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The Knights of the Round Headquarters, Britannia…

Sir Suzaku Kururugi sat alone in a darkened conference room, the only light within was from the blinking pin light of his communicator that kept on flashing on the wooden table in front of him. Here refused to answer the call, because he didn't want to be disturbed.

In the room, there was an elongated wooden table with eight chairs, and a computer security station, comprising of nine boxed television monitors on a wall.

He frowned hard, feeling the stain of his facial muscles. He took his communicator and threw it against the wall, the blinking was annoying him. It smashed and broke. He then pushed a chair down to the floor next to him and got to his feet. He paced the room, his mind racing with dark thoughts, tortured thoughts of betrayal and guilt.

He finally let himself feel and with a box controller on the table, he switched on one of the screens on the wall. On it was a prison cell and it showed an unconscious Lelouch, laying on a bed, bound, like some sort of mental patient. He had been put there until the Emperor's orders, after a brainwashing session, removing the power of Geass, installing false memories, and erasing old ones.

Suzaku hated that his once best friend's memory was altered, his past stolen from him. Everything he once was, gone! Well, mostly. Only the parts about Zero, the Black Knights, his royal lineage, and most tragically, as punishment for his transgressions against Britannia, his sister, Nunnally! Whom Lelouch loved and cherished above all else.

And what hurt Suzaku even more was the Emperor had decided to leave the memories of Suzaku with Lelouch, as if to torture Suzaku for his betrayal against his friend.

And Suzaku had to live with the fact that he had caused it all. All for the sake of revenge!

Lelouch once said something to him that Suzaku had never forgotten. It was when they were kids just after the invasion of Britannia in Japan. He said, "History is important. History gives a person a sense of purpose, identity, and a future. I accept my past, and I know where I come from. You should too, Suzaku. Do what you must to succeed. But one day, someday, I promise, by my destiny alone, Britannia will fall!"

Lelouch had said these words long before he donned the mask of "Zero".

Destiny, was there such a thing? If you want something bad enough, wish for it everyday, can it come true? Suzaku wondered if it was even possible. And yet, here he was…A Knight of the Round, the elite. And all he had to do was betray his country, his people, and his best friend. He hated himself. He had what he had become.

With a fist, he smashed one of the television screens. It sizzled, broken glass hit the floor. He wore gloves, so his hand was not cut. But a portion of his white glove of was now singed with black from the electricity surge. He'd blame it on false wiring.

His eyes were dark and angry, as he looked at his friend. He blamed Lelouch for forcing him to the unthinkable. Lelouch was at fault for it all.

Along the way, as his alter ego, Zero, Lelouch's ideals turned bitter.

He had lost his initial purpose, wishing to free Japan, and establishing the USJ (the United States of Japan). In the end, all he longed for was revenge. He had manipulated people and demanded justice against the Emperor, for what his father had done to him and his sister, in abandoning them for their weakness, and killing their mother.

Lelouch had acted like some rebellious teenager gone amok, but to a much higher degree with the power of Geass, for which he also possessed, given to him by C2. C2 was, at the moment, was no where to be found. She, like most of Lelouch's cohorts, had gone into hiding.

This enigmatic, supernatural power, provided Lelouch with an apt ability to invoke a misguided sense of justice upon the world and it allowed him to act like a god.

As Zero, he headed the Black Knights, and tried to take his father down. But it was all folly and his heart betrayed him. However, Lelouch did have a kind heart. He wanted an alliance and a free Japan, but then tragically, he did something Suzaku could never forgive him for.

He killed—

Suzaku shook his head, and he cried out in his head for these memories to stop. He couldn't think straight. The very remembrance of that horrific event—an act of murder—enraged him, to the point he was filled with an uncontrollable fury. He turned and slammed his fists on the conference table. It was so hard that the impact hurt his hands, and he felt the pain through his entire body. But he took the pain in stride, it was welcoming. He deserved it.

His thoughts turned to a deeper pain, one just as painful to recall. One he was responsible for, no one else. A pain so penetrating, it had been the bane of his existence for a long time.

I killed my father, the Prime Minister of Japan, in a coup to stop a war. He chose to rise up against Britannia. With him gone, I thought no blood would be spilled. But I was wrong. Killing my father was futile. And Britannia conquered Japan, quickly and ruthlessly, and designated my homeland with an insignificant moniker—Area 11. All Japanese are now called "Eleven's", because of me!

Suzaku grit his teeth in frustration and let out a silent scream. His face flushed, reddened with anger, and his eyes teared at the sides. But they were not tears of sorrow. He was strained. His body felt like it was on fire, filled with virus with no cure.

He stared through the darkness, the glow of the television behind him casting its illuminance, and his silhouette on the wall, featureless, dark-filled, and without substance. Like his soul.

He knew he shouldn't hate Britannia, it gave him hope. He now had status, influence, and power—to change the status quo, and to break the chains that conformed and restricted society. He had the rank of "Knight of Seven".

He needed to do something with his new title. Use it to help others.

"I'll change Britannia from the inside," he had told Lelouch. It was an attempt to justify his actions, when he presented his friend before the Emperor after capturing him like a trophy.

Lelouch had killed Euphie, senselessly and without mercy, and in Suzaku's heart, that justified his hated for his friend, but also filled him with a deep ache of sorrow. He loved Euphie, more than anyone else in the world. He wanted Lelouch to pay for his crime, and that's why he had brought Lelouch before the Emperor. But little did he know the awful consequences of the actions would take. As Lelouch's memories were erased, it was his very own were altered to. He would no longer be able to enjoy the same relationship with his friend every again.

Suzaku swung back at the screen.

Damn you, Lelouch! How dare you use Geass on me! You did it to save yourself, you son-of-a-bitch! In doing so, you corrupted my convictions. I joined the Britannian military to atone for my sins. I wanted to die for killing my father; that's why I was reckless, always putting myself in harms way. But now I can't die. YOU won't let me!

Lelouch had put a Geass spell on him.

"LIVE, SUZAKU! " Lelouch had ordered him.

Suzaku was about to sacrifice himself for the Britannian Empire to bring an end to the tyranny that was Zero at the time. He felt, it was his duty. But now, no matter what, and forever more, Suzaku was forced do everything to preserve his own life! The command was so ingrained in his psyche, that it gave him physical anguish to refuse.

With hardened eyes, Suzaku gazed at Lelouch. As peaceful as his friend appeared at the moment, behind that innocent façade was a very dangerous person.

Or, at least, he used to be.

Suzaku wanted to scream. Instead, he kicked another chair. Then sat down on another.

He didn't want to think. He had come to the conference room to get away from everything, everyone, knowing the room would be empty at this time of day, but then his dark thoughts betrayed him. He should have known he could never get away from them.

He once thought if it would be best to just take a gun and shoot himself with it. It would all be over, no more guilt. And he wished he had before Lelouch's command. Now, whenever he had those suicidal thoughts, he felt pain!

Damn you, Lelouch!

He folded his arms across his chest, shifted down in the chair, his posture and dignity as an officer forgotten, and brooded. His face felt heavy, as if the frown he wore weighed a tone. He then glanced over at the screen again with Lelouch.

"I know I should hate you with every fibre of my being, Lelouch, but for some unknown reason, I still consider you a friend, despite your atrocities."

He snorted angrily, then slammed the table again with an angry fist.

To be continued...

The sound of the bang must have alerted someone outside because seconds later the door to the conference room suddenly opened, and light from the outer hall poured in, bathing the room in bright white illuminance, from both artificial light and sunlight.

Suzaku squinted, as the new brightness penetrated the dark, stinging his pupils.

Who dared disturb him in his moment of self-enmity?

Suzaku gasped, as the tall, yet a familiar figure stood at the double doors. The conference room was adjacent to the private lounge used by the Knights of the Round when they wanted to unwind. To Suzaku, it was a symbol of elite privilege, and he hated it.

"Hey, now, why are you in here all alone and in the dark?" The lights flicked on, and Suzaku winced with the sudden brightness, blinking a couple of times. The figure was Gino Weinburg, the Knight of Three. He was a tall, young, and handsome man, with wavy blonde hair.

Gino once remarked, if his life had gone in another way, he'd be a movie star.

Suzaku didn't doubt that. Gino had movie star, good looks, and he often reminded everyone about it to stroke his ego. He was an excellent pilot, one of the best in the Knight's, but he also a bit of an exhibitionist, with a huge ego. He added flare in the field, when killing his enemies, in dramatic fashion, to make it not only entertaining for himself, but flashy for the media.

Suzaku remained sitting, as Gino looked around the room, and at its disarray. He then looked at the active screen on the wall, noting who was on it. Lelouch's image was on the screen, bound, and jailed. Gino smirked. He then took notice of the smashed screen next to it.

"Feeling nostalgic, Suzaku? But there's no need to take our your frustration on the TV's. The surge of the Empire is where he belongs. We tried many ways to rehabilitate the guy, used him for our own ends, you even played babysitter, but nothing worked. Now he's back home."

Gino chuckled, but Suzaku was not amused. Suzaku sat back in is chair, gripping the handles tightly. His emotions were frenzied, but he had to hide them from Gino. Who knew what the guy said to the others behind Suzaku's back. Would he say something about the room? Tell the others that the newest member had a little temper tantrum?

This meeting was unofficial, despite both of them wearing their white Knight uniforms. They were on stand-by, not on duty, but they were still on the clock.

Several seconds past in silence.

Gino put two closed fist to his narrow hips. "You disappeared suddenly from the lounge," he said, switching the conversion. "You shouldn't be by yourself, it's not healthy. I know you've had some…let's say…issues after you-know-who was brought back in. But don't fret, Suzaku. It's all for the best. The Empire is our home. And you're a part of our family now."

The very notion turned Suzaku's stomach.

"So, forget about your old friend. He's nothing now. He's the Emperor's business. Frankly," —and Gino turned back to the screen— "I'm wondering why the guy hasn't been eliminated yet? Maybe the old man does have a soft spot for family?" He shrugged. "Who knows, who cares!"

Suzaku gripped the chair handles tighter, his hands hurt. He felt like lashing out at Gino, but that would be unwise and would amount to insubordination and assault.

He had come here, done the things he did, to rise the ranks, and to change to status quo when it came to the Empire's sentiments towards Elevens. After what Lelouch did, however, that had been set back. So, he needed to remain within the enemy's camp and bide his time.

Gino looked at the room again. "So, what happened here? Have a fight with a ghost?"

Suzaku blinked reflectively. Figuratively speaking, Gino was right. He had had a fight with a ghost from his past, and he took out his anger on it—on the room. Suzaku looked around. And suddenly, he realized what he had done. What excuse could he give to explain it?

Suzaku sighed, then folded his arms on the table and rested his chin down.

"I wish to be left alone, Gino," Suzaku said sombrely. He didn't feel like company right now. He knew he had to try to get past his depression and demons, and he only had himself to deal with them. In fact, I wish the whole world would just go away—forever.

Gino shrugged his shoulders in his usual non-chalet way, smiling softly. "No, you don't," he said cheerily. "Come on, man, you're never alone."

Gino continued to smile as he sat down next to him. Suzaku glanced over at him, his chin still resting on his arms. Out of all the Knights, Gino had been the only one to want to get to know him, to be friends. He even got a little too-close, but that was just his way.

The chair Gino sat on creaked horribly and Suzaku cringed. He had known about that chair and purposely didn't sit there. He wished he had thrown that chair instead, so it could be replaced. But whenever the Knight's had a meeting in the room, that was always Gino's chair, and he liked to sway back and forth in it, annoying the others with its creak.

"I must send in a requisition to revamp this room," Gino said, laughing momentarily. "Fire the cleaners, or reassign them to the sewer system clean-up."

Suzaku's eyes widened, his head lifted. "Don't do that," he said adamantly. "I'll clean it."

Gino laughed, patting his left arm. "I was only kidding," he said with a smirk.

Suzaku frowned again, and he brought up his arms, but rested his elbows on the table, his chin on crossed hands, and looked blankly across the room in contemplation. He sighed.

"Why in a sour mood?" Gino asked. "Is it because of him?" He thumbed Lelouch on the screen.

Suzaku groaned irksome under his breath. He seriously wanted to be alone. He sighed again, he didn't wish to answer. But yes, it was because of Lelouch. It was best to let the question float.

Gino smiled. "I have some good news and this will interest you," he started. "I wasn't going to say anything, the old man didn't want me to tell anyone, especially you. But hey, you'll know soon enough. And it might just cheer you up. Your friend is getting another chance."

Suzaku looked at him puzzled.

"The Emperor has appointed a guardian to Lelouch when he's sent back to school, where your next assignment will be," he added. "And he's in the final stages of rewriting Lelouch's memories to include the perfect candidate, a member of the Special Branch. You'll meet him soon. We shouldn't have any more trouble from Zero or the Black Knights after this final solution."

Unlike Lelouch's Geass, for which he could only use once on a person, the Emperor's Geass was unlimited, with help from the Thought Elevator.

Had the Emperor decided to try yet again after all the slip-ups? The Emperor was a hard and strict individual, but even he, Suzaku surmised, was subjected to his own bruised ego. And maybe, just maybe, Lelouch was important to him? If only to be played with.

But to Suzaku, killing him would have been more humane.

"That's good," Suzaku said conversionally, but he was still bothered by the memory erasure.

The Emperor had already tried to use Lelouch as a pawn for his own whims, and had completely altered his identity, but Lelouch's consciousness was stronger, and he had broken the spell, and was a prisoner of his own ambitions again.

Suzaku thought of Euphie, and how she was executed by Zero. It seemed like a life time ago. Lelouch used Geass on her to massacre innocent Japanese in the Administrative Zone. If the zone had been successful, it would've given hope back to the Japanese people. With Euphie as Emissary, through her, Britannia was prepared to designate a piece of land for the Eleven's to settle on, and to once again, officially, call themselves Japanese.

If that had happened, I would have seriously considered leaving the military and joining them.

"Why, Lelouch, why?" Suzaku muttered under his breath.

He had no time to interrogate Lelouch before dragging him before the Emperor. Now the reason why Lelouch did what he had done was lost forever.

"You miss your friend, don't you?" Gino said with genuine sympathy. "I know how it feels to lose a friend, especially one from childhood. I had a friend who was killed in action against the rebels, long before the Black Knight's appeared. But what kind of friend are you to Lelouch? You handed him over to the Emperor to have his memory erased, to take away Zero, the saviour of the Japanese people, weakening their resolve? You're Japanese, right?"

"Shut up, Gino."

"You have anger issues, my friend. You need to relax." Gino smiled. "I know some very hot girls who would be more then willing to help you take your mind off your troubles." He winked.

Suzaku felt like striking him, but restrained himself.

Gino seemed to pick up on his irritation, however, and stood up to leave. He shrugged his shoulders again, and smiled. "But, you're right. After everything you've been through lately, maybe a little time alone to reflect on events is what you need. Just don't mope around."

"I'm not moping," Suzaku said defensively.

"Okay, brooding."

"I'm not brooding either."

"Your eyes tell me a different story," Gino replied seriously. "You can tell a lot about a person's eyes. You're not a good lair. But I'll leave you in peace."

Gino turned towards the door, but then stopped. He turned back around, reached into his white uniform jacket, and said. "Oh, I almost forgot: Happy Birthday." And put a small white package with a red bow on the table in front of Suzaku. Suzaku took it, turned it over in his hands. "Also, call it a welcome gift," Gino added.

"Thank you, I didn't think anyone would care."

"Of course we care. You're one of us now, Suzaku." And Gino smiled.

One of us now…

Those words felt like a knife to the heart.

Then Gino left, closing the doors behind him.

And Suzaku was alone again.

He unwrapped the gift. It was a leather bound book, it looked well worn. Obviously, why would the Knights buy something that would be new? A used book was good enough.

It was The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde.

He had read it already when he was in the infantry. One of his regiment recommended it. It was a classic story about a man who developed a split-personality disorder. By day he was a mild manor lawyer, but by night, he was a ruthless killer. Ironically, the story had an all too familiar air to it, tragic, especially in comparison to himself and Lelouch.

It was also cruel. Because it also reminded himself of his own two-faced personality.

He put it down on the table, and then looked back at the screen with Lelouch. And almost found himself smiling when he remembered a fond memory.

It was a time when he and Lelouch were having fun at a cookout at Ashford Academy. He had a photograph of that day in an album he kept. Shirley, a girl at school, took it. It was now, however, part of a collection of memories he could never show to anyone, because along with Lelouch's memory, the Emperor choose to rewrite the memories of all of Lelouch's friends; forgetting the Black Knights, and even Nunnally. And it had taken a lot of effort to do so.

And Suzaku knew, the Emperor would get some sick pleasure in stripping all of Lelouch's history away. It made him sick to his stomach.

So much history, gone! All because of Geass! Maybe, Gino's right. I'm too tense. I need to relax. I need to forget.

He forced the memory gone, then stood up, and turned off the monitor.

"Good-bye, Lelouch," he said. "I'll remember what you were, not what you became." He didn't expect to ever see his old friend again.

Picking up the book, he then left the room.

But the moment he opened the doors, Gino waved a hello. He was alone. He had been waiting. And he spared no time in getting friendly, wrapping an arm around Suzaku's shoulder.

"Hey man, It's not healthy for a person to keep hate in his heart," he said, shaking him. "You'll die sooner. Meet me in the gymnasium in half an hour and I'll have a surprise for you."

"Gino, I appreciate you trying to cheer me up, but I just don't feel like it."

"Don't make me order you. I do out rank you, after all." Gino smiled in his usual manner, and Suzaku rolled his yes. Gino was the Knight of Three, and that trumped the Knight of Seven.

Suzaku sighed. "Fine, I'll be there," he said.

"Good, thirty minutes. Don't be late. And I want you to bring all that stress and anger with you."

"Huh?"

Gino smiled, retracted his arm, and then walked away, waving as he went.

To be continued...

"Arthur!" he repeated with an even stringent tone. "Why did you do this? You've never done anything like this before!"

A scrap of paper slipped from Arthur's mouth as the cat looked back, almost stunned with the elevated tone of Suzaku's voice—like it was something new. He jumped off the glass table and ran away from the immediate area, his ears down, frightened by Suzaku's "new" demeanour.

Suzaku snapped a look and gave Arthur a harsh glare as the cat took refuge behind the corner of a wall, the hallway that lead to a kitchen area. Suzaku's quarters was sizeable and luxurious, and there were many different places for Arthur to hide away.

Arthur continued to observe Suzaku from his safe place.

Suzaku sighed deeply, his anger turning to grief and abashment. He felt so embarrassed by this act of animal destruction. Arthur had never even destroyed a piece of furniture. Yet this book had brought out something in him that seemed unnatural.

He spent the next couple of minutes retrieving the pieces of the book. But he wondered, if Arthur had swallowed any it? Would he find different pieces in his litter box days from now? If Gino ever found out what happened, he'll be very upset. No matter the type of book, Gino's sentiments meant a lot to Suzaku. He was the only one who gave him a birthday gift, none of the other Knights did, or even acknowledged it. That was saying a lot. It meant friendship.

Just tell the truth. Would Gino laugh or be upset?

When he thought he had gathered all the pieces, he placed them in a pile on the table. Sitting down, he looked at them, and sighed deeply again, and actually tried to put some of the papers back together like a giant jigsaw puzzle. But putting the book together would be a hopeless cause. And even if he spent the time doing so, he could never put it out for display. And what if Gino asked to see it? In all regards, the book was beyond repair. Completely and utterly ruined.

He turned, and saw Arthur still watching him from behind the cornered wall. The cat looked at him with confused, but uneasy eyes. Arthur obviously knew he had been bad.

Arthur then began to cough. He hacked something up in the form of a tiny paper ball.

Suzaku went to retrieve it, as Arthur moved back. Suzaku unbound the sticky, gummed up piece of paper, no doubt part of the book, and tried to dry it with a portion of his shirt. It appeared to be ripped from the beginning of the book and had some sort of dedication.

Oh, no! Had Gino actually signed it? Wishing him a birthday inside the book?

Some of black ink was running, but it was still readable. It had conscript from a person with masterful penmanship. Suzaku knew Gino's handwritten was child-like.

Bewildered, he read the short dedication:

"With my compliments, Knight of Seven.

—Charles vi Britannia."

It was from the Emperor. The book was not from Gino?

Wait, Gino never said it had come from him. He only handed it over. It was only an assumption Suzaku thought it was a gift from the friendliest of the Knights.

And then it suddenly dawned on him, the rationale behind such a cruel and natured gift.

Suzaku had thought it unusual that Gino would be so unkind. In the short time he had known Gino, the Knight of Three wasn't like that. Gino must have been asked to give it to him.

With this book, Suzaku knew, the Emperor was sending him a message. And the Emperor was thanking him for his new allegiance and betraying his people.

Lelouch had been fighting for a cause Suzaku secretly hoped would succeed. Lelouch was fighting to reestablish Japan, as Zero, despite being a prince of Britannia. But Suzaku had been too blinded by duty and Euphie's death to see Lelouch's true ideal cause.

He slapped a hand to his face. I'm such a hypocrite!

But it was too late for regrets. He had made his bed and it stained with the blood of Elevens.

He slapped the book with a hand, an evil gift, and threw all the papers, including the leather binding, to the floor. The contents scattered everywhere like confetti at a parade. He put his hands to his face, as he leaned his elbows on the table, and silently screamed.

I'm such a fool! What the heck do I think I'm doing? It's a folly's quest. I'll never be able to change things. The Emperor would squash me as easily as any bug!

His anger turned to self-pity, but his anger towards Arthur quickly melted away. He wiped away tears from his eyes, and then turned and smiled at his feline companion, still hiding.

Suzaku smiled with pride. "Come here, Arthur," he said calmly. "I'm not mad anymore, honest."

Arthur hesitated, but then came out into the open.

Suzaku patted a leg, and Arthur, twitching his tail happily, jumped up on to his lap. Arthur finally allowed Suzaku to pet him on without being bitten. Arthur purred.

It was like Arthur, empathetically, knew of the evil of the book—that he could smell the Emperor's scent on it, and destroyed it for the evil that it was. The title itself was enough to cause Suzaku despair. And after seeing it was, in fact, the Emperor who had given it to him, he hated it—and the Emperor—even more.

Perhaps Arthur was much more perceptive than he give the cat credit for?

Arthur began licking the wound inflicted on Suzaku as if in a moment of penitence. Suzaku continued the pet the cat. "It's okay, Arthur. You're a good boy."

Arthur then purred contently.

A couple of moments later, a beeping came from Suzaku's communicator. It was a special device that alerted him of any on-goings in and around the city that the Knights should be made aware of. An alert flashed on the screen about a riot by a couple of Elevens in a ghetto.

Arthur jumped down as he stood up. Suzaku retrieved a television controller from a couch. He switched on a large flat screen monitor on one wall of his quarters. Standing in front of it, he crossed his arms. He didn't turn on the sound, there was no need to listen a bias news anchor.

What was going on now? What were the Elevens doing? He wondered.

They didn't know it, but he fighting for them. He couldn't tell them, but he hoped they would be patient and not cause any trouble until he could crack the system and provide more to the Elevens the best way he could. He was already increasing health care services as a way for the Emperor to look good to other nations around the world.

He watched the live news broadcast. Happening now, a group of Elevens were fighting some Britannia soldiers in hand-to-hand combat, fighting with anything they could get their hands on.

The broadcast showed a large ghetto residency with dozens of people in dire straits, living in abject poverty, with makeshift stoves, and boxed single, wooden homes. The military, according to the headline, were ordered to clear them out of the area. The military was armed to the teeth in full regalia, bringing a couple of Mainframes, seen in the background, with soldiers brandishing weapons. The ground forces were violent and attacked with prejudice, even shooting those that became too unruly, or who refused to adhere to Empire's declaration.

"No, stop it!" he shouted at the television. "Shot killing them! Goddamn it! STOP!"

But shouting did nothing, as he witnessed the slaughter of dozens of innocent people.

He couldn't watch anymore.

He clenched both fists at his sides until his nails pricked his skin, blood dripped from his hands to the floor. He then turned, took the book binding from the floor and threw it at the television. It hit centre, exploding the screen, sending sparks outward in every direction. The wall crashed to the floor.

He wanted to shout, but he knew someone would come running, one of the many guards that walked the corridors for security, and he didn't want anyone to ask questions.

He put his hands to his face and suddenly began to cry, collapsing to his knees. Zero would have been their saviour, the Black Knights would have come to their rescue, but now neither were around, and it was all his fault. He was responsible for those Elevens dying.

More people, dead! All because he turned Zero in. Never in a million years would be able to repent for the deaths. He had betrayed his people. And he knew they hated him for it. They called him a traitor, and one person was actually executed after attacking him. But it wasn't he who killed the man, it was one of the other Knights after the fact without his consent.

Arthur came over and then sat next to him, and meowed, sympathetically, and then nudged Suzaku in the leg, rubbing his face over the same spot. Suzaku lowered his hands, tears blurring his vision, and looked at Arthur.

Arthur was showing him affection. Trying to cheer him up.

"Oh, Arthur…" Suzaku let out a heavy sigh. "What am I? Who am I? Am I Japanese, a Knight of the Round, or something else—what kind of demon have I become? Should I even care anymore?" He looked at Arthur, and the cat cocked his head, indecisively.

Suzaku extended his hands out.

And suddenly, Arthur bit a finger, and Suzaku cried out in pain. "Ow!" Another love bite?

Animals were intuitive and had a way to help their masters when they needed it the most. Was it a wake-up call to snap him out of his depression? That things would get better?

Suzaku pulled his finger away and sucked off the blood. Then he bit down on it, as if to say, "Wake up! You're here to help your people. There will be bumps in the road, but you're here, and you can make a difference!"

He knew, eventually, the Empire would learn his Japanese brethren could play a pivotal role in society, the stamina of their lineage awash. And he would be there to bring forth that change from within. He couldn't give up. He had to keep trying. Without Zero!

He felt better. Arthur had helped him.

He stood on his feet. Leaving the mess on the floor, he then headed out to met Gino.

To be continued...

Amongst the feed, there was also the commemoration of their newest Knight of the Round, in regal fashion, replaying his knighthood, presented by the Emperor himself, attended by his many regal cohorts, and Suzaku's declaration of his newly sworn loyalty to the Empire. But this only fuelled the Japanese hate of him, calling him a traitor everywhere he went.

Suzaku clenched his teeth in both angry and disgust as he passed three of these monitors in the corridor on his way to the gymnasium. He also had to contend with watching the replay of the brutality of the military as they captured, subdued, and even executed Eleven freedom fighters. He didn't know any of those that died, but he felt for their families.

A security guard, wearing a pristine uniform and brandishing a weapon, approached Suzaku in the corridor while conducing his rounds, and suddenly stopped short, and saluted. But it was only for formality, as the look the guard gave him was that of inferiority. An Eleven, a Knight of the Round, vexed most of not all pure Britannians. This guard was no different.

Suzaku glared back at him.

"Stand at attention, guard!" he ordered, eying the man's posture. They stood next to a full ceiling glass window panel that overlooked an urban landscape. It was a beautiful view, with grassy hills, but it fell in contrast with the ugliness Suzaku felt in the place he now called home. "Is that anyway to act in front of a superior?"

The guard seemed taken aback and did as ordered. Suzaku was amused, but he didn't show it outwardly. There was something about the power he now wield within the Empire that gave him strength to challenge those that prejudice his people, including this guard.

Suzaku circled the man, then made another pass, halting behind him. "Chest out, back straight, chin up, eyes forward, ready at attention!" he demanded, secreting enjoying it.

From his days in the infantry, Suzaku was subjected to mocking and taunts from his superiors because he was an Eleven. It was time for some payback. The guard obeyed.

But then, as he saw news footage on a walled television screen in front of them, of Knightmare Frames stomping on Eleven encampments, firing on innocent civilians—playing out as if it was nothing but a normal day, the public desensitized to the violent and bloodthirsty killing by the military—Suzaku frowned hard, his mood darkening. He was becoming what he hated most, one of "them", demoralizing this security guard. It was an act of a tyrant.

Suzaku saw a bead of sweat falling down the right side of the man's face. He was obviously frightened, fearful that he had done something horribly wrong to insult a Knight of the Round that could be grounds for demotion or reassignment to a division of a less than hospitable area in the Empire. And there were places, god awful places, that was cold and barren, where there were reports of high causality rates, but not from war, but from the elements. Frostbite, or extreme sun exposure, animal attacks, or even death by poison plants. The Empire had a punishment place for everyone who defied the will of a superior.

"Please, Sir Knight, if I have done anything to offend you, I offer my sincere apologizes," the security guard pleaded, his voice even cracked a little.

Suzaku remained behind the guard, his eyes penetrating the back of the man's head. He sniffed the air, he could smell urine. He looked down and began to see the beginning of a wet spot down the inside of the man's pant leg. He sighed softly, easing his demeanour.

He put a hand on the man's shoulder and the guard flinched. "At ease," Suzaku said calmly. "Forgive me if I frightened you," he added. "Ask another guard to relieve you, and with my permission, take fifteen minutes for a break." He didn't need to tell the guard why.

The guard nodded, then saluted, as Suzaku returned to the front. The guard departed quickly.

Suzaku watched the guard almost flee at a quick jog, then turn a corner. It was like the man was running away for his life from a brutal beast.

Suzaku leaned up against the wall, sighed, and looked out the window from his vantage point. He saw grassy hills, pegged with outstanding structures, a flock of birds flew across the sky, and a whisper of clouds cascaded by. It was a beautiful day. Too bad his mood was gloomy.

He stood next to the wall monitor that was on low volume, but he didn't want to hear it. With the back of his right hand, he knuckled the unit off. He shut his eyes and fought to control his dark thoughts. He had nightmares about what he had done, about Euphie's death, and what his people were going through. But he could do nothing. He had to bide his time or the others would become suspicious of his true intentions.

Lelouch's face suddenly came to mind and he slammed the wall with a fist. "I loved you like a brother, but you used me! You deserve what you get." He opened his eyes, then glanced at a clock on the wall. He was late.

He sprinted down the corridor, passing another guard, who saluted, but Suzaku never bothered to return it back, and ran across an open roof covered walkway to another building, a large rotunda structure that housed the main gymnasium. It was a multi-tier structure with multiple facilities, including a massive Weight Room with wall-to-wall mirrors for the narcissist.

Suzaku had never visited the Weight Room, preferring to exercise in his own quarters. He didn't like the glares from some of the other Knights, the look of "You don't belong here!" He was a Knight of the Round, but he also an outcast. He had a reputation and no one wanted to be around him. The word around was he was willing to betray his own people, he wasn't to be trusted. However, since the Emperor brought him into the fold, per Suzaku's own ask, as a reward for bringing Lelouch in, he had become one of the fold, just not one of "them".

Suzaku entered the gymnasium and asked the main desk for assistance. The place was so massive, he had no idea where he had to go. Gino only told him to meet him here.

The male clerk behind the desk flipped through a ledger and confirmed he was expected. Suzaku was asked to sign his name in a spot, it was both for security and to know who was on site. Suzaku saw Gino's name, the child-like signature, and quickly signed his own, legibility.

"Is this your first time here, sir?" asked the clerk.

"Yes, and I admit, I'm a bit overwhelmed. Were there any instructions left for me?"

"Pretending to what, sir?"

Where to go, for one, he thought. But he didn't want to sound green.

Just then, someone called his name from down a large hallway. Gino waved at him, as he approached. He wore a loose fitting white tracksuit, contrast to Suzaku's black sweats, and white runners. He didn't know what to wear, but opted for something comfortable. "You came, good," Gino said and smiled large. "Nice place, huh? Nothing for the best for us Knights!"

"Is this only for the Knights?"

"Yup, the Emperor wants his Knights happy. Come, I'll show you around before we get started."

"Get started? To do, what?"

"You'll see!"

Gino wrapped an arm around Suzaku's shoulders in his usual friendly manner, then lead him around the facilities. He wouldn't take no for an answer. As he showed Suzaku around, Suzaku asked Gino if could program his door voice protocols back to normal. Gino laughed, and agreed.

When the tour ended, which took about twenty minutes or so, Suzaku was awestruck.

"But it's not over until the fat Eleven sings," Gino said. Suzaku frowned. Gino cocked his head. "Oh, still strings, huh? Come on, loosen up, Suzy."

"Please don't call me that," Suzaku asked politely.

Gino laughed. "Sure," he said, and then lead Suzaku to a large boxing ring situated in a room all itself, surrounded by blue floor mats. The walls were lined with banners and awards, some won from Knights who participated in boxing matches in other countries. Gino had even won a few, for Light Heavyweight Boxing matches. Suzaku was shocked, Gino didn't look the type. There was more exercise equipment on the wall, including pulleys and punching bags.

They were alone.

Suzaku found it strange that none of the other Knights were using the facilities. The Black Knights were subdued, Zero had been captured, and most of the other rebel fractions had been crushed. The world was in a time of peace, for once, under the iron rule of Britannia. Why not enjoy the free time and work off some of the stress some battles endure?

He knew he could certainly use a little workout to relieve the stress he was feeling. And no doubt, this was Gino's intention.

Gino climbed three steps and ducked under the top rope, then twirled around the ring with his hands extended out like a dancer. Suzaku joined him inside the ring.

"Time for a little stress relief, Kururugi."

Without waiting for a response, Gino unzipped his jacket and tossed it out of the ring, then yanked down his pants, and threw them over the top rope. He wore a black tank top with matching skin tight shorts, and boxing boots. He then crossed to a corner and picked up some athletic tape that had been placed on a ring post and began wrapping his hands with it.

A young male came out of a hallway adjacent to the place, carrying two sets of red boxing gloves. He entered the ring, and went to Gino.

Is this the surprise Gino hinted at?

Boxing was never his forte. And he always lost, challenged by others in his regiment when in the infantry. But, of course, he wasn't as strong then as he is now.

Suzaku was taken aback. "Are we going to fight?"

The young man slipped on Gino's boxing gloves, trying them up, after Gino had wrapped his hands with tape. After the man was finished, Gino punched his fists together. "Thanks, Perez," he said to the help, "feels good." Then he said to Suzaku, "Yes, and no," Gino replied, ambiguously. "You're not afraid of a little blood, are you, Kururugi?"

And Suzaku's eyes widened.

To be continued...

Is this what Gino had in mind to help him relieve his stress? Suzaku asked himself. A boxing match? And was he joking about it involving blood? He wasn't going to get rough, was he?

Suzaku glanced back at the rewards on the wall.

Gino had not received those accolades for being nice. But this was just a friendly match, Suzaku hoped. They'd both have boxing gloves on, so the padding should suffice to protect. Besides, Suzaku had strong muscles and was quick on his feet. He proved his prowess in both in the infantry and as a soldier under the Britannian flag.

And Gino didn't look the type to have a hard punch.

Perez was not Japanese, but he didn't look like a Britannian either. He was definitely a foreigner, about 5'11, with brown hair, and a thin build. He wore black attire fitting for gym staff. He served the Empire, and was obvious well known to Gino, given their familiarity. He slipped a pair of boxing gloves on Suzaku's hands and tied them up.

"Watch his right cross," the helper cautioned quietly.

Suzaku looked at him bewildered that he just revealed a secret like that. Perez finished up and then left the ring. He jumped down to the floor.

Gino looked at Suzaku eyeing his right glove hand. Gino looked down at Perez. "Telling you some of my secrets, huh?" he said prolifically.

Perez seemed to look elsewhere for the moment.

"No," Suzaku lied. "He just wished me good luck."

Gino laughed, punching his gloves together. "Yeah, sure, right," he said. "I bet he told you to be on the look out for my right cross. That's fine, he likes going behind my back and giving my opponents little advantages. I'll smack him around for it later."

Perez chuckled thinly, as if it was an inside joke, then stepped back a few feet from the ring, as if to get a better view of the impeding match.

"This is for fun, anyhow," Gino added.

For fun? Suzaku thought.

"Oh, and just so you know, you didn't have to come here. But I'm glad you're here."

"But you our rank me," Suzaku said. "You didn't give me much of a choice."

"Sure I did. I just convinced you that you didn't, and you believed me. You're naïve like that. Only grumpy old Bismarck, the Knight of One, has ultimate summoning power, given to him by ol' Charley. The rest of us Knights are equals. Remember that."

"I will, the next time you give me an order," Suzaku said, smartly. And Gino smirked.

"This will be a friendly match," Gino said evenly. "But trust me, it has a purpose. I want you to vent out all that penned up anger you have stored, and use me as a punching bag."

Suzaku looked at his gloves nervously. He had a lot of anger. "On second thought, this is a bad idea, Gino," he said, and lowered his arms. "I'm not going to fight you. You're not my enemy."

"Then pretend I'm someone else." Gino smirked, his eyes glinting under the overhead lighting. "Someone you really want to hurt. Someone who betrayed you, a villainous murderer of the highest order, someone, say…Zero?"

Suzaku's eyes narrowed, but he wasn't going to play Gino's game. "No, you're not him."

"I may not be Zero, but I can be a target for your resentment. Zero stood against the Empire, and the Empire was at fault for Japan's demise, forcing your people to become second class citizens on their own soul. Zero killed Princess Euphemia Li Britannia, and then your turned him in. You're a full fledged member of the Empire now, which makes you a hypocrite. If you think about it, I represent everything that drives you—the hate you hold in your heart, but also the want for redemption for your betrayal. When you look in a mirror, what do you see?"

Suzaku shook his head. "You're wrong," he said. He's trying to get me to admit something. He tried to pull the gloves off. "Forget it, Gino! We're Knights of the Round, allies. We can't—and I won't—engage in a primitive, barbaric sport for fun. I've seen fights in underground arenas between Eleven's. They made me sick to my stomach. I still feel for my people, but there's nothing I can do. The fights serve only to satisfy bloodlust and to promote illegal gambling."

Suzaku couldn't remove the gloves. That was the problem when someone else had control, they made the rules. Only Perez could untie the gloves now. "Perez! Get these off me, now!"

"Perez! Stay where you are!" Gino ordered.

Perez didn't even make a move. His loyal was obviously to Gino. Suzaku knew this had all been a set up. Gino had tricked him in more ways than one.

"Fine, have it your way," Suzaku said, and went to leave.

Suddenly Gino charged him and punched him in the back.

Suzaku let out a painful gasp, his back arched from the hard blow. Gino went so far as to play even dirtier. He wrapped an arm around Suzaku's neck, using his biceps to squeeze his throat and pin him against the ropes. Suzaku gulped for air. Gino held tight.

"Don't give me that sainted attitude, Kururugi," Gino said harshly. "Where was that leniency when you betrayed your friend to the Emperor? Or were you so filled with rage that you didn't care? Love can do strange things. Lelouch murdered Princess Euphemia, his own half-sister, for god's sake! Do you think you're the only one was pissed off about that? Cornelia wants Lelouch's head, but daddy dearest precludes her from taking any recourse."

Gino kneed Suzaku in the back of the legs, forcing Suzaku to collapse to his knees, while still holding his throat, albeit a little looser. Suzaku gasped for air. But he felt an inner strength mounting, one filled with utter hatred for Gino bringing Euphie into the picture.

"Gino! Stop it!" Suzaku choked out, holding his gloves up. But he couldn't break the hold. Suzaku was instantly reminded of the book the Emperor given him. Gino was normally kind and friendly to him, but now he was acting like a different person, the infamous Jekyll and Hyde.

"I'll let you into a secret, Suzaku." Gino's mouth was next to his right ear. "Lady Cornelia wants you dead. She blames you for Princess Euphemia's death, since you and Lelouch are close childhood friends. According to her, you're no friend to the Knights! You helped kill a royal, and someone you cared about, too, to climb the ranks of power, and the Emperor rewarded you. That is so evil beyond compare. I don't know how you can live with yourself?"

Suzaku grit his teeth, his mind filled with fury, "That's not true!" he shouted.

Suddenly, Gino let go, and stepped back a few steps. "Isn't it?"

Suzaku grabbed the middle rope, and coughed, then sucked in a few deep breaths, and coughed twice more. He turned around and eyed Gino with contempt. How dare he use Euphie's death to engage me! He got to his feet and clenched his fists exasperated.

Gino had the most impish smile on his face, then went to back to his corner, where Perez got up, and gave him a squirt of water from a bottle, quenching a thirst. "I think you're ready now, Suzaku," Gino said seriously, punching his fists together. "Your guard is always up, you need to feel your emotions, let them flow free. Now you're an open book."

"This was only supposed to be a friendly match!"

"This match is my birthday present to you. Call it therapy for the soul. If you allow anger to fester, I'll consumes you. Let it go. Embrace your anger. You'll feel better."

Suzaku's hands shook and his body quivered, he was seethed anger. All he wanted right now was to leave, get into a Knightmare Frame, shut himself away from everyone, and then shout at the top of his lungs. He wanted to be—forgiven!

But was Gino right? Had he caused the events that unfolded in Euphie's death?

Suzaku looked behind Gino at a full wall mirror and he could see his own reflection staring back at him, slightly distorted, like a Hyde character. I hate you…I hate you!…I HATE YOU!

He knew Gino wouldn't let him leave. And with this much white, hot anger, inside him, he could probably, and easily, take him down. He knew what Gino was trying to do.

But he wasn't going to fight. Gino was not his enemy.

"Forget it, Gino." Suzaku went to the ropes again. "This was a waste of time."

"Suzaku!"

Suddenly, Perez ran around the ring and stood in Suzaku's path, at the foot of the steps, as Suzaku reached beyond the ropes. In his hand he held the water bottle Gino drank from.

"Get out of my way, Perez!" he demanded.

"Don't let him leave, Perez!" Gino ordered.

Perez took the water bottle in both hands and then squinted Suzaku in the face, causing Suzaku to block his face with his gloves. This gave Gino the opportunity he needed to yank Suzaku back into the ring, pulling Suzaku through the middle and top ropes. Suzaku slammed to the mat. Suzaku rolled over, got up, and then took a blind swing at Gino.

He missed.

Suzaku rubbed his eyes from the sting of the water. His vision was blurred. He blinked, but rubbed his arm across to unclear it. It helped, just in time for Gino to connect a wicked right cross to Suzaku's face. And Suzaku went down, his body dropping like a sack of wet cement.

Gino laughed. "Perez did warn you," he said mockingly, as Suzaku groaned. "You should see my rope-a-dope. I have a hard right cross. How do you think I won all those awards?"

Suzaku looked back. And he saw that Gino was looking back at him with intense eyes.

"Suzaku Kururugi," Gino said resolutely. "I don't care that you're knighted, and I don't care how you've charmed your way here, but right here and now, you will fight me!"

"Or else what, Gino?" Suzaku answered with equal resolve, getting to his feet.

Gino produced a villainous smile. He punched his gloves again. "Or I'll request the Emperor to completely erase you from Lelouch's memory," he threatened with a tone that didn't give any doubt that he was serious. "They say a close-knit friendships lasts forever. Normally, I'd tend to agree, but not with Emperor Charles vi Britianna on the throne! People cherish their history, but I'll make sure yours is erased from history. A history I know you hold dear to your heart."

Suzaku's eyes widened. "You wouldn't dare!" Now he felt a full-blown resentment towards Gino. He had the power to do such a thing. "You son-of-a-bitch!"

"If the Emperor believes it will be amusing, he'd do it."

Suzaku was never more angry than what he was now.

"Show me your resolve, give me your all, Suzaku. Show me what you really care about most. Unlock your emotions and break the chains that are holding you back. And if you win, I'll forgot about the whole thing. But if you lose, say good-bye to your everything forever!"

Suzaku slammed his gloves together with enough power to hurt his own hands. "Okay, Gino," he said through the looking glass of asperity. "You'll get your wish. I'll fight you. And for what's been said here, I'm going to knock your lights out!" Suzaku put up his gloves.

Gino smiled, showing healthy teeth. Good dental care was another privilege of being a Britiannian. "That's the ticket!" the Knight of Three said with enthusiasm. "Attack me!"

To be continued...

"Hit me with your best punch, Suzaku," Gino taunted, waving his gloves. Gino was almost giddy with excitement. "But I doubt you'll connect. I'm the Light Heavyweight Championship in my division for a reason. To me, you're nothing but chewing gum. I've also seen some of those Elevens' arena fights, and they fight like pussies. I hope you'll offer me better sport?"

Suzaku clenched his teeth. Gino's taunts were unnecessary. He had already agreed to fight, this was just adding fuel to the fire that burned inside.

But Gino did make Suzaku recall some moments when he was in the infantry. He had had some pretty brutal fights, even with his own regiment, some of which came to hard blows, bordering on blood sport, down and dirty brawls, that his superiors forced upon the Elevens, under threat of death. As Elevens, he had to obey all orders.

He also remembered he had a struggle with a particularly strong willed freedom fighter, who gave him his best fight. Unfortunately, it didn't end well for Suzaku. It didn't lose, but the man escaped after it was realized he would be captured by surrounding military forces.

Suzaku reported back to his superior and was punished for letting the man escape. His superior beat him. It had not been his fault, but to his superior, a Britannian, if an Eleven didn't succeed in his mission, he was guilty of dereliction of duty. Elevens didn't have the same rights as the general populace. They fought in the military to "earn" the right to the basic fundamental rights of everyone else. Why give "dogs" the same rights as humans, one Britannian had said.

And this give Suzaku the drive to change things and to give Elevens more dignity. All his experiences amounted to changing things from within. Sacrifices had to be made, and if he had to crawl around in the mud, bow down to regulations, to eventually climb the ladder, to finally be able to be in a position to change policy, then that was what he had to do.

But as for Gino bringing up Euphie, to stick that knife back into his heart, it was too much.

Gino moved to the right as Suzaku proceeded to the left, and they circled each other like animals, ready to fight in the wild, both ready, and prepared to pounce. Suzaku had a moment of hesitation, and that's when Gino attacked.

A right cross. A left hook. A had jab to the stomach. An upper cut to the chin with brutal force!

Suzaku went down, crashing hard. He lay stunned. And his mind raced with thoughts of bewilderment. Gino was so fast! And his punches were so hard. Gino was going full tilt.

He never expected a guy with such a thin body mass to have such searing power.

Suzaku groaned. And the Knight of Three stood over him like some sort of god, gloves on hips. "You have exactly ten seconds to get your sorry butt up or your forfeit, Suzaku," Gino said.

Ten seconds was the maximum time a referee gave a combatant before count out, Suzaku recalled. It was also referred to as a K.O. (Knock Out). It was one rule in Boxing he never forgot. Back when he fought others in his regiment, he lost some matches by K.O., misjudging his opponent's strength. History repeated itself here.

Staggering to his feet, he fell back into the ropes, slightly disorientated, and then moved into a corner to regain his senses.

Perez around the ring, jumped up, and said, "Sir Kururugi, can you continue?"

Suzaku looked at the other. He gave no reply.

"Never expected that, did you?" Gino smiled, looking bemused. "But answer the man."

Suzaku pushed Perez away from him, a glove in the young man's face. Perez tilted back, his hands waving in the air like he was trying to fly. He reached out for the top rope only to grasp at air and fell back to the floor, his back slamming onto the mats.

"Hey!" Gino pointed with a glove. "That's a fowl!"

"So was squirting me in the face with water," Suzaku spat back. "This makes us even."

Gino laughed heartedly. "I suppose so," he said.

Perez got to his feet, not begrudged, then returned to Gino's side of the ring. Gino said, "Perez, don't interfere again," he ordered, and Perez responded, "Yes, sir."

Suzaku stood up straight, he took two steps forward into the middle of the ring, putting his gloves in the air. "I haven't boxed in a while, and I underestimated you, Gino," he said. "But I'm ready now." Although a quick trounce like that is no excuse.

"Good," Gino said, punching his fists. "Think of this fight similar to that on the battlefield with our Knightmare Frames. Strategy is essential and you must take every advantage to win, exploiting your opponent's weakness to the point they have no hope, and are forced to surrender."

Gino approached the centre of the ring.

Suzaku took a swing at Gino. But Gino ducked, and side-stepped, dodged another, and then lay another right cross to Suzaku's face. He followed up with a mixed bag of punches, both to Suzaku's face and body. And Suzaku dropped to the mat again.

Gino huffed. "C'mon Suzaku, what's wrong with you? You're hesitating! Or has becoming a Knight of the Round made you soft? Don't be afraid to come at me! I initialed this match, so I won't charge you with striking an officer, not like your superior did when you were an infantryman, and after you beat the pants off him. I'm aware of a great deal of your past, Suzaku. He started a fight with you. I told you, we're equals, and I'm trying to help you."

"Help me?" Suzaku spat out a little blood from the corner of his mouth. "Some help!"

Gino's demeanour changed. "I can't help you unless you take the first step. Now, get up!" Gino gave him room, and took a couple of steps back. It was a customary gesture to all downed opponents in sports.

Suzaku rolled tiredly, dazed, and lifted himself to his hands and knees. Sweat dripped from his face. He felt the hurt in his face and body and it was slowing him down.

"What's the matter, Suzaku? Is Lelouch not worth fighting for? Is he not enough motivation?"

"Enough Gino," Suzaku said, sensing Gino's sardonic tone. But, he was right.

"Then how about Princess Euphemia? Was her death in vein?"

Suzaku's strength returned and he stared hard at Gino. "Don't go there, Gino. You know how much Euphie meant to me."

"You were her chosen knight. She trusted you, relied on you to keep her safe, and you failed her. How can anyone ever trust you? And you wonder why the other Knight's don't like you."

"Shut-up, Gino! Just, shut the hell up!" he said, between clenched teeth.

Gino chuckled in such a way that is disturbed Suzaku. "Looks like I struck a nerve. Well, here's food for thought. I never believed the Administrative Zone of Japan had a chance. Even the Emperor thought so, and he had plans to sabotage it just in case. And by Lelouch's actions, so did he. Princess Euphemia was a fool to believe in it, and it got her killed."

"You take that back Gino, right now!" And a wave of fury engulfed Suzaku, one he had not felt since confronting Lelouch in that cave, whereas he captured him. "How dare you say such a thing!"

Gino smiled. "Feel your anger. Now, come at me with it!" He extended his arms wide. "Strike me down! I'll even give you a free shot. The real match starts now."

Tears begin to roll down Suzaku's cheeks from both anger and hurt from Gino's words.

He thought he had found a friend who he could confine in, even trust, a Britannian who had acknowledged the importance of friendship with an Eleven other than Lelouch. But it was a lie. Gino showed his true colours. And he had dishonoured Euphie. It was an unforgivable offence.

Suzaku lunged, striking out with unbridled rage, delivering one devastating blow after another to Gino, as if possessed. And he felt nothing could stop him. All he felt was hate.

Within seconds, Gino went down. He hit the mat hard. And this time, Suzaku was the one standing victor. He wanted to continue to hurt Gino more, beat him to within an inch of his life for what he had said. But he didn't. And he took a couple of steps back in respect for the rules.

"Master Gino!" Perez gasped out.

Gino waved the boy off.

Looking down with hurtful eyes, Suzaku had no sympathy for Gino.

Gino laughed behind his beaten face. "Good boy, Suzaku," he said, smiling. "You did it. Do you feel better? Do you want to pummel me some more?"

Suzaku staggered back, dumbfounded by Gino's response. "What do you mean? Why did you say such hurtful things? Did you mean them?"

Gino sat up, slowly, cringing. "Shall I tell you a lie? Despite knowing you only for a short time, I consider you a friend," he said. "I wanted a steadfast, honest reaction out of you, and saying those things was the only way to get that." Gino felt his chin. Suzaku had really let him have it. By this time tomorrow, he knew, Gino's face will be black and blue. "Ow! Those were some hard punches." Gino winced. "I really felt your anger."

"Sorry," Suzaku said, extending a hand out and helping Gino to his feet.

"No need to apologize," Gino said, getting his balance. "When I see you with the other Knights, I know you're putting up a brave face when they start talking about Lelouch and the Black Knights. Mocking them is like mocking you. I can see it in your eyes how much they hurt you. No wonder you seek solace elsewhere, like the conference room. In the hallway, just before I found you, I ran into Bismarck who asked me to give you the gift—from the Emperor."

"Nothing could be further from the truth, Gino," Suzaku admitted, his anger fading away. "And I did notice you didn't join in their conversions when they mock me. Thank you."

"Because I know how you feel about Lelouch. And I hate all your self-loathing. I knew if you didn't vent, you were going to explode on the wrong person. I didn't want that to happen." He extended to the ring. "This is why we're here. I hope you're enjoying your birthday gift. Ow!"

Suzaku actually chuckled.

"I'll tell you a story," Gino continued. "Remember that friend I told you about earlier. Well, just before he went out to battle, we had a heated argument, and over a girl, no doubt. I told him we'd discuss it when he got back. But he never returned, he died. And I've regretted what I said to him since then. I told him I hated him. I don't want that for you. No one should live with hate in their heart. And I don't think Princess Euphemia would want that either. Sorry for what I said."

"Apology accepted. And I'm sorry for your loss."

Perez helped Gino remove his gloves, doing the same for Suzaku. "Okay, change of subject," Gino said. "So what was that gift from the Emperor? I was only asked to deliver it."

"It was a book, but one I've already read: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde."

"The title sounds interesting. What's it about?"

And Suzaku told him.

Gino frowned, and then his mouth twisted to a position of disgust. "Heartless, utterly heartless! Even I find that gift in bad taste considering the history between you and Lelouch. It's not hard to see a comparison." Gino went to leave the ring, and Suzaku followed. "History is important," he then said, stepping between the second and top ropes. "Knowing who you are and where you've come from eliminates an identity crisis."

"You know, Lelouch said something similar to me years ago when we first met. He also said history is important."

"Lelouch is smart guy. Despite what he did, never forget him. And try to remember the good times. Once he returns to Ashford Academy, you can visit him all you want, if you want."

Suzaku nodded.

He was wrong.

Within this lion's den of Britannia, maybe he did find a friend who accepted and understood him—not as an Eleven or an honorary Britannian, or even a Knight of the Round, but as a fellow human being. This was the way everyone should act towards each other without prejudice. And if they had a little issue, they should help the other out and deal with it head-on.

"I have a suggestion," Gino said. "I think you should rip up that book and blame it on your cat."

Suzaku burst out with boisterous laughter.

"What's so funny, Suzaku?"

And Suzaku told Gino what Arthur had done.

To be continued...

After the boxing match, which wasn't really a match—it was more a lesson in self-worth—Suzaku returned to his quarters, and dropped onto his bed. He huffed out a breath as he spread himself out on the covers, letting the coolness of the blue comforter ease warm, achy muscles.

He was exhausted both physically and mentally. Gino had really put him through the ringer, in all sorts of ways, and he was thankful for his friend for doing so. Truthfully, it was a wonderful birthday gift. He didn't bother to change out of his gym clothes, as he eased off to sleep with a peace of mind he hadn't had felt in weeks.

The next thing he knew, his communicator began beeping with an alert, and he looked at it with sleepy eyes. How long had he been asleep?

He scrolled through the messages, and one of them was about more Eleven escalations in ghettoes, but they were being provoked by the Britannia militia. And he felt tension fill him again.

Just leave them alone, for heaven's sake!

He sat up and yawned, then stretched, and winced from sore muscles. He stood out of bed, and then tripped, slamming his chin onto the floor. "Ow…" He moaned, and looked back to see that it was a cat toy. "Arthur!" He then saw one paw reach out from under the bed, feel for the toy, and pull it under, without even revealing its owner, hiding in shadow.

Suzaku shook his head, amused. And for the first in a while, he laughed.

He stood up and felt his face, winced with the lightest touch. He hurt all over from Gino's punches. Crossing the bedroom to the on-suite bathroom, he looked at his face, bruising had already started, exactly where he had banged his chin. But it was obviously from boxing.

But Gino would never reveal what had happened in the ring, it was a private matter. And knowing Gino, he would probably make up some ridiculous excuse like, "Oh, that clumsy Suzaku. He probably just slipped on one of his cat's toys and banged his chin."

Suzaku laughed at the thought. Not only was it true, it would make the perfect cover.

Suzaku showered and dressed, donning his Knight attire—it took him about thirty minutes. He was just about to snap on his cloak, when he heard the chime of his quarters's door sound. He wasn't expecting anyone, but knowing Gino, he'd probably want to see if his bruising had started. Gino was a hard hitter and just remembering his punches made Suzaku wince.

He answered the door, and was surprised when he found Perez on the other end.

Perez bowed, then raised. "My Lord, please forgive my intrusion," he said politely. "I received permission to enter this wing from my master, Sir Gino Weinberg. I just wished to convey my deep heartfelt apologizes for squirting you in the face with the water bottle. I was told an apology would not be unnecessary, but I was adamant to offer it, nonetheless."

Suzaku sighed. "Apology accepted," he said, agreeing that it was unnecessary. "Please come in, would you like some tea? I don't have to be on duty for another twenty minutes." It was customary in Japanese culture, or had been, to offer a drink to a visitor.

"I'm fine, Sir Knight Kururugi," Perez addressed.

Suzaku stood firm. He put up a finger. "Number #1, it's Suzaku—while alone." He added another finger next to the first. "Number #2, Gino is not your master, so please stop calling him that." And a third finger, all on the same hand. "And, are you a cat person?" Suzaku moved to the side, and Arthur sat behind him, twitching his tail. "Meet Arthur," he said.

Perez blinked at the dark grey feline with black patches on his fur.

"Um…hello?" Perez said, a little taken back, obviously bewildered that anyone would introduce their cat. "Oh, yes, I do recall you had a pet cat." Perez crouched down and extended a hand. "He's cute. Hello, Arthur," Perez addressed Arthur directly.

All of sudden, Arthur cocked his head away, like a diva, and jogged away.

Suzaku gasped. "Arthur!" he chided, watching him retreat to the bedroom. "That was rude!" he added. "I'm sorry, he's not normally like this. He's a good judge of character."

Perez stood up. "That's okay, sir," he said with a thin smile. "I guess, he just doesn't know me. Cats are very sensitive animals, they don't respond as friendly to people like dogs do."

"Still," Suzaku cupped his hips, looking back at Arthur. Then he realized he must have sounded crazy acting as of cat had the aptitude of a human. His face flushed a little, as he looked back, and smiled at Perez with embarrassment. "Let's just say Arthur is unique in his own way. I'll be right back." And Suzaku left for the bedroom. He was determined to bring Arthur back.

The moment he had met Perez, he didn't think much of the young man. He was a friend of Gino's, a helper, so he allowed a certain latitude with the association. When he had prevented Suzaku from leaving the boxing ring, Perez's alliance with Gino was secured, and he immediately disliked the guy. Now, here, after that apology, all was squared.

"Arthur! Get back here," Suzaku demanded, as he chased the cat around the bed. But it appeared to be playtime and Arthur ran under, around, and then jumped on the bed, as Suzaku attempted to snatch him, bolting by every grasp. Suzaku kept missing him by inches. "Arthur! I don't have time for this right now. I'm on duty soon. We can play later."

Suzaku could just see Gino laughing in his head, being beaten by a cat. When he first moved into Knight Headquarters, Suzaku was told animals were not allowed. But Gino stood up and declared that Arthur was welcome, saying, "If the rest of you animals can live here, so can Arthur." It was a bold statement and it stirred the ire of some of the other Knights, but ultimately he was allowed to being Arthur in provided he behave himself. So far, there had been no issues.

Suzaku lunged for him on the bed. Arthur leapt away, and jumped onto a nightstand, and knocked over a lamp, accidentally, of course, the shade snapping off when it hit the floor. The fixture's lightbulb, however, was undamaged, thank god. Suzaku didn't need glass everywhere. "Arthur, stop fooling around! I know I've been neglecting you a lately, but now's not the time to get back at me. I have a guest, and you were very rude to him."

Arthur leapt high onto a tall, wooden clothes closet, where Suzaku hung up his best clothes. There was just enough room for Arthur to jump up and stay away from Suzaku's grasp. And the moment Suzaku reached up, Arthur swiped at his hand with claws extended.

"Ow!" Suzaku voiced, holding his hand. But he knew Arthur was only playing, in his own way.

"My Lord," Perez said from the other room, "is everything all right in here?"

Suzaku took his attention away from Arthur for a moment. "Everything is fine, Perez," he replied. "Just having a little disagreement with Arthur," he added. Then he realized how foolish that sounded. To most people, animals were just pets. Suzaku, instead, saw a companion.

He looked at his hand where Arthur had scratched him, it was bleeding. But it was just a flesh wound. This was nothing compared to some of the injuries he got while an infantryman, or even piloting Lancelot, when he fought the Black Knights. It still stung like heck.

He licked his wound, sucking the blood, then looked back up, and saw Arthur looking down at him. The cat meowed, almost apologetically. Suzaku opened his arms in forgiveness and Arthur jumped down, Suzaku catching him. He then set the cat on the bed. Arthur sniffed his wound. And, bizarrely, sneezed. Suzaku pulled back, now with his hand covered with cat snot.

"Arthur," he said, then sighed. He went into the bathroom to wash up. "I don't know what possessed you to just walk away from Perez like that, but I would like you to apologize, okay?" Suzaku returned to the bedroom, but he found Arthur had disappeared.

He looked around, the cat was no where to be seen. He sighed again.

Just then, his door chimed again. Suzaku turned, and went to answer it, when Arthur suddenly darted from under the bed, and leapt onto him, causing him to tilt off balance, and fall against his closest closet. The cat bounced off him and landed on the floor.

Suzaku looked at him angrily. "Arthur!" he shouted. "What has gotten into you?" He rubbed the back of his head, a hurt erupted. First his face, now the back of his head. "Perez, can you answer that for me? Thank you."

"I will, sir," the other replied back.

Suzaku sighed deeply. "Don't call me 'sir'," he said softly to himself.

All of sudden, he heard a shout, and a yelp.

Suzaku jumped to his feet and raced out of the bedroom, only to see Perez stabbed in the stomach, dropping to the floor, his hands to his stomach, blood oozing out of a wound.

Suzaku looked at the attacker. He was not in uniform, but Suzaku recognized the face.

He was the same guard Suzaku had encountered in the corridor just yesterday that he disciplined for unsoldiery actions. He was dressed all in black, like an assassin.

"You're a dead man, TRAITOR!" he shouted, and then charged, running at Suzaku with utmost fury in his eyes, and his knife raised high.

To be continued...

The assassin flicked blood from the blade as he lunged at Suzaku, streams hit the floor. "You goddamn filthy traitor!" he repeated, adding more to his condemnation.

Suzaku easily side-stepped the man and shoved him away. Unfazed, the man returned, and swiped through the air with the knife with precision attacks, cutting Suzaku's uniform. The man was obviously versed in using the knife, which now Suzaku took as a six inch military grade. It was very sharp with a serrated edge, light gleamed along its metallic surface with every swipe.

Suzaku avoided another swing of the blade, falling into his military defensive training.

The man used the knife with expertise, but he also had a certain randomness to his attacks. He was obviously filled with anger and hatred that it was clouding the weapon's propriety. With a more clear head, the man could easily do a lot of damage than what he was doing.

And Gino's lesson suddenly came back to him like a slap in the face.

Suzaku was this man, before Gino pointed it out. Staring into this man's blood-thirty and erratic eyes was like looking into a mirror, all he wanted was revenge. It was the same Suzaku subjected Lelouch too after Euphie's death, he could think of nothing else.

"You sold out your own kind, aligning yourself with the Empire!" the man proclaimed. "Zero was our saviour, and now he's disappeared. And you probably murdered him!"

If only you knew the truth…

The man charged him, and with some more quick footing, Suzaku avoided getting stabbed within inches of the knife plunging into his mid-section. But it did cut his uniform again. The force of the attack and the near-miss caused the assassin to stagger off balance. He stumbled, then turned back. But when he stood, Suzaku delivered a round-house kick to the man's face, and the assassin twirled in the air, and slammed hard to the floor.

His father owned a dojo, and the Kururugi family was known in some circles as skilled martial artists. Before the invasion of Britannia, the school had nearly fifty certified students. His father was the Prime Minister of Japan, but the school had been established before he got into politics, and then some of his former students began to teach the next generation.

The assassin lay still. But Suzaku knew the man could regain consciousness at any time, so he stomped on the man's knife wielding hand despite no longer holding the weapon, and the man cried out. Suzaku thought he heard a crunch.

The man folded into himself, clutching his hand in. "You bastard! You broke my hand!"

Suzaku cursed the man with a stare, then picked up the knife and looked at it. He recalled his encounter with the man in the corridor, then in a security guard uniform.

The incident was an indicator for tightened security measures.

No wonder the man eyed him with such disdain, playing it back. The man had pissed himself, when he was singled out, potentially caught, wondering if his mission was compromised after too much effort to get where he was.

And now that he thought about it, the man had been assigned the wing where Suzaku lived only a few weeks back. He would've taken better notice if he paid more attention to the guards. He promised he would for now on. He must have infiltrated the ranks with a secret murderous plot.

Suzaku had seen too many to count. The Elevens considered him a traitor. The lengths some of the disenchanted went to—was beyond awe-striking, Suzaku thought.

Suzaku tossed the knife away, well out of the assassins reach. Then, he remembered Perez.

He ran to Perez and knelt down, looking at the young man up and down with sympathy. He had been in the wrong place at the wrong time. If only he had not answered the door. The assassin had struck quickly, and thought Perez was his target. The mistake must have shocked him.

Perez held his stomach, he had lost a lot of blood. He looked pale, almost anemic. He coughed, and a trickle of blood streamed out of the corner of his mouth.

"Perez, stay with me," Suzaku said. "I'll get help."

With swift grab, Perez took hold of Suzaku's arm when he attempted to stand, halting Suzaku. Suzaku took it as a plea for help. "It'll be okay, Perez, I'll be right back, I promise!"

But then Perez gripped tighter with a hidden strength which actually made Suzaku wince.

"Perez, let go of me, I'm going to get you some help."

Suzaku then looked out of the corner of his eye, as the assassin began to stir, clutching his broken hand to his chest. From the look on his face, his fight was not finished. Perez gripped Suzaku's wrist even tighter, and the young man looked at him with an intense, but hurtful stare.

And then a sudden realization took hold, and Suzaku looked at Perez, and then at the assassin. "No…" Suzaku mouthed in disbelief.

The assassin looked around for the knife he brought, but when he didn't find it, he attempted to use something else—a weapon of opportunity.

Suzaku pulled at Perez's grip, finally releasing it, came to a startling truth. He stood on his feet.

Perez didn't come here to apologize, he had come to make sure their target was here, and alone. Perez must have signalled the assassin with some sort of communication device on his person, when Arthur was busy with his antics. Perez had been alone. When the assassin accidentally stabbed Perez when he answered the door, in a moment of strike-first the assassin probably thought their plot had seemingly gone awry. But, obviously, follows of any fraction against the Empire were prepared to lay down their lives for their cause.

The assassin brandished a silver letter opener he found on a work desk, where Suzaku signed all his official papers near the wall, and held it out, his broken hand just a claw now.

And that was when Arthur pounced, jumping on the assassins back. It man startled and twirled around as Arthur bit down on his ear, the man yelped.

It was enough of a distraction and Suzaku charged the man.

Arthur jumped to safety just moments before impact as Suzaku tackled the man to the floor, and they barrel rolled. Suzaku quickly got to his feet as the man held his stomach, in pain, obviously unprepared for the attack. But he haphazardly started to reach out for the letter opener again.

Suzaku grabbed it first and held it to the man's throat, pinning him down. "Who sent you?" he demanded. "How many more of your cell have infiltrated Knight headquarters? But you're—Britannian?"

The man spit in Suzaku's face. Suzaku recoiled, but he kept his weight on the man. Suzaku stabbed the man's good hand, and the man screamed.

"Answer my question, now!"

The man's face contorted with pain. "The RFF!" he sputtered out.

"The RFF? What's that?"

"The Revolutionary Freedom Front! We welcome anyone who opposes the Britannia Empire's rule, like a legion! Zero was our last hope to bring the Empire down to its knees!"

"A legion, for we are many," Suzaku said. "Am I right?"

"Yes, anyone who shares our cause including former members of the Black Knights can join."

So, Lelouch's influence has affected a great many to join fractions against the Empire, even the common citizenry who oppose authorization, Suzaku surmised. They're desperate, just like the Eleven's who later became the Black Knights.

The military still had some of the Black Knight members in jail, executing only a handful to state to the world that the Empire was absolute. But, obviously, there were still some who dared challenge the Empire, albeit in other ways. This man being one of them. And even, Perez. They had gotten this far—even into Knights Headquarters, biding their time.

"Tell me who your leader is, now!"

The man shook his head, then smirked in an almost amused matter despite the muscles of his face tense with pain, involuntary tears streamed from the corners of his eyes. "He's untouchable. And he's too powerful for even you to take him down." The man laughed insanely.

The man suddenly had a bout of inhuman strength and pushed Suzaku off him. Suzaku was taken aback, falling off. The assassin then did the unthinkable. He ran, charged a window, and crashed through it, falling to the cement below.

Suzaku looked down, the man's broken body lay still, a puddle of blood flowing out from underneath. Suzaku was shocked that he would take his own life than expose his comrades.

A loyal guard looked up from below, perplexed.

"Secure the scene, guard!" Suzaku ordered.

The guard saluted, and said, "Yes, Sir Knight!"

How far had the infiltration gone, Suzaku wondered.

After investigators arrived, Suzaku told them everything that had happened. Gino also arrived, and was shocked, and watched as EMTs take Perez's body away in a body bag. He had been totally taken in with Perez for the last year unaware of his true agenda.

Suzaku felt sorry for Gino. He held Arthur, with all the activity in his quarters.

Gino frowned, then slammed a fist into a hand. "Goddamn!" he said. He then directed his attention to a soldier standing near by. He pointed. "I want everyone's credentials checked and double checked in headquarters: all staff, workers, and helpers—everyone!"

"Everyone, sir? Even Britannian's?"

Gino's eyes narrowed. "Are you deaf, soldier? I said EVERYONE! Now, go!"

"Y-yes, Sir Knight!" the soldier snapped at attention, saluted, and then ran out the door.

Suzaku looked at Gino with surprise. It was not like Gino to shout, or be angry. But Suzaku knew Gino was hurt. Perez being a traitor was probably also a deep personal stab to his pride. The way they interacted in the arena was like two close friends.

Gino gulped. "He could've killed me," he said of Perez. "I trusted him."

Whose the naive one now? Suzaku thought to say, but relented. After everything Gino did for him with the boxing match when it came to Lelouch, only to fall prey to the same thing with Perez. There was no need to throw salt into the wound.

"No…" Suzaku said, frowning. "I was their target. The television broadcasts honouring me as a new Knight of the Round, telling everyone that I had taken down Zero…that was their motivation. The Black Knights are defeated, but obviously there are other fractions that don't like the Empire. And to them, I'm the most hated man in the world."

His communicator beeped and he answered it. Of all times, he was called out for a mission.

Gino left without saying another word.

To be continued...

As the convoy of Kightmare Frames made their way back to headquarters, Suzaku remained in quiet contemplation. He would make a report when he was full situated.

Suzaku docked the Lancelot in the large maintenance bay. The front of the Knightmare Frame opened up and Suzaku jumped out. He was met by Lloyd Asplund, who was there to oversee a system's check, it was standard procedure after every operation. He carried in hand a mini-laptop. Lloyd adjusted his glasses, giving the Lancelot a quick once over.

Suzaku unzipped the collar of his suit. He felt hot and sweaty. With his other battle suit, he was a least able to breath despite it being nearly skin tight, but now that he was a Knight of the Round, he had to be dressed properly at all times and it got warm in the cockpit. He would need another shower before the end of the day.

"So, how did it go?" Lloyd asked his own usual enthusiast manner. Lloyd was a noble, an Earl, but he didn't take it seriously. He was a mechanical engineer, developing the Lancelot. "Did you squash more cockroaches wishing to make their home in the walls of the Empire?"

Suzaku frowned.

Lloyd shrugged, yet smiled coyly. "Still a bit sensitive, huh? It was a joke, Suzaku, my boy."

"I laugh when something's funny, Lloyd," Suzaku replied seriously. "The Lancelot performed fine, no issues. Although, I didn't do anything but just stand back and watch."

"Ah, the life of nobility," Lloyd said casually, "for which you now enjoy. Isn't it fun to command others to do the dirty work? You've come a long way to join us 'important' people." Lloyd chuckled, looking down at his laptop.

Lloyd's words struck a major nerve with Suzaku.

Suzaku suddenly felt depressed, but he tried to push back those dark thoughts—how he came a "noble" and the privileges he now enjoyed.

Suzaku turned, and suddenly saw Gino in the bay. He also saw another Knight of the Round with him, dressed in uniform. But Suzaku had had never seen him before.

The Knight was tall, thin framed, with dark hair, as least from within the shadows of the bay, standing next to a docked Knightmare Frame towering over the pair. They were talking. However, Gino seemed to be agitated, as if trying to explain something to the other.

Then, all of sudden, Suzaku heard an accusatory curse, and the other Knight slapped Gino hard across the face. Gino recoiled, holding his face.

Suzaku gasped. "Lloyd! Who the hell is that?" Suzaku demanded, but didn't point.

Lloyd looked up from his computer. "Huh?" He adjusted his glasses, looking in the direction. "Oh, mind your own business, Suzaku," he said. "It's a family matter," he added non-chalet. "You're a new Knight, so you haven't met him before. That is Sir Vincent Glasgow, the Knight of Two, he's been overseas for the past year working on a special project for the Empire. Something to do with bio-science, but it's not my field. He has two doctorates in science and mechanical engineering. He's quite brilliant, but not a like genius like moi." Lloyd chuckled.

"You said it was a family matter?"

"He and the Knight of Three are second cousins, royal blood comes in all shades," Lloyd said, smirking. He was immersed in his computer once again. Suzaku knew if it didn't concern him, Lloyd ignored it. "But, just for reference, he heard what happened in your quarters, with the assassination attempt. Looks like Gino is getting chewed out for his naiveté for getting too close to that foreigner who turned out to be a traitor. He was warned, but Gino thinks he knows best. The Knight of Two arrived while you were out, summoned by Chuck."

Suzaku looked at Lloyd. "Word travels fast," he said surprised.

A technician came over and asked something of Lloyd, and from that moment onward Suzaku was left on his own. No longer required, Suzaku ventured over to Gino, who stood on the spot, as the other walked away. Gino held his face. Glasgow had hit him hard.

Suzaku approached, Gino slouched. It was not Gino's usual vigour. He was normally prideful and stood straight. "You saw?" Suzaku nodded. Gino's eyes dropped. "He's such a jerk. Why did Vinny have to embarrass me like this in front of everyone?"

Suzaku nodded. "I'm sorry," he said, the words coming out his mouth on instinct.

"What are you apologizing for? I was the stupid one." Gino clenched a fist on the same hand he held his face with, lowering it. "Damn it! You're the only one I can really trust around here, Suzaku. I need to unwind." Gino's face seemed to brighten. His eyes gleamed, and he smiled. Cupping Suzaku around the shoulder, he said, "How about you and I go out for some drinks and pick up some girls? Let the others fight themselves into oblivion right now."

"I can't, Gino. I'm still on call for another six hours or so."

"Party pooper!"

Suzaku smiled genuinely. "If they call me, I'll respond. In the meantime, I can spare some time. I'd like to hear what's troubling you, from one friend to another."

And Gino smiled.

---

That evening after he was off-duty, Suzaku returned to his family home. He brought Arthur with him, and investigated the grounds re-construction efforts. It was over 95% complete. The main house and Shrine were finished, and furnished, all that was left were the surrounding grounds, and of course, an upgraded security system that was scheduled to be installed tomorrow.

He opted out of having guards posted everywhere, and neither did he want them on the grounds. He had left alone, and drove himself in a nondescript, inconspicuous land vehicle. He didn't even bring his communicator, putting in for some time off. Gino authorized it.

He smiled, entering the main bedroom, and sat on the bed. It was a kingsized bed. And in that moment, he thought of Euphie, and wished he could have enjoyed this with her. She would have loved it, the entire residence adorned in traditional Japanese style.

Arthur jumped on the bed with him and meowed. He turned to the cat. "You like it here?" Arthur seemed to smile. "Good, because this will be our new home. I'm putting in for a transfer of residence tomorrow. Other than to pick up some items, we won't be going back to the Knights Headquarters. It's roomy and isolated here, and I won't have the glares of the other Knights."

Suzaku reached into his pocket and brought out his ID wallet. Inside was a picture of himself and Euphie on the day they first met. His face was bandaged and he had his sunglasses on. She was the one that decided to take a picture, just for the heck of it. And it was his favourite. They were both smiling and looked happy.

He would have to get a proper frame for it to hang it on a wall—in the bedroom.

"I love you, Euphie, and I always will," he said. He hugged the photograph.

That night, he felt a little nervous. Normally, there was activity at Knights Headquarters, but here, the sounds of crickets were the only noises. It seemed too quiet. It actually made him uneasy. So, he boiled up some warm milk, and the calming enzymes would act like a sedative.

With a tall glass on the night stand next to his bed, he settled in for the evening, pulling the bed sheets up. Arthur was already nestled at his feet, asleep. In his hand was a copy of a book called "The Time Machine", a classic novella written about one hundred and fifty years ago, like the book the Emperor had given him for a gift that Arthur tore up.

Gino had recommended this book. From the title alone, it sounded interesting.

There are certain events in my life I wish I had a time machine for, he thought.

He pushed those thoughts aside because they were depressing and drank down the whole glass of warm milk, then he opened up the book and started to read.

But within minutes he began to douse off, and eventually drifted into a deep, deep sleep.

To be continued...

He felt the coldness of darkness surrounding him and it enveloped him like a welcome friend—one he wished to see for a very long time. Often he wondered what death would feel like and this was as close to it as he came.

But, he wasn't dead. He knew this. He was merely blanketed over with its presence.

And his first awaking thought was…

"Euphie…" he murmured under his breath.

Suzaku awoke to the hard sting of freezing water splashed into his face.

He grunted from the shock, coughed, and shivered from the cold as it saturated his bare skin. He blinked quickly and looked upon his captors who were standing before him, or rather it was two marauders. One man was holding a bucket.

"Wake up, your traitorous dog!" the man demanded. "You can't sleep all day."

The other chuckled next to the water bearer.

Suzaku looked around. One light shone above, bathing him in a circle of illumination, the rest was encompassed in darkness. His captors were masked, hence unidentifiable.

Suzaku expected to be dead.

I remember being shot with a tranquilizer dart, and Hachirou Chika pointing a luger at me, poised for a kill shot, then falling unconscious, and after that—nothing.

"Good, you're awake," said a familiar voice.

Suzaku recognized Hachirou Chika's voice immediately, but didn't see him. He was a disembodied voice within the surrounding darkness. Then the tattooed chest revolutionary emerged, but without his leather jacket on. He was almost naked except for a pair of black speedos. Suzaku could see that Hachirou Chika's dragon tattoo coiled around his entire body, like he surmised. It was of almost admiring artistry coloured in blacks and reds.

Suzaku suspected Hachirou Chika wanted to show him the full tattoo.

"You spared me? Why? I thought you wanted revenge for your brother's death?" Suzaku sat in a wooden chair, his arms bound behind him, wearing only his shorts.

"Most people would be happy, but you sound almost disappointed," said Hachirou curiously.

Suzaku sneered. "Where's Arthur?"

Hachirou stepped closer. "We left him behind. A beloved pet and his master parted. He's a remarkable cat, I must admit. When we were dragging you away, he woke up. There was enough tranquilizer in that dart to knock out five cats. He attacked me and scratched me on the arm." He displayed his left forearm. Three deep claw marks scarred it with dried blood.

"Good," Suzaku said with a devious smile. "I hope you get an infection."

Hachirou chuckled. "I should've just killed him. I know his death would have pained you, but I only shot him with another dart. You should thank me."

Suzaku curled a lip. "Thank you. But you're still going to pay for hurting him."

"Oh, I think you should be more concerned with yourself at the moment." Hachirou spread his arms out. "Look at me. Do you see my tattoo? I wanted you to see it. My brother was a beautiful artist. He enjoyed his artistry, and he was well renown for it in our circles."

Suzaku nodded. "I agree, and he should have stayed one."

"Daisuke snapped when he saw the injustice of Britannia on the Japanese, especially after the massacre at the Administrative Zone of Japan. He wanted to join the Black Knights, but I talked him out of it. Instead, he foolishly did what he did, and paid with it with his life."

"So what do you intend to do to me?" Suzaku stayed strong.

One of the two men with Hachirou stepped away and disappeared into the surrounding darkness, then soon returned, rolling a metal medical tray into the light with a white sheet covering hidden items. The cover was removed. There was a large bowl of ice cubes and an electro-shock stick.

Suzaku's eyes widened. "What are they for?"

Hachirou chuckled. "They are for you."

Hachirou gave a slight jerk of his head, a signal of sorts, and one of his men picked up the bowl of ice cubes. He went to Suzaku.

The man looked down at Suzaku, as Suzaku looked up at him. Then the man pulled open Suzaku's shorts and dumped them in, snapping the elastic band back.

Suzaku hissed from the sudden stinging cold, and flinched as the ice cubes began to numb his nether region. "You sick pervert!"

Hachirou snorted a smirk. "Allow me to explain," as he stepped over to the medical trolley. He picked up the electro-shock stick. "When electricity touches water, it's a shocking experience. You took something very precious away from me, now I will do the same. From this moment on, you will be the last of your lineage. I know you are the son of former Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi of Japan. It will be the price you pay for the power you have achieved in betraying your people and punishment for the life you stole away, namely my brother."

Hachirou ignited a spark on the electro-shock and a bluish white current danced between the two antenna rods.

Suzaku's eyes opened wide with fear, and he tried to move away, trying to inch the chair back. But it was bolted to the floor. He knew what Hachirou intended to do.

"No, wait! Please don't! It wasn't my fault!" Suzaku said. "I didn't sign the order!"

"It doesn't matter who gave the execution order, the point is he died because of you," Hackirou said defiantly. "As my brother said before he died: 'For Japan!' Get ready to feel justice!"

And Hachirou touched the electro-shock stick to Suzaku's shorts.

Suzaku screamed. It was a horrific, blood-curdling, ear-shattering scream. The ice cubes amplified the electricity, delivering pure agony—a pain he had never felt before.

Hachirou held the stick there for a couple of seconds, then pulled back. Then continued. And did this continuously. Tears rolled down Suzaku's cheeks and cried out for Hachirou to stop, the pain was just so excruciating!

For the first time since receiving Geass instructions from Lelouch to live at all costs, he truly wanted to die. The pain was so unbearable.

But he couldn't, and he was forced to live—and live through the pain he had to!

Hachirou tortured him, then placed the electro-shocked back on the medical trolley.

Suzaku whimpered. "You bastard!" he sobbed out, crying. His entire nether region burned with fire. He looked up at Hachirou with bloodshot eyes, and he actually felt the power of Geass surging through his body—telling him above all else to continue to live!

Damn you, Lelouch!

Hachirou leaned in and then asked, "While you may not have signed my brother's death warrant, you will suffer again and again for the consequences of the action." He straightened up. "But I doubt if you die the others of your fold will even care. They hate you, just like your own people do. You are a person without a home, unwelcome in both camps."

Suzaku's head slumped slightly. He knew this too well.

"So, then I'll ask you once. Just for the sake of it," Hachirou said. "Who signed the warrant?"

Suzaku knew if Hachirou knew that information then he would go after Anya Alstreim, the Knight of Six, and he couldn't let that happen. "Go to hell!" he spat out.

"Defiant to the last," Hachirou said, almost amused. "I expected nothing less."

"For someone whose name means 'wisdom', you're a very stupid person," Suzaku belittled. "Once the rest of the Knights hear about this, they'll hunt you all down feverishly and kill every one of you revolutionaries! If you're going to kill, then get it over with!"

"And when did I ever say I was going to kill you?"

Suzaku's brow folded. "But—"

"Again, you almost sound disappointed." Hachirou laughed. "I wonder, whatever happened to make you wish for death? Your father died when you were young, maybe that's it? Or perhaps it's the fact your dear princess, for whom you were knighted to protect, was killed by Zero on national television right in front of your eyes? That must have scarred your pride." The tattooed revolutionary leaned in closer, eye-to-eye. "Something in your eyes is tells me you hide a secret and I'm willing to do what it takes to get it out of you."

Suzaku clenched his teeth, using his pain as strength. "I'm going to kill you, Hachirou Chika!"

Hachirou Chika stood up straight. "Maybe, but before then I'm going to hurt you, and keep hurting you. Just like you did me." Hachirou picked up the electro-shock stick again.

Suzaku prepared for pain. "I swear. I will survive this!"

Hachirou smirked. "You might, but there are worse things than death, Sir Knight!"

Hachirou was just about to use the electro-shock stick, when a metallic canister rolled out from the darkness. It hit one wheel of the trolley and then exploded with a plume of smoke.

It was tear gas.

Suzaku coughed as the smoke filled the area, and his vision became blurred. With squinted eyes, within the smoke, he thought he saw a dark shadowy figure, assaulting Hachirou and his men. He heard grunts, and the sounds of impact, either from punches of kicks.

Eventually all was silent.

The shadowy figure came into view and placed an oxygen breather with a small canister attached to the bottom to Suzaku's mouth and Suzaku breathed in deep. But he also detected something else within the mixture, the slight hint of a sedative.

He looked at his mysterious rescuer and saw the mask of Zero.

But how could this be? Lelouch is still looked up.

"Who...are…you?" he slowly stammered out.

The impostor began to unmask and he set his eyes upon the face of Zero dreamily, tears in his eyes. The sedative was beginning to take effect and the once scourge of Britannia was bathed in an almost angelic hue by the overhead light.

Suzaku cried. Despite his friend's wrongs, he was very glad to see him.

Zero put a hand on Suzaku's shoulder, assuredly. "Everything's all right now, Suzaku. They can't hurt you anymore."

"Lelouch..." Suzaku said softly, smiling.

It was then that the sedative took full effect, and he fell into a deep unconsciousness. His head dropped to his chest, as darkness took him.

To be continued...

Suzaku opened his eyes with concurrent periods of awareness over the next three days.

When he was finally fully cognitive, he found himself in a private medical hospital room, laying in a bed with white sheets, and an IV tube in his left arm.

There was a moment he gave into a nurse, ordered to give him a sponge bath, and with his muscles atrophied, bed ridden for the last few days, he didn't have the strength to refuse.

The nurse smiled at him and even blushed as she washed him down. So did he. But he let her to her job. He even thanked her after it was over. It was the proper thing to do, he considered.

Later, he was updated with militant news on his phone through text messages and even learned that another attempt had been made to brainwash Lelouch. But for some reason there had been complications, and now the Knight of Two, Vincent Glasgow, was overseeing a project referred to as CBT, or Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, by the Emperor's decry.

Geass was a powerful thing, but was it limited in his scope? Suzaku didn't know. All he knew was Lelouch had used it on him and now it controlled his life.

The last time he had seen Lelouch was in his prison cell via a CCTV link, but he wondered if the next time he saw his old friend would be back at Ashford Academy. That was the plan, after all. To return Lelouch back to where he was before Zero and the Black Knights.

And yet, Suzaku struggled with his memories.

Had Zero saved him? Or had it just been a hallucination brought on from the pain he was suffering at the moment? Nevertheless, he mentally thanked the mysterious "Zero". He would dwell further into it at a later time. Right now, he needed to relax, and recover.

The same nurse returned with a meal tray. Suzaku blushed. But the nurse acted professionally. She had light hair and was very pretty. And much like before during his sponge bath, although he tried to hide looking, he noticed again how ample framed she was at the chest.

She put the tray on a table stand next to his bed. She lifted the tray lid and recited the contents of his lunch. And then said, "Forgive us, Sir Kururugi, but an envelope was misplaced and it was only found now," she looked over to a large stuffed cat toy at his bedside that looked suspiciously like Arthur, "and I suspect it may have come with that."

He had noticed the large gift earlier and wondered about it.

He looked at the nurse for a moment, his eyes wondering again to her chest, and noticed her name tag: Charlene Chapman.

"Thank you," he said.

When she left, he opened the envelope. The card read:

"I'm taking care of Arthur until you're better, buddy. He's well, and waiting for you. Oh, and I ordered a high tech security system for your house, my gift. I'm an Aristocrat, money grows on trees for me. I'll be installed before you get back—Get well, Love Gino."

Suzaku rolled his eyes when he read the last part of the card. Gino was always affectionate, maybe a little too much. But any one who would go out of their way to arrange a boxing match to help another's emotional turmoil was a good friend in Suzaku's book.

A doctor entered Suzaku's room carrying a computer pad. He was an older gentleman with glasses and white hair, wearing a white lab coat. "Good morning, Sir Kururugi," the physician said. "I'm Dr. Reinhardt."

"Morning doctor," Suzaku replied, in good spirits.

"How are you feeling? You've been in and out for the last three days."

"As good as one can be in my situation, doctor." Suzaku decided to eat.

"Of course," the doctor said, tapping something on his computer pad. "You went through a horrific ordeal, but I hear the culprit was caught. I hear the man who assaulted you was Japanese, the brother of a man who was executed not long ago."

Suzaku didn't reply.

"You mean you hadn't heard?"

Suzaku shook his head. "I've had no visitors or dispatches as of such," he said.

"Well, that's your business." The doctor shrugged. "Sadly, I'm here on another matter."

The doctor looked uneasy for a moment. He took a deep breath. And then affirmed Suzaku's worst fear. He explained the hospital's findings when Suzaku was examined.

Suzaku sighed deeply. "Thank you doctor for being honest with me."

"This person really hurt you, Sir Kururugi. We don't know yet if it's irreversible, only time will tell. However, we can try therapy. In situations like this, a good psychotherapist is recommended."

At that moment, Gino walked into the room, and in his arms was Arthur. Gino smiled, as Arthur leapt free and jumped onto the bed. Arthur meowed a happy hello to Suzaku, and Suzaku pet the feline on the head with a smile, happy to see him. The doctor protested, no animals were allowed in the hospital. But Gino gave him the most wicked stare and the doctor dropped it.

"Hey Suzaku, how are you doing?" asked Gino.

There was an eerie silence, then the doctor said, "I'll come back later."

Gino watched the doctor leave, then turned back to Suzaku. "Did I say something wrong?"

Suzaku sighed deeply. Then told Gino what the doctor had explained to him.

Gino was outraged, and he stood with clenched fists at his sides. Suzaku had never seen him so angry. "If you won't sign that bastard's death warrant, then I will!"

"Hachirou Chika said that I'd be the last of my lineage. I do have a cousin, but she and I haven't spoken in years." Arthur appeared to look at him sadly, then meowed sombrely, as if sensing his master's despair. "And yet, why do I feel like I deserve this?"

"No one deserves what this sicko did to you. He took away your ability to have children, for God's sake! For a man not being able to sire a son, well, that's inhuman!"

"Settle down, Gino. The doctor says it might be reversible," Suzaku said calmly. "And everything still works in the usual fashion. I think?"

"Get real, Suzaku. This stuff can never be fixed. You should be mad as hell. Remember what I told you about bottling up your feelings. Get angry, for Christ's sake!"

Suzaku leaned back in bed, sighed. He really did think he deserved this punishment as a form of repentance. "Hachirou Chika said it was the price I'd pay for my actions against my own people," he said, "and for the murder of his brother."

Gino shook his head. "You're wrong, Suzaku. You haven't done anything wrong. Daisuke Chika tried to kill you and he was punished for it. No one should be punished for their achievements, especially you. You're a hero, Hachirou Chika is the villain. At present he's in a maximum detection centre. I'll have his death warrant sent over so you can sign it."

"I won't condemn him to death," Suzaku said flatly.

"Why? Because he's Japanese? He tried to kill you!"

"No, he said he wasn't going to. He only wanted to hurt me, so I would share in his loss. I lost Euphie, so I know how he feels. He seemed a little dumbfounded when I told him I didn't sigh his brother's death warrant. He asked who, but I never told him."

"Anya signed it, and you did the right thing not telling Hachirou, or he would've gone after her."

Suzaku nodded. "I'm conflicted, Gino. Hachirou Chika needs to pay for what he's done, but..."

"Stop being so soft! You wager too much on your emotions."

"Sometimes they can be your best asset."

Arthur then saw the large cat toy that looked like him and hissed at it, he swiped a clawed paw at it, and then turned around, facing away, and laid down on the sheets as far as possible from it. Suzaku chuckled under his breath.

"And sometimes, they'll get yourself killed." Gino retorted angrily. Gino sat down in a chair.

Suzaku felt his eyes began to tear up. "It hurts, Gino. You have no idea how much it hurts. And I'm not just talking about what Hachirou Chika did to me."

Gino sighed sympathetically. "I get it. You miss, Princess Euphemia. We all do. Lelouch did a horrible thing and there are still questions behind it. But right now, he's being watched closely. He's to be released back to his old school. The Emperor has ordered it after a few more behavioural modifications. But every time it seems to be done, suddenly he's triggered, and he screams out for his sister, and the brainwashing has to be started again. He's a tough guy."

Suzaku agreed.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep? I'll order some warm milk. I know it's your favourite."

Suzaku wiped tears from his eyes with his hospital gown. "Thanks. But there's still one mystery I need solved before I can rest easy."

"And what's that?" asked Gino.

"How did you find me?"

"That's a puzzling question," Gino mused. "I was hoping you could tell me."

Suzaku shook his head. "Zero," was all he said.

"Impossible! Lelouch is no longer a threat. And his costume was burned."

Suzaku explained what he had seen during the last couple of moments before he fell unconscious at the hands of Hachirou Chika.

Gino looked flabbergasted. "You were in pain, and in the smoke, in combination with the sedative, you must have imagined it. A nurse attendant found you on the front steps of the hospital, no one knows how you got there."

"Then who rescued me? How did they find me?"

"It's a mystery that deserves to be solved," remarked Gino. "Oh, by the way, when you were unconscious, I read some of your other cards. Looks like you have a secret admirer." Gino seemed to look around for the card. "Where did it go? It was here when I came in earlier. You were sleeping at the time, but I got a little nosey."

"By the way, thanks for the large cat toy, Gino," Suzaku said, rolling his eyes. "If it were still intact, it would've gone perfectly with the large cat's scratching post at my house."

Gino laughed. "Hey, after I saw what that bastard and his assassins did to your house, after you spent so much money fixing it up, I had to get it replaced." He shrugged. "But, they were out of large cat scratching posts. So, I opted for a giant cat instead. Guess Arthur feels threatened. I gotta admit, Arthur is a very strongly willed cat. But you owe me for a torn couch."

Suzaku chuckled again. "Sure, send me a bill," he said. "About this card?"

Gino looked around the room. The only card he found was the one he sent. "Yeah, it was here. It must've fell, maintenance swept it up, or a nurse threw it away thinking it was trash?" Gino shrugged, then smiled. "I noticed your nurse is nice looking. If it's not too forward, mind if I ask her out? Since she's your nurse, dating you might be a conflict of interest."

Suzaku laughed. "Sure, go ahead," he said. "By the way, who was the lost card from?"

"It was from something named C.C. The handwriting was definitely feminine. I can tell."

Suzaku nodded, but he didn't know a C.C.

---

Charlene Chapman waited until she would not be seen and then entered a storage closet. As a nurse, it would not be unusual for her to get some supplies. But she was not there to retrieve anything, she was there to change. Or rather, affront her disguise.

Another set of clothes had been hidden inside for her to alter her appearance.

When she was dressed, she snuck out and left the hospital, leaving her masquerade as a nurse behind her, and those people who decided to call her by a recent nickname: C.C.

Little did they know, something else, in another time, had referred to her as such. It was a non-de-plume, of course, but it suited her purposes for the agenda she had set in motion. Only, recently, things had come to standstill with Zero captured.

She planned on rectifying that.

To be continued...

A few days later, Suzaku was released from the hospital. Gino told him to take it easy and Suzaku valued that advise. He had to use a cane and he was temporarily taken off active duty until his physical injury could heal. But he knew he would never fully recover.

Several guards were placed on duty around Suzaku's home, per Gino's order. Suzaku didn't like it, but he admitted, he actually felt safer with them roaming the property.

Gino pressed Suzaku to sign the death warrant for Hachirou Chika, but he wouldn't it. On one occasion in the hospital, Suzaku even got so angry that he ripped it up in front of Gino. Of course, it was nothing but a piece of paper and another one could be drawn up. But it was a show of contempt with Gino pressuring him. He had already told Gino his decision.

So, Gino signed it—without Suzaku's consent. It was within his rights as a Knight of the Round. But it would not take effect immediately until Suzaku saw the prisoner one time first. That was a stipulation of the warrant and Gino honoured Suzaku's wishes.

Suzaku took a few days solace, then paid a visit to HQ's detention centre for political prisoners, where Hachirou Chika was being held, awaiting his fate under strict and heavy guard. Allies to the revolution had infiltrated strategic positions in the past and each guard was thoroughly background checked. They were completely loyal to the Empire.

There was a public outcry, and Eleven's demanded Hachirou's release. Protests happened throughout Eleven ghettos, igniting fires, brandishing makeshift weapons, causing riots, and even property damage—whereby military forces were called in and forced to subdue them, some even died. And despite the heavy military presence, Zero never showed his face.

Suzaku figured it had to have been a hallucination, but it still mystified him who came to his rescue. Had he wanted it to be Zero? The savour of the Japanese, the man he betrayed? Still, no one could explain who had saved him, captured Hachirou Chika's gang, called the authorities to his whereabouts, or how Suzaku managed to find himself on the front steps of the hospital that later cared for his injuries. Sometimes, some things did remain a mystery.

It was decided a public execution was not prudent, especially after the public learned of Hachirou's relation to Daisuke Chika. There were inquests to the arrest and questions from people with demands that Suzaku be interrogated for possible hate crimes, purposely targeting the older brother. Guilty by association, it was called, since no one witnessed the attack at his house, or even the assault on him. Everything was assumed with conjecture. The Empire, bias.

Suzaku stood in full uniform looking through the bars of Hachirou Chika's cell. The man sat on his cot, a single cell cage, shackled, and chained to the wall. He asked to be released whenever he needed to use the bathroom and then watched with scrutiny. What Hachirou had done to him had indeed caused irrevocable damage. Any hope of having children had been stolen away.

"Come to gloat, Kururugi?" Hachirou said, sitting on the cot. He smiled, almost amused, not remorseful. "My people are calling me a hero, and I hear you can't sire any traitorous children like yourself. My lawyer says that everything against me is conjecture."

Suzaku merely stared at him, keeping a relatively plain face. But he was angry.

Gino said it was unhealthy to bottle up his emotions, and he would probably need another session in the boxing ring—and Suzaku knew he would need one, but Gino would not want to be on the other end of his punches right now considering how angry he was—but he didn't want to give Hachirou Chika the satisfaction. He kept a straight face.

He banged the cane against the cell bars. "That's right," he said, "you ruined me. But you haven't destroyed my spirit."

But Hachirou Chika laughed. "I'll die a martyr and Eleven's will hate you even more," he taunted. "They'll be more attacks, my death will only embolden others."

"I'm afraid death will be the least of your worries," Suzaku said ambiguously. "I've decided to sign a state of execution, so be happy that you're not going to die. A friend of mine was furious when he found out, but I have something else in mind for you. I wish to thank you. You showed me there are other ways to punish someone for their transgressions."

Hachirou tilted his head but didn't say a word.

"What is worse that dying?" Suzaku put a thoughtful hand to his chin. "The very depths of survival is pushing past indignity and to determine self-worth, is it not? I may have betrayed my people, and I fully admit this, but there is a reason behind every cause."

"You're not making any sense."

"I don't have to," Suzaku said, "not to you." He gripped a bar to the cell and stared at the prisoner. "In doing what you've done, you indeed have given me a very special gift—the gift of resolution. You've taught me a lesson, and one I won't soon forget. But it has also make me stronger in my goals. And I intend to follow through in them."

Again, Hachirou Chika was confused. But Suzaku waved him off before he could say anything. "You don't have to understand, and frankly, you're not-worth to know what I mean. Just know, you are the type of people I'm fighting against. You are pure evil. And I'm not referring to the Japanese, I'm talking what the kind of thing that stand for—not freedom, but tyranny."

The prisoner typed to jump forward, but the chains held him back. Suzaku didn't even flinch. "You're the traitor here, not me! You handed over Zero to the Empire!"

"I did so, because he murdered an Empirical Princess, and also caused the slaughter of dozens of people, who just wanted to live their lives under a flag of peace. Zero is the one that betrayed the Elevens, not me. I just stopped him from spreading more lies."

Suzaku cringed with the lie, but he played it out as if it were his injury. Hachirou Chika sat back down when an armed guard pushed a rifle through the bars. Suzaku looked at the guard with a hard stare and the guard retracted the weapon.

He stepped away from the bars, made a turn, then faced Hachirou Chika once more, a few feet from the bars. They stared a hatred between them. "You've forced me to reach deep into the darkest part of my soul to come up with a suitable punishment, worse than death."

Hachirou Chika looked to swallow.

Suzaku looked to the side and a man in a white lab coat joined him who had been out of sight of the prisoner. He carried a computer pad with him. Then two guards entered the cell, grabbed Hachirou, and forcefully stripped him down to his underwear, ripping the prison garb. They held him in place, like some sort of exhibition piece, his dragon tattoo displayed for them to see.

"What do you think, doctor?" Suzaku said.

The doctor entered the cell, surveyed Hachirou, walking around him, looking at his body. He rubbed his chin, musing, nodding. "A very nice piece of artistry. Admittedly, Daisuke Chika could have been a recognized and notable artist if he wasn't so foolish."

Hachirou folded his brows. "What's going on? What are you doing?"

The doctor stepped back, taking pictures of the tattoo, front and back, with the computer pad, then left the cell. "For propriety," he said.

Suzaku never entered, watching from the outside. "Can it be done, doctor?" he asked.

The doctor nodded. "It's a relatively simple procedure these days, like replacing cartilage or repairing lost bone, without scarring. In fact, I can guarantee no trace will be left."

"What's he talking about?" Hachirou Chika demanded.

Suzaku looked at him, a hint of a sinister smile broached his normally innocent features. "This is Dr. Eckhart," he said, gesturing. "He's a plastic surgeon. Soldiers get injured, so we need doctors on hand to repair the damage; burns, tissue damage, even amputation."

"And why do I need a plastic surgeon?" It was then Hachirou's eyes widened with utter fear, and he started to struggle against the two guards. Without a nod from Suzaku, he was then dragged out of the cell. He faced Suzaku. "No! You can't! It's all I have left of him!"

"You'll have your memories, that should be enough," Suzaku said coldly. "Just think of it as equal justice for what you did to me. I told you I never signed your brother's death warrant, but you insisted on invoking a revenge. Your brother attacked me and he was punished."

Hachirou Chika spat in Suzaku's face. Suzaku wiped it off with a hand.

"I know how you feel about your brother. I feel the same way about someone I cared very deeply for who was killed." He looked at Hachirou Chika with serious eyes. "What you did to me is irreversible. And now, I will return in kind. Take him!" Suzaku ordered.

"No! Please don't!" Hachirou cried, struggling. But the two burly guards were too much for him. "Take anything else, take my life instead! But not that! I thought was so to be executed?"

"You were," Suzaku said back, "but I decided tit-for-tac instead."

"You bastard! Please, don't! Anything else, please!"

But Hachirou Chika's cries fell on deaf ears.

"Death isn't the only way for a person can die," Suzaku said prophetically.

Suddenly, he realized what he was doing was exactly like what the Emperor had done to Lelouch, erasing his memory of those he cherished—namely Nunnally. But instead of chemical memories, this was a physical one. But he would not recant his decision.

Hachirou Chika was taken from the detection centre, kicking and screaming. The doctor followed, looking at his camera photos on the screen.

Alone, tears began to form in Suzaku's eyes involuntarily when he finally realized an absolute fact. He had been indeed become the same as the Emperor.

I've become the very thing I despise most. I killed my father, betrayed my best friend, both for revenge and my ambition. And now this! I am truly a villain. And the worse kind! Did I break the chains of who I am, or have I just replaced them with a new, heavier set?

He followed them out.

To be continued...

This is where Lelouch lived. A favour from the Ashford family—a wealthy and powerful Aristocratic family, who secretly knew of Lelouch's lineage as a prince of Britannia.

Yet now, they had forgotten and something else was inserted in its place, brainwashed with Geass. But whatever the Emperor implanted in the Ashford family with Geass still prompted Lelouch to remain at the residence, along with his appointed guardian from the Special Intelligence Service Branch, who replaced Nunnally as Lelouch's sibling.

Suzaku considered it a cruelty joke by the Emperor.

The appointed guardian was assigned to be Lelouch's brother, replacing Lelouch's sister Nunnally, for whom the Emperor stole from Lelouch's memory. It was a punishment for Lelouch's rebellious insurrection against Britannia in being the terrorist leader Zero.

The dossier Suzaku read on the appointed guardian had his name as Rolo Lamperouge, but his last name was just subterfuge for his cover. His real name was unknown, or highly classified.

As an operative of the SISB, Rolo was a trained killer, skilled in a variety of weaponry, explosives, poisons and other deadly devices. He was also bred with the power of an unusual form of Geass from age six: the ability to freeze time for a limited amount of time. It's one weakness stopped his heart. It was potentially a fatal flaw that could contribute to an abnormal heart rhythm and ultimately lead to his demise. But the Emperor didn't care.

And Rolo wasn't the only one with unusual Geass powers. There was a colony of children stationed in a top secret location from where Rolo originated, each with a unique form of Geass, who were now being trained to utilize their powers for future use—for the Empire.

It was but one of many of the Emperor's pet projects. And Suzaku wagered once Rolo had out lived his usefulness, he'd be disposed of like trash.

Rolo was an elite soldier. He was young, but his expertise was diversified, especially when it came to cloak and dagger missions. And after countless assignments and all of them successful, he held special merit as one of the Emperor's favourites.

This mission was his most important one to date. Watch Lelouch, pretend to be his younger brother, but if he gets his memory back—kill him. These were Rolo's prime orders, Suzaku recalled. And it came directly from the Emperor. It was an imperative move, after that incident with the Knight of Two a month back.*

Suzaku didn't agree with the Emperor on some things, but he obeyed His Highness nonetheless and kept his opinions to himself. But he began disgusted by Britannian politics more each day.

As a Knight of the Round, the Emperor's elitist guard, Suzaku was compiled to obey the Emperor's orders. If he wanted to continue to stay as one, he would have to carry out anything the Emperor wanted. And if that meant one day killing his best friend Lelouch, someone he had known longer than anyone he was presently acquainted with, then he would have to, to keep the peace Britannia now shared despite under the iron fist of Britannia!

I am a villain, after all.

The lights were out in the mansion. He had informed Rolo that he would making a special trip this night to check up on Lelouch. However, Lelouch was very resourceful. If he did regain his memory, Rolo wouldn't be privy to his tricks so easily. Lelouch had fooled everyone before.

Lelouch could find a way to get around Rolo, he thought. I know Lelouch better than anyone, and once I look into his eyes, I'll be able to tell if he's lying. However, if so, how did Lelouch know where I was being held to rescue me?

There was an air of mystery still surrounding the Hachirou Chika incident.

Suzaku shook his head. He told himself to forget it. He was hallucinating under torture.

Suzaku wore a student uniform, he was ordered to return back to school, and keep an eye of Lelouch. It had been a while since he had returned, and over a month since the Hachirou Chika incident, but not long since Vincent Glasgow, the Knight of Two, blindsided everyone, and tried to use Lelouch for his own nefarious purposes.

Things had to look normal, like that had before the entire Zero affair. And Suzaku had to push his guilt way down. Suzaku knew he could reveal too much, his face was like an open book. But since becoming a Knight of the Round, he had learned to hide a lot.

The front door opened, and out stepped a small kid about fifteen. He had brown hair and was thin, even for his age. He looked like any other innocent, shy teenager in school.

Suzaku disliked him immediately, he was a fraud. It wasn't a personal hate, more disdain for what Rolo represented. He was replacing a sweet, innocent girl, in his best friend's heart. Lelouch loved Nunnally more than life itself.

I love Nunnally. She's one of my best friends. Damn the Emperor!

Rolo shut the door quietly behind him and walked out to the courtyard. It was dark, save for a dim bathing of moonlight through a whisper of cloud cover.

Rolo gave a slight bow when he reached Suzaku. "Greetings, my lord. As I said to you over the phone, Lelouch is not Zero, not any longer. I've watched him very closely."

"Where is he now?" Suzaku demanded.

"Sleeping," Rolo replied. "He's had an exhausting day."

Rolo went through Lelouch's itinerary, reading it off a computerized daily planner than he borrowed. But he didn't get far.

Suzaku snatched it from him, scrolling through it quickly.

He read through the entire day. Lelouch was meticulous in his daily activities, but he noticed a slight discrepancy. Each completed activity had a green check mark next to it except for—

"What happened here?" he asked, showing Rolo. "You never told me about this hour."

"Oh, that was when Lelouch got injured and hurt his knee, he had to visit the nurse. He missed PE that day, but he's okay now. That's why it's not checked off. It was incomplete."

Suzaku scowled. "This is important, you fool. And I see, he's missed other PE classes. Why?"

Rolo appeared to swallow nervously. "He doesn't like physical activities, he's more of a thinker. But I can vouch for his whereabouts each time. He was, well, gambling."

"Lelouch likes to gamble?"

"He says it offsets boredom. He has a very analytical mind, it's common with people with his personality traits. He likes the challenge and he never loses. He's an excellent chess player."

Suzaku shoved the daily planner back to Rolo. He didn't know this about Lelouch. He'd have to remember it later to add to his daily report to HQ.

Rolo took a step back. He looked taken back by Suzaku's abruptness. "My lord, have I done something to offend you?" he asked, slightly skittish at the moment.

Suzaku eyed him harshly. He could see agitation in the kid's eyes. The Knight of the Round were second only to the Emperor and they were psychologically feared.

Despite Rolo possessing Geass, he wouldn't dare use it on me. But of course, with his strange Geass, I wouldn't know it if he did, would I?

"Just take me to Lelouch," he demanded. "I want to see him."

"Of course," said Rolo. "He's sleeping. We should be quiet, so not to wake the others."

Suzaku said nothing, only thrust his chin out to order Rolo forward. He followed Rolo through the mansion, up a majestic flight of stairs, down a long, picturesque hallway, and eventually arrived at Lelouch's private room behind a decorative framed door. Suzaku was impressed by the residence, and the walk helped cool his ire for the situation mildly.

Rolo went to open the door, but Suzaku put out an arm. "I'll go in by myself," he said quietly.

Rolo nodded and stood back. "Yes, my lord," he said with a bow.

Suzaku opened the door and went quietly to Lelouch's bed. It was dark, but his eyes soon became accustomed to it. He looked over to the four posted bed with someone sleeping under the sheets. But something didn't look right. He yanked them back, throwing them to the floor.

Gritting his teeth with anger, he snapped back at Rolo, who was standing outside the hall, peaking through the door. "He's not here, find him! Now!" Suzaku ordered.

"You won't find him," said a female voice.

Suzaku turned his attention to a darkened portion of the room.

"He's not here," the voice continued. "He went…gambling." A small chuckle. The woman stepped out into the open, her long green hair almost angelic in nature when cast with moonlight from the window. She wore a skin tight white jump suit.

Suzaku went for his pistol that was in his school uniform jacket, but Rolo stopped him. "No, my lord!" the boy said. "She's…a familiar."

Suzaku eyed him. "A familiar, like a Geass user?" Suzaku lowered his gun. He thought he should remember her, but for some reason his memories were foggy. "Fine," he added, putting his pistol away. Does Lelouch have his memories back? He wanted to ask, but didn't have the chance.

"He went gambling, you say?" Rolo directed the question to her. "And without me?"

"You were smothering him like a mother hen," the woman said. "But has no true bond with you. His memories of his sister Nunnally have been altered, and you, Rolo, put in her place. How do I know this? You guessed correct, Suzaku, I'm a Geass user, and I have been following the 'Zero' around for a while, and know so many secrets. You may call me C2."

That name sounds familiar, Suzaku thought, crawling deep into his memories to find it. But it was lost, and he didn't know why.

"But you and I have met before, Suzaku," C2 said. "However, you memories have been altered to forget me. It was necessary to protect the Project for which Rolo is a part. But now that you are aware of the Project, those memories will surface again. The mind if a funny thing, it can remember even when hit with selective amnesia. The Emperor isn't infallible, being human."

Suzaku looked at Rolo, but the other shook his head. "Geass isn't perfect," he admitted.

"And you, Suzaku, have grown very angry as of late," C2 said. "You're are no longer the innocent, caring, sympathetic, giving person I've come to observe. Perhaps another boxing match with your friend Gino is in order?"

Suzaku gasped. "How the hell do you know about that?"

"I can travel between this world and C's World, and can manifest myself in many different forms. I was an unknown caretaker at the gym, and I saw you get your brains clocked in the ring, as I stood in the shadows. There's much to know about Geass." She gave a brief glance to Rolo. "I'm sure your superior's have mentioned this?"

"Yes, they did. The unlimited potential of Geass has yet to be tapped."

"Shut up," Suzaku ordered, shoving Rolo aside. "Tell me where Lelouch is, right now!"

"My lord," Rolo said.

"Why do you refer to him in such a patrician manner?" C2 said to Rolo. "He's inferior to you. You can kill him in an instant with your Geass."

"I chose not to kill unless absolutely necessary, or unless ordered to," replied Rolo. "And regardless of his attitude towards me, I consider him an invaluable ally."

"Ally?" asked Suzaku.

Rolo nodded. "As long as the Knights are around, the experiments can continue without revolutionaries like Zero trying to stop us. You are our protections in that rite. We can find the truth about Geass and all its incumbent facets. With C2's admission, my theories on Geass have merit. There has to be more out there than being someone else's pawn."

"You're very wise," said C2. "Perhaps someday I'll show you these wonders of Geass you seek."

"Forget about theories," Suzaku said firmly. "Just do your job. We must find Lelouch! Now!"

"You don't hear very well, do you," C2 said to Suzaku. "Lelouch is gambling, somewhere across town. Even I don't know precisely where. But I did overhear him speaking with a friend from school about it today. I disguised myself as a typical student. He snuck away when Rolo left to meet you. He left via the back way. And to answer your question earlier, if his memories have returned, I'm not aware of it. Lelouch and I have a contract, so I would know."

Suzaku wondered if she was lying.

Did C2 give Lelouch his original Geass? Suzaku wanted to arrest her, but he knew it would be futile. It would be best to get more information instead.

"What's this contract?" Rolo wondered.

"Be quiet!" Suzaku snapped an order. "Lelouch, Zero, wants nothing but violence and chaos. I can't allow that to happen ever again."

"You're a fool, Suzaku," said C2. "All Lelouch wants is a world where his sister can live peacefully without the constant threat of violence lurking overhead. It's Britannia who is the aggressor. The Japanese people want peace, too, and that's what Lelouch is/was trying to deliver. Yet you choose to serve, unfavourably, I might add, an Emperor who cares nothing for the plights of his subjects, imprisoning them within a cage of fear, using the Knights of the Round to enforce tyrannical law to force perpetual wars upon anyone who defies his will. The consensus in the Elevens is you're a traitor, Suzaku. Most want you dead."

Suzaku swallowed. "I can't regret my actions now. I'll change Britannia from the inside. I'll show the Royals to respect all life, not just their own. I'll will break the chains that bind everyone."

C2 shook her head. "You're still as naïve as ever, Suzaku," she said, shaking her head with incredulity.

To be continued...