"I'm just not certain it's worth the risk, Leila."

Leila grimaced, but stood firm. "With respect General, an opportunity like this only comes around so often. We have a chance to eliminate the single greatest threat to the EU in years. The chaos Kingsley's death would cause could provide us with the opportunity to take back all of the land we lost these last few months."

General Smilas sighed, leaning back in his chair with a troubled expression. "Which is what stands out to me. It seems too good, Leila. Just where did you get this information?"

"Operative Naruse Yukiya, General," Leila lied with a practiced ease. It felt wrong to deceive the general, but she had long since convinced herself of the necessity. He would never agree if he knew where her information came from. "He learned through Euro Britannian communications that Princess Cornelia li Britannia would be coming to St. Petersburg shortly. The palace will be lightly guarded to prepare for her arrival. If we time it right, we may even kill the princess as well as Kingsley."

"Absolutely not," Smilas said harshly. "If, If I were to authorize this mission, the princess cannot be harmed. It's one thing to assassinate a military advisor. That is simply the price of war. But one of his children? And the Witch of Britannia at that? Her death would demand recompense." He rested an elbow on the arm of his chair, scratching his chin in thought. "Although…you're certain this is reliable? That Cornelia will be visiting St. Petersburg?"

"I am, sir," Leila nodded.

"That's very interesting," The General said, intrigued. "The Second Princess dropped off the face of the earth after the Black Rebellion, over in Area 11. No one, Britannian or otherwise has heard hide or hair of her since. Not even her knight. And now she shows up in St. Petersburg without any warning? Why? What's there for her? Is it simply to show support for the successful war effort, and to congratulate Kingsley? Or is it perhaps something else?"

"I couldn't say for sure," Leila said. "Only that we're short on time. That is, if you do decide to authorize the use of the Apollo system."

General Smilas nodded. "It's as you say. There will likely be a parade to celebrate the Princess' arrival, leaving much of the palace undefended. Not enough to launch a full scale attack of course, but a single squad could slip in, assassinate Kingsley, and slip out past security." He frowned. "I assume you will wish to lead W-0 yourself?"

"I do," She confirmed.

"I cannot allow that," Smilas refused. "There can be no ties back to the EU for this mission. For three months, you have been the only reliable resistance against Kingsley's warpath, even if it has only been through smaller, commando missions. The elevens under your command, their pasts can be fabricated simply enough with proper paperwork. But you're known to the people of the EU, Leila. If the mission went awry, your death would be a blow to the EU's morale. It would also make things…difficult, politically speaking."

"It is a calculated risk, General," Leila insisted. "Kingsley's death would be worth it. Besides…Kingsley is a monster. For three months he's terrorized everyone who stood in his way, Europian, Britannia, civilian. It doesn't matter to him, not if they're deaths can prove useful. Reports say even Britannians are wary of him. If the mission did fail, and word got out we were involved in a botched assassination attempt, well, I don't think there would be as much outrage as you believe." She paused, knowing she needed to choose her words carefully. "As for morale…My death could impact it negatively, yes. But consider that it might make me a martyr as well. Leila Malcal, the last bastion of resistance against the terror of Julius Kingsley, slain in a brave, last ditch effort to rid the world of his evil presence. It could bolster the masses in their anger. Possibly enough to enlist, or even resist in territories occupied by the enemy. At the very least, it could prove an opportunity to unify the civilian populace."

Leila saw something light up in Smilas's eyes, and tried to convince herself it was a good thing. He sees the opportunity for what it is, She reasoned. That's all. He brought his hands to his desk, folding one over the other. "Very well. I'll approve this operation, and the use of the Apollo system. You and the rest of your squad will deploy in the woods near St. Petersburg, and use the Princess's arrival as a distraction. Your primary objective will be the assassination of Military Advisor Julius Kingsley. Secondary objectives include the retrieval of the Imperial Scepter, gathering of any intel that presents itself, and if possible, you are to place a backdoor in their security system." He paused. "Kingsley's escort, the Knight of Seven is also a viable target for this mission. He isn't royalty, and he's an eleven to boot. Backlash won't be as severe, but the death of a Knight of Rounds would be a harsh blow nonetheless. I'll leave the details of executing the mission to you, commander. Will that be all?"

Leila closed her eyes, allowing a small sigh of relief to escape her lips. Her shoulders dropped ever so slightly, and she looked up with a smile. "It will, General. Thank you. I won't disappoint you."

"You haven't yet," Smilas told her. "It would be a surprise indeed for this to be any different. Good luck, Leila." The screen cut to black as the transmission ended.

That…that went smoother than I expected. She was surprised how opposed the General was to taking advantage of Cornelia's presence to assassinate her as well. Not that she actually intended to try, of course. She had given her word. But she dangled it in front of the General, hoping it might push him to approve the mission, and instead it had almost cost her the chance.

Almost, She thought with a grin. But it didn't. She wouldn't have to go behind his back. She had full authorization. And if the actual, literal objectives of their mission were ever so slightly different from what the General believed, it hardly mattered. The end result would be the same. Kingsley might live, but Cornelia would make sure he never posed a threat to the EU again.

Leila frowned. Of course, that's if the Princess keeps her word. Something that was far from guaranteed. She wanted to say she believed her, and she did, but that was her heart speaking. Her mind told her not to trust the Witch of Britannia as far as she could throw her.

Her head had also told her to listen when everyone else said to treat the Japanese of W-0 squad as expendable. Her mind told her not to even consider recruiting Ryo and the others after they tried kidnapping the General. Her heart said otherwise then, and look where it led her.

No, she would trust the Princess to keep her word. Leila still remembered how desperate she had been, that night she infiltrated Castle Weiswolf.

It was time to debrief the others, and say her goodbyes before she left. Another small deception she hoped the General would forgive her for when this was all said and done. She needed to get on a plane to meet with Cornelia before arriving at St. Petersburg. The others would wait a little longer before using the Apollo system.

Which meant she wouldn't see the others at least until the mission was already well underway. Maybe even later. She wouldn't get a chance to see Akito until then.

She…perhaps she should speak with him for a moment in private, before she left.

You never know when you might get another chance.

"Stand still, you moron!"

"Hey!" Yukiya complained, struggling to escape Ayano's grip on his uniform. "I'm fine as is!"

She snorted. "We're soldiers now, not street rats. We can't just throw on a uniform and call it a day, we have to make it look good. Here, your collar's wrinkled, let me see that." She wrestled with him a little longer, smoothing out the coat of his uniform while fighting through his complaints. Finally, she left him alone, satisfied with her work. "There. Should be good enough to greet the Commander, at least."

"I don't see the need for all this ceremony," Yukiya scowled, crossing his arms. "It's just the Commander, and this is a covert operation anyways. Shouldn't we be more, you know, covert?"

Ayano rolled her eyes. "Grow up already. Ryo isn't even complaining as much as you are."

Akito smiled lightly at their antics, quietly waiting for Leila to arrive. It was strange, to think how much had changed in so little time. He had always resigned himself to the fact that he would die fighting for a country that hated him. He was content with that, so long as he had a chance to strike back against Britannia. Besides, he had died long before he learned how to fight.

When Leila first took command, he figured he had maybe a few weeks left. He was the last survivor of an expendable unit. He had no reason to expect Leila to be any different from his previous commanders. He thought he'd die alone, on the battlefield, remembered by nobody but the ground he fell on.

Only, it wasn't anything at all like that. Leila continued to confound him every step of the way, going out of her way again and again to stand up for him, and later the rest of W-0 squad as well. Ryo and the others had tried to kidnap General Smilas to ransom, and instead of execution she offered them a chance to fight. And when they tried to betray her yet again, she went into battle alongside them, so they knew she wouldn't sacrifice them meaninglessly.

Time and again, she never ceased being able to surprise him. And now they were working alongside a Britannian Princess.

Leila herself entered the room, breaking him out of his thoughts. He snapped to attention, the others following quickly behind. Leila smiled at them. "We have authorization from General Smilas. This operation is officially a go."

"And what'd you have to tell the General to get his say-so, hm?" Ryo grinned.

"I said an informant told us about Cornelia visiting Euro Britannia," Leila said. "I pointed out the opportunity it presented to assassinate Kingsley."

Akito blinked in surprise, the others showing their own expressions of disbelief. "You actually lied to the General, huh?" Ryo shook his head. "I didn't think it was possible. Working with a Princess, lying to the General…what's next, are you gonna tell us you're a Knight of the Rounds?"

"He wouldn't have gone for it if he knew where the information came from," Leila said in defense. "And certainly not if he knew our plan hinged on relying on her. And we can't afford to pass up this opportunity. Regardless of how I gained permission, the General will be satisfied with the results, I'm sure."

Akito frowned, before quickly returning to an even expression. Leila caught it, and her brow furrowed in worry, but she didn't press him on it. "This is where we have to part ways, I'm afraid. You all know your parts in this. I need to link up with Cornelia. The rest of you will have to stay here until we're in position. Some time before we reach St Petersburg's airspace, I'll send word to launch the Apollo System."

"Stay safe, Leila," Akirto blurted, before he realized he was speaking. "I…I wouldn't want something to happen to the mission because you trusted a Princess. Just stay vigilant. Don't let your guard down."

She smiled warmly at him. "I won't, Akito."

The others exchanged their own goodbyes, wishing Leila good luck. Akito stepped back, away from the conversation hoping to erase the last twenty seconds from the minds of the rest of them. Immediately, he felt more comfortable. He could already hear them in his mind, if they had chosen to linger on his outburst. The recent increase in teasing from seemingly everyone in the castle had been…manageable, and good natured, but it was beginning to wear on him a little.

Especially when he wasn't sure about his own feelings on the matter.

"Akito?" Leila asked softly, and he looked up to realize she was standing in front of him, the others already distracting themselves with some nonsense about uniforms again. "Do you have a moment? I wanted to speak with you in private."

"Of course," He answered, and she took his hand, leading him away.

"Come on," She said. "I have something I wanna show you."

She took him down and around the castle, winding through the halls until they arrived at a small, secluded balcony looking over the rest of the castle. The cold air bit at his face, but strangely he found it comforting. It made him feel…grounded, in a sense.

Leila walked forward, resting her arms on the railing and peering over. "Be careful," He warned.

She didn't answer him, but she didn't lean any further either, so he assumed she was listening. They stood like that for a while, Leila taking in the sight while he stood beside her quietly, unsure of exactly why she brought him here. "This castle used to belong to my family," Leila said suddenly. "The Breisgau's that is, not the Malcal's. I sometimes wonder what my father would think, if he learned I turned it into a military base. Maybe he'd be proud, with everything I've been able to achieve. Everyone I've been able to save. Or maybe he'd be disgusted with how I turned this into a place of war."

"He wouldn't think that," Akito said almost immediately, once again for reasons he couldn't say. It wasn't like he would know what her father would think. But there was a remorseful tone in Leila's voice he couldn't bear listening to, and he needed to make it stop. "You've done plenty of good, Leila."

She smiled. "Thank you, Akito. I know…I know he wouldn't actually feel that way. He loved me. It just all gets in my head sometimes, especially before missions like this. Where there's quite a bit of risk involved."

He shrugged. "We've come out alive from worse situations, with much worse odds. We're meant to be expendable, after all."

"Maybe, but this is a completely different mission from what we're used to," Leila pointed out. "It's one thing to go behind enemy lines in Knightmare Frames. It's another matter entirely to sneak into a palace, without Knightmares for the most part, kidnap someone escorted by a Knight of the Rounds, and make it out alive. This isn't going to be easy."

"It never is," Akito said. "But you've always gotten us through it before. I'm sure you will again."

Leila stared at him for a moment, before smiling. Her lip curled, and he wondered if she had as much trouble as he did trying to find the words to say when they spoke. No one else gave him as much trouble as she did. "I…I've heard a lot of talk around the castle," She said nervously, looking out into the courtyard. "About…about…" She cleared her throat. "About Yukiya and Anna."

Akito nodded, relieved she hadn't been talking about him. "It's rather hard not to notice when Ryo and Ayano make it the point of any conversation lasting more than five minutes. Do you think it's just teasing, or is there any actual weight to it?" He didn't like talking about gossip, but he liked talking about himself even less, so it was a compromise he was willing to make.

Leila's eyes lit up, and when she spoke there was something different in her voice, something he didn't recognize. "I know there is on her part."

"I wonder why," Akito mused. "What draws him to her? He's an eleven like me, his life is at risk every mission, and he tried to blow up the castle when he first came here. It just seems foolish to fall for someone like that."

"Maybe…" Leila began. "Maybe she doesn't care about any of that. Maybe she looks at…at Yukiya and just sees someone fighting to keep her and everyone else in the EU safe, despite all the hatred and resentment he has to deal with. I think it inspires her, makes her want to be a better person, so he doesn't have to put his life at risk for her sake."

""We're soldiers," Akito said. "We all put our lives at stake. It's our job."

"Maybe she doesn't want you to," Leila said bitterly, turning away. "Maybe she's tired of people hurting themselves for her. Maybe…maybe she just wants them to be happy for once. And have a chance for her to be happy as well."

"Then you should tell her to look elsewhere if she wants to be happy," Akito said coldly. "We're soldiers. Worse, elevens. We won't get to live long, happy lives together to the end of our days. We'll die on the battlefield. Realistically, we don't have more than a year, maybe a couple until we die."

"Don't talk like that!" Leila snapped. "It isn't like before, Akito. I'm your commander now, and your lives mean something to me, all of you! And I swear I'll get every one of you out of this alive!"

"You shouldn't make promises you can't keep, commander," Akito warned.

"Then consider it an order from your superior," Leila said sternly. "I don't give you permission to die, do you understand?"

His eyes widened, and an image of his brother standing in a room of corpses flashed through his mind. Die. Die. Die. Her words struck a chord with him, sparking something that shouldn't be there. He was dead. He had died years ago, his body just hadn't caught up to reality yet.

So why did she have to order him to live?

"I understand, Leila," He told her. Somewhere between her words and his, a small smile had found its way to his face, and wouldn't leave.

Leila smiled in kind, stepping forwards and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Remind me to tell you something else when we get back, alright?"

"I will," He told her, awkwardly returning the gesture. "Once we get back."

He had no idea what he felt about the commander, and even less about how she felt about him. It was all too strange to him. But orders? Orders were simple. He could handle orders. She had ordered him to live, so he would.

No, she ordered all of us to live. And he chose to include her in that number. It was his job to watch her back anyways.

Besides, whatever it was she wanted to tell him, he had a feeling he would have something of his own he wanted to say soon enough.

Cornelia sighed, crossing her arms in impatience. She knew it was childish, but she loathed the waiting. They were so close now, and every second Lelouch stayed rotting like he was wore at her. Malcal was supposed to have arrived half an hour ago.

She shook her head. Look on the bright side of things. They really were close now. No more reconnaissance, no more scheming of ways to get in, or desperately running through the horrifically small list of allies she might be able to contact. She had a plan, and people to follow it through.

And what's more, she didn't have to run around dressed like some homeless drifter anymore.

The guards stationed at Slovenko, the nearest Euro Britannian settlement with an airport had been terrified when they realized who she was. A missing princess showing up in the middle of nowhere with no warning had to be a nightmare for the sorry bastards. Lucky for them, she wasn't all that concerned with their numerous violations of procedure. She just needed to appear before reaching St. Petersburg, so they could prepare for her arrival.

And so she could meet up with Leila, of course.

She stood to attention as the train finally pulled into the station. Inefficient. There's no excuse for a Britannian train to be running half an hour late. She shook her head, waiting for Leila to disembark.

When she finally did, Cornelia strode forward to meet with her. Leila blinked in surprise when she noticed her. She began reciting some ceremonial sounding nonsense. "You honor me by greeting me in person, your-"

"None of that now," Cornelia said, gripping the girl's hand and quickly turning back the way she came. "We need to move quickly. I have a car waiting for us outside, where we'll be escorted to a private plane."

They moved quickly, the guards having already cleared the path for her. Leila remained blessedly silent until they reached her car. Corneila chose to drive herself, so as to give themselves privacy to talk freely.

"I thought the entire point of this was to present myself properly," Leila grumbled beside her.

"Later, yes," Cornelia said. "Once we reach St. Petersburg. None of these people here matter, however. Impressing them is irrelevant." She paused. "Once more. You know our part, yes?"

Leila rolled her eyes. "I've spent over a week organizing this mission with you. Yes, I know our part."

"I'm not chastising you," Cornelia said diplomatically. "It's a precaution, one I need to follow as well." She cleared her throat. "My role is to provide a distraction for the Duke and Suzaku. My presence alone will demand most of the guards prepare for my arrival, drawing them away from most of the interior of the palace. At best, a skeleton crew will be defending it. I need to draw the celebration out for as long as possible, stalling the Duke and especially Kururugi. Now, you go."

Leila sighed. "I will be posing as your informant, a traitor to the EU," She said. "I'll be assisting you when I can, but more importantly I'll make contact with Akito and the rest of the squad at various intervals, whenever I can secure some privacy for myself. Additionally, my presence ensures you don't try and double cross us."

Cornelia nodded. "Good. We're clear, then. Akito and the others will land in an isolated spot in the woods, concealing their Knightmares and infiltrating the city on foot. They'll breach the palace through an old servant's entrance that's gone unused for years. It's how I got in last time, and I left it unbarred for when I returned. It's not so far from the cells once they break into the palace."

"What about exfiltration?" Leila asked.

"If all goes well, they'll coordinate with you once Kingsley is secure," Cornelia said. "From there, they'll leave the castle the way they came, and you and I will feign a sickness. We won't have long before they realize Kingsley is missing, so we'll need to move quickly. Once we're free of the palace, we'll regroup with Akito and the others. From there, you can all depart with your Knightmares. I can handle myself and Kingsley."

"And if things don't go ideally?"

"I have a safehouse set up," She said. "A motel, really, but it will serve well enough. I rented out the entire building, so we'll have it to ourselves."

Leila blinked. "You…you bought an entire motel just to serve as a backup safehouse?"

"Don't be absurd. I rented one," Cornelia corrected. "I'm not frivolous with my money."

"Of course not. That would be ridiculous." She sighed, shaking her head. "Anything else we need to know? Once I contact the squadron to launch the Apollo, that'll be the last chance I have to tell them anything before the mission is underway."

Cornelia frowned. "Kingsley…he may try to resist. He may not. He may act…strangely. Ignore him, and whatever else he might say. Don't mention my name whatsoever. And…he has an eyepatch over his left eye." She paused. "Listen closely. Tell your squad that if that eyepatch comes off, for whatever reason, do not under any circumstances look him in the eye."

"Why is that a pro-"

"You don't need answers to that question," Cornelia said harshly. "I don't care what you or the others think, but make sure you tell them that, and make sure they listen. It's vital. Do you understand?"

Leila nodded. "Alright. If you say so."

They reached the airport shortly, where a small private jet awaited them. "Contact your squad once we're in the air," She said. "I need to call ahead, announce my arrival."

"I will," Leila promised. "Kingsley…what exactly is he to you? Why go through so much trouble? He holds the Imperial Scepter. Kidnapping him would constitute an act of treason, even for a Princess."

"Why I chose to undertake this mission will have no bearing on your performance," Cornelia said stubbornly. "Concern yourself with getting Kingsley. Nothing else matters." Not to her at least. Kingsley was her problem. Her burden.

She thought of him then, rotting away in a cell, numby scratching at a wall for reasons he couldn't remember. Except, no, he wouldn't be would he? After all, Kingsley had announced he'd be returning to Pendragon. He had reverted.

Which meant that…that creature was strutting around like he was her brother. Like he even existed. Once more, she wished her father stood before her so she could run the bastard through for what he did. Geass was an evil power, one that no one should possess. Not Lelouch, and certainly not the emperor.

I will cure him, She promised to herself. I will rid him of Geass. Heal his mind. Protect him from himself, and…and from father. If it…if it truly came to it…if the emperor had embraced Geass with an open heart…

Then she would kill him herself.

"I spy, with my little eye…" Ryo said over the comms for the thousandth time. "Something glowing."

'What a mystery," Ayano said. Akito could hear the eye roll through his ear piece. "Could it possibly be your Knightmare's vidscreen?"

"Nope," Ryo said triumphantly. "It's one of the buttons. An orange-glowy one."

"You win," Ayano conceded easily. "Now shut the hell up!"

"Hey, it's not my fault we've got nothing better to do," Ryo shrugged. "Why the hell do we need to stay cooped up in our Knightmares anyway? We've just been sitting here for hours!"

"We need to be on standby," Akito said, cutting in. "Leila could give the order to launch the Apollo system any minute. Our Knightmares are loaded up, and we have all the equipment we need. We can wait a little while."

"You might be able to," Ryo grumbled. "But not all of us find sitting on our asses to be the pinnacle of entertainment."

Akito shrugged. "We're soldiers, Ryo. Perhaps you should value a moment of peace and quiet a little more."

"Where's Yukiya?" Ayano asked suddenly. "It says he's on a separate call from us."

Ryo laughed. "Who wants to bet he's having a private chat with Anna? Maybe we should slip in, give a listen. For operational purposes, of course. I'm sure Clement is telling him something vital to the mission we all need to hear."

"Naturally," Ayano said, before switching to listen in to Yukiya's call. Akito watched as the blip signaling Ryo vanished soon after.

Akito sighed, shaking his head. If Yukiya could gossip about him and Leila whenever he liked he was at least free to listen in once in a while.

Besides, Ryo had been unfair. He was starting to get a little bored.

"-Hope you'll all be safe," Anna said just as Akito tuned in. "I'm a little worried to be honest. It's such a different mission from what you're all used to. Going behind enemy lines, that's one thing, but infiltrating a Britannian palace?"

"We'll be fine," Yukiya said lightly. "You worry too much. Leila's got a good plan. And of course, I'll be there to reign in the worst of their impulses."

Anna giggled. "You are the worst of their impulses. I'm half tempted to ask Leila to have you stay here, or else I think you might wind up blowing the palace up somehow."

"Your use of somehow implies I don't already have a plan to do so, which I find highly offensive."

"Yukiya!"

"I'll be good," He promised. "Leila said the General was clear about what we were supposed to do. Alas, detonating high-yield explosives was not among our objectives, and I'd rather not have the General breathing down our necks."

"Well that's a relief," Anna sighed. "And I know you're right. You'll be fine. Still…I don't like seeing you guy's in danger."

"As Akito so dearly loves to remind us, we're soldiers," Yukiya said. "At least this is sure to be some fun."

"For you, maybe," Anna muttered. "I'm going to have to sit here, waiting for you and the others to contact base. I won't have any idea if you're alive or dead, and since you'll be out of your Knightmares for most of it I won't even be able to check that."

"I…I'll make sure to let you know as soon as we're clear of the castle!" Yukiya promised, caught off guard by her sudden honesty.

Akito smiled. It was a rare thing for him to see Yukiya scramble like that, not knowing what to say. And certainly satisfying. Maybe now he'd keep his mouth shut for once. He doubted it though.

"What's this?" Ryo gasped, choosing now to reveal their presence. Yukiya suddenly went silent, and Anna squeaked in embarrassment. "My own teammate, hiding the sordid details of his private life from me? I thought we were friends, Yukiya!"

"We're talking about the mission!" Yukiya shot back, a little too quickly. "Get your head out of the gutter!"

"Mmhm. And what's so important you need to be speaking on a private channel?" Ayano teased.

"The Knightmares!" Anna said hurriedly. "We were talking about how you're going to hide them while you're in the city. IFF beacons will be powered off, of course, but I also designed an experimental camo-foil that should conceal the Alexanders from any sort of surveillance."

"Right," Ayano drawled. "I'm sure that's all you were talking about."

"This foil, it'll fool Britnnian sensors?" Akito asked, steering the conversation away from Yukiya and Anna. He'd suffered enough, for the moment. Though if he brings up Leila one more time, he can dig himself out of the next hole he finds himself in.

"Yes," Anna breathed out in a sigh, relieved for the distraction. "I've been working on it for months, actually, I just haven't had a chance to test it out yet. This'll make a perfect test run."

Akito smiled. "I'm looking forward to seeing how it-" He was cut off by the image of Leila popping up on his screen. She was dressed like a Britannian. No matter how much he knew it was necessary for the mission, he still couldn't get over how wrong it looked on her.

"Leila Malcal to Wyvern Zero. Is this connection secure?"

"Yes, Commander," Akito answered.

She nodded. "Give Anna the go ahead to launch the Apollo System. I took the liberty of uploading the coordinates of a back up safehouse in St. Petersburg the princess set up, as well as some new information regarding Kingsley. Take a look and commit it to memory. Cornelia assures me it's vital."

"Confirming now," Yukiya said. "Location set."

"This will be the last time we speak until we reach St. Petersburg," Leila said. "I know you'll all perform beyond expectations, but I wanted to wish you luck once more."

""You too, Commander," Ryo said. "We're not the ones saddled with a princess, after all."

Leila laughed. "Try not to hit the ground too hard on your way down. Goodbye."

The image cut away, and Akito was dimly aware of Anna going through a checklist as the Apollo prepped for launch. He didn't pay much mind to it.

A few hours, now, and they would be in the heart of Euro Britannia. Leila would be rubbing elbows with the Britannian elite, while he would be in the heart of the castle, too far to be of any help. The only ally near her would be a princess. A princess he was supposed to trust with Leila's safety.

He shut his eyes, taking a deep breath. She will be fine. She will be fine. He repeated it in his mind, again and again like a mantra until he truly believed it. She will be fine.

They all would be.

Suzaku stared in quiet disbelief at the screen in front of him, still not fully understanding. His face betrayed no trace of his shock, but that did not erase his surprise.

"I trust you heard me, yes?" Cornelia li Britannia, missing since the Black Rebellion, asked impatiently.

Slowly, he nodded. "It will be an honor for you to grace us with your presence, your highness," He answered stiffly. "Only…why? What brings you to St. Petersburg of all places? No one has heard from you in eight months."

"Your newfound status as a Knight of the Rounds does not entitle you to details regarding my personal life," Cornelia said sharply. "I will be arriving shortly. That is all that matters to you. Ensure preparations are made for my arrival. I expect a full Royal welcome."

Beside him, the Duke bowed low. "Of course, your highness. It fills me with joy to have one of the emperor's children grace us with their presence, on the cusp of our great victory over the EU."

"Regarding that, I have someone that may be of some use to you," Cornelia said. "But that can wait. Good day, Duke Augusta. Sir Kururugi."

The screen cut to black, and the Duke broke into a sweat. "This is a disaster! Hours, only hours to prepare for a royal welcome, from the Chief General of the Empire no less!" He stormed quickly out of the office, muttering to himself.

Suzaku stood there a while longer, the surprise he initially felt slowly replaced by anger and frustration.

Eight months, and not a whisper from Cornelia. And now she appears from out of nowhere, and she was coming here. To Euro Britannia, seemingly without explanation.

Why? Why here, why now? He was close to being able to leave with Lel-with Kingsley. And now she had to complicate matters.

Suzaku scowled. I'll have to move Kingsley. Occupy him somehow, keep him hidden during the Princess's visit. The last thing he needed was Cornelia running into him. He unfortunately still needed the bastard alive.

He took a deep breath, letting it out in a sigh. Calm yourself. The princess wouldn't stay more than a day or two at most, if even that. All he had to do was keep Kingsley out of her sight. It wouldn't be a problem.

Besides, it might even be nice. He hadn't seen the princess since the Black Rebellion. Since she knighted him for a second time. Since I took Lelouch and threw him at his father's feet.

His scowl returned unbidden. No, He decided. No, I don't think this will be very pleasant at all.

All Cornelia would bring is bad memories of times already past him. He had a duty now, one that needed to be seen to.

Just let this be over with quickly.

"The Apollo system has been launched, General." Smilas nodded at the woman reporting to him, dismissing her from the room.

This was it then. By this time tomorrow, if Leila came through, Kingsley would be dead. The greatest threat to the EU in decades, brought down by a single squad.

That is, if they succeeded. There was no guarantee that they would. If anything, the odds were stacked against them. For all that Leila seemed to believe in her and her squad's ability to pull off the operation, he wasn't so sure. He trusted her, of course. And they had proven themselves reliable in the past. He supposed they had a fair enough shot at killing Kingsley.

Still, he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if they weren't successful. It was a terrible thing to even consider, but he was a General. Making hard choices was his job.

And something Leila said had stuck with him…that with her death, it might serve to make her a martyr. It might instigate the people to revolt, energize them.

The forty man committee was a farce. A congress of politicians who wasted billions of dollars only to wind up deciding to sit and wait. Every damn time. They were too passive against Britannia, too predatory to the people. A relic, one that ought to be eradicated. The EU needed decisive leadership, especially against an enemy like Britannia. Leadership they sorely lacked.

It was far from the first time he had gone down this line of thinking. Only now…Kingsley was a grave threat. Grave enough, perhaps, to warrant a change in the status quo.

Of course, that all meant nothing if Leila succeeded. He cared for the girl, truly. She was like a daughter to him, and he knew she felt similarly after the death of her parents.

But he was a General. His fealty was to the people first, not himself. And he was familiar with hard choices.

And he couldn't help but wonder whether he wanted Leila to succeed or not.

I'm not quite ready to go to a weekly schedule, but I'm fairly certain it's not too far away. I'm currently 19 chapters into planning, with a decent idea of where the story's going to go, as well as having three other chapters written besides this one.

Also, I posted a Code Geass one shot not too long ago about Sayoko. It's very heart wrenching, and adorable too, so if it interests you, go check it out! It's called A Maid and a Mother.

Feel free to leave a comment if you like, I read them all even if I don't respond to each one.

As always, I crosspost on AO3

Next Chapter: Still don't know for sure. Won't be more than a month, at worst two in all likelihood, but I do want to have the whole story plotted and at least five chapters written before I switch to a weekly schedule.