AN:

DarkDremora: Well, I'm glad I could brighten your day a little.

Chapter 84: Nightmare

"What the hell are you doing here?" Kallen questioned while pulling up the covers, only to find Lelouch missing.

"Isn't it obvious?" Suzaku stood up, "Walk with me."

The red head reluctantly followed, considering that everyone seemed to be missing, she needed answers. They exited the warehouse, and walked the streets of New Delhi, confusing Kallen greatly as she was sure they were just- "In Chennai? Does it really matter where we are?" Suzaku interrupted her thoughts as they came to a stop in front of an empty temple. Without hesitation, the Knight entered the temple, seemingly disappearing from sight upon passing the frame.

Kallen followed soon after, where she could finally see it. The seats were filled with people whom the duo had met throughout their lives. Rai, Cornelia, Clara, Rolo, Euphemia, Lila, Marrybell, Naoto, and Lelouch just to name a few. However, they each seemed devoid of any and all soul. "Hurry up." Suzaku rushed the red head while standing next to an altar.

"What the hell are we doing?" Kallen asked while standing across from him.

The Knight silently removed the top of the altar, revealing a hollow inside filled with blood, "Why do you protect Lelouch?"

"So what? We're debating philosophy now?"

"Just answer the question."

"Fine." the red head rolled her eyes, "It's so he can bring peace to the world without having to sacrifice himself."

Suzaku grabbed her by the hair and muttered, "Liar." he then shoved her head into the bloody pool, before releasing her.

Kallen emerged gasping for air, "Fuck you!" she wiped the remaining substance off her face, "Who do you think you are? Judging me about why I want to protect him?"

"Because, your goals directly conflict with mine." the Knight gently stirred the contents with his hand, "Whose blood do you think this is?"

"It's all gonna be yours in a second." Kallen snapped.

"Quaint. But wrong." Suzaku stared into the deep red liquid with inquisitive eyes, "It's the blood… of all the people you've killed with your decision."

"Bullshit."

He pulled his head back just as she tried to dunk him, "Then see for yourself." he stepped back, giving Kallen free rein over the altar. So, she cautiously peered in, seeing the chilling image of Ohgi, Naomi, and Minami's heads swirling around the pool. The red head instinctively pulled back, "What? Scared?" Suzaku taunted, "You didn't even see the best part." he snapped his fingers, and Villetta walked on-stage.

"Don't you dare!" the Kozuki snarled as the Britannian stood behind the Knight.

"Don't what? I won't hurt her." in the arms of Villetta, the product of her and Ohgi's conception appeared. "However, your actions have hurt them."

"Baby Naoto…"

"Exactly. It's because of you, that he won't be born. It's because of your actions that her and Ohgi will never be able to find each other." Suzaku tapped his temple, "Though, I doubt you care, right?"

"You don't know me." Kallen looked at the baby as it cutely reached for its mother, "Sure, I might've grown distant from the rest of the Black Knights in my timeline, but that doesn't mean I didn't care about them!"

"Pathetic." Suzaku drew his katana, and pointed it at the red head, "You and Lelouch really are perfect for each other, because you're both liars." he suddenly spun the blade around, before heartlessly plunging it into baby Naoto.

"NOOO!" Kallen screamed as she moved to stop him, only to find herself switching places with him. Now, she held the katana, and was forced to witness the horror of the baby's blood dripping off the cold steel. Villetta fell to her knees, balling her eyes out while screaming at the top of her lungs.

Eventually, she disappeared with a single wave of Suzaku's hand, "Even that was too unsightly for me."

"Mother…fucker!" using the katana, Kallen swung it wildly at the Knight, only for him to skillfully block it with his Knighting sword, "You're sick! You know that!?"

"Really?" Suzaku casually pushed her away, "Because I can assure you, I was forced to watch much more disturbing things in my 'servitude' to Lelouch. I just gave you a taste."

The red head leaped over the pool of blood, and brought her new weapon down for a strike, forcing the Knight onto one knee as he blocked, "I've had enough of your sob story. Just die already."

"You need to cool off." Suzaku grabbed her by the collar, before plunging her entire body into the pool of blood.

Once Kallen emerged from the altar, she found herself sitting naked in an onsen, with a towel over her forehead, and a small wooden bucket. Across from her sat Suzaku, who was bare of any Knightly garments he had on earlier, "What's with that doe-eyed look?" he asked without breaking eye-contact.

"Aren't you one to talk?" Kalllen hissed as she sat with her legs crossed.

"Well, at least you're not attacking me."

"If this water was acid, I'd be dunking your head into it repeatedly." the red head looked out at the mountainous landscape as it was devoid of the red tint from earlier.

"I'd expect no less from someone as barbaric as you." Suzaku responded while making himself comfortable in the bath, "Regardless, do you even know Lelouch?"

This made Kallen snicker, "What kind of question is that?"

"A necessary one." the Knight responded coldly, "Perhaps I should've phrased it differently. Which Lelouch do you love? The one you're with now? Or the one in your timeline?" upon seeing the girl's eyes widened, he knew he hit a nerve, "That's right. You've never given it too much thought, because you've been having too much fun with the one now."

Kallen laughed hysterically, "Then doesn't that mean I love the Lelouch I'm with now? Idiot."

"If that's true…" Suzaku pointed directly at her chest, "Then why do you yearn the one from your timeline?"

"Don't point at me."

"Just answer the question."

The red head sighed with frustration, "I don't know. Hell, I didn't even know I had such feelings."

"Perhaps…" the Knight leaned back, "You wouldn't know until you were given the choice, right?"

"I guess."

Suzaku clasped his hands, "Don't you get it? You lack conviction in your beliefs, Kallen. This battle you're fighting, is all because of a selfish reason." he leaned forward, "You don't care about the world. You don't care about the people around you. The only thing you want, the only thing on your mind, is Lelouch. As long as he survives, you couldn't care less about the people who die along the way." he chuckled, "And you know the funniest part about all this? You don't even know which Lelouch you love."

"Oh, just fuck off." Kallen retorted with a tired expression, "I didn't know you were so into philosophy, Suzaku." she grabbed her bucket, and filled it with water, "How about you? Why on earth are you trying to kill Lelouch, huh? And don't tell me it's because of how he hurt you in your timeline. That's just pathetic. Even you should've realized that this Lelouch is different."

The Knight motioned toward her bucket, "Then… instead of just explaining it to you, allow me to show you."

The red head raised the bucket, and emptied the contents onto her face. Once the liquid dispersed, she found herself in a throne room, wearing a red Knight of the Round attire, standing next to Charles, with Suzaku on the other side. "What is this?" she questioned as an audience steadily gathered. Clearly, something important was about to happen.

Soon, a young, yet familiar, black-haired boy stormed into the room, looking extremely displeased with something. It wasn't until he got close, that Kallen realized it was, "Announcing Prince Lelouch Vi Britannia! 17th heir to the Royal Britannian Imperial throne!"
"That's-"

"Shh." Suzaku hushed the red head, "Just watch."

"Hail, your majesty!" young Lelouch shouted with hostile eyes, "My mother, the Empress is dead!"

"Old news, what of it?" Charles responded with an unflinching, cold gaze.

Kallen's eyes widened with disbelief as the Prince exclaimed, "What of it!?"

"You sought an audience with the Emperor of Britannia simply to inform me of that? Send the next one in. I have no time for these childish games."

Outraged, Lelouch approached the stairs, "Father!" only, two guards stopped him from proceeding any further, "Why didn't you keep mother out of harms way!? You're the Emperor, the greatest man of this nation, if not the world! You should've been able to keep her safe! And now, you don't even visit Nunnally!"

"I have no use for that weakling." Charles answered, once again, as if he was just asking for a cup of coffee. The news of his consort dying didn't seem to affect him, nor the outrage his son was feeling for the injuries sustained to his sister.

"W-weakling?" Lelouch faltered, much to Kallen's sorrow.

"That's what it means to be royalty."

"That's enough!" the red head tried to rush to the boys aid, only for Suzaku to stop her.

"It's only a memory. Nothing you say or do matters here."

"Even so, I can't bare it any longer to see him like this!"

"Then I don't want to be your heir, I give up my claim to the throne!" Lelouch's words cut through their argument, causing Kallen's eyes to be drawn to him, "I'm sick of all the fighting, and scheming over who will succeed you, father! I've had enough!"

"Lelouch…" the red head softened her gaze, "Even back then, you were-"

"You are dead." Charles boldly proclaimed, shocking the room even more than the Prince's proclamation, "You have always been dead to me. Dead to me from the moment you were born. Who gave you the fine clothes you wear? A comfortable home, the food you eat, and your very life? All of those, I have given to you! In short, you are nothing to me because you have never existed!"

"That's too cruel!" Kallen shouted with hostile eyes, "How could you say such things to your own son!?"

However, Charles continued, "Yet you dare to speak such foolishness to me!?" he roared while finally getting up from his throne, causing Lelouch to sink in fear. This had Kallen instinctively moving to protect him from any strike, despite what Suzaku said earlier. "Lelouch. You are dead, therefore you are not entitled to any rights. I am sending you and Nunnally to Japan, as Prince and Princess, you will serve well as bargaining tools."

"How can anyone follow someone like that!?" the red head shouted as the memory faded, "Suzaku, is that really the man you believe will make you the Knight of One?"

"Of course not." the Knight answered effortlessly as they returned to the altar, where the red tint appeared once more. "I'm no fool. He's the reason for all this chaos. His selfishness is what's caused Lelouch to go crazy."

"If you know that, then why do you fight against us?" Kallen argued while slamming her fists on the corners, "You can help bring the Emperor to justice, if only you-"

"Do you really believe I haven't thought of that?" Suzaku calmly stated while drawing his sword, dipping it into the altar, "While it's true he's the cause of all this suffering… the immediate threat is Lelouch. Even Schneizel, whom I'm fully aware is a dangerous character from my timeline, isn't nearly as big of a threat. Know why? It's because Lelouch has freedom." he withdrew his blade from the pool, letting the excess drip off, "Unlike Schneizel, who has to work while under the watchful eye of his father, Lelouch can freely traverse the world, gathering strength to topple the order with his ruthless rein. Charles, is under the constraint of needing certain pieces to fulfil his master plan, whatever that is. Regardless, when the time comes I know I'll be able to deal with him alone, as I've done before."

"Are you even hearing yourself!?" the red head protested, "Lelouch isn't some monster who will rule the world with an iron fist! With that memory we saw, it's clear that his target is the Emperor! Surely you had to have realized that in your timeline?"

The Knight's eyes narrowed, "You're out of your depth here, Kallen. This must be the reason why you didn't do much in my timeline. You're not smart enough."

"How mature! You're resulting to insults instead of answering my questions!" she clenched her fist in outrage, "Just answer the question, like I've done for you this whole time."

"Fine. It's true that I know his intentions. Even the ones that you're not aware of." those words caught Kallen's attention, but she didn't interrupt the Knight, "Allow me to paint you another picture. This time, maybe it'll be able to convey my true intentions to you better than the others."

With a single slash from his sword, the blood in the altar erupted into a geyser, forcing both of them to cover their eyes. Once the violent event subsided, the two found themselves walking along a path in Aries Villa, a place that looked familiar to the red head, due to its similarities with the Viceroy palace. The two once again found themselves in their Knightly attire, each holding the corner of a black cloth that seemed to protect whatever was behind it from prying eyes. They continued down the path silently, until Suzaku finally began, "Kallen, what makes us different?"

Annoyed by the question, she began stating the obvious, "Well, for starters… I embrace my Japanese heritage, while you hide it. I fight for justice, while you… fight to kill your friend." upon seeing the Knight not amused, she continued, "I'm better looking, have better fashion sense. Loyal, strong, and most importantly, I'm a better pilot than you."

Suzaku sighed heavily as they came to a stop, "Firstly, you're not a better pilot. Not even close. Secondly, I'm not talking about petty things, like looks, or heritage."

"Petty?"

"Yes. Believe it or not, there are more important things in this world than heritage." the Knight stared deep into Kallen's eyes, as if seeking a profound answer, "Do you believe I hate Lelouch?"

"Without a shadow of a doubt." she answered without hesitation, "Pretty sure you told me that before."

"Did I?" Suzaku raised an eyebrow, "Regardless, I don't hate Lelouch, in fact… I love him." just as he said that, a young Lelouch burst through the cloth, running toward the lake, where Nunnally was waiting for him.

However, the red head's reaction was quite the opposite from what he expected. "Pft…" she snickered, "See? That's how I know this is a sick nightmare." she put a hand on his shoulder, confusing him further, "There's no chance you love Lelouch, especially with how you've been treating him this whole time."

Kallen Kozuki was laughing. She was actually laughing at him. Right to his face. Suzaku clenched his fist with anger while bundling the cloth up, "The love I have for Lelouch isn't the same as yours. I'm aware of that."

"S-sure it is." the red head mumbled while slamming the ground with her fist in between laughs, "Next thing you're gonna say, is that you're gonna make Euphemia Empress!"

"Are you even listening!?" Suzaku finally snapped, and slammed the cloth in Kallen's face, planting her firmly in the ground, "I'm trying to kill Lelouch to protect himself from becoming a demon!"

The red head slowly stood up with stern eyes, "What?"

"You heard me. In my timeline, Lelouch was forced into becoming a demon to exact revenge on Charles for Nunnally's sake. I'm trying to prevent that. Yet, you treat me like some kind of psychopath who's just trying to watch the world burn."

Kallen put on a smug face, before confidently stating, "That's because you've already given up on Lelouch, Suzaku. You see… I believe that under the right environment, he won't ever be forced to become a demon to achieve his goals."

"Is that so? Then why has he been keeping secrets from you?"

"Th-they're just minor setbacks."

Upon hearing the red head falter, Suzaku pushed the advantage, "In my language, we call setbacks, failure."

"You're pissing me off!" Kallen proclaimed while drawing her sword, which was Suzaku's katana from earlier.

"Careful. It'd be a shame to desecrate this ground with your blood." the Knight responded while drawing his own.

"Always got something to say, don't you?"

The two entered a stance while staring their opponent down, with eerie silence in the background. Here, there was no calming wind, or sounds of laughter from Lelouch and Nunnally. It was only Suzaku and Kallen, alone with their killing intent. Or so would've been the case, if they hadn't sensed the presence of three people watching them from afar.

"Who the hell are they?" the Knight muttered while facing the intruders.

"Ugh. This dreams getting weirder by the minute." the red head stared at one of the trio, who appeared to be an adult Lelouch. Though, the two people he was with, left a haunting feeling coursing through her chest, "Is that… me?"

"What… is this feeling?" Suzaku muttered while clenching his heart, "This isn't some projection. There's something off about them."

Of course, the duo weren't the only ones who were surprised, as the Kallen standing next to Lelouch seemed to be surprised by the sudden confrontation. The Prince also seemed to be shaken by this revelation, and while his lips were moving… "I can't hear him." Suzaku stated, "Wait… you called this a dream?"

The original Kallen nodded, "Of course I did."

"So… what happened after Tokyo Settlement?" the Knight asked, trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible.

But at that moment, the red head was already putting everything together. Even so, she needed more proof, "Wouldn't you know already?"

And while she was still looking for proof, Suzaku had already completed the puzzle, due to having experienced these exact nightmare's multiple times before. "Motherfucker. You lived! You fucking lived!" he took a swipe at Kallen, only for her to dodge, "How the hell did you do it!? Where are you!?" Was it a stretch for him to assume such things with a lack of evidence? Of course, it was. However, the Knight was too familiar with how this process was supposed to go. On top of that, the feeling he got from staring at Lelouch was the same feeling he got back in C's world.

Just as Suzaku's blade was about to make contact with her chest, Kallen woke up in a cold sweat, finding herself next to Lelouch as he slept soundly. "Lelouch. Wake up." she cutely shook him awake, trying to see if she was back.

The Prince groggily reached for her hand and grabbed, "Just… hold on. Give me a minute." he sat up, rubbing his eyes, "What happened?"

Kallen buried her face into his chest, mumbling, "I just… had a nightmare."

"Awe." he held her close, gently stroking her hair like how he would for Nunnally, "Wanna talk about it?"

"N-no. It's kind of embarrassing." she lied while holding her boyfriend closer, nearly suffocating him.

Even so, Lelouch didn't pull away, and instead found the gesture cute, "That's alright. Just remember, it was only a dream. I'm here for you."

Those words brought the red head some comfort as she calmed down, eventually dozing off despite her best efforts to stay awake.

Pendragon.

Suzaku sat up in his bed with nearly dead eyes, "Was that… it had to be. But… it's not possible." he sat up, and grabbed his cloak, "Lelouch lived? No. Who am I kidding? I didn't expect anything less from that bastard. The question is how? Actually, who cares how they lived? The important thing, is that Lelouch is out there." then, he began going over the details of his dream, "Something definitely changed. It started off as usual, with me confronting someone in my life, we get into a back and forth, but then a switch happened. Was it the onsen? Or perhaps Pendragon? If so, why now? Because surely that was Kallen, right?"

He calmly walked out of his quarters, heading toward the dining hall, where he was looking for a place to think. His room wouldn't cut it this time. "Though… that Lelouch had the same feeling as the one in C's world, so what was he doing there?" he opened the dining room door, which was dimly lit with the moon's rays, giving it a blue hue. "Damn it. I'm getting more questions than answers. At this rate-"
Suddenly, the sound of silverware clanging together caught his attention. Suzaku's eyes wandered to the darkest corner of the table, where he could barely make out the figure of a young boy wearing a red cloak. In front of him, sat a plate of food, which was clearly his dinner.

"A Knight of the Round?" Suzaku chose to sit across from the boy, "Hello." However, he didn't respond, instead opting to scarf down the rest of his meal, as if he hadn't eaten in days, "I don't remember this one. Is it possible Kallen was the one who killed him before? Or did he exit service before Lelouch sent me Knight hunting."

Without warning, the boy stood up, and swiftly exited the room, leaving Suzaku alone with his thoughts. "That was… strange. I'm sure I'll get my answers later."

India. March 23rd. 10:00AM

Naoto strutted around the Black Knight warehouse with a clipboard in hand, "On your feet." he ordered a group of Black Knights, "Alright. First item on the list, is dealing with our Knightmares. We've got a ton of backlog to deal with considering our losses."

"Why don't we have Rakshata deal with this?" a random member asked while yawning, "I mean, isn't that what her team's supposed to do?"

The Kozuki flipped through his clipboard, "Normally, they would. However, if you've forgotten, we just entered a foreign nation, where the Black Knights are extremely out of their depth. She's busy taking care of the politics, meaning we have to repair, maintain, and test our own frames." he tapped on a toolbox, "So, we'll have to do this the ol' fashion way." he motioned the group to follow him, "Get this set of Burais done first. This group should be the simplest, since we're just doing some condition checks."

The soldiers groaned as they slugged to work, "I hate being a grease monkey."

"Yeah. And this warehouse sucks."

"You said it. India's way too hot." a Black Knight began checking the right leg of a Burai, "Seriously, I was sweating bullets last night!"

Naoto listened to their idle conversations, making notes on how to improve moral, since that was their biggest problem now. Even the Knightmare issues paled in comparison to keeping the group together after such a loss and shift in scenery.

"I just wish we could eat something other than MRE's." another Black Knight muttered while lazily climbing into the cockpit, "I know we're supposed to be Knights for justice and stuff, but that doesn't mean we have to live like soldiers 24/7."

The Kozuki walked outside, where Tamaki was busy fishing with a few other members who had their will completely crushed by their defeat, "Yo." he called as he approached, "Tamaki, what are you guys doing?"

"Just fishin'." he responded in a dejected tone, "Nothin' bitin'."

Naoto rubbed his temple in frustration, "Listen man, I know we're all a bit down, especially with how that battle went, but we've gotta bounce back for everyone in Japan."

Tamaki slumped over, "Yeah. I get it. It's just… so hard."

"How about this…" the Japanese man watched as their leader wrote something down on a piece of paper, "I'm gonna be looking into catering dinner for us later. Maybe a little variety will put the spirits back into our hearts." he ripped out a piece of paper, and handed it over, "This is the place. When I tell you, get a group of guys and grab the food."

"Why not just have it delivered?"

"Because, you've been on your ass this whole time. I think it's about time for you to see the town."

"What if we get lost?"

"Jeez. Always looking at the negative, huh?" Naoto chuckled, "Relax. The place isn't too far, so there shouldn't be any issue." he began heading toward another half of the docks, where Clara was kicking her feet in the air while Rolo sat in the shade, "Hey."

"What's up?" the girl lazily responded as her 'servant' was practically falling asleep.

"How do you like it?"

"Boring."

"I…okay." the Kozuki looked at his clipboard again, "Well, do you have any suggestions to kill the boredom?"

Clara shrugged, "Dunno." her eyes wandered to Rolo, "Do you have any suggestions?"

With that, his Geass command activated, "Perhaps we could keep the men busy by sending them off to small scale raids, plundering the resources necessary to support ourselves."

Naoto put a hand on his hip, "Raids against whom? Britannia isn't anywhere near here."

"I'm talking about the Chinese Federation."

"Oh? You mean the guys who are sheltering us? That's real smart."

Sensing the sarcasm, Rolo responded, "Technically, India is sheltering us, and the government doesn't even know we're here." he put his hand in his palm, "And… if you ask me, the Federation isn't exactly better than Britannia, so they deserve it."

The man was taken aback slightly, but recorded the response regardless, "I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

"Oh! I have an idea!" Clara sat up, "Why don't we have a party? That way, we can play games and relieve some stress!"

"That's a great idea." Naoto added while writing it down, "Though, we'll have to do it later, since I've got something planned for dinner."

"Oh? What is it? Tell me." the girl cutely grabbed onto his pants leg as he tried to walk away, "Please! I swear I won't tell~"

"That's enough." he easily shook her off, much to Clara's disappointment. "I've got important things to do."

"Look who's Mr. Business." she teased as he walked toward the warehouse.

4:00PM

"Alright, pack it up." Naoto announced while Tohdoh and the Holy Swords entered the warehouse, "Tamaki, remember what I told you earlier?"

"It's time already?" the man gathered his group before heading out, leaving just as the rest of the Black Knights sat down to rest.

"Everyone." the Kozuki made sure he was on the top catwalk while announcing, "I've hard your complaints about our current situation, so to improve it, we're going to be having food from a local spot. I hope you enjoy it, because you've earned it."

The men cheered upon hearing those words, preparing themselves for their first proper meal since arriving in India. "Naoto." Tohdoh called from below, holding a cassette player, "I've got what you asked."

"Thanks." he took the player, "How'd you get it?"

"Don't you know it's bad manners to ask where gifts came from?" Nagisa chimed in, "Just be grateful."

"You don't have to be so mean." Asahina added while taking a seat on a cot.

The woman sat with a huff, "Oh yeah? Well, I still wanna meet Zero face-to-face. How about you?"

"Sure, I'm curious about his identity just as much as you are, but I'm sure we can respect his privacy." Urabe stated while taking a spot next to Nagisa, who rolled her eyes and moved next to Asahina. "Do I really smell that bad?"

"Yeah. You do."

"Ouch."

The Holy swords chuckled at the exchange, that's when Naoto said, "I'm sure you'll meet Zero in due time. He's just been very busy getting us situated."
"Speaking of Zero… where's he been?" a Black Knight asked, "I haven't seen him, or Kallen all day."

"They're out scouting the town alongside… the secretary." their leader lied. In truth, the couple had slipped out in the morning, donning casual attire as they sought to enjoy themselves for the day. During that time, C.C awakened, and ended up following them out, "If Lelouch doesn't come back tonight, I'm gonna have to pretend to be Zero tomorrow."

"We're back!" Tamaki announced with renewed vigor, "And boy do we have a feast!"

On the ground, several Black Knights laid out four blankets, where the food was put on display for the rest of the group, "There's more than enough for everyone. So, feel free to take as much as you'd like." Naoto announced while exiting the warehouse, trusting Tohdoh to lead everyone in an orderly manner.

He slumped against a wall, heaving a sigh that he seemed to be keeping within his heart ever since he heard the news of Ohgi's death. Naoto felt his heart beat out of his chest as he inserted the cassette into the player, waiting a few moments before it began, "Naoto-ow. Tamaki, get out of here!" Kaname's voice echoed through the docks, "Hey, Naoto. If you're hearing this… fuck." the sound of the man's boots pacing around a room could be heard. "Damn, this is tougher than I thought." he took a deep breath before saying, "Listen, you know what happened to me. Maybe I went out like a hero, or just another average Joe. The point is, I don't want to want my… untimely demise to haunt you for the rest of your life, okay? So, regardless of how it happened, these are my final requests." he chuckled while unfolding a piece of paper, "First up… make sure to keep Tamaki out of trouble. If I go first, I know he'll be throwing a temper tantrum, so make sure he doesn't go over the line." he looked at the next option, "Ah, this is an obvious one, make sure Japan is free. I don't want my… demise to mean nothing. Finally, and this one's for you, keep Kallen safe. Remember what you were gonna tell me before you died? Well, now you've gotta keep the promise. Though, I'm sure you'd be doing that." in the background a door opened, "Ah. Sorry, but I've gotta end it here. But keep what I said in mind, alright? And hopefully, I'll be seeing you."

Naoto leaned his head back as he held back tears, replacing them with light chuckles as he tried to cope with the loss. He fumbled the next cassette while putting it in. After a second, Naomi's voice came through, "Hey, Naoto. Um… Tamaki asked me to do one of these… saying that if I died, I could give you one last word. It's… kind of odd, though. I'm not expecting to die today, but apparently Tamaki thinks we should just be careful." she breathed a heavy sigh, as if on the brink of tears, "N-Naoto… I really want to see you. And… if this is truly the last time I'll be able to talk to you… then-" her breath hitched, "I guess it won't matter. You already know this, but I love you, Naoto. And the truth is, I don't want you to forget me. I know in the beginning, I was pretty useless, maybe even worse than Tamaki. Yet, you gave me a chance, and while you might've not thought a lot about it… that was the best day of my life. Even if I die today, I'm just glad you gave me a chance, in more ways than one."

Naoto let out a shaky breath, taking out the cassettes, clenching them tightly in his hand, "Naomi… Ohgi… I'm sorry. But… I'm not the man you thought I was. There's no way I can free Japan on my own, especially with how I can barely keep my own sister safe."

"Naoto." Tohdoh startled the man from the left, "You're not gonna join in?" with a plate of food in hand, he set it next to him.

"I… I'm not hungry."

The miracle worker sighed, before taking a seat next to the Kozuki, "My apologies, but I couldn't help eavesdropping on your… moment."

"It's… fine. I should've had headphones."

"Well… if you don't mind me saying, I think you're doing a great job as a leader."

"What? That doesn't make any sense, you already know Zero's-"

"Of course, Zero does most of the planning, that much is obvious. However, just being able to procure battle plans doesn't make you a leader. Far from it." Tohdoh looked at the night sky, "You're the one who keeps the Black Knights together. You proved it today, and countless times before."

Naoto shook his head in denial, "You've got it all wrong. I'm just doing the bare minimum of keeping everyone together. I'm not a great leader like you, or strong like my sister. My skill set is similar to… to Ohgi and Tamaki's. The three… two of us are idiots, but we have a lot of influence."

"No, you're wrong, Naoto." Tohdoh boldly stated while staring him in the eyes, "I'm just a good figure piece compared to you and Zero. I've seen you in battle, taking on the Knight of Three, and while you might've lost after he received that new Knightmare, no one can disregard the fight you put up. In fact, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you'd be able to meet your sister's strength with some good training."

This made the Kozuki chuckle, "No one's matching Kallen's strength."

"That much is obvious. For some reason, she and Suzaku seem to be way out of everyone's league." the Miracle Worker took out a bottle of Sake from within his jacket, "Well, your piloting skills aren't the only thing that's top-notch. When Zero isn't around, you've shown yourself to be a formidable commander in your own right; the first example that comes to mind is the Blood of the Samurai, when you successfully managed to save them from Carine and her group with little losses. Then, that day on Nikko when you pulled the remaining Black Knights together after an ambush. That showed your courage, and ability to keep calm under pressure. You could very well rival his ability if you trained your mind."

"Seriously? Didn't we come to the same conclusion about Kallen? There's no way I can rival Zero's ability."

"That's not the point." Tohdoh poured himself and Naoto a cup, "You see, even if you can match the level of intellect he showed during the battle of Tokyo, that'll be more than enough to overpower most of the world's generals. Zero will grow with time, but so will you. The only thing you're missing, is a proper teacher." he handed the cup over, "What I'm trying to get at… is I'll help train your body and mind."

The Kozuki narrowed his eyes, "Seriously? You can do that?"

"Who do you think trained Suzaku? With a proper style you can practice and commit to, you should be able to easily match a Knight of the Round, more so than you are now. And, with what I have planned to strengthen your mind, you'll become a better commander in no time."

Naoto carefully took the cup of sake from his new teacher, "Alright. Then I'll be in your care, Tohdoh." The two raised their cups, before downing it in one gulp, "With this… I'll become better for everyone. Ohgi, Naomi, Nagata, Sugiyama, Minami… I'll become stronger to free Japan."

AN: I'm not proud of this chapter. The only part I really like is the Naoto and Tohdoh conversation, while everything else is kind of weak. We'll probably be going into more lighthearted chapters starting the next one.