AN:

Alan Wake / Samurai Seven: Yes, Kallen will be getting a break.

Dark Dremora: You're right, you are entitled to your own perspective, of course. Though, I just want to point out that Kallen couldn't use her surger against Lelouch because of Rai disabling it.

Ryuto: I thought I had brought up Kallen having a fear of being Geassed by Lelouch at the beginning of the story, but I suppose I either misremembered, or should've brought it up more. So that's probably why it came out of nowhere.

Crimson Moon: Thank you for the kind words, they mean a lot - truly. And I'm glad you like Clara :)

Chapter 113: Chinese Federation

Chinese Federation. Ikaruga.

Lelouch opened the cockpit of his Kagero, and carried Kallen down as Naoto approached in the distance with a concerned gaze, but before he could even speak, Tamaki appeared out of nowhere and asked, "Whoa! What happened to Kallen!?"

The Prince looked down at the girl, then back to the Japanese man, who had attracted the attention of the entire bay, "She was injured in battle." he told a half-truth, not revealing that she had attacked him, "Though, she hasn't sustained any serious damage, so she'll just need some rest, that's all."

"Right…" Naoto nodded, "I'll take her to the med bay then."

"Of course…" Zero responded, hesitantly handing his girlfriend over to her brother. He knew it would make more sense to the others for Naoto to take her there, but he still wanted to be the one who made sure she was safe.

"Yo! Piece of Shit leader." Luciano Bradley approached in the distance with a sadistic smile, and bandages wrapped around his face, "What's it take for an all-important Britannian like myself to get a bottle of water, huh?"

That's when Tohdoh and the Holy Swords walked into the bay, overhearing the last part of the conversation, "What makes you think you deserve such a commodity?" Nagisa questioned as the Vampire faced them, "After all, you've killed too many of our own to even have the right to walk freely around here."

"And yet here I am." Luciano attempted to get closer to her, only for Tohdoh to stand in his way, "Oh? It's the Miracle Worker. Wanna go for round 2? After all, we got interrupted last time at Nikko."

"Zero." Tohdoh turned to their leader, "Why are you allowing someone like the former Knight of Ten to freely roam the Ikaruga without consequence?"

"Because, as annoying as he is, Luciano has his uses." the Prince answered as the man in questioned glared at him, "We'll continue to use the former Knight like the mangy mutt he is. Either he'll outlive his usefulness, or fall on the battle naturally. Neither of which concerns me as long as he fulfills his purpose."

"Is that so!?" Bradley grabbed Zero by the collar, causing everyone in the bay to draw their weapons, aiming them directly at him. However, their leader held up one hand, indicating everything was under control, "Well guess what, mask-boy? This mangy mutt still has fangs that can rip out your throat if you're not careful." he smiled sadistically, "So be careful what you say around me, punk."

"You say that, but that's not what you really want, is it?" the Prince said as he stared at the Vampire through his mask.

"What I want?" suddenly, red rings appeared around the former Knight's eyes, "That's right… I want to kill Rai Sumeragi." he slowly released Zero's collar, and returned to standing up straight.

"And to that, you'll work with us, right?"

"I suppose so…" Luciano's eyes returned to normal, "Ugh. Whatever. I'll crush your pathetic life later. For now, I'm starving."

"I hope you choke on a chicken wing, freak." Tamaki mumbled just as the Vampire passed him, earning a strange look.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to spit it onto your plate, Eleven."

"What!?"

"He causes more trouble than he's worth, in my opinion." Xingke called from behind, with Empress Tianzi holding his hand like a lost child.

"Hm? And who are you?"

"Oh, right. We haven't met. I'm Li Xingke, currently appointed bodyguard of Empress Tianzi." the Chinese man stood solemnly before the masked man, "Your people have explained the situation to me, and while I don't approve of your methods, I do appreciate what you're trying to do."

"Right…"

"With that being said, I have a lot of questions for you."

Lelouch let out a sigh as they headed inside, strolling down the halls toward the bridge, coming across Diethard Reid, who was suspiciously standing outside the door to his office, as if waiting for something, "Ah, Zero. I'm so glad you've returned. Now that the battles been won, are you ready to make that announcement?" he smirked, "We've already got the camera's ready and everything."

Instead of answering his question directly, Lelouch pulled out the tape he received from Pollux, and handed it over, "I need you to look this over. I'll come by later to view it for myself."

The Britannian reporter took the tape with a suspicious eye, before heading into his office, leaving the group to continue toward the bridge. Upon their arrival, Zero faced the Chinese man and asked, "What kind of questions do you have?"

"To start… what are your intentions with the Chinese Federation?" Xingke questioned as Tianzi sat next to Kaguya on Rakshata's couch, "Are you planning on just using us as a launchpad to combat Britannia?"

"Well… it would be ideal if you were to fight with us against Britannia." Lelouch responded while standing before the Chinese man, "Though, I understand if you were to be against that idea, considering how well peace talks seemed to be going. So, the very least I expect is the Chinese Federation allowing us to stay here, and offer financial support – in secret, of course."

"And where does the Empress fit in all this?"

"As long as the High Eunuch are gone, she's free to do as she pleases." the Prince explained, "Speaking of which… what are their whereabouts?"

"Wait… you don't know?" Xingke raised an eyebrow.

"Our original plan was to draw out the High Eunuch's through kidnapping the Empress. However, they've been a no-show the whole battle." Lelouch glanced at the main monitor's map, which showed Britannia leaving the area at rapid speed, "They were probably dealt with by Castor and Pollux, but I don't have proof of that. Unless… the tape? He did say something about it putting the Black Knights back on top."

That's when Diethard suddenly stormed into the room with a tablet, panting heavily as if he made some kind of great discover, "Zero! I don't know how you did it, but this is brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

"What now?" Tamaki raised an eyebrow as the former reporter moved to access the main monitor.

"That tape you handed me, it not only contains enough information to expose the High Eunuch's corruption, but also Britannia's true intentions regarding the Chinese Federation!"

"What?" Xingke and the masked man said simultaneously as the footage appeared on-screen.

In a dimly lit room, the Eight High Eunuch sat on their knees, chained to the floor as several Chinese soldiers pointed guns to the back of their heads, leaving one without an executioner, "You of the High Eunuch, the ones who betrayed their own country for financial, and political gain," a voice called from behind the camera, which Lelouch recognized as Pollux, "Admit to me, on behalf of Zero, your sins for the whole world to see. Starting with the plot to assassinate Viceroy Lila and Princess Euphemia."

It was faint, but Lelouch managed to catch the red rings around the Eunuch's eyes as they began, "Of course… to start, we struck a deal with the Britannian Prime Minister – Prince Schneizel – one where we'd be guaranteed nobility if we were to willingly hand over the Chinese Federation, by killing Empress Tianzi. However, problems arose once Princess Euphemia and Viceroy Lila caught wind of this plot, thus we had to eliminate them with help from Princess Cornelia. In the process, we'd put the blame on Zero, making it seem like the Black Knights are the aggressors, thus rallying the whole world against them."

"This doesn't even make any sense." Lelouch thought as the confession went on, "Starting off with how easily they're confessing-well, then again, considering the revelations being revealed, the Public would easily overlook such a thing." he glanced at Xingke, who was clearly skeptical of the information, yet couldn't argue against it, due to the High Eunuch clearly being the ones confessing.

"Is that why there were some Chinese Federation troops abandoning their positions, and fighting amongst themselves?" Pollux asked, causing the High Eunuch to nod simultaneously.

"Correct. There were many loyalists who would do anything to see this country succeed, and if that would mean fighting against their own friends and family, they'd do it in a heartbeat."

"Finally…" the Chinese soldiers pointed their weapons at the back of the High Eunuchs heads, "For your crimes against your own country, including treason, you will be punished through death. Any objections?"

"No." the High Eunuchs answered robotically, before a shot rang throughout the room, followed by their bodies hitting the floor. Then, the footage changed to Cornelia shooting Euphemia in the back, before collapsing to the floor off-screen.

Xingke turned to the masked man, seeking answers, "And here I thought you didn't know anything about the High Eunuch."

Lelouch pointed at the screen, "Obviously I don't. This whole thing was clearly recorded prior to the battle, considering how vague they were with their wording. Almost as if they didn't know what was actually happened. For instance, they spoke about the assassination as if it was both Lila and Euphemia, when in reality it was just the latter."

"Ah. So you picked up on that too." the Chinese man nodded with satisfaction, "Then that only leaves one question. Or at least one question worth asking for now," he pointed at the screen, "Who was the one questioning the High Eunuch on your behalf?"

The Prince had to be careful with his wording. Just from how Xingke was able to analyze the interrogation, pinpointing simple nuances and figuring out it was recorded prior to the battle revealed how perceptive he was, "Well, I don't have any real proof, but there was a man who attacked me about half an hour ago, and judging from the way he spoke, he was planning on eliminating me, thus allowing him to take over the Black Knights as Zero."

"Is that so? Do you think it's possible that the one you faced was the 'Zero' that the High Eunuch were going to frame?"

"There's a high possibility."

Of course, this didn't answer a majority of Xingke's questions. For instance, it seemed like the attack only happened because of the Real Zero's presence. But how? How could the fake Zero know that the real Zero would show up today? Could it have been sheer coincidence? Maybe. Even so, it was too close to count out.

"In any case…" the Chinese man stood before Kaguya and Tianzi, whose eyes were covered by Nagisa, stopping them from witnessing the High Eunuch's execution, "There's much more that we have to discuss, Zero. As such, the fate of the Chinese Federation going forward."

Lelouch nodded, directing the overly enthusiastic Diethard outside, much to his disappointment, "Now, where shall we begin?"

Suzaku washed his hands thoroughly in the restroom aboard the Avalon, letting the blood flood into the drain, before turning off the tap, which he followed by drying his hands with a paper towel, hearing a commotion outside. He'd quickly find out what was going on, as once he stepped into the hall, he witnessed Euphemia slamming her fist repeatedly against Cornelia's door, shouting, "Nellis! Please let me in!"

"G-go away!" the witch of Britannia pleaded, "I… I can't… it's too much…"

"Please! I know it might be difficult, but I just want to see you!"

That's when Rai put his hand on her shoulder, and said, "That thing is probably still affecting her. Merely speaking to you is probably already putting great stress on her mind already."

"Even so…" Euphemia continued knocking on the door, "I don't want you to beat yourself up! I know how destructive you can be, Nellis! And I'm afraid of what might happen if you keep yourself locked up like this!"

Suzaku approached, catching the silver-haired boy's attention, who simply scowled at him in response, "Euphie."

"Ah. Suzaku." the Princess turned to him, taking a slight step back for some reason, and bumping into Rai, "H-how are you feeling?"

"I'm fine." he responded while squinting slightly, clearly suspicious of her actions, "Would you like me to speak with Cornelia? After what happened today, I don't think she'd like to see you right now."

"Um… I…" Euphemia looked down, "O-okay. Just… don't hurt her. Please? Wh-whatever pushed her to… shoot me today, I'm sure it's not her fault."

"Don't worry. We'll just talk. After all, I want to get to the bottom of this situation too."

Suddenly, the Princess felt Rai tap the exposed part of her back, drawing her attention due to how cold his fingers were, "If you want, I can go with him." he whispered.

That's when she shook her head, "No. There's no way I can leave you two alone, what if he…"

Suzaku can only barely hear their conversation, making out a few keywords that gave him a rough gist, "Seriously? Now you're trying to turn Euphie against me?" the Knight clenched his fist behind his back, "Rai… you bastard."

Finally, the Princess turned to him, and said, "I don't think that'd be a good idea. After all, maybe Nellis just needs some space. We've had arguments like this in the past, so I'm sure things will go back to normal soon."

The blatant lie almost felt like an insult to Suzaku, but he played along regardless, not wanting to push Euphemia any further away, "Oh. Okay." he let out a charismatic smile, "Just let me know if you need anything."

"Y-yeah." she turned around, being guided by Rai down the hallway as he kept an eye on the Knight of Seven.

Once they rounded the corner, his smile faded, and he moved to the door, "Cornelia." he called with a swift knock, "May I enter?"

"S-Sir Kururugi?" the Princess croaked, "Y-yes… please… I need to speak with you."

Soon, the door opened, allowing him inside the absurdly dark room, where he heard a faint sniffle toward the center. That's when the entrance closed behind him, and he searched for the switch, illuminating the room after a few moments, allowing him to gaze upon the Witch of Britannia trying to look as proper as possible, seated at her desk, "Have a seat." she said in a serious tone, despite having a serious case of bed-head, alongside puffy eyes and a stuffy nose.

Suzaku sat across from her, taking note of the bed, as it was absolutely trashed, with blankets and pillows thrown everywhere. His attention was quickly brought back to the Princess, as she coughed once, "What did you need?" he asked

"As you know…" she let out a breath, "My recent… actions have, not only disgraced my legacy, but more importantly, endangered the lives of my sisters." her eyes trailed down, focusing on the bottom drawer, "Euphie." she opened it, and pulled out a pistol, setting it on the table, "That's why, I need you to-"

Before she could finish her sentence, Suzaku took the gun, and pointed it at her head, pulling the trigger without hesitation. Shocking her as the shot rang out, only to return moments prior, with the man staring at the gun, "Seriously? What would push you to suggest such a thing?"

The Princess let out a relieved sigh, confessing, "Because I still have those thoughts, Suzaku." she lowered her head in shame, "I feel the urge… to try and kill my sister again." she choked on those words, "I don't know why… Why would I want to kill Euphie? I love her so much, yet my mind continues to wander toward that."

"And you just want it to stop?" Suzaku asked, receiving a nod in response, "I understand that feeling."

"I don't think so. This feeling… it's so intense… going against-"

"Your very being? Principles you've built up your whole life?" the Knight cut her off, "Believe me, I understand better than anyone."

Cornelia sighed, "How?"

"Let's just say, that what you're feeling right now, is something supernatural. An ability that can warp someone's mind to do unspeakable things." he leaned forward, "Geass."

"G-Geass?" Cornelia's eyes narrowed in suspicion and intrigue. She had been searching for an answer, a way to convince herself that wanting to kill Euphemia, wasn't something she truly wanted. And right now, the answer that Suzaku was giving her, sounded perfect, "Tell me more. Please."

The Knight casually explained the details regarding Geass, saying that he had been Geassed months ago by Zero, being as vague as possible. Luckily for him, this worked due to the Princess' desperation, which showed through the lack of pressing questions, being replaced with ones for clarification, "While most of the time, these commands are permanent, there is a way to get rid of them."

"How!?" the Princess got up, slamming her hands on the table, before calming down, and returning to her seat, "I'm sorry about that."

"Don't worry. I reacted the same way." he lied with a smile, "Somewhere within the Chinese Federation, lies the Geass Order, where they developed something called a 'Geass Canceller'. I don't know much about it fundamentally, but – as the name implies – it can cancel a Geass once activated."

"The Chinese Federation…" Cornelia looked down, "Well… my luck sure is shit."

"Not yet. We're not enemies with the Federation."

"That's not what I meant." she leaned back, "After the stunt I pulled, there's no way I can show my face back there. I'm sure Euphie and Lila can prevent a war with the federation, no problem." her eyes narrowed, "Ah… even if I get rid of this Geass command, there's no way I'll be able to show my face again."

"At least you'll be able to see your sister again." the Knight suggested, "You heard her outside, right? She wants to see you."

Cornelia leaned back, "Euphie's still got a pure heart, despite everything she's witnessed. I can't deny her willpower." she sighed, "Do you know the location of this 'Geass Order'?"

"I left a tracker there as a precaution from my last visit."

"Last visit?" the Princess leaned forward, "Why didn't you bother destroying it then, knowing how much danger they pose?"

"I simply didn't have the resources at the time." Suzaku shrugged, lying as easily as he breathed, "Besides, they forced my hand at the time, so I had to go along with their demands."

"I don't like the sound of that." Cornelia scowled, "Whose to say that Suzaku doesn't work for those weirdos? Perhaps this is just another trap to force me into getting Geassed?"

The knight could see the suspicion in her eyes mounting, provoking him to ask, "Having doubts?"

"Obviously."

"Then… will it ease your mind if I offer a way to prevent yourself from being Geassed?" he pointed at his eyes, "They won't be able to affect you if they don't have a direct line-of-sight, meaning if you wear sunglasses, or even colored contacts, you can bypass their effects." Suzaku explained, purposefully leaving out Geass' similar to Rolo's, which didn't rely on eye contact, "Of course, you're free to refuse, but that would mean you'll be stuck with that command for the rest of your life."

Despite not showing it on her face, that singular thought terrified Cornelia to her core. Not being able to see Euphemia anymore was a fate worse than death for her, "Very well. If you can get me those, then I'll consider going to the Geass Order."

Suzaku then picked up her pistol, and began dismantling it calmly, "Then we'll head out in two weeks. Until then, please put a bigger value on your life." he placed the pieces back onto the table separately, "Because there are others who do."

Kallen sat up in the medical bay, panting heavily while frantically looking around for Lelouch, only to find a nurse nervously conversed with Naoto, clearly pointing toward the bed positioned next to Kallen's, which had its curtain drawn, "H-hello?" the red head called to them.

"Kallen." her brother instantly walked over with concerned eyes, "How are you feeling?"

"I…" she held her head in pain, remembering how she tried to kill Lelouch, "I… I still feel terrible."

"Mind telling me what happened?"

"Lelouch didn't already explain?" Kallen whispered, only for Naoto to hush her, pointing at the bed behind her.

That's when a loud slurp interrupted their conversation, followed by the curtain being pulled back, revealing Luciano Bradley standing there holding an empty cup filled with ice, and a straw, "What's up, loser?" he taunted the red head, much to her annoyance.

"Why is he still here!?" she demanded an answer from Naoto, "We should just kill him already!"

"Whoa! Calm down." the Vampire waved nonchalantly, "We're both losers here, so technically both our lives are forfeit." he continued sipping on his empty drink, much to the sibling's annoyance, "Though, you're probably the bigger loser, considering that you were supposed to beat that damn Suzaku." he chuckled, walking toward the door, "Eleven's failing to kill each other is honestly so funny. Just how incompetent can you get-"

Out of nowhere, Naoto grabbed the former Knight by the shoulder, delivering a strong right hook across his face, "Who the hell do you think you are!?" he demanded, "Nobody gets to walk around this ship and call us Elevens! And don't even get me started on calling my sister a loser!"

Luciano wiped the blood off his lips with a chuckle, "Oh? Did I accidentally get on the shitty sidekicks nerves? How hilarious."

"This guy's way more annoying than I remember!" the Kozuki clenched his fist, preparing to fight Bradley, completely forgetting the command he could use to make him complacent. That's when the door to the med bay opened, revealing C.C and Clara, who ran in to greet the red head, followed by the nonchalant Rolo.

"Kally!" the pink-haired girl leaped onto Kallen's bed, "We were so worried!"

That's when the Immortal began pushing Naoto, Bradley, and the Nurse out of the bay, "We were very worried about our friend, so can you please give us a minute?" she said with a shove, kicking the trio out, "Don't worry, we'll let you see her later, Naoto."

Before the Kozuki could protest, the automatic door closed shut, allowing for the Vampire to cackle loudly, "Bahaha! And you're supposed to be Zero's right hand?"

Naoto sent out a swift jab, which the orange-haired man dodged, and took a few steps back, "I've had enough of your talk!" he declared while sending out a few more punches, before throwing a high kick, causing Bradley to backflip away, while the nurse ran away in search of help, "I'm gonna make sure you're locked away permanently!"

"Just try it!"

Kallen overheard the sound of fighting, and tried to move to help, only for C.C to stop, "Leave them. I'm sure Naoto can solve everything himself."

"Yeah!" Clara laid across the red head's legs, "Right now, it's about you."

Kallen looked away, "I… I'm fine."

"No, you're not, Kallen." C.C gently put an arm around her, "Come on, let's talk about it."

The red head shook her head vigorously while holding back tears, "No." she mumbled, "I'm fine."

"Stop being so stubborn." the Immortal forced Kallen into a hug, which Clara joined shortly after, "Go on. We'll listen."

The red head lowered her head into their shoulders and began crying softly, "I… I can't believe I almost killed him…" she whispered, "It's all my fault…"

"Kally…" the pink-haired girl tightened her hold, "There's no way you could've known that would happen."

"Even so…" Kallen tried wiping her eyes, only to find it too hard to move due to the girl's hold, "I should've allowed Lelouch to Geass me, at least then he wouldn't have been in danger."

"Kallen." C.C called, "It ended alright. Thanks to your training, Lelouch was able to last long enough for Jeremiah to get there and remove the command."

"But what if he didn't last-"

"Then what are you training him for?" the Immortal cut her off, "Lelouch can't be coddled forever, and there will come a time where he'll have to fend for himself in battle. He did well against those other Knightmares, but by going against you in such a state, that easily showed his limits. Of course, I'm not saying we should ever do that again. No, that would be a terrible idea."

"C.C!" Kallen shouted, "I don't want that to ever happen again! It's because of me, that Lelouch's life was put in danger…" she looked down, sobbing.

"So what? Do you think he should leave you?"

"No!"

C.C smirked, "Then there's no use worrying about it now. Everything ended well. And the chances of us getting into a similar scenario in the future are considerably lower now that Jeremiah's on our side again." she hummed with satisfaction.

"But what about Lelouch? Do you think he'll hate me?"

"Probably not." Clara added, "After all, who would willingly allow someone to Geass them, even if it were for their own good? Lelouch would totally understand." she then gasped, "Oh! Now I can get rid of that command, can't I? The D-" she stopped herself from speaking further, "The command Lelouch gave me before."

"I… suppose you could." Kallen mumbled, still feeling distraught."

"Don't worry, I'm not leaving afterward." the girl tightened her hug once more, "That much should be obvious."

"But what about Rolo?" C.C asked, trying to change the subject, "He can get his Geass command removed too. Do you think he'll leave?"

Clara thought about it for a second, before saying confidently, "No way. The guy's as stubborn as a mule, but I'm sure he's found his place here."
"I suppose we won't know until after, right?"

Kallen leaned her head onto the bed, feeling worthless despite the kind words from her friends, despising the feeling with all her might, yet not being able to fight against it. That's when Maya walked in alone holding a tablet, her brother calmly walking down the hallway, presumably after Naoto and Bradley, "Jeez. Opening that door was a lot more trouble than it was worth." she teased while sitting on the bed, "Hey, Kallen. How are you feeling?"

"Terrible."

"Awe." the black-haired girl placed her hand on the red head's cheek, "Don't worry, it'll get better."

"I hope so…"

C.C tapped Maya's shoulder, gesturing for them to speak outside, leaving Clara alone to tend to Kallen, "We need to do something." the former stated, "Any ideas?"

The black-haired girl leaned against the door as the commotion in the Knightmare bay grew, drawing the attention of Zero as he walked past them, they could sense him giving them a peculiar look, despite gazing at them through his mask. That's when Maya finally got an idea, "Oh! We could have a party in Zero's room!"

"While I think a party would cheer Kallen up, I doubt having one with you-know-who would increase her mood, especially since she's in such a fragile state."

"Obviously, he won't be there. We'd simply use his room as a vessel for our celebration." Maya flipped her hair with a smirk, "We'll bring her tons of ice cream, turn up the AC, and wear some fuzzy pajamas. That should get her in the mood to vent about her feelings."

"You know what?" C.C closed her eyes, before snapping her fingers, "That's a great idea. But where are we going to get the pajamas?"

"Don't worry, you'd be surprised the kinds of things Mario's into." the Immortal raised an eyebrow, easily seeing through the lie without issue, causing the girl to giggle, "Fine. It's not Mario's, but I do have plenty of those pajamas."

"If that's the case, then is tomorrow good?"

"That'll be great." Maya nodded vigorously, "I'm sure we'll have this whole thing solved in no time."

"Bastard!" Naoto shouted while sending a punch toward Bradley's face, causing him to stumble back in pain.

"Was that it!?" the Vampire taunted as blood trickled from his nostrils, "I've had squirrels hit harder than that!"

The Kozuki narrowly avoided a strike, before countering with a swift kick to his opponent's chest, followed up by slamming both of his fists into their back. Luciano rolled across the floor, before using a nearby pole to recover and send himself flying into Naoto's chest, delivering a devastating kick, knocking him into the Kagero's leg. The Japanese man narrowly rolled out of the way, dodging an incoming dive kick, responding with two swift jabs that forced the Vampire to block, keeping him in place long enough to receive a devastating uppercut.

"Bitch!" Bradley shouted with a sadistic smile, and blood dripping down his mouth, "You're gonna die for that!"

"The only bitch here, is you!" Naoto planted his feet firmly into the ground, cocking back a punch to meet his opponents. Though, that's when Jeremiah jumped between them, catching their fists midair.

"That's enough." he proclaimed.

"Jeremiah!?" the two exclaimed before being pushed back, with the former Knight landing into the stern arms of Rolo and Mario, who pinned him to the ground.

"Well, ain't that a bitch?" he continued to taunt despite the situation, "So what? You've turned traitor?"

"Not at all." Lelouch stepped out from behind, "He's just fighting for what he believes in."

"Ah, shitty leader. What's up?"

The masked man watched as Rolo and Mario made sure to press Bradley's face further into the floor, "Within a mere hour, you've already proven yourself more trouble than you're worth. That's an impressive feat, former Knight of the Round. However, that will only put more pressure on you."

"Does that mean I get a babysitter?"

Naoto tapped Zero's shoulder, and whispered a suggestion, "He said that?" the Prince asked for clarification, only to receive a nod in return, "Then I'll leave him in your care, Naoto. I trust you'll be able to dish out a suitable punishment for such a… reprehensible action."

"Oh come on!" the Vampire protested, "If it's about the red head, I'll apologize. Just don't leave me with her brother, okay?"

After easily seeing through the lie, Lelouch walked off, commanding Mario, Rolo, and Jeremiah to follow him inside, leaving Naoto alone with Bradley as a crowd surrounded the Siegfried in the background, "Heh."

"Don't laugh too hard." Luciano spat, "Just because you're in charge of me, doesn't mean shit, got it?" he turned around, trying to walk away from the conversation, only to get punched in the back of the had, knocking him out cold.

Naoto let out a huff and began dragging the Knight's body inside, muttering to himself, "Nobody gets to talk to my sister like that."