AN:

DarkDremora: Surpsingly, you understood a lot more than I thought I managed to convey, though there is one detail that's wrong. But I'm not gonna say which, since I'll answer it with due time.

ryder77: I am going to use him, not because I want to expand on his story, but for the simple fact that he's a Knight of the Round. Does that mean Sakuya may make a cameo? Maybe.

Guest: Yes, the Knight of Five will appear.

The First Oracle: I had half a thought about KT Lelouch appearing. But the mental gymnastics to make it happen probably aren't worth it, though there is a way for him to appear.

Chapter 85: War Games

March 24th. 8:00AM. Black Knight Warehouse. Chennai, India.

"Zero." a Black Knight approached holding a clipboard, "I've got that report on our munitions like you asked."

Naoto watched the interaction in the background, wiping his brow with relief, "Luckily, Lelouch and Kallen snuck back into the office last night." he approached Tohdoh, who was meditating by the water. "I'm here for my first lesson."

"Take a seat." the man responded while keeping his eyes closed. Once the Kozuki did, he began, "Naoto, have you ever meditated before?"

"I mean… I've tried getting into sometimes. But… it's never really stuck." he leaned back, "I just have better things to do."

"Oh?" Tohdoh raised an eyebrow, "Well, now you have all the time in the world, don't you?"

Sensing he said something wrong, Naoto hesitated, "Um… I guess?"

His new sensei took a deep breath, "To become a successful general, one must be able to keep a clear mind at all times. First, take in the scenery, and understand it."
Naoto did as asked as Lelouch stared at them from afar, "Okay. Now what?"

"I said take in the scenery."

"I'm doing that." the Kozuki's eyes scanned the ocean, noticing two seagulls flying overhead, "But what's the point?"

"The point? It's just to understand. Once you've done that, close your eyes, and focus on the waves."

"Sounds like a load of bologna." the Prince shrugged while returning to his duties.

Naoto closed his eyes, letting out a deep sigh while trying his best to concentrate on the waves. That's when Tohdoh added, "Straighten your back." he obediently followed, "Push those shoulders back." Naoto felt like a toddler being taught how to sit properly. Nevertheless, he had immense respect for the Miracle Worker, so he did as told, "Chin up." Naoto's chin met the sky, "A little lower."

Finally, the Kozuki opened his eyes, "Hey, how are you meditating if you're teaching me?"

"I'm just correcting your posture." Tohdoh closed his eyes, facing the sea, "It's called, discipline. It's vital toward a healthy training regime. After all, if you have no discipline, you won't have any reason to follow the formula you've laid out."

Naoto sighed, "R-right." he perfected his posture, trying to empty his mind, only to find it easier said than done.

Tohdoh could hear his student shifting, letting out low grunts as he tried his best to follow instructions. "Kozuki."

"Y-yes?"

"Not you." the Miracle Worker turned to Kallen, who had taken a seat next to her brother, "I'm talking to you."

"Am I interrupting your session?" the red head asked while kicking her feet over the edge like a kid, "Still… for someone whose eyes are closed, you sure see a lot."

"Can you give us a moment?" Tohdoh asked, without acknowledging her statement, "Once our meditation session is over, I'll need your help."

Kallen nodded, slightly intrigued by the prospect, "Alright. Call me over whenever."

In the background, Clara played marbles with Rolo, who was confidently winning, much to her frustration. "You're cheating!" she shouted as he knocked out two of her marbles with a single shot.

"How can I cheat at marbles, stupid?"

She grabbed him by the collar, and muttered, "You're using Geass."

"You gave me the order to never do that. So, checkmate." the boy responded bluntly while collecting his prize. "It's your turn."

"I see you're as lively as ever." Lelouch startled the two, "You know… when I gave you control over Rolo, I never thought you'd… use him in such a way."

"What? It's nice having your childhood friend around, right, buddy?" she pulled Rolo close for a one-armed hug, much to his displeasure.

"I hate you with every atom of my being." he proclaimed while pulling away, "You've literally enslaved me, and now you want to be my friend?"

"So ungrateful. I could just kill you now, you know?"

"I would much prefer that."

"Shut up." she commanded, causing Rolo to instantly straighten up, "Everything's under control." she gave the Prince a thumbs up, to which he suspiciously narrowed his eyes underneath his mask.

"I'm starting to regret my decision to put him under your care."

"Oh, come on!" Clara stood up, wrapping herself around his arm, "You don't mean those words, right? Lulu~"

Suddenly, a spine-tingling feeling trailed up her spin, causing the pink-haired girl to turn around, only to meet the cold eyes of the woman whose territory she was trudging on. Kallen dragged her pouch knife against the concrete, maintaining eye contact with her intruder, "Back off."

Clara slowly unraveled herself from Zero, before taking a seat on the ground, making herself as small as possible to escape her cold gaze, "You've been hanging around C.C too much lately." the Prince commented while quickly checking his surroundings, "Speaking of which… where has she been?"

"Around…"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

The pink-haired girl turned around, "Nothing."

"Now that I think about it… I haven't seen C.C ever since we arrived in India…" now, the Prince was extra suspicious, "Tell me where she is."

"Nuh-uh."

Baffled by her utter childishness, Lelouch pressed on, "What do you mean 'Nuh-uh'? I need to know where she is."

"You'll see soon enough."

"Clara." he grabbed her by the shoulder, "What is C.C up to?" The girl pulled away, holding back a smile, which made him even more annoyed, "Is this some kind of mutiny? Probably not. C.C's probably cooking up some kind of shenanigans to annoy me." he turned to walk away, "Wait… she's already doing that."

Clara watched triumphantly as Zero retreated to the warehouse, "See that?" she turned to Rolo, who sat as straight as an arrow, "That's how you win an argument." However, he didn't respond, instead just staring at her blankly, "Oh. Right. You can talk now." The boy relaxed his posture a bit with an irked expression, much to her displeasure, "Oh. Come on. You don't have to be straight-laced."

Rolo stared her directly in the eye, before turning away, "I hate you."

After 10 minutes, Tohdoh let out a deep breath, "Naoto. I think we're ready to move onto the physical portion of our training."

The Kozuki sighed with relief, instantly standing up to stretch his limbs, "Finally! I didn't think I could handle just sitting there any longer."

Tohdoh made sure to keep track of his student's attitude toward his training, especially the meditation portion. "Kallen." he called the red head over, "I want to gauge your brother's abilities, so will you please spar with him?"

Kallen put a hand on her hip, "Really? Why don't you do it yourself?"

"I'll get a better read on his abilities by watching from afar."

Naoto rubbed the back of his head, "Woah. I can't just fight Kallen, what if I hurt her?"

This caused a large red mark of annoyance to grow on his sisters head, "What did you just say?" she spun her head around, facing him with a nearly deranged look.

He slowly backed away, "Th-that's not what I meant!"

"Oh? Then I implore you to explain." she cracked her knuckles while getting closer.

"I was just… I'm trying to look out for you, okay?" Naoto explained, "I know you're grown enough to take care of yourself, but that won't stop me from worrying."

Kallen's face softened upon hearing her brother's words. Then, her mind wandered to the Nightmare she had the other day, "Damn it. Why's that coming up now?" she shook the feeling, before backing away. "Alright. Let's get to it then."

Tohdoh sighed with relief as the two got into position, "The one whose back touches the ground first, is the loser. Obviously, no vital shots. Other than that, begin."

Naoto stood in a boxing stance while circling his sister, who kept low, making her body as small of a target as possible. Eventually, the wait tired her, so she made the first move, charging in to tackle her brother's legs. In response, he sent out a front kick, which she easily caught, before tossing him away. Before his back could touch the ground, he threw out his hands, using them to backflip to safety.

"Shouldn't there be mats?" Tamaki surprisingly interjected while sitting next to Tohdoh. In fact, there seemed to be quite the crowd growing from watching the fight.

"Do you have mats?"

"Well… last time I checked… no."

"Then that's why I'm not using them." Kallen slammed her leg into her brother's guard, lifting him off the ground slightly, as she followed up with repeated punches that, if he wasn't any stronger, would've surely broken through at this rate, "He's got a great physique. Maybe even the best amongst the Black Knights." the Miracle Worker took notes as the fight went on, "Despite the lack of training, his speed is certainly up there with Kallen, and his sheer strength is no joke." Naoto finally had enough of getting pushed around, and chose to willingly open his guard, by sending a jab toward his sister's chest. However, she dodged at the last moment, grabbing his arm, before lifting him over her shoulder, slamming him to the ground. "Even so… he lacks the proper technique to apply his abilities."

Kallen watched as her brother gasped for air after having it knocked out of his lungs, "You okay?"

"J-just…" he rasped while rolling onto his stomach, "Give me… a second."

She felt bad about hurting him, so to compensate, "Here." her hand extended, with a smile.

"Thanks…" Naoto took her hand, and slowly got up, still feeling the effects from her attack, "Tohdoh… did you get… a good… understanding?" he coughed while walking up to his sensei as the crowd dispersed.

Lelouch watched the spectacle from afar, and got an idea to keep them on their toes. But he needed to set it up, so in the meantime, Tohdoh explained, "Well, your technique needs work. Your physique, on the other hand, is beyond exceptional, so other than just maintaining, we won't need to work on it."

"We're back~" Maya announced as she and Mario approached, "Did you miss us?"

Kallen was first to meet with the siblings, eagerly, "Maya! It's so good to see you." she turned to Mario, who had a bandage around his head, "How's he feeling?"

"You wouldn't believe it, Kally." Maya wiped away fake tears, putting on a show, "The doctors… they said he's not gonna make it." the rest of the group believed her, and began consoling him by patting him on the back.

Upon hearing this, her brother shouted, "Don't listen to her!" he held his head in pain, "They just said I'm gonna have to lay off on the action for now."

"Oh…" all of a sudden, the Black Knights dispersed, seemingly dejected for no reason.

"Well, you don't have to be so happy about it!" Mario complained as they went back to their duties.

"It's good to see you've recovered." Lelouch came out of nowhere, "You can rest inside the warehouse, it's cooler in there."

"You said that." Maya began fanning herself, "I think I hate India now. It's way too hot. Makes me feel gross."

"And where do you think you're going?" the Prince caused her to jump while placing his hand on her shoulder, "We've still got the Main Knightmare's to take care of. Rakshata's given you the honor of taking care of the Guren, Sougetsu's, and Kagero personally."

"Oh come on! My brother's injured, shouldn't I get paternity leave or something?" Maya whined as she was dragged into the warehouse, where the aforementioned Knightmare's were stored.

"Paternity? You're not a man. And even if you were, you don't have a kid."

"What!? Mario's practically my baby brother!"

"I'm not younger than you!" the boy shouted while taking a seat on a crate.

Maya whined even more while climbing into the Guren's cockpit, "Hey… where'd the Gawain and Aroundight go?"

"Rakshata took them to study." Lelouch explained while ticking off a few boxes on his clipboard, "She said, it'll only take a few weeks to reverse engineer, and build her own version of the Float System."

"Woah. That fast? Rakshata sure is something."

"Well, she was already developing a flight system. But now, with the Gawain, the process will be sped up exponentially."

Mario rested his back against the crate, making sure he had correct posture to minimize the pain he was feeling, "What's the plan in the meantime?"

"We've projected at least a six-month break from mainline operations."

"Six months!?" the siblings exclaimed.

"I know, but we need that time to build our strength."

"Aren't you worried about everyone growing rusty?"

The Prince shook his head, "Not if I give them something to prevent that." he flipped a page on his clipboard, before showing it to Mario, "This is what I've got planned for later."

After looking over the details for a few minutes, he looked at Lelouch and asked, "You're seriously going to set this up that fast?"

"It's not that difficult. Though, I will need someone to pick it up."

"Me!" Maya shouted while practically falling out of the Guren, "I'll do it!"

Mario shook his head, "No, I'll do it. She has to repair the Knightmares."

"That can wait!" his sister whined, "This is obviously more important!"

"You don't even know what we're doing."

"Enough." Lelouch commanded, "Both of you can go together. Just don't push yourself too hard, Mario."

"Already got them running errands?" Kallen walked in just as the Disels left.

"They were eager to do it." he responded while trying to walk past her, only to be stopped, "What's wrong?"

"Lelouch…" she whispered, "About the other night…"

"You're still concerned about the nightmare?" the Prince began caressing her cheek while putting a clipboard on a crate, "Remember what I said?"

"It's not that." she rubbed her arm, "I'm talking about… the thing that's bothering you."

"Oh." he picked up his clipboard once more, "We'll talk about it later."

"That's what you said before…" Kallen grabbed his arm, stopping him from leaving, "Lelouch…" she called his name, almost hurt, "Please… can't you just tell me a little? It doesn't have to be the whole thing, that can wait until later. I just… need to know you're still here… with us."

Lelouch took her hand, putting it to her side, "Kallen, I'm just disappointed in myself. That's all."

"About… Japan?"

"Yes. About Japan." he sighed, taking a seat against the crates facing away from the door. Here, he took off his mask, wiping away the built-up sweat on his brow, "We lost. We lost bad. I mean… I've never beaten Schneizel in chess, not even once. However, I never imagined I would lose that bad. I had every advantage, yet it meant nothing."

"You shouldn't be blaming yourself for that." Kallen kneeled at his side, "Schneizel pulled out a bunch of new tech, and barely pushed us back. We were caught between the Chinese Federation and Britannia, yet we got out relatively unscathed."

"Unscathed? Kallen, we lost so much that day. The Black Knights that didn't come with us were left in Japan, where they either fought to the death, or are still operating while being hunted by Britannia." he rubbed his face in frustration, "It's no secret that those who did come with us, are disappointed with the way things are. If it weren't for Naoto, Tamaki, and Tohdoh, I'm pretty sure I'd have to deal with a coup."

The red head leaned her head on his shoulder, "Lelouch… what you did that day was incredible. Sure, you might've lost the battle, but you managed to inspire the rest of the world to rise up against Britannia. We also managed to escape with our lives, giving the Black Knights another chance to face off against Schneizel in the future."

"But if I couldn't beat him that day, where I had all the advantages, then what's to say I'll be able to beat him in the future?"

Kallen caressed his face, "Truth be told… I don't know. Things will be different by then." she pulled back, now making eye contact, "And that's why… I know you'll succeed when the time comes."

Lelouch smiled faintly at his girlfriend's words, "Thank you. Kallen."

She responded by kissing him on the lips, before saying, "But you'll tell me the rest later, right?"

"Y-yeah." he nodded while putting on his mask, returning to his duties as Zero for the day.

4:00PM

Tohdoh and Naoto faced off for the last time as everyone else had returned to the warehouse, where Zero had called them in for an announcement. The two took up a similar stance while circling the other. Eventually, Naoto was the one to make the first move, sending his palm out, only for it to get deflected, and countered by Tohdoh grabbing his collar. The Miracle Worker pulled his opponent close, striking his chest twice, before trying to throw him to the ground. In response, the Kozuki took the two hits, but resisted the throw, by shifting his weight into his sensei.

They separated for a split second, allowing Naoto to get one last hit in before returning to neutral, striking Tohdoh's shoulder. Instead of letting up, the Kozuki pushed forth, grabbing his opponent's arm, before trying to sweep their legs. In response, Tohdoh lifts his heel slightly, stopping his student's foot dead in its tracks, before sending a kick to his abdomen, causing Naoto's back to make contact with the ground.

"Damn…" he muttered while standing up, "Almost had it."

"You've improved greatly." the Miracle Worker straightened his clothes, "However, you still push the attack too hard. Sometimes, you've got to calm down, and observe the situation from a different lens."

"I understand that, but it's kind of difficult to get used to." they began heading toward the warehouse, where the Black Knights were all seated on the floor in front of Zero.

"I can tell. Just from the meditation and spar you had with your sister, you're an upfront type of person." Tohdoh explained, "And while I acknowledge my style isn't for everyone, I think some discipline would be good for you."

Before Naoto could respond, Zero's voice boomed, "Please take a seat, I'm about to begin my full announcement." the two followed orders, sitting toward the front to hear their leader better. To Naoto's left, Kallen sat crisscrossed with Clara, Maya, Rolo, and Mario, who was holding his head almost in a daze. "It's no secret that ever since we lost the battle of Tokyo Settlement, we've been pretty stagnant. And who can blame us? There's nothing we can do until we've fully integrated ourselves within India. Even so, I've come up with a way we can keep our skills sharpened while we await for new opportunities." Mario got up, and moved a crate in front of Zero, which he quickly opened, pulling out a paint gun, "What I'm suggesting… is we have war games at least once a week. That way, when the time comes for us to head back into action, we won't have forgotten our command structure, and our skill shouldn't suffer too much."

"War games? You mean paintball?" Tamaki blurted from behind Naoto.

"If you must point out the obvious… yes. This is paintball. However, it's still worth practicing, since we can't exactly do live exercises."

"Can we even do that here?" Nagisa interjected, "I mean, what if someone hears, or sees us?"

"Nagisa…" Urabe called, "We're basically fugitives at this point. Japanese fugitives hiding in India. We stick out like sore-thumbs in this country. If anyone sees us normally, we're getting reported regardless."

"We look like a bunch of thugs to these people anyway." Tamaki added with an almost too wide smile.

"We?" Asahina asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh come on! We're a team, right, Zero?"

Lelouch sighed heavily while holding up a vest, "Anyway… during this exercise, you'll all be required to wear these vests. As you can see, they each have three Velcro hearts attached to them. Whenever you get hit, you're required to head toward your 'respawn' station, which will be manned by either Maya or Mario. Here, you'll be required to hand over one heart to get back into the game. Once you run out of hearts, you're out permanently."

"Seems like it'd be easy to cheat…" Rolo muttered to himself, "Does he really expect everyone to be honest?"

Of course, given that he was so close, Lelouch heard everything, "Obviously, this system is heavily dependent on the trust of you, the Black Knights. However, since that's a given, I trust all of you to call your hits properly. We are the group fighting for Justice, so I expect everyone to play fair, and not cheat. At least… in this instance. Understood?"

His audience nodded in response, before grabbing their equipment and heading outside, "Alright, the border is Warehouse 18. Nobody is allowed to go beyond that point. You'll find that the rest of the dock is a suitable play area." Lelouch explained, "Now, onto what we'll be playing. It's a simple capture the target, with an attacking team, and a defending team." he pulled out a tiny cardboard box, with the word 'bomb' written on it. "As the defending team, it is your responsibility to protect this item from the enemy team. It may be hidden within a crate, but nothing more. This is to ensure that this doesn't become a 'hide-and-seek' game with the attackers aimlessly searching warehouses for a small box." he took a breath, before continuing, "As the attackers, it is obviously your job to capture this box, and bring it to your command quarters. Consequently, each team will have one commander, which I have already picked out." he snapped his finger, and Maya unveiled a poster, putting it on the wall, "Naoto will be leading the attackers, while I, myself, will be leading the defense."

"How's that fair!?" the Kozuki exclaimed.

"Relax. The attackers will have double the defenders, simulating the advantage of pre-planning an assault. Also, for this specific game-mode, each commander will only have one life. And if they are felled, then 'respawns' will be eliminated for that team, regardless of how many hearts each soldier has." Lelouch tossed the box between each hand, "However, the defenders will be able to choose which warehouse they hide the box in. To see which team you're on, check the poster." Maya then handed a green headband, which he tied to his arm, "Additionally, to distinguish between the two teams, the attackers will have red bands tied to their arm, while the defenders will have green."

The Black Knights crowded around the piece of paper, desperately searching for their name, before Kallen asked, "I don't see my name here."

"Neither do I!" Clara announced while Rolo leaned against a wall next to Mario.

"Same for myself and the Four Holy Swords." Tohdoh added.

"That's mostly because I don't really know what to do with you guys. I mean, how do I divide the strength of the 'aces' equally across both teams? If I put the Holy Swords and Tohdoh on attack, while Kallen, Clara, and Rolo are on defense, there's a good chance the attackers will lose, not because they were outplayed, but simply because they were faced with elite soldiers."
"Why am I included in this?" Rolo muttered as Mario looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

"That's why, I opted to exclude that group. But don't worry, you'll be getting your own training later." Zero turned to Naoto, "Understand what you have to do?"

"Man…" the Kozuki rubbed the back of his head, "You're not gonna make it easy on me, are you?"

"Of course not." Lelouch gave him a pat on the back, before proceeding toward Warehouse 18, where his team would meet. Meanwhile, Naoto walked the opposite direction, toward the end of the port, where his side was gathering.

"Alright!" Mario gave a thumbs up to Naoto, "Zero said he's set up. You may attack at your own discretion."

The Kozuki nodded, turning to his team, "You understand the plan, right?"

"Don't worry!" Tamaki shouted, "We'll show 'em what for!"

Naoto had separated his group into three teams, with two covering the main path covering the warehouses, while the last went through the middle. While the rules would encourage the commander to remain toward the back, Naoto opted to staying with the center group, spearheading the assault. "We've got a time limit of one hour. If we exceed it, that's a failure, and Lelouch's team will win." he watched as his team rounded a corner, signaling that it was clear before moving deeper. To say it was dark would be an understatement, especially in these tight corridors where the moonlight could barely pierce through, anyone could be tucked away in a corner somewhere.

That's why, it came as a surprise to Naoto when they suddenly came under fire from the front. Due to no muzzle flashes, it was insanely difficult to pinpoint how many people were shooting at them, but if he had to guess, it was at least four. "Obviously, Lelouch would set up closest toward the back. That way, he'll be able to stall for as long as possible."

The sheer number difference between the attacker and defenders was staggering, with Naoto's side numbering close to 100, while Lelouch's shot just short of 50. In truth, time out was most likely the only way to actually win, since just the number of lives would make it nearly impossible to eliminate everyone for the defenders. "C team, quickly make your way down the dock, and flank the enemy. They're at about warehouse 20." he called over the walkie-talkie.

"Got it." a Black Knight responded as the sound of their boots hit the pavement.

"Team A-"

Before he could finish his sentence, they reported, "We're under heavy fire! They've got nearly half their guys over here, I think!"

Tamaki witnessed five attackers get dinked, causing them to walk away with one hand in the air, indicating they were out temporarily, "How much time has passed?"

"10 minutes!?" Naoto exclaimed, "Oh man. Time sure does fly, doesn't it? We gotta move!" he announced upon realizing how little progress they've made. Luckily, Team C made it to the enemy position, wiping them out with a few losses. "It's definitely gotta be back there. Team A, where are they defending specifically?" Naoto asked as the defenders walked away with one hand up.

"It's… warehouse 21… I think? Ow-hit! I'm hit!" Tamaki watched led a small team onto the main path, where he jumped in surprise as they nearly ran head-first into a defender team. Though, due to one member expecting them, the attackers were taken care of in one burst. Leaving Team C to deal with the defenders as they hid behind a box.

"Hey… aren't there supposed to be more of them?" an attacker muttered while counting the defenders, "There's only like… 10!"

"10?" Naoto peered onto the main road, where his attackers hid behind several crates, with the defenders opposing them beside warehouse 21.

"And we've got five of them covering the flank!" Team C reported just as Tamaki's group rejoined the battle.

"They're probably camping inside." Tamaki muttered, "Camping their objective. Absolute scumbags." he turned to an attacker, "I hate those kinds of guys, you know? Takes no skill. Ugh."

"Please focus on the task at hand." Naoto called while running past Team C, "We'll enter from the side-door!" he reached warehouse 21, where he stacked up with Tamaki and his new group.

They slowly opened the door, and peered into the pitch black warehouse, "Trap." an attacker muttered.

"Totally." the Kozuki added as he noticed his sister watching from the roof of warehouse 20, alongside the others. "You two, gauge the defense." he ordered two attackers, who hesitantly entered, only to get shot one minute later.

"Ow!" one shouted as he ran out, "That one didn't pop! That one didn't pop! Fuck!" he practically rolled on the ground while rubbing his neck, "Shit…"

"You good?" Tamaki asked while helping them up.

"Yeah… they're up on the catwalks or something…" he muttered while walking away with a hand up, "There's no point in entering from the side-door, we can't even see them in the first place."

Suddenly, Tamaki felt something bounce off his shoe, only to realize he had been shot from the warehouse, "Oh. Fuck off! How can you see me!?" he stormed off, holding his arm up.

Naoto closed the door, making sure nobody else could get hit in the process, "Their eyes must've adapted to the dark in there." he explained, "If we wanna get in, it's from the front, where we can get as much light as possible."

"Already!?" Mario exclaimed as Tamaki slammed a heart on the table, "You know we're not counting ricochet's, right?"

"Shut up!" the Japanese man responded with an embarrassed face, before running back to battle.

The black-haired boy chuckled at the response, "At least they seem to be playing fair."

Naoto's group flanked the defenders, costing him six attackers in the process, but he managed to overrun the front of the warehouse with ease. "Set up a perimeter!" he ordered, "Make sure those 'respawning' can't just run up and tag us!" he pointed at four attackers, "Open the main door! The rest of you, move the crates to use as cover!"

Once the door creaked open, a hail fire of paintball rained upon Naoto's group, striking some over their helmets, causing them to walk off in defeat. Meanwhile, the others stayed as close to the ground as possible to avoid getting grazed. Once the fire stopped, they got up, and easily took care of the defenders, who laid prone on the catwalks with no cover.

"Move in! Check the crates!" Naoto ordered as he counted the amount of defenders as they ran out. "30 total… where are the others?"

Two attackers checked the lone crate at the center of the room, only to find themselves getting attacked by a defender, who hid inside, waiting to ambush them. Before getting taken out, he marked five attackers within seconds. "Damn. That was pretty good." an attacker helped the man out. After all, while they were on separate teams, they were all still Black Knights.

"Well, we gotta keep you on your toes." the defender responded while running out with his hand up.

"Wait… is the box not here?" Naoto asked as his team came up empty-handed, "He tricked us!" he shouted while checking the clock, which indicated they only had 30 minutes left. "We have to check the rest of the warehouses!"

Now, the attackers split into Group A and Group B. Naoto led group A to check the warehouses on the north side, while B checked the south. Just like before, his group encountered heavy resistance, this time on multiple warehouses. Luckily, the attackers, who were eliminated earlier, offered assistance from the flank, easily taking care of the defenders. "They're the same from earlier." Naoto noted as he saw they only had two hearts. "Team B, how's your search gone?"

"We've checked all the warehouses over here. Moving to assist."

The Kozuki motioned for his group to open the door, only to find themselves coming under the same fire as before. This time, they were prepared, and easily dealt with the defenders within a minute, "Check the crates! We're running out of time!"

However, they once again came up empty-handed, "Where the hell are they?" Tamaki muttered… as Team B came in from the East, beginning their search from the furthest warehouse. "Yo, Naoto, how much time we got left?"

"10 minutes." he responded while heading up to another warehouse, "Open it-"

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the entirety of Team B exit one of the warehouses they were checking with one hand up, "Tamaki! Take a team, and get over there, now!"

"You got it!"

"The rest of you, cover our flank, and make sure they don't sneak up on us!" Naoto ordered, while taking his own team to support Tamaki. Once they arrived on-scene, they saw 10 boxes placed in a ring at the center of the room. "Just like that one from before." he whispered to his friend as they took cover behind the large door. Suddenly, Team B arrived after 'respawning', since they got out so close to their own point.

"Naoto, they're hiding within those boxes." the leader reported while joining them, "What do you think we should do?"

"We'll have one person go in and open the crates one-by-one. Either they all jump out at once, where we'll eliminate them, or they stay hidden and accept their fate." Naoto ordered an attacker to rush in. Though, before he could even reach the crates, the defenders jumped out, sending a volley of paintballs that absolutely obliterated him. This caused them to burst out into laughter as the poor attacker rolled on the ground.

Naoto took this time to eliminate those camping within boxes, though they still laughed even after the fact, "Dude…" a defender approached the attacker while holding back his laughter, "S-sorry about that."

"I'm just gonna lay here…" the man responded while holding his heart, "I didn't think you'd actually nail me like that!"

"Ah… so this was what Lelouch was up to." Naoto hadn't noticed it while he was trying to win, but everyone was having a good time. Sure, they wanted to win, but this also played as a great team-building exercise, "Learning while having fun. A winning combination, if I must say."

Suddenly, his timer went off, indicating the game was over. A few warehouses down, Zero emerged with a team of defenders, who were high-fiving in celebration, "Not bad, Naoto. But you were too aggressive."

"If we had checked all the warehouses from the beginning…"

"You would've burned some time, but you would've found us." Lelouch finished his sentence while tossing the box, "However, your focus was drawn to the large gathering of defenders toward the border."

"Still, hiding in the crates was cheap." Naoto pouted while knocking on his leader's mask, "How were we realistically supposed to clear those fast?"

The Prince chuckled in response, "You're right. It was a bit unfair, wasn't it?" he looked at the rest of the Black Knights as they trudged back to the main warehouse, "I would ask if you'd like a rematch, but everyone seems all tuckered out."

"Zero!" Tamaki wrapped his arm around the masked man's shoulder, "You seem pretty lively for someone who hid in a warehouse for the entire match! How can you feel proud of that win!?"

Lelouch shrugged, "Hey, it worked, didn't it? Don't worry, I'll try to stray from overusing such cheap tactics for these games in the future."

"While we're at it…" the man looked around, before whispering, "You think we could take the group out to play laser tag? I hear they've got one in town."

"That sounds like a waste of time."

"Waste of time!?" Tamaki pulled Lelouch close, "Listen here! You might've never experienced it before, but laser tag is a once in a lifetime experience that everyone has to go through at least once!"

"Especially getting shot in the eye?" Naoto added with a chuckle.

"Oh come on! That's part of the fun!"

"I don't think temporary blindness constitutes as fun." Lelouch added while escaping Tamaki's grasp, straight into Kallen's arms, as she seemingly appeared out of nowhere.

"Gah!?" the Japanese man exclaimed while hiding behind Naoto.

"What's this I hear about laser tag?" she slowly approached with a menacing gaze, "You know we can't just go out like that, right? Mr. Big spender."

"Laser tag doesn't cost that much-"

Luckily, Naoto managed to punch Tamaki in the side before he finished that sentence, "That's not the point." he whispered.

Kallen rolled her eyes, and began dragging Lelouch back to the warehouse, "Don't listen to them. They don't know what they're talking about."

"Hey! That's not fair! You can't just hog my best buddy!" Tamaki shouted while chasing after the couple, "Zero, please wait! I swear laser tag isn't a waste of time, just let me explain!"

Naoto chuckled as Tamaki nearly got punted into the water by Kallen. Though, he couldn't help but reflect upon the game, trying to find some kind of hidden meaning behind it. After all, Lelouch was doing it so he could improve, right? Or maybe he was overthinking it.

"Kozuki." Tohdoh approached from the right, "Do you see it now?"

"See what?"

"The message Lelouch was trying to teach you." the Miracle Worker watched as Zero entered the warehouse, escaping their vision as they continued to converse, "In truth, I can only talk about 'commanding' and the 'mental state needed'. However, practical experience is needed, and that's what Lelouch is trying to teach you."

Naoto nodded, "Ah. Is that why he created these war games? All so I could improve?"

"Honestly? I don't really know what's going through his head." Tohdoh admitted as they walked back, "Though, I know that he's taken note of your resolve to train with me. So… there's a good chance he set up the games to help you. Or maybe, he just did it for moral. Either way…" they rounded the corner, only to find most of the Black Knights passed out on their cots, "It worked."

Naoto felt himself growing tired too, feeling the need for sleep growing as all the training he did throughout the day catching up, "Tohdoh, thanks once again for training me."

"It's no issue." the Miracle Worker responded, "Anyway, I'll let you rest." he casually left the warehouse, presumably to catch up with the rest of the Holy Swords.

"I wonder where they sleep…" Naoto made sure to close the front door, before returning to his cot, where he closed his eyes. Before completely falling asleep, he remembered a crucial fact that could've cost his life if he forgot, maybe even the lives of the entire Black Knights if he wasn't careful, "It's almost Kallen's birthday."

AN: What are your thoughts on the Knight of Five/Thirteen making an appearance? They won't be making any actual on-screen appearances for a while, but just asking.