Hey everyone. I know, I know. Life gets in the way, I'll try to do better, blah blah blah. Just enjoy the chapter.

Or don't. As long as you post a critical review, I consider it a win anyhow.

"We were all once blind patriots to the empire; in fact, we may not even be the best candidates for this endavor." Benjamin began. "We have benefitted much from the last decades' of conquest. However, the same can't be said for the commoners. The majority would be lucky to earn up to our knees for their service."

"Careful, Weinberg." Another said. He had long red hair with streaks of gray, sporting a matching goatee. Scars also ran down his face. "Appealing to the commoners may not be as easy as you would like." He paused before explaining. "I remember my time stationed in Brazil. We were forced to ally with the locals, but things were tense. My commanding officer made us look down on them. At the time, it shocked me; most of my company came from backgrounds not much better than the natives. In fact, they probably had good reason to hate the empire as much as they did. That was when I learned, as long as the lowest Britannian believed they were superior to any outsider or number, they wouldn't notice the nobles picking their pockets."

"If anything, they'll empty their pockets for you." Another chimed in.

"We have set a bad example for the commoners." Benjamin agreed. "And they will probably be the hardest to deal with, after the fallout. They may hate the Emperor…but they fear him more, and like an abused child, still see him as the protector of all."

"And should we succeed, what then?" Another further down the table said. "We'll just destabilize the homeland, and we'll be forced to put down new rebellions. We'll be no different from the emperor: men with too much money and insatiable thirst for power."

Benjamin sighed. "I fear what you all say is true. I know how much of an idealist I am. And idealists …die."

"You make it sound like you have given up before we've barely begun."

"Quite the contrary. I intend to follow through with this. But I need to surround myself with more…pragmatic individuals, such as yourselves." Benjamin chose his words carefully.

"And, I may have to root out any bad apples…" That part he kept to himself. Benjamin was regarded as a rather generous and amicable individual for a man of his standing…but he was not stupid. He was well aware the overwhelming majority of people of his wealth and stature cared for nothing but themselves. He hoped he would be proven wrong in the long run, but he needed to think of them as allies, not friends. And hopefully everyone else would do the same for the right reasons.

"First order of business is that while we work behind the scenes, we will need soldiers on the ground." Benjamin finally announced.

"You mean like the Black Knights?" One asked.

"Actually…I was hoping to ally with the Black Knights themselves." He answered.

"Hold on!" Another said. "They may be a force against the Empire, but the enemy of my enemy is NOT my friend, contrary to popular belief."

"And what do you suggest?" Benjamin asked. "I suppose we could recruit from scratch, but in the homeland, that may be difficult. Most of our fellow Britannians are lock and step with the empire. Out of either Nationalism, or fear. Some may be more liberal-minded like ourselves. But I would not bet on those odds."

"That may be true, but if we do not build a foundation from within, our goals will crumble and only divide the country!"

"I agree. But in the meantime we need help from the outside. Nationality aside, Zero already beat us to the punch. It would be foolish not to use that." Everyone agreed.

"Zero may hate the empire, but that does not mean that he will ally with us. At the end of the day, we are still Britannians. The very people Zero hates." One cautioned.

"Perhaps. Perhaps not." Benjamin pressed a button, and a monitor rose on the wall. It showed old footage. Namely, the first official appearance of the Black Knights. Zero stood at the center of a ship, flanked by Japanese men and women in black. "This was not Zero's first appearance, but it was the premier of his freedom fighters. And their first act?" He asked. "Eliminating the fragments of the JDF, citing the protection of innocents, and saving several Britannian students and other civilians. They even saved the late Princess Euphemia." Benjamin sighed in sadness. Even the homeland was appalled at Euphemia's sudden and inexplicable madness. If only she would have been empress…

"Civilians he proceeded to kill anyway!" One slammed his fist.

"Collateral damage." Benjamin sighed. "And I fear we will have collateral of our own."

"He also allied with the JDF in the end…"

"And they died."

"Kamikaze, the…Japanese call it."

"Was it?" Benjamin asked candidly. "My contacts in the army informed me that based on the investigation, the trigger for the explosion came from land, not the submarine."

The table was silent. "He blew the submarine up himself." One breathed in realization.

"Was it planned?"

"He betrayed them! He must have!" One slammed his fist. "I studied warrior cultures of the numbers! In Area 11, the heads NEVER commit battle suicide unless defeat is inevitable!"

"Japanese, Master Rembrandt. I know you mean no harm, but if we are to make allies, we need to learn to show proper respect." Benjamin reprimanded him. "Still, you have a point. It seems Zero has no issue using his allies. I would like to think it was because he recognized the rampant corruption within the JDF, but it presents a risk." He said. "I have said my piece. Does anyone have any more concerns, or wish to share their own ideas?"

They remained silent at first, but one raised his hand. "How do you plan to contact the Black Knights?"

Benjamin smirked. "Actually, I have a lead on that…"

Kallen opened the door to Zero's room. Zero had a lock where he could exclude any one member from his quarters at any given time. If she still had access, it meant Lelouch was at least open to his confidants. She said nothing as she entered, Lelouch still dressed as Zero from the neck down. He eyed the Black King piece in his hand. "Even back then, I noticed you favored the King." Kallen said. Though Lelouch didn't respond, she continued. "At the casino, you still did."

Lelouch glanced back at her, then back to the piece. "If the King does not lead, how will he expect his people to follow?" Lelouch gave the piece a final twist, and gripped it. "Of course, the problem with this analogy is that it eliminates the human element. Pieces do exactly what they are told, even the most obedient of soldiers will take orders to interpretation. Pieces have rules on how to move, we do not. And…" Lelouch squeezed his piece, though not hard enough to break it. "…in chess the enemy does not have pieces he is not supposed to."

Kallen nodded. "A lot of things happened that weren't supposed to." She said. "But that does not neglect your stratagem. I think you were on the right path. And sometimes things just happen that are beyond our control. You of all people should know that."

Lelouch sighed. "And I keep foolishly try to control everything." He looked to Kallen. "Tell me, Kallen, and I need you to be honest with me. Was I like this in the past?"

Kallen sighed, taking a moment. "Truth be told, I don't know for certain." She said without hesitation. "In all the time we worked together, the time I worked as your vanguard, I never really knew you. You kept your identity hidden from me until the Black Rebellion."

"Did you ever see me though? I was still at Ashford, right?"

"You were." Kallen noted. "But that wasn't your true self either. I once suspected you were Zero, quite correctly I might add. Somehow you did a damn good job of convincing me otherwise. On top of that, you had an aloof persona. Like you didn't care about anything."

"I see."

"I have some insights though." Kallen said. "I remember one mission, after Narita. You were acting distant, and when I came in to check on you, you were in the shadows. Though I couldn't see who you were, I saw from the towel on your hair that you just came out of a shower. I could tell by your tone you were frustrated."

"Why is that?"

"There was collateral damage on that mission." She said. Kallen was about to say it was Shirley's father that was killed that day, but she decided to leave that out for now. "I was bothered by that; all the battles from before, no civilians were hurt, even if they may have deserved that. And I think it bothered you too, at the time. I brought it up, and you basically convinced me to continue the mission, or else those deaths would have been for nothing. You also gave me a chance to leave."

Despite everything, Lelouch smiled. "I guess you being here now means you didn't take it?"

"Indeed." Kallen also managed a chuckle. "You know, when it came to me, you always gave me a choice."

"Such as?"

"We were having doubts about your character, your motives." Kallen said. "Things were going smoothly, perhaps too smoothly. Many were getting suspicious. Though I came to your defense, I couldn't help but agree with some of their points. I came to your private quarters, talking to you through the door. And you asked if I wished to know your true identity."

"Why didn't you take me up on it?" Lelouch asked.

"I don't know." Kallen shrugged. "I almost forgot about that day. Maybe I was afraid about what I would find out, didn't want my doubts to be proven right at any cost. And if I found out, I knew I would be torn between the loyalty to my friends, and mine to yours."

Lelouch nodded. "Understandable. And yet, you've kept my identity secret to those who don't know yet."

"It's necessary now." Kallen said. "Before, Britannia was content to toy with its food. Now it intends to finish and we cannot have the organization disrupted." Kallen glanced at the laptop, seeing an article on Vice Roy Nunally. "Anything coming through?"

"Nothing yet." Lelouch sighed. "Though I realized I have memories of carrying my so-called brother on my back because he was blind and crippled…"

"Like Nunally…"

"They must have had me really deep under." Lelouch said. "I didn't even think of the past last year, and it would have crumbled if I tried to explain how he recovered."

"It just means you're getting close. And maybe…maybe it's best you didn't recover all of your memories at once."

"What makes you think that?"

"For one, just because you will recover your full memories, doesn't mean you won't forget the false ones. You may still love Rolo like a brother, even knowing he doesn't view you that way. That…that could get complicated."

Lelouch stared at her for a minute, and rolled back in his chair, sighing. "Never even thought about that."

"There's something else you should know."

"What's that?"

Kallen seemed to hesitate. Lelouch decided to give her a moment. "What do you know of Zero's final battle? During the Black Rebellion?"

Lelouch's eyes widened. Brushing his hair back, he sighed. "Well…I remember being told that Zero, upon seeing the tides of battle turned, abandoned his troops and retreated back into the sea. Even then I found that suspicious. Not much is known after that, except that special forces under Prince Schneizel's command captured and executed him." He turned his chair. "I'm guessing you know the truth, though."

"Back then, no." Kallen seemed to hug herself, as if preparing to be scolded. "I found out after the fact that you were looking for Nunally. The other Knights were worried you had truly abandoned them, and I held onto hope that wasn't the case. I gripped an aircraft, and followed your trail to Kamine Island. Suzaku also followed you, and I had my gun on him as he did you."

"And he asked you if you knew my identity."

"You remember?"

"No." Lelouch said plainly. "But I figured that was why you didn't shoot Suzaku on the spot."

"Damn it, I only stayed my gun because you seemed determined to bring him over to our side!" Kallen looked away in frustration. "And besides, he may have been a foolish traitor, but he was still Japanese. I guess a part of me wanted to save him from himself." Kallen sighed, and went back to the story. "Anyway, after he asked, he shot your helmet open. I was shellshocked, needless to say. After Suzaku pinned you down, he reminded me of what happened during the SAZ incident. I was so conflicted, torn between getting Zero to help the Black Knights and letting Suzaku punish you for deceiving us all. So-"

"You left." Lelouch finished for her.

Kallen looked away in shame. "Yes."

Lelouch sighed. "If I regain my memories…I don't know how I'm going to react. But for now, just hearing it from your perspective…I don't blame you a bit."

Kallen looked at him. "That's easy for you to say as you are now!"

"Perhaps." Lelouch agreed. "The man you followed into battle left you all for reasons you did not understand. And you discover his face is someone you knew tangentially at best. I cannot imagine what was going through your mind." He stood, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "If I may add, I think you made the correct choice."

"What?"

"Even if he never meant to, we cannot deny the Zero you knew betrayed you. He should have at least confided in you, his elite guard. His intentions may not have been malicious, but withholding that information from you ultimately cost the Black Knights victory." Both stood there in silent before he continued. "If he trusted you to begin with, he would have either ordered you to lead the Knights yourself, or to go find Princess Nunally. Either option was better than handling both burdens by himself."

Kallen took a seat next to him. "He could have revealed everything at the apex of the battle. At least to me. Why do you think he didn't?"

Lelouch sighed. It felt like an odd thing to ask his opinion of himself and yet treat himself like someone he never know. "Perhaps paranoia; he may have thought of himself as surrounded by enemies; those to use, and those to defeat." Kallen noticeably slouched. "Or, maybe he simply did not want you or anyone else to shoulder his burdens. Even if the Black Rebellion succeeded, that would not have been the end of the war. Britannia would have sent reinforcements, and to counter that Zero would need the absolute trust of the Black Knights. Any revelation otherwise would have thrown the necessary resistance into chaos at a time when they would need order the most."

Kallen's back straightened. "I'm both happy and mad that you make so much sense."

"Well, until you restore my real memories, that is all I can give you." Lelouch stood, and offered his hand.

Kallen seemed a bit taken aback by the gesture, but accepted his help (even though she didn't need it). "Still, I thank you for your honesty." She gave a quick bow.

"Kallen…" he began. "As I am now, I genuinely want to help your people. Yes, I have my own agenda but I will not abandon you again."

"And if we restore you?"

Lelouch gave a sad smile. "If that happens, and I am truly the conniving manipulator you fear, I ask you to do whatever it takes to stop me, and take over the Black Knights."

Kallen nearly jumped out of her skin at the requesr. For a moment, it seemed she would answer affirmatively, but then gave him a curt nod. "No. It won't come down to that. Even if circumstances changed, the fact remains you are still Zero. You gave us miracles then, and even now you still are. So whatever happens, always have faith in yourself. Because I still have faith in you."

Lelouch gave a grateful look, and sighed. "In spite of everything, huh?"

"No." Kallen gave him a small smile. "If anything, I'd say now more than ever." Lelouch's eyes widened. "So please…atop doubting yourself. We still have a war to fight." She said no more, and walked out.

Lelouch turned away, and stroked the helmet on his desk as id it were a pet. "Heh. Seems we're not through yet." Lelouch then looked to the atlas map on the wall. He eyed where the Shitora was where it was headed…and from that his mind immediately began to brainstorm.

Lelouch opened up his laptop, and got to typing.

Kallen walked down the hall, clenching her fists. She thought back to the hotel…

CC returned, seeing Kallen on the bed. She was still sitting on the edge, staring at the floor.

Right where she left her.

It was as she expected; she closed the door with her ankle. "Sorry I'm late. I suppose I had some thinking of my own to do." Kallen didn't respond. CC shrugged, and got to spraying her bloodstains off the wall.

"Zero used us." Kallen muttered, although she didn't move. "We should have seen it, but we were desperate." CC gave her a glance before getting back to work. "What? You're not going to defend him?"

"Why would I defend him?" CC asked nonchalantly as she wiped the wall down. "I made a contract with him. And that has nothing to do with you or the Black Knights. Lelouch simply did as he saw fit; I care not for any particular side. All I did was to make sure he survived."

Kallen sighed. "Well, whatever the case, he's dead now. I'm sorry."

"Did you watch him die?"

"Suzaku had him dead to rights. After losing Euphemia, there's no way he wouldn't have killed him. Maybe not immediately. But by now? Certainly."

"Don't be so sure." CC said. "I have a sense of those I've made contracts with. He's still alive."

After seeing the demonstration of immortality, Kallen decided not to question that. "You want him to fulfill the contract." She said, not asked.

"Exactly." CC said as she gathered some of her matter on the carpet. "I assure you the consequences are entirely personal; they have nothing to do with the rest of you politically."

Kallen had a feeling there was more to this story, but decided for now that wasn't important. "Why come to me then?"

"Well, far as I can tell, you're the only combat Black Knight out there." CC shrugged, dumping contents into a trash can. "But, in my personal opinion, and I say this from a purely strategic position, Lelouch should have told you. Maybe not in the beginning, but certainly at some point. At least when you officially became his personal guard."

Kallen scowled. "That may have been true once, but no more. I think I understand why he didn't trust me."

"He already told you all he was not Japanese, and you followed him anyway. Why?"

"Because we believed his miracles were real!" Kallen shouted.

"Oh, and suddenly knowing the whole truth nulls them?" Kallen said nothing. CC sighed as she jumped into her bed. "I will find him, one way or another. It will be hard for my own though; I could use someone to help me, be another pair of eyes. My\ muscle too. Right now, you're all I've got."

"You're immortal."

"So? I can still be imprisoned, I WAS imprisoned." CC looked at her. "I will stop talking in riddles, since it seems you're too dense to get it: your rebellion is not over unless you let it be. And only one man can make it happen. You know that to be true. Yes, we have our own agenda; we're not friends. But we don't have to be enemies. Tomorrow morning, I will check out, and be on my way to find him. If you cannot make up your mind by morning, I will consider your decision made."

CC turned over, preparing to shut off the light, when Kallen spoke up. "Fine. I'm in."

CC looked at her incredulously. "That quick? I regret all that talking."

"No, you said what needed to be said. But understand this: I now also have my own agenda in this. I'm going to confront Zero, and get the answers from him directly! Do you have objections?"

"No. And in fact I would be suspicious if you claimed otherwise."

"You sound very confident that I'll like the answers." Kallen grumbled.

"Personally I don't think you will, but it is inconsequential to the big picture. If, after you receive the answers and decide to go your own way, that is fine with me. But I warn you, if you plan to shoot him, I WILL interfere."

Until now, CC had always been an enigma in her eyes. But the threatening face she made, if only for an instant, was very much real, and Kallen believed CC was able to back that warning.

Kallen sighed as she thought back to that memory. That declaration kept her moving forward for nine months. Nine months of hiding and undercover work, putting up with CC's non answers whenever Kallen tried to hide a question as a statement when they had downtime.

During that time, she wondered what her reaction would be when she confronted him about the truth. Either she would shoot him, or become part of the Black Knights.

As of now, she didn't have that answer…But did she still want it?

Suzaku's plane touched down in Pendragon. Suzaku stepped out, and saluted the soldiers. With purpose, he walked forward towards the palace.

Bismarck Waldstein stood by the imperial door, arms behind his back and his large sword at his hip. It was both the privilege and the curse of the Knight of One to guard the emperor at all times, only leaving to fight if war had ever reached the homeland. Something that had not happened since the empire's inception. Even now, he didn't even flinch in spite of Suzaku's brisk pace. "Sir Kururugi." He acknowledged him. "Prince Schneizel informed me of your arrival."

"Then you know why I am here." The white knight put one foot on the steps. "Please let me through, Sir Waldstein."

"I am sorry, Kururugi. But you understand as the Knight of One, my orders are absolute. No one will disturb his highness unless he or she is granted permission."

"Let. Me. Through." Suzaku repeated, slowing his words.

"You are determined to see His Highness." Bismarck said. "Then I am sorry." He began to draw his own sword.

Suzaku was fascinated by these large western swords; Japan mostly made the standard katana blades. Though they varied in length, the primary designs were all the same between them. Even in his massive hands, the sword seemed hard to manage. "No, good sir." Suzaku unsheathed his own saber, the sword most similar to the blade of his homeland. "I am."

Before they could clash blades, a deep and authoritative voice said "Sir Waldstein, Sir Kururugi. Lay down your swords." The two looked to gaze upon the emperor himself, Charles Vi Britannia. Regal and domineering as ever, he stared at the two knights. Without hesitation, the two resheathed their weapons. "Kururugi, I was aware of your impending arrival. And I believe I know why you are here."

"Yes." Suzaku answered without hesitation. Though he showed no emotion, Charles nodded. He turned sharply back towards the door, his cloak bellowing like a great wing-beat. He said nothing, yet the two understood his answer.

Bismarck, in spite of their earlier tension, bowed to Suzaku. Even if they sometimes fought, Bismarck ultimately acknowledged the Knights of the Round as comrades, and bared no grudge after tension.

Suzaku also bowed back, recognizing he was merely following his lord's orders to the letter. The similarities between knights and samurai were more apparent to Suzaku than their differences.