Breakfast was an awkward affair.

Where it was normally just Lelouch and Nunnally, C.C. joined them today as if nothing were amiss. Moreover, her state of dress quickly caught Nunnally's attention.

"Isn't that one of your shirts?"

Lelouch's long-suffering "Yes" told her all she needed to know. C.C. smirked throughout their little exchange, though it grew more mischievous when she caught Nunnally peeking.

The younger girl quickly turned back to her brother to distract herself from the scantily clad beauty at the table. "So what happened yesterday? You said something went wrong with Kallen, right?"

Lelouch nodded in response, explaining between bites: "I need to test my Geass for limitations. Yesterday blindsided me when I found out that I can only use it once per person, which tipped Kallen off."

"Tipped her off to what?" Nunnally prompted. They both ignored C.C. becoming attentive over the subject, well aware she knew it already anyway.

"That I know something about Shinjuku. I alleviated her suspicions a little, but it took the whole deception with the recorder to get her off my back. Anyway, what I already figured out is the once-per-person limit, and that whatever way the Geass works prevents the target from remembering my using it."

Nunnally hummed in thought at that. It sounded like a decent starting point, though the 'tipping off' part reminded her of last night. There was one other problem he did not even know about.

"Kaguya knows you're Zero," she told her bewildered brother. "We were on the phone when it happened and she, erm, guessed it in a minute or two."

C.C. chuckled at that, but remained ignored. Lelouch himself seemed uncertain now, not quite sure what to say. "Is it that obvious?" he asked slowly, to which Nunnally shook her head.

"I think it's because she already knows about you... and that we're planning something, considering the Sutherlands I traded her."

He clearly acknowledged that she had a point; Nunnally knew it too. There were all of six people who knew their true identities, including Sayoko and maybe C.C.. Neither Milly nor her grandfather would suspect something like this to happen. Suzaku was just gullible, though.

With that settled, she changed the subject: "Anyway, what did you use your Geass on Kallen about?"

"I asked some questions. Turns out the Stadtfeldt heiress is half Japanese and a terrorist."

"So we have blackmail if we need it?"

Lelouch nodded at that, slightly taken aback by how nonchalant she was about it. C.C.'s attention turned to Nunnally as well while the younger girl chewed on a piece of apple. "How cold of you to say that," she probed in a faux horrified tone. "Would you really go ahead and ruin the girl's life like that?"

To that, Nunnally could only shrug. "I might not like it, but I will if I must." She hardly knew Kallen and Lelouch was at risk, after all.

"Let's leave that for later," Lelouch cautioned. "Right now she may be useful."

He made a face even as he said it. Nunnally noticed as well and looked at her brother to bear his heart. But he kept hesitating, even when she up and asked if something was wrong. Lelouch studied her, looking somewhat lost while she kept munching on fruit.

C.C. had no such compunctions. She chuckled and interrupted their conversation again: "It seems your darling brother did not expect to have candid conversations like these with you, girl."

Nunnally shrugged once more. She felt surprisingly calm despite the subjects at hand, and she blamed last night on it. "I can understand why he would be," she admitted, eyes falling to the table. Her apple was gone. "I was basically dead until a few months ago, just going through the motions and hoping to live another day."

C.C. arched a brow at that, though she did not contradict her.

"We both were," Lelouch answered quietly. He immediately had everyone's attention. "Just living corpses shambling along, just like he said back then."

Nunnally's gaze softened, but the fire in her gut alighted again. Lelouch smiled back at her, likely feeling the same. "You woke up from that sleepwalking dream before me," he said, then gave a nod to C.C.. "I only managed it yesterday. And I have to thank you for that."

"You do not mind being forced into a contract?"

C.C.'s question prompted a faint smirk from Lelouch. "The circumstances forced me, not you. Why would I complain about receiving a power such as this?"

He chuckled then, a hint of darkness in the noise. "This Geass moves up my schedule by years."

"I don't like the sound of that," Nunnally commented.

This time Lelouch arched a brow at her.

"Well, how did you say it? I disagree, end of story."

The pettiness of that retort did not impress her, even though she already knew something like this would happen. She knew it ever since she heard about the Sutherlands.

Lelouch's phone went off then, cutting off any further banter or arguing. Lelouch flipped it open to check at once, only to huff and shake his head in exasperation.

"Who was that?"

"Suzaku. I got my hands on his contact information and he just responded. The hearing is later today." There he heaved a sigh that his sister echoed. "He said he will try to make some contacts among the infantry, especially the young Britannian soldiers that have yet to start climbing the ranks."

"How unexpectedly shrewd of that boy," C.C. commented. "He did not seem to have a dishonest bone in his body."

Lelouch shrugged in response. "Suzaku is straightforward and pigheaded, but not stupid. Maybe yesterday did change his outlook."

"Maybe he was just like us?" Nunnally suggested next. "Going somewhere without really knowing the road or the goal?"

A contemplative silence followed, during which Nunnally decided they would not get answers. So she spent it finishing a second slice of toast instead. All the while the information about Lelouch's Geass kept percolating in her mind.

Though she asked another question first, though. It felt more important: "The thing with 'Orange' you did to the Purist leader, what was that?"

He smirked in response, happy to explain: "Oh, just something I read about. A baseless claim that nobody knows has no base. Add to it that Gottwald immediately released Suzaku and then helped me take him out of there, and you get a lot of suspicion levelled at him."

"I see," Nunnally mused with a grin of her own. "That is mean, but I can see its use."

With that out of the way and her brother buttered up, she went back to her other thought: "That aside, what do you think about immunising me to your Geass? If, say, you had to use it on a crowd I was in, I would not be affected then."

Her brother made a face in response. Nunnally knew he would not like the idea, but he had no reason to refuse her here. There were no downsides beside having to follow his orders. C.C. seemed more curious than anything, not the mischievous or amused look she would have if it was a bad idea.

"Alright," Lelouch conceded after a moment. "Do you have anything in particular you want me to do?"

"I don't know, can you say anything?"

That was a bit of a snag. They looked to C.C. as one, but the immortal only transitioned into the expected amusement. "I can not tell you the limits of your Geass. The Power of Kings can be applied however its user sees fit."

It was a non-answer and a little disappointing. Nonetheless, it clearly gave Lelouch an idea.

"So perhaps, theoretically, I could improve someone's retention or attention span by giving the correct order," he reasoned.

Nunnally saw his speculative look and immediately shook her head. "Which you're not giving me. I want to do these things on my own, not with another crutch."

He accepted her demand without much fuss. Then he tapped on his phone for the stopwatch function.

And suddenly, between two blinks, his expression changed to a concentrated one as he peered at that same phone.

"Did something happen?" Nunnally asked, which made Lelouch's brow climb. He stopped the clock.

"About ten seconds after the order completed," he announced. "What is the last thing you remember?"

"You setting up the stopwatch."

"So about thirty seconds previously and ten after, it took you about twenty to count."

"Count what?" Nunnally asked, confounded by this sudden shift.

"Count to ten. I told you that will be the order before giving it."

She had no memory of this. Not even a niggling feeling that something was missing. Whatever memory was there had simply vanished. It felt a little scary, even when it came from her brother. And who said he was the only one with a Geass? Could others do the same thing?

That thought had her turn back to C.C. with a question on her lips: "Say, do you have any other contractors out there?"

It was worth a try, though she already expected not to get a response. C.C. simply dabbed her lips with a napkin, much to Nunnally's annoyance and exasperation. The younger woman just sighed and got ready for class.

She only learned later that Lelouch once again slept through half of his classes. Hence why he was degraded to holding the fort with Nunnally and Kallen while the rest went shopping. To their credit, they did invite Nunnally; she declined because wanted a closer look at Kallen. The redheaded girl dodged the shopping trip with her sickly act.

So it came that the three of them were working quietly in the student council room. Nunnally made certain to get her share of the work done, if just to show she could. She still snuck glances at the newest member, whose brows creased every once in a while.

At some point Kallen broke the silence of her own: "This sort of student council isn't normal in the homelands."

It was merely an observation, but they both heard the question underneath. Knowing that Kallen was half Japanese, Nunnally had a good guess where the thought came from. She still let her brother field the question, though.

"You can thank Milly for that. She took it from the local school system and ran with it. The amount of power we have over the school is almost comical."

"I just wish it came with less paperwork," Nunnally quipped, mainly to lower Kallen's guard. It earned a lazy smile from Lelouch if nothing else.

"It is what it is," Lelouch said, tone perfectly even. Then he squinted at another sheet. "And I need to go talk to the croquet team about this request here, someone clearly misfiled it."

"Good luck!"

Lelouch left and now it was just the two of them, exactly what Nunnally was waiting for. Kallen clammed up somewhat, letting them talk more than being part of a conversation. Now she started out ignoring her in favour of work. That would not do.

"How about we take a little break, too?" she suggested, which surprised Kallen for a moment. She was sharp enough to catch onto her choice of words, glaring at the closed door.

"Wait, is he just going to slack off?"

Nunnally giggled in response, falling back into the cute persona. "Maybe a little bit? Knowing Lelouch, he will take a walk around the longer path to waste a few minutes."

"What a jerk."

The flippant comment annoyed Nunnally, though she did not let it show. In truth, she could kind of see it too. Still, nobody insulted her brother but her.

"You seem lively," she said instead to switch the subject and refocus Kallen's attention. "I was worried you might have another sick spell coming, so I'm glad you hold up so well. Please do tell me if you need anything."

Of course she knew full well it was an act to hide the older girl's real affiliations. Then again, this made them similar in a sense. Kallen's expression softened somewhat in response, unaware of her ruminations.

"Thank you, but I'm fine for now. What about you?"

"All good," Nunnally assured, then put on a little grin. "Though I do think Lelouch has the right idea. Milly already dumped her work on us, so we may as well take our time with it."

Kallen just groaned and put the pen down, prompting a giggle from Nunnally. The redhead seemed just as exasperated with Milly as Lelouch, if in a more vocal way.

"At least there is one noblewoman here who does not shirk her duties," she quipped. This earned her a scathing look which made her worry about overstepping, but no rebuke followed. She was on a razor's edge regardless, she realised; attention on Kallen would draw attention to the rest of the student council and may well expose her and Lelouch.

Despite that realisation, Nunnally decided to press forward. Kallen herself was the more immediate problem.

"Do you happen to play chess?"

"I do, but not well," Kallen said. She seemed to want to say more, but stopped herself. Nunnally's smile grew a fraction.

"Then we match, I only played a few rounds the last few years. Would you indulge me?"

It was an innocent enough request. Nunnally could tell the exact moment her friendly demeanour cracked Kallen, too; her shoulders slumped in something akin to resignation. "Alright, fine," she agreed. "But just one."

"Of course. Just a moment."

She rolled over to the shelf where she knew Lelouch kept one of his chess sets. Then she had to stare up at it, clearly out of reach. Why would he put it that far up?

Silence reigned as Nunnally kept staring with a blank expression, thankfully faced away from Kallen. The redhead shuffled from her seat a moment later.

"Wait, let me."

Nunnally decidedly did not want the help, but she kept those thoughts off her face. Instead she smiled and offered a "Thank you".

Kallen smiled back as she joined her side, rather more genuine than the younger girl. "Don't worry about it," she said kindly.

On one hand, Nunnally could appreciate that someone came to help her instead of waiting for her to come begging like most. On the other hand, she loathed needing it in the first place. She shook the thought off while they set up.

"You want to play white?" Kallen asked when Nunnally grabbed those pieces without comment. She paused at that, realised what she did, and averted her gaze sheepishly.

"Well, I'm used to play white. Lelouch always made me the few times we played as children because he likes playing black more. At this point I like it better as well."

"Okay," Kallen agreed without any fuss. "Your turn then."

Nunnally did as told and the first few turns went by in silence. Only the tapping of wooden figures on the board could be heard.

Soon after their opening however, Kallen spoke up: "I don't get what's so great about him. Lelouch, I mean. The way everyone talks about him, like he's the best thing that ever happened to them."

"You mean the girls?" Nunnally asked with a quizzical glance, still half busy pondering between developing a knight or a pawn.

"Yes, the girls."

Kallen rolled her eyes in response, not even realising she slipped from her persona.

Nunnally giggled once more and placed her pawn. "I'm obviously biased," she lead in to diffuse the tension, "so please forgive me for saying that he definitely is the best that ever happened to me. Few people would care enough to take care of me as I am, even as their sister."

She could not quite get the bitter aftertaste out of her voice, but that did not matter. Nunnally was genuinely happy with him. Kallen made an understanding noise as she moved her own piece.

"Any good sibling would, regardless of the circumstances," she said. There was an odd note to her words, a tone that Nunnally felt was longing. She had no idea why, though. Perhaps Kallen was not an only child after all? Or maybe she always wanted a sibling.

A few turns passed quietly as they left the opening. Nunnally claimed the center, but Kallen castled before her and continued to set up faster. So Nunnally decided to gamble, advancing a knight right into the older girl's half-built formation.

"But to get back to your question, for the girls crushing on him I think it's in part that they want what they can't have."

Kallen paused with a knight of her own in the air, surprised. "He's seeing someone?"

"No," Nunnally denied, shaking her head with a little smile. "But he is handsome, aloof, a little mysterious, and has turned down any girl who ever asked him out. The few boys that tried, too."

She paused to consider the board, then took a bishop with her own. Kallen captured hers with a pawn right after, grinning now. "Looks like something's happening at last. I was getting bored of us staring at each other there."

Nunnally huffed in response, fairly sure the other girl would not be as happy in a moment. She advanced her knight into the now unguarded space, chirping "Check". Kallen's eyes bugged out at that and she leaned forward to study the board more closely. Then she stared at Nunnally, who wore an innocent look on her face.

"You tricked me!"

"I would prefer if we said I lured you out," she shot back cheekily.

Kallen made a face at that. It only grew more pronounced when she realised that the knight threatened both the black king and queen; she could only save one and must move the king out of check. So she grudgingly moved him, which was followed by Nunnally taking the queen without hesitation. Kallen hissed in agitation before taking the knight with her rook.

"Okay, so why does Lelouch turn everyone down?" she tried, partly in curiousity and partly to distract herself from getting tricked. "Is he waiting for the right person to come along or something?"

Nunnally stopped her pondering at that. She glanced back up at the redhead with a teasing grin. "Why, are you interested?"

"No! I'm just curious and if anyone knows it's you!"

If nothing else, Nunnally could certainly appreciate the chance to tease someone else for once. Usually she was just a bystander, sometimes the victim. Then again, she was pretty sure Kallen did not have that sort of interest in her brother. Or at least not yet.

"I honestly don't know," she admitted. "Many seem to expect Lelouch to be some sort of playboy, but I have never once heard any mention of him seeing anyone for any reason. I have to admit I didn't ask, either."

Admittedly, part of why she never asked was worry. The mere thought of him saying he would abandon her for someone to start a family with kept her awake some nights. Nunnally made sure not to show any of those complicated feelings on her face when she continued: "Sometimes I worry he may restrain himself for my sake. Goodness knows there are enough girls trying to get at him by being nice to me."

"That's-" Kallen made to respond, only to interrupt herself when she spotted another forked knight attack brewing. "Hey! Not again you little shit!"

Nunnally could not help but laugh at how easy Kallen was to rile up. "Can't fault a girl for trying," she chirped while sticking out her tongue. Kallen quickly cut off the free space Nunnally needed, so she advanced her queen instead. The older girl did not seem mad though, if anything she was a little amused herself.

"Milly said he loves you a lot," Kallen commented as they kept moving their pieces. "But... wait. This isn't some sibling relationship you got going, right?"

Before Nunnally could so much as open her mouth, Kallen immediately shook her head and raised both hands defensively. "On second thought, pretend I never asked. It's not really my business."

It was kind of cute how quickly she dropped the subject like a hot potato. Nunnally gently shook her head in turn. "It's not that, Kallen. Lelouch just has a bad habit to prioritise me over his own needs. A girlfriend or boyfriend would monopolise his time, which means he could spend far less of it on me."

"Ah."

They sunk into a companionable sort of silence after that. The game continued to advance while Nunnally kept ahead on figures; she made her own blunders, some caught and some not, but Kallen was not a good enough player to make up for her lost queen.

"Is there anything you want that you can't have?" she asked Nunnally after some time. Likely she referred back to her earlier comment on why Lelouch was popular.

Nunnally considered the question for a moment. She wanted Britannia to burn, for one. She wanted all the bad people in the world to drop dead. She wanted Kaguya to be safe and happy, same as Lelouch. Some of these things she could work toward, but she could tell Kallen none of them. But if she considered her own wants, there was something.

"...I'd like to play basketball."

It was a quiet admission. Not even Lelouch heard it before. She did not plan to tell him, either.

Kallen seemed confused at first. "Why is that-" she started, only to cut herself off with a quiet "Oh". Her gaze flickered down to where Nunnally's paralysed legs were hidden by the table. "Sorry."

"Don't be," Nunnally told her kindly. "If anything, I'm glad I could make you forget for a moment."

Lelouch returned only seconds after she finished, effectively bringing an end to their candid conversation. He put the forms he carried down once he saw what was going on, though; taking a spot next to the table, he began to watch the match.

"It's been a while since you played anyone, Nunnally," he commented.

She threw her brother a cheeky grin in response. "Yet I am winning."

Kallen for her part rolled her eyes. "I'm somehow starting to doubt you're actually a beginner," she quipped drily.

Her comment drew a smirk out of Lelouch as he stood over them. "Oh, she is," he assured with worrying certainty. "Do you want a hint?"

The redhead opened her mouth with visible annoyance, but something gave her pause. A glance was thrown to Nunnally, who shrugged. She did not mind, this was just for fun after all.

"Okay, sure."

"Checkmate in two. For black."

The revelation had both girls explode forward in a bid to find it. There was still a number of pieces on the board, so it took Nunnally a minute to notice. Once she did, she felt mighty stupid: after castling, her king stood near a corner behind a line of pawns. Which meant that the free rook on Kallen's side could simply march all the way down and her king could not evade check. Only her queen could block the rook, but then Kallen just took the piece for checkmate.

Nunnally groaned and slumped back into her wheelchair. Such a simple mistake was embarassing, Lelouch took all of two seconds to see it.

Kallen needed a minute longer to find it. Even then she stared at the board as if she could not believe it herself. Then the redhead gingerly dragged her rook forward.

Heaving a defeated sigh, Nunnally tipped her king over. There was no use sacrificing her queen first.

"Good game, Kallen. Thank you for the match."

"Sure. You're better than you said you were, though."

Her prim and polite mask was back in place. Now that Nunnally got a glimpse behind it, she could pick it out more easily. She herself returned to the cutesy act and the day petered out like that. Nunnally was not sure what to make of Kallen by this point. The other girl was smart, but clearly not quite there. It felt as if her mind were off elsewhere half the time.

The next few days revealed that her efforts bore fruit: Kallen seemed more relaxed around her. She even smiled on occasion, almost unguarded. If she turned out to be an enemy later, she would never see Nunnally as a threat until it was too late.

Unfortunately, their bonding moment went both ways. Nunnally was reluctant to consider killing the older girl as well. It appeared she could not win them all.

With her self-appointed task successful in spirit, Nunnally spent some time each day training with that pistol of hers. The situation with C.C. remained fresh in mind and she did not want to repeat it. Hence why she allotted two hours a day at the improvised gun range Lelouch and Sayoko set up in the basement.

Most of the time she was left alone, but today was different.

"Day after day of mindless practice and work," C.C. greeted as she entered. "What exactly are you trying to achieve with this?"

Nunnally lowered her pistol and engaged the safety, then looked the immortal woman's way. She felt she should be more cagey around strangers, but it only took a week of living together for C.C. to become a fixture. The other woman integrated herself into their life almost naturally, even though she mostly just teased both siblings. She sat with them for meals and was generally just there.

Despite herself, Nunnally answered from the heart. C.C. already knew more about her than most either way.

"I could do nothing but think the last seven years, so there's nothing wrong doing little thinking for a while."

It was an excuse. C.C. knew it too, if her arched brow was any indication. "You're adamant about staying up late to read or study, girl. Not just that, you also practice to wield a weapon. What purpose do they serve to you?"

Her words hit deeper than expected. Nunnally felt exposed, as if the other woman could chart the depths of her soul with a single glance. She hunched slightly, the gun still in her hands.

"I doubt I will have to fight anyone, but I want to be prepared just in case."

"Are you lying to me or to yourself?"

Nunnally's brows furrowed now. Her everpresent anger surged back up in a wave of bile at the audacity. "How is it any of your business?" she snapped back.

So lost in pushing back those feelings was she, that she did not notice the pause. It was uncharacteristic for C.C. to hesitate, yet she did. Her expression contorted into a grimace for just a moment, perhaps even guilt. Then it was washed away like footsteps in the sand.

"It concerns me because your actions influence Lelouch's," C.C. said in the end. "So to keep him safe, I need to watch over you as well."

It was the wrong thing to say. Nunnally had only just gotten a hold of herself when the excuse incensed her again. This time she outright scowled at the surprised woman.

"Then take your concern and force it on someone else," Nunnally spat, eyes blazing. "I'm sick and tired of people only looking at me because of Lelouch. I want to be me, not someone else's sister. If you can't even acknowledge that much, I have nothing more to say to you."

Once finished, she immediately turned around and went back to practice. She meant what she said, too.

However, the quiet buzz of magnetically accelerated bullets could not quite hide the footsteps approaching her slowly. Nunnally knew that C.C. could be completely silent if she wanted, but did not care to appreciate the gesture right now.

Instead of saying anything or perhaps even deigning to apologise, C.C. merely took position behind her. She watched on as Nunnally worked; the younger one was still a beginner, though the comment about center mass stuck with her. She kept aiming that way, though her aim itself was still unreliable at anything beside close range.

At this point her target was riddled with holes, too.

The moment Nunnally engaged the safety however, C.C. already strode past her. Not a word was spoken as she switched the target with a fresh one. And when she turned around, Nunnally could see her contemplative expression.

"Independence then," C.C. said at last, yet remained where she stood. "But that is not all, is there?"

"It's still none of your business."

"And yet I am oh so nosy, girl."

She looked Nunnally up and down from fifteen metres away as she mused out loud: "Catching up on your studies and life skills makes sense with the reasons you gave, but this is different. You're preparing for war."

It was not even a question because they both knew it for a fact. Nunnally growled, the only acknowledgement she dared to give. Then she disengaged the safety on her weapon.

"Step aside."

C.C., however, smirked.

"Can you take a life when the time comes?" she asked coyly, spreading her arms wide. "You are not scared today. I am no threat to you. Do you have what it takes to kill me anyway?"

Nunnally had this niggling feeling that C.C. still knew more than she let on. Either way, the thought of shooting her made Nunnally a little sick.

Yet C.C. literally asked for it, so she took careful aim.

The intrigued immortal stood perfectly still, all but challenging her to do it when Nunnally hesitated.

She gently squeezed the trigger.

C.C. was pushed back by the force of impact, a splotch of red blossoming on her recently mended straitjacket. Nunnally followed up with three more shots, two of which hit center mass. Each one cast out a crimson cloud from behind C.C., who dropped to the ground lifeless. She lay in a slowly growing pool of blood that stained her clothes totally.

Then she rose again, dripping lifeblood as one would water. She grinned, which was perhaps the most eerie part.

"You pass."

Then she looked down at herself, sighed, and dropped her clothes into the puddle. A few clean strips were used to wipe her feet, then she strolled by the faintly embarassed Nunnally.

"Is that supposed to be my reward?" she bantered back in an attempt to play over her unease. She was still a little confused by the situation, though her anger calmed. The previous horror did not manifest, though her own willingness to kill worried her a bit.

"My, how forward~"

Nunnally could hear some rustling while she slowly disassembled her weapon for maintenance. Soon enough C.C. leaned over her shoulder, now clad in a loose shirt and pants she absolutely pilfered from Lelouch's wardrobe.

"When did you regain your sight?" she asked after watching for a while. Nunnally returned an absent shrug.

"A few months ago," she told the immortal, almost ready to ask why C.C. would even want to know. She ultimately went with something more curious: "Are you going to tell me who you are now?"

Unfortunately, the smirk that question caused was palpable; Nunnally knew it was there without even looking. She merely sighed and decided to stop trying then. It had been a full week of no answers, they would likely never get one.

She finished up her work and reassembled the pistol. It still took too long for her liking, but her certainty with the parts improved on each repetition. An experimental shot at the target showed it in working order, too. This, however, drew her gaze back to the bloody puddle and caused a small pang of nausea.

"Sayoko may go on strike if we keep having her clean these messes."

"So she may, though she seems a bit too loyal for that," C.C. mused. "Isn't it delightfully paradox, a pair who care for the Japanese holding one as a servant?"

Nunnally turned to cast a sharp look at the older woman. "Sayoko is employed and basically family," she said firmly. Yet C.C. simply smirked, their noses almost touching.

"If you say so."

They kept staring at each other a while longer. Nunnally did not feel as awkward as she thought she should.

Then an idle thought pressed to the forefront of her mind, likely called up by C.C.'s presence. A question she asked herself several times, yet never dared voice before.

"Are you limited in how many people you can give Geass to?"

From this close she could clearly spot the momentary surprise in C.C.'s expression. The older woman arched a brow in interest, but Nunnally kept her mouth shut until she answered.

And this time C.C. did give an answer: "I can have however many contractors I want, though I prefer to focus my attention on a single one."

Her grin was gone now, replaced by a blank look that expertly hid all emotions. "Is that what you want, girl?" she queried quietly. "Your blind grasping for every shred of power makes you reach for Geass?"

"And what if it is?" Nunnally asked back, her own voice just as calm. "I'm tired of being unable to do anything on my own, is it that wrong to want power?"

C.C. inclined her head in acknowledgement, though her words were anything but: "Yet power for power's sake is not an answer. Many great men and women have destroyed themselves in that pursuit. How would you be different?"

It almost seemed like worry, which surprised Nunnally for a moment. Then she realised it was more likely to be a test, so she took some time to consider her response. C.C. remained draped over her shoulder the whole time, their gazes locked still.

"Because... it's not for power's sake. You already figured out that I want revenge. Revenge for my mother's death, revenge for being thrown away like so much trash. I want to pay back every single injustice I ever suffered with interest."

She paused for breath there. Nunnally's voice never rose or gained inflection, her emotions held tightly under control. "But more than that," she ended, "I don't want Lelouch to slip away from me. I can't stay by his side without the power to keep up. He's going to leave me behind eventually."

This was the prospect that scared her more than anything. They were together for so long that imagining a life without her brother was impossible. Nunnally beared her fear to C.C., daring her to laugh. Yet she never did.

The older woman's quiet held a while, just like she held Nunnally's gaze. Those amber eyes seemed to stare at the bottom of her soul again.

Whatever it was she saw, C.C. rested her forehead against Nunnally's, who closed her eyes on reflex. It was an oddly intimate sensation.

"What happened for you to regain your sight?"

Nunnally hesitated, thinking back to that day. "Shirley," she said, "she was talking bad about my friend. It just made me so angry and then my eyes just... opened."

It had never fully made sense, though C.C. seemed to understand. Her chuckle reverberated through Nunnally as much as she heard it.

"The straw that broke the camel's back, then. Burning anger and an indomitable will. Are you certain you want to carry the burden that is the power of kings?"

She was hyperaware of C.C.'s iron scent by now, almost as much as the warmth of her skin against Nunnally's.

She only needed a moment to put away her hesitation.

"Lelouch already carries that burden. I can do at least that much."

C.C. was too close for Nunnally to see her smile, a more gentle one this time. The world fell away a moment later.

Within the inky black, Nunnally fluttered through a sea of colours on wings of imagination. C.C. was nowhere to be seen, but her voice echoed all around: "Like your brother before you, do you swear to fulfill my wish when the time comes?"

"Yes."

"Yet where circumstances forced his hand, you sought out this power of your own volition. Your path is inevitably separated from others now. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

Nunnally did not answer, for none was required. The light coalesced and she came to with full awareness of her new power. C.C. seemed somber as she pulled back and stood normally.

"Peace," she mused, "how delightfully contradictory."

Then she hesitated, staring down at Nunnally with another unreadable expression.

"I'm sorry."

"Do not be," Nunnally assured her. "I asked for this."

She had the feeling she missed something, what with how C.C. looked at her in response. But she could not tell what. Nunnally did not like the atmosphere between them now, though. Hence why she leaned forward.

"Can I convince you to help with my aim?"

Her request washed away the forlorn expression. That prior grin returned and C.C. heaved a theatralical sigh.

"Give her a finger and she takes the whole hand. Alright, I was bored anyway."

Subject change successfully, Nunnally was content. She could already imagine Lelouch's reaction to finding out, but that was a worry for later.