AN:

DarkDremora: The error with Naoto being 'surprised' by Kallen's confession, isn't that he was surprised she felt that way about Lelouch. It was more like he was surprised that she proclaimed it so openly like that. The full sentence would've been "I figured you liked him, but I didn't think you'd profess your love to him out loud." but upon realizing how ridiculous that was, he stopped himself. Also, I think Clara having a small crush on Lelouch would be cute.

Samurai Seven: Suzaku isn't looking for Naoto to take on Britannia in Lelouch's place, he's just thinking that Naoto would serve as a nice replacement as Zero, before it comes the time for the Black Knights to fall. As for his memories as Julius Kingsley, he could probably get them back if he wished, but even if he did, they don't really matter, especially not now.

Alanwake: In Karma Suzaku's mind, he's right. The consequences for killing Lelouch aren't on his mind, as the benefits far outweigh the risks. All of the Ragnorok Connection stuff is something C.C's chosen to put off for now, especially now that the threat of Karma Suzaku his ramping up. She knows that Kallen needs to divert all of her attention toward dealing with him. As for Oldrin and Orpheus' father being Charles, does it really matter? It wouldn't affect Orpheus that much, as he'd probably just be disgusted that he's related to Charles, but it wouldn't affect his goal. As for Oldrin, it would make her relationship with Marrybell awkward. As for Carine, she didn't willingly throw Dasko away. She knows him best, and thinks the charges of him working with Zero are false. But, she can't do anything to save him without outing herself.

Chapter 73: Myraid of Reasons

C's World.

"Quit moving so fast!" Kallen commanded Lelouch as he floated far above her and Suzaku. "Not all of us can fly, you know!?"

"I don't expect you to." the Prince answered simply while scanning the area, "If my version of you couldn't figure out how C's world works, then I don't see why you would."

"Oh! So now you're calling me stupid!" in an incredible feat of athleticism, Kallen leapt to Lelouch's level and punched him in the back of the head, shocking the boy as she held onto her, "Well guess what, punk!" she shouted into her ear, "I'm not your Kallen! Understand?"

"Get off me!" the Prince shouted while crashing into the ground, much to Suzaku's frustration.

"Why can't you two just get along?" the Knight asked as the dust settled, revealing the red head to be mounting Lelouch, and sending repeated punches into his face.

"This asshole has done nothing but insult me this whole time!" Kallen protested, "He keeps referring to how his Kallen's better, and all that, yet she's not here! Is she?" she lifted the Prince off the ground, "She's busy, for whatever reason, saving that other version of you!" she slammed Lelouch into the ground, before walking away in a huff.

Suzaku sighed heavily at the oddly comical situation he found himself in, "Well, she's right. That's not your Kallen, Lelouch."

"I never said she was, genius." the raven-haired boy stated sarcastically as he dusted himself off, free of any injuries, much to the red head's frustration. "Besides, she's the one who continues to antagonize me at every turn, so is it really wrong of me to fight back?"

"He's right, Kallen. You shouldn't be antagonizing Lelouch like that." the Knight stated like he was a parent trying to have his kids get along, "I understand you don't like Britannian's, but he's different. Just give him a chance." he then turned back to Lelouch, "However. You need to stop perpetuating the arguments. That only causes us more problems."

Kallen groaned with frustration, "Oh do you ever shut up? I'm tired of hearing this stupid pacifist attitude of yours. It makes me sick."

"Right? This guy's so stubborn." Lelouch added, "He seriously needs to loosen up sometimes."

"Wait… what is happening?" Suzaku's eyes narrowed as the red head and his best friend stood next to each other, pointing at him.

"Really? He was like this in your timeline too?"

"Yeah. Actually, he was even more stubborn there. No matter what happened, he'd always admonish my methods, talking about how 'the ends don't justify the means'."

"And they don't!" the Knight shouted, "There were other ways to go about changing Britannia, Lelouch! You could've joined the police or-"

"Join the police?" Kallen burst out into laughter, "There's no way you just suggested that. What's joining something like the police gonna do? If you want big change, you have to make a big impact."

"And you're saying terrorism would solve that?" Suzaku protested, "The Black Knights are only making the lives of numbers harder. If you want to show Britannia that you're not monsters, then prove it through-"

"That's enough of your crap!" the red head tried to approach the Knight, only to be held back by Lelouch, "Not all of us are as privileged as you are, mister 'Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi's son'. Most of us have to fight for our lives each and everyday on the streets!"

"As if you have any room to talk about that."

"What did you just say to me!?" she broke free of the Prince's grasp, and rushed toward Suzaku, where a quick scuffle ensued. "You have no idea who I am!" she shouted while sending her palm out, only to have it deflected.

"While it's true, I don't know everything about you." he sent a punch to her face, which the red head easily dodged, before placing her palm on his stomach, "I know that you're half Britannian!" he grabbed her arm, and snapped it like a twig. Then, he kicked her into Lelouch, who narrowly dodged the flying body, "And your life isn't half as bad as you make it out to be!" he rushed past his best friend, who tried to stop the fight.

"You don't know me!" the red head shouted as her arm healed, much to the Prince and Suzaku's surprise, "You don't know my life before Ashford! You don't know how much I had to put up with for being a half-breed!" she met the Knight in the middle, before sending a punch into his gut, causing him to lift slightly. Afterward, she followed up with a high kick to his chin, and finally a punch to his sternum, knocking him away. "Before Ashford, I was treated like an outcast!" she rushed forth, sending a strong punch to the boy as he barely recovered.

Luckily, he caught the strike, "You're wrong. I know more about you than you think." he twisted her arm to the side, "I saw the bullying you had to experience by being of mixed-race. And I won't deny, that must've been difficult. However," he sent a kick into her gut, causing her ribs to break upon contact, "That doesn't change the fact that your life is different now! You're no longer a bullied girl. Now, you're Kallen Stadtfeld. All you have to do is hide your Eleven heritage, and marry-"

Kallen sent both of her feet into Suzaku's chest, sending him flying away, while also allowing her to do a backflip, "Don't you dare suggest I marry a Britannian pig!" she gave the boy a death glare as her wounds healed, "And worse, you want me to hide my heritage? So you admit, that by being part Japanese, I won't be able to live the life I want?"

"That's not what I meant." the Knight tried to clarify as Kallen cut open her own chest, removing fragments of her broken ribs, before re-healing her skin, "I'm just saying, if you embraced your Britannian heritage, you could live out a fruitful-" he narrowly dodged a flying rib as his opponent sent the sharp bony substance toward his eye.

With this window of opportunity opened, the red head rushed forth, holding two hooked ribs in each of her hands like claws, "Enough talking!" she flailed her arms wildly, trying to cut the trained soldier apart. However, due to her lack of fighting experience, the red head was merely a toddler carrying scissors to Suzaku.

In an instant, he grabbed her right hand, and aimed to disarm it. First, he brought her close, using his hand to rotate her arm in the process, causing it to open her chest to a strike, which he took, forcing the red head to block. Then, he grabbed her right wrist with his other hand, applying enough pressure to force her to let go of the rib. As it was falling, he used his foot to kick it into her side, causing her to stumble back in pain. After that, he followed up with a flying kick to her left hand, knocking away the other rib. "This is pointless." he stated while using his palm to further drive the rib into her body.

"You're right." the red head kneeled in pain, and pulled out the rib, "So why? Why do you keep fighting for Britannia despite knowing you'll never get your body back?"

Suzaku's eyes widened in disbelief, "What? Lelouch promised that he'd get our bodies back. We'll return to our timeline, and act like we've never met."

"You really believe him?" she chuckled as blood spilled out of her mouth, "Britannian's only ever do things for themselves. And Lelouch is no different. Especially considering the fact that he's a royal."

"He promised."

"You say that like he's never broken one of those before." she wiped away the blood, "What's stopping him from abandoning us and trading spots with his other counterpart?"

"Lelouch doesn't want that. He…" the Knight looked off to the side, "He already died once. Returning to the same hell he fought to remove isn't something that's on his bucket list."

Finally, the Prince stepped in, "That's right." the red head turned to him with a hint of hostility, "I have no reason to return."

"Really? You're telling me you don't want a second chance?" Kallen's eyes narrowed, "Anyone would kill for such a thing."

"Well, I'm not just anyone, Kallen."

The red head rolled her eyes while facing Suzaku once more, "Whatever. I'm leaving."

"You're leaving!?" the Knight exclaimed as she walked away, "But what about returning to your timeline?"

"Oh. Don't worry. I'll do that on my own." she rubbed her face out of frustration, "I just can't deal with you ignorant people."

Despite her proclamation, Kallen only walked a few feet, before taking a seat on the ground, thinking about what just happened. "I'll go talk to her." the Prince stated.

"No way. You'll just antagonize her more." Suzaku grabbed his friend's arm, "We should just give her some space. Remember, she's not your Kallen."

Lelouch clenched his fist, "Why do you have to keep reminding me?" he shook off the Knight's hand, "Do you think I'm some kind of idiot who can't comprehend such a simple idea? I know she's not my Kallen. I'm not treating her like that." he looked at the red head as she rocked herself back and forth, "Just let me speak with her. If she gets angrier, then we'll do things your way."

Suzaku watched as his friend went to the red head, and muttered, "Good luck, Lelouch."

"What do you want?" Kallen asked as the Prince sat next to her. Despite her protest, she didn't move.

"I just wanna talk."

"So you can what? Get me to come back by telling me what I want to hear? Get the fuck away from me, freak."

Lelouch looked at her out of the corner of his eye, "Yet. You're not moving."

"I'm tired, jackass."

The Prince sighed. He had a lot of work to do. "I won't read your mind, not this time at least. I understand that such an environmental change is playing a big role in your mentality, but your actions here do matter."

"Oh really?" she asked snarkily, "And what would you know about environmental changes? You think you can just freely judge me because you're Britannian?"

"Set aside our racial differences for now, please." Lelouch calmly commanded, "Let's look at how our lives are from our experiences, and you'll find we're far more similar than you think."

Kallen wanted to protest, but she couldn't lie, she was interested in hearing what he had to say. After all, this version of him somehow found its way into her heart in another timeline. She had to see what all the fuss was about. "Go on."

"Thank you." he looked at the sky, "For starters, we both wear a mask. Mine is to hide that I'm a part of the Britannian Royal Family. While yours is to hide that you're secretly a Japanese resistance member, fighting to free Japan from the clutches of Britannia."

"Oh yeah? A monkey could spot that similarity. Give me something else."

"We've both experienced the harshness of war firsthand."

Kallen's eyes narrowed, "Elaborate."

"I was in Japan, the day Britannia attacked."

"What for?"

"My father banished myself and my sister to Japan after my mother, Marianne vi Britannia, died. We spent our time living with the Kururugi's. After the war started, I carried my sister through the war torn region, until we were taken to safety by the Ashford's."

This seemed to alleviate some of the red head's hostility. Though, it was clearly still there. "You're telling me you carried your sister all by yourself through Japan? No help from Suzaku?"

"While he was there, I was the one who carried Nunnally most of the time. I'd say about 95%." Lelouch elaborated.

"That's…" she felt like complimenting him, but decided against it, "I'll admit, you weren't what I thought you were. However, I still fail to see what my other version saw in you."

"Well…" he faced the red head, "I created the Black Knights as a way to exact revenge on my father, Charles Zi Britannia. In fact, I'd say my hate for the Royal Family runs deeper than your own. After all, I experienced first hand what they're all like. The greedy, manipulative, and utterly vulgar members who deem themselves of higher status to everyone else." he clenched his fist, "While there were a few good ones, most of them were horrible people, whom I wanted to eradicate."

Kallen's eyes widened, "Really? For what purpose? They're still your siblings, aren't they?"

"I believed that they had a hand in my mother's death, and my sister, Nunnally's, condition." he looked up, "But alas. Once I found out the truth. It all felt worthless."

For the next 20 minutes, Lelouch explained in depth Charles and Marianne's plan, the Sword of Akasha, the thought Elevators, the truth behind her death. Everything came pouring out. And the red head listened intently, "Whoa." she let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, "That was a lot." she chuckled, "And I thought my family was fucked up. Then again, I suppose everyone thinks that, especially when their only prominent memories are… soured."

"You're telling me." the Prince let out a sigh, "Thanks for actually listening and not cutting me off. It means a lot."

"Well, your story was interesting. Nothing more." Kallen leaned back, "Of course… now that I know a bit about you… I suppose… my views have changed slightly." she looked into the Prince's eyes, "But don't think that means I've fallen in love with you. Just because I understand who you are, doesn't mean I'll love you like your Kallen."

"I'm not expecting you to." Lelouch smiled, "I just wanted to let you know, that while you may think we're different, we share a lot more in common than you think."

The red head rolled her eyes, "Well, you've made your point."

"So, are you going to travel with us?" the Prince extended his hand, "This way, you'll have a way of getting your body back."

Kallen stared at his hand with a perturbed face, before getting up without touching his hand, "Fine." she walked past him, toward Suzaku, who stood bewildered at the sight of her returning.

"Wow. Did he actually-" before the Knight could finish his sentence, the red head sent a punch into his chest, causing him to kneel over in pain, "What was that for?"

"My ribs. You ass." she muttered while walking away.

"Certainly a character, isn't she?" Lelouch added, "We should get going, I'll lead the way."

Suzaku casually recovered from the strike and smiled, "Alright. Next stop: The Middle East."

"Why am I here?" V.V questioned as he looked around the vasts plains of C's World. "I didn't even touch a Thought Elevator…" he began trekking through the majestic lands toward a strange force that demanded his attention.

It didn't take long for him to come across a dying man, who was all too familiar with him. "V.V…" the man barely uttered as he coughed up blood, "Come to finish me off yourself?"

"I'm glad to see you're in a good health, S.S." the blond stated sarcastically as he watched the dark-skinned man bleed out on a rock. "So. Did you bring me here?"

"You think I'd want to see your ugly mug seconds before my existence is absorbed by the Collective Unconscious?"

"Those are harsh words. Harsh. But true." V.V chuckled at the exchange, "I would suspect that you'd want to see C.C before you died. Or that Princess. What was her name?"

"Shamna. Princess Shamna."

"Ah! That was her name. Why'd you tell me? Now I can-"

"Don't play dumb." S.S's words cut like venom, "I know you're games. You already knew her name. You just wanted to give me false hope."

The blond sighed, "Ah. See. That's why playing games with Immortals is no fun. Eventually, they learn."

"So you didn't come here of your own volition?" the dark-skinned man laughed heartily, before spitting up more blood, "How ironic. The place you wanted to learn about the most, has left you stumped."

"For now. Soon, I'll find my answers. Can't say the same for you." V.V glared at S.S, "Do you really think your precious Princess' code will be safe?"

"Considering the fact that you haven't gotten it yet? Yes." his opponent answered confidently, "There must be something preventing you from stealing it away. Perhaps… C.C?"

The blond shrugged, "Maybe. Maybe not. You'll never know."

"And quite frankly, I don't need to." S.S rested his head, looking into the planet overhead aimlessly, "You know… I don't remember it being like that…"

"Neither do I." V.V answered without looking at him. Something in the distance caught his curious eye, "Where are we?"

"Somewhere over the Middle East." the dark-skinned man answered, knowing it was a rhetorical question.

"Then… who is that?" the blond pointed at an approaching figure with, "She doesn't look Middle Eastern to me."

As the woman approached, both men stared at her fearlessly. Knowing that there wasn't anything she could do to them. Or so they thought, "V.V" she called with a gentle voice, "Welcome to C's World. Of course, you need no introduction to this landscape."

"Who are you?" the boy asked with a challenging gaze.

"Me? I'm the Caretaker of Space and Time."

V.V and S.S continued to stare at the woman curiously, "Wow. That's a… grand title." the latter muttered, "So, what do you do?"

She stared at the dying man and said threateningly, "You ask too many questions." with a quick swipe of her hand, the man disappeared into dust, shocking V.V. "You could also call me the Dimensional Supervisor. Though, I don't think titles matter right now."

"Were you the one who brought me here?"

"That's correct." the woman answered with a smile, "Would you like to know why?"

"My goal is the understanding of C's world. So please, enlighten me."

The black-haired woman smiled, "Well. To my knowledge, you desire the Sword of Akasha, do you not?"

V.V's eyes narrowed, "You know where it is?"

"I could." the Dimensional supervisor answered cryptically, "The real question you should be answering is: What are you willing to do for it?"

While the blond hated the idea of being ordered around, especially by some unknown entity, he wanted the Sword of Akasha back. And just this once, he'd make an exception. "What will you have me do?"

The woman smiled, "Well, there's this group of individuals who are causing me quite the bit of problems. I want you to deal with them personally."

"What are their names?"

"Once you see them, you'll know who they are. After all, they stick out like sore thumbs."

V.V was about to walk away, when he suddenly got an idea, "Wait… why don't you just deal with them yourself?"

"You're really going to question the person who's offering you the Sword of Akasha?" the Dimensional Supervisor answered with an oddly calm ferocity. "If you're backing out, then I'll return you to your room, and you can ponder for the rest of your life how you let the Sword slip from your grasp."

While he wanted answers, V.V was scared of losing the Sword forever. So, despite his skepticism, he went out in search of his targets. Luckily, his code seemed to be pointing him in the direction of his quarry.

Meanwhile, the Dimensional Supervisor watched as he disappeared into the distance. That's when a second Dimensional Supervisor appeared behind her, "You're really going to give him the sword?" she asked.

"Of course not." the black-haired girl answered confidently, "Why would I give that brat the means to destroy us?"

The Caretaker of Space and Time narrowed her eyes, "Yet… you're working with him?"

"I don't see why I shouldn't use such a wonderful specimen to my advantage. After all, he was foolish enough to buy my threats."

"You know that's not true. He still has his doubts."

There were plenty of holes in the Dimensional Supervisors task. For instance, why couldn't she just deal with those troublemakers herself? And why didn't she just annihilate V.V right then and there. Despite having those questions, the blond continued on his quest. If he was who he thought she was, he'd better follow her orders to the best of his abilities. After all, she could have his existence erased at any second. Or at least that's what he thought.

"Keep up, Suzaku." Lelouch commanded as Kallen followed close behind.

"Why do I feel like I've heard that before?" Suzaku commented as he trudged along.

"Because you're slow." the red head pointed out bluntly.

"Why are you two ganging up on me? What did I do to deserve this hate?"

"Nobody hates you." the Prince faced his best friend while Kallen passed him, "We're just calling you slow."

Suzaku rolled his eyes, "Sure."

Lelouch smirked and caught up to the red head, "By the way, I noticed that you learned how to heal yourself."

"Oh? You did?" she muttered.

"Yes. While it might not seem like that big of a feat, my Kallen couldn't do that."

"What did I say about mentioning your Kallen?"

"Right. Sorry." Lelouch nodded, trying to keep the peace, "My point is, I'm impressed."

"Clearly, it doesn't take much to impress you." she glanced at Suzaku, who quickly avoided eye contact.

"What's your point?" the Knight asked.

"Why haven't you figured out this stuff anyway?" Haven't you been here longer than me?"

"That's definitely not true. You've been here since the beginning, meaning you had way more time to get used to C's World."

"Not really. Most of that time was spent… planning."

"Is that what you call hiding nowadays?"

"Shut up."

Lelouch chuckled at the exchange, "It's nice to see some jokes being thrown around-"

"Shut up."

The Prince and Knight stared at the red head as she walked away with a pout, "Ugh. She figures out something simple, and now she thinks she's better than everyone."

"You're in no position to say such things, Suzaku."

"Well, this mind stuff isn't really my specialty. I mean, I'm still grappling with the whole C's World concept."

"Really? You seem pretty comfortable walking around."

"That's not what I meant." a cold wind blew past the group as another roar from the Sword of Akasha could be heard, "I'm not really thinking about it now, since there are more important things at stake. But… how many timelines do you think there are? And how many end up with you, me, or even Kallen dying? There could be one where you stayed in Britannia. Or one where Japan was never invaded. The possibilities are endless. So… does it really matter? Do our actions in this timeline truly matter? I mean, sure. To the Dimensional Supervisor here, they're probably terrified of death, that's why they merged timeline's or something. But in the grand scheme of things? How many other Dimensional Supervisors have done exactly what they have and failed? Dooming themselves to erasure?"

Lelouch's eyes widened, "Are you… getting philosophical?"

"I… I don't know. It's just a lot to take in." Suzaku took a step forward as the red head overheard their conversation, "I probably shouldn't even be thinking of these things in the first place. It's better to just let you handle the planning, Lelouch." he smiled, and faced his friend, "Whatever you say, I'll trust your judgement."

The Prince put a hand on his chin, "Well… I'd say our actions do matter, Suzaku. Sure, a civilization millions of light years away from us might not care, but to us, the humans living in the moment, it's real. These experiences we're going through do matter, no matter how small they may seem to those above. Who cares if others deem our actions stupid, or insignificant? They're not the ones who are living here." he put a finger up confidently, "So, don't think about it too much. Just follow my lead, and everything will turn out alright. I promise."

Kallen rolled her eyes, "There's the Britannian bravado I've heard about."

"Seriously? You're still on that?"

The red head smirked, before walking away, "Nah. But it's still fun to draw comparisons sometimes. While you may stand for different ideals, you still share the same characteristics as any other Britannian, Lelouch. Remember that."

The Prince's eyes narrowed, "I know that more than anyone."

Suzaku chuckled while walking past Kallen, who quickly grabbed him by the shoulder, and tossing him to the ground, "And why do you think you should be leading?" she asked snarkily.

"W-what do you mean? I just took a step ahead of you." he got up and dusted himself off, "Don't tell me you're petty enough to not let me walk ahead of you."

"Firstly, you don't even know where we're going, so you leading us is just dumb. Secondly, ever heard of ladies first? Or did your father not teach you that?"

Suzaku's face contorted into one of shock at the comments, "E-excuse me? What does 'ladies first' have to do with anything?"

"It means you should show some respect to a 'helpless maiden' like me."

"You read his mind, didn't you?" Lelouch chimed in with an amused smirk, "She's got you by the metaphorical balls, Suzaku."

"What!? Dude, I only thought of that WHEN we were saving her! I haven't had those thoughts since!"

"Clearly, she's taken some offense to that though."

The Knight shook his head, "Whatever. Even so, what makes you think you know where we're going?"

"Women's intuition." Kallen answered all too confidently.

"Oh really?" Suzaku raised an eyebrow, clearly not convinced. He put a hand in front of Lelouch, and gestured to the red head, "Alright, lead the way."

Kallen gulped upon seeing the vast landscape, "Uh… um…"

The Knight lightly shoved her forward, "Go on."

"H-hey! Don't push me! I'm… thinking…"

Lelouch sighed, "Well, I don't have all day."

With one deep breath, the red head threw out her hand in a random direction, "That way!" she proclaimed.

"That's cool." the Prince began walking in the opposite direction, "You can go that way."

Suzaku burst out into laughter as Kallen's face turned red out of embarrassment, "Shut up!" she shouted while strangling him.

The Knight pushed her away, and sent a kick to her abdomen. Suddenly, the two entered a full-on brawl, which ended with the red head mounting her opponent, pinning him to the ground, and sending repeated punches to the back of his head, "Ah! Lelouch! Help me!"

"As much as I would love to pile on the shit-talking. We've got things to do."

Suzaku's expression suddenly turned serious, and he effortlessly threw Kallen off him, "You're right. We have to get moving."

"Don't act so serious, punk!" the red head protested while kicking him in the back. "Especially since you started it!"

"I did not." Suzaku replied while rubbing his back, "You seriously need to calm down."

Poor choice of words. "Calm down!? How dare you!"

The two entered a comical dust cloud, where their struggle irritated the Prince to no end. And he wasn't afraid to express it, "Will you two shut up!?" the duo suddenly separated into the sky at Lelouch's command. "I can hardly concentrate with you two babbling on!"

However, before he could continue, the Geass symbol on his neck glowed for the first time, "You have a code?" a mysterious voice asked.

The Prince put down the duo as they faced a blond-haired boy, "V.V!"

"Well, that confirms it." V.V outstretched his hand, "So, what's your name?"

Kallen and Suzaku rushed behind the Prince as he stared down this new threat, "I have no reason to hand over such information."

"That… is an unwise decision on your part." the blond responded while forming some kind of spike within in his hand, before firing it at Lelouch, who narrowly dodged it. Then, he followed up by rushing toward Suzaku, "just need one touch, and I'll have my answers."

Before his hand could make contact, the Knight swatted it away, and the red head followed up with a kick to his side, sending V.V tumbling away without injuries. "That little freak can use C's world like Lelouch! Who is this guy?"

"Projections? Highly unlikely. Their hits are too real." the blond corrected himself midair, and used this opportunity to observe the field, "If I want to stand a chance here… I'll have to get an equalizer."

"Not so fast!" Lelouch shouted while swinging his sword into V.V's side, only for it to be blocked by pure flesh.

"An Emperor's sword? Just who the hell are you?" the blond questioned before using his other hand to send a drop of blood toward the ground. Once it landed, a vestige of Marianne Vi Britannia rose from the ground, "No matter. Let's take this for a test drive."

He kicked Lelouch away, and let his blood splatter on the ground, creating a vestige of the Ganymede, which shocked the Prince, as he quickly created a Lancelot and Guren in front of Kallen and Suzaku. "Get in! Quick!"

"Those Knightmares… how do you know about them?" V.V questioned once more before sending a flying kick into Lelouch's center, knocking him back slightly, "I've got so many questions. Why don't we have a quick chat instead?"

Marianne boarded the Ganymede, which thanks to the improvements V.V made to it on the fly, didn't need a battery pack to operate. Meanwhile, Suzaku quickly hopped into the Lancelot, while Kallen stared at the Guren, absolutely stunned. "Get in! Hurry!" the Knight shouted as the Ganymede stared menacingly at them, waiting for the order to attack.

The red head quickly snapped out of her funk and jumped in, "I… I don't know how to pilot this!" she announced as the Guren slowly activated, stumbling to the side as its owner adjusted herself.

"Those were the best I could do. If I had given them anything better, they might've not been able to pilot those Knightmares at all, especially Kallen." Lelouch stared at the Ganymede as it stood solemnly, "I just hope that the tales about mom on the battlefield are just that: tales."

V.V smirked, "Hey. I'm talking to you."

The Prince glared at his uncle, "Mind repeating that?"

"Once again, I ask: Who are you? I'd rather avoid unnecessary conflict."

"Then I'll reiterate my previous statement: I have no obligation to answer such a question."

The blond groaned in frustration, "Why do you have to make this so difficult?" he landed in front of the Ganymede, as Lelouch did the same with the Lancelot and Guren. "I just want to talk. Is that so hard to understand?"

"I don't believe that, especially with how hostile you've been."

"I'm only doing this because the Dimensional Supervisor asked me to." V.V answered, "IF you can convince me otherwise, then I'd be partial to letting you go."

"The Dimensional Supervisor put him up to this? Wait… so is this the same V.V from this new timeline? Or is it- no. It has to be the new V.V. This one doesn't know who I am." Lelouch let out a deep sigh, "Regardless, I can't tell him who I am. It'll only put my other version in danger." he outstretched his arms and ordered Kallen and Suzaku, "Don't let him touch you. Not even for a second. If he does, it's game over."

V.V let out an unamused sigh, "I see you're taking the path of most resistance? What a shame." the Ganymede prepared itself for battle, "Fine. I'll just immobilize you and force the information out."

AN: Next chapter will answer the Dimensional Supervisors choice for bringing V.V to face off against Lelouch. Though, it's much simpler than you think.