AN:

DarkDremora: I realize I didn't even answer, but yes, that fight between Suzaku and Sayoko was mainly comedic, as their battle will happen later on.

Lethana: The odds are definetly more against Lelouch than they were in the original timeline, but do keep in mind that on the Britannian side, not everyone sees eye-to-eye, and that'll play a major role in their teamwork going forward.

samurai seven: I mean, if Lelouch was open to training before High School, then Sayoko probably wouldn't've helped with that, since no one knew she was a ninja. As for C.C telling Kallen about Marianne, that's something that'll happen once they cross that bridge.

Guest: Mao's making an appearance. Rolo's in a tough predicament. There is a way for OT Lelouch, NT Kallen and Suzaku to know what's going on in the current timeline, but probably not the others, because I don't think that's necessary. There will be a Geass canceller. I don't know much about Peace Mark, though if they do make an appearance, I'll try to make use of them with the information provided. I'm not using Lelouch's clone children. Ever. I'm not giving Euphemia a Geass. More development to Rai and Mario/Maya is something that'll happen naturally, and won't take center stage. I'm really on the fence about Pollux and Castor. I like the concept of them, but I want to focus on the plate I've filled right now (with Carine, Marrybell, and the other characters I've introduced.).

Chapter 60: Enter Mao

Carine sat in her office staring at a video call with her brother, Schneizel El Britannia. It had been an abrupt appointment, but if it was for him, the red-haired Princess would happily oblige. In fact, most royal family members had a positive view on Schneizel, given how charismatic he was. However, at this time, he brought terrible news to Carine, "Marrybell's coming here? What for?"

"Due to your failure to subdue the Black Knight threat, we've deemed it necessary to send in Marry to provide additionally support. She'll be there by the beginning of next month, as we're still fine-tuning the Knightmare's for her special force." the Prince explained calmly.

"And what would you have me do?"

"Well, if you truly want to prove yourself, then I'd advise you to crush the Black Knight's by the end of the month. Or once the reinforcements arrive, you can pull out of Area 11. Either way works for me. Though, if you do choose to stay once Marry joins you, I must ask you to cooperate with her to the best of your abilities."

Carine clenched her fist underneath the table, "I understand, Brother."

"I'm glad. Now, may I ask how Lila's holding up?"

"She's doing well, considering that this is the first time she's been a viceroy." the red-haired Princess begrudgingly reported.

"And what about Euphie?"

"She's done wonders by supporting Lila through each policy passed. Of course, this has done wonders for the Viceroy's confidence, as it helps to have someone like Euphie around to provide that extra… emotional support."

Obviously, having to describe her 'naive' sister's in such a manner angered Carine to no end. But, she wanted to gain Schneizel's favor, as he was the one holding the keys to Britannia's purse, as well as its technological front. In short, she wanted new toys to experiment with, but in order to get them, she had to play the role of an innocent Princess. Despite this front, though, the Prime Minister knew exactly what Carine was trying to do. He just didn't care.

"That excellent. And what about you? What kind of support have you provided for Lila?"

"I've provided the… rational voice to her rather… altruistic idea's."

"I see. While I understand that she wants to help everyone, the Viceroy must learn that there comes a time when you can't aid someone. And that's alright. I hope you can teach her that lesson in due time." Schneizel's eyes wandered to his door behind the monitor, "Forgive me, Carine. But I must hang up now. Thank you for providing valuable incite into Area 11's situation."

Before the Princess could bid farewell to her brother, he abruptly hung up, causing her to snap, "God damn it! Why the hell do I have to act so kind, huh? Just to get nothing!?" she slammed her fist into the desk, "I should be heavily reimbursed for dealing with those naive idiots! And worst of all, Marrybell's coming here. Marrybell of all people!" she slumped in her chair, "I thought that after she lost the rights to the throne, she'd drop off the face of the earth… but here she is, ruining my fun once again."

Dasko watched his Princess' outburst from the front door, before carefully approaching once she tried to catch her breath, "Princess, if I may offer some solace, Princess Marrybell's presence here doesn't necessarily mean an end to your fun. In fact, with her being here, you can freely act on some… special hunting activities that you couldn't do before. After all, you were charged with protecting the Viceroy at all times."
"So… you're saying I should dump that responsibility onto lil' ol' Marry?" the red-haired Princess smiled, "Yeah. You know what? I will do that."

The dim-lights of the warehouse as a mysterious figure moved through the shadows. Circling a lone punching bag like it was prey, the figure would make sure that each of its strikes would land true. In an instant, Suzaku burst forth from the shadows, delivering a swift punch to the vessel for his frustration. Then, he followed up with a strong high kick, before doing a handstand, sending several more powerful kicks to the bags center. At this point, his target had been shredded to pieces, with globs of sand pouring out uncontrollably.

"Not bad." he muttered while releasing a few breaths, "Still a bit slower than hers, but they'll do for now."

Rai watched the sight from a lone crate, illuminated by a small overhanging ornament. "You've gotten so much faster." the boy commented as his 'sensei' approached, "Whoever you're training to beat, I'm sure you'll be able to easily crush them now."

"No. It's not enough." Suzaku remembered his clash with Sayoko a few days earlier, "She completely outclassed me in speed. I could barely keep up when going all out. And that's not even the worst part…" he clenched his fist in frustration, "She was most definitely holding back. In the last timeline, I remember seeing her take on scores of Britannian soldiers at once with ease, and at that point, both Kallen and I had taken lessons from her." of course, Suzaku didn't get a choice in learning from Sayoko, as it was a direct order from Lelouch. "Even then, I couldn't keep up. If I want to get to Lelouch, I either have to go through Kallen or Sayoko. Needless to say, if I go up against the former, the chances of winning are significantly higher than that of the latter. Even still, I have to prepare for both possibilities."

Rai got off his crate and asked, "Do you want me to try and replicate your moves again?"

"Ah, go ahead." the Knight took his place on the crate, watching as his protégé mimicked his moves from earlier, "While it's not a perfect replica, Rai has the incredible skill of mimicking any move he sees with extreme effectiveness. He's essentially the perfect training partner, as his build and mine are very similar. With due time, he might be able to perfectly match my movements in combat, providing a powerful wingman to link attacks off of."

Rai sent a final kick through the punching bag, causing it to be knocked into the shadows, "Yowch!" evidently striking something.

"I-is that you, Lloyd?" the silver-haired boy asked while turning on the lights. Once he could see, his eyes landed on the mad scientist, whose body was covered by the empty punching bag, "I'm so sorry!"

"No, no. It's quite alright." Lloyd said reassuringly while being helped up by Suzaku, "I probably shouldn't have tried to sneak in while you two were in the middle of your… training sessions. By the way, Suzaku, I've been looking into your compatibility percentages with the Lancelot, and I must say, they've shot up from the high 80s, to the mid 90s, and sometimes even reaching the higher tiers. So, I must ask, what changed?"

"Oh… I don't really know. I guess I just really got the hang of things, that's all." the Knight casually answered, much to the scientist's suspicion.

"Is that so? It's quite unheard of for a pilot to improve in such a short time. Even for a prodigy such as yourself, it's near impossible."

"I suppose I'm the exception."

Lloyd narrowed his eyes before walking away, "Something's wrong here. I can't exactly put my finger on it, but ever since he inputted the password to activating all four slash harkens, Suzaku's been acting very suspiciously." the scientist entered his office, gathering some documents labeled 'float system' in the process, "Lila and Euphemia are aware of another mole in our midst thanks to our previous battle with the Blood of the Samurai. And while evidence suggests it may be Suzaku… I just can't accept that for some reason. The boy might act strange at times, but his heart's in the right place, so there's no way he'd team up with terrorists. Everyone in the warehouse agrees."

Suzaku and Rai began a sparring match on a mat below, each trading blows that got faster and faster with each block, deflect, or parry. "You're getting good." the Knight calmly commented while knocking Rai off his feet with a sweeping kick, "But stop trying to match me. Move independently, and you'll find success in your own realm."

The silver-haired boy recovered before ditching all forms of defense, and committing to an all-out attack, starting with a forward kick, that Suzaku deflected downward, only to get hit by his opponent's knee, which upon touching the ground, instantly shot up. As the Knight grabbed Rai's leg, attempting to knock him over, the boy sent a repeated number of strikes to his head, attempting to overwhelm him through sheer force. Unfortunately, Suzaku tanked all hits and slammed him into the ground, ending the match.

"That was better. But next time, don't over extend your leg like that. Let's go again."
"Understood."

Lloyd headed toward the warehouse's main entrance, giving one final look at the two boys before heading off, "I don't want to think it's you. I really don't. That's why I haven't told anyone about my suspicions. Even I know that if Cecile finds out that I suspect you of being a traitor, it'll break her heart. So, until I get concrete proof, my suspicions will stay just that."

In a clock tower from afar, a suspicious man, wearing a green visor and headphones, watched over the campus with a confident smirk. In his pocket, several pictures of C.C were poking out, "Oh! Is that her? Is that you C.C!?" he screamed with joy, "Oh! It's so good to see you!" the girl in question had her hair dyed black, and was walking alongside Kallen to their next class, "And that new look, I wonder why you changed your hair? Was it because you're in hiding? Or perhaps you just wanted to fit into school life? Oh, the mystery!" he then took a step forward, only to find himself comically floating in the air. It wasn't until he looked down that he began falling, "Oh no! C.C!" he cried.

Lelouch and Rivalz sat across from Clara Lanfranc, who insisted on joining them in ditching school, otherwise, she'd rat them out to a teacher. Reluctantly, the boys took her along, which they regretted moments after, "Oh wow! Look at that fountain!" she shouted while running up to the still water, "It's so deep! I feel like if I fell off the clock tower and landed in this, I'd be fine!" she then zipped into a shop which sold oil canvas'. The old man inside told the curious girl that it took him 24 hours just to paint one. "Wow… I'll take one!"

"How are you going to get that back to Ashford?" Rivalz asked as Clara hoisted a portrait of a beach view over her head.

"Uh… I'm gonna walk there, duh?"

"Seems like it'll take more time." Lelouch added, much to the girl's annoyance.

"Ugh. I hate pushy guys, you know that?" she strutted past the duo in a huff, fully intending on heading straight to the train station. But, that's when she caught a whiff of a desert cart, which sold churro's. Like a moth to a flame, she floated over to the stand upon catching a whiff.

Lelouch watched as Clara balanced the portrait on her head while taking a bite of her churro, which had a banana filling. "You're a real riot, you know that, right?" he commented as she sat at the edge of the fountain.

"Alice says the same thing." she calmly responded as someone screamed in the background, "Ah, I love the smell of fresh water. It's nice, sweet, and refreshing. Today's amazing. I wonder what will happen next?"

Rivalz looked up as the screams got closer. However, his eyes didn't remain there for long, as the object he sought for soon crashed into the fountain water, sending a large wave crashing into Clara and her portraits, drenching her, the picture, and her churro. Luckily for the boys, the picture blocked most of the water, so they stayed relatively dry. While a man unexpectedly falling from the sky wasn't on anyone's bucket list, what happened next would top everything off.

"What. The. Actual. ****!" Clara stood up in a rage, thrusting her hand into the disturbed water, and pulling out the culprit for ruining her peaceful day, "You mother****er! I'm gonna shove a **** up your ***. Then I'm gonna **** your mother so hard that she's gonna have to **** sideways!"

"Wait… are those built in censor noises?" Lelouch muttered as the 'innocent' girl continued her swearing rant against the terrified and confused Chinese man.

"Hey! Leave him alone! Let's just hear him-"

Poor Rivalz didn't stand a chance. Because as soon as he tried to intervene, Clara directed all of her anger into him, sending a punch so hard that the boy crashed into a stand in the background. "P-please! I'm so sorry!" the man pleaded upon seeing the display, "I-I didn't know…"

"What's your name, punk?"

"You could be nicer…" the Prince muttered. Though, once Clara glared at him, he looked off into the distance, pretending not to say anything.

"M-Mao! That's my name!" the man known as 'Mao' answered, "Please don't hurt me!" he closed his eyes and begged for mercy.

"Oh, don't worry, Mao." Clara said creepily while activating her Geass, "I won't be doing anything to you."

However, before she could initiate an order, a few police officers approached in the distance, causing her to instantly change her tune. "What's going on here?"

Clara hoisted Mao onto his feet, putting her arm around his shoulder, "Nothing, Officer." she said with a sweet smile, "My brother here just tried to play a prank on me."

The two policeman obviously didn't believe her, but at the same time, they didn't want to do any paperwork, so while there wasn't any proof of the girl's wrongdoings, they left.

"Looks like you're in luck." Clara pushed Mao into the ground, before stomping on his head, "I'll be merciful today, so you can keep your life. C'mon, Lelouch, Rivalz. Let's get back to Ashford."

"Why the hell are you treating us like we're your goons?" the Prince asked as he helped Rivalz up.

"Because for today, you are."

While Mao did have the Geass ability to read minds, currently, he was being overloaded with hearing the thoughts of the surrounding crowd. So, he didn't notice that Lelouch knew C.C. Of course, he did notice that one of Clara's thoughts while his eyes were closed was 'Geass'. Though, he couldn't act on that information now, as his body still ached from that fall, so he begrudgingly stumbled to a place that was absent of human life, and hunkered down.

"Man, I feel like I'm forgetting something important today?" Clara muttered as she got on the train, drawing a lot of attention since she was still drenched.

Rolo stood in the airport terminal on the phone, trying to contact Clara, who was supposed to escort him to his apartment. However, every time he called, it went straight to voicemail, "Is her phone off?" he muttered with great frustration, "Ugh. This is why I hate working with Clara. Despite all the training she went through, her work ethic is still terrible." his eyes then wandered to the contact labeled 'Master V.V', though, he decided against contacting him. "No. I can't bother him with such a trivial matter. I'll just figure this out myself." The boy then took out a large map, and headed off.

Though, without a proper waypoint in mind, Rolo was bound to get lost.

"Seriously… I feel like I'm forgetting something…" Clara muttered, strolling across Ashford's campus.

"Is it perhaps an apology?" Rivalz snapped unexpectedly. However, with a single glare, he was silenced, much to Lelouch's frustration.

"Listen, Clara. I know you're still mad about losing the portrait and all that, but I think you should just take a deep breath, and clear your head." the Prince explained.

"Ah! Lulu!" Kallen called from afar, "I've been looking for you…" she grabbed him by the arm and whispered, "Naoto's calling. He said there's something Rakshata needs you to look at."

"Oh! How could I forget! We have a date planned today!"

Clara rolled her eyes while Rivalz said, "Seriously? It's not like you to forget something like that."

"Everyone can forget things sometimes." the red head began dragging her boyfriend away by the arm, "All that matters is that he remembers now!"

As the couple disappeared into the distance, Rivalz sighed, "Ah. To be in love." he looked at Clara and asked, "Have you ever been like that?"

Instead of answering, the pink-haired girl made a face of disgust and said, "Don't ever ask me a question like that ever again."

The blue-haired boy watched as the girl stormed off, much to his surprise. "Did… did I say something weird? Or does she just not like me?"

Clara entered the Ashford Clubhouse and headed upstairs. Earlier, she had been offered by Alice to join Nunnally and her for tea. And, considering that she wasn't busy right now, she might as well go, "Hello~" her voice rung melodiously, "Are you here, Alice?"

The girl in questioned turned to the kitchen door as Clara popped in, "You… you actually showed up… and you're wet…"

"Don't worry about it." her 'sister' responded.

"Oh, is that your sister?" Nunnally asked innocently, "I thought you said she didn't like coming to 'cutesy' events like this."

"What!?" the pink-haired girl wrapped an arm around Alice's throat, "Are you bad-mouthing your sister behind her back? How cruel!"

While it sounded playful from the outside, there was a real threat behind those words, as her grip tightened around her 'sisters' throat. "It's not like that… really."

Clara's grip slowly faded as she took a seat across from Alice, and beside Nunnally at the table, "I'm just kidding. So, what's the daily gossip, huh?"

"Um… we don't gossip. We just like talking about pretty things. Like the Ashford Garden. By the way, did you hear about the new flower they planted in it?"

"Yeah. It's supposed to be a new species of orchid, right?" Alice added, "They said it'll be fully grown in a few months."

Instantly, Clara was bored out of her mind as the conversation mindlessly transitioned from flowers, to dolls, to travel destinations, "God… even for me, this is too normal." the pink-haired girl's eyes wandered to counting tiles on the floor as she disengaged from the conversation. Not that she was ever engaged to begin with. However, soon her gaze landed upon a lone strand of green hair, which stood out like a sore thumb. "Uh, Nunnally. Who has green hair around here?" she asked while picking up the strand.

"Green hair? Well… I don't really know that. But I think Reifu dyes her hair every day."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well… when she comes in for breakfast, she always smells kind of weird, like oil or something."

Clara narrowed her eyes, "Ugh… it looks like I actually have to do my job now." she stood up, and with a smile said, "Thanks for the tea. But it looks like you were right, Alice. It seems that this kind of meeting really wasn't for me."
"You're going? So soon?" Nunnally questioned, "Is it something we said?"

"No. Not at all. In fact, I found just hearing you two talk oddly comforting. We should do this again sometime." Clara lied as easily as she breathed. Well, it was really a half lie. She really did want to do this again, but not because she felt enjoyment in the conversations Alice and Nunnally had. In reality, she thought if she hung around the young girls enough, she'd eventually catch 'Reifu' with her metaphorical and physical hair down.

"Well, we'll be glad to host you." the Princess answered, "Sayoko, could you see Clara out?"

"Of course." the Ninja maid answered from behind the pink-haired girl.

Clara's eyes widened with surprise upon hearing the maid's voice, "W-was she there the whole time? How the hell did she sneak past me?" she then shook her head, "Maybe I am getting rusty…"

Sayoko led Clara out of the building, bidding her farewell, before quickly returning to Nunnally and Alice. The pink-haired girl moved at a quickened pace, trying to reach her dorm while scrolling through her phone, "Damn. The water from earlier must've damaged my phone. It won't turn on." upon entering her room, she changed her clothes and headed back out. Though, after a few minutes of walking, she gasped, "Ah… I remember what I was supposed to do today."

Rolo stared at a concrete wall of an alleyway with his map in hand, "Ah… looks like I'm lost."

"Indeed you are." a voice called from behind.

The boy sighed before facing this new 'threat', "Who are you?"

"It's not who, but what." the man took off his green visor, "I'm here to assist you in your search for Master C.C."

"Seriously? You? Those glasses look ridiculous on you." Rolo then activated his Geass, and walked past the Chinese man, before pointing a gun at his head, "Now, if you're really here to help, then what's the code phrase?"

Of course, this showing of abilities took the man by surprise, but he quickly recovered and answered, "Under the Geass Directorate, Eden Vital, I, Mao, serve under thee, Rolo, in the conquest of finding the secrets of the thought elevator. Is that good enough?"

"What!?" the boy's eyes widened with shock, "So… is he actually here to help? But I didn't hear anything from Master V.V. Perhaps it was just a lucky guess? No… the code's too intricate to just guess. Is it possible…" Rolo gazed into Mao's eyes, "Geass!"

"Oh my, impressive." Mao began to clap, "In just a matter of seconds, you deduced my ability to 30 different possibilities."

"If you've got a Geass… then that means you really were sent by Master V.V." Rolo lied. Obviously, he was still skeptical of Mao's sudden appearance. But, he'd get his answers once he met up with Clara.

Of course, Mao already knew this. "This is going to be tricky. If he contacts V.V, then I'll be totally screwed." he then felt his hands begin to shake, "Why do I feel like I just entered a realm where I don't belong? No. I can't worry about that right now. All that matters is retrieving C.C. And these Eden Vital idiots will be perfect for that."

Rolo sighed, "Thanks to those hints from earlier… I think I've narrowed his Geass to 10 possibilities. Now, while I doubt Master V.V actually did send him, considering his stance, professionalism-" he then remembered Clara, "Never mind. Even so, I still don't trust him. Though, if he's willing to help retrieve Master C.C, then I'll simply use him. It's clear his Geass won't be able to harm me directly, so I'll have nothing to worry about if he chooses to turn on me."

"Oh my. Do you really think so low of me, Rolo?" Mao smiled as he took off his visor and put on new headphones, since his old one's got drenched. "I mean, you're right. But it's still cruel to think like that."

"So, since you're here to help me, that means you also know where I'll be staying, correct?"

"Ah. Actually, I don't."

Rolo stared at Mao for a second, before pointing his gun at him again, "Useless."

"Gah! You can't be serious!" the Chinese man pleaded.

"So he can't read my mind?"

In truth, Mao just panicked at that moment. But due to his panic, he inadvertently pushed Rolo's suspicion to a different type of Geass. "Whatever. Let's get moving. I've wasted enough time on you." the two men left the alley and wandered around town. Eventually bumping into Clara, who had a few choice words for Mao. Thankfully, she was still able to listen to reason, so they moved to an empty park, where she could vent her frustrations.

"You're joking, right!? There's no way they sent a clown like you to help us!" the pink-haired woman shouted in disbelief. "I refuse to accept something so… so… stupid!"

"If so. Then do it." Rolo commanded ominously.

"Are you sure? I don't even know his last name."

"I don't think he has one. Just try it, and if it doesn't work, then we'll figure out where to go from there."

That's when Mao took a step back, "Oh no. This is happening too fast!"

Clara sighed before activating her Geass, "Mao, you will do as I say."

Similar to Lelouch's Geass, Clara could issue orders of direct obedience to a person. However, she needed to merely gaze at them, and use their real name to give them a command. Lucky for her, what constitutes as a 'real name' is what the person identifies themselves as. Since Mao identifies himself as 'Mao', she only needed to say that.

"What? Don't tell me you didn't expect this." Rolo shrugged as if this was an obvious outcome. Because it was.

Mao fell under Clara's Geass, "What is it that you need, my lady?"

Unfortunately for the Chinese man, he couldn't foresee this outcome fast enough to react in time. "Who are you?" she demanded.

"I am Mao."

"Idiot. Ask him something substantial, like his goals." Rolo said.

Clara sighed, "Fine. Mao, what are your goals here in Area 11?"

The man obediently answered, "I'm here to retrieve my love, C.C."

"So you really were here for C.C." the black-haired boy muttered, "But why?"

The girl repeated the question, and they soon had their answer, "Because, she's the only one whose mind I can't read."

"Oh… so you can read minds." Rolo muttered, "That's actually quite troublesome. We can't let him live after this, as he'll be unpredictable." he took out his gun, and pointed it at the back of Mao's head, "I advise we kill him now."

"Wait. I accidentally gave him a general command to do as I say." Clara responded, "Perhaps he could be of more use to us."

"Seriously? You accidentally did that?" Rolo rolled his eyes at his partner's negligence, "Whatever. We'll keep him alive." he put away his gun and allowed the pink-haired girl to continue her questioning. From here, their plans for capturing the ever illusive C.C would accelerate to a beyond rapid pace.

AN: So, Mao's appeared, but he's basically going to be Clara's slave for this. Note, Mao doesn't actually know about Kallen and Lelouch. He's only stumbled upon C.C. So, going forward, we'll be tackling Clara, Rolo, and Mao vs Kallen, Lelouch, and C.C.

Also, some may be dissapointeed with the route I chose for Mao. But honestly, with Clara and Rolo also hunting C.C, and I think now's a perfect time to introduce his characte, as they have overlapping goals. This will also develop Mao's character a bit, since he'll be a victim of Geass.