AN: Status update on AO3: I'm still building up the courage to post on there.

Samurai Seven: Lelouch just needs saving here. In the future, he'll try to avoid these kinds of direct confrontations, as this is teaching him a lesson that, even with his Geass, he's not invincible.

DarkDremora: the scavenger hunt was mainly just filler for the real events to happen in the background. Though, I did try to keep that part light-hearted, as uninterested as I was.

Batazr: Who are you talking about?

Guest: That's some interesting information about Nunnally.

Chapter 63: Clara

February 15th.

C.C sat in the Prince's room with her head in her hands, pondering her next move, "The chances of Mario and Maya being able to withstand Mao's Geass are high. However, due to this, they might not be as effective against Rolo or Clara in a fight. So, if I'm going to include them, I have to include someone who has decent fighting experience." in her mind, only three people came to mind, "Kallen, Suzaku, or Naoto. I can't come in contact with Naoto, and picking Suzaku is the riskiest option considering that I'm trying to save Lelouch, though, there might be a way to get him involved." she trailed off, before circling back to her first option, "As I said before, Kallen's the most susceptible to Mao's Geass, but against Rolo or Clara, in a straight fight, she'd be the best choice. We just have to deal with Mao first."

The Immortal sighed heavily. The Chinese boy she let live long ago had turned out to be a real pain in more than one timeline. In order to defeat Rolo, she has to be the one to face him. To beat Clara, Kallen has to face her, leaving the Disel twins to take on Mao. But would this even work? There's no guarantee that Maya or Mario could beat Mao, considering that they might each be hiding some kind of secret to exploit, but it's the best option she's got.

In truth, there was no perfect opponent against Mao. Everyone has secrets that can be exploited, it's just a matter of how people can react to them being exposed. Hopefully, with the Disel twins, their secrets won't be so devastating, that it'd lead to their defeat.

"We're still spread too thin…" her mind wandered back to Suzaku, who had a stern face in her mind, "If we had just one more person, victory would be guaranteed."

The bed creaked as she laid flat against it, staring at the empty ceiling in the process, "Sayoko." she called.

Soon, the Japanese maid entered the room, and asked, "What is it that you need?"
"Can you get me something from Lord Jeremiah?"

Sayoko quirked an eyebrow upon hearing such a request, "It depends on what it is. Though, I doubt he'd have any qualms if it was Master Lelouch asking."

The green-haired girl shook her head, "No. This is more of a personal request." she took in a deep breath, before mouthing her request, shocking the maid.

"Are you sure that's wise?"

"Is there a problem?"

"No. In fact, I doubt the Margrave would have any trouble obtaining such an item. However… I find it questionable that you would require something so… unstable."

"Don't worry. If it ends up failing, then you'll be there to protect us."

"Then why bring in the object?"

"Because… there's an invisible factor at play that makes it far more effective than you. No offense."

At first, Sayoko hesitated to do as C.C asked, but after a minute of conversing within herself, she decided the best course of action would be to follow the immortal's orders. After all, she was one of the few people who worked directly with the Prince.

Kallen banged on the door of the Ashford Academy Clubhouse, clearly frustrated with the current situation she was in. "Seriously? What's with this guy? He doesn't answer any of my calls from last night, so I thought he was busy. But now, he doesn't even answer the door?" she knocked once more, this time, the door opened, revealing C.C, who had an unimpressed face, "Where's Lelouch?"

"I knew you'd show up eventually." the Immortal muttered with a sigh, "Though, you appeared a bit later than I thought you would."

"Enough with the riddles. Where'd you hide Lelouch this time?"

"I've never done such a thing."

"Yet."

"Never."

"Ugh. Just answer my question." the red head calmly moved past her friend, who was surprisingly still unamused, despite the exchange they just shared. Though, Kallen made no note of it, as it was just a one-off thing, "Where's Nunnally?"

"I had her moved to a safe location with Milly." C.C answered while closing the door, taking the Kozuki by surprise.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she placed a hand on her hip with a stern look.

"Something has happened to Lelouch." those words echoed throughout Kallen's mind. Almost like shell-shock, the memories of the boy's death played on repeat in her mind, making the next words the immortal uttered seem completely silent.

Though, for some reason, Kallen could still understand her, "What do you mean… kidnapped?"

"Taken hostage would be the correct terminology. But nonetheless, he's in some serious danger. And… I regrettably need your help-"

Before she could finish her sentence, the red head slapped her across the face, causing a loud crackle to ring throughout the empty hall, "The hell do you mean, 'regrettably'? And what the hell happened to Lelouch?"

C.C tried to take a step back, only to be met with the same motion from the fiery red head, whose anger was growing by the second, "Please, I need you to calm down, Kallen. Resorting to anger, especially now, would do us no good. After all, we only have until 9PM to save him."

"Save?" Kallen clenched her fist, "You will explain everything to me. Do you understand?"

C.C nodded. She knew this was going to happen. There was no way she could hide the truth behind Lelouch's disappearance from Kallen for long, especially with how close she is with the boy at all time. So, she had no choice but to include the red head in her plans.

Shinjuku Ghetto

Clara anxiously tapped her foot while watching the field before her with a sniper rifle. She was currently situated within a small foxhole, which was dug a few hours prior. The only thing that gave away her position, was the glint of her scope, which was only noticeable once you entered the field itself. But by then, it would be too late. "Clara. Status." the voice of Rolo boomed over her earpiece.

"Nothing for miles." she calmly answered while adjusting her scope.

"Then can you transfer some control of Mao over to me? I need to find out who this kid is, and why he's so important to C.C."

The girl rolled her eyes. She appreciated that Rolo didn't use Lelouch's name, as it might've triggered her Geass command 'Die'. But, just because she appreciated it, doesn't mean she'd give a straight answer, "I would do that… but it feels kind of weird to grant that power to some rando, don't you think?"

The assassin clenched his fist in annoyance, "Just what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, everyone knows women can do no wrong while controlling someone's life, whereas men are villains who'll take the first opportunity to-"

"I seriously couldn't care less." Rolo interrupted her abruptly, "Just give me control over him, and I'll quickly extract the information out of the boy. Afterward, you can have him back."

The pink-haired girl sighed, "Fine. I'll send him over via radio." she changed the channel, and contacted Mao, "Hey, until he tells you to return to me, do everything that Rolo says."

Despite not making eye contact with the man, Clara's new order went through thanks to the general Geass order that possessed Mao. "Yes, my lady." he answered before robotically moving toward the roof's exit, where he would head to the assassin's location.

The ceiling creaked overhead as he moved through the run-down hallway, toward a set of large wooden doors, that were relatively intact. Since there were no working lights in the building, he blindly felt for the door nob, before coming in contact with it, and opening the door. Inside, Lelouch was shackled to a chair, surrounded by tight metal chains that would constrict him if he tried to move. Off to the side, Rolo sat atop a wooden desk, which looked over the landscape through the large barred window. "Read his mind." he calmly commanded while pointing at Lelouch.

Hesitantly, Mao began sifting through the Prince's mind, finding out heritage, Geass ability, and the true name of his girlfriend, which would only be useful to Clara, should she need to face off against her in the future.

"Report." Rolo ordered sternly.

"He's… a Prince of Britannia, with a Geass ability that allows him to give commands to others, similar to Clara's Geass. Except, he doesn't have to say their name."

The assassin nodded, "His ability is something I suspected as much. Though, a Prince of Britannia? I don't recall one with the name Lelouch. What else?"

"His girlfriend's name is Kallen Kozuki."

"That doesn't concern me." Rolo dismissed casually, "Give me more. Something pertaining to his royal lineage." he began tapping his finger on the table, "Perhaps Master V.V would like to speak with him personally. It looks like this truly will be worth it. Good thing I managed to convince Clara to let me use Mao."

Mao entered the boy's mind once again, this time, going even deeper into his consciousness. Finally, he came across the moment he was sent to Japan by his father, "His name is… Lelouch Vi Britannia. He was sent to Japan as a political hostage at the age of 10, alongside his sister, Nunnally Vi Britannia."

"Sister? This is starting to get interesting. Tell me more."

"They were sent to the Prime Minister's shrine, where he met and befriended Suzaku Kururugi. Though, things would suddenly go awry, when Britannia attacked Japan in 2010 a.t.b. That's when he and his sister would be pronounced dead."

Rolo abruptly stopped tapping, "So… there has to be some kind of value in bringing a Prince back to Master V.V, especially a lost one, right? I mean, he did the same with Pollux and Castor, I don't see why this would be any different." he got onto his feet and said, "Alright, we'll do a bit more intel extracting, then we'll call it for today."

"Yes, sir."

ASEEC Warehouse

"Suzaku!" Lloyd called, "Don't forget to disarm the Lancelot of it's VARIS cannon. We don't want to scare the ceremony, after all."

"On it." the Knight carefully attached the overhanging crane to the VARIS, before pulling it off, "You want it in the truck, right?"

"Correct. And do the same to the Club too."

Rai was busy handing out clean jumpsuits to the mechanics, who were eager to finally get a new set. However, event they knew something was up, "So… what's the occasion?" one asked while holding his clean outfit.

"Don't you know? Today's the knighting ceremony for Princess Euphemia and Viceroy Lila. They'll be choosing their personal protector out of thousands, no, maybe hundreds of thousands of candidates." Cecile explained, "And, Suzaku and Rai are a part of that list."

This made the entire warehouse whisper, "Are you sure Suzaku stands a chance, though? I mean, we know he's a good guy since we work with him every day, but the Princess' don't. So, I think Rai might have an unfair advantage." one old man said before looking at the silver-haired boy, "No offense."

Rai casually waved the comment off. He had been a part of the ASEEC crew for long enough to know that they mean well. "Well, it's my personal belief that both Princess' are fair judges. They look at every candidate's achievements. Not their race." Lloyd answered with a calm smile.

"Oh, I think you have us mistaken." a younger mechanic replied, "We're not worried about the Princess' choice, but the people behind them." the rest of the warehouse nodded in agreement, "After all, it's common knowledge that the nobles behind the royal family are the ones that dictate their choices most of the time. And, if they don't want an Eleven as a Knight, then it simply won't happen."

This time, Suzaku was the one who stepped forward, and said, "Princess Euphemia is not someone who's easily influenced by some nobles. She's got a strong head on her shoulders. So, once her mind's set on something, she'll get it."

"Wow, it sounds like you know her pretty well." the mad scientist commented in an almost taunting tone. Nevertheless, he checked the time, "Alright, enough chit-chat. We have to get all our gear packed up for the trip to the Yokota Air Base."

"Wait, why are we taking so much if it's just for a ceremony?" Rai asked a genuinely good question.

"Isn't that obvious? Anything could happen. So, if something does go wrong, we'll be the only one's there with enough firepower to fend off a rogue attack." Lloyd explained simply. "Of course, we don't want to scare the people, so the Lancelot and Lancelot Club will be stripped of nearly all their weapons, except for the MVS."

"Since when did you get so considerate?" a mechanic asked jokingly.

"If you must know, Cecile was the one who suggested such a thing."

The entire building busted out into laughter, "Ah! Saw that coming! There's no way Lloyd would actually be considerate!"

"Hey! Don't forget, I'm the one paying your salary!"

Despite this reminder, the warehouse continued to laugh, much to the scientist's annoyance. "So, when are we supposed to be there?" Suzaku asked.

"Well, we're going to be stationed at the air base until Monday, but the actual event takes place today. At about 10:00 PM."

"Oh. Why so late?" Rai added while checking off a box on a clipboard.

"Really? Is it strange for an event to be hosted that late?"

"At 10? Yeah, kind of. Some of us have to sleep, you know?" a mechanic called.

"If you have some kind of complaint, I advise you bring it up to the Viceroy." this managed to silence the group, "That's what I thought. Now, there will be a nice reception beforehand for those who will participate in the event. Here, they'll showcase their strengths in friendly Knightmare combat, in a specially built arena."

"Wait… for those involved… are you saying we don't have to be there!?"

"Obviously not. This is more for Suzaku and Rai. Though, I'm sure they'd greatly appreciate your supportive presence." Lloyd looked at the schedule and explained, "Since there are so many participants, this part will take the longest, with the banquet going from 5-7, and the actual fighting from 7-9."

"Woah. Y'all are getting a banquet!?" an older mechanic put an arm around Rai and Suzaku as they crossed paths, "Man, I'm so jealous."

"As if you have any table manners." another joked, causing the facility to laugh once again.

"Honestly, it's still in the air if I'll be chosen as a Knight. Have I done enough to gain Lila and Euphemia's trust? Hopefully. Regardless, I need the jurisdiction, so I can more freely move against Lelouch's schemes. That'll be the only way I can get close." Suddenly, his phone began to ring. Though, he didn't recognize the number, so he answered with caution, "Hello?"

"I need your help." a familiar voice spoke, causing the Knight's eyes to widen.

Ashford Academy Student Clubhouse

"I would appreciate it if you didn't step out so abruptly to speak with Sayoko like that." Kallen said as the immortal reentered the room, "What was so important that you two didn't want me to hear?"

"It was nothing really. Just telling her that her presence is needed here, guarding Nunnally."

"I can agree with that. It's bad enough that one of them is captured. If Nunna were to end up in the same situation, I'd fear for the worst."

"Precisely." C.C took a seat across from the red head, "Now, I don't exactly know the status of Clara, considering that last I saw her, she was given the Geass command to 'die' from Lelouch. So, there's a good chance she's already been dealt with. But, just to be safe, we'll be planning as if she is alive, just to be safe."

"Very well. So, what will we need?"

"I was thinking of getting Maya and Mario to help. They'll be able to deal with Mao, considering his ability would be devastating to you otherwise. If Clara is still alive, then you'll be taking care of her, while I face off against Rolo, since I won't be affected by his Geass."

"Well, I don't want to be completely phased out of the plan if Clara is in fact dead. So, if that's the case, then I'll be helping you fight Rolo."

"If that does happen, then you have to stay out of his Geass' range."

"Got it." Kallen responded while taking out her phone to message Maya and Mario. "They'll be here in 30 minutes."

"Good. While we're waiting, let's go over each of their abilities." C.C. explained, "Mao has the ability to read minds, making him especially difficult to beat for someone like Lelouch, or for someone who carries a vulnerable secret. That, of course, includes you."

"Wait, where was this guy in the original timeline? And how did you defeat him if Lelouch couldn't?"

"Well, we beat him twice. The first time, was due to Lelouch managing to outsmart Mao by using his Geass against him. The second time, he kidnapped Nunnally, causing Suzaku to join Lelouch in rescuing her."

"Seriously… Suzaku helped back then?" the red head clenched her fist, "Just how much did he do behind the scenes?"

"Of course, you should already know Rolo's abilities. As for Clara, she's still relatively unknown, but I suspect her ability to be similar to Lelouch's. Though, the exact prerequisites are unknown, so be careful when facing her."

"Where are they located?"

"In Shinjuku. They messaged me their exact location this morning."

"You know it'll be guarded, right?" Kallen asked.

"Of course. That's why we need to be careful. Apparently, there's an old museum they're held up in. On the list of revisions, it's last since it remained relatively intact considering the current state of the Ghetto." C.C explained.

"So, do you think we'll need the Guren?"

"We can't do that. Any major Knightmare movement would surely alert the Britannian military."

"What about Naoto and the Black Knight's? Do you think we'll be able to use them?"

"No. Right now, Naoto needs to act as replacement for Zero, so we can't include him in this operation. As for the Black Knight's as a whole, unless Rolo manages to bring the Britannian military into this, we won't need them."

Kallen nodded, "So, it'll be you, me, Mario, and Maya against Rolo, Mao, and presumably Clara? Sounds fair."

"We certainly have better odds than most of our battles thus far."

"Then let's do it. Let's save Lelouch." the red head stood up, "And this time, I won't let him out of my sight."

As she walked away, C.C felt a strange aura emanate off Kallen's body, sending a shiver down her spine, "I'm afraid I've angered some kind of sleeping beast. And not in the endearing kind of way."

"What the hell was Lelouch even doing? Following Clara like that." the red head began aggressively dropping food into Nemo's, Nunnally's goldfish, tank. "Was he seriously trying to Geass her or something? Why didn't he come get me anyway? I would've gladly helped."

"Ah, is that you, Kallen?" Nunnally called as Sayoko wheeled her in, "What are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm feeding Nemo." she answered while putting the food down.

"Well, you should be careful. I don't want Nemo getting fat. Then, she won't be able to swim properly." the innocent Princess answered as the plump fish happily swam around the tank, eating the flakes that had been dropped in.

"Sorry…" the red head replied while taking a seat on the couch.

"Is something wrong?"

"No. It's nothing, really."

Nunnally moved toward Kallen, and put a hand on hers, "I can tell that something's bothering you. Please, you can tell me." after a moment of silence, she persisted, "Did Lelouch do something wrong?" upon noticing a change in her friend's heart rate, she asked, "Oh, so that's it. What'd he do?"

"It's… it's nothing that he did specifically. But…" the red head had to come up with a lie. If she told Nunnally her brother had been captured by a group of 'criminals', she might never recover from the shock. "When I came to see him today, he was nowhere to be found. So… I'm just worried, that's all."

"Really? That's strange. Every time I'm with my brother, you always seem to be there. But then again, I guess everyone needs time to themselves." sensing that wasn't what Kallen meant, Nunnally went back on-topic, "Anyway, I'm sure he's using this time to surprise you. My brother's not a malicious person, so he's probably trying to do something nice for you."

"Nice for me?" Kallen muttered, "Maybe he didn't want to bother me with Clara, since he was confident he could take care of it alone. Even so, it was still reckless, and I would've liked some kind of warning." she shook her head, "What am I saying? Lelouch is in trouble right now. He needs to be saved, not reprimanded. I'll get my answers later. For now, I'll put those questions aside, and focus on saving him." then, she gently squeezed the Princess' hand, "Thank you, Nunna. I'll have to go soon, so if you see Lelouch, tell him to call me, okay?"

Nunnally chuckled at the comment, "Don't worry, I'll give my brother an earful for making you feel like this."

Kallen smiled, "Thanks. I'll count on it."

8:00 PM. Shinjuku Ghetto

"Master V.V. Thank you for returning my call." Rolo reported to his master.

"My apologies for being late. It's quite busy in the capital with what's going on in Area 11. I hope, whatever was troubling you, hasn't gotten out of hand."

"Thank you for your concern. You remember that boy I reported to have captured?"

"Yes. The one who made a contract with C.C."

"Correct. Well, as it turns out, he's a Britannian Prince. Lelouch Vi Britannia to be specific."

"Vi Britannia?" V.V quirked an eyebrow, "So, Marianne's children still live, huh? This news is definitely… interesting. Perhaps he could serve some use to me." he smiled, "I'll have a flight arranged for you at Yokota Air Base. Head there immediately with the Prince in tow. I want to meet him myself."

"What about C.C?"

"I trust Clara will be able to capture her alone. After all, she has that mind-reader to aid against any… unprecedented guests."

"Understood. I'll head to Yokota Air Base at once." upon hearing the faint clip of the phone being hung up, Rolo grabbed Lelouch by the hair and told Mao, "Return to Clara. Tell her I'm leaving to Yokota Air Base. If she successfully captures C.C in the meantime, then she's free to join me there."

8:30PM.

Maya yawned as the group overlooked the museum, which looked exactly as you'd suspect, with several pillars being knocked over, providing cover for those approaching the stairs. There was then the massive field in front of it, that had a fountain towards the center. "There's an exactly 0% chance of there not being some kind of trap laid out for us there." Kallen muttered while putting her binoculars down.

"I don't know about 0%, but yeah, there's probably a trap down there." Maya added.

"Regardless, you understand the plan, don't you?" C.C looked at Kallen with knowing eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll take care of it." the red head responded before instantly hitting a mad sprint forward. At that moment, she saw a faint glint appear close to the museum stairs. In response, she instinctively shifted left, narrowly dodging a bullet aimed for her head. "There has to be a better way to do this."

In truth, there was. But, due to the time crunch, they were fearful of missing their chance to save Lelouch. So, they decided to leverage Kallen's superior speed to break through any traps Clara or Rolo might've laid. And, it seemed to work, because in the matter of two minutes, she reached the pink-haired girl's position, kicking away the sniper rifle as she tried to fight back.

"Kallen Stadtfeld!? What are you doing here?" Clara asked while sending a punch toward her opponent.

In response, the red head grabbed the incoming fist, and threw the pink-haired girl toward the stairs, causing her to tumble repeatedly, before coming to a screeching halt. "Don't make eye contact just to be safe." with those words in mind, Kallen burst forth, catching the Geass order assailant by surprise with her speed.

"Damn it. With this much pressure, I won't be able to get a command off!" Clara felt a strong kick crash through her guard, sending her body tumbling up the stairs, coming to a complete stop at the second step. "Good thing I created a contingency for this!"

From behind the pink-haired girl, several Japanese men ran out of the building, standing between her and the Stadtfeld, "Geass…" C.C muttered as she witnessed red rings form around the men's eyes.

Maya and Mario rushed to Kallen's aid, taking up a fighting stance in the process, "You're not the only one whose got an army. Now, Kallen Stadtfeld." Clara's Geass flared, forcing the trio to look down instinctively. But, it would prove futile in face of this new Geass, "Die." a Geass symbol flew toward the red head, intending to bring a swift end to the fighting.

However, due to a miscalculation on Clara's part, and a failure to provide need-to-know information from Rolo, the order fell short due to not using Kallen's real name. "It failed!?" the pink-haired girl took a step back in shock as the symbol shattered upon making contact with the red head's body.

"Heh. Looks like her Geass really does work through eye contact." Kallen thought confidently while rushing forward, taking out two of Clara's guards in the process.

Mario and Maya soon joined her in fighting off the Japanese men, while their real target ran into the museum, closely followed by C.C, "Mao! Find out Kallen's real name!" she called out to the Chinese man, who was situated atop the roof with an intercom system. "And capture this idiot!" upon sending her hand out, numerous Japanese men leapt out from nearby rooms, intending to restrain the witch in one fell swoop. However, the woman used one of the men to launch herself onto the ceiling. Just then, Kallen burst through the crowd, using a man as a battering ram in the process.

Clara ducked into a room just her opponent tossed away her meat shield, "Kallen! Focus on defeating Clara!" C.C ordered, as she and the Disel siblings took care of the hoards of Geassed men. "Maya, you go too." the witch commanded once the red head left their sight, "The more we have fighting her, the better."

"Got it!" Maya burst through the crowd, leaving her brother and C.C alone.

"This isn't good. We're already spread too thin, and we haven't even come in contact with Mao or Rolo yet. The only positive is they have to come after me, so Rolo shouldn't attack Kallen or Maya." behind the immortal, Mario took out two Japanese men in quick succession, much to her surprise, "It's a good thing Mario's been trying to improve his martial arts, otherwise, this would be a lot harder than it already is."

By tossing the bodies of defeated Geassed men, C.C and Mario were able to disperse the crowd just enough to where they'd be able to face off against the overwhelming forces one or even two at a time. And, given the fact that the amount should be finite, the duo should be finished in no time.

Though, the same couldn't be said for Kallen and Maya.

"Get back here!" the red head shouted while crashing through a door, trying to catch Clara as she made her way up the stairs to the roof.

"Mao! I sure hope you've found something interesting in this girl's head!" the pink-haired girl called while bursting through the door, "Because quite frankly, this is getting tiring!"

Kallen followed soon behind, only to be met with the Chinese man holding a megaphone, "Her real name, is Kallen Kozuki."

"Good job." Clara responded with a smile, before locking eyes with the red head. "Kallen Kozuki-"

Before she could send the order, Kallen used the roof's door as cover, breaking her assailants gaze. "Real name? What's that got to do with anything?" she muttered while running down the stairs, "Shit. It must mean a lot if she's so confident now. Before, she wouldn't even face me, but now she thinks she can take me on. Maybe that's one of the prerequisites for her Geass? No, I can't think about that right now."

"Kally!" Maya called through heavy breaths, "Man, you two sure are fast. I could barely keep up."

Meanwhile, on the other side of the door, Clara listened carefully to the conversation, "Sounds like they're still there. Mao, use your ability to read Kallen's mind, find something, anything that would disrupt her flow."

With this, Clara was hoping she would be able to beat the red head in a straight fight, considering that right now, she was on a roll, and didn't look like she could be taken down through conventional means.

In minutes, Mao approached his intercom system, and activated it, "Kallen Kozuki. I know your secret. The thing you're desperately trying to hide from everyone. Including Lelouch Vi Britannia."

Those words made the red head visibly shake in fear. Of course, since she had never seen her friend like this before, Maya was obviously curious, "Kally… what's he talking about?"

"Nothing!" Kallen frantically shouted, "He doesn't know anything!"

"But… didn't you say that Mao guy can read-"

"Shut up!" the red head approached the door, "I can't let them find out… even if I have to face-off against Clara unprepared."

"Kally! Wait!" Maya pleaded, "Whatever your secret is, you don't have to worry. I'm sure it's not something even half as bad as you think it is!"

However, those words didn't reach Kallen, as she kicked the door open, much to Clara's joy. Though, just as she was about to execute the command once again, the red head sent a shoulder into her. The pink-haired girl fell to the ground in a daze, "Not bad, Ms. Kozuki!" Mao shouted, "But in the end, you'll still fail!"

Beneath them, C.C overheard the broadcast as she broke into the last room they had to check. Much to her dismay, however, Lelouch was nowhere to be found, "Damn it… where'd Rolo go?" she muttered as Mario carefully listened to the Chinese man.

"Your precious Lulu has already been moved to Yokota Air Base. There, he'll be transported to Britannia, where you'll never see him ever again!"

"Shut up!" the red head charged at Mao, only to be stopped by Clara, who held a malicious grin. Though, just as she was about to use her Geass, Kallen sent a strong kick to her forehead, knocking her away.

"He'll slip right out of your grasp, just like before!"

Maya tried to shoot the insane man, but failed in doing so as she was cut off by a rogue Geassed man, who managed to split off from Mario and C.C. "Get out of my head, you freak!" Kallen took a step forward, only to hear Clara standing up, with her Geass flared.

"Kallen Kozuki-"

Just like before, she was interrupted by a swift kick. Though, this time it was followed up by an onslaught of punches, each with the intent to kill its opponent. "You'll fail him once again. How tragic, the girl who travelled back in time to save the man she loved most, failed to keep him safe due to her own recklessness. I guess you can't fight nature."

Clara smiled sadistically as Kallen threw her against a wall. Her eyes filled with rage, and empty of remorse. Though, it appeared that there was still some sanity behind them, as she tried to turn toward the loud-mouth. Nevertheless, the pink-haired girl wouldn't give up so easily, as she used the last of her strength to put a hand on her assailants shoulder. But, this would soon be met by an instantaneous punch that knocked her teeth out, and pushed her against the wall once more.

However, this wouldn't be the end, as Kallen sent another punch into the assassin's gut, causing her to scream in pain. Then, followed up with a strike to the throat, kick to the liver, right hook to the face, and finally, an uppercut that lifted her off the ground slightly.

Overhead, dark clouds rolled in, and with them, rain soon fell.

Just as Clara landed on the ground, the red head continued by punching her square in the nose, breaking it upon contact. She followed up with a knee to the sternum, cracking the girl's diaphragm from the sheer power. At this point, the fight was beyond over. Clara was on the edge of death, only clinging on to life thanks to her 'live' command. But it wouldn't be over yet, as when she tried to kneel in pain, Kallen delivered a final axe kick to the back of her head, officially ending the fight, causing the pink-haired girl to go unconscious.

Despite her overwhelming victory, the red head stared at her victim's lifeless body while heaving in and out. In the background, Mao continued to spout insults about Lelouch as Maya finally dealt with her assailant. Directly below them, C.C desperately hobbled to the direction of the roof, trying to reach Kallen in time to warn her of a new threat. Meanwhile, Mario laid flat out in a hallway with a single, deep cut across his body.

But none of this mattered.

Not to Kallen.

Right now, she felt absolutely nothing. The only thing she could hear clearly was her boyfriends name being repeated throughout her mind, attempting to bring her back into reality. But the cold rain only served to drown out those thoughts. Her bloody hands, not covered in her own, dripped onto the floor as the victim clung onto life. Finally, she moved. Kallen moved her hands forward, and stared at them like a child staring at paint. Then, she screamed. Not one of rage. But of fear. For in her mind, the lifeless body of Clara, resembled that of Lelouch's on the Emperor's float.

This caused memories of the previous timeline to flood in, causing her to breakdown. "I… I didn't do it…" she muttered as Maya was grabbed from behind, and tossed down the stairs. Her head was the first to make contact with the concrete, cracking her skull, putting her on the brink of death almost instantly, "It wasn't me… it wasn't my fault…"

"But it was." Mao's sadistic voice chimed in as he began clapping. Though, thanks to the rain, it was hardly noticeable, "It was your fault he died. If only you stayed by his side, then maybe things could've changed. But I suppose we'll never know, since you're a coward."

The red head tried to stand up, but the sight of her boyfriend dead continued to haunt her mind, which caused the strength in her legs to fade instantly, "Am I a coward? Maybe that's right… after all, I abandoned him when he needed me most…" she punched the ground once, "He needed someone strong, and yet I… yet I…"

"Gah!" Mao squealed as the sound of something sharp pierced through his chest.

"I can't believe C.C lied to me." the voice of Suzaku crashed through Kallen's breakdown, "Then again, I should expect nothing less from a witch." he withdrew his blade. Thanks to Mao's fixation with reading the red head's mind, he failed to notice the Knight making his way through the building, opting to heartlessly kill the Geassed men, instead of knock them out, like Mario and C.C.

"Y-you! You're also-" before he could finish his sentence, Suzaku cut Mao's head off in a single slash. Releasing him from Clara's Geass through death.

"A pitiful end, to a cowardly opponent." the corrupted Knight wiped the diluted blood off his blade, and pointed it at Kallen.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" she asked in a shaky voice.

"C.C told me that Mao had kidnapped Nunnally once again. But, it appears that was just a ploy to assist me in…" he reflected on what he had to do to get to this point, but shrugged it off as another day in the office, "Whatever this is…"

The red head used the last of her strength to stand up, facing against the Knight with conviction, "I… I won't let you touch Lelouch."

Suzaku smiled, "See, that's the thing. You can't do that." he looked at her shaking legs, which only held a vestige of their true strength, "You're hardly in the right condition to be fighting me. Though, I won't complain if you do, since it'll be an easy kill for me." he then pointed in the direction of Yokota Air Base, "Either way, it doesn't matter. After all, I have free access to Yokota, while you don't. In the end, I'll get to Lelouch first, while you'll stay here, dead or alive, regretting your choices."

"Never took you as someone who gloated over their victories… punk." Kallen spat on his shoes, trying to get a reaction. But Suzaku wasn't stupid.

"My victory is all but assured. Either I get to kill him here, or he gets assassinated once it's revealed that he's alive to the rest of the Royal Family. Though, I'd prefer to do things myself." the Knight then sheathed this blade and blitzed past Kallen, before delivering a kick to her leg, snapping it like a twig. "Goodbye, Kallen Kozuki. I hope you find peace in the next life." he withdrew his blade and attempted to go in for the kill.

Though, just in the knick of time, C.C rushed in, and blocked the strike with a flimsy dagger, that snapped upon contact, sending the blade into her shoulder. "Damn it… so strong." she muttered in pain.

"Seriously?" Suzaku leapt back, blade in hand, "Considering the schedule, the next flight to leave should be around 11. And it's currently… 9:32. It'll take me about half an hour to return to the event, just barely in time to hear the Princess' speech." he sheathed it, "Though, that means I don't have time to kill these two, especially on such a time crunch."

"Coward!" Kallen shouted in desperation as the Knight jumped off the roof, "Coward…" she muttered softly. This time, it was as if she was cursing herself. "Why did you call Suzaku?"

"I thought he would be the best choice. As long as he didn't find out Lelouch was the real person we were saving, then he'd help us to the best of his abilities. And even if he did, I thought we'd be able to take him regardless. Though, I couldn't foresee Clara and Mao giving us such trouble. Not only that, but he managed to get the jump on me and Mario, putting us at an even worse disadvantage." C.C explained, as her wounds healed, "I… apologize."

"We should've brought Sayoko…"

"And leave Nunnally unprotected? Lelouch would never have that."

"It's better than this!" the red head shouted as she tried to stand up, only to fall upon putting weight on her right let, "This is so humiliating…" she muttered with tears in her eyes, "I failed again… Lelouch is going to die, all because of me."

"Save your tears. While we're out of the battle, we still have one last trump card." the witch took out her phone, and dialed a mysterious number.

"Hello?" the voice of Naoto answered.

"Mobilize the Black Knight's." she commanded simply, "We need you to attack Yokota Air Base. Lelouch's been captured there."

While Naoto would've questioned C.C's odd request at first, especially considering that he had discussed with Lelouch about the cons of such an assault; one being mass casualties. But upon hearing that Lelouch was being held there, he put away those previous thoughts, and responded, "Understood." he walked over to his closet and opened a secret compartment, revealing his Zero costume, "Do you know where he's located?"

"No. You'll have to scour the area. But know this, he's being guarded by an Eden Vital member."

"Those creeps? What's his power?"

"He can stop your perception of time, so maintain distance."

"Got it." Naoto successfully put on his outfit and hung up, activating a call for the Black Knight's to meet up for an emergency meeting.

"What about us?" Kallen asked as she felt the rain hit the back of her head, "We have to help somehow."

"We can help… by going to the hospital." C.C dialed an ambulance, "If we… you push yourself any harder, you'll surely die."

"A worthy sacrifice to save Lelouch."

"No. If he finds out you died trying to save him, it'll kill him from the inside out." the witch answered calmly, "Just leave it to Naoto. I know he'll succeed. After all, Lelouch put his faith in him to be a replacement Zero. So, he's gotta be good."

"Even so… I hate this feeling." Kallen muttered, "I feel so useless…"

With a single strike, C.C knocked the red head out, "Like I said, you don't need to worry." the rain continued to fall, and she moved Kallen inside, as well as retrieving Maya and Mario, who were barely alive. "I can't believe my plan backfired like this… No. I can believe it." the immortal massaged her face in frustration, "Naoto, I leave everything in your hands."

AN: Having C.C choose to include Suzaku in this battle against Rolo, Clara, and Mao might've seemed like a bad idea, but keep in perspective, that he's the single best option against Mao, considering that he no longer has the same weakness' as OT Suzaku did. He's also not (as) haunted by his actions of the past. Currently, his sole focus is killing Lelouch. But when it comes to Nunnally, he'll protect her all the same. So, as long as she kept who they were really saving a secret, they could use Suzaku to his fullest. There was also a high possibility of him burning himself out, so if (or when) he found out that they were really there for Lelouch, he'd be outnumbered by Kallen and C.C.

Mao isn't a character I see going far. Sure, he could be used in the future for Black Knight's operations, but he's simply too unstable.

Also, Clara's still alive. And, next chapter will focus on Naoto and his efforts.