AN:

Samurai Seven: I mean, revealing some information to the Disel twins and Kallen makes sense at this stage. Especially now.

god of all: I'm continuing it at a slower pace due to some changes in my life. Hopefully I'll be able to return to at least two updates a week.

DarkDremora: There's a decent chance she could end up in C's world, especially after experiencing such a traumatic encounter. And, C.C did have Jeremiah retrieve Suzaku's number, since it would be public information (or at least should be) in Britannia's data base (with them wanting to be able to contact their soldiers at all times of course.).

Chapter 64: Battle of Airbase Yokota

Black Knight Warehouse. 10:00 PM

"Thank you for meeting on such short notice." Naoto, dressed as Zero, announced to the large crowd of Black Knight's that were responding to the call, "As you know, today Lila and Euphemia are holding an event that'll decide their new Knight's." at the entrance of the warehouse, Tohdoh and the four holy swords watched the announcement, as they were alerted to it through being a part of the same system as the Knights. "I know earlier in the day, I said that we wouldn't be attacking the event due to the mass casualties it would inflict upon us, and the civilians that would get caught in between the fighting. But, there's been a change of plans."

Upon uttering those words, the entire warehouse filled with murmurs. Some were happy to attack Yokota Air Base, while others were hesitant. Stating that 'this is not what they signed up for'. Part of this group, included Tohdoh, who was more than confused by the sudden tonal shift from 'Zero'. "Hey!" Tamaki surprisingly shouted, "Listen, I'm more than happy to take the fight to Britannia, but isn't this kind of wrong? We shouldn't be attacking such a goodwill event so abruptly!"

"I disagree." Ohgi added, surprising the rest of the warehouse, "I think now's a perfect time to strike. With the pilots just exiting the KMF competition, they'll be exhausted, making it extremely easy to crush them in one fell swoop. This way, we'll get rid of Britannia's top Knightmare pilots, while simultaneously crippling their air support through destroying the base."

"But what about the civilian's!?"

"If those soldiers do their job, then we won't have to worry. With the right evacuation plan, it should be kept at a minimum."

"That's bullshit and you know it!" Tamaki retorted, "Any civilian casualties are bad civilian casualties!"

Tohdoh's eyes narrowed at the statement. It wasn't that he didn't agree with it, but it was that Tamaki wasn't the type of person to point out such a fact. Of course, to those that knew Tamaki and Ohgi personally, they found it odd that they'd, seemingly, swap ideologies out of the blue. Though, this only served to reinforce an idea that had popped into the miracle worker's head about a week ago. But, he'd save it for the confrontation.

"Zero." he called with a booming voice, earning the attention of everyone in the warehouse.

"What is it, Tohdoh?" the masked man asked, while sweating bullets from within.

"I would like to speak with you urgently. It's regarding this… sudden announcement, of course."

"By all means. Head into my office."

With the two leaders convening in the host's office, the audience was left to speculate what such an attack could spell out for their organization. "Hey, if we attack a goodwill event like this, won't that just bring the Britannian military down on our heads?"

"More so than they already are? Come on, it's like Ohgi said, if we attack now, we'd exhaust Britannia of their best pilots. We have to take this chance."

"Still… there are civilians in there…"

"It's just as Naoto said, the Black Knight's are split down the middle on this." Ohgi watched as the crowd slowly began to argue about what was right or wrong. That's when he made eye contact with Tamaki, who was also in on the plan, "Hopefully, he'll be able to persuade Tohdoh to join us. Otherwise, we'll be fighting with less than half the manpower."

"Let me get straight to the point, Zero." Tohdoh sat across from the masked man, "I think this is a terrible idea. Not only is the probability of heavy losses high, but we'll also be attacking a goodwill event, which will severely cripple the Black Knight's reputation." his eyes narrowed, "But what confuses me the most, is the fact that you agreed with me earlier." he leaned forward, as if trying to see through the thick black visor, "So, what's changed?"

Naoto calmed his mind. This would be the most difficult part: convincing Tohdoh. Without his support, half of the Black Knight's, alongside crucial forces from the JLF, won't be joining the fight. And, without them, the assault is sure to fail. "Well, as you know, the Princess' Knighting ceremony is to be held as an emergency broadcast across all news stations. In other words, it's not something the public currently knows about. The reason we do, is thanks to the efforts of Diethard Reid."

"That Britannian reporter, right?" Tohdoh asked. Though, his gaze never flinched. In fact, he was even more skeptical than before.

"Correct. The prize is the Britannian Air Base, after all. If we stage the attack toward the hangers, then we could avoid the entire ceremony, saving face as Britannian forces are coerced into defending their precious infrastructure." Naoto explained. "And of course, since we'll be attacking the other side of the base, it'll seem like we didn't even know about the ceremony taking place."

In truth, this was a weak plan. It was pretty common place for people to know that the Black Knight's can reliably get their hands on classified information, so for them to not know of such a big event happening, was beyond flimsy. And Tohdoh knew it.

"I didn't think you were that stupid, Zero." the miracle worker responded coldly, "Perhaps I thought too much of you when we first met. Or maybe it's something else." he stood up, "But, if you're going to go through with this plan, the JLF won't be able to support you any further."

Naoto's eyes widened with shock, "Wait! He can't just leave, can he? He knows Lelouch is Zero, that much is obvious. But he's referring to me as Zero, even when we're alone. Now that I think about it, he hasn't asked me to take my mask off… is it possible-No! It can't be. How would he even know? Is it my mannerisms? It has to be. But if that's the case, he has to have known, or at least suspected for a while, right?" the Kozuki didn't have time to worry about such thoughts. Right now, his only chance of saving Lelouch was heading out the door, so he had to make a change, and fast, "Lelouch told me to only reveal my identity to Tohdoh when necessary. Is now a good time? Of course, it is. Lelouch's life is on the line." with an almost cool voice, Zero called, "Wait. You're right, I'm not stupid. I have a good reason for attacking Britannia at this stage, and believe me, it's good. But I need you to sit down before I can explain why."

The miracle worker had long since suspected of there being two Zeros present. But he never had any real, tangible proof of that being the case. Well, except the fact that Tamaki and Ohgi were far more chatty with the new one, rather than the old one.

"This better be good." Tohdoh, once again, sat across from the masked man, anticipating an explanation.

Naoto sighed, "What I'm going to reveal to you, can't leave this room, do you understand?" the miracle worker merely nodded in response. Slowly, Naoto removed his mask, surprising the man before him, "I can tell from your expression, that I'm not the man you were expecting."

"Honestly, I had some suspicions, I just… didn't expect you to give up your identity so willingly." Tohdoh began tapping the table, "You're… Naoto Kozuki, right? What happened to Lelouch?"

"Well… he was actually captured. Specifically, by a specialist division in Britannia." the Kozuki didn't have to tell the whole truth about Lelouch's capture. And quite frankly, he couldn't even if he wanted to. Even he didn't know the full extent of how the Prince was captured, all he understood, was that he had to save him.

"Let me guess, he's being held at the Airbase, isn't he?" Tohdoh eagerly drew his own conclusion, much to Naoto's relief.

"Correct. That's the true purpose behind this attack."

"Do those other two know his identity as well?"

"If you're referring to Tamaki and Ohgi, then no. I only asked them to help convince the Black Knight's to aid us."

"I see…" Tohdoh closed his eyes, "By having their opinions split, it would truly cement the Black Knight's as an organization that's built by people in need, and not by a heartless dictator. This gives your people a sense of freedom, something they lost long ago."

"Correct."

"But." the miracle worker leaned forward. His eyes now wide-open, "You need me to help convince them, right?"

Naoto hesitated in answering. But, this was something he had to do. So, swallowing his pride, he answered, "That's right."

Upon seeing the hesitation, Tohdoh stood up, "In that case, I won't help you"

"What!?"

"You lack the resolve to lead the Black Knight's. As someone whose supposed to replace the original Zero in times of his absence, I say you're a disappointment."

Naoto was still shocked by this revelation. He knew there was a chance Tohdoh wouldn't agree to the plan. But like this? Calling him a disappointment, and saying he lacked resolve? The Kozuki was beyond exasperated. "What the hell does that mean!? Do you have any idea what'll happen when Lelouch is sent back to Britannia? His identity will be revealed, and Britannia will release some kind of story about how Japan ruthlessly tortured him!" the words seemed to be getting through to Tohdoh.

In truth, all he was doing was testing the Kozuki, trying to gauge if he was truly someone Lelouch would choose in his place. After all, from what he had seen, Lelouch was the one running the show, while Naoto stood in the background and took orders. To Tohdoh, he didn't see any kind of leadership material in him.

"Is that so? And you think if we attack this goodwill event, that'll be prevented? What if Britannia already knows that he's alive?"

"Without physical proof, those words will mean nothing. Even if they announce it, people will be quick to dismiss it, considering there's no proof. It'll be the talk of the nation for a few days, then it'll fall out of relevance!"

"Is that what you really think?" Tohdoh asked with narrow eyes. He knew there was something else at play. Something Naoto was hiding. But, even he was aware that he wouldn't get it out of him through forceful means. So, he dropped the subject, "Fine. Let's say that I do help you, do you have any idea where Lelouch is being held?"

"Toward the hangers on the other side of the base. Since the ceremony will be held toward the terminal, we won't have to worry about catching civilian casualties. Of course, it'll still be heavily guarded, so a stealth operation's out of the question."

"And how can you be so sure that Lelouch is there?"

"He's always carrying a key to the Kagero on his person, and on that key, there's a tracker. Though, only I have access to its location, since I've got its sister." Naoto waved his own copy of the key while saying that.

"And what's the story you've given Tamaki and Ohgi?"

"That ASEEC's main weapons trailer will be located there as well. By attacking Britannia now, we'll be able to get our hands on the most valuable, and experimental tech they have."

Tohdoh smiled slightly upon hearing this, "It looks like you've got everything out. Looks like Lelouch made the right choice." he turned to the Kozuki with a look of approval, "It's clear to me that Lelouch does indeed trust you. Not only did he reveal his identity to you, but he also has enough faith that you'll be able to lead the Black Knights when he's gone. And, from what you just showed me, he was right. Very well, I'll join you in this upcoming battle, Zero." he then made a motion for the door, as a stunned Naoto closely watched his movements, "I'll make my announcement shortly. Just make sure you're ready to explain the plan."

Eagerly, Naoto grabbed the Zero mask and put it on, "Don't worry. I've got it all figured out."

Rolo fiddled with the activation key to the Zero Kagero, carefully observing his prisoner, bonded with metallic chains, in the process, "I wonder why V.V's so interested in collecting royal family members? Actually, never mind. It's not my place to question him." in the distance, blades clashing echoed throughout the air base, "Looks like the duels went on for longer than scheduled. Nevertheless, it'll be a while until my flight's ready. I should get some rest while I can."

Slowly, the assassin drifted into a light slumber, one where he could easily be awoken if anything were to happen. Though, outside, Suzaku dueled a random Britannian candidate with his Lancelot, easily crushing him in a few moves. "Damn it. I can't search for Lelouch like this." he thought while guiding his frame in formation, "By the time this event ends, he'll be gone."

Euphemia and Lila applauded the display from both warriors, and soon, their representative approached the podium, armed with a script, detailing thanks for the soldier's hard work, and how much of an honor it was to be a Princess' Knight. Of course, most of the audience didn't care. After all, they were still riding the high of watching the Knightmare duels.

"Hey, don't you think Suzaku was great, Lloyd?" a mechanic whispered.

"Of course he was. The Lancelot is vastly superior to these Gloucesters and Sutherlands, after all." the mad scientist boasted.

"Rai was pretty good too." Cecile added, "Sure, he's not as skilled as Suzaku, but he still put on an amazing show."

"By the way, why was Suzaku late again?"

"Something about the monorail being down." another mechanic answered

"Do we even have monorails?"

"Dude, have you ever been outside? When's the last time you touched grass?"

"I don't need you patronizing me!"

Despite the light-hearted tone behind the conversation, the thought made Lloyd suspicious. For a few weeks now, he had noticed Suzaku's change in attitude. Everyone else seemed to shrug off this change as the boy going through puberty. But Lloyd knew better. This change was far too drastic to be explained through his testosterone rising or falling. It was almost as if someone had hijacked the boy's body, forcing him to do things against his will.

Of course, the Knight couldn't care less. Currently, he was atop the Lancelot's cockpit, standing at attention as Euphemia took the podium, "I have to narrow my search. Especially with the limited time I'll have, searching the entire Air Base is simply unrealistic." his eyes wandered to the terminal, "No. They can't just keep a prisoner in there, even if everyone's outside. After all, they're trying to leave as fast as possible." his eyes moved to a plan that was being worked on by a crew off in the distance, "Suspicious. All staff members should be participating in the assembly. So, Lelouch must be on that plan." his eyes scanned three nearby hangers, "Or perhaps, one of those?"

"Greetings, everyone." Princess Euphemia began her speech, "As you know, today's the day the Viceroy and I are to select our personal Knight's. We would like to thank all the participants for the wonderful show of strength earlier, and know that we took such displays into account when making our choices." Lila stood up, and approached the podium, "The Viceroy will be the first to announce her choice."

On the sidelines, Carine watched with disdain as the little Princess stood atop a wooden crate to reach the mic, "I swear to god, she better not choose that filthy Eleven. Even with how well he performed in the match's, that's still not a good enough reason to choose him as a Knight. Of course, it's not like I care about who's keeping Lila safe. No. It's the very fact that choosing some Eleven to protect her over a proud Britannian would bring shame upon our family."

Through shaky breaths, Lila read her prompt vigorously, until it came time to read out who her new Knight would be. In truth, the whole event had a predetermined winner for each Princess', so the matches were mainly just for show. But, Lila didn't want the random Britannian officer that was chosen for her. She already had a Knight in mind. And he was sitting atop the Lancelot, waiting for his name to be called. Or at least, that's what she thought. "Once again, I want to thank everyone for their participation in today's events. And, that even if you don't get picked, don't let that discourage you from undertaking any tasks in the future." she inhaled, "Now, the one I choose to be my Knight, is-"

Before she could finish her sentence, an explosion erupted in the distance, breaching the perimeter, allowing for dozen's of Knightmare's to flood in. "It's the Black Knight's!" a guard announced as he tried to ready his Sutherland for combat. However, he and his fellow soldiers were effortlessly eliminated in the first few seconds of the attack.

"The Guards have all been taken out!" Dasko announced while climbing into his Guren, "From here on out, I'm assuming command of everyone here!"

Those who were already atop their Knightmare's instantly readied for combat. They knew there was a chance of the Black Knight's trying something today, but they didn't actually expect them to show up. "Looks like this is my chance." Suzaku muttered while powering on the Lancelot.

"Oh no! The trailer!" Lloyd cried as he saw two Burais lifting the ASEEC vehicle off the ground, "Suzaku, Rai! You must stop them!"

"On it, sir!" the Silver-haired boy answered with no qualms.

Suzaku, on the other hand, hesitated before saying, "Right."

"Here he comes!" Tohdoh shouted as the Lancelots rushed toward the trailer, "Remember, we have to keep them separated from the rest of the group!"

As soon as the incoming pair got close, they were cut off by dozens of Burai's that took on a firing line formation, shooting down any incoming Gloucesters. "On this kind of battle, this is the best formation we can take." Naoto narrated while observing the line from his Kagero, "There's not much cover out here in general, and with the only two Knightmares that can deflect bullets out of the way, Britannia won't be able to attack us without heavy casualties. Not only that, but…" he made his way toward a hanger where the Prince's key was located at, "We can investigate these freely."

"Evacuate the civilians first!" Dasko ordered while grabbing a jet, and hurling it at the Black Knight's line, causing them to flinch. "We can't let them advance any further!"

"These guys are relentless!" Tamaki shouted while taking out a Gloucester with a few shots, "Hey, would'ya hurry up back there!?"

Tohdoh clashed with Suzaku as the four holy swords dealt with Rai, "They're working on it!" Ohgi chimed in, "We just have to do our job!" he opened another channel, "Naomi, how are the explosives?"

"We've almost got everything ready! Just a few more minutes!"

Finally, a single Gloucester, while using the body of its comrade, broke through the Black Knight's line, which was already spread thin. He heroically used his spear to pierce through a Burai cockpit, killing the pilot. Then, two more tried to fire into his back, but luckily, he managed to turn around, and fire his slash harkens into their waist, bisecting them in half. Though, his streak of victories came to an end when three Burais surrounded him, and fired their weapons from all directions, destroying the Gloucester in mere moments. But the damage was already done. With the lack of fire from one section of the line, a dozen Gloucesters managed to break through, causing mayhem amongst the Black Knight ranks. "Shit! We can't hold them back any longer!" Sugiyama shouted as his Burai was destroyed, sending his cockpit flying.

"We don't stand a chance in close combat like this." Ohgi muttered while ordering his squad back to the breach, "Keep our escape route open! We can't let them seal us in here!"

Tamaki desperately evaded a Gloucester as its lance came dangerously close to his face. Eventually, he managed to lead the Knightmare to a group of Black Knight Burais, who easily dispatched the Britannian.

"Suzaku! I know that's you in there!" Tohdoh shouted, trying to get through to his old student, "I don't want to do this, and I don't think you want to either!"

"Shut your mouth!" Suzaku protested while sending a punch through his opponent's arm, forcing him to wield the revolving blade with one hand. "If you didn't want to do this, then you wouldn't have showed up!"

"Damn it. Despite not using a weapon, Suzaku's skills in a Knightmare are so vastly superior to mine… how did this happen?" the miracle worker tried to retreat as Black Knight Burais in the background carried their prize out of the base.

"So fast…" Rai muttered as he watched them retreat. "I have to do something." while spinning his lance, he knocked away Nagisa and Urabe, before rushing toward the exit, desperately trying to catch the trailer.

Though, it would prove unsuccessful when Tamaki, armed with an anti-Blaze Luminous rifle, stood in his path. Of course, Rai tried to change his trajectory, but was swiftly stopped when Senba and Asahina slashed his back, forcing him onto his knees. "Idiot." Suzaku muttered while punching Tohdoh through the chest, causing his automatic ejection seat to activate.

"Tohdoh!" Nagisa shouted, "Damn it. Quick! Use spinning-life or death formation!"

"Got it!" the rest of the swords shouted while surrounding Suzaku.

"Seriously? This again? Don't you guys have anything better?" the Knight questioned as he calmly watched the Burais circle him. Tired of waiting, he used the corpse of Tohdoh's Burai, and launched it at Asahina, knocking him away. Using this opening, Suzaku charged at Urabe, who had come to a complete stop upon seeing his ally taken out. Of course, Nagisa and Senba rushed to their ally's aid, but were far too slow, as the Knight effortlessly tore apart Urabe's Burai in seconds. Forcing his auto-eject to activate.

"Shit! You'll pay for that!" the remaining swords shouted as they launched a simultaneous strike at their opponent, who used his Blaze Luminous to stop them dead in their tracks. However, in the background, Tamaki moved in position to shoot him, but Suzaku knew better, and fired both of his slash harkens into the opposing Burais, before blitzing past Tamaki, destroying his weapon in the process.

"Son of a bitch!" the Japanese man stumbled away from the Lancelot, as its imposing presence scanned the hangers. Then, his eyes locked onto the Zero Kagero, and he immediately moved toward it. "Oh no. Naoto! You've got incoming!"

The resistance leader turned around, only to be met with a punch to the face, followed by a, "Where's Zero!?"

"You're looking right at him!" he responded while kicking Suzaku away.

"Don't lie to me. I know you're not the real one." the Knight protested while trying to unsheathe his MVS. Though, just before he could, Naoto sent a punch into it holster, smashing the blade into the Lancelot's side, preventing it from being drawn. Then, he followed up by sending a spinning kick into his opponent's face, forcing him to crash through a hanger.

Meanwhile, in the next one over, Rolo quickly prepared himself for what was about to happen next, "It's only a matter of time before they crash in here. My best bet is to hijack one of their Knightmare's, and use it to transport Lelouch to a different Air Base." at that moment, the Kagero came crashing through the wall, much to the assassin's joy, "Good. It's this one!" he whipped out the activation key and pressed a button, forcing the cockpit to open.

Though, before he could activate his Geass to steal the Knightmare, he heard a shout, "Lelouch!" the Lancelot jumped crashed through the other side, intending to crush the Prince with his hand. However, just as he was about to succeed, Naoto grabbed his arm, and flung him out of the building. With that, Naoto grabbed Lelouch, and fled the scene.

Rolo helpless watched as his quarry escaped via the Kagero, who was soon followed by the Lancelot. And, soon after, the Club, who had sustained heavy damage from the earlier attack, "V.V won't be happy to hear about this."

"Ohgi, Tamaki! RTB!" Naoto ordered as he maneuvered through the mountain, trying to shake off his pursuers. In the background, the airbase erupted into a large column of fire, a product of the bombs Naomi and her group had planted earlier.

"What about you?" the former asked.

"I can take care of myself! Just make sure you get those trailers to Rakshata!"

Hesitantly, Ohgi said, "Fine. We're counting on you to make it back."

"Who do ya take me for?" the resistance leader asked as a slash harken clipped the side of his head, sending sparks flying. "Shit. Is he catching up!?"

Before he could do anything, Naoto was sent flying to the side, as Suzaku sent a flying kick into him. Luckily, Lelouch remained relatively unscathed, save for a few scratches.

"Suzaku." Rai called through his broken intercom, "I'm here to help."

"Good." the Knight smiled, "I'm going to open up that Knightmare's defenses, and once I do, I want you to grab the person they're holding."

"What? They've taken a hostage?"

"No. That person they're holding, is the real Zero." Suzaku revealed without hesitation, "Feel free to kill them upon retrieval."

While Rai would normally follow his mentors orders without issue, this time, he was having second thoughts, "But… don't you think we should capture him instead?"

"No! We must kill Zero before he can cause any more problems!"

While the silver-haired boy was still skeptical, he did as told and prepared for battle. "This isn't good. I can't take both of them at once." Naoto's eyes darted from each Lancelot to the other. He knew the Club was heavily injured, so there might be an escape route through using him. But… could he do it? Both were exceptionally skilled Knightmare pilots, each easily outclassing Naoto in pure combat. No. He couldn't think of the 'ifs' now. At this moment, it was him vs the Lancelots. He had to win. Otherwise, his dream of a free Japan, and both of the people who bring his sister joy, would die here.

Just like a cornered dog, the Kagero lunged forward, keeping its prize close to its chest with its left arm, meaning it could only fight with the right. Even still, Naoto had more than enough to escape. Using his chaffsmoke, he covered his movement while escaping to the left. Of course, Suzaku knew how to follow the trail through, using the same tactics multiple times in his time as a Black Knight. So, he effortlessly hounded the Kagero, before tackling it to the ground, causing them to crash through several trees. Eventually, they came to opposite of each other. Though, Naoto used his slash harkens in an attempt to build even more distance. Unfortunately, Suzaku only used the harkens to pull himself closer to his opponent, before delivering a solid knee to their chest. Sending Lelouch flying into the distance.

Luckily, or perhaps unluckily, Rai gently caught the boy before he could hit anything, and sped away. "You fool!" Suzaku cried, "Just kill him already!"

In the confusion, Naoto managed to get up and mount a counterattack, knocking the Knight into a tree, before, regrettably, escaping by himself. But Suzaku didn't care. He was angered by what Rai had just done. The boy had never had an independent thought, so why would he go against his orders? Is it possible that he had finally made a decision for himself? No. That's impossible. The boy was built to serve his superiors, Suzaku could tell that from how he acted. It was something engrained into his very being, so what happened?

Rai didn't know what he was doing. At first, he was… acceptant of Suzaku's ways. Even complacent with them at times. Yet, here he was, running away with the man known as 'Zero', against his mentors will. "There's no way I can turn him in!" he thought as Lelouch slept soundly in the Club's arms. Whatever Rolo gave him to sleep, was really working. "This boy… I recognize him. He's Princess Euphemia's brother, Lelouch Vi Britannia."

He suddenly remembered back to a few hours before the ceremony, where he got to meet with the pink-haired Princess first-hand.

"Rai, I'm glad you could make it under such short notice." she greeted the boy as he entered her make-shift office.

"It's no trouble, Princess." the boy bowed in response, much to her chagrin.

"You don't have to bow. We're alone, so nobody will judge you if you act normally." she responded while looking out onto the pitch-black airbase. "As you know, or at least, should know; you and Suzaku are the ones my sister and I will most likely be picking. Mainly because we don't really know much about the other candidates."

"Th-thank you for such an honor, Princess." the boy bowed once again.

Euphemia sighed, "You really don't have to do that."

"Oh… I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Now, I wanted to let you know that you'll be my Knight." this surprised Rai slightly. Nonetheless, he allowed the Princess to continue, "You see, my sister, Lila, has been really eyeing Suzaku for a while now. I'm aware that she believe he'll be the key to achieving her revenge against Zero for her. Now, while I understand the hate she has for the man, I still don't condone her will for revenge. It's my personal belief that peace can be achieved without bloodshed. And, I know you might think of me as a fool, heck, even Cornelia thinks so. But… it's something I believe in."

Rai nodded in response, and hoped to add onto the conversation by saying, "So, the reason you chose me as your Knight, is because you believe that I'm able to help you achieve that dream?"

"Oh… I mean, kind of?" Euphemia put a hand on her chin, "The reason I chose you as my Knight, is because you kind of remind me of Lelouch. Of course, you two look nothing alike, but there's just something about you that resembles him. I just can't put my finger on it, you know?"

"Ah…" the silver-haired boy looked down, "So, your brother, Lelouch, he's someone special to you, right?"

"Very." Euphemia answered with a big smile, while pulling out a picture, "Just look at this!" in the frame, it was of Kallen and Lelouch, with the latter embarrassingly trying to stop the photo from being taken, "I thought I had lost him a long time ago. But, now that I know he's alive, I don't want to ever lose him again."

"I think… I understand." Rai took a knee, "Then, Princess, allow me to protect all you hold dear, as your sword and shield. Princess Nunnally, Prince Lelouch, Viceroy Lila, Princess Cornelia, and of course, above all else, you."

"O-oh my. That's quite the proclamation." Euphemia responded with an embarrassed face, "Well, I hope you can keep that promise." she reached out her pinky, "This is something Nunnally taught me a few days ago. She said it's a pinky promise, and it's something the Japanese do."

Hesitantly, Rai gently took the Princess' pinky in his, and swore, upon swallowing a thousand needles, that he would protect those dear to her. That included Lelouch, even if there was the possibility of him being Zero.

"Rai?" Euphemia called as she cautiously entered one of the few remaining intact hangers. After the Black Knight attack, most of their planes had been destroyed through bombs that had planted in the confusion. "You wanted to speak with me?" she asked while approaching the club, which was kneeling at the center of the room.

"Princess, I know I'm not officially your Knight yet, as the ceremony has been postponed until next week, but I made a promise, and I intend to keep it." the silver-haired boy explained while pointing at Lelouch, who was still unconscious on the ground, "I… found him amongst the fighting, and saved him from being kidnapped by the Black Knight's."

"Lelouch!" Euphemia called while rushing to her brother's side, "He's… all cut up. And his cheek… it looks like he's been tortured."

"Well, I don't know about that part. But… from what Suzaku said, and I have no idea how he got this information, but apparently, Lelouch is…" Rai mouthed the words to Euphemia, causing a sense of shock to flow throughout her body.

"What!? Lelouch… is Zero? But how!? Why? He knows his mother was killed by terrorists, and yet… he's become one himself?" she shook her head, rejecting the idea, "There's no way! Refuse to believe such an idea!"

"Then… what will you have me do?" Rai asked, seeking guidance from his superior.

"We… we won't mention this to anyone!" the Princess frantically responded, "I don't know what he was doing here… but we'll just say we found him underneath one of the destroyed hangers. We'll ignore why he was there under the guise of me being worried about him." she gently stroked her brother's cheek, right where he had been struck by Rolo.

In truth, Rai was aware that this was a poor plan. However, he knew how much Lelouch meant to Euphemia, so, even if it was foolish, he would follow her orders. As her Knight, of course.

"Your incompetence annoys me, Rolo." V.V said menacingly as the assassin overlooked the museum in the Shinjuku Ghetto, which was currently cornered off by police tap. Of course, there were no actually policemen there, as nobody seemed to care about the deaths of hundreds of Elevens. Instead, only the cleanup crew remained to 'fix up' the place.

"My apologies… Master V.V."

"I've had about enough of those." the blond responded while attempting to stack a card tower. Only for it to fall under the stress of his hands. "And if what you say is true, Clara's… out of commission?"

"She's currently in the hospital, sir."

"Then, if you want to prove yourself worthy of my time, I want you to eliminate her, and start fresh." V.V ordered heartlessly, "Once you do that, return to me for your next assignment." he hung up the phone and muttered, "I have no use for those who can't even follow simple directions. Clara, I've put up with your antics for long enough. Fortunately for me, this is the end of your pitiful existence."

Black Knight Warehouse

"Damn it!" Naoto roared while picking up the table in Lelouch's office, and slamming it against the wall, shattering it into dozens of pieces, "How did I fuck up so badly!?" he held his head in frustration, continuing his rant in his head, "Not only did I fail to retrieve Lelouch, but now Britannia knows he's Zero! The one thing I was trying to prevent by retrieving him!" just as he was about to punch a hole through the nearby wall, Tohdoh walked in, looking as calm as ever.

"Zero. I need you to relax."

"Relax!? How can I relax!? We just lost-" he stopped himself from finishing that sentence. He knew he was being loud, especially if Tohdoh had to come up here and tell him to keep it down. The Black Knight's below must've heard his rage, and gotten worried. "You're right. I… I have to take a breath. This operation wasn't all bad." he lied, "We got valuable Britannian tech, and crippled their air force in the region."

In a low voice, Tohdoh added, "You said Lelouch was being brought in by one of those ace pilots, right? Then that must mean they're turning him into either the Viceroy, or Princess Euphemia to gain recognition. And, while I'm sure they'll be surprised to see their brother alive, especially Euphemia, I'm sure they won't publicly release his identity to avoid another 'disappearance' incident."

While there were holes in his argument, it was still more reassuring than the thoughts that were currently traveling through Naoto's mind at a million miles an hour. "So what? I'm supposed to just have faith that they won't reveal his identity?"

"It'll be the best case scenario."

"And what if they do?"

Tohdoh took a deep breath, "In that case, there's nothing we could've done. We followed the plan to the best of our abilities. Though, the bright side is that they have no concrete proof that Lelouch is Zero. So we'll be safe. And, until he returns, you'll be the one to run the Black Knight's, understand?"
"Our most valuable member is gone, and we've already replaced him." Naoto clenched his fist, "Something about this doesn't feel right. Yet… this is what Lelouch put me here for. But… after today's display, am I even worthy of leading the Black Knight's?"

Tohdoh could sense the doubt emanating from the Kozuki's body, but there was nothing he could do about it. Right now, none of his words could break through the tough outer shell the man's created to protect himself. The only people who could possibly achieve such a feat, are Kallen, or Lelouch, "Speaking of which… where is she? I didn't question it at first, but at such an important event, her presence, alongside Mario and Maya's, would've been vital to our victory. Just what is going on behind the scenes that you're not telling me, Naoto?"

AN: We'll return to Kallen and C.C's group next chapter.