AN:

DarkDremora: KT Suzaku had already met the Knights of the Round in his timeline, just on the battlefield. Now, he's meeting them as a fellow Knight.

Alan Wake: I don't know how they'd react. They probably would be in disbelief, though I'm sure they'll keep in mind this is the same guy who uses Geass without hesitation to puppeteer those to his will. However, with the addition of Naoto being in support, it would certainly be a hard pill for people like Ohgi to swallow.

Ryuto: Of course, while Kallen and Lelouch does take priority over other characters in terms of devolpment; I do need time to figure out where I'm going to take their characters next, so I show what's happening with the others while I think. :)

Chapter 87: Trip

March 27th. 9:45PM. Chennai. India.

"Quit slacking, Tamaki." Zero called from the top staircase.

"You… call us in the middle of the night… and now you're complaining that we're slacking?" the Japanese man mumbled as he, and the rest of the Black Knights, stumbled up the stairs.

"We told you guys to go to sleep early, yet you chose to stay up doing nothing productive." Naoto commented while counting heads, making sure everyone was there.

Mario gave Maya a piggyback ride as she cutely nuzzled into his neck, sleeping soundly, "And you still haven't explained why we're going to Agra."

"I told you, Mario. We're going for Rakshata." Lelouch responded as Kallen leaned on a nearby pole, slightly dozing off, "She's gotten a breakthrough with the Gawain, and needs us to oversee it."

"But the entirety of the Black Knights? Come on, you don't need us all there."

"It's just to boost morale. Once everyone sees that the Black Knights are still indeed in the fight, it'll quell circulating doubts within our ranks." Naoto added while nudging his sister awake, much to her displeasure.

"Go away." she muttered while moving toward the pole next to Lelouch, and leaning against it. The Prince chuckled, making sure the other Black Knights weren't looking, before reaching his hand up to pat her head. At first, the red head looked at him with slight hostility for disturbing her sleep, but upon realizing his intentions, she settled into his touch, accompanied by a low hum of satisfaction.

"By the way…" Mario walked up, "Are you seriously going to wear that on the train?" he motioned to their leader's outfit, "This is a whole day trip, right? It's one thing that a bunch of Japanese people are suddenly taking the train out of nowhere." he leaned in, "And in case you didn't notice, we don't fit in. But I digress." his eyes scanned Lelouch once more, "If that doesn't get anyone suspicious, then this surely will."

"Relax. I'll change out my clothes during the train ride."

"You're gonna stick out like a sore thumb." Naoto chimed in, "Even more so than us."

"Nobody's gonna know it's me, because I'll be in a separate cart. If anyone does show up to said cart, then all they will see is a Britannian minding his own business." Lelouch waved off the worries, while taking count of the last few Black Knights.

"What if someone puts two-and-two together? Their leaders gone, and all of a sudden this Britannian shows up…"

"They're half asleep." the Prince snapped, finally annoyed by the worries, "Nobody's gonna be paying attention."

Naoto put up his hands, "Alright. I'm just looking out for you."

Suddenly, the train arrived ahead of schedule, jolting a majority of the Black Knights awake as the doors opened, allowing what little passengers it held to exit. "Board the train." Zero ordered, "It'll be a long trip, so settle in." he turned to Naoto, and in a hushed voice said, "I appreciate your worry, but I've got everything figured out."

Mario quickly entered the train, following the Black Knights toward the center car, where he put down his sister, leaning her head against the window, while taking the seat next to hers. The rest of the Knights filled the other seats, practically falling asleep upon allowing their body to rest for even a moment.

Clara took a seat across from the siblings, with Rolo obediently following suit. "Isn't this exciting? It's like a field trip, right?"

Her fellow assassin rolled his eyes, muttering, "Only you think of business trips as 'fun trips'."

"What? Don't tell me you're not excited to travel India with us."

Rolo pointed at his eyes, which still had red rings, "I can't even kill myself because of you. Do you honestly think I'm gonna have fun here?"

"Well, if you weren't so suicidal, I wouldn't have had to give you that command."

"I wouldn't be suicidal if I wasn't a-"

"That's enough." Mario's calm voice broke up their argument. "If you keep it up, this conversation will fall on unsavory ears." he turned to his sister, "You'll also wake her up… eventually." he let out a sighed, before looking at the duo, "It seems like you're making no progress, Clara."

"You're just looking at everything from face-value." the pink-haired girl huffed while staring out the window as the train began to move, "I've made great leaps and bounds in befriending Rolo."

"Usually… when you're plotting behind someone's back, you don't-"

"Shut up."

Mario watched as the boy straightened up, instantly closing his mouth upon hearing the order, "Oh yeah. I see a lot of progress." he muttered sarcastically.

"Ugh. You don't get it, Mario." Clara rolled her eyes while crossing her legs, "Rolo was a difficult person, even in the Order. Uptight, rule-abiding, and an effective soldier with a defective Geass. The boy's got a chip on his shoulder, or at least that's what they said."

"They?"

"The scientist." Clara leaned back as Naoto and Kallen sat across the aisle, "They made sure we were developing well."

"So… you were treated like experiments?" Mario asked in a low tone, "That's… pretty cruel."

"Meh. It wasn't so bad. After you proved capable, they sent you out on missions, and if you completed it successfully, they'd allow you to stay out longer. Depending on the task, I'd wait until the last minute, so that'd I'd get the normal time out, plus the time for completing my objective."

The black-haired boy turned to Rolo, who was still as straight as an arrow, "So… what's up with him? Why's he so indebted to those people if they stripped away his freedom?"

"That's something you'd have to ask him."

"Why don't you do it?"

"Because it doesn't matter." Clara replied coldly, "At the end of the day, Rolo's just a tool for them to use, and he willingly subjected himself into that role." she rudely poked his temple, causing a flicker of disappointment to show within his eyes, that only Mario seemed to notice.

"Perhaps… you could leave him in my care for a time." the boy suggested, drawing a curious gaze from Clara, "What? Maybe he just needs someone more… compassionate."

"What!? I'm full of compassion!"

"I'm sure you normally are." Mario said sarcastically, "However, there's clear animosity between you and Rolo that's causing stagnation."

The girl leaned back in frustration, "So you think you can do a better job than me?" she turned to Rolo, "Until either I or Lelouch say, you will follow Mario's orders."

The rings around his eye brightened, before dimming as he responded, "Yes, my lady."

"Creepy…" Mario told himself while motioning for the boy to follow him, "We'll be in the next cart over."

"Whatever." Clara waved him off casually, "Just make sure he doesn't get away."

Lelouch sat in the second to last car from the caboose, trying to stay as inconspicuous as possible. He placed a briefcase by his side, containing the Zero outfit, which he would use to disguise himself later. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth as the train began moving once again, "Looks like I'm alone back here."

He took out a tablet, going over the plan he and Naoto devised for Kallen's birthday. It would start with her receiving a surprise celebration from the entirety of the Black Knights, with Lelouch leading Kallen on a tour through Agra. Toward the end of the day, a final party will be thrown, topping it all off. "Nice and simple." the Prince leaned back, clearly satisfied, "If we had it Naoto's way, I wouldn't be surprised if he hired an entire parade for her. Although…"

Two Day Ago

"It'll be her birthday! We have to go all out!" Naoto argued as Lelouch wrote down suggestions.

"All out? Naoto, you do realize the circumstances we're in now, right?"

"Obviously. That's why it's imperative we make it memorable!"

"It's already memorable without us having to do anything. Don't get me wrong, I want to make it big and extravagant too, but in these circumstances… that would be impossible."

Naoto slumped back in his chair, "Well… we have to do something."

"Of course. That's why we'll have a party for-"

"I'm gonna have to stop you right there." the Kozuki took out his own notepad, and began writing, "What kind of party?"

"A birthday party."

Naoto rolled his eyes, "I mean, what'll we have in it?"

Lelouch shook his head in confusion, "Balloons… pizza… piñatas?"

"Piñatas? How old do you think my sister is? We're not having a piñata."

"Why not? Piñatas are good for all ages."

"As if." the Kozuki drew a circle on his pad, before showing it to his partner, "One word: Disco."

This made the Prince audibly laugh, "You're kidding, right? Piñatas are too childish, but disco isn't?"

"Kallen loves disco!"

"Loves or loved?" Lelouch hinted at the implications, "She could've grown up by now, and perhaps would rather enjoy beating the snot out of a paper mache donkey."

"Just because she has some violent tendencies, doesn't mean she would enjoy doing something so childish."

"How about we string up Tamaki and use him as the piñata?"

Naoto chuckled at the joke, before saying, "While I think he would genuinely consider it, we can't do that to him." he massaged his face deep in thought, "How about this; you take her on a tour through Taj Mahal? I'm sure she'd enjoy it."

"A… tour? You think Kallen would like to tour Taj Mahal?"

"Yeah? What's so strange about that?"

Lelouch raised an eyebrow, "And… why do you think that?"

"Well… it's romantic. She'll be spending time with you…" the Kozuki looked to the side, "Actually… maybe that wouldn't be a good idea."

"Which one? Taj Mahal or spending time with me?"

Naoto laughed heartily, "Didn't know you had a sense of humor. Not bad."

The Prince rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Y-yeah. You know what? I'll see what happens when the time comes. When we pass Taj Mahal, I'll bring it up covertly to gauge her reaction. If it's positive, then we'll go there. Otherwise…"

"Got it." his partner stood up, "Then I expect you to hold up your end."

Lelouch leaned back in his seat while looking at a picture of Taj Mahal, "Should I research interesting facts about it just in case? Who knows, maybe Kallen's a big fan or something." he put in a pair of earbuds just as two cloaked men entered the cart. They took one look at him, before heading to their seats. Just out of chance, Lelouch took one earbud out to eavesdrop, "Can't be too careful, after all."

"Oz." one man said in a hushed tone, causing the Prince to lean slightly to get a better listen, "It appears M has cancelled his trip to the EU."

"Is it possible he saw our movement?"

"Highly unlikely. It's probably due to rising tensions between Euro Britannia and Europia, sending a Knight of the Round over could violate the peace treaty."

"Of course. Because the treaty only states Britannia itself, not Euro Britannia, which is essentially a tributary-empire." Lelouch kept his eye on the men, "So… if Europia does go to war with Euro Britannia, then there's a good chance they'll win, just to the sheer difference in army size. Though… now I wonder more than ever what Schneizel got out of that deal. It had to be good if he's essentially trading off the only foothold they have in Europe for 'peace'."

"And here I thought they'd break the treaty first chance they got." the man known as 'Oz' responded, "Regardless, it looks like we've lost our chance."

Lelouch heard the man shift in his seat, so he returned to watching a video about Taj Mahal on his tablet, trying to seem engrossed in the topic, "Oz? I'll keep that name in mind."

Like a bad omen, Mario, followed by Rolo, entered the car. His eyes were immediately drawn to Lelouch, who waved them off. Upon sensing the urgency, Mario took a seat in the aisle ahead of the Prince's. Rolo did the same, just when Oz leaned out of his seat, trying to get a look at the boys, only to find them just out of sight.

"Now what?" the Prince tapped his briefcase repeatedly, "If I could communicate to Rolo to use his Geass, then we'd be able to see what 'Oz' looks like. Though… is it even worth it? They don't seem to be against us, and the chances of getting caught also seem high, considering that he'll only stop their perception of time." he put back in an earbud, "I'll let them go for now. The risks far outweigh the rewards."

Meanwhile, Mario and Rolo began to quietly converse as their leader went back to his research, "So… how do you feel?"

"Horrible." the Geassed boy answered while looking out the window, "The part I despise the most, is how I'm getting passed around like some toy."

"Yeah… Geass sure is a fickle thing." Mario responded while scanning the boy, "Say…what's it like? Having a Geass?"

"Why? You interested in getting one?"

"Not really. Seems like a hassle from my angle. Lots of restrictions just for a means to an end."

"Really? That's… interesting…"

"What? Is Geass truly that incredible? Could it really help achieve something I couldn't do myself?"

Rolo raised an eyebrow while facing the boy, "Certainly an interesting way of putting it. However, having Geass does make your life easier. For instance, those 'miracles' Zero creates are all shams. Just a product of his granted ability."

"Even if they only exist because of such a thing, it's still impressive with how he comes up with those outlandish ideas, that I never thought possible, even with Geass. For instance, having a group of people infiltrate Tokyo settlement to destroy the supports? I wouldn't even know where to begin with such a plan."

The Geassed boy sighed heavily, "Probably because you're not all that bright."

"Excuse me? I haven't done anything to warrant your anger."

"Your very existence is reason enough for me to hate you. I'm a caged bird due to him. The same guy you mindlessly follow to achieve some kind of 'righteous' goal. Tell me, Mario, what's your reason for joining the Black Knights?"

"To get revenge against Britannia." Mario answered without hesitation, "They've done a lot to myself and my sister. Those at the top… will happily use those below as stepping stools to further their own gains. We'll bring those to justice."

"Empty words." Rolo boldly claimed in a heartbeat, "I'm an expert at reading others, and I can tell that there's nothing behind your 'conviction'. No drive. You're just here for the ride." he leaned forward, "And you still haven't answered my question. Why do you want to get revenge against Britannia?"

"I already answered that. It's because I want to-"

"Such a generic answer isn't good enough. You and every other Eleven want the same thing. The only difference is, there's actual meaning behind their words. For example, you say you want revenge against Britannia? Why? All you've given is a generic reason of 'they use the weak to further their gain'. Everyone does that. Britannians aren't the ones who invented it, and they won't be the last to use it."

"Even so, it's not right to try and eradicate an entire culture just because you beat them in a war."

"Oh? Since when did the losers get to dictate what happens to them?"

"A bit hypocritical, especially considering your situation." Mario smirked, "If you truly believed that, then you'd keep your mouth shut, and do as we say."

"None of you beat me. He got lucky, by catching me off-guard."

"But you still lost."

Rolo's face slowly turned into a scowl, as he began boiling over, much to Mario's enjoyment, "Don't look so happy, punk."

"Why? We just had a real discussion, where you were allowed to express your feelings." the boy leaned back victorious, "Aren't you happy?"

The former assassin clenched his fist in rage, "H-how dare you…"

"Rolo, I'm not here to boss you around. While you're with me, you can speak your mind without worrying about me telling you to 'shut up'. I'm here to help you. Remember that."

Rolo looked away, contemplating those words as his mind ran amok, "Whatever." he muttered while returning his gaze to the window.

8 hours later.

Tamaki's eyes fluttered open just as the sun began to peek over the horizon. His first reaction was to try and sleep again, only to be reminded of where he was by the shifting of the train car. Thus, he chose to get out of his seat. "What? You're the first awake?" Naoto commented as his friend walked down the aisle, "So… unlikely."

"I'm a changed man." Tamaki responded with a confident smirk, "This is the birth of a new Tamaki. One that can proudly support Zero, just like you and Tohdoh."

"Pretty bold statement. Are you sure you'll follow through with that commitment?"

"I'm beyond positive." the Japanese man responded while pointing at himself with his thumb, smirking in the process. "The title of Head Custodian is a serious gig, you hear?"

Just as he finished that sentence, Tohdoh and the rest of the holy swords entered the car, catching the last bit of his statement, "Head Custodian?" Nagisa scowled, "I wonder why he hasn't kicked idiots like you out yet."

"Excuse me!?"

"Don't be rude, Nagisa." Senba added, trying to quell the situation, "We need to trust Zero's judgment. After all, this 'Tamaki' might have some kind of… unnaturally talent just waiting to be shown off."

"Damn right!" the aforementioned man puffed his chest out confidently.

"Oh? You want us to trust someone who won't even show us his face? What a joke."

"Hey! Don't talk smack about my best bud!"

"You don't even know who your 'best bud' is." she argued while taking a seat across from Kallen, who kept her eyes closed in spite of the situation. "And you, Kozuki. When's Zero going to reveal his identity?"

"After we take Japan. That's what he said." Naoto interjected, despite the obvious question being directed toward his sister.

"You mean the Japan he failed to capture? So the answer is never, right?"

"Don't be like that." Urabe tried to calm her down while a red mark of irritation grew on Kallen's forehead. "Hey, we got close the first time, all we have to do-"

"Close? It doesn't matter if we lost by an inch or a mile, we failed." Nagisa answered bluntly, "Do you have any idea how many people we lost? The least he could do, is reveal his identity."

"You say that like he owes you something." the red head finally spoke.

"He owes all of us. Without us, there's no way he would be able to fight Britannia in the first place."

"And without him, we wouldn't be able to either." Naoto added.

"Then this is a mutual partnership, right? One where he gives us something, and in turn we trust him with our lives." she noticed everyone nodding, "Well, from where I'm sitting he's given us nothing. Only take, take, and take. We've lost more than ever, and now we're just sitting around twiddling our thumbs while we wait for his next orders."

"Nagisa." Tohdoh calmly called, "While it's true we've lost a lot, without Zero's planning, we wouldn't be alive. Sure, we're 'twiddling' our thumbs now, but if we just rushed back to Japan to face off against Britannia again, we'll just be crushed once more. This time, we might not make it out."

"That's not my point." Nagisa stated while standing up, "I know that if we return to Japan, we'll get killed, but that's not what I'm suggesting." she sighed, "I just want to see his face. Names aren't necessary." she glanced at Asahina, who remembered 'Lelouch', "There's a person behind that mask, and I want to see them."

Silence took hold of the conversation for a moment, as Naoto moved to reiterate his point, only to realize it wouldn't work. Not anymore. Luckily, the rest of the Black Knights were asleep; otherwise they'd have another world of problems. "I'll… speak to Zero about it later."

"Wait… where is Zero?" Nagisa scanned the car, only to find their leader missing, prompting her to ask, "Where is he anyway?"

"I don't know." their stand-in responded, "He's probably hiding somewhere amongst the passengers, or maybe in some kind of private quarters."

"Doubt that…" the female holy sword turned to Kallen, "Considering she's here."

"What are you trying to say?" the red head asked with a suspicious glance.

"Everyone suspects it. What? They've noticed how you head to Zero's room at night… alone." she leans forward, "Listen… I don't know what kind of… relationship you have with him. Considering you're always with him…" she stood, and walked toward the front, out of the car.

"Someone woke up cranky." Urabe chuckled, "Sorry about that. We'll rein her in."

Asahina gave a brief bow, before he and Urabe followed Nagisa. Tohdoh sighed in frustration, while motioning for Senba to go after them. The remaining Holy Sword did as told, leaving the group alone, "Naoto."

"I know." the Kozuki mumbled, "It's just… I don't even know if he'll do such a thing… especially with how much pressure there is. The Black Knights… they view him as a symbol, so if it turns out he's not what they expect, then…"

"I don't see the problem." Tamaki interjected, "He's just a kid. I doubt there'd be anyone who genuinely wants to rip him to shreds."

Tohdoh's eyes narrowed, before turning to Naoto, "He knows?"

"Not… exactly."

"Yep." the Head Custodian answered proudly, "I saw his face and everything."

"I don't think you should be too proud of that…"

"Oh come on! We're square now!"

The Miracle worker sighed, realizing that Tamaki only knew what Zero looked like, not his identity, "It looks like we'll have to take it up with the man himself." he stood up, aiming for the door, "Counting on you, Naoto."

"Thanks." the Kozuki sighed just as the red head walked toward the back of the car, "This is getting so complicated now."

"Really? I don't see it." Tamaki answered with ignorant bliss, "Like I said, it might be a shock at first, but everyone will come around."

"You never said that."

"I just did."

Naoto leaned back just as Maya put two clips in Clara's nostrils, "Tamaki… your brilliance astounds me."

Not sensing the sarcasm, the Head Custodian leaned back confidently, "I know. That's why I've gotta deal with the hard jobs around here."

Maya took out a few more clips, lining the pink-haired girl's ears with them, before returning to her seat to take a picture. Then, she took out a sharpie, intending to practice 'art' on her victim, only for them to jolt awake, "Maya? What are you-go away!"

"Stay still!" the black-haired girl ordered while practically mounting her, abruptly waking up the rest of the Knights, who audibly expressed their displeasure.

"Oh great. Now I've got this to deal with." Naoto calmly stood up to calmly everyone down, "Mind helping me, Head Custodian?"

Tamaki pounded his chest proudly, "Oh Naoto, you just don't have the same finesse I do. Don't worry, you're lucky I'm here to assist."

The Kozuki rolled his eyes, "We can't get to Agra fast enough."

Kallen entered the caboose just as a Chinese man passed Lelouch's seat. Ignoring Mario, who was motioning her to his seat, she sat next to her boyfriend without hesitation, causing a cloaked man to turn his head, "Lulu~" she whispered while poking his cheek.

The Prince waved her off, "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to see you."

He gave her a blank stare, "I told you to only come here in case of emergencies. What if someone sees?"

"Are you ashamed of being with me?"

"No. That's not-"

"Then I don't see a problem." she responded playfully while keeping an eye on the cloaked man, "By the way… Nagisa came by this morning."

"She's getting impatient?"

"You've been keeping track?"

"Of course." Lelouch hastily put away his tablet, "I don't want to talk about it now… considering we're…"

"Yeah." Kallen shifted closer, allowing her breath to caress the back of his neck, "You know… you haven't been training with me recently. Why's that?"

"It's just… I don't think I need it anymore." he answered while trying to move away, only to hit a wall.

"Is that so?" the red head raised an eyebrow, "What makes you think that?"

"Just… I dueled Marrybell briefly… and I did pretty well."

"So now you think you don't need to work on your form?" she squeezed his arm, feeling the nigh non-existent muscle, "Lulu… did you get any sleep last night?"

"Yeah… I did…" he answered as she slowly put him into a chokehold, not applying enough pressure to actually choke him, only to get the message across.

"Don't lie. I can see you're drowsy." she tried to reach for the tablet, only for him to push it away, "Hm? What was that for?"

"N-nothing." he mumbled as she pulled him down, laying back first on the booth.

"Lelouch." Kallen whispered while trying to reach for the tablet, only to find it just out of arm's reach, "Move it to the other seat."

"F-fine." he tossed the device to the other side, hoping she would be satisfied with that.

"Good job." she released her hold, allowing him to return to a sitting position. "So… what were you doing last night?"

Lelouch felt her shoulder press against his, cutting off all routes of escape, "I was just… looking over a few designs Rakshata sent over."

"Designs? What kind?"

"Ones for the Guren, Sougetsu… and Kagero." he explained in a low tone, "I'll tell you later, but we can't be seen together right now."

The red head drilled her finger into the Prince's side, as if punishing him for suggesting such a thing, "I'll leave soon. But I want to know something…" her blue eyes stared into his purple, as if searching for an answer, "You know… something special's coming up?"

"O-oh… is it?"

Sensing the hesitation, she moved closer, only inches from his lips, "Yep…" her breath gently caressing them, "Do you know what it is?"

"Maybe…" he stated in a hoarse whisper

"Then say it." she pinched his cheeks with a pout.

"It's almost your birthday."

Kallen smirked, "That's right. Do you have anything planned?"

"Uh oh." Lelouch kept his panic internally, while saying, "No."

"Liar." she instantly caught on, "Tell me your plans, Mister."

The Prince chuckled at how she acted like an impatient child the day before Christmas, it was clear that Kallen couldn't handle surprises very well, "You'll just have to wait and see."

The red head pinched his sides harder, "But I don't want to."

"Jeez… were you always this impatient?" he playfully pushed her away, "Now, go away. Someone's gonna see."

Kallen pouted while getting up, "You're so mean." she playfully stormed off, but not before giving one last glance at the cloaked man's seat, which was now empty, "Ugh. I hope that doesn't come back later somehow."

Once she left, Lelouch let out a sigh of relief, "Maybe I should get some shut-eye. Don't wanna get caught off-guard due to sleep deprivation."

AN: *Gasps for air* We are not spending another Chapter on this train... my brain can't handle it. We probably won't go straight into the birthday next chapter, though we'll still be on the train for the first half. I know I wrote this specifically so there could be more interactions, but I just can't think of any now. Perhaps a little more Clara and Maya next time would help.

Writer's block hurts.