"Speech"

"Radio or calls"

'Thoughts'

Broken Bonds

Suzaku

The world seemed to come to a standstill as Zero removed his mask. A hiss left the mask as a hand pulled it off, and the face of his best friend greeted him. His chest ached as all his emotions came flowing all at once. Silent gasps left him as he could barely breathe. Euphemia could barely be seen in his peripheral view as Lelouch held the mask of Zero.

Suzaku took deep breaths, his pupil's shrinking as he could barely control himself. Anger, fear, betrayal and others floated around his mind. No words fell from his tongue. Every battle. Every dead civilian. Shirley's dad. All of them because of his friend. The memories rushed through him, and an equal amount of guilt and disgust dominated his mind. 'I was going to sacrifice my friend to save Britannia. Hurt Euphie.' He wanted to gag, but without thinking, his first words left his mouth, "Why?"

Lelouch looked at him, and the knight repeated his words, "Why? Why are you doing all of this?"

Lelouch growled, "You know why. I promised I would destroy Britannia. And so, I became Zero." Lelouch's tone rose in anger, Suzaku growling back in response.'

"You were happy at school! You weren't obsessed with fighting anyone. Just taking care of Nunnally. You even have a girlfriend!" Suzaku paused for a second, "Does she know? Have you been lying to her as well?" There was a rising anger in his voice, and Lelouch looked him in the eyes.

"No. She has known for years." Suzaku noticed Euphemia looking away from him, and his stomach dropped as he wondered how long she had known. Especially considering the way that she didn't seem surprised by any of this.

Suzaku fumbled to think of anything to stay. He had so many things he wanted to say, but he focused on something he could understand. He couldn't deal with Euphemia potentially lying to him, "You killed so many innocent people! What did they do to you? What did they do to deserve dying?"

"You can't fight an Empire without risking collateral damage. I walk the path of blood and lies. If that means becoming a demon, then so be it!" Suzaku broke a bit hearing that, and with his emotions all mixed up, he growled.

"The method is what matters!"

"Look at what just happened!" Lelouch flung his arm out, and Suzaku didn't miss the implication as angry tears flowed down the knight's face, "You saw what peace meant to Britannia. How long are you going to pretend that you can't get your hands dirty to save Japan?! I saved you from getting executed, whether you like it or not. Japan had hope for their freedom, more than they had in years. Do I wish I didn't have to do this? Yes. Do I regret it? No. Because I can't."

Suzaku looked at his friend's twisted expression. He may not be able to read people like his wife could, but his gut said that his friend wasn't lying. The words hit him like a punch to the gut. 'They were going to kill me. For a crime I didn't commit.' He didn't know where this loyalty to the people who treated him so badly came from, but his mind was too scrambled to think why or dig deeper.

Euphemia spoke in a quiet tone, guilt flooding her words, "I failed Suzaku. It's not your fault. We tried our best and did what we could. But Britannia…it…" A heavy silence fell over the princess

"But we could have…" His words died in his throat as more tears streamed down his face. Lelouch looked at him with worry, but that only drove the knight more into his spiral of emotions, "You were the one that caused them to push this far. If you hadn't pushed, then there wouldn't be an invasion. What was the point of killing my father if all it meant was a second invasion?!"

The words cut through the tension as Suzaku fell to his knees. Shuddering breaths left him as he barely held back sobs. Everything was wrong, and he didn't know what to do. What to think. 'When everything I did was wrong, how can I be right?' He had tried to capture and kill his best friend. His wife's brother. And Nunnally. What would that have done to her.

Euphemia spoke, "Suzaku, I'm sorry for lying."

"No, Euphie. It's my-" Lelouch's voice cracked as he seemed to speak to the former princess

"Lelouch, I am a grown woman. I know what I did, and I lied to my husband." A heavy sigh was heard, though Suzaku was still in his own head as they spoke.

A hand was put on his shoulder, and he snapped his head to see Lelouch with a concerned look on his face. Suzaku just glared, "Leave."

Lelouch gripped his shoulder, "I need to know that you aren't going to betray us. Are you going to leave us for the empire."

Suzaku grunted, "I made an oath and promise to my wife. I put value in my words. But I listen to her, not you." Lelouch matched his glare, and let go, turning around and walking out of the room, footsteps echoing as it had gone silent. Suzaku looked up once the door slid closed, and saw Euphie, her eyes downcast.

"Suzaku, I should have-"

"How long? How long have you known?" He could only sound broken as he looked up at his wife, desperation filling him. 'It has to be recently, right? That's it. Only the last few months or so.' He shuddered as her expression fell, and he just closed his eyes.

"Ever since Kamine Island. I had suspected it was him, but he confirmed it then. I had thought about telling you, but I told myself it was his secret to tell. To keep. But I should have told you." She choked back tears, "I only have myself to blame."

Suzaku looked at her before sitting down on the couch, laying down as he was too overwhelmed. His eyes were red, and he was so exhausted. Everything hurt right now, and he just needed to sleep. He controlled his anger just enough, his wife's eyes blunting his emotions, "I just…need to be alone. Please."

Euphemia smiled bitterly, and nodded, kissing him on the forehead, "I'll wait till you are ready, my love." She walked out of the room, and Suzaku laid down and covered his eyes, more tears covering the couch. 'How could it get so bad? And how could I have been so stupid?!'

Lelouch

"How can he say I was wrong after seeing all of this!?" Lelouch screamed as he knocked several small objects off his desk, them clanging or breaking on the floor. He leaned on it as he took long, angry breaths. Clear of the hallway, he could finally let his fury out. His friend had the audacity to tell him that to his face, and his chest ached.

That last look before he left was one Lelouch would never mistake. His friend was pushing him away, breaking a friendship that lasted through war. 'And it's my fault. I lied to him. I fought against him even after knowing he was my enemy.' He deserved it, but his friends continued need to hold onto his old ideas was going to get him killed.

CC looked at him, standing up from the couch. Lelouch looked like a mess, his grip on the desk strong for him. She stayed silent as Lelouch raged, and he glanced over at her, "Anything you want to be mad at me for?" He looked ragged even as his anger overtook him, and CC just shook her head.

"I assume this has to do with Suzaku then." He didn't answer her, and she moved closer, putting a hand on his shoulder. Lelouch didn't resist, and his breathing became more ragged as CC continued in am emotionless tone, "If I had to guess, you either revealed your identity to him or had a debate."

Lelouch leaned his back against the desk as CC gave him a smile. He grunted, but CC gave him some space as she took as step back, "I chose to reveal myself to him, yet he called my methods wrong." That pain in his chest only seemed to deepen, "The way he looked at me…"

CC tilted her head as she crossed her arms over her chest, "So a man who had his friend lie to him for years has just had his world turned upside down. Do you think he would be thankful to you?" Her tone became a bit harsher, "I know what it feels like to have someone you love betray you."

"And what happens when you betray someone." Lelouch hated how her words undercut his anger, and his breath grew more normal as he tried to recover his wits. CC gave him time to think, and then she smirked as she leaned against the desk next to him.

"While Kallen might be the nice one, someone needs to make sure you don't forget your own actions."

"You of all people know I don't need that." He stayed on the desk, but looked into the immortal's golden eyes, "But now my best friend hates me. I thought I could handle it, but…" He balled his fist in anger, "It hurts. I wasn't a friend in his eyes, not at that moment. What happened to the friend that betrayed you?"

CC frowned as he detected an undercurrent of loss, and he noticed some welling of tears in her eyes, "She killed herself after she transferred her code to me. So, I couldn't say anything to her whether I wanted to or not. But I have come to understand her at the very least." Lelouch looked at her with a moderate amount of concern, and CC seemed to pivot in a split second, "How do you think one transfers a code to someone who mastered their geass? I don't know if death is needed, but she was so tired." The weight of ages filled her voice as she finished her sentence.

"I don't know what I expected, but that tells me more than you ever said before." CC smiled at him, and she leaned on him.

"Several centuries can dull a pain. But you can talk to Suzaku and fix this. Don't lose those connections that keep you human." While a less observant person might not have noticed, Lelouch could hear the ache in her voice. 'Immortality would be a lonely existence. Like the life of a king.' CC looked at a broken picture of Lelouch and Suzaku that had fallen onto the ground, "Do you still plan to follow the path of blood?"

Lelouch felt offended at her words, "Of course. No matter what happens, Britannia needs to die. That is my promise." There was a knock at the door, and Lelouch called out, "Who is it?"

"It's Euphemia!"

"Come in." CC covered Lelouch as the door slid open, and Lelouch could hear the princess's footsteps as the door closed, the witch moving away as his sister got closer, "How is he?"

"He's hurt. We betrayed him, so of course he would be mad at us." Unlike CC, his sister was an open book, and her tone was just as hurt as Suzaku's was, "But you didn't need to cover for me."

He turned to look at his sister's blue eyes, "It was my fault. I told you not to tell him. He didn't need to be mad at you." Frustration tore at his sister's visage, and Lelouch was taken aback.

"I am a grown woman. I can take responsibility for my own actions. I could have told him years ago, broken a promise to you. But I didn't and I will pay for that." She let some of that frustration vent from her, "I was a terrible wife, and we did him wrong. He is confused right now and needs time. Let me help him and you'll be friends again."

Lelouch saw the red around Euphemia's eyes, and he let out a sigh as he nodded, "Alright. But if he won't listen to me, then I need you to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid or suicidal." It may have been years, but Lelouch knew that command that had been given to him might cause unseen problems.

His sister nodded and pulled him in for a hug, "I'm sure you can fix this. You two stayed friends even after the war broke you two apart."

"Hopefully. But can he still fight with his mind clouded?"

Euphemia looked at him with confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Can he fight? I trust he can physically fight, but does he have the motivation to fight at full strength. That is what you need to help him with."

The former princess looked at her brother as they broke the hug, and she pursed her lips, "I don't know, but I know how to keep him at least motivated." Lelouch could see the distaste in her eyes. They were talking about his friend like he was a tool, and admittedly it was bitter in his mouth, but he had the stomach for it more than his sister. 'Even Kallen has a role, as morbid as it sounds.'

It was a part of him that hadn't disappeared, and he had to accept that he would always look at people like tools. At least as long as he was trapped in the role of Zero, as liberating as it was. 'Heavy is the head that wears the crown.'

Kallen

Kallen stared at the screen in her office. Her mom had fallen asleep, resting on Kallen's couch. She had organized Zero squad and had been informed that the Guren would be operational, but only at sixty percent capacity. She grimaced at the idea but having it mostly operational was better than not having it be available. Her girl had taken a lot of damage and would need a major repair job once they were safe.

On her screen was a primary video file, along with data on the knightmare frame they had obtained from a team led by a woman named Leila Malcal. The redhead had followed events in Europe a few years ago, and she would have to ask Lelouch about how he contacted her later. But it was immensely helpful as she watched the video of her battle against the Knight of the Round.

The machine moved like no other frame she had seen before, and even with the technical specs of it in front of her, she could it had been modified and enhanced. It moved faster and had thicker armor than she expected, though the ace knew that technical specs could only tell you so much. How the pilot used it was more important. Her Guren was less advanced than the Lancelot years ago, yet she was able to match Suzaku in each battle.

'And now we are allies.' A part of that comforted her, yet she wondered what else Britannia had to throw at them. The woman she faced had said she was Knight of Twelve, and that could mean she was lower in skill, or the numbers were somewhat arbitrary. 'If the Knight of One is here, we might have more issues.' Her boyfriend's informants from the homeland had been sparse, so information on who was in the homeland left them in the dark.

Each movement was studied and memorized as the images reflected in the redhead's eyes. Wounded pride sat in her stomach, and she watched the same frames over again, studying how fast Monica reacted, and how she aimed her weapons. Those claws were to be avoided, and if she appeared on the battlefield again, then Kallen or Suzaku would have to engage her. 'And I have no doubt she will.'

And the worst part about it was the woman sounded so honest and earnest. She offered mercy, sounding like the princess or Suzaku. There was no falsehood in her words, and Kallen wondered how a person like that could support the heavy-handed regime of Britannia. Why would someone willingly support such a system with an idea of honor like that.

A shiver went down her spine. Kallen knew enough of history to know that good people can serve a bad system, and many great generals and soldiers have done things for loyalty to their country. Could she have been like that? If her father had raised her in the Britannian homeland, or had adopted her and her brother earlier, would she be a Knight of the Round? Oppressing those that opposed the Holy Britannian Empire.

Kallen shook her head. This was all a distraction. That hadn't happened, and the Black Knights, for all their issues, at least seemed to support the idea of freedom for those under them. Some of her fellow soldiers opposed it but as long as Zero held the helm, she knew those ideas could be realized. 'But we need to make sure they are maintained, or we could be just as bad as Britannia.'

Japan was not free of its own history of bloodshed and racism, and over the three years of peace, she understood why Lelouch wanted Japan free of its own will. Not only would they be free, but they would be free of the sins of Japan's past. A younger her would have rejected these ideas, but Suzaku, Lelouch and the rest of the student council had rubbed off on her. Euphemia's words hit the same chords, and Kallen couldn't help but sigh.

They had a long fight ahead, and no shortage of obstacles.

Euphemia

Euphemia had left her brother to brood, moving to the hanger. There had been a rush, and now that she had settled in, she wanted to check in on Lloyd and Cecile. They were surrounded by enemies, and even with her words, she knew it would take years or even a generation or more to put a dent in the issues between Britannians and the Japanese.

After getting clearance from Lelouch, she went down the elevator to the hanger, a few Black Knights looking at her, but saying nothing. One had an assault rifle, and she somewhat shrunk back, trying not to get in their way. Her sister would have a heart attack if she knew the former princess was doing this, but she needed to try to show that she was part of the Black Knights.

The doors opened, and the sound was almost deafening as machines and men moved like a beehive. Gear was being moved out of the large hanger, and she took a shuddering breath at how much her brother had prepared for this war. The long-term planning of his reminded her of Schniezel at times, and she didn't know if that was good or not.

She moved to one of the guards, and when she asked for the location of Lloyd and Cecile, she was told to follow the red line to the main R wing. Euphemia thanked him, and followed the path, thankfully out of the way of all the frames and vehicles moving in the hanger. One worrying thing was a man placing a large, thick, black object against the wall, pressing on a number pad while he held up a small laptop. 'I hope that's not what I think it is.'

But she soon passed, and eventually reached the stairs to the research lab, walking up them to a locked door. Two soldiers stood on duty, and she flashed the new badge she was given. They saluted, and the door slid open as a woman typed in a password. Inside were several men and women of various ethnicities dressed in lab coats, clearly collecting files and data. Several tables were empty, and it was a clean, if stark environment, rolling seats resting under the overhangs of the tables. Machines and monitors lined the walls, though it was clear most of them had already been cleared.

A few of them greeted her, but they were flustered as Euphemia could soon hear arguments coming from the office labeled 'Rakshata'. Euphemia approached it and could hear muffled sounds as the familiar tones of Lloyd clashed with a mature sounding woman. She knocked on the door, and it was cracked open as Cecile gave her an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry you had to see us like this."

"You were the one that stole my idea on the miniature frame project!"

"Says the woman who said all she cared about was medical technology. We just had a similar idea." Lloyd looked smug, and Rakashata growled as she slammed her fist into the desk.

"I can't believe I have to work with you. I would rather you oppose me, Earl of pudding." She stood up from her desk, and Euphemia just sighed as she could see how tired Cecile looked.

"How long have they been at this?"

Cecile looked at the pair, then back at the princess, "For at least thirty minutes. Lloyd offered to help Dr. Rakshata with her prototype designs, but she got like this." The pale man seemed annoyed, but the Indian woman reminded her of Cornelia when terrorists got away.

"I am happy you two are ok at least." The argument continued in the background as Euphemia smiled, "Have you faced any hatred?"

The blue-haired woman nodded, "I can't say I don't understand. We were enemies and oppressors for a decade, even with your words. But the scientific team doesn't seem as prejudiced." Cecile smiled, "But Lloyd and I can at least try to show that not all Britannians mean Japan harm." There was a tension in her voice, and Euphemia spoke softly.

"Do you regret doing this?"

Cecile looked at her feet, then back up at the former princess, "I have no family back home besides some distant relations. And Suzaku is almost my ward, even if he is a bit old. So, if I have to follow my heart and do the right thing, then I can take that risk." She clapped her hands, "Rakshata has asked me to help her team out. I think some of the Lancelot's tech could be used in future designs."

"And she's a lot more willing to play nice than her boss." Rakshata finally turned her attention to the princess, giving her an even look, "Thank you for bringing Cecile to my attention. Even if it came at the cost of my rival being here."

Lloyd just gave his usual smile as he looked at Euphemia, "Thank you for checking in on us. How is my favorite devicer doing?"

Euphemia looked away, before putting on a fake smile, "He's resting. He said I could explore while he got his bearings." She hoped the two engineers would buy her lie, but Lloyd was unreadable while Cecile showed some concern. Her heart warmed at the idea Suzaku had another woman to talk to him, someone else he could rely on.

Lloyd just nodded in approval, "Well he will need the energy if he is to fight the Britannians." Euphemia sighed in unease at his casual words about her husband killing people, but if he noticed, he didn't react.

Rakshata looked at him curiously, "How can you switch sides so easily?" She looked at Euphemia, "I get you or even Cecile, but he is a heartless man."

"Guilty as charged. Where my devicer goes, I go. And that means working with you, as distasteful as it is."

Rakshata grunted, some of her anger faded, "We will need to discuss this with him after we evacuate. You can't just touch my babies." Euphemia couldn't deny her brother was smart to let him in. As odd as he was, he was an amazing designer.

"Just like you can't touch mine." There was less tension in the room, and she hoped it was because he was there.

Rakshata then blew on her pipe as she looked at the three Britannians, "A war with Britannians and Japanese on the same side. Who would have thought of that?"

Author Note

Welcome back! We finally have the big reveal! It was exciting to write, and if it doesn't seem as high energy as the canon one, then you noticed. Suzaku has less reason to be explosively angry as Zero hadn't killed Euphie this time, and both Suzaku and Lelouch are emotional messes in other ways that will be explored. Also, Kallen's part was partially inspired by Shinn planning on killing Kira in Seed Destiny. I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you next time!