AN:

Komod0-Sensei: This situation is very tense for Lelouch, and I hope I'm able to execute what's coming next well.

Samurai Seven: I have an idea for Kallen and KT Suzaku's first official 1-on-1. (I think. I don't believe they've actually dueled in Knightmare's yet. And I'm not counting C's world.) I do have some idea on how it's gonna go.

Guests: Honestly? Not high with Euphemia, Rai, and Lloyd right now. There's just no reason currently. And the odds are stacked against Lelouch because I want there to be some real sense of danger with Marrybell, showing how much of a different beast she is compared to Carine. I hope I'll be able to succeed.

PhantomGuest: Glad to be back. As for Marrybell knowing the Black Knight locations, that has to do with Carine, as will be touched on in this chapter. I tried to build up Carine as someone who just keeps information to herself, and never purposefully acting upon it because it disinterests her, or she just waits until she's bored, then she'll take her frustration outs through bombing the hell out of the unfortunate saps she chooses. This also plays into how Carine uses very underhanded methods to get what she wants. I'm also slowly trying to integrate Karma Suzaku into the role of antagonist. For now though, Marrybell's going to take center stage.

Chapter 67: Snake head

February 21st.

Suzaku knocks on the door to Marrybell's temporary office within the Viceroy palace. "Come in." a voice commands him.

Upon opening the door, he's greeted by Oldrin who points him to a chair in front of Marrybell's desk, "Please, have a seat."

The Princess notices her guest, and puts down a folder, "Ah. Suzaku Kururugi. I'm glad you could make it."

"It's my honor, Princess." the Knight bowed and asked, "Why did you call me here?"

"The nerve!" Oldrin shouted, "Show some respect!"

"It's fine. I understand that he wants to return to protecting my sister, after all." Marrybell says reassuringly, "Though, I hope to change your mind today." she picks up a folder from her drawer, and puts it in front of Suzaku, "From what I understand, you're a stellar pilot. In a class of your own. Perhaps even on the level of a Knight of the Round."

"I… try my best." Suzaku tried acting humble, "If this meeting goes well, I should be able to get what I want." he looked at his picture and clenched a fist, "Protecting Lila does nothing in accelerating my plan to kill Lelouch. She's far too naive. And while I don't know much about Marrybell herself, the display she showed the other day shows she's more than capable enough to get me a shot at Lelouch. So, I have to play my cards right."

"Listen, I'll get to the point. I want you to join the Glinda Knights." Marrybell dropped the proposition on the table right there.

The Knight wasn't expecting such a bold move, so he played coy, "Um… if you want me on your special unit, then why don't you ask Lila? After all, I can't just leave her care without her permission."

Marrybell sighed, "I tried. But, it didn't go too well…"

A few hours prior in the Viceroy's office…

"I don't wanna!" Lila shouted as Marrybell had her arms outstretched.

"Oh come on! Don't be like that." the Hero Princess tried to calm the Viceroy down, "Suzaku is a valuable asset. He'd much be better served under my care."

"I said no!"

Carine giggled, before taunting, "Well, would you look at that? I didn't expect you to be the kind to try and take your sister's toys away, Hero Princess."

"You could at least help!" Marrybell accused.

"No way! You stole my kills!" the red-haired Princess protested, referring to the warehouse locations Marrybell forced her to cough up.

"Your planes were destroyed! There was no way you were going to attack those warehouses!"

"You don't know that." Carine looked off to the side with a pout.

"Carine, I know you way better than you think." Marrybell sighs and returns to Lila, "Please, sister. If you give me Suzaku, he'll still be able to see you in his spare time. I promise."

The Viceroy cutely shook her head in denial. Upon seeing this, Euphemia chimed in and shouted, "That's right, Lila! Don't let Marry bully you!"

"You're not helping!" the Hero Princess shouted.

"Of course I'm not." the pink-haired Princess crossed her arms, "You can't stand between true love."

"Euphie, Lila's only 13! Suzaku's 16! You can't be serious in allowing her to date him!"

"But… true love transcends all ages!"

"No, it does not! There's a limit!" Marrybell sighed in frustration, "Fine. I'll just ask Suzaku then. And we'll see what he wants."

"What!? He can't just leave my service without my permission!"

"He can." Oldrin chimed in, "It's a two-way street. If Suzaku believe that defending you is out of his power, then he's free to resign his duties."

Now, Lila was on the edge of tears, "Wh-what? But… but Suzaku wouldn't…"

Upon seeing her sister crying, Euphemia ran to her aid, "Look at what you did, Marry! Apologize!"

Marrybell sighed, "I can't believe I'm doing this…" she took in a deep breath, "Hey, Lila." she called, causing the innocent Princess to look at her, "I'm sorry about scaring you. But, I will ask Suzaku if he wants to leave your service, and aid my Glinda Knights." before Lila could continue crying, the Hero Princess elaborated, "Though, if what you say is true, he'll most likely reject my offer, so I won't be able to press it. If he does that, then he's yours."

Lila sniffled, "Really!?"

"I'm serious."

The Viceroy gave off a pure smile, "Thanks, Marry!"

The sight made everyone's heart, including Carine's, skip a beat. But, she quickly remembered who she was, and scoffed at the sight, "If I knew all I had to do to get my way, was cry a little, I would've done that yesterday."

Oldrin still smiled at the wholesome memory. It was oddly endearing seeing those girls act like sisters, instead of opponents trying to gain political power. Especially Carine.

"So… what you're saying, is that it's my choice?" Suzaku asked.

"Correct. It's up to you if you want to leave Lila's service."

The Knight looked down, "I can't agree too early, otherwise, it'll make me look opportunistic. I'm when I show off greater performance in the future, she'll come asking once again. So, it's safe for me to reject her offer now." he looked at the Princess, "Unfortunately, I'm perfectly content with being Viceroy Lila's Knight for now. Though, I must thank you for extending this off to me personally." he bowed.

Marrybell sighed, "Oh well. At least I tried. You're free to return to your post as normal. I hope we can see more of each other in the future, Suzaku Kururugi."

"Likewise, Princess Marrybell." with those words, he exited the temporary office, and left the Viceroy palace. However, once the automatic doors to the outside opened, he came face-to-face with Rai, who was in parade dress.

Silently, he nodded at his former student, and walked past him. But, Rai didn't want it to end there, "Suzaku." the boys didn't look at each other. Suzaku stood directly behind Rai, staring at dark clouds in the distance, while the latter stared at the warm lights of the Palace lobby. "As you already know… I'm Princess Euphemia's personal Knight."

"I am… aware." the Japanese man continued to look at the incoming storm, unfazed.

"Then… I hope you're not mad-"

"Mad? Why would I be mad?"

Rai looked down, "I was… under the assumption that you wanted to be her Knight. But clearly, I was wrong."

"Yeah. You were. After all, I didn't say anything about it."

"It was just an assumption. Especially with how partial you are to her."

"Rai. You don't know me, so stop making assumptions about how I feel, or what I want." Suzaku answered heartlessly, "We're friends." he lied, "That won't change just because our positions in Britannia do."

Of course, the silver-haired boy could sense these words were dripping with venom. But he refrained from commenting, as he didn't want confrontation, especially now. "I'm glad you feel that way." they still refused to look at each other, only focused on what was ahead of them, "Then… I hope that while we're on the path to our goals, we can assist each other along the way."

"I agree." finally, Suzaku told the truth, "Speaking of which, what is your goal? I don't believe I remember what it was."

As a final act of defiance, Rai refused to answer, "Then it wasn't important." he took a step inside the lobby, "Goodbye, Suzaku." the automatic doors closed behind him, leaving Suzaku out in the cold.

"Goodbye, Rai."

The two Knight separate to pursue their own paths. Each strive for the same goal, but they ways they want to achieve it, are completely different. In the end, who will succeed? Only time will tell.

Kallen visibly shook as she looked at the entrance to Ashford Academy.

"We gonna go in?" Clara asked while patting the red head on the back, "Also… why's your hair like that?"

The Kozuki had her hair in the Stadtfeld style, attempting to mentally return to how things once were. Though, it didn't help that she had Clara as a constant reminder that she can't hide from the present. "Just… leave it." she took a deep breath, "Let's just go back to the motel. I… I'm not in the mood for this."

"N-no way!" Clara desperately grabbed onto Kallen's arm, pulling her back to the entrance. This earned at glare from the red head, which caused the pink-haired girl to cower in fear. "W-wait! I didn't mean to grab you like that! I… I just… think it's for the best if we return…" she covered her head with her schoolbag.

Kallen's eyes wandered to the entrance once again, and images of Lelouch, Nina, Milly, Shirley, and Rivalz appeared there, making a smile form on her face. Then, Mario, Maya, and C.C appeared too. "Fine… let's go in." she walked past the cowering girl.

"R-really?"

"You wanna join the Black Knight's, right? Then stay close."

Like a bodyguard, or a stray cat, Clara followed close behind the red head. Scanning the school grounds for Rolo, or any Geass order assassins. Though, there were none in sight. They headed straight to the Clubhouse, where Kallen thought that was the best chance of finding Lelouch they had. "S-so… this is it…" the pink-haired girl muttered as they stared at the building, "If we ring that doorbell… I'll be in the safety of the Black Knight's."

Kallen lightly slapped Clara's head, "Only if Lelouch is there." those words caused the red head's heart to clench with fear.

They both stepped into the patio, and thought, "Please be here. Please be here. Please be here."

The red head rung the doorbell, and waited for someone to answer. Minutes passed without an answer. Kallen rung the bell again. More time passed, and no one came to their call. "M-maybe no one's home." Clara said as she looked through the window, "I don't see any movement in there."

Kallen sighed, "Damn it. This was a stupid idea. I should've just stayed at the motel. Now I…" she clenched her fist as tears formed in her eyes, "Now I feel stupid for thinking there was a chance of seeing him…" she fell to her knees, feeling hopeless again.

"H-hey! D-don't cry, Kally!" the pink-haired girl tried to reassure her… friend? Was Kallen her friend? Regardless, she needed the red head at peak performance, so she wouldn't allow her to fall victim to something as trivial as depression. "He's probably just not home. Out doing some stupidly important Black Knight mission… or something." seeing this wasn't doing any good, Clara took out her phone, and pulled up an article, "See? It says Princess Marrybell's here. So, he's probably creating some kind of plan to eliminate her as we speak. Let's just wait here and-"

"Enough." Kallen commanded while shakily standing up, "I… look like an idiot right now. Let's just go back to the motel."

"Wh-what about your other student council friends? I'm sure they could tell us if they've seen…" Clara hesitated in saying his name, "If they've seen… Lelouch…"

"I can't face them. Not when I'm looking like this." Kallen swayed to the right as she turned around, fully intending on leaving. But a strange sight caused her to freeze."

"Wh-what is it?" her 'friend' asked, before realizing what was going on, "Oh my god…"

Kallen dropped her school bag as tears dripped down her cheeks, "Lelouch…"

The raven-haired boy stood at the bottom of the steps, looking at Kallen with a shaking gaze, "K-Kallen… is that you?"

"Lelouch…" the red head took a step forward, before pulling out a gun, and pointing it at him, shocking Clara, "When did we start dating?"

"What the hell are you doing!?" her 'friend' shouted.

However, the Prince fearlessly stared down the gun barrel and answered, "It was my Birthday. December 5th. I was baking cupcakes for Nunnally," he smirked, "And to prove that I'm a better baker than Milly. Then, an unfortunate accident happened, leading to us sharing a kiss."

"Th-this guy's memory is insane!?" Clara's eyes darted from Kallen to Lelouch, "But… is it right?"

Kallen dropped her gun and shouted, "Lelouch! It really is you!" she leapt into the boy's arms. Of course, he wasn't strong enough to catch her, so they ended up just collapsing on the floor. But she didn't care. The red head wrapped her arms around her boyfriend, and began rubbing her face against his. "Lelouch…"

The Prince smiled while holding her close. He felt like he could cry at any moment, but managed to refrain from doing so, "It's so good to see you." he said while caressing the back of her head. "Where did you go?"

Kallen shook her head while leaning back, "I just… had some things to figure out. But… I'm okay now." she lied. "Anyway, what happened to you?"

"It's… a long story…" the Prince's eyes wandered to Clara, and he instantly turned hostile, "What's she doing here?"

The pink-haired girl refused to look the boy in the eyes, afraid that his command might accidentally reactivate. "Um… I'm not… I'm not here to hurt you!" she pleaded, "I just… I just…"

"She's going to be joining the Black Knight's." Kallen informed her boyfriend, "It's… a long story, too." she looked him dead in the eyes, "But… you don't have to worry about her. She's practically harmless now."

Clara couldn't refuse Kallen's claim. Mainly because it was true, but partly since she needed to be on Lelouch's good side. "S-she's right. I'm… I'm here to help you, I swear."

"We should take this inside. I don't want anyone accidentally over hearing us." Lelouch carefully tried to get up, but Kallen wouldn't let go of him. She was like glue. No. More like superglue. "Uh… Kallen, I need to open the door."

The red head shook her head. She couldn't afford to lose him again, so she didn't want to let go. "I'll open it for you. Where's the key?"

"It's already unlocked…"

"Oh good!" Kallen dragged the boy up the stairs, and opened the door to the clubhouse, "Let's go to your room…" she said nervously.

Clara followed closely behind the couple, until they reached the Prince's room. Kallen sights next to Lelouch, causing him to blush from the proximity, "Uh… Kallen."

"I'm not letting go." she answered, "Never again."

Lelouch sighed with a red face, "Well, where did you two go?"

"We… went into hiding." Clara answered while staring out a window, watching students pass by outside, "Kallen… had to get some things sorted due to what Mao said."

"Mao?"

"The guy who confronted C.C with me."

"Oh yeah, I remember him."

"Yeah. He had a Geass that allowed him to read minds," she hesitated before continuing, "And… I used my Geass to have him read Kallen's mind to get under her skin." before Lelouch could stand up to confront the pink-haired girl, she finished by saying, "It didn't end well for me. It's why my face is scarred."

The Prince's eyes narrowed upon seeing the discoloration, "And… your Geass. What is it?"

"It allows me to give commands to others when I say their name, and look at them in the eye."

"So… it's similar to mine…"

"Fortunately, it is."

"And how did you survive my die command?"

Clara visibly shook upon hearing those words. She felt her hand reaching for her throat, attempting to choke herself out. To prevent this, she muttered, "Live…"

"Live?" the Prince questioned.

"I… gave myself a command to live, in order to counter yours."

"I see… and why do you want to join the Black Knight's."

The former Geass assassin took a few breaths in and out, before facing Lelouch, and saying, "I'm turning my back on Eden Vital!" she was taking a great leap here, "That boy who captured you, Rolo. He's hunting me down, planning to kill me because I failed…" she stopped her explanation there, "That's why… I need to join the Black Knight's." she fell to her knees, panting, "Please… I'll tell you everything I know about Eden Vital, the Geass order."

Lelouch's eyes widened upon hearing such a resolution, "Seriously? You're going to do that?"

"Yes!"

"And what if I choose to kill you once I get the information I want?"

The pink-haired girl looked down with melancholic eyes. She chanted 'live' under her breath once again, before responding, "You… you could do that, and I won't be able to stop you. But, I promise, I can be a valuable asset if you choose to keep me around. I'm well versed in espionage, close quarters combat, intel gathering, and general groundwork. I'll also be able to provide you with constant information on the weaknesses of any Geass agents that come by in the future, their Geass weak points, as well as just general information about the order."

"This offer… it's certainly enticing. In fact, I'd be a fool to reject it." Lelouch tapped his foot, "Eden Vital, or the Geass order, have been the biggest hindrance in my side due to their unpredictability, and mysteriousness. Having Clara, who can provide me with semi-relevant information about them, would be invaluable. The only issue, is Clara telling the truth?" he looked at the pink-haired girl as she shook uncontrollably, afraid of the upcoming verdict, then he stared at Kallen, who buried her head into his chest. "Kallen."

She looked at him with stars in her eyes, "Yes?"

"What do you think? Should I let Clara join the Black Knights?"

"What? Why are you asking me?"

"Because, you've been around her for the past few days, haven't you? So, I think you would know best."

Kallen looked down, "I think… Clara's been a great help to me. It could just be that she's afraid of me, but she was the person who helped me come to Ashford to meet you. Sure, she hurt me that day with Mao, but I think she's made up for some of it now. Especially since she could've killed me in my sleep."

"K-Kally…" the girl in question muttered with disbelief, "Thank you…"

Lelouch sighed, "Very well. I'll be inducting you as a member of the Black Knights, starting now."

Suddenly, he felt a tug on his shirt. It was Kallen. "But… she has to stay by my side. I made that deal with her before we came here."

The Prince nodded, "If you really trust her that much…" he breathed out, "Alright. You'll be in Kallen's care then, Clara."

The former Geass assassin, and new Black Knight, smiled with glee, "Th-thank you so much!"

"You don't have to be so loud…"

"Now, it's your turn, Lelouch." the red head turned to her boyfriend. Her face only inches from his, "What happened to you after Naoto failed to rescue you?"

"Ah." the Prince looked down with shame, being reminded once again of his failures.

That's when Kallen grabbed him by the chin, and turned her back to her. "Please, just tell me."

Lelouch took a deep breath in, before saying, "I… I was apparently taken by a boy named Rai. I don't know how it happened, but I woke up in Euphie's room, where we had a long chat." he hesitated, but eventually caved in, "She… knows I'm Zero."

Kallen's eyes widened, "And what did she say?"

"She… was surprisingly supportive of it. Well, not exactly supportive. She understood why I became Zero, and she's not going to rat me out, much like her… Knight, Rai. Though, I consider this all as supportive, considering that Carine or Lila wouldn't have given me such a luxury."

"Right…" the red head looked off to the side, "And to think I wanted to kill her the other day."

"Kallen?" the Prince called.

She shook her head, "It's nothing. Is that all?"

"All that I can remember right now." he snapped his finger, "Actually, she doesn't know that you're a part of the Black Knights."

"You didn't tell her?"

"At the moment… I wanted to retain some kind of power, even if it was pitiful." he looked down.

Kallen sighed, "I suppose that's just Lelouch being Lelouch. There's no changing instinct."

"And… she did say if I needed anything in the future, that I shouldn't be afraid to ask."

"Seriously? That's… so kind of her…"

"Well, that's Euphie for you. There's no changing instinct." Lelouch unknowingly mimicked Kallen's words.

This caused the red head to giggle, "We're so in-sync."

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing at all." the red head whispered.

Before Lelouch could push the matter further, his phone rang. Just as he was about to ignore the call, he saw who it was, and picked up instantly, "Naoto? What's wrong?"

"Lelouch, Tohdoh, needs to speak with you urgently."

"Wait, slow down, what is it?"

"It's Marrybell, she's making another move. This time, it's on the JLF."

A bead of sweat dripped down Lelouch's brow, "Seriously!? This is bad. She's moving way faster than anticipated. I thought she'd slow down after taking out our warehouses, but it seems that I was wrong…" finally, he took a deep breath, "Alright. I'll be there soon with Kallen and a new member of the Black Knights."

"You found Kallen!?" the older Kozuki screamed with joy, "Can you put her on the phone, please!?"

Kallen heard this and took the phone, "Naoto. I'm here."

"Kallen! It's really you, isn't it? Where have you been? Do you know how worried we all were? Are you eating well? Have you been sleeping properly? Are you-"

The red head chuckled at her brother's constant dotting, and said, "Don't worry. I'm fine. We'll talk soon, don't worry. But right now, we have a job to do."

Naoto looked down, disappointed that he couldn't have a proper reunion with his sister. However, he understood her point, and pushed down his feelings using the Zero persona he's been working on. "You're right." he said in a deeper voice, "Let's focus on Britannia for now."

This only made Kallen giggle, "Seriously? What's with that voice?"

"Hey! I'm taking this very serious, young lady! And you're lucky I'm not scolding you for making mom worry so much!"

Kallen felt a smile creep onto her face, before saying, "Thank you, Naoto. I love you."

This made the Older Kozuki stop in his tracks, before responding, "Love you too. I'm glad you're finally back."

"Sorry to cut your reunion short, but we've gotta go." Lelouch stood up, "You can discuss more once we're at the warehouse. I'll give you plenty of time."

Kallen nodded, "Sorry Naoto, I've got to go. I'll see you soon." she hung up, and handed the phone back to her boyfriend.

Marrybell's G1 stopped by a tranquil river by the foot of mount Nikko. A once gracious land that had once been defiled by the second pacific war, would once again go through the same tragic experience after being healed, as the Hero Princess had a job to do, and she intended to see it through to the very end. "Alright. All systems green. We're waiting on confirmation from Princess Carine's G1." a staff member reported as everyone typed away on their keyboards.

Oldrin overlooked the Knightmare launch bay, and spoke to the head mechanic, "So, we'll be able to tell our Glinda Knights apart from Carine's, right?"

"Correct, madam. Our IFF transponders will be colored green, while Princess Carine's will show up as Blue."

"Excellent work. This way, we'll be able to see how much that entertainment district lackey slacks off."

The mechanic merely bowed, before returning to his work. "Oldrin." Marrybell called, "I see our color schemes are coming along nicely." as she said that, a red and gold Sutherland launched out of the bay, heading into a predetermined battle formation hiding amongst the foliage.

"Yes, ma'am. There's no question, we've been branded as a special division, one that will be recognized by all of Britannia."

The Princess raised an eyebrow, "Oh my? You say that like we've already succeeded."

"Of course. Considering the fact that Zero hasn't appeared once to stop our onslaught of his forces, I'd say he's scared of your tactical prowess."

"Be real, Oldrin." Marrybell gained the attention of the entire facility, "Zero has shown time and time again he is a tactical genius. I have no doubt that he's waiting for the right time to strike. After all, we have three Knights of the Round in our care. He'd be an idiot to face us head on."

Her knight smiled, "Of course. I apologize for my comments."

"It's alright." the Princess raised her fist confidently, "No matter how competent of a commander he is, we as the Glinda Knights will crush him all the same. Follow me to victory, and I will engrave this defeat into all terrorists who dare oppose Britannia!"

Everyone in the room cheered at the Princess' speech, pushing their spirits even higher. "She's a real riot, ain't she?" Luciano commented as he overheard the speech through his radio, "I think I kind of like her."

"Don't get any ideas." Gino kneeled atop a cliff, overlooking the Knight of tens position.

"And what do you mean by that? I hope you aren't suggesting anything romantic."

"I know you, Luciano. Your heart belongs on the battlefield, not with any woman."

"Hoh? And you seem to forget that I know you as well." the vampire turned to the blond, "After all, your heart only belongs to women."

"You have me mistaken, then. When I'm on the battlefield, my mind is as clear as can be. And I focus on the object, not further dirtying my hands by needlessly slaughtering my opponents."

"Remember, I said your heart, not mind." Luciano smiled sadistically.

"I-I have to support these two!?" Leonhart Steiner, a Glinda Knightmare pilot, exclaimed to himself as the two Knights of the Round argued with each other. "These guys are insane!"

"We're so screwed…" Sokkia Sherpa, another Glinda Knightmare pilot, sighed as she scratched her head in frustration.

Meanwhile, Carine's G1 moved into position out in the middle of a canyon as her Knight, Dasko, was launched out in his modified Guren. "Excellent. The stage is set for a wondrous battle, brimming with excitement!" she paid especially close attention to the Glinda Knights, who only made up for a small segment of their large force, "Not only that… but with so many soldiers out and about, nobody will be able to tell the difference between friendly fire, and terrorists getting off lucky shots."

Dasko appeared on the main monitor, and said, "Princess, we're in position. Waiting on your orders to attack."

"Excellent! Those JLF fools won't know what hit 'em!" her eyes narrowed, "And… you remember what we discussed, right?"

"Of course. How could I forget such an important task, Princess?"

"Good. Standby for orders. I'm still waiting on Lila and Euphie to get in range." she tapped her foot impatiently, "Seriously? What's taking so long? They're only setting up artillery…"

"Oh come on! Don't be like that~" Euphemia grabbed both Suzaku and Rai, putting them together as the G1 reached the crest of a hill, opposing mount Nikko, "Just because you two are fighting, doesn't mean you have to hate each other!"

"We're not fighting!" both Knights shouted with stern faces.

"We're just having…"

"A mild disagreement." Suzaku finished Rai's sentence.

Lila sighed as her sister slapped both Knights on the back with a pouting face, "Just go get changed! We need you on the field ASAP! I can feel Carine scolding us from her G1 after all!"

The two Knights left the command room just as ASEEC soldiers outside set up some kind of array that scanned the surrounding area, transferring the info directly to the G1's command table. This provided them an accurate image of the surrounding terrain, allowing for more detailed and accurate artillery targets and coordinates.

At the base of the hill, hidden away, hundreds of Artillery vehicles, granted to the Viceroy by Carine, loaded their first shells, ready to fire at any given time. "Lloyd." Euphemia looked at the large screen where the mad scientist appeared, "What are the chances of us seeing the information from the ASEEC trailers being used against us in this battle?"

"100%" he answered without hesitation.

"Really!? You think they already built all the tools to face us?"

"That's not what you asked, Princess." Lloyd replied before getting slapped in the back of the head by Cecile.

"Be more respectful!"

"M-my apologies!"

Lila giggled at the interaction before asking, "So… what are the chances we see our weapons used against us?"

The slapping finally stopped, and Lloyd pushed up his glasses, "Honestly? It depends on who they have as their head of Research and Development. If they're superb at their job, then it's guaranteed. If not, then I'd say… 50?"

"That doesn't sound good… why didn't Marry tell us about this beforehand? At least then, we'd be able to prepare!" the Viceroy complained.

"Maybe she wanted to take the Black Knights by surprise?" Euphemia suggested, "Does she think there's some kind of mole? Lelouch didn't tell me about it… but it's obvious he would have one. I wonder who it is?"

"You're probably correct." Cecile added, "Considering how fast the Black Knights respond to our every move, it's possible that she wants to limit the chain of command to just herself. That way, it'll make every attack seem nearly instantaneous."

"But… doesn't that mean every attack will also be weaker?"

"That… is also true. This strategy is a double-edged sword. By not telling anyone what she's planning, it makes it nearly impossible to leak information, but it also weakens us, as we don't know what to expect." the ASEEC woman looked at her mechanics, who were trudging around, clearly tired, "This is the first instants of her doing this, and it's already affected us badly."

"Do you think we'll win?" Lila asked with a hint of concern.

Cecile shrugged, "There's a chance. Let's just hope Princess Marrybell's plan succeeds."

"Right! We'll give this everything we've got!" Euphemia cheered, "Isn't that right, Lila?"

Both Princess' began cheering together, boosting the moral of the command center, as it was a cute sight. However, in the changing room, things weren't nearly as sweet. Suzaku and Rai didn't exchange any words, or even look at each other as they put on their pilot suits. It wasn't until they were done, that the latter said, "Let's hope we succeed today, okay?"

To which the former responded, "Yeah. Stay safe out there." he faced Rai with a fake smile, "I know you'll do great out there, bro." he extended his fist for a fist bump.

Rai smiled and met the gesture gratefully, "Have you finally come to your senses?"

The aforementioned Knight's smile faded, "I've still got some things to pad out."

His former student sighed, "I thought so. Even still, I wish you success."

"Same to you. I hope… I do genuinely hope that things can be resolved your way." the Knight's left the changing area, and approached their personal frames.

"I don't see why it can't. I have full faith in Princess Euphemia's dream."

"Really? I've seen a dozen ways it could fail. And I've experienced it all in the most painful way possible." Suzaku fired up the Lancelot, and checked all systems, "I have faith in her too."

"Then why? Why do you insist on going your own path?"

"That's something only I get to know." the White Knight readied for take-off, and his former student did the same.

At that moment, Carine's voice came over the intercom, stating, "Operation Snake head commences now!" the Knight's launched out of the G1, and straight into the canyon below, entering a free fall as streaks of Artillery shells showed up in the distance, about to make contact with mount Nikko. "Our Objective: Breach the JLF structure, and gain the whereabouts of the Black Knights." the shells made contact with the mountain, causing the top to catch fire just as Suzaku and Rai, using their sandboards to glide across the river below, before coming to a stop on the gravel.

Meanwhile, Carine smiled mischievously, "And crush the Glinda Knights while we're at it."

AN: The first major confrontation for Marrybell will begin next chapter. However, with so many unknown factors coming into play, how will this turn out?

And don't think the Kallen stuffs over yet, as we'll start to see how KT Suzaku really affected her in the upcoming chapters.