Ohgi felt more than a little awkward.

Of course he talked to the Tohdoh more than once over the months, seeing how they were both in the Black Knights now. But it was never just the two of them. He felt tongue-tied, even though they just walked side by side to their destination.

Tohdoh himself remained unflappable as usual. If the silence bothered the older man, he did not show it. Rather, his attention seemed more on scanning the all but deserted streets. The evening sun glared into their eyes whenever they turned her way.

Despite his hesitation, Ohgi did want to talk to the legendary commander. He had questions burning on his tongue, but they all turned to gibberish when he tried to put them into exact words. So all he could go with was something noncommittal to test the waters.

"Do you know what he wants with us, Tohdoh-san?"

The question earned him a sharp look. When they first met, Ohgi thought those glances were rebukes of some sort, or perhaps disapproval. By now he understood that this was simply Tohdoh resting expression. His wrinkles ran deep for a man in his thirties, making him appear more stern than he actually was.

When the older man did speak, his voice was even: "Likely something that everyone else is not supposed to know. Your group seems to stand high in his trust, Ohgi-san. Yet even they were not called along."

Ohgi nodded, having felt much the same thing. "I guess so," he agreed, "but I can't really say what it is he wants to show or tell us. Unless..."

He trailed off. After throwing a casual look around to ensure nobody was close enough to listen in, he lowered his voice just in case: "I never thought to ask, but have you seen his face?"

The look he got this time was notably sharper, even a little suspicious. When Tohdoh did nod in the end, it was such a soft motion that Ohgi almost missed it. He frowned in turn, that idea now out the window.

"Then it's not that. But I think that makes the two of us the only ones who have, so maybe that's why he wants only us tonight?"

He was spitballing and knew it, but good ideas sometimes came from throwing stuff at the wall. As Ohgi mused however, he became aware of Tohdoh's renewed interest.

"You saw his face?"

"Uh, yes? He agreed to let me see, back when the Black Knights started. It was a compromise so we can trust each other."

A thoughtful noise came from Tohdoh, but the older man did not share his thoughts. Ohgi wondered by himself when Zero revealed his identity to Tohdoh, or why; he felt it was not his place to ask, though. They all had their secrets. Perhaps it was even the same reason as with him.

"Then it is likely the reason he asked for the two of us, yes," Tohdoh said a moment later. "I'm still unclear on what he wants with us, but we will find out soon enough."

The last part came with a nod toward the old warehouse they were told to meet Zero in. The men walked past it before doubling back through a side alley; meetings like these always required that they made sure they were not followed.

The inside was dark for the most part, with orange light shining through the intact windows. The ambient lighting was still bright enough to tell the place itself had not actually been abandoned; it was one of their safehouses, hidden in plain sight. Moreover, the largest ray illuminated Zero's figure, bent over some sort of paperwork at a desk.

The men entered quietly, though their steps sounded loud in the comparatively empty hall. Ohgi winced at the noise, but nothing else happened.

Zero finished with a sheet and put it aside as they arrived. His head rose and he stood to greet them: "Tohdoh-san, Ohgi-san. Thank you for taking the time out of your schedules. You were not followed?"

Tohdoh, being the older and more experienced one, answered for them: "We weren't. What is our purpose here?"

If his curt tone or how direct he was bothered Zero, there was no indicator of it. He simply nodded back and got to it.

"With the state of the country as it is, I needed to do a lot of thinking lately. A paradigm shift has become necessary. And to that end, I have called you to meet someone."

It was a surprise and somewhat worrying to hear, but Ohgi reserved his judgement.

Just about as soon as Zero finished, steps sounded again; the men turned to the staircase leading underground, where a young woman emerged. Ohgi's eyes hung on her face for a moment, so clearly Britannian. She was more than cute. Pale blonde hair ran down her back, her arms bare because she wore a sleeveless shirt and vest; the sight was kind of scandalous, but Ohgi managed not to stare.

A long, pleated skirt swished around her ankles and completed the ensemble. The young lady looked well put-together overall. Her kind smile put him at ease without him even realising.

"You?" Tohdoh asked then, reminding Ohgi where they were. His companion seemed dumbfounded, brows raised as he stared at the woman.

"I," she agreed, speaking in accent-free Japanese: "It has been a long eight years, Tohdoh-san."

More than that, she bowed to them properly, as if she had been taught all her life. Now Ohgi suspected that she was half like Kallen. Perhaps Zero was too, if they worked together? He never thought to ask.

Then the other, even more important part registered: Tohdoh knew this woman, and she knew him.

"That it has," Tohdoh answered at that moment, relaxing somewhat. "You have grown into a proper woman since then. Has Britannian medicine advanced so far to cure you?"

The young lady shook her head gently. "Unfortunately not. If you would look down, you will see that I found an alternate solution."

So saying, she pulled up the hem of her skirt; it rose to right below her knees, revealing a sturdy metal brace of some sort running down each leg. What sort of injury that meant was obvious, but Ohgi still felt like he missed something important.

"Sumeragi Zaibatsu was kind enough to accept my order for the development of these over the last year," she added, still wearing that smile.

That gave Ohgi pause, though; he knew the Sumeragi heiress, or rather matriarch, was aware of Zero's identity. Now it started to seem more like an entire rabbit hole.

Before he could find a good place to interject and ask questions however, the lady turned to him: "But where are my manners? Please forgive my being so rude not to introduce myself. I am Nunnally vi Britannia."

This time she curtsied.

"Nice to meet you, I'm Ohgi Kaname," he returned reflexively, then his brain caught up. "Wait."

He stared at the young woman in front of him, trying to determine if this was a bad joke. Had he ever heard of a Britannian princess called Nunnally? He could not recall one by that name, he only knew Euphemia, Cornelia, and Guinevere. Although Ohgi knew there were a lot more, he never had the time or desire to learn about Britannia's royal family.

He laughed a little awkwardly, trying to play over his lapse. "Sorry, I must have misheard something."

However, Nunnally shook her head at him in turn. "I'm afraid you heard right," she confirmed firmly. "Though disinherited and currently in hiding, I am still an imperial princess."

That answered one question, but opened up two more. Ohgi did not even know where to start now, or how to react. Turning to Zero in search of help, he found him with his mask down; his brows were scrunched into a frown.

"You also know her as Codename Angel," Zero added slowly. "She has overseen the Black Knights' budget since the group's conception."

Ohgi looked back at him, then to the princess again. She nodded at him turn and offered an understanding smile.

"Please take your time, Ohgi-san. I know this is a lot."

He just nodded back dumbly, grateful when Tohdoh chimed in to fill the gap: "A paradigm shift was what Zero called it. What exactly does that entail?"

"In a moment, Tohdoh-san," Nunnally answered with one hand raised. "First of all, I wanted to tell you that I'm glad you made it all this way."

Tohdoh nodded in response. "I can only say the same. Although I'm not sure of my feelings on the matter, I know I would never wish death upon a child."

So saying, he turned ot Ohgi, who slowly got through the surprise. Tohdoh finally offered a bit more of an explanation while motioning for Nunnally... and Zero: "You may not remember anymore, but the empire sent a pair of hostages to Japan before the occupation. I met them on my assignment to train the young Kururugi heir."

His words were enough for Ohgi to connect the dots. Zero bore his wide-eyed look stoically, though he did confirm what Ohgi asked without words.

"Lelouch vi Britannia, or Lelouch Lamperouge for my cover name. I apologise for the misdirection, but I hope you understand why I never spoke of this matter before."

Ohgi listened intently, a feeling of betrayal surging up from somewhere. It bubbled and nearly burst out, ever so barely held back. The Black Knights were created by a Britannian prince, by an enemy.

But then, Ohgi remembered, that same man led them against Britannia. Against his own people. Without hesitation or compromise. The mask suddenly made perfect sense, too; everyone would think just like Ohgi did right now, nobody would believe him. But was it the truth?

"Okay," he said slowly, never taking his eyes off Zero. "But why?"

There were so many questions encompassed in this one word, even Ohgi himself did not know which one he wanted answered the most.

Zero, or Lelouch rather, exhaled slowly. "Tell me, Ohgi-san," he growled. "What kind of man do you think is capable of ordering war on a country where he sent his own children not a year before?"

The undertone to every word was nasty, even though Ohgi only caught a trail of it. But what was more, he saw the look in Lelouch's eyes; this dark look that made a shiver run down his spine. Ohgi knew then that the man before him was no friend to Britannia.

"Is that why justice is so important to you?" he asked, trying to fit the pieces together with what he learned now.

The question was answered with a faint smile: "Justice is a buzzword, Ohgi-san. It has as many interpretations as there are people. To me, justice is to treat people according to their actions, without regard who their parents are or where they were born."

It was a bit of a non-answer, but Ohgi took it. Lelouch told him enough to make sense of things. He still felt like he needed some time to digest everything, but he also knew this meeting had not even started properly. So Ohgi pushed those feelings back, smoothed out his features, and offered a nod.

"I won't lie, this is a lot to take in. I will probably have some more questions later, if that's okay?" he asked, receiving only a nod. "Alright then. Let's get to business. You're telling us, well, me this for a reason, right?"

Both siblings nodded this time. Before they said much of anything however, they led their guests into the basement to talk. Ohgi and Tohdoh were sat down opposite to the pair, whose demeanour turned fully serious.

"To start off," Nunnally began once they were seated, "Tohdoh-san, Ohgi-san, what is your opinion on the current situation in Japan?"

That was a hard one to start with. Ohgi had some opinions, but inclined his head to the older man.

"The situation we have is stable," Tohdoh said. "Britannian military presence recedes again and Princess Euphemia seems sympathetic enough for a viceroy. The Order of the Black Knights grows steadily, becoming a true fighting force with time and experience."

"Our people, er, the Japanese I mean, they're doing better lately," Ohgi started once it was clear Tohdoh was done. "Gang violence is going back, we almost rooted out human trafficking entirely, and there's enough food and medicine available to keep people going. I heard that a lot of new jobs opened up recently, and they hire at decent rates. There's still a long way to go, but I think we're in a good spot."

He tried to read anything at all from their expressions, but they may as well each have worn that mask.

Nunnally was the one who engaged their points, hands folded in her lap: "I concur with your assessments. Things are looking up of late and I'm glad we were the force that brought this change."

Her tone remained even despite the positive words; Ohgi felt the 'but' coming by the absence of her earlier warmth alone. Then she surprised him with another question, though.

"And your opinions on our future?"

He could only make a confused noise in response, uncertain where this was going now. A hopeful gaze went to Tohdoh, whose eyes were narrowed; his attention rested solely on Nunnally.

"Could you specify that question?"

"Of course. I wish to hear your opinion on our odds to drive Britannia out. And to keep them out."

The silence that followed weighed heavier than before. Ohgi knew he missed something in that question, or maybe the way it was asked, but he could not tell what. It felt important, too.

Thankfully, Tohdoh spelled it out for him: "You don't think we can."

"Do you?" Lelouch asked back. His tone was measured, but both it and Tohdoh's lack of response made Ohgi shudder.

"Wait, hold on!" he interjected, unwilling to believe this was happening. "We already got this far, and with Zero here there's got to be a way!"

Nunnally smiled kindly at him, even if it brought little comfort.

"I wish it were," she said. "Japan is a small country, Ohgi-san. She kept her independence by playing the three superpowers against each other into a stalemate, not through being a threat. The last time something relevant happened here, Cornelia herself brought down the hammer. She only left to return to her own campaign. Imagine for a moment what the response would be if we did manage to free Japan."

The picture she painted was a bleak one. Something he did not want to believe. But after those eight long years and everything that happened, Ohgi could not help but see what she meant. No matter how much he wanted to believe otherwise, he could see it. Tohdoh remained silent, just as aware of it; maybe the reminder of how the JLF was utterly crushed drove the point home with him.

But what else could they do? Zero, Lelouch brought them farther than anyone else since the subjugation. If he of all people thought it could not be done, then all hope was lost.

Except that they did not seem hopeless right now. And with what they said earlier...

"You have a plan?"

The siblings nodded gravely in response, though neither of them seemed happy. "We do," Lelouch confirmed. "But we need your support to see it through."

Ohgi inclined his head in response, wondering and dreading in equal measure; if direct rebellion was doomed to failure, then how would they free Japan?

Looking between the men and seeing them both receptive, Lelouch unclasped his hands. "If Britannia can't be driven out without coming back or another superpower swooping in, then we must change Britannia instead," he explained. "For that purpose, Nunnally and I will make our return to the Empire. And we will take the Black Knights with us."

Even the lead-up did not prepare Ohgi for this bombshell. He expected parting words, some desperate gamble, but not this. His desperation sparked into anger then; how dare they suggest everyone become a part of Britannia?

"No," he snapped. "Never."

If his glower fazed the two, they did not show. Ohgi kept going: "Why would we suddenly bend the knee after all we did the last years? This is unacceptable!"

He looked to Tohdoh for support next, but found the older man in deep contemplation. The sight, the mere idea he may consider this madness, snuffed out Ohgi's temper in an instant.

"And they know that we will react this way," Tohdoh reasoned. "Explain your reasoning, Prince Lelouch."

For some reason, this of all things made Lelouch's brows knit into a frown. "I do not demand this sort of address from people I respect, Tohdoh-san," he answered swiftly. "Please do away with it. This goes for you as well, Ohgi-san."

Tohdoh simply nodded, but Ohgi felt surprise now. He did not think Lelouch respected him enough to even say such a thing.

With that out of the way, the younger man steepled his fingers again and began to explain: "We don't like this plan any more than you do, else we wouldn't have been in hiding for so long. None of our feelings change the truth, though: it's through our blood that Nunnally and I can get the power to change the status quo permanently. We can gain political sway in the empire, obtain resources barred from the Black Knights otherwise, and push for reforms. It will take time and effort to cast the Japanese as equals, but we decided that is better than a fleeting freedom brutally crushed after."

He left a pause there to gauge their reactions. Tohdoh gave nothing away while Ohgi was simply stumped; with his feelings tamed for the moment, he could not help but follow along Lelouch's reasoning. He wanted to hear more.

"I realise that you may not be familiar with Britannian doctrine, so I would like to explain it to you in short: results matter beyond rules. Success excuses all misdemeanor. If a Japanese officer acts against orders, they are court martialled no matter what. If a Britannian commander does the same and succeeds, they are lauded instead. This aspect of Britannian culture is important to our plan."

It sounded like madness to him. Being rewarded for stepping out of line? Ludicrous! Tohdoh seemed just as baffled, even if he kept his silence.

But at the same time, Ohgi knew that Britannia was not like Japan. He did not know what the exact differences were, he could not see any past events where this sort of thinking applied, but he also did not think Lelouch a liar. Kallen would know, he needed to check with her sometime. Naoto would have known, too.

Now that he thought of him, Naoto had always encouraged them to act as they saw fit; to tell him if his orders were bad and why. It took some getting used to, but they were better off for it.

The men both kept their silence, urging Lelouch to continue. He had their undivided attention.

"With what I just told you, it should be understood that the mere act of announcing our survival to the world will not get us much of anything. Power and prestige come from delivering results. That is why we will announce our return by claiming the Order of the Black Knights as ours. Not only does this give us an experienced Japanese fighting force to work with, it also severely reduces 'terrorism' in the country. That is something even Cornelia could not achieve despite her best attempts."

And it made sense, too.

Ohgi did not want it to make sense, but it did. Moreover, he had to believe that these were their honest intentions; if it was all a plot to get their pedigree back like a part of him screamed, then hope was already lost for the Japanese.

Ohgi was not a strategist. He was an elementary school teacher turned guerilla. He could not make the plans. But he could also not avoid reality; he would not be alive anymore if he did. Looking to Tohdoh for wisdom again, Ohgi found Japan's most respected military man silent. He did not refute any of the reasoning they were given.

The silence lingered an uncomofrtably long amount of time.

Ohgi thought back to Naoto, to Inoue and Yoshida. Then Kallen, Tamaki, Minami, Sugiyama. All of them believed in a better tomorrow. They were ready to fight for it, even to die for it. But if they could not win a straight fight, which even Ohgi understood made sense, then...

He took a deep breath to steel himself. Death before dishonour was what he would have chosen before. Ohgi rather died for his country's dream than turn on it. But the many thousands who died for that dream had not brought it any closer.

"Promise me," he demanded quietly.

Everyone's attention lay on him in an instant. Ohgi met Lelouch's gaze firmly. "Promise me this is the truth. That you won't go behind our backs after getting reinstated as royalty."

He knew well that promises were only worth as much as the air used to make them. He knew that, but he needed something to cling to. Anything at all. Perhaps Lelouch could tell that need from his gaze, for he never averted his eyes.

The younger man nodded ever so faintly, then intoned: "I so swear on my beloved sister's life that we will not betray your trust on this. Our work is for Japan."

Nunnally twitched as he said it. Tohdoh, too, was taken aback. Looking between the siblings, Ohgi could tell this was not said lightly. He heard no lie in Lelouch's words, either. His chest felt less constricted now, his heart beating a little easier.

Ohgi chose to trust Lelouch back when he first showed his face. He was still uncertain now, still worried, but he decided to trust him again. And so Ohgi Kaname inclined his head.

"Then I will go along with this."

It sounded oddly final, now that he said it. A path taken that he could never return from. But when he saw Nunnally's grateful smile, Ohgi could not help but think it would work out.

"Thank you for your trust, Ohgi-san. It means more than you can imagine."

Her gratitude was so earnest that Ohgi felt sheepish to receive it. He knew words were cheap, but he was just as willing to hold his as they were.

They then turned to Tohdoh, whose brows were still creased. Ohgi felt even more sheepish now, having announced his decision before waiting what Tohdoh would do, but nobody seemed to mind. The older man's gaze remained sharp, his mind at work.

"The recent restructuring of our forces is not a coincidence," he pointed out. "How long have you been planning this? Why now?"

The reactions were immediate. Lelouch began to scowl for just a moment, though it faded just as fast. Nunnally's smile dimmed into something more forlorn. She folded both hands in her lap and answered for both of them.

"We had to re-evaluate after the Kyushu incident."

Something in her subdued tone told Ohgi there was more to what she said. Nobody elaborated for his sake this time, though; Tohdoh seemed to understand what she meant after some thinking. By the way his expression softened, Ohgi did not feel like digging.

He could see their point even without it; Kyushu was a mess. Any of their own attempts to free Japan may end similarly. That was a chilling realisation, now that he thought about it.

"I can see the wisdom in your planned course of action," Tohdoh said hesitantly. "Even still it goes against my pride to agree with it, and many others will feel the same. I know you have as much reason to hate Britannia than us, but they will only see symbols of all that they hate."

"We know," Lelouch answered with only a hint of a growl. "But they look to people like Zero, you, and Ohgi-san for guidance. If you speak in our favour, then it may be possible without a schism."

"And you would gamble on that chance?"

Lelouch snorted at that. It was a dark sound, containing little mirth. His expression remained serious. "I rather take a gamble on a gamble than walk down the road to certain failure."

Then he smirked.

"You will find that I'm good at hedging my bets, Tohdoh-san."

While Tohdoh did not outwardly react, Nunnally rolled her eyes at her brother. The fond gesture filled Ohgi with nostalgia, making those two appear so much more like Kallen and Naoto than he thought they would. He was the only one to notice, though; Lelouch and Tohdoh kept holding each other's gazes instead.

Then the older man nodded his assent. "Very well. You have my support. When do you plan to announce this paradigm shift?"

Lelouch made an idle motion into the distance, an easy smile dancing around his lips. "We will clear the final conditions soon. Our schedule is not completely set yet, but we expect the general announcement to come no later than July."

"That's pretty soon," Ohgi chimed in with some surprise. July was only a few weeks off. He felt a little miffed that they kept it a secret for so long.

"Why didn't you talk to us about it earlier?"

"We had to make preparations of our own," Nunnally explained in her brother's stead. "Not to mention refine the plan itself before presenting it. It would have been ridiculous to propose a harebrained scheme to you when so much is at stake."

This, he could understand. Ohgi made an understanding noise, though the part about stakes raised his curiousity.

"What's the worst case we're looking at?"

His question prompted a thoughtful hum from the princess, who began to muse out loud: "Well, the worst case in general is a complete fracture of the Black Knights, after which the situation returns to what it was before. No more Zero, no Japan Liberation Front. If someone vindictive also spread news of our survival, we would have to flee the country."

"Why is that?", Ohgi asked back. He had winced over her breakdown, but failed to follow the logic at the end. "Couldn't you return anyway?"

It was evidently the wrong thing to say. Nunnally's smile vanished entirely, her stare turning hard. Ohgi did not know what just happened.

"I understand you are ill informed of how Britannian nobility works, Ohgi-san. If I may explain?" she requested, her voice forcefully calm. She barely waited for his nod.

"I will spare you the various details. In terms of reputation, us returning after eight years of hiding but without anything to show for it would be seen as us crawling back while begging for scraps. This would bar us from many an alliance and make us seem weak. With no Empress to protect us through her own pedigree, this makes us all but defenseless and easy prey. The absolute best we could hope for is to get assassinated before long. Else his majesty may decide to marry us off to spend the rest our lives in golden cages."

Every sentence she spoke revealed more of a growl to her words. The very real disgust and emerging glower took Ohgi by surprise. She was not angry at him, yet he still felt the urge to duck his shoulders.

Chancing a glance to Lelouch, he found the prince bearing the exact same expression. Those two never looked more like siblings than in this very moment.

Nobody needed to spell out that they would never let what Nunnally explained happen to each other or themselves. Ohgi honestly did not want to know how far they would go prevent it. What he knew was that he just stepped on a landmine, so he needed to take responsibility.

"I see. Thank you for explaining it to me, and please accept my apologies for bringing it up."

Nunnally's expression smoothed out in response. Her smile returned as she shook her head, faint though it was. "There is no need to apologise, Ohgi-san. You could not know."

"You two have as much riding on this as we do," Tohdoh chimed in then, thankfully changing the subject. "Is there anything you need help with?"

A round of polite offers and refusals followed, then Lelouch stood to see them off. "Please be sure not to speak a word of what our plan is to anyone," he urged the pair. "Not even each other, if it can be avoided. If anyone asks what we spoke about, it should be fine to let them know that we spoke of our plans for the future. Everything else is classified."

He smiled mirthlessly while Ohgi and Tohdoh agreed to his request. Ohgi worried a little that his old friends would get something out of him all the same, though; he had to make sure to stay away from any booze they might come by until then.

Then, much to his surprise, he ended up shaking hands. First with Lelouch, then Nunnally. Holding her delicate hand made him realise in full just how personable they were; he never expected to ever meet a Britannian royal who would treat him as an equal, yet here there were two. They were people just like him.

Once farewells were said and the pair had walked into the night, both siblings loosened up.

Nunnally heaved a deep sigh, rubbing her forehead. "That's the difficult part done," she reasoned.

"Yes," Lelouch agreed. "For once fortune favours us."

His sister huffed at him, playfully crossing her arms. "We wouldn't need fortune if you hadn't already used Geass on Ohgi-san."

"How was I supposed to know that we would end up doing this? I needed to make sure he couldn't reveal my identity as Zero."

"And with how he behaved throughout his career under you, I feel it safe to say you were paranoid."

Lelouch shook his head at her. "That's no dessert for you, young lady," he decided as he got to cleaning the space they occupied for the last hour.

Nunnally rolled her eyes in response.

"Oh nooooo," she drawled, "whatever will I do? My ass is too fat anyway."

"Language."

She stuck out her tongue in response, making it clear that choice of words was quite deliberate. Be it her own relief about things working out or another reason, Nunnally did not feel like keeping up proper manners at the moment.

There was only one important matter left, but neither of them worried about it. This would work out, no matter how many minds they needed to break.