Ever since their first operation with the Black Knights, the Wyvern Squadron had grown accustomed to fighting alongside the Black Knights in various operations.

Even the most xenophobic and distrustful of the Black Knights had since come to accept them.

Usually, Leila would have been glad about that, but recently she had grown concerned about how close her men were growing to Zero and the Black Knights.

General Smilas had sent them on this mission with two primary objectives to accomplish; the first was to use the Black Knights to cause as much trouble in Area 11 as possible to force Britannia to deploy fewer men and material to the European Front more men and material to Area 11, the second was to subvert the Black Knights from the inside so that the European Union could install an independent Japanese government that was sympathetic to its interests.

Even when factoring in her dislike of Zero, Leila had some misgivings about the latter objective, but at the end of the day, she had sworn to serve the Republic, so she would do her duty to the best of her abilities.

However, rather than Leila and her unit subverting the loyalty of key Black Knight officers' loyalty, it seemed the opposite was happening.

Leila was well aware that she was leading a unit made up of anti-EU terrorists and that most of them felt little to no loyalty to the EU if they didn't outright despise it. However, she had been hoping that they would at least feel some sort of loyalty to her after she had led them into battle time and time again.

Maybe they did feel some sort of respect for her, but that didn't stop them from going native, so to speak.

Ayano, Yukiya, and Ryo, being Japanese in origin, had been the first to start identifying with the Black Knights and their cause; she had expected that, of course, but not to this extent.

It went well beyond a strong desire to create a new, independent, strong Japan; it seemed those three had begun to genuinely buy into Zero and his cult of personality.

While it was not as bad with the European members of the unit, Zora, Liam, and Friedrich, Leila knew it was only a matter of time before Zero's rhetoric won them over as well.

The only exception to this trend was Akito, who had been keeping her abreast of any changes in the unit.

Leila first met Aktio when she was assigned to the Wyvern Squadron, which was still a glorified suicide squad at the time.

They hadn't even been piloting Alexanders back then, only some sub-par quality fourth-generation Pètains, which had been lent to them by regular European units that had no more use for them.

After their first few battles together, the original unit was wiped out, with Akito being the only survivor. Leila took over as the commanding officer of Wyvern Squadron, and the two of them worked hard to turn the Squadron into the elite fighting force it was now.

She was drawn out of her thoughts by the man himself. "Commander, they're waiting for you."

Leila nodded at him. "Very well, lead the way, Lieutenant."

Akito nodded at that and began walking at a brisk pace, which she had to quickly scramble to catch up with.

It didn't take them long to find the rest of the unit, which had gathered at an isolated warehouse near the Black Knights' headquarters on her command.

Ryo was the first to spot them as he waved at her. "Yo, Malcal, 'sup?"

Leila smiled back at him. "I'm doing well, Ryo, thank you. How are you?"

Ryo crossed his arms. "Couldn't be better. I'm wondering why you set up this little get-together, though."

She frowned. She supposed that the pleasantries couldn't last forever. Still, Leila had been hoping that they could have remained civil for just a little longer.

She wasn't going to enjoy this conversation, she could tell.

Still, Leila did her best to remain open-minded. "Well, I couldn't help but notice that you all have been… Getting rather close with the Black Knight. I-"

She was interrupted by Yukiya's response, much to her annoyance. "And what about it? They're our allies, aren't they? Getting shot at together has a way of building friendships."

Leila sent Yukiya a reproachful look, though he only shrugged in response. "They're our allies, yes, for now." She paused deliberately, letting the last part linger in the air for a long moment before resuming. "But they're also our potential enemies."

Ayano spoke up then. "Wait, wait, hold on a minute. What do you mean, 'our potential enemies?' We're all fighting against Britannia here, aren't we?"

Leila sighed at that. "You'd know these things if you actually bothered to listen to the missions and debriefings, Ayano. We aren't just here to aid the Black Knights in their war with Britannia; we're also here under orders to assess their command structure and to ferment a pro-EU coup against Zero, if necessary."

Ryo rolled his eyes as Ayano gasped in outrage; they were clearly unaware of the idea. "Yeah, that's what the higher-ups want, but who gives half a shit about those old fucks? The only European officer I've ever respected was you, Leila; the rest can rot for all I care. Besides, do you know how hardcore the loyalty for Zero is here? You'd think Zero was a God if you listened to the average Black Knight recruit."

Leila shook her head at that. "I won't deny that it'll be difficult to find a crack in Zero's organization, but we don't really need to worry about that at the moment. Right now, our job is to ascertain whether Zero could prove amenable to the EU's interests."

Yukiya snorted at that. "Our job is to see if the EU can make him a puppet, you mean."

Ryo laughed at that. "Yeah, fat chance of that."

Leila shook her head. "Look, I just want to know if I can count on your loyalty in the future."

Ryo nodded. "Yeah, we got your back, Commander."

Leila supposed that was the best she could hope for.

Leila sighed. "I suppose that we should head back now."

After a few more clarifications, they quickly returned to the Black Knights' headquarters.

She had hoped to take it easy for the rest of the day, but sadly, Zero had other plans.

Sergeant Inoue interrupted her. "Commander Malcal, Zero wishes to speak with you."

What did the bastard want now?

Careful not to let the annoyance show on her face, Leila smiled at Sergeant Inoue. "Very well, lead the way."

And without another word, Sergeant Inoue led her to Zero's office.

Leila took a deep breath before entering the room.

She saw Zero sitting at his desk, his hands clasped together in what seemed to be his thinking pose.

Zero inclined his head toward her when he saw her. "Commander Malcal, please take a seat."

Leila did what was requested of her. After taking the seat across from Zero, she gave him a questioning look. "Zero, you asked for me?"

Zero nodded at that. "I did, yes. I needed to speak with you about a recent development."

Leila raised an eyebrow at that. "A recent development? What development?"

Zero paused for a moment before finally answering her, the dramatic asshole that he was. "We caught a Britanian spy snooping around the base; from what we can tell, he had discovered you and your unit's presence here; I don't think I need to tell you that if the Britannians had recovered proof of the EU's presence here, then that would have caused several issues."

She couldn't deny that, and she sighed in relief. "I'm glad that you caught him. What did you do with this spy?"

Zero cocked his head at her as if he was confused by what she had said. "We interrogated him, then we disposed of him?"

What?

Leila glared at Zero. "That's a violation of the rules of war, it-"

Zero interrupted her. "In case you hadn't noticed, Commander Malcal, this isn't an organized military; it's a resistance group. We don't have the resources to detain prisoners for long periods of time."

She sighed. "I suppose that is true. Did you have anything else to discuss with me?"

Zero nodded at that. "I do, your presence here has become something of an issue."

Leila scowled at Zero. "What exactly is your issue with me?"

Zero shrugged. "I find your constant moralism and sniping at me annoying, but that isn't the issue. The problem is that you are a massive security risk. You stick out in the Ghettos like a sore thumb. So, I'd like to move you to a safe house in the Tokyo Settlement, where you'll blend in easier."

Leila gave him a searching look. "And where is this safehouse, exactly?"

Zero sighed at that. "Tell me, have you ever heard of Ashford Academy?"

If Lelouch was being honest, he had only been telling Leila half the truth, though that was a rare state of affairs for him.

It was undoubtedly true that Leila's presence in the Ghettos was rather inconvenient for him; with her clearly French accent and European features, she stood out like a sore thumb, but that was not the only reason why he wanted her out of the Black Knights' headquarters; truth be told, it wasn't even the primary reason.

What he really wanted was for Leila to be separated from her unit, the Wyvern Squadron, for most days when she did not have business with the Black Knights.

Lelouch had done a good job so far of subverting the loyalties of Leila Malcal's precious subordinates, but he had hit something of a speed bump when it came to influencing them to view him as their overall leader rather than Leila.

She may have been an overly judgmental, moralistic hypocrite, but Lelouch would give Leila this much: She was a rather charismatic leader in her own right.

Even as Lelouch influenced the former terrorists in her unit to turn against the European Union, Leila Malcal's bonds with her subordinates remained infuriatingly unbreakable.

So, to sweep away this obstacle, Lelouch used the first opportunity to devise an excuse to move Leila to a different location.

Even sending her to Ashford and having her live with him, under the guise of Lelouch Lamperouge, was a crucial aspect of this strategy.

He hoped to gradually influence the Wyvern Squadron to view Leila as a distant, maybe even uncaring, figure. Having her live it up in the luxury of the Britannian Tokyo Settlement would aid significantly in achieving that end.

Of course, Hyuuga Akito, Leila Malcal's second in command and bodyguard, appeared to be a fanatic in his loyalties to Leila Malcal and the European Union. However, he should think that one loyalist would be easy enough to neutralize.

Still, Lelouch was feeling good about his strategy. The threat of the European Union making a puppet warlord of him seemed like an increasingly unlikely eventuality with each passing day.

Nearly all of the conditions had been cleared, Lelouch reflected; now, all that remained was to make his final preparations.

Well, that and to wait for Leila to arrive, he knew from experience that trying to take a stealthy route through the Tokyo Settlement had a way of slowing down your journey.

It was all well enough to him; it was better that Leila was late rather than bumbling her way into being arrested by the Knight Police.

For all he disliked her, he wouldn't wish the Knight Police's usual treatment of criminals on anyone.

Eventually, Leila Malcal arrived where they had agreed to meet, at the entrance to the Ashford Academy Student Clubhouse at midnight when most of the students and staff would be asleep.

She had also dressed in civilian clothes to blend in better, just as he had instructed her.

If all went well, nobody would know Leila had been there.

Playing the part of the affable Lamperouge, Lelouch smiled and waved at Leila. "Hey, you're Leila Malcal, right?"

It was painfully unsubtle, but it was important that he portray himself as overly casual and laid back.

The starker the contrast between Lamperouge and Zero was in Leila Malcal's mind, the better, he thought.

Leila looked at him uncertainly, probably wondering if he could really be the informant she was meant to meet with. "Yes, I am. I assume you are Lelouch Lamperouge?"

Lelouch chuckled at that, continuing to grin as if he didn't have a care in the world. "Yep, that's right! Zero's top informant in the Tokyo Settlement, at your service!"

Having to act all overly cheerful like this made him want to gag.

Is this what it felt like to be Rivalz? Horrifying.

Leila gave him a pained smile. "It's good to meet you, Lamperouge, should we go inside?"

Lelouch nodded. " It's Good to meet you as well, and yeah, let's head in."

With that, he led her into the Clubhouse. When he closed the door, he turned to her with a serious expression. "I share this building with my sister and our personal maid. They aren't in on this whole Black Knights thing. They should be asleep right now, but we should be quiet to be safe."

Leila nodded at him, keeping quiet.

After that, Lelouch carefully led her through the Clubhouse, taking care not to wake Sayoko, Nunnally, or God forbid C.C.

Eventually, they arrived at the place where he would be keeping Leila for the time being.

Beneath Ashford Academy, there was an underground basement of sorts, though in truth, it was more of a bunker. Most people, not even the staff, didn't know about its existence, which made it the ideal place for Lelouch to hide things and people that he didn't want people to find.

The only people aware of the bunker were himself, Rivalz, Sayoko, Ruben Ashford, Milly, Nunnally, and now Suzaku.

Suzaku was usually kept busy by his military work, not to mention the… bad memories associated with the bunker; Sayoko didn't usually venture down there unless Lelouch ordered her to; Ruben Ashford was getting too old to be wandering Ashford Academy without a care in the world, Milly was too busy with her unique brand of insanity, Nunnally didn't like the place for obvious reasons, and Rivalz didn't have a reason come down there since Lelouch had stopped gambling with him.

So, no one should discover her down here.

Lelouch turned around to smile at Leila, gesturing offhand to a sleeping bag. "Right, so this is where you'll be staying. Remember to stay down here most of the time and to ask for my permission to leave. We don't want you to get spotted while outside."

Leila nodded at his terms. "Very well, I can do that."

Lelouch sighed happily, glad that she wasn't going to be difficult about this. "Right; if you need anything, feel free to contact me. Here's my phone number."

He handed Leila his contact information, which she happily took from him. She smiled back at him, "Thank you. You know, for a direct agent of Zero, you are rather pleasant."

Oh, if only she knew the truth. Lelouch was sure that Leila would surrender herself to the Britannians on the spot if she knew he was Zero.

Honestly, Leila was far more pleasant to speak to when she wasn't sniping at everything he said.

The power of perception and aliases, Lelouch supposed.

He shrugged. "Well, the call for freedom appeals to all sorts of people; not all of us can be grim-faced freedom fighters, you know?"

Leila nodded at that. "I suppose that makes sense; speaking of Zero, however, what do you think of him?"

Well, that was blunt.

Maybe Lelouch was putting a little too much effort into this happy buffoon act if Leila thought she could bait him into bad-mouthing Zero so easily.

Well, he'd have to be careful with how he responded to that. If he defended Zero too strongly, she'd dismiss him as a loyalist and distrust him from then on.

Lelouch smiled a strained smile at her question. "I know he can be a bit ruthless at times, and sometimes I think he goes a bit too far, but Zero's just doing what he has to; Britannia is insanely powerful. I trust him; he'll do what needs to be done without committing needless atrocities."

Leila seemed somewhat discomfited at that, but she didn't seem as though she was wholly offended by Lelouch's opinion, so he would take that as a good sign. "I suppose that's a fair point of view, I'm sure Zero has already informed you of my distaste for him, but I'd rather not start an argument about him."

He nodded; that would be annoying. "Yeah, that's probably for the best."

Lelouch let the conversation fall into awkward silence for a few moments before finally speaking up again. "All this talking has worked up my appetite. I feel like having a midnight snack. Care to join me for tea and biscuits?"

Leila chuckled at that. "Sure, why not."

He was going to enjoy this; Lelouch was sure of it.

Leila seemed like she would make for the pleasant company while laboring under the delusion that Lelouch Lamperouge wasn't Zero anyway.

And this would make for an effective and convenient way to monitor Leila Malcal.

Author's Note:
So… This chapter was a bit late, sorry about that. I was busy with some IRL stuff.