Hello everybody! I know it has been a while, but this story is ready for another update! Just one more before our next battle!

Also, upon reviewing this arc, I made a bit of a mistake in the last chapter. I'll be sure to correct that as soon as possible.

In the meantime, on with the show!

Zero and the others were escorted to their room, while the masked man was deep in thought. Truth be told, that first meeting didn't go well. And he wasn't sure if he could salvage anything from a second negotiation. All in all, minister Patteyah was much more shrewd than he anticipated. Zero snapped back to reality as his party stopped by a mahogany door. "Here you are." one of the guards said as he grabbed the knob. "Personally, I think this is more than you deserve." Nonetheless, he opened it for them.

Upon seeing their temporary quarters, the knights were more or less satisfied with what they saw. The room was of five star quality, plush carpet, and a nice king-sized bed. However, there was only ONE drawback. "Sir...there's only one bed..." Zero said.

"We can take you to the local prison. A bunk bed for you, sharing the room with a body-building pedophile and a bucket for your leavings." The guard warned him.

Zero was silent for a moment as he registered all that, and quickly changed his tune. "This will do. Thank you very much." With that, the guard closed the door.

"Why is this such a problem?" CC said, helping herself onto the bed. " Given our reception, this is DEFINITELY a lot more than we could rightfully expect."

"I am sharing a room with the four of you." Zero replied.

"Unless you're completely gay, I personally see nothing wrong with this." Fadah drawled.

Kallen looked away, blushing. Zero sighed. "Whatever. You ladies work it out between yourselves who gets the bed." He said as he unfastened his cape. "I'll sleep on the floor; the carpet looks comfortable enough."

Fadah sighed. "A shame." With that, she took Kallen and Rakshata by the hand and guided them to the bathroom. "Oh well ladies, let's freshen up together!"

Rakshata was hesitant as she was dragged in. "T-that's not my thing..."

"Oh, come on! Kallen, isn't bathing together customary for the Japanese!?"

"Not when they're into the same people you're bathing with!" Kallen shouted in protest.

As the shenanigans continued, CC said "I hate to admit it, but the Zero I once knew would have been equally embarrassed by this situation."

Lelouch sighed under the mask. "I'm just trying to be respectful is all."

"Well, you should still relax while we await the minister's decision." She began to reach under the hooks of the mask. "Come on, let's at least wash your hair after the girls are finished..."

Zero gently grabbed her wrist. "Not right now." Lelouch answered. "The minister must have sent us to this specific room for a reason when the hotel across the street would do; do you not find this to be a bit suspicious?"

CC blinked as she caught on to what Lelouch was getting at. Sighing, she got up. "We should probably warn the others." CC trotted off towards the bathroom. "Unless you three wish to flash the security guards, I suggest you all get dressed."

"AIIIEEE!" Kallen screamed.

"I don't mind." Fadah giggled.

"Looks like he didn't fall for it, sir." One of the security guards said as the minister looked on from a surveillance room.

"He's very perceptive." Patteyah sighed. "Go ahead and cut off the feed; I feel we should let the women have their privacy at least."

One of the security guards muttered under his breath "Damn." Still, he did as he was told; a pretty picture was not worth losing a job that fed a family of three.

The minister approached a panel, the machine allowing him access via retinal scan. The red panel turned green, and the door opened automatically. Chawla walked down a long corridor, and into an elevator that took him way down, farther down then any blueprints available suggested. By the time his ride ended, he was already 10 stories underground. Finally, he found his son there, looking upon the silhouette of a knightmare. "It seems you feel conflicted." He said.

"I only acted angry because you were." his son answered. "Truth be told...I was overjoyed when she came back."

The minister sighed disapprovingly. "Shaurya, she chose the path. Now she must live with the consequences."

"That is true." Shaurya agreed. "But there are consequences that we can control, and others we can't." Cautiously, he turned to his father. "Perhaps it's time we forgive her; at least ease the demons she will have to carry with her the rest of her life."

The minister snorted. "I warned her this would happen. Not just what it would do to our family, but how it would affect the world." After taking a moment, he answered "Shaurya, you love your sister unconditionally. I understand that. But I cannot go back on my decision."

"And she is living with hers. Everyday. And will continue to do so until her last day. Can't you at least try to make peace?" he asked his father.

Chawla, seeing his son would not budge on the issue, decided to change the subject. "Tell me son, what do you think of Zero's proposal? Do you believe we should join them on his mad quest?"

Shaurya sighed. "Truthfully, I'm conflicted. You were correct about the risks. Not just the political risks, but also joining forces with a terrorist whose face it seems not even his closest allies know. So many things could go wrong."

The minister nodded. "But...?"

"But I fear both Britannia and the Chinese will close in on us if we do nothing. Yes, we have a large army. But we are woefully under equipped. Britannia has superior organization and technology, the CF has the numbers to rival ours, can get away with sacrificing their people as if they were just flies...and they have at least one ace pilot. Something we don't have."

"We could. I'm looking at him right now." Chawla said.

Shaurya blinked at his father. "I'm no ace. I'm just the only one who managed to make it work...in the simulations."

"I do fear Zero is right about one thing, though." the Minister continued. "I fear Britannia will attack, and we may need you." As Patteyah walked away, he said "If you are feeling conflicted, perhaps you should sort your feelings out now. Know where you stand."

Shaurya looked away, and back at the Knightmare. "Let's hope father is wrong, Sher Shah."

"Ahhh..." Fadah sighed, wrapping a towel around her hair. "A proper shower felt good."

While the rest of the women wore bathrobes, she was the only one who only wore a towel around her person, much to the annoyance of her roommates. "Are you really trying to come onto us, or are you just purposely trying to make us uncomfortable?" Kallen groaned.

"Maybe I'm doing both?" Fadah giggled, covering her mouth.

CC ignored the banter, and turned to Zero. "I know we're under surveillance, but tell me: if we don't reach an agreement, what then?"

Zero, still wearing his mask, said "We move on."

Kallen blinked. "As simple as that?"

"As simple as that." Zero confirmed. "I cannot go around forcing people to join us. That would make us no different from the Empire."

"They still have resources you could use." Fadah said.

"Even if they refuse me now, we can always try again." Zero said. "But if we are to create a free world, we need to actually give people the freedom to choose. No matter how desperate things get."

The minister watched from his personal laptop, sighing. "Damn it." He closed the computer, and headed to bed. "I wish you really were a brutal revolutionary who thought only of his own gain...it would make what's coming next easier to live with."

A good two hours after he made the call, a text came in on Suzaku's cell. "Stealth carriers ready and standing by."

"They're ready?" Gino asked.

"They're ready." Suzaku said. "Yet, I hesitate to do this."

Gino sighed. "In all honesty, me too. But we can't disobey orders. So...what do you propose?"

Suzaku looked up. "We alone will get them to surrender Zero and his conspirators. That way, we will complete our mission without endangering the whole city. And depending on the minister's response in the morning, we'll try to find an out for him as well." Suzaku turned to face Gino directly. "Send a message to the ships to bring us their best black ops soldiers. We're going to have to sneak into parliament again; I fear sneaking back in will be harder than last time, and there is no way we're sneaking out."

"Sounds like a plan." Gino nodded in approval. "Just make sure you let the Prince know."

"Of course."

They didn't see Anya watching from the corner, her eyes flashing a faint red. Quickly, she typed into her phone.

The Black Knights may have been asleep for nearly an hour, maybe two, when someone knocked on the door. The group struggled to wake, barely registering it was still night. "What is it?" Zero asked, doing his best not to voice his annoyance.

"Rakshata and I need to talk." Rakshata' s eyes widened as she recognized the voice, and practically ran for the door. She opened it, revealing Shaurya.

They just stared at each other silently before Rakshata turned back to Zero, silently asking for permission. "Go." Zero answered. "But come back soon."

Rakshata nodded as she turned back to her brother. "We'll be an hour, gentlemen." He addressed the guards. "I'll take full responsibility if something happens." The guards nodded as the siblings took off to talk.

In the common room, Shaurya brought out their favorite sodas as kids. "I thought you would make tea, given the attention." Rakshata remarked.

"I'm not in the mood for tradition right now." Shaurya smiled as he popped open his bottle with his teeth. "Besides, the servants have retired for the evening. I never asked Dani how she made such excellent earl grey."

Rakshata smirked. "Given our upbringing, I wouldn't trust any of our relatives to make tea for ourselves...let alone you." The two shared a laugh that grew louder for a full minute.

After the brief moment of joy, Shaurya got serious again. "Sorry I was coming off as a jerk earlier." Shaurya said. "I guess I was caught off guard, seeing you again. I was as upset as the rest of the family when you left." Her brother took a moment to gather his words. "We were shocked with disbelief. We didn't know what you were thinking, and I guess we all resented you for not listening."

"I did try explaining it to you all before...though I must admit, after everything that happened, I do feel like a fool." Rakshata sighed.

Shaurya shifted uncomfortably when they had trouble starting a new conversation. "Remember when you made that toy drone?"

Rakshata blinked, and chuckled. "Oh, don't bring that up! I'm so embarrassed!"

"You mean when you used the drone to play pranks on father's political partners, or when it short-circuited and crashed into flames on the table?"

"The latter of course." Rakshata smirked. "I didn't mind annoying those stiffs and would never apologize for it. I just refuse to believe a creation of my genius would malfunction."

"You certainly didn't apologize back then either." Shaurya smirked.

Rakshata twirled her finger at the edge of the bottle. "You're looking good." She commented out of the blue. "Are you still joining the military?"

Shaurya' s good mood seemed to vanish. "I haven't ruled it out." Shaurya said. "I'm still training; but I'm not sure if I want to join anymore."

"Why not?" Rakshata asked, surprised. All Shaurya ever dreamed of was becoming a military commando. It had to be something serious to cause his passion to waver.

Shaurya sighed. "I just learned some things. Things I don't approve of. I'm not allowed to say what..."

"What happened?"

"Nothing. Not yet." Shaurya answered. "Hopefully nothing does happen. But if Britannia attacks...and father is pushed too far...I fear for everyone."

At 4 am, the Indian Parliament was deserted, save for many guards. Normally not even the 2 dozen or so that patrolled the grounds would be here in such numbers. But there was already a security breach the previous afternoon.

No one, not even the incapacitated guards were hurt. Nothing was taken. The news of the infiltration had not yet reached the public, so extra guards were called in to make sure the same humiliation was not repeated.

Even so, there was only so much guards could do. Most of them were trained to steer civilians away, or escort drunks off the premise. They weren't prepared to face soldiers specially trained in stealth missions.

Britannian soldiers, camouflaged, snuck past the guards and took various hiding spots. They were on strict orders not to take out the guards until commanded to. Fortunately, they were all very good at waiting things out. The training Suzaku Kuurugi brought from his area also helped; apparently Area 11 once had spies trained in matters such as these. As much as the Britannian Spies hated to admit it, the Japanese Ninja were probably better than them. But for now they had to hope that the Knight of Seven's teachings mixed with their own training would prove useful.

Meanwhile, Suzaku and Gino planted themselves on the roof of a building across from parliament. They too were dressed in all black, waiting for sunrise. "Suzaku, I must confess: stealth and waiting is not my thing. Especially waiting." Gino complained.

"Just focus on your breathing, like I taught you." Suzaku said. "We won't have to wait long; the minister will want to make his decision as soon as possible, no later than today. Once they're together, we'll make our move." Suzaku tried to focus his mind, but something was bothering him. "Shame Anya can't be here. After yesterday afternoon, she would have been great at this part."

"Well, what can I say?" Gino shrugged. "Stomach Flu can get you without warning."

"I guess so." Suzaku sighed. "Still, I'm surprised. I don't think I've ever seen her sick. Have you?"

"No, can't say I have." Gino sighed.

Lelouch sighed as he looked in the mirror, helmet still on. It was awkward to wear for a few hours; it was torture to have it on for a whole night. He had a feeling the old zero would not have allowed himself into such a precarious situation with no privacy.

"Even Zero had his pitfalls from time to time. "

Lelouch turned and saw Kallen to his side, comb in hand to control her wild hair. "I'd imagine it's a bit awkward for you too." He said. "Being spied on and all."

Kallen shrugged. "Well, after all the revealing outfits I've been forced to wear in the past 6 months, this is still a step up. I've a feeling Rakshata and Fadah had it easy though. Rakshata at least reconciled with her brother it seems. And Fadah loves being looked at."

Zero smirked underneath. "If you asked me how I would spend the night in a room with four beautiful women back then, I would have been certain it would have been nothing like this."

"What do you mean?" Kallen asked, despite having a feeling she was about to regret the answer.

"We were tense all night." Zero answered. "Most men my age would have something more...wild, in mind."

Kallen smirked back, giving his helmet a light flick. "You'll get to put your head back in the gutter soon enough."

Zero stepped outside to see how the rest of his allies were. CC and Fadah were stretching on the bed, while Rakshata did the same in a nice armchair. "I hope you two slept well." Zero said. He then turned to Rakshata. "It seems last night was rather...pleasant, for you."

Rakshata gave a genuine but sad smile. "In part." She admitted. "I must admit; after everything that happened, I'm glad to have someone who still considers me family."

In the short time he knew her, Lelouch saw Rakshata smirk, even sneer as she reveled in her inventions. But he didn't think he ever saw her actually smile. "Well, today we have one last chance to make our case. Let's hope luck is on our side."

"No." the minister said to his son as he adjusted his tie. "My mind was made up the moment he stepped in."

"Father, we should consider this, seriously!" Shaurya protested. "The empire is getting more dangerous by the day, you know this!"

"It's because the empire is dangerous we have prepared for years!" A moment of silence permeated the room as father and son stared each other down. "And if I hand over the fruits of our labor to Zero, we could leave ourselves exposed!"

It took a moment for Shaurya to dare to ask the question. "It's not the knightmares, is it?" The minister said nothing. "No." Shaurya whispered in realization. "So the rumors are true."

"Use your head, son!" The minister shouted. "We have a chance to become a true independent country! We can not only scare away the empire, we can destroy the federation as well!"

"And kill millions of innocents in the process." Shaurya whispered.

"You think any country has gained anything from being nice?" Patteyah asked incredulously

"We're on the brink of war; I know casualties are inevitable." Shaurya answered truthfully. "But when weapons of mass destruction get involved, it goes beyond necessity. It just becomes murder."

"These are dark times, son." The minister growled. "Either you do what you must, or die."

"That's just the thing, father. You don't have to resort to such measures yet. You have an option right in front of you." He said. "At least try to come to an agreement to Zero! You can work something out that will be in your favor! Even make an exit strategy!"

"I will hear no more of this." The minister waved him off. "I want you there with me, so you may learn..."

"Forget it." Shaurya growled. "You can refuse them yourself." He said as he loosened his tie and tossed it to the ground. "I'm going to blow off some steam. Let me know when they are about to leave; I would like to actually say goodbye to Rakshata this time around." Tossing his suit jacket, he stormed out of the room and slammed the door on his way out.

The senior Chawla sneered at his son's response. "My children." He growled as he readjusted his tie.

Zero and his knights returned to the parliament in all their glory. Truthfully, Lelouch under the mask was not so hopeful about the outcome. But still, he had to try. Finally, the door opened as the minister was already seated, waiting for them. Rakshata knew the look in his eyes. She had grown up learning his different scowls. Some he made for her. Others for Shaurya. The rarest one of them all was the scowl he gave when he was disappointed in the both of them. And that was what she saw. "Shaurya, what happened?" she wondered.

The minister sighed, trying his best to relax slightly. "Let's get this over with."

The guards sighed as they observed the parliament; it was boring, and no security breach could change that facet of their jobs. This was forgotten as one of the guards was yanked from behind by a garrote. Others were quickly and quietly subdued. Within a minute, the entire security force was neutralized. Suzaku smiled at the results as he and Gino zip-lined into the courtyard. He and the other knights did a good job of simply infiltrating the premises on their own yesterday. Having a whole force behind them completely wiped them out in no time at all . "So far so good." Gino noted. "Now we go for Zero?"

"Yes." Suzaku said. "Be ready for anything, but do not use lethal force unless you have no other choice."

Quickly, they scaled the roofs, until they found the minister's meeting room. Gino flanked Suzaku as the later looked into his binoculars. As he looked through the windows, he saw the cape and helmet of Zero. Suzaku looked to his partner. "You ready?"

"Ready." Gino said.

Suzaku nodded as he raised his hand...

Meanwhile, forces in a cloaked carrier above mobilized. Inside, several Britannian soldiers were ready inside their Knightmares, primed to deploy at any moment. "Remember your orders" a mechanically disguised voice spoke over the intercoms. "It matters not what happens to Parliament, or the Knights of the Round. Zero must be captured, and his Knights destroyed."

"Yes, your highness!" They all shouted. One just began to put on his helmet, showing the symbol of the Geass on his forehead.

"You've already made up your mind." Zero said to the minister. It wasn't a question. The minister sighed, having nothing to say to that. "Why not just send us on our way yesterday? I think you've made your case well enough then."

"Many things." Chawla said. "I must confess, I did try to uncover your identity. I figured I could blackmail you with that knowledge, or sell it to the highest bidder and use the money to enrich our country. But you proved to be too clever for that, I must admit. I respect that."

"If that was all you hoped to obtain, we wouldn't be having this conversation right now." Zero reiterated. "We'd have been better off returning to our base and you going about your business as usual. So, why are we really here now?"

The minister twiddled his fingers as he carefully chose his words. "Do you know what my exact job as minister of this territory is?"

"Technically speaking, yes." Zero answered. "But it seems there are certain subtitles you wish to explain to us."

"The Minister of a Territory of the Chinese Federation is nothing more than a figure-head. My people expect me to manage the local bureaucracies, while the Federation expects me to keep them in line. I dare say I've fared better than most in this regard. But, it's safe to say it's an open secret that we have no real freedom."

"And you want out." Zero finished for him. "We oppose the federation as well; they've knowingly sided with the empire and suppress their own people. We can help your country gain independence."

"For a price. Don't deny it." The minister replied.

"Your support would be a small price to pay for independence."

"I fear mere independence isn't enough. Your own Japan once had freedom. But you didn't have power. And look where that got you."

It didn't take long for Zero to figure out where he was going with this. "You want power in exchange for our help."

"Only to protect my own country, I assure you." Mr. Chawla said, finally standing. "The Britannian Empire wants the world. The Federation's ambitions may be smaller, but their intentions just as evil. In our hands, we can contain that power. I do not care what the other countries do, so long as we are left to build up our own."

"I may not know how you intend to achieve that...but judging by how belligerent you are acting, I'm guessing you have developed some kind of weapon of mass destruction." Zero surmised. "No one openly talks about obtaining power unless they already have some."

The minister nodded affirmatively. "I suppose I must confess that I have no intention of sharing the weapon with anyone. Not even those who would be our allies." Chawla relaxed slightly as he stared at Zero. "However, if you manage to goad Britannia or the Federation into a large-scale conflict, I will be more than happy to strategically unleash them at your request."

"We have no need of such weapons." Zero said. "All we require-"

"Then you are a fool." The minister interrupted, something very rare when conversing with Zero. "You have achieved many incredible things, yes. But in the end, you still lost the Black Rebellion. You should have gone for the big guns...if you even had such things..."

"Even if we did have such weapons, I would never allow them to be used!"

"For casualties?" The minister scoffed. "You too have harmed innocents because of your actions! I've read the papers! Families lost their homes! Those workers you killed in Narita!"

"Zero-sama never reveled in their deaths nor excused his actions!" Kallen suddenly interrupted as she stepped forward. She remembered that day when she found out about the death of Shirley's father, and the evening she confronted Zero about it. Even after discovering his identity, Kallen knew Zero...Lelouch meant what he said that evening. He didn't just write off their deaths as necessary evil; hearing the tone in his voice was proof he was upset about the results as well. And he meant it when he offered Kallen an out.

The minister snapped back at her "I'm speaking to Zero, not you-"

"You're speaking to all of us." Zero said as he gently pushed Kallen aside. "It is true, I have done terrible things. War is a play made up of acts of terrible deeds and sacrifices. But as Kozuki has said, I have always went out of my way to keep the casualties to a minimum." The two stared each other down. "But if you insist on keeping and using your WMDs, then I suppose this is where our negotiations should end."

"Really?" The minister asked. "Just like that?"

"I cannot afford to be picky about my allies, but even so there are lines that I will not cross, even now. I have no doubt you love your people, but your lack of empathy for others outside of your country is of dire cause for concern."

The minister clenched his fist. Why did that bother him so much? "I recommend you stay out of the coming conflict." Zero warned him. "If you take your shot, you better pray to your gods that you hit your mark. For if you miss, I will return whatever suffering your weapon brings a hundred fold."

Suddenly, Rakshata stepped forward. "Father, please consider what Zero is telling you!"

"I will not hear one word from you." He growled.

"Too bad, you will!" Rakshata snapped.

"You were the one who went to Britannia in the first place, despite our objections!" He suddenly shouted. "I told you your weapons would only embolden them further! You left your family, you broke your mother's heart!"

That practically stabbed Rakshata in the heart, but still she pressed on without pause. "You're right. I was a fool. But even fools can learn...as I have. I joined Zero rather selfishly, I must admit. Initially, I simply wished to test out my newest creation. I suppose it was curiosity as well; when I was approached, I was skeptical. But I figured I had nothing to lose by seeing where it would lead. I must admit...despite some setbacks, he has certainly surpassed my expectations." The two paused. "You fear the empire, as you should. You hate the Federation, as you should. If anything, I think the alliance between the two was the last straw for me. And both will choke the world unless we stop them now! Zero is our only hope!"

"Enough!" the minister yelled. "Our best hope was YOU! And you left us, being the naive and egotistical child you always were."

Rakshata tried to speak, but Zero held her back. "Fair enough. I suppose we've reached an impasse. We'll take our leave..."

"Not so fast." The minister quickly drew a pistol from his door. "I will not become your puppet, but we could certainly use a man like you. You will be our oracle, so to speak."

"If it's advice you want, I'm more than happy to give it to you for free." Zero said, doing his best not to betray his shock.

"And you will. While remaining here, with your current guard held as collateral."

"Think about what you're doing!" Lelouch shouted, no longer content to hide his true feelings. "This is your daughter we're talking about!"

"Then perhaps this will teach her the consequences of her actions!" He shouted.

Underneath his mask, Lelouch's eyes shone with a red outline...

"Hail, your majesty!" A nine-year old Lelouch shouted to the Emperor, unmoving from his throne. "My mother, the empress, is dead!"

"Old news, what of it?" The emperor asked, still as a mountain.

"What of it!?" Lelouch asked in surprise.

"You sought an audience with the Emperor of Britannia just to inform me of that?" When Lelouch said nothing, the emperor turned to his guard. "Send the next one in! I've no time for these childish games!"

"Father!" Lelouch shouted as he ran towards him.

His guards ran to restrain the boy, but the Emperor simply raised his hand, and the guards stood at attention. "Yes, your majesty!"

"Why didn't you keep Mother out of harm's way!?" Lelouch angrily demanded. "You're the emperor! The greatest man in this nation, if not the world! You should have protected her and now you don't even visit Nunally!"

The emperor, who seemed to have been stewing in deep thought, opened his eyes and simply said "I have no use for that weakling."

"That weakling?" Lelouch chokes, almost refusing to believe that the emperor, let alone his own father, could ever say such a thing.

"That is what it means to be royalty." The emperor coldly explained.

Lelouch was on the verge of crying, but something in him refused to let the tears fall. "If that is what it means..." Lelouch opened up his eyes to look his father directly in the face. "...then I no longer want to be your heir!" Lelouch then yelled "I give up my claim to the throne!" The court gasped at his declaration. "I'm sick of the fighting and scheming over who will succeed you, father! I've had enough!"

Lelouch didn't know what to expect when his father answered, but he certainly wasn't expecting what eventually came up. "You're dead."

"Uh?"

"You were always dead to me, dead from the moment you were born!" The emperor shouted. "Who do you think gave you the fine clothes you wear!? A comfortable home, the food you eat and your very life!?" The emperor didn't give him a chance to respond in kind. "All of those, I have given to you!" The emperor quickly answered. "In short, you are nothing to me because you have never existed!" Finally, the emperor stood, towering over even the adults. "Yet you dare to speak such foolishness to me!?"

Lelouch gasped and tripped over his cape as his father's burst of anger caught him by surprise. "Lelouch, you are dead to me, therefore you don't have any rights. I am sending you to Japan; as Prince and Princess, you will serve well as bargaining tools..."

Zero fell to his knees, trying to clutch his head, but his helmet stopped his hands. "Zero-sama!" Kallen ran to him, forgetting the gun pointed at them.

"Hmph. Perhaps it's best this way. Seems Zero is not the man...or demon...the world believed him to be." The minister sneered.

Suddenly, a squad of commandos burst in through the windows. No one could react or say a word as the Black Knights were surrounded at gunpoint. Two disarmed the minister and held him against the desk. Kallen' s eyes widened as a familiar face stepped through the window. "Suzaku..."

Suzaku looked at her coldly. "Kallen." Suzaku said. "It seems in spite of being shown the truth, you still chose to be a dog to a terrorist who sees the Japanese as pawns." He then eyed the minister, trying to struggle from his bonds; the commanders were struggling slightly to keep him restrained. "My apologies, minister. We have no intention to harm you, so long as you cooperate. Your security is safe, but if your army interferes, I cannot guarantee your safety." The minister just looked at him furiously. "Please, think about your people. I heard everything you said. You are compromised enough as it is." Finally, the minister relented. Suzaku nodded, and the commandos allowed him to stand.

Suzaku turned back to the Black Knights; whatever was going on with Zero earlier seemed to have ceased. He stood up, unmoving. The commandos were a hair's breadth away from riddling Zero with bullets, unless someone with authority chose to stop them. "Hold your fire!" The Knight of Seven ordered. "I need to confirm something for myself, first." Pointing his pistol, he walked towards Zero, still silent but his hands up. The Knight inched ever closer, keeping his pistol trained on him. Suzaku then reached behind his mask with one hand, and found the switch for the mask. As the folds retracted, Suzaku gripped the edge and slowly removed it.

It was true; the face of his former friend was staring back at him. "Suzaku..." Lelouch began.

"It's been a while...Lelouch."

Next entry will be the battle!