AN: I do not own Code Geass

So, to be clear, there will be no harem. It will just be KallenxLelouch, not KallenxLelouchxC.C. Maybe in another fic I could do that, but not this one. This one's for Kallen. Though, I do have an end goal for C.C's character, she won't just be staying static this whole fic.

Chapter 45: Responsibility

Suzaku woke up in a cold sweat once again. His bed was soaked with the substance for the second time this week. It had only been three days since the battle of Narita. Three days since he found out the identity of Zero. No. Three days since he found out the possible identity of Zero. He still couldn't believe that his best friend was the man behind the mask. Though, he couldn't confirm this information as he was too busy digging bodies out of the mountain.

Unfortunately, only about 20% of the people who were buried under the snow survived. And those were the ones who got buried near the bottom, where it would be significantly easier to recover them. The rest sadly succumbed to the cold, either turning into popsicles, or just being crushed by the sheer weight of one another. Currently, the Margrave was still undertaking the recovery operation.

"Geass…" Suzaku faced the white ceiling of his room with an exasperated look, "The power to make someone an obedient slave… could Lelouch even possess something so evil? It sounds like something straight out of a fantasy, where the hero has to stop the villain's corruption of the world." Of course, this wasn't the only problem on the White Knight's mind, as he felt the traitorous voice constantly banging at the back of his head, like it was a metal door, ready to burst open at any moment. Then, there was-

There was a knock at the door, and soon, a voice called, "Suzaku?" it was Rai, "I… I really need to talk to you. It's about that Knightmare at Narita."

That's right. Ever since Narita, Rai hasn't been the same, always being shifty. Well… he was always shifty, but he was more so now. So, as his senior, Suzaku couldn't turn away his wingman in his time of need, "Come on in." the White Knight said while opening his automatic door, "We can talk at my desk." he put on a white shirt as his partner pulled out a rolling chair.

"Are you… cleaning your room?" Rai questioned as he pointed at Suzaku's bed, which had its bedsheets removed.

"Oh yeah… just another nightmare, that's all."

"A nightmare?" the silver-haired boy questioned, "Is it about Narita?"

Memories of his false past flashed before his eyes, "Y-yeah… something like that." he then shook his head and asked, "Anyway, what do you wanna talk about? It was about that Knightmare, right? The Sougetsu is what we've identified it as from the Guren's records."

Dasko somehow managing to capture and kill the pilot of the red Knightmare was something that impressed Suzaku greatly, since its devicer always caused him great trouble. Though, the White Knight also found it slightly unbelievable. Especially the story Dasko conjured up. He somehow managed to outmaneuver the enemy pilot in his damaged Gloucester and knock them unconscious with a stray punch from his Knightmare. After that, he opened the cockpit, killed the pilot, and commandeered the Guren as a prize for his victory.

Of course, Carine and the other nobles ate this story up, broadcasting this tremendous victory over the news, and outfitting the red Knightmare with Sutherland arms, alongside an Anti-KMF lance, and a standard assault rifle.

"Yeah. Well… it's more about the pilot than the Knightmare itself. You see…" Rai took in a deep breath, "Their tenacity in our duel yesterday scared me. The resolve to beat Britannia to the point that they'd willingly sacrifice their life for the cause. It was scary. But at the same time… infuriating."

"Infuriating?" Suzaku questioned, "How so?"

"Their resolve made me question my own. It made me realize that I don't have a resolve. Sure, I fight for Britannia, but I don't have any reason other than General Bartley ordering me to. So that's why, I want to know what your resolve is." Rai explained, "And… maybe through this conversation… I'll be able to come up with my own."

"My resolve?" the White Knight scratched the back of his head while walking around the room. The memory of him killing his father was the first to rear its ugly head, making him stop dead in his tracks, "Well… the truth is, I fight for the Eleven's, and make their lives better. Make it so that they aren't discriminated against anymore."

"Isn't that similar to what Zero wants?"

Suzaku cursed the masked man's name, as now he could only picture Lelouch's face behind it, "Yeah, he and I want the same thing for the Eleven's. However, he's willing to use unjust means to achieve such rights, which I don't believe in."

"Don't believe in?" Rai parroted.

"Exactly. Anything gained through contemptible means, are meaningless." the senior expounded, and like a diligent student, the silver-haired boy took careful mental notes.

"What's your goal, though?"

"Didn't I just-"

"No, I mean. How are you going to achieve it? I know you said that you'd change things from within, but how? You and I both know the nobles hate you. Even after doing something good, they still find ways to push you down."

"Jeez… he sounds like a reporter…" Suzaku felt a bead of sweat drip down the back of his head. "Well, I don't really know. Though… I heard that the Knight of one gets to govern an Area of his choosing, so I think that's the best place to start."

"The Knight of one…" Rai muttered in disbelief, "Do you really think you can do it?"

"You won't know unless you try."

Suddenly, the door to Suzaku's room opened once again, this time, Lloyd and Cecile were the ones to enter, "Don't worry about a thing, Suzaku. As long as you have the Lancelot, that far-fetched dream of yours will be within reach. Remember what I told you when I first gave you my glorious creation?"

"Still… the Knight of one isn't a position you'll be able to gain easily," Cecile commented while looking through the Japanese man's data, "However, you're improving at a rapid rate, so if given the right audience, I'm sure you'll become a knight in no time."

"Oh? But who would support an Eleven like Suzaku's rise to fame?" the mad scientist asked rhetorically as his assistant pulled out a photo of Lila. "Well, would you look at that! It seems like the Viceroy has a message for you."

Cecile tapped on the screen, allowing for the video to play, "Warrant Officer Suzaku Kururugi. I'm sorry that we're not able to meet in person, but I hope you understand that it's very difficult running Japan." Area 11 being called by its original name made the White Knight smile slightly, "Anyway, you'll be happy to hear that an important operation will be conducted in the next few days. Needless to say, this information cannot leave this room, are you ready?" she gave them a few seconds before continuing, "My sister, Euphemia Li Britannia will be coming to Japan by plane. I'm granting you the task of escorting her to the Viceroy Palace, where I'll greet her alongside Carine and Dasko. From there, you'll join us for numerous activities that have been planned throughout the day."

"Guarding a Britannian Princess… but that's such an important task," Suzaku muttered as memories of his false past flashed before him once again. This time, they were even stronger than before, showing off the beautiful Princess smiling, looking at him with endearing eyes, before finally dying in his arms.

That's when the Viceroy said in a reassuring tone, "Don't worry, Suzaku. I picked you for a reason. You're not like the nobles who'll only want to guard my sister for fame, glory, or an attempt to woo her. I know you genuinely care for the safety of others. So, I'm counting on you!" with that final remark, Lila signed off with a final, beaming smile that could topple several armies with its cuteness, making Suzaku, Rai, and even Lloyd's heart skip a beat for a second.

"Well. How does it feel? You're going to be in charge of defending a Princess of Britannia." Cecile asked while closing the video.

"It's… nerve racking." Suzaku lied. Actually, he didn't lie. It was nerve racking, but not just because it was a Princess of Britannia. The reason he was nervous, mainly, had to do with those false memories of the past. He was afraid of the voice returning in full force if he made contact with Euphemia. Nonetheless, this was an order given by the Viceroy, and no matter what kind of fear he was feeling, Suzaku would happily oblige.

"This sounds like a great opportunity for you to accomplish your goal, Suzaku." Rai commented with a smile.

In response, the White Knight outstretched his fist, and said, "Rai, I think I've also come up with another goal," this confused the silver-haired boy, but he didn't respond, as his senior explained, "I'm going to help you figure out your own resolve. This way, you'll have a reason to fight, just like those members of the Black Knight's."

Rai smiled slightly, "Thank you, Suzaku."

Meanwhile, Kallen was amidst her own thoughts while taking a shower in Lelouch's bathroom. She was busy reflecting on the knowledge C.C bestowed upon her the other day at Narita, "Lelouch went through all that trouble to make the Zero Requiem succeed. Making everyone in the world hate him, including his sister, just so everyone could live peacefully. So… is this something Lelouch would want? A complete reset, where all of his hard work is destroyed. The peaceful world he created, was destroyed." she remembered back to the look of defeat on the Prince's face upon hearing the fate of the original timeline, "Is that why his consciousness hasn't merged with this Lelouch's body?"

The water streamed off of the red head's body as she sunk deeper and deeper into thought. The shower was helping her obtain a clear mind, allowing for her to realize the truth. No. It helped her realize who Lelouch was, even more so than she knew before, "But what about C.C? What's her goal?" she grabbed an orange-scented shampoo bottle from a nearby counter, and applied it to her hands, before scrubbing her scalp, "The way she spoke about the Zero Requiem… it's like she wanted to stop it from happening, but couldn't. Was that because she knew what Lelouch wanted? Did he want to die?" Kallen clenched her head in frustration, "Damn it… if only I was there for him… then maybe… maybe things could've been different. Perhaps he wouldn't've had to die. If only I had seen through the lies-"

At that moment, the words of C.C rang throughout her mind, "Perfect opportunity to mend your relationship with Lelouch, right? Well… I don't see the reason. After all, it wasn't your fault for taking such actions."

"What's that supposed to mean? Taking such actions…" Kallen washed the suds off her head thoroughly, and soon after, turned the shower off, "It was my fault for turning my back on him. I actively ignored all of Lelouch's previous actions, all of his care, the trust he placed in me by handing over the keys to the Guren, at that moment, I ignored it all."

Of course, that wasn't the only thing she ignored. As her mind actively avoided the memory of her offering to join the Prince at Ashford Academy, even going so far so to give him her first kiss. At that moment, even if it was a lie, if he had asked her of it, Kallen would've joined Lelouch's side. However, it was by his will that he didn't want her to. Though, that's not how the red head saw it.

Kallen left the bathroom with a pink tank top and shorts on. Her gaze landed on her boyfriends bed, where a small lump was present, "He's already gone to sleep? I thought he wanted to talk about Suzaku." the red head slowly approached the bed and lifted the covers, before slipping in, wrapping her arms around 'Lelouch' tightly in the process. Though, it didn't take long until she realized the boy had grown two breasts. "What the hell are you doing here!?" the red head exclaimed while pushing off the sheets. Confronting C.C, who was curled up peacefully on the bed.

"What does it look like? I'm sleeping." the witch casually retorted, "Now, put the covers over me again. It's cold."

"Don't you know you have your own room now?"

"Yes. I do. Though, my memories tell me that it's quite annoying sleeping there." the green-haired girl's eyes narrowed, "But that's not the only thing they tell me. You see, I remember the part where Lelouch declares that he won't share you, but no matter how far or long I search, I can't seem to find the memory of Lelouch declaring his love for you." Kallen grew an irritated mark on her forehead as the immortal continued, "Now, maybe it did happen, and my past self didn't record it since you two are so boorish. Regardless, I don't have any recollection of such an event happening."

"B-boorish!?" the red head exclaimed while grabbing a pillow, "How dare you!" she slammed her weapon into the immortal's side, causing them to block the continuous strikes with their arm.

After a while, C.C finally had enough, and kicked Kallen off the bed. Then, she grabbed another pillow, using it to fight back with equal ferocity. "I'm just stating the obvious." the immortal taunted while slamming her weapon into her friend's head, causing them to topple over, "How long has it been since you've traveled back in time? And yet, you haven't accomplished anything, have you?"

"What do you mean?" Kallen grabbed C.C's legs with her own in a pincer maneuver, before toppling the Witch in a manner that got her on all-fours. "I've made so much progress with Lelouch!" she slammed her pillow into her opponent's head, "I saved Naoto! We prevented a complete massacre at Shinjuku! In the relatively short amount of time I've been here, I've accomplished so much!"

C.C caught the red head's pillow and replied, "That's not what I meant." Before Kallen could say anything, the immortal stopped her by slamming a pillow into her face, "Why are you going to such an extent to make progress with Lelouch?" she grabbed her opponent by the hair, and dragged her onto the bed, before putting the spitfire in a chokehold, "Tell me, Kallen Kozuki, do you feel guilty for abandoning Lelouch on the Ikaruga?"

Somehow, their playful pillow fight quickly turned into a full-on fight, one where Kallen was now in a vulnerable position, "What kind of stupid question is that?" she barely squeezed out through struggling breaths as C.C's hold tightened, "Of course I do. It was because of me-"

"What? That Lelouch died? It was what he wanted!" the green-haired girl explained, "He purposefully pushed you away because he didn't want you to get hurt! The whole purpose of the Zero Requiem was to direct the world's hate onto himself, don't you remember my explanation at Narita?"

Despite knowing the reason, Kallen still couldn't forgive herself for turning her back on the Prince in his time of need. Even after hearing the purpose of the Zero Requiem, she still blamed herself for not being there, thinking that with her presence, a better plan could've been formed. Of course, such a thing would've never happened. A tear streamed down the red head's face as she muttered, "I know… I know it wasn't my fault…" she lifted her leg and delivered a kick to the Witch's forehead, causing them to release her, "But… I just… I just can't forgive myself…"

Now, Kallen slumped to the side of the bed, and began crying, "I don't want to feel helpless like that…" the memory of Lelouch on the brink of using refrain in the construction yard floated to the top of her mind, "Every time I saw him in distress… I didn't know what to do. No. It was more like, I couldn't do anything. I wasn't close enough to Lelouch to be able to offer words of wisdom like Suzaku, and I wasn't able to relate to him the way you could." she held her head in her hands, "He also didn't value me like he valued Nunally… what could I have done? Despite turning my back on him… he still fought for me… how can I live knowing that he didn't give up on me, while I gave up on him?"

C.C watched the poor girl's mental breakdown with pitiful eyes, "So, she thinks she's not worthy of his love? That's where all this… self-hatred stems from. This is something only the Lelouch of this present timeline can solve. Hopefully, as their relationship progresses, Kallen will be able to forgive herself." the witch calmly sat beside the girl, and put a hand on her shoulder, "Though… if she's unable to do that… then this guilt will kill her from the inside." slowly, C.C pulled in the red head for a hug, tightening the comfortable embrace, "Don't get me wrong. I'm only doing this because I don't want to see Lelouch hurt… and by extension, that means I can't see you getting hurt." she explained calmly as Kallen gave her a perplexed look, "Speaking of which… where did my Prince go?"

Behind the Ashford Academy Club house.

Lelouch sat on a rock and began rubbing his face in frustration, "Even though I gained a valuable asset from Narita… I'm still bitter about not capturing Carine." his thoughts were still in shambles from the battle. While he did gain valuable pieces, like Dasko and Tohdoh, he lost his main objective once again. Once again, Carine slipped from his grasp like the snake she was.

"My lord." the voice of Jeremiah Gottwald broke Lelouch free of his thoughts, "I've brought you the report you requested.

One of the orders Lelouch gave Dasko was for him to write up daily reports of what Britannia was up to that day. Then, he would hand these off to the Margrave, who would personally deliver them to the Prince. Today was the first day this command would be put in effect.

"Excellent. It looks like engraving those extra commands into Dasko's mind seemed to work," Lelouch hummed happily at the report, before abruptly stopping at one section, "Euphemia's coming to Area 11? Why would she come here? Is it because of Carine? Or Lila? Perhaps… a combination of both." he flipped the page, and his eyes widened, "Suzaku's going to be in charge of defending her!?"

Jeremiah watched as the Prince flipped page after page in disbelief, "Forgive me, for I might be adding onto your internal dilemma."

The black-haired boy looked at the Margrave with a quirked eyebrow, "What is it?"

"You see, I don't know how, but Suzaku may know about your Geass."

This made Lelouch's heart stop as he slowly leaned back, "Wh-what does he know?" he barely managed to utter those words.

"Well, I don't know if he actually knows about your Geass. But he asked me if I had been 'Geassed'." Jeremiah responded, "Of course, I didn't give any indication of such actions happening. Though, it seems his recollection of the day has disappeared, as when I approached him about the subject a day later, he couldn't recall such a thing happening."

That was because Suzaku lied. He was afraid of the Margrave punishing him for attacking him on Narita. Though, much to the White Knight's surprise, nothing of the sort happened.

"Another fluke? No. It's way too specific for that to be the case. I need to get to the bottom of this. Maybe, somehow, C.C transferred some memories to Suzaku through touching his Knightmare. Wait… can she even do that? Who am I kidding, there's so much I don't know here, that could very well be the case." Lelouch rubbed his face once again, "Keep an eye on him. If Suzaku ever goes missing, contact me immediately."

"Yes, my lord." Suddenly, Lelouch's phone rang, "I shall leave you to it. Have a good night."

After the Margrave left, the Prince picked up the phone, "What is it, Naoto?"

"Lelouch, it's the JLF. They want to meet up with you." the Kozuki responded in a whisper, "I managed to speak with Tohdoh and the four Holy Swords, and they've agreed to work with you so long as they get this meeting."

"Are they trying to find out my identity? If so, I'll have to take precautions," a cold wind blew through the oak tree above the Prince as he said, "Alright. Tell them I'll gladly accept, just name a time and place."

"You got it."

"By the way, Naoto. I'm impressed with how you handled the meeting with the JLF."

"Really? It's not that big of a deal, especially since it mostly revolved around you…"

"Naoto, what I'm trying to say is that I need your help. You see… at Narita, we weren't able to capture Carine, and that was mostly due to my plan not being thought out enough. If I really thought things through, then we should've been able to capture her before she entered the town." Lelouch explained, "That's why… I want you to help me create new plans in the future."

"Wow, look at you, asking for my help. What month is it again?"

"Are you going to help me or not?"

Naoto chuckled, "Yeah, don't worry about it. Actually, I'm glad we're having this conversation, as I was feeling left out for the past few operations."

"Really? Then you'll be happy to hear that we'll be going on another operation in the next few days. However, I want you to create the plan yourself."

A moment of silence passed over the conversation, before the Kozuki exclaimed, "What!? I thought you said help, not take your entire job!"

"What? Don't tell me you're scared."

"That's not it! I just wasn't expecting to take over the reins so soon. Speaking of which, what's wrong with you? Why are you dumping this all on me?"

Lelouch didn't want to admit it, but the information regarding Suzaku was getting to him, and it was affecting his ability to think properly. He feared that it would hinder his planning if he kept the Japanese boy in mind, thus, he's allowing Naoto to take full control of this upcoming operation. Of course, he wouldn't tell his partner this, "I just… need to think about Narita, that's all. Anyway, let me tell you what the operation is…"

After his lengthy discussion with Naoto about Princess Euphemia's arrival, Lelouch returned to his room, where he found Kallen and C.C snuggling on the bed. Actually, to be more accurate, it was C.C rubbing the red head's back as she slept peacefully, but from the right angle… or wrong angle, it looked like they were snuggling. "What the hell's going on?" the Prince asked in a stern, yet quiet tone. Making sure not to wake up his girlfriend, "Didn't I tell you I'm not sharing, Witch?"

The green-haired girl chuckled as the boy climbed onto the bed, and separated her from the red head, "You know, Kallen was crying earlier. She was desperately looking for comfort, and yet you were nowhere to be found."

"I was busy speaking with Naoto outside." the Prince responded while rubbing Kallen's back, to which she purred contently upon feeling his presence, "By the way, why are you still here?"

"Oh come on. Don't you think I deserve some kind of reward for helping Kally fall asleep?"

"While I appreciate your help, I still don't want you in here, that's why you have your own room after all."

C.C sighed, "Fine, I'll leave you two alone for now. Though, just know I'll probably be back in an hour or so when you two have fallen asleep, that way, I can sneak into bed without you two kicking me out."

Lelouch grabbed a pillow and smacked the witch across the face, "Scheming works better when you don't tell the person you're scheming against your plans."

The immortal playfully rolled out of the room, before parting with a wink, closing the door just as the Prince tossed his pillow at the door, "Honestly, she's more trouble than she's worth," he muttered while pulling up the covers and spooning Kallen, "I know it's hypocritical of me to say, but I hope you tell me what's wrong in the morning, that way… I'll be able to help you, just like you helped me." he whispered gently as the red head leaned into him, almost like she was desperate to dispel some kind of nightmare.

Eventually, her body relaxed, and she drifted off to an even deeper slumber, allowing for Lelouch to notice her dried up tear streaks, "Kallen, I swear, whatever's got you in such a state, I'll help you get through it. I know you're strong. You're someone who can handle nearly any problem that's thrown at you, but even you have to let others help." the boy looked at his own hands with a melancholic smile, "I guess you could say I learned that from experience, or rather… I'm still learning. Regardless, whatever pain you're going through, I'll be there to guide you every step of the way, just like I know you'd do for me."

As if hearing his words, Kallen rolled over and wrapped her arms around her boyfriend tightly, burying her face in his chest. Lelouch felt like saying one last comment, but refrained from doing so, as now wasn't the right time. Instead, he joined his girlfriend in her slumber, allowing for the problems of today, to be solved for the Lelouch and Kallen of tomorrow.

AN: I'm actually not too happy with this chapter. I feel like with the Kallen and C.C conversation, I wasn't able to properly convey what the former is going through, though I tried to best I could.

Also, Rai and Naoto's problems haven't been solved yet, but they've at least started on the road toward getting their desired solution. Suzaku's condition is going to worsen as time goes on. Lelouch is relatively in the same boat as Suzaku, it's just that his condition isn't worsening like the Knight's. Euphemia will make her official apperance next chapter, alongside a showcasing of Naoto's skills as a tactical leader.