AN: I do not own Code Geass

RanVor: I changed the scene to something I thought would've been more fitting.

By the way, I've been spelling Naginata wrong this whole time. So, I'll be going back to previous chapters to change it to the correct spelling.

Chapter 44: Awakening

Suzaku fired his VARIS rifle at the retreating Knightmare's missing each shot as his Knightmare jolted up due to the rocky terrain, "C'mon… almost there…" he muttered as his eyes focused on the red Knightmare, "I need to take her out first…"

Kallen watched as the White Knight's sights focused on her, forcing evasive action as he fired a green bolt at her retreating frame, "Not this time!" she ducked the attack and transferred onto a nearby rock wall using her only slash harken.

"Perfect." the White Knight banked a hard left, entering the forest and disappearing from the red head's sight. Meanwhile, his partner continued the direct chase, earning a shocked look from the Guren. "Remember, Rai. Don't engage that Knightmare! Our primary objective is capturing Zero."

"Aye, aye." the silver-haired boy responded.

"Wait… who the hell is that?" Kallen attempted to attack the Knightmare as he nonchalantly passed by.

However, she was interrupted by a transmission from Mario, "Leave him to me!" he shouted while speeding past her, "You go help Zero!"

Due to being significantly lighter due to his shield being missing, Mario easily caught up to Rai, tackling him from behind in the process. Of course, the silver-haired boy soon kicked off his assailant with great success, knocking him into a rock face, "So… you're the Knightmare that attacked Suzaku in Saitama." Rai drew his two short MVS' before combining them into a lance, "Whatever. You won't be interfering with him this time." he proclaimed as the Guren passed in the background.

Mario drew his revolving blade Naginata and said, "Oh? Is that a threat, or a promise?"

The Club gripped its weapon tighter, "Depends on how you take it."

"Then I'll take it as a threat," the black-haired boy replied, "Because there's no way you'll be able to keep such a promise!"

The two rushed forward and clashed weapons, creating a small shockwave that sent a gust of wind through the nearby trees, melting the snow at their feet due to the heat dispersed from the revolving blade. Taking advantage of his double-edged blade, Rai pushed the bottom of his lance forward, forcing Mario to take a step back as he brought his Naginata down to meet his opponent's next attack. Once he blocked that strike, he sent the butt-end of his handle into the Club's head, causing Rai to take a step back, before firing a slash harken that forced Mario to block with his own. However, Rai soon followed up with his second, which managed to barely graze his opponent's head.

The Sougetsu and Club clashed once again, sending out another shockwave. "Not bad." the black-haired boy commented while separating. Mario put his Naginata into the ground, before bringing it up, sending a pile of dirt that obscured Rai's vision, blinding him for a second. Using this time, he hit his opponent with a sweeping kick, causing the Club to crash into the ground back-first.

Of course, the silver-haired boy rolled away before the rebel could follow up with another attack. With this newly developed empty space, Rai retreated into the forest, firing both of his slash harkens in quick succession. With his left hand, the black-haired boy deflected one of the harkens, while destroying the other with his Naginata, then he pursued his opponent through the greenery. Soon, the two came face-to-face once again, this time, they favored fighting with their fist rather than their weapons, as the trees heavily restricted their movement. Though, this was all orchestrated by Rai, as martial arts was his specialty.

Mario sent a stray punch forward, which his opponent properly punished by grabbing the arm, and sending a punch into the Sougetsu's head, causing it to stumble into a tree. Then, he followed up with a high-powered kick that obliterated the tree, as the black-haired boy narrowly dodged at the last second. After this, Mario took cover behind a few trees, "Damn it. His specs are so high! Not only that, but he's got actual training in hand-to-hand. There's no way I'll be able to win this." he swiftly moved to another grouping of trees as Rai tore down his cover in a single strike, "I need to come up with something else…"

Upon realizing that his opponent was trying to stall, the silver-haired boy pulled out his VARIS rifle, and fired a single bolt that cleared out a significant portion of the forest, leaving a smoldering trail in its wake. Though, it was thanks to this that Mario was able to break through the smoke, and use his Naginata to cut the VARIS in half, forcing Rai to pull out his lance, before clashing once again with his opponent. This time, the black-haired boy fired his harken the second they clashed, forcing his opponent to duck. While spinning his weapon on his palm, Rai delivered a strike to the Sougetsu's chest, sending it tumbling away.

The royal blue Knightmare recovered from the strike, and prepared itself for a follow-up, which happened in quick succession, as the Club's menacing shadow eclipsed its figure, forcing the Sougetsu to take a step back, narrowly dodging its opponent's downward stab. Once again, Mario attempted to deliver a slash across the light blue Knightmare's, but his opponent effortlessly blocked his slash with the top half of his lance, which was still protruding from the ground. After that, he countered by flipping the lower half of his weapon out of the ground, sending a pile of dirt that obscured Mario's vision, mirroring his move from earlier, then he sent his lance forward, delivering a straight stab through the Sougetsu's side.

Mario stumbled backwards, clenching his side as its injury sparked with wiring hanging out, "Damn it… the difference in skill, Knightmare performance, and just sheer experience is too much." defeat was imminent, and the black-haired boy knew it. At this point in time, there was no way he could win this battle, even if he was given a completely repaired Sougetsu.

Rai continued his vicious assault by stabbing his weapon back into the ground, and flinging himself foot-first into his opponent's abdomen, sending them crashing into the mountain side. "Had enough?" he asked while lifting his lance, before spinning it on his palm, "You've been too reliant on your Knightmare's specs to get you by in your battles."

Mario stared down his opponent while shakily standing up. His eyes trembled from the aftershocks of the previous strike. "There has to be a way out of this… a way I can win without directly confronting him…" that's when his gaze landed on a dark patch of moistened dirt, "Wait… the snow's all melted…" he smiled, "Y'know, if you're too scared to finish me off, you can just say so!" the black-haired boy taunted while slowly walking left, allowing for his Knightmare to step foot in the mud, "Good… the consistencies just right."

"Seriously? You're choosing to taunt me instead of surrendering?" Rai asked as his opponent slowly backed away towards a cliff, "I'd prefer it if this ended in your capture, but considering that you won't make it easy, I'll just have to pry that cockpit out of your frame." the Club took a step into the mud, nearly slipping from the unexpected change in surface area.

Of course, Mario saw this sudden slip, and grabbed his opponent by the arm, before attempting to toss him off the cliff face. However, at the last second, Rai used his remaining slash harken to anchor himself to the ground, preventing his fall. Though, in doing so, the ground cracked, causing the two to fall to their knees under the unstable ground. "I wouldn't move if I were you." Mario stated, "Because… at any moment, the ground could give out."

"You planned this, didn't you!?" the silver-haired boy exclaimed as he balled his fist, "Are all you Black Knight's this suicidal?"

"Nope. Just those that are desperate to defeat Britannia." the black-haired boy slowly stood up, and held his Naginata above his head, "But because of how by-the-book you Britannian's are, you'd never conceive of such a strategy where you have to risk your life."

Rai's eyes strained upon realizing that his opponent wasn't afraid. He wasn't afraid of dying. He wasn't afraid of risking his life for the greater good. This was what it meant to be a Black Knight. To sacrifice your life for the greater good of justice. Or at least, that's the conclusion he came to. However, this revelation infuriated the boy, "How dare you… you don't know me!" in an instant, he grabbed his lance, and clashed with Mario's Naginata, sending out another shockwave. This time, the shockwave destroyed the ground beneath them, causing both boys to enter a free fall.

Nonetheless, the black-haired boy was still determined to win, as he grabbed his opponent's Knightmare by the head, and slammed them into the wall, "Oh please! It looks like I was spot on with my assumption!" he cackled maniacally as the silver-haired boy cried out in pain.

At that moment, the two finally hit the ground, casting a large cloud of dust over their figures as they separated. Rai panted heavily as blood dripped down his forehead, and onto his dashboard, "Damn it… he got me good…" the Club was currently on its knees with the MVS lance close by. Suddenly, a red gleam in the dust caught his eye, forcing the boy to instinctively grab his weapon, and hold up in a blocking motion.

Thanks to his instincts, he managed to narrowly block his opponent's revolving Naginata just as it was about to connect. The bad news, he only blocked the strike with the middle part of his weapon, which meant, "That's not enough to stop me!" Mario shouted as he sawed through effortlessly.

Due to this sudden development, Rai was forced to use his hands to catch the revolving blade, only slowing its approach as it got absurdly close to his head. Upon seeing his opponent's determination, the silver-haired boy thought, "Wait… what am I fighting for?"

Despite always following orders, Rai never really knew why he existed. Any memories prior to being in General Bartley's custody were nonexistent, so as far as the boy knew, he was born to obey. Though, now, he had a sudden yearning to find out why. Why did his opponent feel so strongly about opposing Britannia, when he himself couldn't even comprehend doing such a thing? What were his memories from before being found by Bartley? And who was he?

These were questions Rai never had any will to answer. And to be honest, he didn't even have an inkling on how to answer them. But… now was different. Even now, he was feeling something he never felt before. Pure, genuine fear. Sure, he was afraid of General Bartley and his punishments, but he never feared for his life, not like today.

"S-stop…" he started with a whisper, before shouting, "Stop!"

Just as Mario's Naginata started scraping the Club's head, his opponent fired his remaining slash harken, dismembering the Sougetsu's left arm, forcing it to drop its weapon to the right. Leaving an opening for Rai to counter-attack from. Much to the black-haired boy's surprise, there would be no follow up, as his opponent would pass out from overexertion. Though, he didn't know that. "Mario! Get over here quickly!" Maya called over the radio, "We need your help with-ah!"

"Maya!" the boy called out his sister's name while racing away. His frame was heavily damaged, so he had no idea what kind of help he'd be able to provide, but he had to be there for his sister nonetheless.

Meanwhile, Rai had his face planted against his dashboard, with his eyes rolled to the back of his head, blood continued to drip down his face as Cecile called, "Rai! Rai! Damn it, Suzaku, Rai needs your help! His vitals are dropping! Suzaku? Suzaku! Respond!"

Five minutes prior…

"I've got Zero in my sights." Suzaku reported while staring down the masked man exiting his cockpits escape pod, "I'm moving in for capture."

Like a bad omen, the same green-haired girl who haunted the White Knight from before came out of nowhere, saying "Stop! Don't shoot him."

"Wait, are you planning on challenging a Knightmare on foot?" Lelouch asked

"It'll be indirect contact… but hopefully this'll be enough," C.C muttered as she touched the Lancelot's foot.

"Lelouch!" Kallen called over the radio, "Where are you? I've met up with Maya, but we've lost sight of the Lancelot."

Before the Prince could respond, Suzaku suddenly shouted in agony, prompting him to ask, "What are you doing to him?" ignoring his girlfriend's question.

"I'm just feeding him some shock images," C.C explained through clenched teeth. Clearly, this was affecting her too. "Get out of here, hurry. I don't know how much longer I can hold him like this."

At first, Lelouch wanted to leave without any protest, but upon remembering Kallen's request for his location, he activated his transponder, and told the green-haired girl, "No. Kallen will be here soon, then we'll be able to leave together." he approached the immortal and touched her arm.

"No don't-"

But it was too late.

Suzaku screamed in terror as memories of his past flooded in. No… they weren't memories of his past… I mean, they were, but… he had no recollection of such events happening, "Suzaku, I need you to protect Nunally in the future." it was Lelouch, and he seemed to asking the boy a question at Ashford, one that regarded Nunally's safety.

"I'm sorry, Lelouch. But I don't think I'm worthy enough to be charged with such a task," the White Knight clenched his fist, "After all… Zero's still out there, and I need to focus all my attention on him. I hope you understand."

The Prince's eyes widened in shock. Those words were the last thing he wanted to hear. "Don't say that! Just because you failed at capturing him once, doesn't mean you aren't worthy of protecting my sister!"

"Once again, I apologize. But you won't be able to talk me out of this decision. You'll have to find someone else who can fulfill your wish." Suzaku replied regrettably, "Goodbye."

The scene changed, this time, they were on Shikine Island, where the Lancelot was trapped between multiple Gefjun disturbers, disabling his Knightmare. Despite this, the Knight managed to capture Zero, and guide him into his Knightmare. However, that's where things went awry, "From now on… you won't be able to deny me, Suzaku…" Zero muttered.

This made the White Knight's eyes widen, "What are you saying?"

Suddenly, an opening appeared on Zero's mask, revealing his left eye with a Geass symbol, "Be my slave!" the masked man declared.

From there, the memories got worse. Suzaku witnessed Nunally's death broadcasted all over the news. After this, things picked up, with the boy getting visions of him killing Euphemia, who he hadn't met yet, but through these memories, learned how important of a role she played in his existence. Yet, he killed her without hesitation. Then came Rivalz, Milly, Shirley, Nina, Cecile, and Lloyd. They all were slain at the Corrupted Knight's hand, heartlessly, and brutally.

What made things worse, was that he was completely conscious of his actions, yet failed to stop himself, every single time. Falling victim to a supernatural power, what he would find out is called 'Geass'.

His eyes began to bleed as the memories overwhelmed his very being, changing him into something full of vengeance, hate, and brutality. The pure antithesis of everything the White Knight stood for.

Meanwhile, C.C was going through much of the same, though, her memories were far more pleasant, with her regaining the memories of Kallen's previous timeline due to her intense connection with C's world. However, Lelouch regained no such memories. Instead, he saw into C.C's past. The Geass order, the girl being burned at the stake, and the continuous march of time. Then, he was brought into an empty void. One where hundreds upon thousands of lifeless bodies cloaked in shadows marched toward some indistinguishable light. That's when he heard, "Lelouch!" it was Suzaku, and he was charging toward the Prince with his Okatana drawn, "I'll fucking kill you!"

Just as the sword made contact with his body, Lelouch found himself back in reality, where Suzaku cried out in pain as he backed away, firing his VARIS rifle in multiple directions, "Damn it!"

C.C slumped backwards just as Kallen and Maya arrived at the scene, scooping up both Zero and the immortal in her pass-by, "What happened?" the red head questioned as they made their quick escape.

Lelouch held C.C in his arms as her body convulsed in pain, "I don't know. She touched his Knightmare, and now… we're in this situation."

"Lelouch!" the White Knight called out, making everyone's heart stop for a second. A green bolt zoomed past Kallen and Maya, forcing the two to separate. Currently, Suzaku was holding onto what little sanity he had left after seeing such memories. This current timeline's Suzaku Kururugi wasn't gone yet, no, he was still there, holding on by a thin thread that was ready to snap at any moment "I can't accept it… there's no way Lelouch is Zero…"

"But you saw it, didn't you?" a traitorous voice said in the back of his mind, "You know the truth, you're just too naive to accept it."

Blood trailed out of the White Knight's right eye as it was forced shut, "No. I refuse to accept it."

"Then capture that masked man, and find out for yourself."

With those words, Suzaku charged forth, putting his VARIS rifle to the side, as he didn't want to risk accidentally killing his target with it. Then, he pulled out both of his MVS' and clashed with Maya, who intervened with her Naginata. "Get out of here! I'll hold him off!"

Kallen nodded and started speeding away, while a flabbergasted Lelouch muttered, "How… how does he know my identity? It has to be a fluke… right?"

The red head didn't have time to comfort her boyfriend, as she had to divert all of her attention in getting them to safety. However, even she couldn't help but think of the same questions. Though, what she was afraid of the most, was that she knew exactly what was going on.

"Mario! Get over here quickly!" Maya called over her radio as she narrowly blocked the White Knight's vicious assault from all angles, "We need your help with-ah!"

Suddenly, Suzaku pulled out his VARIS rifle and fired a shot into the girl's side, causing her to stumble back. "Zero… I need to find Zero." the Lancelot's pilot muttered through strained breaths. His vision started to go red as he heard a popping sound from the left side of his face, "I feel like I'm dying right now…" the White Knight suddenly felt light-headed, as if he was losing blood somehow. But that shouldn't be possible. He hadn't taken any damage yet, right?

"Back away, you heathen!" a Sutherland crashed through the forest, blocking the Lancelot as it tried to chase after the Guren. "Warrant Officer Kururugi! We have to get out of here, now!" the voice of Jeremiah Gottwald commanded, trying to draw the White Knight's attention away from the Black Knight's.

Maya sped away into the forest, before reemerging behind the Margrave's Knightmare, and joining the Guren in their get-away, "Change of plans, Mario. I'm going to send you our location once we settle down. Until then, lie low."

"Don't tell me… have you already been Geassed? Margrave?" the traitorous voice forcefully asked.

"Geass…" Jeremiah muttered, "How does he…"

"If not, then get out of my way." the Corrupted Knight heartlessly commanded while pointing his VARIS rifle at the Margrave, "Otherwise… I'll have to eliminate you, and your legacy."

"You're really threatening a Margrave? Learn your place, you filthy Eleven."

"Ignoring my question? How unwise." a memory of Nunally flashed in Suzaku's mind, making him reconsider his previous statement, "No… Jeremiah's presence could be useful in the future…"

Jeremiah let out a cry as he charged forth. Of course, Suzaku easily dispatched of the Sutherland with a few quick swipes of his MVS, dismantling the machine of all its parts, leaving only the cockpit to crash into the ground. "H-how did he do that?"

The Corrupted Knight heartlessly turned to the direction the Guren and Sougetsu retreated to, and thought, "You got away this time. Zero, but next time…" a red glint formed in his eyes as he noticed Cecile shouting at him, this caused the glint to disappear as he unmuted the woman, "Ms. Croomy?"

"Suzaku! Rai needs your help!" the indigo haired woman shouted.

The gravity of the situation this new Suzaku was in hadn't fully settled in, so he didn't even make a passing comment about Ms. Croomy being alive. Instead, he thought, "Did she not hear my conversation with the Margrave? Good. Then that'll make the next step-" without warning, the Knight felt all of his strength leave his body, as he lost consciousness.

The Lancelot went face-first into the ground, provoking a loud response from his caretaker, "Suzaku!" she clenched the armrest of her chair tightly, "Lloyd… we need to get them out of there…"

The mad scientist watched the scene unfold from behind his assistant, paying close attention to his devicer's vital signs in particular. "I'll ask Viceroy Lila for a recovery force. In the meantime, keep close attention to their condition. Especially Suzaku. I want to know what happened to him in particular."

Kallen and Maya parked their respective Knightmare's outside a small cave, where they carried both Lelouch and C.C inside. Though, the latter chose to stay outside, as she awaited Mario's arrival. The red head set the immortal next to a small pool of water, while Lelouch slumped against a rock formation, taking off his mask, and cradling his head, "Why… why did he call out my name? Why did the pilot of that White Knightmare call my name?"

"It was probably just a coincidence." Kallen lied in an attempt to reassure her boyfriend, "If he really knew your identity, then you would've been arrested long before now. So, don't think about it too much. Okay?"

"No. Out of the millions of names they could've called, why mine?" Lelouch was hunched with his hands clasped, falling deeper and deeper into thought as hundreds upon thousands of possibilities flooded his mind.

Meanwhile, Kallen watched with a melancholic face, "Lelouch-"

Before she could say anything further, several heavy footsteps interrupted their moment, and from the shadows, came the Knight of Carine, Dasko la Clermont, "Just my luck. In the very cave I hid in to take cover from those damn terrorists, Zero himself shows up also seeking shelter from his own pursuer. Perhaps that Kururugi wasn't all useless after all." he gloated while pointing a pistol at the group and holding his injured side, "Carine will be very pleased to find that I've captured you." he then looked at Kallen and C.C, "However, the rest of you are expendable."

Lelouch activated his Geass and shouted, "You will do as I say!"

A Geass symbol flew into the Knight's eye just as he said, "And why the hell should-" within a few seconds, red rings formed in the man's stern orbs, turning him completely submissive as he asked, "What can I do for you, my lord?"

Zero stood over the hulking man's figure as he got on one knee, "Tell me, who's the pilot of that White Knightmare?"

"The pilot of the Z-01 Lancelot is Warrant Officer Suzaku Kururugi. An Honorary Britannian and son of the former Prime Minister of Japan, Genbu Kururugi." Dasko answered robotically.

"Suzaku!?" the Prince felt his heart leap out of his chest, "Suzaku… is my enemy?" he took a few steps back, "And he knows my identity…"

Kallen tightly grabbed the boy by his arm, and said, "Relax. We don't know for certain if Suzaku actually knows you're Zero. The most likely reason he called out your name, was because he was afraid of dying, so he called the name of someone he cared about."

Lelouch thought back to when he was pushed to the edge back in Shinjuku, and remembered how he called for Kallen and Nunally in his mind, "You're right… that's probably what happened." he started to settle down. Though, the thought of his best friend as his enemy still haunted his mind, "But… Suzaku's still my opponent, isn't he?" he began rubbing his temple slowly, "Damn it… why'd it have to be like this… I knew he was in the military, but I didn't think I'd actually have to face him in battle. Mechanic my ass. He lied to me. Suzaku actually lied to me." Kallen tried to put her hand on her boyfriend's back in an attempt to soothe him, however, in response, he said, "Please, Kallen, I know you're trying to make me feel better. But I just need some time to think…"

The red head understood this, and backed away as the Prince began giving orders to Dasko. Her eyes wandered to C.C, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. Or at least, that was the case until her eyes abruptly shot open, "Ow. That hurt." she muttered while sitting straight up. The Witch's eyes locked onto Kallen amusingly, "Hey there, Kally. Were you worried about me?"

Ignoring her sudden awakening, Lelouch approached the red head and said, "Kallen, give me the keys to the Guren. I'm giving it to Dasko."

"Wh-what!?" his girlfriend exclaimed, "You're giving our enemy one of the strongest weapons we have!"

"Relax. He won't be using it against us like that. At least, not with the commands I've given him." the Knight held his head low as the Prince explained, "Besides, he ditched his Gloucester when trying to evade capture. We can't have him going back to Carine empty-handed anyway."

Regrettably, Kallen handed over the keys to the MK.I, not being too bitter about it as she knew she'd be getting the , her true steed, in a week or so. But still, it hurt parting with this inferior version, even if she hadn't won a single major battle with it. Once Lelouch and Dasko left the cave, C.C asked, "So… you've really messed up the past, haven't you?"

Kallen's eyes widened upon hearing 'the past' being mentioned, "Have you-"

"Recovered my memories? Yes. Yes, I have." the witch responded, "And quite frankly, it was a painful experience."

"What about Suzaku?"

C.C tilted her head, "What about him?"

"I see… so you don't know." the red head muttered before explaining the situation with the merging timelines, and Suzaku seeking revenge against Lelouch.

"Oh my. Now, that certainly is a problem."

"Can you take this a little more seriously!?" Kallen exclaimed, "This is a serious problem that we have to solve!"

"Problem? If I'm understanding this correctly, that Suzaku should logically be far less skilled when it comes to Knightmare combat, considering if he defected to the Black Knight's after becoming Lelouch's 'slave', then he shouldn't be nearly as battle tested as you are." C.C explained simply.

Of course, neither of them truly knew the extent of Karma Suzaku's combat prowess. So, underestimating him in the future will prove to be a fatal mistake.

"Speaking of Lelouch…" C.C dipped her feet in the water while saying, "From the memories I've collected, it seems like you got him to be your boyfriend."

Kallen smirked and pounded her chest proudly, "That's right. Got a problem?"

"In fact, I do." the witch coldly responded, "I think it's unfair that you get to monopolize his attention just because you're from the future. Especially since you knew my connection with him in the past timeline."

"What's this? Are you actually jealous?"

C.C stood up, and put her finger on the red head's chest, saying, "No. I'm not. I just think it's unfair considering how easily you turned your back on him in the past."

This comment infuriated Kallen, "I-I know I messed up! But even so… I deserve a second chance, and this new timeline presents the-"

"Perfect opportunity to mend your relationship with Lelouch, right?" C.C finished the red head's sentence, "Well… I really don't see the reason. After all, it wasn't your fault for taking such actions."

"What do you mean?"

The witch laughed upon hearing such a question, "If you can't even understand that, then there's no need to have this conversation now."

Despite how angry that comment made Kallen, she couldn't help but laugh, "Yep, you've definitely got your memories back."

C.C smirked, "I hope you're okay with sharing, because I intend to get MY Lelouch back, and make up for all the lost time."

This made the red head burst out in laughter, "You really think that's going to work? You said you've collected memories, right? Well, then you'll also see that Lelouch already declared his love for me, and that he won't be sharing! So, good luck in failing your 'objective'."

The immortal raised an eyebrow, "Oh yeah? We'll see about that. After all, I know him better than you do."

Kallen froze upon hearing those words. While it was true that C.C did know Lelouch better, the red head had made major strides in learning more about her boyfriend in the past months, than she did in the last timeline. So, while there wasn't a direct comparison, she hoped that they at least equalled out. And if not, she still had one last fail-safe, "Good luck using that knowledge. Because if you all of a sudden start mentioning things only Lelouch would know, then he'll start getting suspicious, and you'll only end up pushing him further away."

"I can just tell him I found out due to our contract."

"That excuse can only work for so long."

C.C giggled, "Are you afraid of me, Kally? Afraid that I'll steal Lelouch away? Well, like I said, I'll happily share."

"There will be no sharing! Understand?" Kallen proclaimed for the last time, "Anyway, do you mind if I ask you some questions about the original timeline? Like the Zero Requiem?"

"Oh? Did Suzaku tell you the name? I knew he couldn't keep his mouth shut." the witch responded boorishly, "Though… what good would knowing the plan do? This timeline's had too many alterations, there's no way to guarantee the Zero Requiem happening again." she locked eyes with the red head, who remained unfazed, "Fine. I suppose I can tell you."

Alice, Lucretia, and Sancia sat next to Dalque on her hospital bed as her healing factor began kicking in, "Thank you, Alice, for injecting Dalque with your anti-toxin." Lucretia thanked the blonde, "If you hadn't done that… then maybe-"

"You don't have to thank me." Alice responded, "I was just doing what I thought was right at the time. Besides, as annoying as I think she is, Dalque's still a part of our team, and it's my responsibility to keep you guys safe."

Sancia nodded, "That's right. On the field, we can only trust each other, so we're responsible for everyone's safety."

"You know, if Dalque was awake, we'd be able to huddle like an actual team." Lucretia commented as their teammate slept peacefully with a respirator.

"Either that, or we'd just get into one big argument." Alice joked, evoking a light chuckle from the group.

"Ah! Dasko! You've finally returned!" Carine greeted her Knight with a smile, "Not only that, but you've returned with that red Knightmare. I assume that means you've killed the pilot?"

The rings around Dasko's eyes turned red as he answered, "Yes. I've successfully eliminated the pilot, and have acquired their Knightmare."

"Excellent! That's exactly what I want to hear. Now, come with me, my sister wants to discuss our next move after this… failure."

The red rings disappeared, causing the Knight to shake his head while saying, "Yes, ma'am."

AN: Karma Suzaku has officially appeared, and will serve to provide a suitable challenge for Kallen to overcome. Also, C.C's here with her memories of the past due to her connection with C's world. The same would happen for V.V if he used the 'shock images' ability on someone. Though, considering he's never done such a thing in canon, he won't be regaining his memories anytime soon. As for Lelouch not regaining his memories, that has to do with his soul in C's world not wanting to move on.

Also, did you know the Sougetsu is 2 whole tons heavier than the Club? I mean, where's all that weight going.