AN:

Samurai Seven: I'm probably not going to include the Disel's red-haired aunt. Of course, there's room to include her, but there doesn't seem to be any need at the moment.

Alan Wake: Suzaku's a stubborn man, but I'm sure his mind could be changed upon witnessing the extreme.

Guest: Rolo hasn't had a chance to grow a connection with Lelouch and the group, so there's currently no entry point for him to join them. Unless Clara says something, which isn't likely. Lelouch and Rai are allies through the convenience of Princess Euphemia. Outside of that, Rai couldn't care less about the Prince, and vice-versa. Without Euphemia, they'd simply be enemies. For the time being, Marrybell with be an antagonist. Though, that could change in the future.

Dark Dremora: Whoever's touching the Chalice, will be the person they're seeing through (e.x, OT Lelouch touches the chalice, then they'll see through NT Lelouch's eyes. Or if NT Kallen touches the chalice, then they'll see through OT Kallen's eyes.). They won't be able to manipulate their counterparts actions, just observe them. And by touching the person who's in direct contact with the chalice, they'll join in on the 'live recording'.

REKS021: I appreciate the positive feedback. I don't have any pairings in mind for the Disel siblings yet

Chapter 75: Calm Before the Storm

March 13th.

It's been roughly 2 weeks since the battle of Mount Nikko, and ever since then, the Black Knights had been constantly on the back foot with warehouse after warehouse being wiped out by the Marrybell. And to say Lelouch wasn't pleased, would be an understatement.

"Lelouch…" Naoto quietly entered Zero's office as the masked man hung his head over a large table, "I… have some news…"

"Which ones?" the Prince asked with a dejected tone.

The Kozuki hesitantly placed a folder on the table, where he watched Lelouch instantly pick it up, "The… Ginza sectors been wiped out."

Kallen watched the interaction from the bed, and decided to approach her boyfriend as he clenched the paper tightly, "Lelouch." she called gently while placing a hand on his shoulder.

"How the hell do they know?" he muttered, "Every time I move new troops to a sector, mere days later they're eliminated."

The red head began massaging her boyfriends tense shoulders, which became common practice over the past few days, as the stress Marrybell was putting on him was taking a considerable toll. Even Cornelia wasn't able to get to Lelouch like this. "Just who is Marrybell Mel Britannia?" Kallen thought to herself as Lelouch leaned into her touch.

"Thank you." he whispered with a light blush.

"No problem." the red head caressed his hair and sat on the couch.

Naoto cleared his throat, "Anyway. I… may have reason to believe there could be a… mole among us." he had always wanted to use that word. Like a spy. 'Mole'.

"You think someone's leaking our movement?" Lelouch's eyes narrowed, "That can't be possible. The only ones who know about the moves are myself, you, Tohdoh, Ohgi, Kallen, C.C, Mario, Maya, and Rakshata." he stopped himself, "Actually, that's a lot of people. Regardless, I don't believe any of them would leak our movement to Britannia."

"What about Clara? She's been there too."

The room fell silent that the mention of the Black Knight's newest big player. "I doubt that." the red head spoke up, "While Clara would be easy to suspect, she and C.C have been getting close recently, so I doubt she'd be able to do anything without her knowing."

Naoto nodded, "I suppose that's true…" he took a seat on a lounge chair, which he personally brought into the office, much to Lelouch's chagrin, "Even still… there has to be some way Britannia is tracking our movement." he leaned back, "Clearly they don't know where we are, otherwise they'd have attacked by now. Maybe their radar is off the charts? After all, they got that jammer back in Nikko, so I doubt they're lacking the technology."

The Prince shook his head, "I don't think so. We don't move people in big bulks. It's a slow, trickling process that happens over the span of a few days. No. This whole situation is too… coincidental."

Kallen constantly tried racking her brain over the possibilities, but eventually got an idea, "Lulu. Let's go."

"What?" the Prince questioned as his girlfriend grabbed his hand, "What are you talking about?"

"It's been a while since we've been on a date, so I wanna go to the mall."

"Kallen, we can't go on a date now. Especially with Marrybell coming down on our heads at any moment."

"Actually." Naoto cut in smugly, "I think it would be good if you took a break, Lelouch." he grabbed the Zero mask off the table, and put it on, "After all, you've been at this for five days straight. People will start to worry." he took the mask off, and tossed it between his hands, "Going without sun isn't good, you know?"

In truth, Naoto had seen the effect this stress was having on not just Lelouch, but Kallen too, as she hadn't left his side for even a second. If Lelouch wasn't taking a break, then she wasn't either. And this was worrying him to no end, as he was pretty sure she was skipping meals too. Though, there was no real proof of that happening.

Regardless, if the chance was higher than zero, then it was too high for Naoto.

"Don't worry, I'll hold down the fort." the Kozuki stated as he walked over to a nearby closet, and pulled out his Zero costume, "Nobody will notice a thing."

Lelouch, who clearly wasn't convinced, sighed in response, "Whatever." he grabbed the Zero mask, before putting it on, "Just make sure you ACTUALLY hold down the fort this time."

Naoto gave the man a confident smirk, "No worries. I got this, so go out there and enjoy yourselves."

Lelouch and Kallen took an escalator upwards to get to the second floor of the newest mall built within the Tokyo Settlement. It was advertised as a 'Super Mall' with five whole floors that encompassed many stores. "I could get lost for days in here." the red head mumbled as she got off the mechanical stairs, and gazed upon the endless displays of clothing before her, "It's hard to believe they actually rented everything out…"

"Is it?" the Prince finally chimed in as he stuck close to his girlfriend, feeling out-of-place, "I always thought malls were a dying trend, and yet… a certain group of people can keep them in business."

Kallen raised an eyebrow, "And who is this… certain group of people you're referring to?"

Lelouch glanced away and chuckled, "Who knows."

The red head giggled and guided her boyfriend into the first store that caught her eye. Once inside, she began picking out multiple outfits to try on, all while using Lelouch like a coat hanger to keep them separated, "C-can't we just get a basket?" he asked as she hung a pair of jeans off his arm, "This is getting embarrassing."

"Awe. You don't like shopping with me?"

"It's not like that." the Prince responded as Kallen hung more clothes off him, "It's just… I'm only okay with being embarrassed for things I genuinely support."

The red head glared at him, "Eh? So what? You don't support me?"

"Th-that's not what I meant!" Lelouch frantically tried to correct himself, much to his girlfriend's amusement, "Oh, laugh all you want. It's not funny." he muttered as she happily led him to a changing room.

"It's pretty funny. But next time." she turned around, and grabbed an arm full of clothes off his body, "Choose your words more carefully, boyfriend." she winked before disappearing behind the curtain. Now, Lelouch embarrassingly stood in the middle of the store with clothing hanging off half his body, while his girlfriend tried on the other half.

His face reddened as he saw a group of girls pointing at him and giggling, "This was such a bad idea…" he thought to himself as he tried taking a seat on a nearby bench.

That's when Kallen's voice pierced through the curtain, "Don't you dare drop even one shirt, Lelouch."

The suddenness made him panic slightly as a shirt loosely hung off his arm, which he narrowly managed to catch, "D-don't be so loud." he whispered.

The red head giggled as she pulled back the curtain, revealing her new outfit, which was punk-ish with a black shirt that had a skull design. To accompany this, she wore ripped jeans and a plaid red cardigan. "How do I look?"

Lelouch instinctively smiled upon seeing his girlfriend, "Wow. That looks pretty good on you."

"Pretty good?" Kallen put a hand on her hip smugly, "Is that it?" she said challengingly, looking a flirty comment.

The Prince crossed his legs, as if in deep thought, "Let me put it this way, most Britannian girls are afraid of looking like punks, due to the social stigma surrounding them. However, I don't believe in such things. In fact…" he eyed his girlfriend up and down, causing her to shift slightly, "I'm surprised it took so long for you to wear something so… fitting." he leaned forward with a smug smile, "Respectfully, you look downright gorgeous, dear." he made sure he said the last word as low as possible to make sure only Kallen heard it.

And heard it, she did. As the red head felt her hair raise slightly as a wide smile found its way onto her face forcefully. It was the first time Lelouch had ever called her 'dear'. Or rather, any pet name in generally. And if there was another instance, it didn't cross her mind, as it was too frazzled with processing the Prince's statement. "N-not bad." she muttered with a blushing face.

"Hm? Not bad?" the Prince leaned back with a smug smile, "Is that it?" he said, echoing his girlfriend's words from earlier.

"Y-yeah. That's all you'll get." Kallen quickly closed the curtain, and turned to her remaining outfits, her face still tinted pink. Finally, she chose one, and tried it on. Moments later, she opened the curtain, revealing herself to be wearing a pink dress that tightly wrapped around her body, leaving no room for the imagination as it showed off all of her curves, while covering her breast perfectly. To accompany this, she wore black stockings that reached well past her knees, but just below the hems of her dress. In truth, the thought of buying this dress hadn't even crossed her mind, as she only wanted to witness Lelouch's reaction. And it was worth it.

"Gah!?" he exclaimed while almost falling over.

The red head giggled, "What's wrong? Is it really that bad?" she bent forward slightly, knowing exactly what she was doing.

"Yes, it's terrible!" the Prince stated while not looking at her, "Next outfit, please."

Kallen raised an eyebrow, "Is that so?" she looked left and right, making sure the coast was clear before stepping out to get closer to her boyfriend, "But you haven't even looked at me." she gently guided his chin to face her.

The Prince's eyes latched onto her glossy lips that as he was afraid of looking any further. Her teasing grin made him blush, so he instinctively tried looking away again, only to find out that Kallen was holding his face firmly in place, "Hey…" she whispered cheekily, "How do I look?"

Normally, Lelouch performed well in high-pressure situations, only getting overwhelmed when faced with an overwhelmingly dire situation. However, the kind of pressure he was feeling from his girlfriend was like no other. No matter how hard his brain worked, he couldn't think of a comeback. Instead, his mind flooded with compliments for his girlfriend, who looked overwhelmingly stunning, "Y-you look great." he barely managed to sputter.

This seemed to satisfy the red head, as she pulled back with a smile, "Thank you so much." she replied with a cute head tilt, that caused a few strands of hair to get in her face, increasing her moe factor significantly. Then, she leaned in and landed a surprising peck on the Prince's lips, before retreating to the dressing room, pulling the curtain to avoid further questioning.

Meanwhile, Lelouch sat stunned as he could barely comprehend what just happened. His mind felt like it was floating on hair as it finally began cooling off. "Hopefully the next outfit is more… modest." he slumped in his seat, nearly letting a shirt fall, before catching it."

Moments later, Kallen pulled back the curtain, revealing herself to be wearing a modest outfit, with a white shirt that had long, loose sleeves. Her pants were black and didn't reach her ankles. To top things off, she had a red silk sash wrapped around her waist. "How about this one?"

The Prince sighed in relief, "While it doesn't quite suit you in the same way as the punk-outfit, it still fits you in some… indescribable way. I just can't put my finger on it." he smiled, "In short, I like it."

Kallen nodded and headed back inside, before returning in her normal clothes, "Alright. Hand me the rest."

After a short exchange, she returned to the dressing room, while Lelouch enjoyed the new freedom he found after having his shackles, known as excess clothing, removed. Then, the curtains opened once more, this time revealing Kallen to be wearing a very familiar outfit. "Wait a minute… isn't that-"

"Yup." the red head stretched her arms, "It's the same clothes you gave me when I had champagne spilled on me."

"You're not thinking of buying that, right?" Lelouch smiled gently, "I can just give you mine if you really like it that much."

His girlfriend giggled as she retreated back into the changing room, "I wasn't planning on buying this. I just wanted to remind you how good I looked in it."

The Prince rolled his eyes upon hearing that comment, "Sure."

A few minutes went by without Kallen exiting the changing room. Whatever she was putting on, must've been far more complicated than the others. Regardless, he wouldn't disturb her, as he was afraid of making a scene. Or at least… a bigger scene than he was already making. Wait… how was he making a scene?

Suddenly, two hands draped over his eyes, and a melodic voice called, "Guess who~"

"I sure hope your disguise is good." the Prince stated calmly while grabbing the girl's arms, and gently tried prying them off, only for her to tighten her grip.

"I said guess who." she demanded.

"Ugh. It's Euphie."

Finally, the covers disappeared, and Lelouch turned around, only to be greeted by Princess Euphemia, who had on an elaborate disguise consisting of a large sunhat, and a loose pink dress. "Did I surprise you?"

"You call that a disguise?" Lelouch asked, ignoring his sister's question, "Even a monkey could see through it."

"I guess it's a good thing there aren't any monkeys around, then." the innocent Princess winked playfully with a smile that could even make the sun melt. "Anyway, you still haven't answered my question."

Of course, her brother wouldn't be doing that anytime soon. "You really think a large sunhat is enough of a disguise? Once that blows away, your cover is practically gone."

Euphemia puffed out her cheeks and muttered, "You're no fun, Lulu."

"Don't call me that."

"Whyyy." the Princess whined, "It's such a cute name, Lulu."

"What are you even doing here?" Lelouch asked, trying to change the subject, "I can't help but feel like it isn't necessarily safe, especially with… the Black Knights roaming about."

"Hoh?" A smug smile crept onto Euphemia's face, "Well… off-the-record, I don't actually think the Black Knights are bad people." she playfully nudged her brother as she continued, "In fact, I bet under that mask, Zero's just a big softie, who loves his sisters very much."

"Don't build your own narrative." Lelouch playfully pushed his sister away as he spied Suzaku and Rai guarding the door, alongside with- "Lila."

The petite Princess scanned the mall with awe. Her smile so wide, you would've thought it was permanently plastered on her face. To add onto the cuteness, Suzaku held her by the collar, to prevent her from falling over the railing. Lila's feet kicked in the air as she struggled to get a better view of the floors below. Euphemia gazed upon her brother's face, as he subconsciously smiled upon witnessing such a sight. Of course, whether he was smiling because Lila reminded him of Nunnally, or if it was because he was truly fond of Lila, was a separate topic entirely. The point was, the pink-haired Princess could see that even he cared for the girl to an extent.

However, soon the Prince's smile faded, as he was brought back into the cruel reality of why she was here. Why Lila came to Area 11. Japan. He killed Clovis. He caused Lila pain, and forced her to take up the burden of Viceroy, just so she could exact her revenge against Zero. Lelouch. His face hardened as he faced Euphemia, suspecting her being up to some kind of trick, "What is she doing here?"

The pink-haired Princess shrugged, and for the first time, pushed the initiative, "You first. What are you doing here?"

At that moment, Kallen moved the dressing room curtain with a gleeful grin, "How about this one?"

The red head wore a red crop top with black shorts, showing off her thighs in a not-so modest manner. Along with this, she wore a black crop jacket with red trims and had a smug smile, hoping to get an appropriate reaction from her boyfriend, "Oh my. I didn't know you could be so… bold, Kally." Euphemia responded with an innocent smile.

This instantly made Kallen blush as she instantly closed the curtain, "H-how long have you been there?"

"A few minutes. Lulu and I were just talking about spending the day together."

"Crap! I didn't hear her due to building up the courage to show off so much skin…" the red head desperately tried to hide her face in her palms, "All for nothing, I suppose." then her ears perked up, "wait… spend the day together?" she poked her head out, "But Lelouch is with me today."

"I can see that." the pink-haired Princess responded as Lelouch looked away in embarrassment, "Don't worry, I won't question your… activities. Though, I would like you two to accompany us."

"Us?"

Euphemia nodded, "Myself, Suzaku, Rai, and Lila."

At the mention of Suzaku's name, Kallen's face hardened, "Wh-what did Lelouch say?"

"Does it matter?" the seemingly innocent Princess asked with a scarily threatening tone. Of course, it wasn't threatening as in 'she wants to hurt us'. It was more threatening in the sense that, she wasn't taking no for an answer here. "You in to torment my brother?"

"What!?" the man in question exclaimed, drawing attention to them, "Ah- I'm sorry."

The red head eyed Suzaku, before nodding, "Alright. Just let me buy these clothes first, and we'll join you."

"Can I see the haul?"

Euphemia tried to enter the dressing room, only to be stopped by Kallen, who said, "No way."

"Fine. Fine. Keep your secrets, Stadtfeld." the Princess put on a pair of flamingo sunglasses, before skipping out of the store to speak with Lila.

The red head sighed as her gaze turned to her boyfriend, "Looks like our dates getting cut short."

"I'm sorry." he responded while stepping toward her, outstretching his hand to caress her face, to which Kallen gladly enjoyed, "I forgot how much of a handful Euphie can be." he looked over his shoulder to view the group, only to have his gaze met by Suzaku, who wordlessly expressed, "And I still can't forgive him for…" Lelouch clenched his fist, "For hurting you."

The red head's gentle touch brought the Prince out from his thoughts, "It's okay. With Euphie around, I doubt he'd try anything."

"What makes you say that?"

"Just a feeling I have. That's all."

"Nice to meet you." Lila shook Lelouch's hand as the couple came out from the store with two bags, "Euphemia's told me a lot about you."

"She has?" the Prince's eyes narrowed at his sister, "Like what?"

"Well, apparently you and Rai go way back." the innocent Princess stated as Euphemia nodded in the background, "It really came as a surprise, considering how aloof he seemed. Though…" she eyed Lelouch up and down, "I can definitely see some similarities between you two."

"Is she saying we're related?" Lelouch sighed internally, "I wish I knew what they said. Then I'd be able to play along."

"And this must be your girlfriend." the Princess cutely shook the red head's hand as she struggled to keep a hold of her bags.

"She's so… delicate." Kallen thought as her hands made contact with Lila's, "Even more so than Nunnally. Is she really related to Clovis?"

Suzaku watched the exchange with a false smile, as he secretly seethed on the inside, "I can't believe Euphie wants Lila to meet Lelouch. It's so disingenuous, and I feel bad for the girl. She's unknowingly shaking hands with the man who killed her brother." he secretly clenched a fist behind his back, "But the worst part about all this?"

"Suzaku, aren't you going to say hi too?" Lila called, "Euphie said that you knew Lelouch too."

The Knight nodded humbly as he stepped forward to shake hands with his old friend, "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yes. A very long time." Lelouch replied as his grip tightened. The surrounding air turned heavy with malice, as the two stared into each other's eyes, "It's such a shame we can't meet more often." the Prince stated, his words dripping with venom.

"Yes. It's very unfortunate." Suzaku responded as his own grip tightened, "I have to play along." his eyes narrowed as the intense staring contest continued, "I can't believe it. I could break his wrist in an instant, and snap his neck. Kallen wouldn't be able to do a thing, and yet…" the two broke the handshake, and his gaze turned to Euphie, who had Rai standing extremely close to Suzaku, "What does Euphie know? Does she know I hate Lelouch? Did Rai tell her about how I ordered his death before? It can't be, right?"

Suddenly, Kallen got between him and Lelouch, "Let's go already."

The Prince smiled as he held his girlfriend's hand, "Of course. Let's go."

The Knight backed away, and stood by Lila's side, "Where shall we go first, Princess?"

"I'm hungry!" Lila instantly answered, clearly having a place in mind.

"Then it's settled." Euphemia joyfully took her sister's hand and began running for the escalator, leaving their Knight's behind, "Let's grab something to eat!"

Rai glanced at Suzaku, who knew there was no way he was going to be left alone with Lelouch. So, despite the burning hatred he had within his heart, he chose to comply, and follow after the Princess'. "Kallen." the silver-haired boy turned to the red head, "Can I please speak with Lelouch?"

"Go ahead." Kallen answered while not moving from her position, "He's right there."

The boy sighed, "I meant… alone-"

"Absolutely not."

Lelouch glanced at his girlfriend, who held his arm tightly. This caused Rai to rub his temple in mild frustration, "Please? It's really important."

"C'mon, Lelouch." the red head pulled her boyfriend along, "Let's get going."

"Why is she so adamant against me speaking with Lelouch?" Rai begrudgingly followed them down the escalator, into a large crowd of people, who seemed to be gathering in front of some kind of chicken shop. "I can't help but begin to connect the dots here."

ASEEC Warehouse. A few hours prior.

"Suzaku, Rai. I'm glad you could make it." Lloyd greeted the boys as the Lancelot and Club were being fitted in the background, "As you know, we've been picking apart at the Kagero's Radio Logs, correct?"

Suzaku nodded, "Did you find something?"

"Well… the information hasn't been very relevant as of recent times. However, we do have a few confirmed names." Cecile chimed in while placing a clip board before them. "Kaname Ohgi, Tamaki Shinichiro, Kyoshiro Tohdoh, and among others."

Suzaku looked over the list of confirmed names, before reaching a list of just single names, "What are these?"

"Those? Well, from the sound of it, some of them can just be code names, or first or last names." the Indigo-haired girl explained, "We don't really know who those people are. So, you don't really have to worry about them."

Among the names, only one caught Suzaku and Rai's eyes, "Kallen?"

Of course, Cecile noticed this, "Ah, actually. We suspect that one may be related to our Pilot, Naoto Kozuki. There's also further evidence to suggest she was the one piloting the Guren ."

"However, since it's not confirmed, we didn't list her as Kallen Kozuki." Lloyd added.

"No." Suzaku suddenly stated, "Put her down as Kallen Kozuki." he looked at the two ASEEC members, "You have evidence suggesting she's related to Naoto, correct?"
"It's not concrete, but yes."

"Then do it, please."

Rai looked at his fellow Knight with a curious gaze, "Does he know something I don't? Who am I kidding? Of course, he does. Kallen… I feel like I've heard that name before." he leaned back in his seat, "Lelouch is Zero. That much is certain. Kallen…" that name rung throughout his mind, "I just can't put my finger on-"
"Suzaku! Rai!" the voice of Princess Euphemia echoed throughout the warehouse as she searched for the Knights.

"Yes, Princess." Suzaku was the first to answer as he stood up to greet her.

"Is something-"

Before Rai could even finish his sentence, Euphemia grabbed both Knights by their arms, and dragged them out, "We're going to the mall!" she ordered like a dictator.

"What? So Carine was bullying Lila this morning?" Lelouch whispered to Euphemia as they watched the Princess in question pulling Suzaku around the food court.

The pink-haired Princess nodded, "She was saying some nasty stuff. Though, she's probably just mad about Dasko getting locked up." she shifted in her seat slightly, "By the way… is it true?"

"Is what true?"

"Was Dasko really a planted Black Knight spy?" Euphemia leaned in, "I mean… I find it hard to believe, especially with how long he's been in her service. If you had planted him from the very beginning, then… you're probably the smartest person I know."

"I wasn't already?" Lelouch asked with a teasing grin.

"Well… Schneizel kind of takes that spot."

"Seriously? Schneizel?"

"What? Can you really blame me? I haven't seen you in so long." Euphemia defended herself, "And don't ignore the question."

The Prince shook his head as Kallen placed two trays of fast food on the table, pulling her boyfriends entire chair closer to hers, much to the confusion of Euphemia, who slid her chair closer to her brother, "No. Dasko wasn't planted from the beginning." Lelouch told a half-truth. Obviously, he couldn't inform his sister of Geass. It would be too much to explain.

"Really? So Carine just used him as an out." Euphemia looked at her own lap, "That's… so sad. I thought of everyone in the world, Dasko was someone she cared for the most. Besides herself, of course."

Lelouch leaned back as Kallen took a bite of her chicken sandwich. Seconds later, her face lit up with glee, "So good." she mumbled.

"Seriously? That good?" the boy asked his girlfriend, who merely nodded in return, not wanting to waste her eating time. Seeing her reaction, Lelouch grabbed his chicken sandwich, and took a bite of it.

"How rude." Euphemia muttered while placing her head on the table, "You couldn't get me one?"

"Don't you have a Knight to do that?"

The Princess gasped, "Oh right!" she looked to the front of the line, and saw Rai's silver hair closing in on the cash register, "He's a good kid, you know?"

"You say that as if you're older than him." Lelouch added as he watched his girlfriend begin stealing fries from his tray upon finishing hers.

"Well, I'm technically his superior." Euphemia puffed her chest confidently, "By the way… did you know Lila has a crush on Suzaku?"

Kallen snickered upon hearing those words, "Seriously? I would've never expected that."

"Why not?"

"I mean…" the red head looked toward the Knight as he was led around by the tiny Princess, "Doesn't he seem preoccupied with something?"

"Like a goal?" the pink-haired Princess nodded, "Yeah. I get that feeling too. It's the whole reason I didn't take him as my Knight. From what I can see…" her eyes darted to her brother, "He really hates Zero's guts, much like Lila. So, I figured they'd be better working together." she then let out a sigh, "But… now Marrybell wants to take him away."

"Marrybell does?"

"Yeah. She says his skills would be better suited in the Glinda Knights."

"Has she… made any success?" Lelouch asked quietly, "If Marrybell can do such a thing, then I fear we'll have to speed up plans to eliminate the Glinda Knights sooner than expected. With Suzaku, and the Knights of the Round, she'll easily crush us in any battlefield" he then subconsciously smirked, "Of course… those are only considering fields that she can create. If it's one where I can set the rules, then-"

"So far, Suzaku's been adamant in staying with Lila, which I think is a good thing." Euphemia informed as Rai finally arrived with her food.

"They're out of honey." he reported, "It'll only take me a moment to get some from a nearby store. So, please give me a second."

Before Euphemia could reassure him that it was alright, Rai was gone. "Oh jeez… he doesn't have to do that…"

"What's the honey for?" Lelouch asked as he polished off his sandwich.

"Eh!? You haven't had the wonders of honey and fried chicken? You're missing out, my dear brother." the Princess proclaimed in outrage.

Kallen giggled as her boyfriend facepalmed, "I didn't know you had such a sweet tooth." she said while stealing the last of his fries.

"Hey, I didn't even get one-"

However, the Prince's complaints were drowned out by his sister, who responded to the red head's question, "Really? Everyone says I fit the bill." she happily kicked her feet as she looked over the sauce packets laid before her, "But that's not the reason I put honey. I just like mixing up condiments on the rare opportunities I have fast food."

"Seriously? You actually use those packets?"

"And you don't?"

"Nope."

Euphemia gasped, "You're kidding, right!? Are you two even human?" the Princess looked at the couple as they raised an eyebrow at her, "You're really perfect for each other." Lelouch and Kallen lightly blushed at the comment, before she continued, "But you really don't put condiments on your food?"

"No. I put them on when I cook at home." Kallen responds while nudging her boyfriend teasingly, "Or when Lelouch cooks something."

The Prince rolled his eyes, "You call whatever you do in the kitchen cooking?"

"Oh, shut up." she slapped his arm playfully.

"What about fast food?" the Princess quickly brought the conversation back.

Kallen shook her head, "No way. I go with whatever they put on my food."

"Not even ketchup?"

"Not even ketchup."

"I don't think I can sit next to you monsters anymore." Euphemia said jokingly as Rai appeared before them with a jar of honey in hand. "Thank you, Rai." she took the jar, which he already opened, and drip-fed it onto her sandwich, "You really didn't have to do this."

"Cecile says I should always go above and beyond as a Knight." the silver-haired boy explained as he sat next to the Princess, "And I take her advice very seriously."

"From what I hear, she's like the mom of ASEEC, right?"

Rai smiled lightly, "You could say that."

"Well, your 'moms' taught you well." Euphemia opened a barbecue sauce packet and spread it onto the sandwich bun, before finally beginning her meal.

Three Hours later.

"Feeling tired?" Euphemia asked Lila as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Nuh-uh." the little Princess responded while rubbing her eyes, clearly tired, "I can… still explore… the…"

Lila suddenly leaned her head on her sister's shoulder, and dozed off. "Awe. She's all tuckered out." Euphie poked the girl's cheeks playfully. "So cute." she then faced Suzaku and Rai, "Could you two get the car, please?"

Suzaku glanced at Lelouch, before standing up, "At once."

Rai joined the Knight as they headed for the parking lot from the food court. "Could you go too?" the Princess asked Kallen, "I really don't trust them to find it on their own."

The red head skeptically raised an eyebrow, and held onto her boyfriends arm tightly, "I don't think they're that incompetent."

Lelouch sighed, realizing that his sister wanted to speak with him alone. Though, he didn't want to leave his girlfriend alone with Suzaku, "Kallen. Could you just give us a moment? I think Euphie wants to speak with me alone. You don't have to go that far."

The red head looked down. Wrestling with herself on what to do. In the end, she decided to listen to her boyfriend begrudgingly, "Fine. I'll go with Suzaku and Rai."

"You'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine. It'll only be for a minute, after all." Kallen responded with a gentle smile, picking up on the hidden message behind Lelouch's words. "Suzaku hasn't tried anything today. So I doubt he'd try something in the parking lot anyway. Though, I'll still be on guard."

Euphemia watched as Kallen caught up to the Knights, who had barely made it past the final food stall, "So… what do you think of Lila?"

"She's… sweet." Lelouch responded, "Exactly as you described her."

The tiny Princess snored lightly as the conversation went on, "Does that mean you'll meet her more often then?"

"No. Today was nice. Sure. But Lila and I can't meet like this anymore. It's not right."

"Why? You're siblings. You should get to know each other."

"I'm surprised you're still giving me a choice." Lelouch leaned back, "After all, you could've just had Lila and Nunnally meet, then I'd be forced to be friendly toward her."

"That would've been playing dirty."

"You don't seem to have a problem doing that."

Euphemia stuck her tongue out playfully, "You're right, dummy. I just wanted to give you the chance to get to know Lila. Hoping that this would change your mind."
"About that?" Lelouch's eyes narrowed.

"Yes. About that." the Princess stood up, "Have fun carrying Lila!" she ran off to join her Knights outside, much to her brother's frustration, who was now left with a slumbering Princess.

"Euphie's probably going to have Nunnally and Lila meet very soon." he picked his sister up, and carried her on his back, similar to how he carried Nunnally long ago, "There's nothing I can do about that. Even so, I can't afford to get close with Lila. Euphie just doesn't understand. And honestly, I don't expect her to."

As he carried the petite Princess out of the food court area, she stirred, "Lelouch…" she whispered, "Where's Euphie?"

"They're outside, waiting for the car." the Prince answered, "Want me to put you down?"

"No. I… there's something I need to ask you." she tightened her grip around the boy's shoulder, "Are you… really… him?"

Lelouch's heart sunk as he assumed she was referring to Zero. "What are you talking about?" he probed for an answer, hoping it was just a misunderstanding.

"Suzaku said…" his grip tightened, "You were… a part of the Royal Family."

The Prince's heart calmed upon hearing those words. Then it picked back up, "Wait… Suzaku said that?"

She nodded, "He said that's how you knew each other." her eyes wandered to his back, where they stayed, "It… kind of makes sense. After all, I don't know how Euphie would get to know a commoner." she frantically shook her head, and tried to correct herself, "Not saying that she couldn't! But it… seemed oddly coincidental. You share the same name… same hair… eyes. Please, tell me the truth."

Lelouch sighed heavily. His mind focused on the fact that Suzaku was the one who told her. Suzaku. "I'm certain he knows I'm Zero. He wanted me dead a month or so ago. Yet he hasn't told Lila of my identity. With that, he could easily take me out of the picture for good. So what's his goal?" then, he began second guessing himself, "Does he even know I'm Zero?" but his mind soon corrected him, "Of course he does. How else would he be able to torment Kallen? There's no other way."

"Lelouch?"

The Prince snapped out of his thoughts, and answered, "Yes. I'm… you know…"

Lila smiled joyfully, and hugged her brother tightly. Though, she wasn't hugging him because of immense familial love, or anything like that. No. What Lila loved, was the fact that Lelouch, someone who was pronounced dead for the past decade, turned out to be alive the whole time. Because, deep down, it gave her hope. Hope that Clovis was still alive, and that his 'death' was nothing but an elaborate ruse of some kind. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. And even deeper within her subconscious, Lila knew that. "Th-that's incredible! So… is Nunnally alive too?"

"Correct. She's… well." this felt odd to Lelouch. After all, he and Lila barely ever spoke, as most of his interactions with the 'La Britannia' family, were with Clovis. So, he was a bit confused on how Lila remembered Nunnally. Then, his mind wandered to Suzaku, "Just how much did he say?"

"Do you think I could meet her?"

"I'm sure Nunnally wouldn't mind."

Lila's eyes beamed at the thought of meeting one of her sisters. Though, it soon faded as she remembered something crucial about the 'Vi Britannia' family, "Why… don't you two return?"

Lelouch came to a complete stop, "We don't have a place among the Royal Family. Not anymore."

"What? But… Euphie and I would gladly welcome you with open arms! Even Schneizel would be happy to see you! After all, he was the one who seemed affected by your absence the most."

"Really?" Lelouch's ears perked.

"N-no…" Lila looked away, "I made that last part up. But I'd still welcome you with open arms!"

"I'm sure you would." the Prince chuckled, "But, it's not you that I'm concerned about. It's the rest of the family. After all, you know how cruel they can be."

The Princess nodded, "Yeah… Carine's pretty mean. This morning, she was bullying me over having Suzaku as my Knight again." she tightly gripped Lelouch's shirt, "It… took a lot out of me this morning, so Euphie brought me here to cheer me up."

Lelouch smiled, "That's nice of her."

Lila sighed as she felt herself falling asleep again, "On second thought… maybe it would be best for me to not meet Nunnally. I hardly know her anyway."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." she yawned, "But… do you think we could… call each other sometimes? Just to catch up. That's all."

Lelouch began walking once more, "Sure. We can call sometimes. Though, I have a feeling Euphie's going to have you meet Nunnally anyway." he explained, but his words fell on deaf ears, as the Princess was asleep again. "She really is just like Nunnally. Hard to believe she wants me dead. Well… Zero. She wants Zero dead."

The Mall Parking lot.

Rai stood in front of the car with a key in hand. He took a deep breath, before turning to Suzaku and Kallen, who kept their distance from each other. "Kallen. Is it okay if I ask you… a question?"

"Just make it quick." the red head responded, "Once Lelouch gets here, we're leaving for the train."

"Right…" the silver-haired boy turned to Suzaku, and nodded. Though, the Knight tilted his head in confusion, "Kozuki."

Suzaku facepalmed, "Oh great. Now he's probing for a reaction." he quickly moved into action, stopping his ally before they dug themselves into a hole they couldn't escape from, "Rai, she doesn't know anything about that."

Rai's eyes narrowed, "Suzaku. This is too much to be a coincidence, and you know it." he faced the red head, "Kozuki. Does that name sound familiar?"

"Absolutely not." Kallen answered without hesitation. While she knew the chances of Rai knowing her identity were high, Kallen didn't feel the need to confirm any questions he had. After all, she was still under the assumption that he and Suzaku were on the same side. Though, considering how they were talking to one another, it was becoming apparent that there was discourse between the Knights.

"You should just drop it, Rai." Suzaku warned his fellow Knight, "After all, these are supposed to be confidential military secret."

The silver-haired boy wanted to protest, but he knew that his mentor was right. His suspicions of Kallen being involved in the Black Knights only came from her being closely associated with Lelouch. And even if he did find out the truth, what good would it do? He couldn't turn her in. Euphemia wouldn't allow it, considering that she's Lelouch's girlfriend. "I… I'm sorry." he backed down, "I don't know what came over me. Just forget I said anything."

As Rai and Suzaku got in the car, Kallen headed back to the entrance, where she found Euphemia waiting for her, "Ah, Kallen." the Princess greeted her, "Where are Suzaku and Rai?"

"They're with the car. It'll be here soon."

"Want us to drop you off at Ashford?"

"No. Lelouch and I will be fine." the red head responded, "We'll be taking a nightly stroll back."

"Oh. Well. Just be careful, alright?" Euphemia gave a genuine smile, "After all… there might be spooky ghosts around every turn!" she playfully shook the red head by the shoulders.

Kallen giggled and broke free from the Princess' grip, "Don't worry. If there are any ghosts trying to abduct Lelouch, I'll just beat them up." she then flexed her biceps, showing off a confident smile.

The pink-haired Princess giggled, "It's good to know Lelouch has people like you who'll be there for him." they watched as Rai pulled the car out of a parking spot, and began driving it around the lot, before circling back toward the entrance, "Kallen… can you promise me something?" she asked in a soft tone.

"What is it?" Kallen continued facing forward, sensing the secrecy behind the Princess' words.

"If… you ever find Lelouch not being himself, could you bring him back for me?" The red head raised an eyebrow at this promise, so Euphemia elaborated, "I'm sure you already know this… but Lelouch has a hatred for the Royal Family that runs deep. In truth, I'm already doing everything I can to make sure he doesn't go off the rails, but I can't be here all the time. That's why I'm relying on you."

While Euphemia wasn't aware of Kallen's identity as a Black Knight, she knew that Lelouch trusted her immensely. So, that's why she was trying to make as many precautions as possible to stop her brother from waging complete war against Britannia, by getting him attached to as many people as possible. Though, this would ultimately prove futile, Kallen understood where she was coming from. After all, she was trying to do the same thing. "Don't worry. I'll always be here for Lelouch. Through the good, and especially the bad."

"That… makes me happy." Euphemia turned to stare the red head in the eyes, "It makes me happy that Lelouch could find someone like you."

Kallen returned the hug, keeping to herself how grateful she was to have met Lelouch, as he was the one to give her a reason to fight.

ASEEC Warehouse.

"Behold! The Lancelot Grail!" Lloyd revealed the impressive Red and Gold Knightmare as it stood in the center of the warehouse in all its glory. The Knights of the Round, Marrybell, and Oldrin watched on with an impressed gaze.

"It's certainly… impressive." Marrybell muttered.

"So, who's piloting it? Me?" Luciano chimed in confidently.

"As if!" Oldrin countered, "Since this Knightmare is going to be given to Princess Marrybell, it'll be up to her who gets the honor of piloting it."

Bradley rolled his eyes, knowing who going to be picked if it were like that, "Don't be so upset." Gino added, "After all, we don't really need an ace Knightmare like that." he turned to Lloyd with a smile, "We'll be getting our own custom frames later, right?"

"That's correct. Though, we'll have to focus on the new modifications being made to the base Lancelot." Cecile finally interjected into the conversation as a large, red mechanical backpack was rolled onto the warehouse floor.

"Modifications?" Marrybell strolled toward the Lancelot, where the red pack was being lifted by large wires onto its back, "I thought the Glinda Knights got dibs on whatever technology came from ASEEC?"

"Not this one." Lloyd explained, "Prince Schneizel personally asked me to test this out with the Lancelot and Suzaku. After all, this new flight system's still a prototype. We only just got a built-in system for the Gawain done a few days ago."

"Flight system?" Luciano's ears perked as Anya took a picture of the Lancelot.

"You heard that right." the mad scientist gawked at his pride and joy, as the only thing missing was it's pilot, "This flight system… will change the very meaning of waging war."

"But will it defeat the Black Knights?" Marrybell asked with a hint of anticipation.

"The flight system can do so much more than that." Cecile said, "Though, it will certainly give us an edge in battle against the Black Knights."

"Excellent. I'll speak with Lila about field-testing this as soon as possible." the Hero Princess stated while turning to her Knight, "In the meantime, you'll be the one piloting the Grail."

Oldrin smiled and saluted, "Thank you, ma'am!"

Marrybell rolled her eyes playfully and gestured Lloyd to hand over the keys, "Just don't go wrecking on your first job." she turned to the rest of the Knights, "Now, let's plan our next move. This time, we'll make sure to hit the Black Knights where it hurts."

Luciano raised an eyebrow, "Are you saying what I think you're saying?"

"Exactly. We got a hit."

Countdown for the Chinese Federation Invasion of Area 11: 1 week.

Countdown for total annihilation of the Black Knights: 1 week.

AN: If you couldn't tell, some of Kallen's outfits I had her wear were references from other shows (ones that I quickly googled, while one being from a game series). Though, the second outfit is the one Akiza wore at the end of 5D's, which was said to be a shirt on the wiki (And upon rewatching the scene, it's totally a shirt. It barely even covers Akiza's lower body.) However, since I didn't like the idea of Kallen wearing just a shirt and stockings in the middle of a public store, I changed it to a dess that nearly reached her thighs. In my eyes, it's far more appropriate, while still maintaining the teasing factor that such an outfit would bring.

Prepare for some upcoming heavy chapters, as they'll be the final wave before a proper break is given to the heroes.