(A/N: Well, I took a detour to some other projects, but time to update this one. I have ideas. Funnily enough, for those of you that follow me as a fanfic writer, I think this will actually be a relatively shorter fanfic rather than the million-word epics I'm normally used to churning out. You'll see what I mean once I'm done)

Even before Lelouch's exile, Camilla had never considered herself a woman with top-tier leadership qualities. If anything, she knew herself to be a selfish, almost hedonistic individual when it came right down to it. Her indulgence was second only to the crown princess, Guinevere. She only ever took the Viceroy position when Clovis had so politely asked for it simply because she wanted to do right by Lelouch.

And yet…here she was, queen of everything that mattered. All the moving pieces were at her fingertips. She was Viceroy. Clovis and Cornelia answered to her every word and decree. She had Lelouch back. It was a boon to her mood. She sat here, at her desk now, able to concentrate far better than she had in years. It was all so boring. But, she had a job to do. She took this responsibility and she needed to see it through, for Lelouch's sake if no one else's.

First thing's first, she thought. I need to get everyone on the same page. Camilla knew that if she and Cornelia were going to turn the tide against Britannia, they needed not only Japan's cooperation, but they needed stern control over their military forces. Furthermore, she knew that going directly against Britannia would be foolhardy. Britannia's military might outstripped their own both in intellect and in strength. Britannia had Xander. Britannia had Schneizel. No amount of "Lelouch is alive" was going to get them to listen to the idea of regicide. Camilla knew that. They were too devoted to the station of their office.

Still, before she could worry about her family, she had to concern herself with Narita. The battle simply couldn't be called off. Too many questions would be asked. She might even be forced to step down as Viceroy. Many decisions needed to be made. Tough decisions that Camilla knew, unlike her last two brilliant moves, could not be decided with instinct alone.

Pressing a button on her intercom, she buzzed Cornelia's desk. "Cornelia, could you come to my office, please?"

It had been a few days since the kidnapping. With her favorite elder sister now on her side, the incident had been essentially brushed aside. Cornelia entered Camilla's office in a prompt and timely manner. As her gloved hand clutched the doorknob, pushing the door open, she answered with a simple, "You called, Viceroy?"

"Sit. I need your help," Camilla gestured. "Tea?"

Cornelia shook her head. "I just had lunch."

Camilla nodded. "There are a lot of ways to tackle, Narita. A staged battle is still battle. I have to wonder if everyone will follow through. Not to mention, a sheer lack of casualties would be too obvious. Even if we hid the survivors meant to be deceased, the families would be very upset."

"Good to see you taking things seriously for once. But yes, I agree. Idealistically, it's the right move. Logistically, it's a nightmare."

Camilla nodded, agreeing. "Which is why I was thinking maybe we could botch the operation."

Cornelia shook her head. "I'm sorry. What?"

Camilla nodded. "I was thinking…what if I could convince Guinevere to take our side in everything? If my reputation goes south among our people, that's no concern to me, but someone will need to take my place. Guinevere seems like a good choice if she's in on everything."

"Why Guinevere and not Corrin?" Cornelia asked her.

"Because we'll need Corrin's help to take down Charles." Camilla smiled. "I have already decided on the raiding party."

"If we botch the operation and cede power to the Elevens—"

Camilla cleared her throat.

"…To the Japanese, it won't just be you whose reputation tanks, it'll be mine and Corrin's as well. I understand the appeal, but it won't work, not in Britannia," Cornelia told her.

"Hmmmmm," Camilla pondered the matter further.

"Have you sent word to the JLF, asking if they are even interested in this staged warfare?" Cornelia asked her.

"I left such matters to Lelouch to handle as Zero. He told me he'd let us know when he hears back."

Cornelia cupped her face with her left hand. "It's hard to believe that just the other week I took Lelouch's death for granted, now here he is alive and well acting as a would-be terrorist."

"I don't think it's fair to call Zero a terrorist, Cornelia. He's…an icon," Camilla responded and smiled. "Zero is my hero, after all."

"Zero is a god damn fraud!" An angry Takumi shouted at his older brother and present company of the JLF.

"Takumi, enough!" Ryoma berated him.

"You can't be okay with this? How can any of you be okay with this?!" Takumi shouted. "Britannia waltzed in here seven years ago and took our culture, the lives of our countrymen, and our country's name. And you want to negotiate with these people? At first chance they get, they'll sell us back out to the Emperor and we'll all have heads on pikes!"

"While I don't care much for the young master's temper, I have to say I share the sentiment, Ryoma," Saizo, the Sumeragi family head's loyal retainer, stated. "This is Britannia we're talking about. Are we sure we can trust this?"

"I know how you feel, Saizo," Ryoma said. "But Zero has earned the trust of Hinoka and, for the briefest of moments, Corrin was in our midst. I want that to mean something."

"Brother this is the Smiling Demon we're talking about here. This is the same woman who, by herself, butchered an entire battlefield because it was there, not because she was asked to fight in it," Takumi urged.

"Farfetched as though it may be," Kagero, another retainer to Ryoma, spoke up, "If the political climate in Britannia has changed, all the more reason to seize it."

"I'm telling you all, it's a trap! Britannian scum cannot be trusted!" Takumi shouted.

"That's enough, Takumi," a stern voice berated from across the room.

The two Sumeragi siblings and Ryoma's retainers gazed in that direction. "You have thoughts on the matter, Tohdoh?" Ryoma asked him.

"As a matter of fact, I do," Tohdoh answered. "Zero has stood for revolution since he first appeared. Now, all of a sudden, has begun cooperating with Britannian royalty. We should consider what that means rather than stand firmly against it."

"You make it sound as if you have a guess as to Zero's identity," Ryoma responded.

"If that was how it sounded, permit me to rephrase. Zero's message hasn't changed, but his allies have. So, either this is a trap, like Takumi says, or Britannia itself is fracturing under its own weight. And, given the content of Princess Camilla's character, I'd say the chances of the second option are quite high," Tohdoh responded.

"Are you certain, Tohdoh?" Nagisa Chiba, one of the four Holy Swords, asked him.

"More than I am that this is a trap," Tohdoh responded. "If we were being baited into a trap, a peace summit makes more sense than trying to negotiate a temporary cease fire or staging Narita. The former gets us all to drop our guard, the latter tells us Britannia needs to save face in front of the media."

"Which is why I'm inclined to trust Hinoka's judgment here. Do you understand, Takumi?"

"What I understand is that you're all SOFT!" he shouted. "I'll prove it to you all that Britannians can never be trusted!" He then ran out the door.

"Takumi, wait!" Ryoma shouted, but Takumi slammed the door behind him.

"I hope he'll be all right," Kaguya Sumeragi, Ryoma's second youngest sister spoke up.

"Takumi's a big boy. He can take care of himself." A woman with purple hair styled to give it almost a butterfly wing shaped look stated. Her name was Orochi and she was a retainer Kaguya had inherited from her late mother, Mikoto.

One of Takumi's own retainers, a young man named Hinata, spoke up. "Don't sweat it, Me an' Oboro will keep an eye on him."

"That's Oboro and I," an irate Oboro correct Hinata's poor grammar. "But yes, I'll make sure Takumi keeps his head attached to his shoulders before he does something unbelievably stupid. I hate Britannians just as much as the next Japanese woman, but I'm not about to catch death over it."

Ryoma smiled. "Takumi is lucky to have you two looking out for him. Please take care of him. I'm trusting both of you."

"Leave it to us!" Hinata exclaimed with a goofy smile.

Back at the Viceroy Palace, Camilla and Cornelia had yet to reach a proper idea of how to handle Narita when they both just settled on putting it aside for now. More important matters needed to be discussed.

"Lelouch needs a shield around him when he's not Zero," Cornelia had pointed out.

"Oh, you needn't worry about Lulu. I'll protect him," Camilla told her.

"Sister, your duties are needed here," Cornelia responded.

"Only during the day," Camilla said with a wry grin.

"There are hours in the day when you can't keep an eye on him, especially while he's at school. I am proposing making Kururugi and Corrin his official security detail. Considering the past seven years, Kururugi probably already knows what's going on and hid everything from us. He probably just doesn't know Lelouch is Zero. Corrin is all too likely one hundred percent in the dark. If this ship is to run smoothly, that needs to change."

"I couldn't agree more on that last part," Camilla nodded. "No need to worry. I'm going to head to Ashford as soon as I punch out today."

"And what about your 7 o' clock?"

"Clovis is taking care of it."

Of course he is, Cornelia thought. It was hardly shocking that the more tedious parts of governing Camilla forced onto their weak-willed brother of a Viceroy. "If that will be all then, I am needed elsewhere."

"Of course, have a lovely day, dear sister."

Hinata and Oboro caught up to Takumi at the nearest train station in the Narita mountains. "Hey, hold up, Takumi? Where ya going?" Hinata asked him.

"I know a pocket of JLF resistance with way more backbone that Tohdoh's. I'm going to launch an attack on the Viceroy building just like Zero did when he held Clovis hostage. We'll take that moment to assassinate Princess Camilla while she sleeps, send a message to the Britannians that we don't trust them!"

"Takumi, I will never be one to turn down murdering Britannians, but that's crazy!" Oboro scolded. "We're talking regicide here, not our usual hit and runs on Britannian R and D."

"Then what would you do, Oboro. Don't tell me you actually think Zero is on our side?"

Oboro made a frightening visage of pure rage, but said nothing.

"I rest my case," Takumi responded.

"Oh come on, Takumi. This is ridiculous. I'm with Oboro here. I get it. It suddenly feels like Zero is selling us out and that Britannia could take us to task, but if we could assassinate Princess Camilla, we'd have done it already!" Hinata exclaimed, nervous.

"Since when did you turn into a coward, Hinata?"

"Hey! Coward nothing! I'm just being reasonable here. I'm your retainer. That means it's my job to keep you from doing something that could get yourself killed."

"I second that," Oboro responded, expression changing from rage to concern. "No one here is afraid to fight, Takumi. We are, however, hesitant to die needlessly. What would your mother say?"

"Mother's dead and it's their fault!" Takumi shouted.

Oboro silently asked the gods to give her patience. It was like talking to an angry brick wall.

"Look, man. I get it. I'm angry too, but assassinating Princess Camilla is impossible. People have tried," Hinata suggested. "Can we at least change the game plan if we're going to be stirring up trouble?"

Takumi took a deep breath and actually seemed to reign himself in at this request. "Fine, what do you recommend?"

"Princess Camilla and Princess Cornelia are scary, but they're not invincible. In fact, I say the Lake Kawaguchi incident shined a spotlight on their weakness," Oboro pointed out.

"Princess Euphemia," Takumi remarked with a genuine smile, liking more and more the logic behind this plan.

"Princess Euphemia doesn't have a knight yet," Hinata said. "If we cause trouble in one place and kidnap her while everyone else is putting out the fire we started as a decoy, we can hold her at a remote location and make Britannia yield."

"And if they don't like it, we gut her like a pig," Oboro declared triumphantly.

"All right, but we're going to have to move quickly and effectively to make that work. Princess Euphemia might not have a personalized bodyguard, but she is likely under heavy surveillance. I was hoping not to have to go toe to toe with Cornelia's unit. Princess Camilla is strong, sure, but she's a terrible field commander." Takumi started to sweat, looking nervous. "Princess Cornelia is terrifying. We don't call her the Witch of Britannia without reason, guys."

"Cornelia's used to commanding a battlefield though, not dealing with bogus operations. Besides, we have the resources to make this work, don't we?" Oboro pointed out.

"We do?" Takumi questioned, not following.

"All we have to do is act like everything's normal. Even if the Britannians are planning to trap us, Hinoka still trusts Corrin. I bet if we asked nicely we could get information on Euphemia through her, maybe even get Corrin to bring Euphemia right to us."

Takumi was even more enthusiastic about this situation than five minutes prior. "I like the way you think. Let's get in touch with Hinoka and get this operation started! Let's move!"

"Right!" Oboro and Hinata exclaimed, nodding.

The sun was setting and the sky looking rather raspberry in color when Camilla cleared out the student council room and posted guards so no one would come within 50 feet of it. Suzaku, Corrin and Lelouch all sat in the room with her. It was a surprise to both soldiers to see all four of them in the same room together.

"Princess Camilla, what's this about, exactly?" Suzaku asked. "Not that I'm not honored to answer your summons."

"If I had to guess, she wants us all on the same page," Lelouch remarked, running his right hand through his hair, elbow on the table.

"Same page?" Corrin questioned.

"Do you want to tell them, or should I?" Camilla asked.

Lelouch sighed. "I'm Zero."

It was a statement delivered with such calmness and casualness that it took Suzaku and Corrin a few extra moments to process what they had heard.

Corrin, the first to finish processing the information, bolted to her feet, hands on the table, "EHHHHHHHH?!"

"I…that's a joke, right? Please tell me you're joking," Suzaku stated calmly.

"Do I sound like I'm joking to you?" Lelouch asked.

Suzaku sat back in his chair, kind of musing the truth to himself as he spoke his thoughts aloud, "Honestly, with what I know, you being Zero makes perfect sense." He lifted his head and directed his gaze at Camilla. "If you've known he was Zero…why are you not arresting him?"

Camilla brought her axe to Suzaku's throat. "Keep in mind, boy, that I am Viceroy. What I say goes, and any act against what I say is considered treason, punishable by death." She brought her axe closer to his neck, dangerously close to breaking skin. Now shut up, be a good little soldier," she said sweetly with the biggest smile she could muster, "And fall in line."

Despite the pain, Suzaku didn't flinch. "I just want to understand why—"

Lelouch interrupted him, speaking in a very bored tone. "Suzaku, you're speaking at your life's own peril here," Lelouch told him. "Keep that in mind. My sister isn't known for her courtesy when she doesn't get her way."

Suzaku held his moral ground. "I am only aiming to understand the reasoning behind your sister's behavior. If she can give me that I will, as she requests in earnest, fall in line."

Lelouch mulled this over a moment and made eye contact with his sister. "Camilla, I don't see Suzaku's request as unreasonable. Mind indulging him as to your justification for my freedom?"

Camilla took a deep breath. "Lulu means everything to me, Suzaku. Beyond romance. Beyond passion. He saved me…when I needed someone the most. I would trust him with my life. If he says he can make a world where everybody can live in peace, then I don't care what I have to do. I will protect him. His justice is my justice. That's all there is to it."

"What about the rule of law?"

Camilla lost her temper. Thankfully, not at the expense of Suzaku's head. Instead, she cut the table in half. "Damn the rule of law, and damn Britannia! Do you know what kind of Empire it truly is?" She strung Suzaku up against the book case. He was so far up off the ground his feet were at her knees. "It's the kind of empire that lies to its own flesh and blood about the life and death status of their kin. It's the kind of empire that looks down on the weak and useless and writes them off as a statistic. It is an empire, mired in corruption so foul, that it drove my mother insane. Britannia's rule of law isn't even a law, it's a suggestion because at any time your so-called rights can be stripped away because its Emperor simply woke up in a different mood that day." Camilla brought Suzaku to her face. She was furious. "You want to change the system from within, Suzkau? Start with me! I am royalty, third princess. I am looking to change the status quo. I have the power to say what the law is and how it works." She threw him to the ground. "And my first order of business is getting rid of Charles. That means cooperating with Zero. Zero is an inspiration to the Japanese people. For that, I'll use the pardon power of my office when the time is necessary and cooperate with him to get the Japanese on my side."

"The system can't be changed from within if you stand there and protest as one man," Lelouch told him from the safety of his seat. "You have a rare opportunity to seize your ideals. You have royalty, right in front of you, saying that they want change, to the point that they've now authorized me as a sort of liaison, a black ops unit, to get your people on our side. Bloodless revolution, sans the Empire." Lelouch now got up from his seat. "And if that's not what you want, Suzaku? Then what do you want? Because I don't see it! Britannia is not a country with a rigid law structure, it's fluid, at the whims of whomever is in power. Revolution is coming. Even Princess Cornelia is now aiming her men at the Emperor. So, tell me, in your own words, what do you plan to do? Are you willing to fight for what's right, or are you seriously going to sit there and say that we have to fight things in a courtroom, beating our heads against a concrete wall until we become so brain damaged it stops hurting and we go along with it?"

"Change can be made without resorting to the two of you, and now it seems Princess Cornelia, assassinating the Emperor."

Camilla kicked Suzaku so hard in the side of the head he fell over and now had a throbbing headache. Corrin gasped at the violence. Lelouch raised an arm to temper her from getting involved, but Corrin still stood up. If Camilla got any more out of control, she was prepared to intervene.

"Then you are a fool!" Camilla shouted at him. "I was raised in Britannia, Suzaku. I know the challenges. I know the shortcomings." She tipped his head up with the tip of her heel. "You will never achieve your ideology while I stand here. In fact," she said, taking her heel away, letting Suzaku crumple once more to the floor, "Go on. Try to flee this scene and alert the Emperor about what I'm doing." She spoke with unnerving sweetness. "You'll be dead before you can get down the hallway."

"I'll thank you not to seriously threaten my best friend with violent death, thank you," Lelouch replied calmly, knowing full well Camilla had it in her to carry out that threat if Suzaku tested her patience.

"If that's how you feel, then I suppose you'll have to court martial me," Suzaku said, shocking Lelouch.

"What the hell is the matter with you?!" he shouted at him, watching Suzaku sit up.

"Suzaku, please," Corrin said, now getting involved, "This is starting to sound silly to the point of irrational. Camilla's my big sister. I understand it might be weird to go against Britannia's legal system, but think about what's on the line here."

"You're taking this surprisingly well," Lelouch said to her.

"One thing at a time, brother," Corrin remarked sourly, and then returned her attention to Suzaku. "We have an opportunity to fix what's broken."

"By committing regicide?!" Suzaku exclaimed.

"Think about the alternatives for just a moment. Britannia will never and I mean never recognize Japan as an independent nation ever again. Not while Charles is in charge. But you can't take down an Emperor with the legal system. You have to install a new head. Britannia doesn't have any safeguards for ejecting an Emperor from power. I would know. I've looked. Ever since I shot up on refrain and found out I'm not actually Britannian blood, I looked into how to depose Charles. It's not possible, Suzaku. We would be waiting until the man's death, whenever that might be. All the while, countless innocent people will get hurt."

"So we're justifying regicide for that reason? It's against the law. You're all doing this to satisfy your own self-interests, not because it's right!" Suzaku shouted.

"Well, you're not wrong," Camilla said with a wry grin. "Self-interest has always been the name of my game. And if you'd like to keep your head attached to your shoulders, you'll play it."

Things were uncomfortably quiet for a moment, and the silence had Lelouch hatch onto an epiphany. Suzaku wasn't afraid to die, not because he was a good soldier, but because…

"You're looking to die for a cause, aren't you?" He asked, breaking the silence.

"What?! No! I—" Suzaku exclaimed, denying Lelouch's accusation.

"It would make sense. If you were, everything fits neatly in place. You become a martyr. Your ideals echo across Britannia. And with an ideal so lofty, either side would be willing to spill your blood. The question is why the desire for death? It can't be depression. You wouldn't be trying so hard to die a war hero if it was. No, it's something else…" Lelouch mused. "…A desire for punishment of some sort of sin…guilt perhaps?" He was spit balling ideas, reading Suzaku's own body language for an answer.

The dilation of Suzaku's eyes combined with the jolting of his Adam's Apple let Lelouch know he'd hit the jackpot.

Lelouch sat down on the floor in front of Suzaku. "What was it? What did you do?"

Suzaku didn't answer Lelouch outright and the conversation was immediately derailed by Camilla's phone ringing. It was Cornelia on the other line.

"Any chance I can call you back?" She asked, pivoting her neck to whip her hair around to look a tad more presentable.

"The hell you will! We have a situation here at the Viceroy Palace! Where are you?" Cornelia demanded to know.

"Ashford Academy, why?" she asked.

"Are Kururugi, Beruka and Corrin with you?" Cornelia asked. Camilla then swore she heard an explosion in the background.

Camilla's mood went from silly to serious on a dime. "Status report."

"Terrorists. Lots of them. Bombers even. I've taken control of the situation, but there are so many we need muscle, and I heard at least one of them shout 'Kill the Viceroy!'"

"I'm on my way," Camilla said and hung up. "Suzaku, you might have reservations about my plans for Britannia, but if you're still a soldier, you'll follow my orders. The Viceroy building is under attack and it needs our help."

"Anything I can do to be of assistance?" Lelouch requested.

Camilla shook her head. "No. Stay out of the limelight for now. …Although, maybe…" she thought about it. "Get on your computer and get on your email. I'll send you information so you can help the battle remotely if we need it."

"Understood."

"You're actually asking him to—"

"I'm asking my brother to help me protect my soldiers as part of his due diligence as royalty, however former or exiled," Camilla said, glaring at Suzaku. "I am not asking Zero to become part of my forces and ignoring what he stands for. Now, move!"

"Yes, ma'am," Suzaku surrendered and headed out with her and Corrin.

By the time Camilla, Corrin, Beruka, and Suzaku got on the scene and had mobilized, the terrorists were already in retreat. However, Camilla was not the merciful type. "Kill any you can get your hands on," she declared, driving her Harlech's axe into the machines of one of the fleeing enemy Knightmares. "Best to deal with them now, then later."

"What even is all this?" Corrin asked, zipping through the streets and shooting through any enemy cockpit that found its way between her crosshairs. "I thought you were just telling us you made a ceasefire with the JLF."

"I trust the Viceroy to be good on her word, so just like at Lake Kawaguchi, they must be extremists," Suzaku denoted.

"Well whatever they're after, they seem to have failed," Cornelia said, joining the remote conversation. "A bit of structural damage, sure, but unlike with the poison gas capsule, nothing was taken and casualties were to a minimum on our side."

Lelouch was tapped into the call from the comfort of his bedroom and heard the whole chatter. He also had radar footage of the battlefield, watching the enemy retreat. "What sectors were damaged?" he inquired.

"Brother?" Cornelia questioned, hesitant to speak Lelouch's name over a mostly open military channel.

"I thought his tactics might come in handy so I gave him credentials to get into the back door," Camilla told Cornelia. "I didn't think the enemy would be so cowardly as to already retreat though."

"Maybe they noticed you'd returned and bolted? You do have that kind of a reputation," Corrin pointed out.

"Wishful thinking," Lelouch responded.

"Agreed. Several were calling for her head, they wouldn't retreat almost as soon as she showed up. If anything, they were pulling back just before you got here," Cornelia remarked. "And to answer the original question: sectors 23 through 44 took serious damage. Enemy numbers I think ranged near 120. How they got that large of a force this far in this late at night is beyond me."

"Never underestimate the desperate," Lelouch commented as he began using a battlefield simulator to reverse engineer the battle based on enemy retreat patterns, Camilla's starting position, current ally positions, and more. They launched an assault with the intent to claim Camilla's life, only to pull back when she wasn't around. Assassination seems likely, but then why retreat now that she's on the battlefield.

Camilla smashed a unit in with her axe.

Four units joining the battlefield doesn't turn the tide. And, if anything, the force Cornelia's describing didn't have the strength to fight her head on. She had complete control of the fight, Lelouch thought, watching a myriad of reverse engineered simulation possibilities. Which means, they likely had a completely different objective in mind. But what? While the truth was certainly on Lelouch's radar, a smart man like him couldn't make it a likely possibility amidst a sea of other possibilities. "Are there any big R and D projects going on at the moment?"

"Nothing that would have been located in this building to the best of my knowledge," Cornelia stated.

Okay, so this wasn't even remotely close to the incident with C.C, Lelouch thought. "Do we know which branch of the JLF this attack came from?"

"Honestly, they all sort of blend in to me," Cornelia remarked. "Terrorism is terrorism."

Not unexpected, Lelouch thought.

Corrin suddenly gasped and made a phone call. It rang six times and then it went to voicemail. Corrin immediately pivoted and made for the Viceroy building.

Suzaku noticed her hasty retreat. "Corrin, where are you going?"

Corrin didn't immediately respond.

Camilla noticed the thrusters were at full power. Corrin wasn't just in a hurry, she was spooked. She followed her sister and watched the pale-blonde dismount from her Knightmare and go running into the front door.

"Euphie!"

It was that one declaration as Corrin tripped over herself to get inside that made Cornelia's heart sink. "Cornelia, where is Euphemia being held right now?"

"She should be behind her usual security detail barricaded in a bunker, why?" Cornelia asked.

Camilla didn't answer. She too got out of her vehicle, powering down her Harlech. Watching the visual chat signal on Camilla's end simply go out prompted Cornelia into action. Eventually, all three sisters were staring at the same gory sight on the lower decks of the Viceroy building. Euphemia's private security detail lay dead or dying and Euphemia herself was nowhere to be found. The bodies were all laying in a heap in front of the safe door leading to the bunker, suggesting she never made it inside.

"I…I don't…I don't understand," Corrin hyperventilated and dropped to her knees in sorrow.

Lelouch was ahead of the curve and had realized what had happened the minute Corrin's destination was the front door to the Viceroy building. It's…whoever did this…we have time. If they took Euphemia alive, but killed her security detail, they have another objective for her.

Camilla…was not taking this revelation well. No amount of Lelouch on her side, or Cornelia motivated to help her take down Britannia could quell her rage. Not only was Corrin on the verge of tears, but they had taken Euphemia. Sweet little Euphemia, someone who never raised a hand of violence in her life.

Camilla spoke calmly and methodically. "I'm going to murder every single one of them. I will peel their skin back like bananas and slowly crush their bones and vital organs one by one in front of a mirror so they can see their own demise."

Cornelia could hear the heavy breathing from Camilla and, despite her own fears, rage and sorrow over the matter, couldn't bring herself to collapse on her knees. Euphemia was still alive. She had to operate on that fact. Suppressing her emotions, she put in her ear piece and pushed a button to dial the last known call.

Pick up, you son of a bitch, and I swear if you had anything to do with this…

"Euphemia's been kidnapped." Those were the first words Lelouch spoke when Cornelia called. "I know. I'm trying to figure out the how now."

"I don't give a damn about the how," Cornelia's voice was bereft of all emotions but barely contained rage as she spoke at a pitch so frigid and icy it would shame Antarctica. "I want my sister back."

"Figuring out the how is the first step to figuring out the where," Lelouch responded, typing away on his keyboard. "You had her under well-kept security. Going off of cameras, the attack didn't come from the inside, which means we're not dealing with the average terrorist sect, but experts," Lelouch noted. He watched the footage.

Cornelia, not knowing what he was looking at had to ask, "I'm sorry…are you watching security footage?"

"I'm using Clovis's credentials. His password was easily guessable. It's his sister's birthday followed by his favorite artist."

Cornelia wanted to know how Lelouch got the password right before the system just flat out locked Clovis out, but she had bigger priorities. "Fine. Whatever. What are we dealing with?"

Lelouch watched the footage. "There were five assailants. Two died. They should be among the dead. The remaining three were good though, highly trained. Aim like an elite with a rifle on one of them. Do we know any highly trained riflemen in the JLF?"

"How would I know that?" Cornelia asked him.

"Then allow me to do my own research and I'll get back to you. For right now, you and Camilla relax and don't make Euphemia's kidnapping public. The citizenry doesn't need to think we're incompetent, nor do we want to start a panic. And whatever other demands the kidnappers are after, making it look like we're at each other's throats is exactly what they want." As Lelouch said those words, he then had other realizations. "…They would have to know that we were planning to end things. Otherwise, why Euphemia?"

"Lelouch?" Forgetting herself, Cornelia spoke his name aloud over the call, curious as to why his tone of voice suddenly changed.

Lelouch began to pull records. Only a handful of people even knew about the Narita situation, meaning that there would have to be a splintering of unity from that sector of the JLF. "I'm going to have to call you back."

"Lelouch! Don't hang—"

Beep! Beep! Beep!

"Oh, damn him!"

"Lulu will find her," Camilla remarked matter of factly.

"I know," Cornelia said, "He just doesn't have to be such a right pain in the ass about it."

While Euphemia's kidnapping hadn't been made public, the attack on the Viceroy building certainly was. Clovis was performing damage control to the best of his ability.

"The Viceroy is surveying the full extent of the damage," he told the public in front of cameras.

A bunch of reporters lobbed questions at him.

"Prince Clovis, what was the meaning behind this attack?"
"Are the Britannian people safe?"
"Is Princess Camilla cancelling the attack on Narita?"

"Everyone please calm down! We believe that this attack was an independent splinter faction of the JLF, an extremist group not connected to Zero or the main body of the JLF we'll be attacking at Narita," Clovis remarked.

Tamaki, laid out on the sofa, chuckled, smirking. "Man, listen to him flounder. Typical politician."

"I think Prince Clovis isn't a bad leader as much as he is just against us," Ohgi commented, passing behind it.

"What? You a Britannian sympathizer now?" Tamaki asked him.

"No, just a good judge of character," Ohgi stated.

"Think Zero will pay us a visit?" Inoue inquired.

"This late at night when he hasn't been here all day?" Hana questioned.

"I mean it would fit Zero's M.O. to just show up out of the blue and tell us why we should feel bad about this attack because he didn't authorize it," Azama joked.

When Hinoka didn't immediately tell him to stuff it, Setsuna looked her way. The eldest female Sumeragi was sweating bullets. "Whoaaaaa, Hinoka, you okay? You look like you're coming down with something? Lunch not sitting with you?"

"I don't think it's lunch," Azama remarked, showing one of his rare moments of concern.

"Sis?" Sakura questioned, only for Hinoka's private line to ring.

Hinoka answered with an unsteady, "Hello?"

"Good, you picked up."

Hinoka swallowed.

Tamaki muted the TV. Everyone's eyes were on Hinoka.

"Hey…Zero."

"The Sumeragi family is a family of six, correct? There's you, Sakura, Corrin, Kaguya, and your two brothers Takumi and Ryoma, correct?"

"Yes, that's correct," Hinoka responded, sweating more.

"And your brother, Takumi, am I correct in assuming he's currently, or previously was stationed at Narita with your other siblings?" Zero asked.

"That's…also correct," Hinoka said.

"I see. Thank you, Q2. That was all I needed to know."

"Zero! Wait! I—"

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Hinoka dropped her phone, buried her hands in her face and just started crying.

"Sis! Sis, what's the matter?" Sakura asked, going over to her, rubbing her shoulder.

"Oh dear, I feel we may have inadvertently put ourselves in a spot of trouble. Well, out with it."

"I…I thought I was helping. I…I thought we were going to be able to stop the hostilities, so I…so I…"

"Hinoka, nobody here thinks you're responsible for whatever consequences are coming. Just talk to us," Ohgi requested.

"I helped Takumi get in touch with Corrin. It's all my fault," Hinoka sobbed.

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

"I know! I know!" Corrin winced, being berated in Camilla's office by the woman herself. "I…I thought we were all on the same team. I only mentioned that you had a special bunker for protecting Euphemia. I didn't tell him where it was or how to get there. I…I was just trying connect with the other side of my family."

"Corrin, sit," Camilla demanded.

Corrin sat down, looking every shade of guilty.

"How…how could you?" Camilla asked, hurt beyond description. "This is beyond a breach of trust. This isn't what family does."

"But you were the one who said we needed to work together! I was just trying to—"

Camilla slammed her fist on the table to interrupt Corrin, who squeaked and stared at her lap in shame. "You went behind our backs. You leaked important top-secret information without asking anybody. I thought we were family. I thought you could trust us, but apparently you don't. Apparently you love this other family more than us! You have done something so fundamentally deplorable that it boggles my mind that I need to explain to you how you messed this up!"

"I was going to tell you, but I never got the chance! I was at lunch during that call and then the bell rang! And when I did see you, the focus ended up completely on Lelouch, who I didn't know was even alive, mind you. Thanks for telling me that!"

"And that meeting was to tell you!"

"He was attending Ashford right under my nose! Blood or no blood, all of you are family to me!"

"Obviously not!" Camilla roared. "You've done something completely unforgivable! Yes, I admit, keeping Lelouch a secret was not exactly a nice thing to do, but that does not allow you to divulge secrets that are protecting your family from harm."

Corrin started crying. "I just wanted to make everyone happy. I…I thought the Sumeragis were our friends now, so I could talk to them. I didn't mean for Euphemia to get hurt." She spoke to Camilla, eye to eye, in anguish. "I realize this is all my fault, that's why I'm telling you what happened, so we can work together, get Euphemia back."

Camilla stood up and crossed from around the desk to Corrin. Corrin was expecting a hug of desperation. She was not expecting Camilla to push her to the desk and handcuff her. "I remember when I was erratic and you put me into a straitjacket and a padded room. You had no remorse for me then. You left me alone treated me like a dog and now you spit in our faces and expect leniency?!" Camilla glared at Corrin. "You expect me to forgive those bastards that took Euphie?!"

"No! Of course not! But what if you go there without me and you need someone to negotiate?"

Camilla smashed her palm onto Corrin's temple, pressing her face to the polished wood surface. "I DO NOT NEGOTIATE WITH TERRORISTS!"

"I know what I did was wrong. I get it. I wouldn't be telling you everything if I didn't feel remorse. I just—"

Corrin and Camilla were both interrupted by the door opening. Cornelia stood in the doorway. She would have cracked at joke at first glance, but her second glance—Camilla's anger and Corrin's sorrow—told her this wasn't a joking matter.

Deciding to put the situation aside, she decided to just report in. "Word has come directly from the Black Knights. We have multiple possible locations for the terrorist group we're looking for, led by Takumi Sumeragi."

Camilla, for her part, ignored Cornelia and continued to berate Corrin. "Corrin, you have one choice: us or them."

At this, Cornelia briskly made her way over to Camilla and clutched her younger sister's wrist. "I know, Camilla. I heard it all from Lelouch. She leaked the information. But she's not the only party at fault here. Hinoka Sumeragi was approached by her brother first. She could have stopped this herself at any time and she is on our side now. The Black Knights have already begun to mobilize to get Euphemia back for us. I'm asking you as both Corrin's elder sister and her commanding officer, let her go, Camilla."

"No! I want to hear it from her! You saw how she behaved under refrain! And she deliberately worked with Clovis to stick me in a padded room!" Camilla shouted.

"And don't you think that, at the time, you had every reason to be thrown in there? Yes, okay! You've been vindicated! You were right! You also killed your own citizenry in a mindless rage! Corrin's a good soldier. You know that. If anyone should be upset about Euphemia's kidnapping, I should be the most upset. She's my full-blooded sibling! She's my responsibility! I failed to see the attack pattern! I failed to recognize that my weakness had been exposed! If you want to arrest anyone for allowing Euphemia to come to harm, arrest me, but do it after we get her back unharmed!" Cornelia got right in Camilla's face. "Lelouch needs us working together. Takumi Sumeragi is the danger here, not Corrin. She couldn't have known. I get that it's a breach of confidentiality. I'll deal with that myself when the time comes. Let her go, Camilla. Please."

"NO! WHY AM I MORE MAD THAN YOU?! SHE BETRAYED US! OUR TRUST! OUR FAMILY! WHY DOSE SHE GET A PASS LIKE SHE DIDNT BETRAY US WHEN I DIDN'T?!" Camilla shrieked.

"Because you were acting insane!" Cornelia shouted at her. "You killed people, Camilla! With your own hand! Corrin made an off-hand comment during a friendly phone call because Takumi deceived her! There's a difference! Do you want to know why you're more mad than I am? Because I am the eldest one here! I have to reign in my emotions to babysit my grieving siblings who are now at each other's throats, for no reason other than one of them throwing a temper tantrum!" She grabbed Camilla by the shoulders and turned her to face her. "Pull your sorry self together because you are wasting time! At any moment—"

Camilla's phone suddenly rang, cutting the tension near instantly. Cornelia beat her sister to the punch and pressed the speaker button.

"Talk," she uttered in the most hateful way possible.

"Ah, Princess Cornelia. I thought this was Princess Camilla's line."

"T-Takumi…" Corrin stuttered.

"Ah, Corrin, or should I call you traitor. Thanks so much for the intel, really means a lot to me, and soon it'll mean a lot to the people of Japan."

"Takumi, please! Let Euphemia go! This isn't right!"

"SHUT UP!" Takumi shouted. "I hate you! I hate all of Britannia! You really think we'll trust you after seven years of torment? DO YOU?! This is our country, our lands, our culture! Japan will not be a subservient part in Britannia's own civil war! Take your troops and get out, scum!"

Camilla grabbed the phone off the hook. She spoke with her voice dripping with malice. "You listen to me. You putrid, insignificant, little worm. When I get my hands on you, you're going to regret being born. You will beg for death long before I give it to you."

"Tough talk when I have a hostage," Takumi told her. "Or have you forgotten?"

Camilla could suddenly hear Euphemia yelping in pain in the background before she could hear her coughing and the sound of water. She then heard Euphemia crying. Her fury was stoked. The only reason she didn't break the phone was because she needed to get more information so that she could ensure Euphemia's long-term safety.

"I take it from your silence we have an understanding."

"We have no such thing," Camilla told him. "And when I find you, you won't live long enough to regret it now. Not Zero and not even your own siblings are going to save you. You are dead!" she hissed. She slammed the phone down. "Cornelia, give me that list of locations. Beruka and I are departing immediately."

"And Corrin?"

"I really don't care right now," Camilla said and grabbed her axe from where it was leaned against a wall. She carried it below her waist, almost dragging it across the tile floor. "I have some monsters to behead."

Takumi had blinked when Camilla suddenly hung up on him.

"Soooooo, I guess that's a no-go on the negotiations?" Hinata asked.

"She didn't even give me the chance to make them. Oboro, you know what to do," he told her.

Oboro nodded and grabbed her trusty naginata, a weapon she'd been raised to fight with since she was a child.

"W-Wait," Euphemia gasped.

"Princess Camilla won't even hear my demands," Takumi told her. "You're of no use to me anymore."

"B-But…" Euphemia stuttered. The princess was tied to a chair.

Oboro glared at her. "Your country has ruined Japan! You're part of the equation, even by inaction!"

"I'm only Sixteen!" Euphemia sobbed.

"Oh yeah?! I'm Seventeen and look what I'm doing! I'm leading armies! You're a spineless wimp that just stood there while we slaughtered your guards! You make me sick!" Takumi shouted at her.

Euphemia just started to hyperventilate. "I want to go home. Cornelia. Camilla." She started breaking down sobbing, scared out of her mind. "Suzaku…"

Oboro's Naginata swooped in for a fatal blow, only for Takumi to grab it mid-lunge, shocking her.

"Why did you say that?" he asked, through gritted teeth. "WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?!"

Euphemia cried in fear, not really knowing how to form words at the moment.

Takumi pointed his trusty rifle at her. "Talk," he growled.

Euphemia whimpered.

"Hey, chill out, dude! She's just a girl!" Hinata exclaimed. He went up to Euphemia. "Hey, Princess Euphemia, right? Do you know Suzaku Kururugi? He and my boy Takumi here go way back."

Euphemia nodded, sucking back tears as she tried to pull herself together. "Suzaku he…he was so nice to me, the day I came to Area 11."

BANG!

"IT'S JAPAN GOD DAMN YOU!" Takumi roared on top of Euphemia now screaming. He'd shot her right in the leg.

His rage was now giving even the usual Britannian-hating Oboro pause. She was just horrified enough by the situation to tear off some of Euphemia's clothes and use it to dress her wound, using some ointment she had in a nearby first aid kid.

"Keep. Talking," Takumi growled.

Euphemia sobbed as Oboro treated her Takumi inflicted injury. "Suzaku…he…" she sniffed. "He gave me a tour of the settlement. When Cornelia and I first came here, my sister…C-Camilla, she was not well. And so I…I snuck out when Cornelia had me cooped up in my room. I leapt out a window and…S-Suzaku…he…he broke my fall, took me places. He was so nice to me."

Takumi closed his eyes and gnashed his teeth, sweating.

"There, all done," Oboro said, tying off the dressing with a cute little bow made from the cloth she'd torn off.

Euphemia looked down at her leg. It hurt like hell, but not as much as when Takumi first shot it.

"Do you know Suzaku?" Euphemia asked.

"He's my cousin," Takumi explained. "We were born half a year apart from each other. Guy always had to be the best at everything. Hunting, fishing, sports, you name it. But he was never arrogant about it, always forcing me to catch up to him, forcing me to get better just so I wouldn't feel overshadowed by him. It wasn't cause he was telling me to, but because I felt I had to, or I'd bring shame to the Sumeragi name. I broke my leg once trying to copy some cool parkour trick he'd been showing off. He carried me all the way to the hospital on his back. I…still owe him for that." He gave Euphemia a serious stare. "You two are friends?"

"I'd say so," Euphemia responded honestly.

Takumi sighed deeply. "Oboro, let her live for now."

"Say, what?!"

"Why are you so up in arms after you just finished dressing her wound?" Takumi asked her.

"I mean…that was…" Oboro fumbled to justify herself.

"Look, Suzaku's an idiot for thinking he can change the system from within, but he's always been a good judge of character. If he doesn't hate Princess Euphemia, I'll try to be nice, just a bit longer," Takumi stated.

"Soooooo, what now?" Hinata asked.

"Well, Camilla's on her way, unquestionably. We were already expecting a fight. If we keep Euphemia alive, at least we can use her to try and force Princess Camilla to surrender."

"Think that will work?" Oboro asked.

"If you hold her hostage, I can get a clear shot at her head," Takumi stated.

"Please don't hurt my sister! She really means well! I swear! She doesn't hate the Japanese! Please, you have to believe me! You're fighting the wrong enemy!" Euphemia pleaded.

"Shut up! A sheltered princess like you could never understand!" Oboro snapped.

Given the blue-haired woman had just dressed her wound, this left Euphemia mighty confused.

"All Britannians are scum. I've seen it with my own eyes. You only live because of Lord Takumi's mercy. Take it and be grateful."

"I am grateful. And um, thank you for treating my leg."

Oboro made a nightmarishly angry face.

Euphemia swallowed, whimpering.

"You really think we can take her?" Hinata asked. "This is the Smiling Demon we're talking about. What if you shoot her and she just eats the bullet and then strangles you?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Hinata. Legends are but legends," Takumi remarked. "Princess Camilla is still mortal. Bullets can still kill her. I will kill her, for Japan's honor!"

"Well, if this is my last night on Earth, it's been an honor fighting with you, sir."

Takumi took a deep breath, knowing the tremendously difficult task that was inbound. "Same to you, Hinata, Oboro. You two are my best friends."

Oboro bowed to her liege. "It has always been an honor, Lord Takumi."

"Gag the hostage. I'm tired of hearing her cry," Takumi stated. "I need to make preparations."

"Yes, sir," Oboro responded and proceeded to get out a stylized piece of cloth to use as a gag.

Camilla…sister…please be careful, Euphemia thought. Cornelia…Suzaku…Corrin…please…help me.

Camilla and her Harlech sped through city streets in residential zones, toppling over cars from the wind pressure of her movements in an angry rage. No time for niceties. She had a sister to save. A call came in from Lelouch.

Camilla hit the answer call button. She only glanced at Lelouch and then back straight forward.

"Okay, I get it. You're not in a talking mood. Just listen then."

Camilla nodded firmly.

"I understand you want to rescue Euphie. We all do. But if you go in alone, you'll die. Let me make that clear to you. Takumi Sumeragi is not a fool. His goal has been you from the very start. If you go rushing in without a plan, he will kill you."

"I'd like to see him try," Camilla uttered unnervingly calmly.

"Sister, you can survive a lot. High grade explosives would test even the durability of your Harlech. I'm saying this not as Zero, but as your brother, calm down and stop. I don't want to lose you."

"Why? Because you'd lose your biggest asset to take down his majesty?"

"No, because deeply buried inside me, no matter how much I wish to deny it, there's still a part of me that would be gravely upset if you died. I'd cry at your funeral. You would give anything to protect me, so I'm doing my part in return. You promised you'd never abandon me. Don't go breaking that promise over an anger induced tantrum through the settlement."

Camilla came to a dead stop. "Lulu…I…I hate myself I said such awful things to Corrin in anger." She quavered. "I…I don't deserve to live."

"You know that's not true," Lelouch told her. "And I'm sure, knowing Corrin, she'll forgive you. Look, this happened while you weren't in a position to do anything about it. You were doing the right thing though. You were bringing Suzaku, Corrin and I together. That's not unimportant. You couldn't have known. The person we should be focusing on, right now, is Takumi Sumeragi. I have a plan when we find him."

Camilla gripped her controls. "…I'm scared, Lulu. Euphemia isn't useful to them anymore as a hostage because I threatened to kill them all. What if I get there," she sobbed, "and what if she's dead? Then it's my fault she's dead! I'LL HAVE KILLED MY OWN SISTER!"

"Takumi Sumeragi can't kill Euphemia li Britannia."

"How can you possibly know that?! And what do you mean can't?!" Camilla shouted.

"Because if he kills her before your arrival, you, his real target, he doesn't have any leverage. The way I see it, Takumi Sumeragi is looking to use Euphemia as leverage to gain power in this situation. He can't afford to kill her," Lelouch said. "His intent is clear as day to me. He wants Japan back from Britannia and he doesn't want Britannia's help to get there. He thinks Japan can take everything back by force and deception." Camilla was floored when Lelouch put his Zero outfit on. "Euphemia li Britannia has never hurt anyone in her life. That makes her weak. And I, Zero, stand for the weak to save them from the strong! And if I can save Princess Euphemia li Britannia and, in turn, earn the gratitude of the Britannian Empire. Well, that would be a miracle, would it not?"

Camilla swooned, sucking on her finger. If hearts could physically form in her eyes, they would have. Ten billion babies, she thought.

"I take it by the look on your face that you're in a better mood, so listen carefully. I've been having the Black Knights scan for Takumi's location from least likely to most likely."

"Shouldn't it be the other way around?" Camilla asked.

"No, quite the opposite. Takumi needs to buy as much time for himself as possible, so the seemingly less obvious his location, the better for him," Lelouch, as Zero, explained.

"Buy time…for what?" Camilla inquired.

"Killing you," Lelouch told her. "I said it before already. If you charge ahead on your own, you'll die. Takumi managed to launch the largest attack on the Viceroy Palace Britannia has seen from Japan since it was subjugated. That means he likely has put a lot more men to set up traps and ambushes to bring you down. But this is you we're talking about, that's a Herculean task, but not one that's impossible. If he bothered to retreat rather than stand his ground and wait for you, it's clear his intent is to use Euphemia's peril as a means to do exactly what you were about to do: charge in blind and get yourself killed. What he doesn't know is that you inherently trust me. In fact, aside from the Black Knights, who may not even believe it, I don't there is a single Japanese who could possibly know that fact for certain."

"What are you suggesting then?" Camilla asked.

"I plan to sneak in and meet with Takumi myself, as Zero. If possible, I will do it with Hinoka at my side. Even he isn't crazy enough to shoot his own sister on sight. Only a monster would do that."

"And what am I expected to do just sit here and watch?" Camilla demanded.

"No," Lelouch told her. "I'm going to give you a set of instructions. I need you to follow them. I will mediate and check Euphemia's condition. While I do that, the Britannian army will surround the perimeter. Takumi might be clever, but he's short sighted. If his anger gets directed solely at me, no one's around to give commands. That will give your forces plenty of time to whittle down his snipers and disarm his traps. You'll move slowly and carefully, per my instructions so that you will have a straight line to come back me up. By the time you reach my location, I should have Euphemia recovered to safety."

"Thank you, Lulu," Camilla said head bowed as her whole body shook as she gripped the controls, "Really…thank you. Thank you so much."

"There is…one more piece to this," Lelouch told her. "Although it's a bitter pill to swallow."

"What's that?" Camilla asked, lifting her head.

"If Takumi Sumeragi dies, it's going to make negotiations with Japan much harder."

"He forfeited his life the minute he kidnapped my sister!"

"I know! I know!" Zero stressed, almost as soon as Camilla had finished speaking. "But the greater issue at large is also his family's loyalty. If we butcher him, what does that say about us?"

"He murdered people for no other reason than to kidnap my sister and you want to let him live!"

"No."

"What?!"

"I never said I wanted to let him live, only that if he dies, our plan gets much harder. Were I to act on emotion alone, you can be perfectly certain I would kill him. But there is more going on here, Ryoma Sumeragi's cooperation chief among my concerns."

"And what if it was Nunnally? Would you be considering Ryoma's feelings?" Camilla spat.

Zero was quiet a moment before he simply replied, "Point well made. Very well, I will only say this. If we can bring Takumi Sumeragi in alive, that's good for us and our publicity, but if he dies, I'm not losing sleep. I'll figure it out."

"Thank you, Lulu. Really," Camilla told him.

Lelouch nodded from behind his helmet. "Don't lose heart, sister. The road ahead is long, but we'll face it together."

Camilla swooned. "Love you, Lulu."

Lelouch whipped his head sideways. "I have to go." He ended the transmission.

Camilla giggled. "Too embarrassed to say it back. Oh well, guess I'll wait for those instructions." She took a deep breath and gazed seriously at the night sky. Don't worry, Euphie. We'll get you back safe.

For Diethard Reid, a formal request from Zero to shoot him live for a publicity stunt was journalistic gold. So, here he was at Tokyo Tower, the place suspiciously cordoned off and ready for him and his camera crew.

This isn't just for Takumi's ears, but for the nation as well, Lelouch thought. Rook to c1, check and reveal check on a6.

Diethard counted back on his fingers, tapping his foot to the beat before saying to Zero, "We're live."

He shined a big huge spotlight on the man. A temporary stage had been built so that Zero could use it as a platform with Tokyo Tower as the backdrop.

"Takumi Sumeragi!" Zero declared, fanning his cape out to his right-hand side, holding it still. "You have stolen a critical item from the Britannian military! I am here to demand it back!"

Across TV screens everywhere, people were stopping to gawk.

"What's going on?"
"Zero?"
"Did he say Britannia?"
"Who's side is he on?"

"I know this will come as a shock to many of you, the man of miracles working with the oppressors, but know this! There are elements at play far beyond your comprehension! An Empire as large as Britannia is prone to fractures! Those very fractures now serve the Black Knights!"

"So much for a subtle coup," Cornelia grumbled under her breath.

"I thought I made myself perfectly clear, that I would not coddle battle on an even playing field, but neither would I allow the devouring of the weak by the strong!" Zero let his cape fall and stretched out his left hand, as though grasping an invisible chalice, "My rebellion has no need of men of your caliber. People who prey on the weak, just to get the strong to cower. It's spineless! I, Zero, stand with my back to the wall, waiting for fate's bullets to gun me down!" he declared, throwing his arms to the sky.

"What's he doing? Is he crazy?" Tamaki questioned, watching this on live feed while he and the Black Knights were mobilized.

"Well, he wouldn't be Zero if he had all his screws bolted tight," Azama commented.

"Zero may be a foreigner, but he definitely knows how to fight with honor. He's a-okay in my book!" Hana declared chipperly.

From the JLF's hideout, Saizo watched the broadcast with interest.

"Zero…" Ryoma uttered. Takumi, what have you done?!

"But I will never be gunned down, for I am no man, but an idea," Zero declared and covered himself with his cape, "And ideas are bulletproof."

At Takumi's undisclosed location, Oboro was bringing her liege the broadcast, having pulled it up on her phone.

"Zero," Takumi growled.

"Takumi Sumeragi, you have cast the die and forced my hand," Zero stated, extending his right arm forward, palm facing up. "I cannot ally with someone who would commit the atrocities you have accrued. But I will give you one chance to change your mind. You will see me soon. And if you fail to repent for your actions," He drew his thumb across his neck, "You will not live to see dawn."

"What's going on?"
"Does this mean Zero is working with Britannia?"

"To my supporters. I know how much of a shock this all comes to you. Know that I have not compromised my morals, nor been bought by Britannia's wickedness and cruelty. I still stand firm on the platform of justice!" Zero turned his arm and extended his index finger towards the camera. "Japan will be reborn, taken from its oppressors, but I shall do so before your very eyes, without turning its seas into blood-filled pools! Japan will be liberated without the deaths of your family, your friends, your countrymen! For tonight, I shall reclaim what has been stolen by Britannia, reclaim it," he turned his arm again and made a fist, "and earn their gratitude." He pulled his fist to his chest. "So much so," he fanned out his arms, "That their gratitude will lead to the cancellation of Narita! For Britannia is so inept that it cannot function without what you have stolen! And so, Takumi Sumeragi, I look down upon you, I reject you, and I claim Britannia's assets as my own with one goal in mind: Britannia's complete and total destruction!"

(A/N: Yes, I'm cutting it there because if this was the anime, they'd cut it there for dramatic effect. Next time, it's time to cut the cancer out of the pact. And yes, if anyone could fuck things up in this story, it would be Takumi. Not to be confused with Shinichiro Tamaki, that loveable idiot that always manages to escape death's grasp.

For the record, I am not Anti-Takumi. I know that Takumi is a deep, complex character with plenty of characterization without shouting "Nohrian scum!" every five seconds, but the fact that that's all I can usually remember of his character—seriously even in Birthright he and Oboro are very anti-Nohr—it doesn't speak well for his sanity, especially not in this story. I write stories not based on bias, but how characters should respond to stimuli, and let the plot deal with the consequences, so long as that choice doesn't derail the plot. And, from my perspective, with what Takumi knows—and other subsequent character traits—he has neither the patience, nor the temperament to put up with current plot developments, leading to the current scenario.

But hey, why spend paragraphs upon paragraphs defending my decisions for a character's fate that's still up in the air. Let me hear from all of you. That's right, yes YOU, my fans! If any of you can make a good, legitimate case for Takumi's survival other than "He's my husbando UwU" I will at the bare minimum consider it. Mind that consideration does not permanently equate to this man's survival as he has a very angry—and justifiably upset—Camilla, looking to tear off his head and shit down his neck.

Of course, if you just want to write "Man, fuck Takumi" in the comments, feel free to do that too. Just know that whatever fate has in store for him, Hinata and Oboro are likely to share it—and for the record are way better than he ever will be #OboroNeedsAHug #HinataIsAGoodDad. So until then, as always, from all of me, to all of you, let your hearts stay human and your wrath draconic. Ja ne!

SPECIAL THANKS to my Patrons ShawnH, Nier 99, and Wizard Aro. Without the support of you and all of the rest of you reading this, none of this would be possible! If you'd like to support my work, consider subscribing. Feel free to also leave a comment, write a review, or just say hey. It helps out a lot and it keeps me motivated to write more. And I'm sure everyone wants that :D I know I do _