AN:

Samurai Seven: I don't see Tohdoh as the type of guy to cry.

Guest: Kallen was needed on the field. After all, the ace of the Black Knights can't just go missing for the whole battle.

Chapter 80: A Knight's Duty

Ruins of Tokyo Settlement. 12:30AM.

Naoto narrowly dodged the Bradford's Megiddo harken, shifting his weight into the wire, and pulling it towards himself. Instead of resisting, Gino used the momentum from being pulled to launch a kick into the Kagero's chest, shattering the cavity, and causing its pilot to spit out blood as they tumbled through the rubble.

The blond landed with a confident smirk, "You know, if you don't put up a better fight, I might just fall asleep."

"Maybe… that would be for the best…" the Kozuki responded while wiping the blood off his monitor, "After all, you're really acting like a bully, right now."

"Me? A bully? That's rich coming from you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Naoto asked while slowly backing away, trying to gain some ground.

Despite trying to be as subtle as possible, Gino caught on, and took a step forward, "Look around you. The Black Knights are practically destroying Tokyo Settlement, the home of many Elevens and Britannians combined. If anything, you're the real bullies."

"Right… because the bullies are the ones who fight their oppressors from the shadows?"

"Ooh. Sarcasm. Haven't heard one of those since you've been so quiet for the past few minutes."

"Shut up!" Naoto turned around and began zooming down a side street, much to Gino's confusion, as he was expecting an attack.

Nonetheless, the Knight of Three hovered above the Black Knightmare as it took each corner with grace, "Dude. You're not gonna lose me like this."

"But it's not like you can attack me either!" Naoto ripped a streetlamp from the ground, before throwing it at the Bradford, who easily deflected it with their fists. However, this attack was soon followed up with a massive piece of rubble that hit the Knightmare square in the chest. But this wasn't enough to knock it out of the sky.

Gino began dodging the incoming projectiles as Naoto turned to fighting with range. Even so, with his amazing speed, all distance between the two would be covered in an instant. And that's exactly what happened. The Bradford grabbed the Kagero's hand as it reached for another boulder, before attempting to rip it off. But just as he was about to succeed, the Kozuki used his knee to strike his opponent in the chin, causing them to stumble back while keeping an iron grip on his limb.

Naoto shook his hand free, before trying to send a punch forth, only for its target to dodge, and appear behind him. The float system was simply too much of an advantage. There was no way he could win in a fair fight.

Just as the Bradford was about to launch an attack, three Gun-Ru's came out of nowhere and joined the fight, forcing the two Knightmares to separate. Naoto took this time to run away, while Gino stood his ground, easily destroying the Chinese forces, before catching up to the Kagero, "Nowhere to run."

The Kozuki fired a slash harken at the last moment, forcing his opponent to move their head to the side, dodging the attack before firing their own harken. However, due to the size difference, Naoto was forced to hold onto the metallic object as it sent him flying into a building. Then, Gino followed up by sending a flying kick into his opponent, causing them to groan in pain as he pulled back for another strike. This time, the Kagero activated the Blaze Luminous on both of its arms at the right moment, severing a part of its opponent's leg effortlessly.

"Oh. That's creative." Gino complimented while using his other foot to send his opponent flying into another building, "Too bad I don't have a proper Blaze Luminous of my own to do that."

"He's seriously telling me his weaknesses? Idiot."

"Of course… not that I need it since you can't hit me anyway."

Naoto shook off the rubble, "The damage to your frame says otherwise."

"Those were already there when I got here."

The Kozuki rolled his eyes, "he's just trying to get under my skin-" at that moment, the Bradford appeared behind him and sent him flying into the dirt, "And it's working!" he quickly recovered, before bringing his arms up, blocking a barrage of punches that planted his feet into the ground.

Once he was properly stuck, Gino went in for a sweeping kick, taking out the Kagero's legs in an instant, sending the rest of the body crashing to the ground. "Too bad." the Knight picked up his opponent by the head, "Schneizel, I'm bringing in a prisoner. It's Naoto-"

Seconds before he could finish that report, the Kagero sprung to life, aiming its built-in wrist machine guns at his chest cavity, before opening fire. Gino groaned in pain as he dropped the Kozuki, and brought his arms up to block the damage, only for his limbs to get shredded in the process. Once Naoto landed, the bullets stopped and the blond gasped for air as he was inches from the auto eject activating.

The Bradford's arms barely stayed connected to the main body through some kind of miracle, but that didn't mean it wasn't seconds from falling apart. Gino felt if someone were to sneeze at him wrong, his frame would crumble at the seams. So, he logically had to be careful now. Except, Naoto wasn't interested in such a thing. The Kagero fired its slash harken through its opponent's chest, pulling the two in for an embrace, where Naoto set his Yggdrasil drive to overload, effectively dooming his Knightmare, and Gino. Of course, he wasn't keen on sticking around for the grand explosion, so Naoto activated his ejection seat, leaving the Knight of Three to deal with the consequences.

"I've seen this before." Gino muttered as he pried the Black Knightmare off, "Your ace tried this same move on Suzaku in Shinjuku, right? I saw the tapes, and…" he threw the defeated corpse of the Kagero into a crowd of Black Knights that were moving to assist. In the process, the slash harken that was being used to anchor the Kagero to the Bradford snapped, allowing it to hurtle freely through the air. Once the frame got close, it erupted into a powerful explosion, wiping the squad out. "I figured it was absurdly easy to counter, especially if you have arms."

Naoto's cockpit crashed into a building as more captured Sutherlands and Burais charged in to defeat the flying Knightmare. Gino shrugged and fired his Megiddo harken at the first Burai in line, before rushing in to steal its gun. Before soaring into the air, he gunned down two Sutherlands that tried flanking him from the right. Once he got to a suitable level, he commenced a strafing run on the remaining Burais as they shot at him. Of course, they were easily defeated within seconds, allowing the blond to dual wield assault rifles, turning him into an even deadlier threat.

Meanwhile, the Kozuki was halfway down the street as Gino checked his abandoned cockpit. Upon realizing he was gone, the Bradford used its factsphere to instantly locate its target. Like an attack dog, the blond instantly moved to capture his prey, only for them to duck into a sewer system. In a desperate attempt to retrieve them, Gino puts down his gun, and slams his fist into the small entrance, allowing him to get a better look. But, much to no one's surprise, Naoto's gone.

The Kozuki desperately ran down the sewers, trying to build as much distance between himself and Gino, as the ceiling shook from the sound of battle. In truth, he couldn't even see where he was going, since it was too dark within the tight corridor. The only aid he got was the light from the hole where the Knight broke through, but even that was fading the further and further he went. So, Naoto kept his left hand on the wall, allowing him to loosely guide himself through the intricacies of Tokyo's underground.

However, his hunter was still on the prowl, and just a few feet behind him, the Bradford's fist broke through, before its factsphere activated, "Nowhere to hide." the pilot muttered while pulling back. This time, he sent a strike through the area where Naoto was moments prior. "Just stand still!"

The Kozuki sloshed through the water as each hit from his opponent got closer and closer like a horror movie, "Doesn't he have anything better to do!?"

With the threat of capture imminent, Naoto tried his best to pick up the pace, that's when he noticed that up ahead, a section of the sewer had been destroyed by a recent bombing, meaning to continue his getaway, he'd have to make the gap, while leaving himself exposed to Gino. Of course, the Knight noticed this too, and while he was continuing to apply pressure by slamming his fist into the sewer, he was ready to intercept the Kozuki at a moment's notice. "You've gotta come out someday!" he taunted while inching closer and closer to the opening.

Naoto's face hardened as he focused all of his energy on the gap, muttering to himself like a mantra, "I've gotta make it. I've gotta make it. No. I must make it!" with an almost inhuman burst of energy, he began running at full speed. Once he got close to the edge, he leapt across the gap. At that same moment, the Bradford sped behind him, and extended its hand to grab him.

For Naoto, it was like time slowed as he made it closer to his goal, but at the same time, his hunter's hand was moving at nearly the same speed. It would be a photo-finish, that's for certain. Gino smiled as the palm of his hand covered the Kozuki's body, signaling for him to flex his fingers, capturing the target. Or at least, that's what would've happened if he hadn't come under fire at the last second.

In the distance, a tank shot a single shell at the Bradford's arm, causing the Knightmare to reel back as its limb disconnected, "Son of a-"

The blond quickly brought his Knightmare back just as three Burais rushed towards him, allowing Naoto to escape further into the sewers. With the sound of fighting echoing through the damp passage, the Kozuki continued running almost endlessly, trying his best to make any chance of getting caught zero. Eventually, only the sound of the water sloshing as his feet hastily moved forth remained. Despite this, he continued running like a man possessed, right until he tripped on an elevated step due to the darkness obscuring his vision.

Finally, Naoto caught his breath while emerging from the sewage. His body slumped against a wall trying to calm down, "Alright… I should be good. I just got to figure out where I am…" he stood up, and began walking once again until he reached a ladder that took him back to the surface. Once topside, he was greeted with a view of the entire Tokyo Settlement from the upper level. "Crap… I'm near the Viceroy palace. This isn't good." his eyes continued scanning his surroundings looking for a way out, "Do I go back? I think there were a few Burais who were fending off Gino. Who am I kidding? He probably beat them as easily as he beat me. Maybe the Viceroy's Palace? The surface might be bombed to hell, but there has to be an underground armory or something that stores Knightmares." Naoto had no way to confirm such a thing existed, but considering that the Viceroy would reside in such a place, means it would have top notch security. After all, the closest military base is what? 30 minutes away?

The Kozuki made up his mind, and decided to head toward the Palace, but not before giving one last look at Ashford, which much to his disbelief, was on fire, "No way… what happened? They didn't really bomb it… right? But the kids…" he shook his head, "No. I can't worry about that. I need to get myself a Knightmare, then I'll head straight over."

Ruins of Tokyo Settlement. 12:25AM.

Lelouch's G1 began moving forward once the surrounding Gun-Ru's had been dealt with. Inside, Kaguya jumped with joy as she praised her 'husband' for his victory, "That's enough." the masked man commanded while standing up, "Get to the port. Prepare the subs for an emergency departure. Once that's done, have Diethard contact me."

"Where are you going?" Kaguya asked while tugging on Zero's coat, much to his annoyance.

"There are things I need to take care of." he explained while shrugging her off, and heading toward the Knightmare bay. Though, the Princess continued following him, "The field needs me. I can't just abandon my Knights while cowering within the confines of a sub."

"Awe!" Kaguya squealed, "So noble!" she held her heart while shifting side-to-side, "Very well, I'll allow you to head out alone. But, promise me you'll come back, okay?"

Lelouch rolled his eyes and closed his Knightmare's hatch, "I'll be back. But not for you."

"Good enough." she blew a kiss at the Kagero before running to the bridge, where she would cause more problems for the staff. Lelouch almost felt bad that they had to deal with her antics. Almost.

Within seconds, the Kagero was launched out of the G1, returning to the hellish battlefield that it narrowly escaped once before. However, things would be different this time, as Lelouch actually has a target in mind. It came as no surprise that he lied to Kaguya regarding his true intentions with joining the battle personally. You see, his original plan was to defeat and capture Marrybell, since he was under the assumption that she wasn't a competent Knightmare pilot, but their duel proved otherwise. He can't capture Euphemia or Lila due to the image he built of them through the broadcast as the 'Innocent Princess'. So, he only had one option left, and she was potentially the hardest one to find. Carine.

The reason for this wasn't because she was inherently difficult to get to, or because of her excellent Knightmare skills, of which were nonexistent. No. It's just that ever since the battle first began, she had practically turned into a ghost, haunting the battlefield from wherever she was hiding. This was odd to Lelouch, as she wasn't the type of person to go radio silent like that. Hell, not even her G1 was reported to be present. Even so, he had come up with a sure fire way of getting her to reveal herself. Dasko. And conveniently, the Knight in question was currently being held Prisoner in the Viceroy Palace. The same Palace that just had all of its forces thrown out due to the bombing. It's poetic that Carine's recklessness will be her undoing.

The Prince zoomed to the upper limits of the upper levels, facing flimsy resistance along the way, as Britannia was occupied dealing with the overwhelming numbers of the Chinese Gun-Ru's. Soon, he reached the Knightmare bay that was built below the main Palace, bursting through the door, taking everyone by surprise.

Though, much to his confusion, the surprise soon went away, as the mechanics shouted, "Princess Carine's back!"

A lead mechanic soon came out onto the floor and asked, "How was it? Blended right in?" he patted himself on the back smuggly, "It took us a bit, but we managed to recreate that Knightmare to a T. From a distance, at least. Within that bad boy, is pure Britannian technology."

That's when it hit him. Lelouch realized why Carine wasn't appearing on the battlefield. The reason why her bombers had been so devastating to his forces. The reason why her G1 wasn't there. She was piloting a Zero Kagero, masquerading as Lelouch or Naoto. No, she was probably pretending to be Naoto right now, considering they probably recreated it from the corpse of his defeated Kagero. And, unbeknownst to Lelouch, but this was also the reason why Schneizel gave command of the bombers to her. She told him everything. "I'll admit, I never expected Carine to take to the battlefield herself. Even so, this doesn't change my plan, not one bit."

"Um… Princess?"

Silently, Lelouch activated his anti-personnel machine gun, and slaughtered the mechanics within seconds. With no guards around to stop him, the job was almost too easy. His eyes wandered to the captured Guren Mk.I, which was outfitted with Gloucester arms. The Prince parked his Knightmare and hopped out, before proceeding down a long corridor with a map of the complex on his tablet.

His footsteps echoed as he entered an elevator, and pressed the button, sending him deeper into enemy territory. Lelouch pulled out a pistol and tried the best he could to hide. Once the doors opened, he peeked around the corner, then walked down the hall of cells. Most of them were empty, except for the last one, which was quite lively to say the least.

"Reva."

"Stop calling me that."

"Then stop answering."

"For the last time, I'm only answering to correct you!" the sound of boots shuffling caught the Prince's attention, "It's Urabe! U-ra-be!"

"Urabe's here!?" Lelouch peered into the cell, only to see the Japanese man harassing his target: Dasko.

"And I told you before, I don't like that name, Reva."

"That sounds like a girl's name!"

"That's because it is."

"Why you son of a-"

"Urabe." Zero called, breaking up the scuffle.

If the Holy Sword had turned his neck any faster, he would've broken it, "Zero!?" he exclaimed while running up to the bars, "Did you come to save little 'ol me!? Holy shit! You really are full of miracles!"

"Do you know where the keys are?"

"Oh yeah!" Urabe pointed to his right, "I saw the guards walk that way, but I don't know if they're around anymore. They went silent a while ago."

Lelouch nodded, "I'll be back. Just stay put."

Suddenly, Dasko shouted, "Guards! Guards! Zero's here!"

The masked man glared at the Knight and ordered, "Shut up."

Instantly, he sat up straight, keeping his mouth shut in the process, much to the surprise of Urabe, "Woah. Looks like you were all bark and no bite."

Zero moved down the hall, to a closed door. He peered through the small glass window, but was caught off-guard by the sight before him. So, to get a better look, he opened the door, "What happened?" he muttered while carefully walking over to the two guards' dead bodies. From one, he picked up a key ring, and quickly retreated out the room.

"That was fast." the Holy Sword commented, "Did you kill them?"

"No. Something's off here." Lelouch opened the door and let Urabe go free, while motioning Dasko to follow, which he did obediently, "The Guards looked like they killed each other."

"For real?" the trio entered the Elevator, and headed for the bay with quickened hearts. "Oh man. Now I'm scared." Zero turned to the Holy Sword with a curious gaze, and almost as if he could see it, they responded, "I mean… Manly Men don't get scared. By the way, why didn't you get me a gun from the guards?"

"I… didn't think about it."

"Ah, so even the Great Zero can get scared. That's alright, I'll protect you." Urabe cracked his knuckles, "You've done your part. Now it's my turn."

"Well, I have the perfect task for you." Lelouch responded while running into the Knightmare bay, "Grab a Sutherland, switch its IFF off, and attach this." he grabbed a small device from within the Kagero, before tossing it at Urabe, "That way, our Black Knights will know you're a friendly."

"Oh man, you thought of everything, didn't you?" the Holy Sword did as asked, "You're the man, Zero!"

"It's alright. Now, head to the port, and help with the preparations. We'll be departing for India soon."

"Ah, so that's how it is? Alright. I'll follow your lead, Zero."

With Urabe speeding out of the bay, Lelouch turned to Dasko, "Hop into your Guren, and called Carine here."

"As you command."

Ashford Academy. 12:45AM.

Carine scoffed from within her Kagero as she watched the Black Knights begin their evacuation of the campus, "Damn it. I can't believe they failed. Whatever, I'll just follow them to their safe point, and I'll call another strike."

Suddenly, the voice of her Knight called over the radio, taking her by surprise, "Princess Carine."

"D-Dasko!?" she exclaimed, "Thank goodness you're okay! Did that guard set you free like I asked?"

"Princess Carine." Dasko repeated robotically, "Please… come to the Viceroy Palace."

"Yes. At once!" the woman turned her Kagero around, before speeding off, passing Tohdoh and the Holy Swords on the way.

"Naoto!" the Miracle Worker called, only to be ignored, "What's gotten into him?"

"Maybe he was given a special task?" Nagisa suggested, "Even still, it's rude to not at least say hello."

"No matter. I'm sure he's got a lot on his plate right now." Senba added, "Let's hurry to Ashford."

That's when their intercoms went off, "Tohdoh, come in." it was Lelouch.

"Yes, we're here. Is there something you need?"

"Gather as many Black Knights as you can, and head to the port."

"What about Ashford?"

"Maya's already informed me. They said that they're okay, and are heading out soon. The kids are being handed over to Jeremiah Gottwald and his group of Britannians."

"You're just handing them over like that!?" Nagisa shouted, "Didn't you see what those psycho's pulled!?"

"I understand your frustration, believe me, I do. However, the important thing is that we managed to protect the kids." Lelouch explained calmly, "That'll earn the Black Knights some serious support in the future. But, there won't be a future for us if we don't retreat. So, please don't argue with me."

"He's right. The consequences of this action will ring out across the world." Tohdoh added, "What were the casualties?"

"Not good. But I can't tell you the specifics now, as I don't have a clear idea of what happened."

"I see. Very well, we'll start moving toward the port."

"I'll be seeing you there, Tohdoh." Lelouch ended the call and returned to preparing for Carine's arrival.

Viceroy Palace. 12:48AM.

"Naoto?" the Prince questioned as the Kozuki entered the Knightmare bay.

"Lelouch? What the hell are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing." Zero stated while moving his Kagero to the corner, "Where's your Knightmare?"

"Ah… Gino got me good. Sorry."

"Don't be. From the reports I've gotten, he's in a flying Knightmare, isn't he?"

"Yep. Honestly, I think only Kallen can beat him at this point."

Lelouch chuckled, "You shouldn't put too much responsibility on my girlfriend. After all, she can't do everything alone."

Naoto scoffed and responded, "Well… MY sister is too much of a Knightmare prodigy. Seriously, we should have her teaching some classes or something."
"Perhaps leading her own squad?"

"I don't know about that… she's pretty lazy, you know?"

The Prince laughed, "Well, she can be at times. But once she has motivation, she'll become super productive."

Naoto eyed a strange looking Sutherland in the background, "No way. Is that what I think it is?" he climbed up the platform that connected to it.

"Oh yeah. It's called the 'Aroundight'. Supposedly, it's an attempt at mass producing the Lancelot." Lelouch smirked, "Though, it doesn't look to be successful."

"Even so… it would be a shame to just leave it here."

"Is that so?" the Prince pointed at a nearby table, "I was planning on having it destroyed, but you can take it since you're missing a Knightmare. The keys are on the table."

"What about the activation code?"

"Doesn't have one. None of these Knightmares do." Lelouch then hugged the wall, "Hide. Our guest is arriving."

Much to Naoto's surprise, another Zero Kagero entered the bay, shouting, "Dasko!" Carine stood before her Knight as he piloted the Guren, "I'm so glad you're okay! C'mon, let's get out of here-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Lelouch attacked from behind, using his MVS to cut off her right arm, before pushing her into a catwalk, where she collapsed into the wall. She tried to fight back, only for the Prince to thrust his blade through her chest, and rip open the cockpit, "Greetings, Princess."

"N-no way…a trap?" she looked at the Guren in disbelief, "Dasko… why?" she seemed to be on the verge of tears.

Lelouch used the Kagero to put her on the floor, and positioned his Knightmare in a kneeling position behind, "Naoto, bring me the camera."

The Princess felt her heart sink as Dasko restrained her with handcuffs, "Why… why is this happening to me…" she muttered to herself as tears began to fall, "Dasko! Answer me! Why are you doing this!? You promised-"

"Silence." Zero commanded as Naoto brought a tripod over. Then, he removed his mask, "I would say that it's nice to meet you in person, but that would be a lie."

Carine tilted her tear-stained face in confusion, "Wh-who the hell are you?"

"I'm Zero. The man who's going to put an end to your life on live television. Or more specifically…" he pointed at Dasko, "He is."

The red-haired Princess was too scared to face her Knight, so instead she stared at the ground in defeat, "So what? You're showing me your face to mock me? Is that it?"

"Not at all. Before I get the camera's rolling, I feel obligated to get some answers out of you." Lelouch grabbed his sister's face, and forced her to look him in the eyes, shocking Naoto, "You will answer my questions."

A Geass symbol flew into her eye, and she stopped resisting, "Of course."

"Man… I've seen it before, but it's still creepy…" Naoto shivered as Lelouch began laying on the questions.

"What do you know about the death of Marianne Vi Britannia?" Lelouch knew from Clovis that either Schneizel or Cornelia knew something about Marianne's assassination. However, it was good to check, especially with one of the women who hated her the most.

"I know that she was attacked by a group of terrorists, who somehow infiltrated her homestead." Carine answered robotically.

"Anything else?"

"No."

"Wait… seriously? I mean, I wasn't expecting her to tell me who was responsible for mother's assassination, but… I at least expected her to know… something. Did she really have nothing to do with it? Or more importantly, Guinevere? It's possible that she just didn't tell Carine anything, but not likely." Lelouch sighed, "Any questions you want answered, Naoto?"

The Kozuki shook his head out of shock, "S-sorry. My mind is a bit out of it right now… nothing comes to mind."

"I doubt Carine knows any relevant military secrets. So, I think it's safe to eliminate her now." the Prince blinked, and the red-haired Princess was released from his Geass.

"Please! Let me go!" she cried, "I don't know anything, I swear!"

"That much is obvious." Lelouch put on his mask, and set the camera rolling, "Make sure the lines connected." he told Naoto, "Diethard, how is it on your end?"

The newsman heard Zero call from the other line, "It's good to go. Just let me know when you want to go live."

"Alright, give me a three-count. Naoto, man the camera."

The Kozuki obeyed and listened to Diethard as he counted to three. Once he hit the magic number, Zero began, "People of the World! I come to you with news of our battle here in Japan!" he grabbed Carine by the hair, and lifted her up, "This woman, Carine Ne Britannia, ruthlessly ordered the destruction of Ashford Academy at around 12:40AM. Her goal? To obliterate, not just the Black Knights stationed there, but the innocent students whose lives had been turned upside down by this conflict. However, know this, we as the Black Knights, fight for the weak! We treated those students with the utmost care, as we understand that they don't deserve to have war banging down their door!" he held Carine's face a little higher, "But this woman didn't care about the consequences of her actions. If it weren't for my Black Knights laying their life on the line to protect them, the thousands of innocent youth who resided on campus, would've been snuffed out." he released Carine's face, "And I'm not the only one who thinks that. Even her own Knight, Dasko La Clermont, has expressed his disappointment in not only Britannia, but the royal family!"

Naoto kept the camera steady, but his resolve shook once he understood what Lelouch was going to do, "Maybe I'm just soft… but isn't this a little too cruel?"

"Dasko, show the world your resolve. Kill Carine Ne Britannia." the Prince handed his handgun over to the Knight.

The red-haired Princess cried even harder, "No! Please! Don't do it, Dasko!"

Her pleas seemed to work momentarily, as the red rings around her Knight's eyes faltered, much to Lelouch's shock. However, they soon strengthened, and he put the gun to the back of her head, before pulling the trigger, ending Carine's life once and for all.

ASEEC Warehouse.

"Carine!" Lila screamed as she collapsed to the ground, "No!" she began crying uncontrollably, much to everyone's pity. Sure, she knew Carine was plotting behind her back, but that doesn't mean she didn't cherish the little moments where the red-haired Princess acted like a real sister. "First Clovis… now Carine… why? Why does he keep taking everyone away…" she slammed her little fist on the ground.

Suddenly, Suzaku came from behind, and gently held her hand, "Just say the word, and I'll hunt him down." he said with a soft, caring tone.

"Suzaku…" the Innocent Princess held onto her Knight for dear life, just needing a shoulder to cry on. And he obliged. After all, he understood more than anyone that feeling of loss.

"Sorry to further rain on your… moment." Lloyd chimed in, much to the chagrin of Cecile, "But… you won't have a full charge going into battle. You've clocked the Lancelot into overtime, and I'm afraid it can only handle a 50% charge. Anymore, and you might actually catch fire."

"That's alright. As long as there's a chance, I'll take it."

"Very well, we'll get everything ready for your final flight."

"F-final!?" Lila exclaimed, "Y-you're gonna die!?" she held onto Suzaku tighter, "No!"

Cecile slapped Lloy across the back of the head, "Sorry, Princess. What he meant to say was…"

Avalon.

"What a shame." Schneizel muttered, "Although… her death has caused quite a problem now."

"What do you mean?" Kanon asked as the broadcast ended.

"The world will see Zero as a hero." the blond responded while leaning back, "If his uprising didn't spread before, showing how easy it was for him to kill a member of the royal family surely will. Not only that, but he somehow got Dasko to turn on Carine, something I never thought possible."

"Do you think… he'll be a problem?"

"Zero himself? Not at all. However, it's the repercussions of what he's done that will be hard to deal with." Schneizel turned his gaze to the battlefield map, which showed an overwhelming amount of Britannian forces now pushing back, with small specks of yellow getting wiped out slowly, "I fear that even in the next 10 years, Britannia won't be able to recover from this."

"10 years? Don't you think you're exaggerating?"

"Perhaps. It's just an estimate, after all. Anything could happen to either diminish, or extend the probability. Regardless, we should eliminate Zero here and now."

Viceroy Palace. 12:55AM.

"What do you think I should do with Dasko?" Lelouch asked Naoto, "I can't kill him, otherwise that'd be suspicious."

"I… I don't know." the man responded while watching the Knight kneel beside his Princess.

"Is there seriously no other way?"

"Perhaps I could send him on a final rampage against Britannia, but I see greater value in keeping him in Japan. Allowing him to secretly foster a rebellion of his own. What do you say?"

Naoto scratched the back of his head, and said, "Let him fight. I think… the burden of letting him live that long isn't… healthy."
"Really? You're worried about your enemy's health?"

"That's not what I meant. It's just… unnecessarily cruel. Haven't you tormented him enough?"

Lelouch sighed. It was clear that in this instance, Naoto was being warm and emotional, while he remained cold and calculating. It was a good balance, admittedly. "Very well, I'll do it your way. Out of respect for you."

"Thank you…" the Kozuki muttered while entering the Aroundight, "Now, let's get to the port."

"As you wish."

AN: And thus, came a cruel end to Carine. But honestly, the one who suffered the most in that was Dasko.

I had a few ideas for how I would get rid of her. One being that she gets amnesia like how she (supposodly) does in canon, according to the wiki. The Second was her getting inches from 'killing' Lelouch, before he would order Dasko to stab her in the back. And the last was her death occuring after the whole Black Rebellion, where Lelouch lets her live, but continually torments her to...

Anyway, in this instance, Lelouch actually didn't reveal who he was to Carine. There's a reason, but it's not that profound.