AN: I finally have an AO3 account, so I'll start posting chapter's onto there once I get everything figured out.

DarkDremora: That Euphemia tie-in would've actually been pretty good.

Samurai Seven: Lelouch will most likely speak with Lila in the future. As for a civil war, probably not a full-fledged one, but a brief conflict where Carine and Marrybell butt heads for a bit.

Chapter 61: Fragmented Memories

C's World

"Keep up, Lelouch." Suzaku ordered as they trudged through some floating desolate ruins, "Kallen has to be around here somewhere, I can feel it."

"You say that like you have some kind of Kallen sensor." the Prince answered while calmly flying past his friend, "Also, don't tell me to keep up. Remember, I'm the one slowing down for you."

"Oh? Does that means you're actually looking for Kallen too?" the White Knight asked upon hearing his friend's new-found vigor.

"That's not what I meant." Lelouch casually swatted away a floating piece of rubble, "I'm just saying, that I could dust you at any time."

"Really? You wanna race then?" Suzaku asked while hopping atop a floating bridge. He noticed a fire light up in Lelouch's eyes for a split second, and he wasn't losing it, "It's been a while since we've had a proper competition. What do you say?"

Coincidentally, at this time, large floating pieces of the ruin lined up in front of the boy like a runway, almost like C's world was hearing their very conversation, and was answering his will to get his friend back. "Hmm… sure, why not? After all, I think I've actually got a good chance of beating you now."

"In your dreams." Suzaku taunted while straddling his legs, similar to how he placed them before launching the Lancelot.

"Oh, but Suzaku. In C's world, my dreams can come true."

Those ominous lines rung throughout the White Knight's mind, giving another line of hope that his best friend could return. "Alright. Then how about this…" the screams of the Sword of Akasha echoed throughout C's World. Though, the boys paid it no mind as they were a common occurrence, "The next time we hear the sword scream, the race begins."

"Fine by me." Lelouch could sense the electricity in the air. It had been so long since he felt this excited.

Of course, this feeling was also shared by Suzaku, as it felt refreshing to see the Prince finally excited about something, "It's almost like we're kids again." he felt his muscles tense up with excitement. The air was practically dancing around them, almost as if it was sensing the tense atmosphere.

Finally, the Sword of Akasha roared once more, signaling the beginning of their race. Suzaku dashed forward, jumping from stone to stone, smiling like a little kid. Meanwhile, Lelouch weaved in between stones, barely outpacing his friend as they raced to an undesignated point, "Ah, we didn't say where we're racing to."

"Does it matter?" the Knight ran across a wall before jumping over the Prince as he flew under him, "Remember how we were kids, we always ran until we got tired?"

"You mean until I got tired, right?" Lelouch landed on a rock, and used it to launch himself forward, zooming past Suzaku.

"Haha. You got that right." However, his friend somehow easily kept pace despite not being able to fly. "Though, with how much stamina we should have in here, it'll take a while!"

Suzaku ran up a 90-degree angle before reaching the peak, and using it to launch himself onto another pillar. In response, Lelouch moved several rocks in his path, forcing his friend to kick through one, and using another to push himself onto a flat path covered in grass. Upon landing, he instantly hit the dash, dodging numerous pieces of rubble in the process. "This is exactly like running through the forest in our childhood!" Suzaku slid under a falling pillar with a smile on his face, "Although… Lelouch never threw rocks at me while I was running."

The two boys began laughing out of pure joy, it had been a while since they had spent time like this. Times when they genuinely acted like little kids, from the childhood that was stolen from them, by the power's that be. Fate could be a cruel thing. No. Fate is a cruel thing.

Slowly, the world around them transformed into a forest, identical to the ones they used to play in near the Kururugi Shrine. Likewise, their forms also returned to when they were kids.

"Wh-what's this?" Lelouch muttered as he lost his flight and returned to running in his small frame, "Why are we here?"

Suzaku came to a complete stop in a clearing. The wind blew through his hair, humming a strangely harmonic tune, "This… doesn't feel right… I know we're near my father's shrine… but something's wrong."

"Yeah. I can't describe it either, but it's… haunting to say the least." the Prince walked past his friend and toward the center of the clearing, where a tree adorned with peaches stood. "Was this always here?"

The Knight shook his head, "Nope. My father never grew any fruit trees." he looked at the towering shrine in the distance, which was still as majestic as he remembered it, "Why do you think we're here?"

"Perhaps… C's world created this realm as a response to the strength of our memories?" Lelouch answered while cautiously approaching the tree, "Something's off about this."

"Agreed." Suzaku said. But even so, he couldn't help but feel a pull directing him to the shrine, "Can… can we go investigate the shrine first?" he asked, stopping his friend from touching the tree.

"What for?"

"I… I just want to see my father again."

"Oh, that's what this is about." Lelouch faced his friend. Even though the last timeline's Suzaku had moved past his father's death, the Prince had to remember that this one still felt guilt regarding the Prime Minister's death. Particularly, the fact that Suzaku was the one who killed him. No. It was the fact that Suzaku murdered his own father that haunted him. "Listen, Suzaku. I know you feel guilt regarding your father's death. And I understand it, after all, you were the one to kill him."

This made the Knight gasp, before sighing, "Ah… so you found that out in your… 'timeline'. How'd that happen?"

"It's a long story. But the point is, don't let it haunt you. It wasn't your fault." the Prince stepped forward, "What am I doing? Why am I trying to help him? I thought I gave up on life, and yet… here I am. I see Suzaku in distress, and I jump at the opportunity to help him. Why?"

"That's not true. It was entirely my fault. If I hadn't grabbed that knife… then he never would've died."

"But by doing so, you prevented hundreds upon thousands of deaths. You gave Japan a fighting chance for the future." Lelouch reasoned, "And I know that even with all that, you still feel guilt. After all, it was your own father. Anyone in your situation would've been traumatized beyond belief, including me." he put his hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to bring him back, "Suzaku, listen. You're a lot stronger than you give yourself credit. For seven years, you carried the burden of that trauma without letting it leak out. You've been fighting to liberate your own people from Britannia through the only way you knew how. That is beyond admirable."

Suzaku shook off his friend's hand, "Even if you say that… if even it's true. I still have to see him." the boy then ran off toward the shrine with tears in his eyes.

"Wait! Suzaku!" Lelouch called, but to no avail. He turned to the peach tree, tempting to touch it, to get his answers. But he squashed that feeling, and ran after his friend.

"Father!" Suzaku shouted as he ran throughout the shrine, "Father!" he ran up the stairs, passing hundreds of empty rooms that were once teeming with workers, monks, and guards. "Father!"

Lelouch followed behind by a few floors, not able to catch up due to the discrepancies in speed, "Suzaku… with such a negative mindset… you might not get the consolation you're looking for. So please, wait for me to get there."

Eventually, the Knight reached the top floor, where his father's office was located. Without skipping a beat, he burst into the room, finding the man sitting at his desk, "Suzaku? What are you doing here?" he questioned as his son slowly approached his desk.

"F-father. You're alive…" Suzaku put a hand on Genbu's desk, making sure it was real.

"Ah… you're surprised because you killed me, right?" he stood up and approached his son, "Well, in C's world, anything can become possible. As long as you have the resolve."

The Knight put his hand against his father's, "You're real…" he then broke down crying, "Father… I'm so sorry! It's because of me that Japan, the nation you fought so hard for, is dying! It's my fault that Britannia has so much control over its people. Your people. I know I don't deserve your forgiveness… but please… say something. I'll accept anything." Lelouch finally arrived at the office, but chose to hang back, and let the show play out, "Even if you choose to degrade me… or encourage me… I just want to know what you have to say."

"In his last moments, Genbu must not've said anything to Suzaku. He died in silence, which, in Suzaku's eyes, must've meant he disapproved of his actions. But… in time, he interpreted it as more than that." Lelouch thought as the Prime Minister took a knee next to his son, who took on a dogeza, "Those toxic thoughts eventually seeped through, and began killing him. Though… he must be aware that this version of his father isn't-"

"Suzaku, why would I be angry at you?" Genbu asked while hoisting his son over his head, "Of course you messed up, everyone does. It's just that yours was a lot bigger than most. That's why you have to look at the positives. I can see in your eyes that you have a lot of negativity within yourself, and that only serves to hurt you unnecessarily. What's done is done. My death has passed. Though, it wasn't without purpose. The Japanese people, their spirit, has not yet died. They still fight on through the 'terrorist' groups Britannia likes to call them. But in truth, they all fight for the same thing, including those groups in other countries. They seek freedom. It's built into their very being to be free. That's something you must understand." he then carried Suzaku in one arm and opened the door to his balcony, "Look at Mount Fuji. I'm sure its beauty has been tainted once Britannia took over, but it was never completely destroyed, right? Similar to our people, we're damaged, but not dead. Fuji is a symbol of that. So, Suzaku, my dear son, don't hold the guilt of my death over your head. It'll only serve to hurt you in the long run. If those negative thoughts ever return, just remember that your actions have helped more than they've hurt. In exchange for my life, you've given the rest of Japan hope to fight another die. And if that's not enough, then know this; Suzaku, I am more than proud to call you my son."

"This Genbu isn't real. He's mostly a projection of mine, and Suzaku's thoughts. However, there seems to be some semblance of the real thing, as pieces of his soul seeped in from C's world into this memory. So, while he's not real, those words, his feelings, are." Lelouch smiled at the interaction as Sakura leaves blew past the balcony, "I don't know why this is happening. Perhaps it's the dimensional supervisor, or it's some higher power. Regardless, I'm thankful that we got to see him once again."

The scenery faded, as the boys and Prime Minister returned to the clearing, where the lone peach tree stood, "Now go." Genbu put his son on the ground, and motioned for Lelouch to step forward, "You two are in search of that girl, aren't you?" he pointed toward the peach tree, "Once you make contact with that tree, you'll be on the right track."

"How can you be so certain?" the Prince questioned as he headed toward the tree.

"You can't feel it? There's a third presence here. And they're the one who's created this tree. For some reason, they share a special memory with it, or something related."

Lelouch and Suzaku, who still had tears streaming down his face, stood near the tree, "Thank you, Genbu. For everything." the Prince bid the Prime Minister farewell before placing his hand on the trunk.

"No. I should be the one thanking you." Genbu said as a maelstrom began sweeping away his surroundings, "Lelouch, I'm aware of your past, and how you helped not just liberate Japan, but the whole world. So, let me be one of the few who says, thank you."

The man then faded with the scenery, as it transformed into a massive orchard. Now, the boys stood in the middle of a dirt path that led toward a bus stop that was on the side of the road. The tree that the Prince had touched moments earlier was nowhere to be seen. "Wait… it's the peach farm." Suzaku commented as he wiped a few tears from his eyes, "We came here with Nunnally one time, and she said she really wanted to try one."

Lelouch looked at a grove of peach, apple, and orange trees that were situated on one side of the path, while the other had grapes and olives, "I still don't know why you call it a peach farm. Clearly this place grows more than just that."

"Ah! So you do remember!"

"Of course I do! But…" the Prince scanned the area, "What does this have to do with Kallen?"

Cicadas began to buzz loudly, and along with the scorching hot sun, it was a clear indication of this being a summer's day. And a hot one at that. "Seriously, why can I feel the heat? Isn't this supposed to just be a memory?" Suzaku complained while fanning himself with his hand.

"It's not that hot. You're just overreacting." Lelouch responded while trying to climb up a tree.

"What are you trying to do?"

"Don't you remember what your father used to tell us? The ripest peaches grow at the top of the tree." the Prince explained, as his unathletic young frame couldn't scale the tree.

"Pretty sure he only said that to make us work harder." the Knight said while causally running up the tree. Despite being in his younger self, he was still as athletic as ever.

"Freak." Lelouch muttered as Suzaku moved through the leaves. After a few seconds, he tossed one of the fruits down. The black-haired boy tried to catch it, only to fumble upon making contact due to his hands being small, and the peach being abnormally large. The fruit bounced as it began rolling down the dirt path.

"Nice catch." his friend teased while jumping down.

"Oh shut up." Lelouch ran after the fruit, but soon came to a stop as it hit a girl's foot. "Wait… I know you."

The girl had bright red-hair and was carrying a suitcase stuffed with presumably clothing, and various other items. It looked like she was moving. She put down her stuff and picked up the large peach with both her hands. Lelouch ran up to her with a stern face. Wordlessly, she handed the fruit over to the boy, much to his confusion.

"Why are you here?" he asked, while gripping the peach, "This is supposed to be mine and Suzaku's memory. So why… why are you here, Kallen?"

The red head's eyes widened with shock, "H-how do you know my name?" she asked while taking a cautious step back.

"Hey!" Suzaku smacked Lelouch in the back of the head, "Don't come off so strong. You might scare her."

"I'm not trying to scare her, idiot. Just… I don't remember her being here." the Prince faced the girl once again, "She's an anomaly."

"Even so, let's try to take thing's slow." the Knight explained before turning to the red head, "Hi. My name's Suzaku. And the rude one's Lelouch. What is your name?"

Kallen slowly backed away while shaking her head, "No… no, this isn't how it happened…" her eyes strained with fear, "Who are you?"

"I told you, I'm-"

"NO!" she screamed, "You were sent by that… thing, weren't you?"

"Thing?" Suzaku turned to Lelouch, who shrugged in response. "I don't know what you're talking about, but we're here to help you."

"No you're not! You're here to hurt me, just like everyone else!" Kallen grabbed her suitcase and began running away, "Naoto! Naoto! Please, save me!"

Lelouch took a step forward to try and pursue her, but his friend stopped him, "Don't. You'll only look even more suspicious if you run after her." In the distance, the red head made contact with her brother by jumping into his arms, dropping her suitcase in the process, "We should hang back, and observe her. Then we'll slowly try to integrate ourselves into her memories."

The Prince quirked an eyebrow, "Since when did you get so smart?"

"And since when did you care so much for Kallen? I thought you gave up."

Lelouch shrugged, "Whatever."

"No. It's not whatever." the Knight tightened his grip on Lelouch's shoulder, "If you want to care, you can. Don't be afraid to open your heart. This whole time, you've been complaining about how everything is pointless, and that you should just roll over and die. Yet, this whole time you've been following me around, raced me once, and helped me overcome the guilt I had with my father…" he looked down and released his hold, "I know you still care. That's what I'm trying to get at. So, can you toss that false pessimistic attitude aside, and help me get to Kallen, please?" he extended his hand for a shake.

The Prince stared at his friend for a second, before sighing, "It's not a facade. But… you're right. I do still care. A part of me still cares. I noticed that when you were speaking with your father. So, I'll try and put aside my… 'pessimistic' views, and help you get to Kallen." he then shook his friend's hand, "But know this, if you can't get through to her, I'll go back to complaining."

Suzaku chuckled at the suggestion, "Don't worry. We'll get through to her, I promise."

Suddenly, the scene changed once again. This time, they were now in front of a run-down Middle School, where a lone Kallen lazily trudged in, surrounded by faceless students.

"What is this?" the Knight muttered while as more students walked past them, seemingly unbothered by their presence.

"I think it's a school." captain obvious stated while casually strolling inside, "And an under-funded one at that."

"What are you doing?"

"I'm following her. The students don't seem to notice us, meaning there's a good chance Kallen won't either." Lelouch hid behind a corner, as the red head turned around, "Though… just to be safe, we should try to avoid contact with her as much as possible."

"Agreed." Suzaku added while hiding across from him, "But, what are we looking for exactly?"

"Clues. Clues that'll let us escape her memories, and meet with the real Kallen." the Prince answered as the girl in question entered her classroom.

As the room's door closed shut, Suzaku hoisted himself up to use the small built-in window to spy on the red head, "Damn it, why haven't we returned to our normal bodies? This is so annoying."

"It must be Kallen." Lelouch responded as he tried to warp a door with his hand, "These are her memories, so they're exceptionally strong. We're in a specific time period, so it makes sense that we're stuck in our bodies from back then. However, the fact that I can't manipulate this memory, even the walls, is concerning."

The Knight dropped to the ground and said, "Let's look into the classroom from the-" Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the beginning of class. "As I was saying, let's look in from the outside."

The boys exited the main building and entered the playground, where several classrooms, including Kallen's, had a view of the swings, slides, and monkey bars. They stealthily snuck up to the window of her classroom and peered inside, there, they saw Kallen diligently jotting down notes in Japanese. "Wait… is this a Japanese school? That would actually explain why it looks so bad…"

"Yeah. While Eleven schools do exist, they're far and few in between. And those that do exist, they're constantly undergoing budget cuts, or lack of proper support in general." Suzaku whispered.

"You sure seem to know a lot."

"Of course I do. While I didn't get the chance to go to one of these schools, I heard rumors from those who did." the Knight carefully observed each Japanese student. Most of them were practically wearing rags that they called 'school uniforms', while others didn't seem to care. Ditching their regulated clothing for something they found comfortable, similar to how the system tossed them to the side. Or maybe they just lost their uniforms.

"Alright, class." the teacher began handing out pieces of paper to her students, saying, "These are the result from the pop quiz you took last week. I hope that some of you will take this time to look over your mistakes, and use it to improve in the future."

Even from their view point, Lelouch and Suzaku could see that most of the students failed, getting below 50 and some even under 30. Only a handful got over 70, and only two got perfect scores. "I did it!" one of the recipients shouted, hoisting his paper in the air, "All my hard work paid off."

Kallen stared at her paper, which shared the same score. Though, she didn't feel nearly as much joy, "Ugh. I can't believe she got 100 again…" a girl snarkily commented from the back of the classroom.

"Honestly, why do we have to work so hard to get a passing grade, while she effortlessly sails to the top of the class?" another commented.

"Wish she'd just die…"

"Britannian half-breed…"

"Jeez." Suzaku's eyes narrowed with sympathy, "That's just unnecessarily cruel."

"There's a chance that these events may be overexaggerated from what happened in real life." Lelouch explained, "Even so, it's still a cruel thing. Just goes to show that racism exists on both sides of the spectrum."

The scenery changed once again, this time, they were now in the hallway, and Kallen was going through her locker. That's when the girls from earlier approached, "Hey Kallen. We saw that you got another perfect score." behind their backs, they held cups filled with water, "Here, let's celebrate!" they emptied the contents onto the red head, drenching her."

Suzaku clenched his fist at the same time as Kallen did, "I'm so tired of you picking on me!" she shouted before sending a punch into her adversaries face, sending them crashing to the ground.

However, before the fight could continue, the scene transitioned once again. This time, the boys found themselves in the Kozuki residence, where the red head and her brother sat at a table, playing cards. "There's so much clutter." Lelouch muttered while walking around the apartment.

Suzaku prodded the siblings for a reaction by taking extra loud steps, but to no avail. It seemed as though they weren't aware of the boy's presence. The Prince investigated the kitchen, where the test from earlier was posted on the fridge. Meanwhile, the Knight noticed out of the corner of his eye a suspension paper, stating that Kallen wouldn't be allowed to return to school due to 'excessive violence'. "Seriously? They expelled her for defending herself?" he muttered while picking up the paper.

"No. They suspended her." Lelouch called from the kitchen. "There's a big difference."

"Not in my eyes…" Suzaku crumpled up the paper before tossing it back into the trashcan.

Then, he returned to watching the siblings play. Though, disturbingly, they kept making the same moves over and over. "It's probably just a reoccurring memory." the Prince explained as he dug through the cabinets, "Those actions merely exist to occupy Kallen's mind."

"What are you looking for?" Suzaku asked while poking his head into the kitchen.

"A possible trigger to let us get through to the real Kallen. I've been doing this the whole time." the black-haired boy reentered the living room, where his eyes instantly caught the sight of a strange object, "Wait… it's that peach again."

The Knight turned around, and noticed the lone peach sitting on an out-of-place dresser, "Well… if that's not suspicious, then I don't know what is."

Lelouch snatched the peach and began inspecting it, "What the-"

"What's wrong?"

"It's… it's just a normal peach." the Prince clenched his teeth in frustration, "It doesn't even feel the same as the other peach. I mean, it's the same peach, but it's different somehow. There's nothing attached to it."

Suzaku snapped his fingers, "Damn. That's a shame. I thought we were onto something there."

"Stop trying to sound like some kind of corny detective." Lelouch muttered as he carefully watched Naoto's moves. His turn would always start the same each rotation; draw one card, summon a monster, set two cards face down, pass turn. But the rotation itself wasn't what the Prince was focused on. No. He was paying close attention to the Kozuki's hands. Or rather, hand. Every time he went to draw a card, unlike Kallen who was robotic with it, he stuttered. Sometimes having to correct his grip to properly draw a card. "The anomaly… it's not a thing in this room." Lelouch kneeled to Naoto's side, and heard his breath hitch slightly, "It's you, isn't it? You're the anomaly."

However, Naoto didn't respond. Instead, he continued his turns like normal. "Lelouch, what do you mean?" Suzaku asked, clearly sensing his friend was onto something.

"In every single one of Kallen's memories, he's always been here. The orchard farm, he was there to protect her from us. In the school's case, he wasn't directly there, but that suspension paper you found, he was the one who threw it away. I bet he didn't want their mother to find it."

"Even so, that doesn't prove that he's the anomaly. It's like you said, these are memories. Those are probably things he's done for Kallen in the past."

"That's the thing, if this were a memory, then he should be moving exactly like everyone else. The students, Kallen, and even the teacher. They move with confidence. No one's movements are displaced. No one's correcting themselves. Except for us… and him." Lelouch explained while pointing at the deck, "Every time he goes to draw a card, his hand approaches it differently. Sometimes going shorter, or going over to make sure he mimics the 'perfect draw'. But the thing is, he's human. So there's no way he'd be able to mimic it perfectly each time."

Finally, the Kozuki smiled creepily, "You're just as smart as I've heard, Lelouch Vi Britannia." the decks disappeared, and Naoto faced the Prince, much to Kallen's fear.

"How do you know his name?" Suzaku asked while tensing his muscles.

"Isn't it simple? I saw memories regarding him from Kallen."

"That's not true. This Kallen knows nothing about me." Lelouch pointed at the red head in question, as she began slowly backing away.

"But that's not who I'm talking about." he gestured to a picture frame, which held a picture of Lelouch smiling in the student council room.

"What!? He has memories of my timeline's Kallen?" the Prince faced his new adversary and asked, "Who are you?"

"That should be obvious."

Suzaku narrowed his eyes upon hearing those words, "Obvious? Clearly not."

"One thing's for certain, you're not Naoto." Lelouch proclaimed, much to the man's amusement.

"Anyone could've deduced that. But what I really want to know, is if you can guess who I am." Naoto replied.

"We don't have time for riddles." the Knight said in a slightly irked tone, "If you can help us find Kallen, then that would be greatly appreciated."

"No. He is Kallen." Lelouch boldly proclaimed, much to his friend's shock.

"Oh? And what makes you think that?" the Kozuki asked while putting an arm on his knee confidently.

"Well, my first clue, is actually from Genbu Kururgi's existence. From him, we learned that everyone, who appears in these spaces, is merely a projection of our memories. They can have a piece of their original soul due to being in C's world, but they can never be a complete representation of that person. Another thing, is the reaction of that Kallen." the Prince pointed at the red head as she hid behind a dresser, "From how she reacted to us earlier, something's out to get her, meaning she's trying to hide. However, the way she's going about it doesn't make sense, as anyone who enters this realm will instantly be able to find her, and hurt her. So, that's why Naoto exist." Suzaku leaned into the explanation, as Naoto's smile grew wider, "He protects her from the big bad, just like he would in real life. But, that's not all. This final clue has to do with me personally knowing Kallen from my timeline. She's not the type of girl who likes to hide behind others. Though, she's not foolish, and will take cover when necessary. This is one of those cases. And above all else, she likes to face things head-on, so it would make sense that she'd take on a form that she knows can protect her inner consciousness."

"I don't really understand it, but if Lelouch is that confident in his answer, then I'll trust his judgment." Suzaku confidently stood by his friend's side, awaiting the Kozuki's response.

However, instead of directly answering the Prince's suspicious, he instead laughed, "What's so funny?" the aforementioned boy asked.

Naoto tapped the center of his forehead and said, "You're right on the money. Well, almost. There's still a factor you're missing, but you're practically there regardless."

"What? I'm missing something?"

Suzaku put a hand on his friend's shoulder, "Personally, I don't think it matters. After all, you got the answer anyway, so who cares?"

"No, Suzaku. It does matter. This missing factor could be important in the future. What if it's something that'll aid us in answering our questions?"
The Kozuki began laughing upon seeing the Prince's distress, "Oh man. You really are smart, aren't you? Despite getting the right answer, you still yearn for knowledge. And to think this is the same guy who gave up on life not too long ago."

Those words rung throughout the duo's mind, as they were eerily similar to the Dimensional Supervisor, who had long since gone insane. "Wh-what are you doing here?" Lelouch asked shakily, "Are you the one Kallen's running from?"
Naoto leaned forward, and said at a creepily slow pace, "Ding. Ding. Ding."

"But how? I thought Naoto was supposed to be Kallen. So why… why are you in control of him?" Suzaku asked while preparing to charge forth.

The Dimensional Supervisor shook their finger, "That's the one factor you got wrong. You see, remember how you explained that from Genbu's existence, you learned that these forms can have a piece of their original soul infused in these projections? Well, I simply hijacked that mere piece, and took control of this form." before the boys could take a step forward, 'Naoto' explained, "Fear not. I haven't hurt Kallen. In fact, she's currently asleep right now." he tapped the center of his forehead once more, "I'd say she deserved the rest, after all, she's been on the run for so long."

"I don't get it. Why are you here? Are you just trying to make fun of us or something?" Suzaku demanded.

Suddenly, Naoto sent out his palm, and sent a massive black spike through Lelouch's chest, causing the boys to gasp. However, there was no blood. In fact, Lelouch hardly felt the prong penetrate his skin, "No. I just wanted to see what kind of progress you've made in retrieving your friend. That's all." slowly, the spike dissipated, much to the raven-haired boy's relief.

The Prince approached the Kozuki, and outstretched his hand, tapping the man's forehead in the process, "I don't need someone like you hanging over my head."

"Whether you like it or not, I'll always be here." the Dimensional Supervisor said before dissipating alongside the surrounding scenery.

Now, the boys found themselves back in their original forms in C's world. Though, Kallen now sat on her knees before them with a shocked face, "You… found me. How?"

Suzaku stepped forward, "I don't really understand it either… but what matter's is that we found you. And now…" he turned to Lelouch, who continued to observe the girl with an unflinching gaze. "Actually, I guess I don't really need you anymore. He's back to normal." then his eyes widened, "Wait… what are we going to do now?"

"I want my body back!" the red head shouted in protest, "I… I don't know how I got here. One day, I just woke up in this accursed place." she held her head in frustration, "That… abomination kept screaming, over and over again… it wouldn't stop…" regardless of the fact that she sounded like she was on the verge of tears, Kallen stared Lelouch in the eyes and muttered, "It's your fault, isn't it? It's your fault that I'm stuck here." she then burst forth, "That thing kept on talking about timeline's, and how you ruined two of them for some selfish goal!"

"Wait… the person she was hiding from… it wasn't the Dimensional Supervisor." the Prince narrowly dodged the red head as she tried to stab him in the eye with a dagger, "It's me!" he glided away from the girl as she continued her attack. "Her mind has been filled with information from the Dimensional Supervisor. She thinks I'm here to hurt her."

Suzaku immediately rushed to his friend's aid, and grabbed Kallen by the arm, before throwing her into the distance, "Stop! He's not here to hurt you! Neither of us are!" he attempted to reason with her.

"That's not what I heard!" the red head charged once again, this time, the Knight was prepared to fully fight back. She started by thrusting her knife toward his face, which he easily dodged by taking a step to the left. Then, he grabbed her by the wrist, and slammed her to the ground. It was a swift end to a pointless fight.

"Please, I want to return to my body just as much as you do. But we can't do this alone." Suzaku pointed at Lelouch, who awkwardly watched the confrontation, "He's the only one who could have even the slight chance of knowing how. So, while I know you're wary of him, I must ask that you please cooperate with us."

At first, Kallen tried to break free of the boy's grip, but eventually gave up upon realizing the strength disparity, "How can I be sure that you're not lying?"

"We have no reason to do such a thing." Lelouch answered. In truth, he had no reason to help them either. The only thing that could even be considered as a 'reason', was the fact that he felt responsible to right the wrongs he put upon the two. It was due to his mishap that they were thrust out of their bodies, and into C's world.

Suzaku carefully released the red head from his hold, allowing her to get up, "Even so… I need something more than that. I need… a plan."

"So, do you know what we'll need?" the Knight asked.

"I don't have one right now." this made the do clench their fist, "However, if we find a Thought Elevator, we'll be able to form one from there."
"A Thought Elevator?" Kallen tilted her head.

"They're basically doors that connect C's world to the real world. If I can reach one, then I'll be able to come in contact with a code bearer, and from there, we can work on restoring your bodies."

"Oh great. Don't tell me that we have to actually look for one now." Suzaku groaned, "That'll take forever."

"No. The problem isn't finding a thought elevator. After all, I'm aware of every single one that's currently active on earth. The only issue, is finding one that isn't occupied by Charles and V.V. If they find out what we're doing… well, I don't need to explain how much trouble that'll bring."

"The Emperor…" the red head muttered, "Damn it… this is stupid. I can't believe I have to work with a brit." she walked past the Prince, making sure he heard what was said.

"The fact that your racism transcends realms is beyond admirable. But all in the wrong ways." Lelouch commented while turning toward her, "Is there going to be a problem?"

"Considering that I can't kill you, yeah. There is." as she said that, Lelouch looked at his side, which had a dagger protruding out of it, "Other than that, I'll work with you to get my body back. But don't think for a second that this means we're friends." she pointed at the boy as he ripped out the blade, "Consider any relationship you had with the past me to be nonexistent, because there's no chance in hell I'll happily work with a Britannian. And a Prince no less." she stormed off, leaving the boys speechless.

"Wow. She's certainly… different from the Kallen in my timeline." Suzaku commented

"That is the Kallen from your timeline."

"Oh… right. Then I mean the one from…" the Knight hesitated, obviously waiting for Lelouch to confirm.

"My timeline."

"Yeah. From your timeline."

Lelouch sighed, "Whatever. This alliance is rocky to begin with."

He began to walk off, but was soon stopped by his friend, "Wait. Where are we heading to?"

"The Middle East." the Prince answered without skipping a beat, "Remember that woman we saw a while back? Well, I tracked her code all the way back to somewhere in the Middle East, meaning, there has to be a Thought Elevator there. And, if my calculations are correct, then the Middle East shouldn't be completely conquered at this point, meaning to chances of us encountering V.V or Charles should be minimal."

"Ah. Smart. It must be nice being from the future." Suzaku teased with a smile.

"You don't even know…" the Prince muttered before following behind Kallen.

The Knight sighed, "Well, at least he's not as pessimistic as before…" the Sword of Akasha let out another piercing roar, scaring the red head, "I hope I'll be able to get my body back soon… if that other me manages to kill Lelouch…" he trailed off, "I guess I just have to have faith in Kallen's ability to protect him." he felt his hand begin to shake, so in response, he took in a deep, relaxing breath. "This whole thing's still nerve racking. Leaving the fate of the world in someone else's hands isn't something I'm comfortable with, but if it's Lelouch, then I couldn't think of anyone better."

"Suzaku. Quit having a monologue and catch up!" the aforementioned boy called, "I won't hesitate to leave you in the dust, I hope you know that."

Suzaku sighed, "Ah. As brash as ever." he then quickly caught up to the disappearing figures as the Sword let out another scream. Signaling the beginning of their venture to the Middle East's Thought Elevator.

AN: Next few chapters should focus on the Rolo, Mao, and Clara conflict. This one was just to set Lelouch and NT Kallen, and Suzaku on their next task in the background.