Chapter 15

White sand under a clear sky, there is no one and peaceful. Then, thunderclaps of cannonfire as a unit of Bamides opened fire. The Bamides were huge, bipedal command tanks designed by the Middle Eastern Federation, a group of countries conquered by Britannia over the course of 2017, then reconquered again for the United States of China under Zero's watchful eye, and were designed in response to Britannia's humanoid autonomous armoured knights.

The shells echoed across the dunes and landed amidst an enemy line of tanks, Britannian, tearing into the shorter ranged vehicles and throwing up clouds of grey smoke.

From the smoke emerged a team of dark purple knightmares, Gloucesters, armed with rifle, cannon, and lance, and they weaved around the incoming fire with chilling ease.

Among their number was Andreas Darlton, and he grinned with satisfaction as he closed with the enemy, raising his frame's cannon to fire point-blank at a Bamide's undefended belly.

"Shoddy, oversized imitation knightmares!" he bellowed in his cockpit with a mix of delight and distaste, quickly being joined by Guilford, adding his own thoughts almost as counterbalance to the general's remark.

"They would have been wise to surrender from the start."

One by one, the Bamides were felled, cruelly quick, as befitting Cornelia's Royal Guard, and to complete their humiliation a great explosion erupted behind their line. Cornelia had penetrated their forces entirely and personally annihilated their base, and in her gold-trimmed knightmare, standing atop twisted metal and surrounded by dancing fire, she glowered down at her dying foes with disdain.

Lamperouge Residence

A downcast Lelouch was walking back to his house at Ashford Academy, apparently not happy with how Suzaku rejected his invitation and his insistence to join the Britannian side. Since it was late at night, he expected himself to walk into a quiet house where Nunnally and Sayako have already slept.

"Welcome back, Lelouch," a lime-haired girl sat next to Nunnally said nonchalantly as soon as Lelouch stepped into the room.

"Welcome home, big brother!" Nunnally greeted Lelouch happily.

"From your appearance, I'm assuming you have already eaten something already," C.C. said as she placed a blue paper crane on the table.

"Thank goodness. I thought you might have got yourself caught up in all the uproar caused by that 'Zero'," Nunnally continued, not realizing Lelouch was totally flabbergasted as he saw the lime-haired woman sitting next to her, "I tried calling you but you didn't answer your mobile phone. I wanted to tell you Ms C.C.'s been waiting as well."

"Huh? C.C.?" it took Lelouch two more seconds than usual to recollect himself, albeit still in a state of shock. C.C., the lime-haired girl, completely ignored the conversation between the vi Britannia siblings and continued to try folding a pink paper into a crane.

"Hehe, your friend goes by such an unusual name, only her initials," Nunnally chuckled, "I was just wondering, is C.C. your girlfriend?"

"Huh?" Lelouch still couldn't catch the flow of the conversation currently going on.

"He made a promise about our future together," C.C. suddenly said before turning to Lelouch and asked as if she was seeking reconfirmation and assurance from him, "Right?"

"A future together? You mean marriage?" Nunnally asked innocently.

Lelouch quickly denied it, though stuttering in the process, "No! No, that isn't what she was talking about. It's like a… she's kidding around."

"No, I am not," C.C. immediately said, confusing Nunnally even further.

Lelouch was wary about a stranger getting into his house with seemingly little trouble. He excused himself from Nunnally and brought C.C. into his room, and once they were in his room, Lelouch dropped his facade and threw C.C. onto his bed, coldly demanding for her identity.

However, the lime-haired woman seemed calm and stood up again, smirking smugly. "Nunnally has just told you my name, hasn't she? I'm C.C."

"That's not what I meant. You're…"

"Supposed to be dead?" C.C. finished Lelouch's question, and Lelouch scowled that he somehow was not in control of the flow of the conversation. Before Lelouch could say anything, C.C. continued as she tossed herself onto Lelouch's bed, "So, do you like the power that I gave you?"

C.C. and Lelouch continued to talk about Lelouch's intention to accelerate his plan to obliterate Britannia with his new power. C.C. found the young man as interesting as she had expected and decided to stay inside his room to hide from the small faction of military that was chasing after her. She stripped off her straightjacket, took off her high heeled boots and threw them randomly onto the floor next to Lelouch's bed.

"What? You plan to stay here?" Lelouch demanded incredulously. Was this woman taking over his bed, naked?

"A gentleman would sleep on the floor." C.C. pulled the blanket up, covering her naked body swiftly and stared at Lelouch.

"I am not talking about that…"

"Me being caught would cause trouble for you too, right?"

"It's dangerous to stay together," Lelouch climbed onto the bed, trying to intimidate the foul woman who occupied his bed.

"If I wander the streets, they'll find me," C.C., however, ignored Lelouch's intimidation completely and continued.

"This isn't about you. It's about my situation…" Lelouch was angered by the woman's insolence. However, C.C. once again ignored him completely and turned towards her left hand side. "I hate stubbornness."

Seeing his intimidating tactics failed, Lelouch sighed and got back to the floor and started to tidy up C.C.'s clothes. "You sure take things casually, don't you?"

No answer from the lime-haired girl.

"How did you manage to survive before this? What did you do before now?" Lelouch continued, "And what's the deal with that so-called contract you spoke of…"

"Good night, Lelouch," C.C. cut off Lelouch mercilessly. Lelouch growled at how he couldn't get any answer from the mysterious woman.

Somewhere inside the Imperial Palace in Pendragon, Schneizel el Britannia, 2nd Prince of the Empire, was doing some gardening with Earl Kanon Maldini, his trusted aide-de-camp.

"Code-R?" Schneizel asked while still kneeling down to fix the arrangement of the flowers on the fence.

"Yes, it was something that His Highness Prince Clovis and General Bartley Asprius wanted to present to His Majesty," Maldini said.

Schneizel stood up and turned to his aide-de-camp with a warm smile, "Ah, the one that was transported under the guise of a tank of poison gas, you mean? Why wasn't it being presented to His Majesty immediately?"

"It was because it possesses some kind of special power, and they would like to understand it first before presenting to His Majesty," Maldini answered in a tone that could be considered a bit too feminine by normal Britannian male military officer standards. Schneizel narrowed his eyes.

"Your Highness?" Kanon asked after a brief moment of pause.

"How about Code-R?" Schneizel asked.

"It was said that the Code-R subject was dead during the events of the Shinjuku incident," Maldini explained.

"Well, then that means only Bartley knows about it?" the gallant prince responded.

The Executor

"Code R? Isn't that a research related to geass?" Kainand heard what schneizel said.

"Yes, that is true. We have already recovered and get all what we needed to know about geass." Arkainus said.

When he already on earth before the main timeline started he already tell Star to hack all the system in the world even the britain is just child's play for her. She manage to download everything about code R.

'We shall see how this ends.' Arkainus thought.

Back in Lelouch's room, Lelouch was looking up information related to Suzaku on the internet, while C.C. was sitting on his bed, eating pizza while reading magazines. She was only wearing an oversized white shirt to cover her body. Several magazines and newspaper were scattered on the floor.

So, what did 'Orange' turn out to be anyway?" C.C. asked.

Lelouch frowned and sighed. "For someone who isn't willing to answer any questions, you certainly do ask a lot of them."

C.C. was unfazed by Lelouch's verbal jabbing. "If you don't want to answer my questions, you don't have to. Just as I don't."

Lelouch sighed again, but decided to answer her question anyway to get her off his back. "There is no 'Orange'. It's something I made up. But, the more they claim to be comrades of like-mind, the easier it is to divide them with the thorns of suspicion."

C.C. smirked at hearing Lelouch's answer. "Everyone is looking for you. Because of you, the world is going through an upheaval. So, is this it? Is this what you wanted to see?"

"No, not really," Lelouch put on his school uniform jacket, "This uproar's simply a means to an end, to bring the world into even greater chaos."

Outside a court building, a confused Suzaku was walking out of the building, not understanding why he was suddenly proclaimed innocent and not guilty of murdering Clovis.

"Out of the way, please!" a young girl's voice suddenly came from above Suzaku's head, "Look out!"

Suzaku immediately looked up to see a girl with long, pink hair was falling from the sky! Suzaku immediately threw away his duffel bag and caught the falling girl with his arms. It was thanks to him being an exercise nut that Suzaku was strong enough to ensure the girl unharmed. Suzaku asked concernedly, "Uh, are you alright…?"

"I'm sorry! I wasn't aware you were down here until I had leapt," the pink-haired girl apologized while looking into Suzaku's eyes, revealing her beautiful face.

Suzaku was dazzled by how pretty the girl was, and stuttered in his response. "Uhh… don't worry. I, eh, I wasn't expecting a girl to come falling out of the sky and into my arms, either."

"Oh, my…" the pink girl seemed to realize who the man catching her from the sky was.

"Huh? Is there something wrong?" Suzaku asked.

The girl lowered her face and gazed at the ground for a while. Then, suddenly and out of everyone's expectation, she turned back to Suzaku and flashed a big, innocent smile, "Yes, there is something wrong!"

"The truth is," she continued, "bad guys are chasing me. So, considering the circumstances, could you help me, please?"

The Executor

"Wait a minute! Isn't that..." Starkiller is surprised to see her.

"Yes, it seems like he already met with her.' Arkainus already see suzaku and euphemia.

"What a coincidence or luck, the two of them are met at the exact same location!" Kainand said.

Suzaku and Euphemia, walking about the city almost like a couple on a date. The undercover princess introduced herself as Yuffie, and didn't even wait to hear Suzaku's name. He was like a celebrity, after all. She already knew who he was. But, then, he knew something about her as well.

"You lied before," he said, looking away dramatically. "There's no one chasing you at all. Right?"

"Meeoooww!" was Yuffie's reply.

Yuffie had come across a stray cat and ignored Suzaku, instead kneeling before it and trying, and seemingly succeeding, to communicate with it.

"Meow meoowww. Oh, does the kitty's paw hurt?"

"Meow, meow, meoowww! Meow meow?"

Letting Yuffie's lie slide, at least for a while, Suzaku went to say hello to her new friend. The cat took one look at him, thought for a second, then deliberately bit his outstretched finger.

Eventually the cat scampered off and Yuffie dragged Suzaku with her, though he didn't protest much, on a fun trip around the city.

The day went well between them, both Suzaku and Yuffie having a splendid time and learning much about each other. They were happy together, their personalities naturally in tune. Before the day was done though, Yuffie asked Suzaku to show her one more place. This time she wanted to go to Shinjuku.

Back to Ashford Academy, where a blue-haired female student, clearly geassed by Lelouch, was shown to be carving a mark on the wall as her green pupils were encircled by red rings. A casually-dressed C.C. was observing this afar from the rooftop while Lelouch was approaching her, explaining, "She is going to be marking the wall like that every day, because I used my Geass on her to make her doing it."

"Geass?" C.C. was intrigued.

"The name of this power that I have. That's what I heard when we first made contact," Lelouch explained.

C.C. seemed to be amused. "Are you testing how long this Geass power would last?"

"I need to know the specs of my weapon, don't I?" Lelouch then suddenly narrowed his eyes and tried to threaten C.C. again, "If you behave too out of order…"

"Do you think it would work on me?" C.C. was once again unfazed by Lelouch's threat and cut his speech short. Lelouch frowned.

C.C. suddenly pulled back her head and turned to face Lelouch. "Relax, you and I are accomplice, I won't do anything to endanger us or our unique partnership."

Lelouch still stared at C.C. with no trust in his eyes, but didn't say anything further.

Lelouch was explaining his findings about his Geass power to C.C.

"To use my Geass, I need to have direct eye contact with the subject. Transparent objects like eyeglasses present no problem. The effective range is approximately 270 metres, and a subject appears to have no memory of events before, during, or after the power is used. I think this is due to damage caused by the Geass interfering with the brain of the subject. Also, Geass seems to be optical and follows the laws of light, and therefore can have it reflected using a mirror."

C.C. was listening while changing her casual outfit back to the straightjacket she had worn since becoming Clovis' prisoner and experimental subject. Lelouch, being the gentleman as he was, did not look at her for one moment when she was changing.

"In the short time you had, you've learned a lot about your Geass," C.C. complimented Lelouch's efficiency.

The Executor

"Star, did you already take notes of what lelouch said about his geass power worked?" Arkainus ask his A.I.

"Yes, sir, already done it." Star said.

Arkainus nod his head. "Good, keep up the good work and also if there's other important or useful information, gathered it and inform it to me."

Star nod her head and continue to work on monitoring all the probe droids and drones that was scattered on the planet earth.

It was much later that day when Suzaku and euphy made it to Shinjuku, or what was left of it. It was a sad sight, pitiful really, ruined buildings only half-standing and makeshift shrines for the dead scattered among them.

Elsewhere, Jeremiah was in his Sutherland, pursuing a supposed sighting of Zero. If all went well, he reasoned, he would claim the terrorist's life and regain his honour. Unbeknownst to him though, it was a setup, a plan made by Kewell and his flunkies to have him killed, coincidentally set to take place in Shinjuku. At the very least Jeremiah still had Villetta though, the buxom woman in her revealing G-Suit uncovering the plan from some of its conspirators.

Luckily for her, Tamaki was too interested in what came next onscreen to pester the woman. Finally, for the first time Tamaki was getting a scene all to himself. Some Ashford students were taking pictures of Shinjuku and its wounds, and he and Minami and Yoshida were accosting them, angered that they were making light of the massacre the ghetto endured only days ago.

Suzaku and euphy had been close by, and wanting to keep the conflict from growing into outright violence Suzaku inserted himself between the two parties. Tamaki didn't like that. Not one bit. If it had been anyone else he may have stood down, but seeing Suzaku made his blood boil.

Once the danger had passed, the two Britannian schoolboys returned to their true selves, impudent, self-entitled brats, their personalities a product more of their affluence than their nationality, and they berated Suzaku. As an Honourary Britannian, why hadn't he protected them immediately? Why hadn't he killed Tamaki for stepping out of line as an Eleven?

Euphy took one step forward and slapped the insolent fools.

Lelouch confirmed to C.C. what Rakshata had earlier surmised, that his Geass required direct eye contact and a host of other factors, and began to muse to her, almost soliloquizing the inner strife that was his thoughts.

"Is it good to be strong?"

In Shinjuku Suzaku was doing the same with euphy.

"Is it bad to be weak? Back then, when I was ten, the world seemed like such a terribly sad place - a world without any hope at all."

It cut back and forth, Lelouch and Suzaku, each with different words and meanings behind their statements, yet still saying the exact same thing.

"Starvation."

"Disease."

"Filth," Lelouch growled. "Decay!"

"Racism."

"Constant war and terrorism!" The prince was growing angrier with every word, every new crime he believed the world guilty of.

"Living in a never-ending cycle of hate." Suzaku was growing more solemn with every word, every new sorrow he believed the world afflicted with.

"Rats running in a wheel!"

"The cycle must be broken. Somebody has to do it!"

C.C. appraised Lelouch's thoughts, speaking dismissively.

"How idealistic."

"Of course," Suzaku continued, "it's doubtful that the one who does it will make all the bad things go away."

"I'm not that arrogant," Lelouch finished Suzaku's thought. "And so..."

"No one should lose more of the people they love. At least, a world without war..."

C.C. was beginning to become interested with what Lelouch had to say, or perhaps more likely the conviction with which he spoke.

"And to have this utopia you'd...?"

"How would you do it?" Euphy asked Suzaku.

"It's simple," Lelouch said, looking down at a chess set in his room and picking up a white knight. He used it to knock over the black king. "When somebody wins, the fighting will end."

Now C.C. was honestly intrigued.

There was an explosion in Shinjuku close to where Suzaku and Euphy still spoke together. In an old stadium, derelict and weathered, Jeremiah stood one against four in his Sutherland, without backup, without cover, and completely trapped by Kewell and his conspirators. The Margrave was disgraced for his role in helping Zero escape when he made his first public appearance, and the other Purebloods decided it was best to wipe that disgrace from their organization with blood.

Luckily for Suzaku, always ready to fight to protect others, even the man who'd wrongly accused him of murder, Lloyd and Cécile had been following him around all day in their truck, at first to give him a ride back to base from his trial, and then just because they were curious what he was up to with a strangely familiar pinkette. And in the back of the truck was the Z-01 Lancelot.

"Oh and by the way," Lloyd smirked to Suzaku, "what a shame about your acquittal. Because now you'll have to work for me again."

At first it seemed Lloyd wasn't going to let Suzaku go out in the super-knightmare, but the young Honourary Britannian had a single trick to play.

"Wait, please! Isn't this an opportunity to gather battle data for the Lancelot?"

Lloyd raised a brow, obviously amused.

"Oh~ho~?"

Jeremiah was an excellent knightmare pilot, to be sure, among the top tiers of knights in Britannia, but in a clunky Sutherland, unprepared for battle, and outnumbered, he was no match. Bit by bit the Orange Knight's frame was disarmed and crippled, and at last Kewell and his traitors lowered their lances to deliver the final blow. As one they shouted.

"All hail Britannia!"

"Wha...?!" Kewell exclaimed, before he looked up and his eyes widened to see a white-golden Knightmare standing at the top of the stadium.

"Stop it! You're all Britannian soldiers!"

"That's... that thw honorary britain's...!" Jeremiah widened his eyes as he recognized the sound of that voice. "The advanced prototype weapon! Lancelot!"

"What business does the Special Corps want here?!" Kewell demanded. "Anyone qho interferes will die!"

"No!" Suzaku said, and he had the Lancelot equipped from its back two identical swords that shined pink before the blades turned crimson red. "I can't ignore this meaningless battle!"

"Kewell stood frozen. "Those are MVSs!" He narrowed his eyes with determination. "They've perfected them?!" His Sutherland fired slash harkens at the Lancelot, who jumped to avoid them. "However I won't withdraw now!"

"We're on the same side!" Suzaku exclaimed.

The other Purebloods fired their slash harkens at the Lancelot, but Suzaku used both MVSs to thoroughly cut through them.

"We're on the same side!" Suzaku exclaimed. "Cut it out!"

The other Purebloods fired their slash harkens at the Lancelot, but Suzaku used both MVSs to thoroughly cut through them.

"Suzaku Kururugi… is saving me?" Jeremiah could not believe it. It was only yesterday that he was ready to have the boy tried for a murder he did not commit. Most of all he was the leader of the Pureblood faction seeking to destroy the Honorary System.

Suzaku landed the Lancelot in front of Jeremiah's Sutherland and went to block a hit meant for the Margrave. Another Sutherland went to stab him with a lance, but the Lancelot went and cut through the lance all the way till it dismembered the Knightmare's arm.

"We can at least kill Orange!" Kewell yelled as he zoomed in to stab Jeremiah with his lance, but Margrave blocked it. It wasn't about to last… but that was until another Sutherland came out from nowhere and kicked Kewell's Sutherland away.

"Lord Jeremiah!" Villetta said.

"Villetta! Thanks!" The margrave said, grateful for his colleague's arrival.

Soon, Villetta in her Sutherland, and Suzaku in his Lancelot stood defensively in front of Jeremiah's battered Sutherland.

"Still want to fight?" Suzaku asked the Purebloods

"Everyone, fall back." Kewell said, and the other Purebloods draw back.

"Kewell!" Villetta questioned, now shock at how her once close colleague was ready to kill Jeremiah.

"You understand, then?" Suzaku said, feeling hopeful, until Kewell uncovered what looked like a grenade from his Sutherland.

"I'm using a chaos mine!" Kewell said as he threw it into the air towards his enemies.

"STOP!" Euphie cried out as she ran across the stadium towards Suzaku, Villetta, and Jeremiah.

Suzaku surprises to see euphy.

"What?!" Jeremiah said and saw the girl on his screen.

The grenade uncoiled in the air, and Suzaku quickly equipped his luminous shield. The chaos mine showered a rain of fire down towards them, but they were all protected as the fire bounced off the Lancelot's shield. The fire was still powerful, it caused everyone to cover themselves, and Suzaku grunted as a bit of gunfire was almost getting in, he started to worry if the Yggdrasil drive could take much more.

Soon, the chaos mine's fire finally stopped.

"That Honorary Britannian…" Villetta said in awe at Suzaku's selfless act. "He risked his life for…"

"Everyone!" Euphie said. "Lower your weapons at once!" The teen walked towards Kewell's Sutherland. "In my name, I command you!"

Kewell gasped, now recognizing the girl before him… except it wasn't any other girl. "It… can't be…"

"I am Euphemia li Britannia of the Empire! And the Third Princess of the Royal Family!" Euphie announced with a now courageous and authoritative tone.

Suzaku gasped. "Euphie… you're…"

"It is her." Jeremiah said, now realizing. "It's the princess!"

"Did you know it was her, Lloyd?" Cecile asked, as she and Lloyd stood a bit away.

"Uh-huh," Lloyd nodded. "But she's been a student up until now and hasn't made her public debut yet."

Kewell could only tremble. To think his action had almost… had almost… "We… we're truly…" He and the other Purebloods, and even Villetta and Jeremiah kneeled their Knightmares in respect of Euphemia. "We're truly sorry, Your Highness!"

"My lady!" Suzaku said as he got of the Lancelot and ran towards Euphemia. "I had no idea who you were. Please forgive me, Princess!"

Euphemia turned to the boy she had befriended and who had protected her. She eyed him with sympathy. "Suzaku… you and I bear a similar deep pain. You have lost your father… just as I have lost my brother." Suzaku gasped at that. "Will you let me help you in your quest to ensure that no one ever again has to suffer the loss of loved one on the battlefield?" She smiled.

"Yes!" Suzaku kneeled before her. "I'm… unworthy of your kindness."

He addressed her respectfully and lowered his head, but when she looked upon him, treating her as the royalty she truly was, she seemed so sad.

Viceroy Palace

Euphemia, now in her royal pink and white dress, stood with the welcoming party as Cornelia's plane landed. The new Viceroy had arrived. Her sister had arrived.

Cornelia descended from the plane, wearing a white stylish cape over her red-gold uniform, and coming behind her were her royal guard, the Glaston Knights. Euphie could see her sister's most trust knights, Darlton, and Guilford standing obediently behind her. The princess also caught sight of two younger girls in uniforms like her sister's: Marika Soresi and Lilianna Vergamon, both military protegees who served directly under her sister.

Euphemia went to greet her sister.

"I heard about what you did, Euphemia. You shouldn't have been so reckless." Cornelia said.

"I know, sister," Euphemia bowed. "Please, forgive me, but…"

"You will address me as Viceroy, Sub-Viceroy Euphemia," The Viceroy said. "Because we're sisters, we need to follow a stricter protocol."

"Yes, I understand."

Cornelia smiled, before turning to a steward. "Now, give me your report."

"Yes," The steward bowed. "The first order of business is a welcoming party we've have arranged for Your Highness…".

The steward stopped as Cornelia pointed her gun at him, causing Euphemia to gasp.

"Sloppy. Senile. Corrupt." She said with disappointment and eyes twitched with a burning hate. "What about zero? Capture the enemy of the empire? Get me Zero."