sleep, where she could finally relax in full. "Yo." a cold, loveless voice called, causing Kallen's eyes to shoot open. Her eyes quickly scanned the red-tinted room, only to find one, bloody man sitting at the center, holding his katana firmly in one hand, "Long time no see." Suzaku added while sheathing his blade, "Wanna talk?"

AN: Mostly just a cutesy chapter to show what the Princesses will be going through while the Black Knights are recovering. We might get one more of these later, but for now we'll shift toward the Black Knight perspective. Also, I forgot to hit the Benio plot point during the Black Rebellion, so I just wanted to give a bit of context to how she's here.