ght would warrant exploration at some point in time.

"Why do you ask?" he asked, legitimately curious.

Kallen looked down, tears beginning to form in her eyes, tears she was trying to hide but Lelouch could see them despite her attempt.

"My...my mother," she said. "When my brother Naoto died she was heartbroken. But one day, she had found my head band and plans for a bomb we were going to build at one point to use against the Britannian military. When she found out I was also a freedom fighter, she became hysterical. She found the pouch my knife was in, the one my brother had made for me, and she tried to kill me with it."

Lelouch gasped in true surprise.

"I had been able to disarm her and bind her hands," said Kallen. "My father had her sent to a mental hospital. My step-mother wanted her jailed but in the end it was my father who had final say. He even made sure it was in the city in case I ever wanted to visit her."

"But you haven't?" asked Lelouch.

"No," said Kallen.

"And I'm assuming your mother is the Japanese parent," said Lelouch.

"Yes, Kozuki is her name," said Kallen. "My brother's name."

"It's understandable not wanting to visit someone who wanted to kill you," said Lelouch. "Do you believe she wanted to kill you out of some blame over your brother's death?"

"I don't know," said Kallen. "I was so frightened by what had happened I...I never thought to ask. I don't even know what I would say."

"Do you hate her?" asked Lelouch.

Kallen didn't answer, she merely let her tears fall into her untouched food.

"I...I don't know," said Kallen. "I just wish I could understand her now. But...but I don't know how she would be if I actually met her. I've just been so angry ever since that day."

"And you blamed Britannia for your mother's madness as well as your brother's death," said Lelouch, believing he could understand Kallen a little better.

"Yes," said Kallen. "If it hadn't been for Britannia, for V.V invading us, then my brother would still be alive and my mother would have her sanity. I don't know if winning will help her, I think that's too naive a hope to have but when you mentioned how your Geass allows you to control people's minds I thought...I thought perhaps it could repair hers. At least so I can understand her. To know why she tried to take my life after we had just lost my brother."

"Are you sure that's an answer you want to know Kallen?" asked Lelouch.

"I..I think I need to know," said Kallen.

Lelouch thought about all she had said. Her understood now why she would ask if he resented his mother. Her own feelings to her mother were so complicated because of this terrible event that happened between them.

"I don't know if my Geass will be able to help," said Lelouch. "But if you believe I can get you a clear answer from her I will help you."

Kallen perked up and looked at Lelouch, her face wet with tears from the terrible memory.

"You...will?" she asked.

"A country does not serve its king a king serves his country," said Lelouch, quoting one of his father's lessons. "You have been a valuable soldier to me Kallen and your skill with a Knightmare Frame will make you a powerful force on the battlefield. This is your reward for services rendered and I am honored to reward you so."

Kallen couldn't help but smile a bit, even if Lelouch was still being an ass.

Kallen led Lelouch to the hospital her mother was kept in. Lelouch used his Geass to help get them through admissions so that there wouldn't be a record for any interested parties, namely Kallen's father and step-mother. When finally they got to her mother, Hisako Kozuki's room.

Lelouch opened the door and allowed Kallen to go in first and Lelouch followed. The room was plain and all white and sitting on the bed in a hospital gown, staring out the window was a woman with long brown hair.

"Mother," said Kallen, softly.

The woman turned and Lelouch saw how she had the same blue eyes as her daughter, only much softer, like the eyes Kallen had whenever she pretended to be sickly. Only on this poor woman, that look was genuine.

"Kallen," she said softly.

Before Kallen could answer Lelouch activated his Geass and projected the mental message 'answer all of Kallen's questions' into Hisako's mind. Hisako seemed to jump a bit and around her iris's a glowing red ring appeared. Kallen gasped when she saw the visible sign that someone was under Lelouch's Geass, and wondered if she looked like that.

"Ask your questions Kallen," said Lelouch.

"Oh, alright," said Kallen.

Taking a seat on the bed, Kallen took her mother's hand, noticing a faded scar on her wrist, but she steeled her nerves none the less.

"Mother...why...why did you want to kill me?" she asked, still frightful of the answer.

Hisako was silent for a moment and then began to speak.

"I...didn't," she said.

This came as a shock to both Lelouch and Kallen.

"But...but you came at me with a knife," said Kallen. "Don't you remember that?"

"Not...very well," said Hisako. "All...all I remember is the man. Saying...to make you pure."

Lelouch suddenly felt something was incredibly wrong about this and Kallen was just as equally confused.

"What man?" she asked. "Mother what are you talking about?"

"The man...with the hood," said Hisako. "He had such strange...eyes. So red."

A thought suddenly came into Lelouch's mind. Reaching into his bag Lelouch pulled out a pen and paper and handed it to Kallen. Realizing what he intended she put the pen in her mother's hand as well as the paper.

"Can you draw what you saw in his eyes?" asked Kallen.

As if she were a machine Hisako did as her daughter asked her. Giving the pad back to Kallen who gasped in shock. She held it up to Lelouch who was also surprised by what he saw. The mark of Geass.

Euphemia and Cornelia arrived at a popular Greek restaurant that Euphie had heard about. Cornelia liked the idea of having dinner with her little sister, they'd had so few true opportunities to spend time together, especially since the hostage scare.

They had the place to themselves, as well as Cornelia's trusted knights Guilford and Dalton, all arranged by Euphie. Cornelia thought for a while that Euphemia was acting rather strange but credited due to the stress of her ordeal and didn't bring it up. For once the battle hardened Witch of Britannia allowed herself to relax and enjoy a nice evening meal with her sister and her knights. Although she couldn't help but blush brightly when Euphie joked to her knight Guilford that the restaurant would be a nice place to take Cornelia on a date if he ever asked.

"Euphie please," said Cornelia, attempting to hide her blushing face from Guilford's sight.

Himself blushing brightly and not helped by the fact Dalton had let out a huge belly laugh at his old friend's expense. Cornelia was about to turn to chastice her sister for being so rude but when she turned to Euphie she saw that her younger sister seemed a little sleepy. Cornelia looked at Dalton and Guilford, to find that the former had stopped laughing and the latter seemed on the verge of unconsciousness.

Cornelia's own vision began to get blurry.

"Damn it," she cursed, realizing she had been drugged.

Cornelia attempted to get her gun but her fingers were fumbling. Suddenly she felt another hand grab hers. Looking up, her vision clouded as it was Cornelia saw Zero and everything went black.

As Lelouch handled the preparations for when Cornelia and Euphemia woke up, Suzaku decided to seek out his former teacher Kyoshiro Tohdoh. He knew that if they were going to unite all the armed forces in Japan together they'd need his voice to rally the Japanese factions.

As fate would have it he spotted his former teacher at the grave of his father. Tohdoh stood with a few of his subordinates from the Four Holy Swords. In all honesty Suzaku was dreading this eventual confrontation. He respected his former teacher more than he had ever respected his father. But he still would not have done what Suzaku had done. He was a true samurai.

'No sense in dragging this out,' thought Suzaku.

Purposefully snapping a twig to gain attention Suzaku waited until the woman, Nagisa Chiba, cried out and demanded he show himself, her weapon raised. Putting up his arms Suzaku walked out slowly until he stood face to face with his former teacher.

"Sensei," said Suzaku.

"Suzaku," said Tohdoh, legitimately surprised to see his former student.

"What are you doing here you traitor?" asked Chiba, her gun trained on Suzaku.

"I came to speak with Col. Tohdoh," said Suzaku. "On behalf of Zero. I've been acting as his spy ever since he rescued me from execution."

"It's poor work for a spy to admit he is a spy," said Tohdoh.

"I won't lie to you Sensei," said Suzaku.

"Then tell me, my former student who is Zero?" asked Tohdoh.

"Prince Lelouch Vi Britannia," said Suzaku.

Tohdoh's eyes widened in surprise, not by the fact that Lelouch would take up arms against Britannia under his uncle, but by the fact that Lelouch had survived the invasion at all.

"Lelouch is going to meet with the Kyoto Group very soon," said Suzaku. "His plan is to unite the various resistance forces of Japan with Cornelia under the banner of the Black Knights."

"Building an army that would make his uncle take notice," said Tohdoh. "Of course if V.V were to send his Eden Elite the chaos that would befall our shores would make the invasion seven years ago seem like child's play."

"The Eden Elite would have become a problem anyway," said Suzaku.

Arriving in secret, privileges allowed to certain members of the Eden Elite, Mao and Rolo planned their 'game' with Zero.

"He's certainly a tenacious one isn't he?" asked Mao, his voice slightly raised due to the headphones covering his ears.

"He's just another target," said Rolo, more straight to the point.

"I wonder what he'll say when he finds out about us," said Mao.

"Whatever goes through his mind I'm sure you'll tell me about it," said Rolo.

Before Mao could make a cunning remark, he 'heard' something.

"What?" asked Rolo, finding it unusual that Mao would suddenly become silent.

"Perhaps we should wait for a bit," said Mao. "It sounds like there's another player on the board."

"One of hers?" asked Rolo.

"No, this one's...confused," said Mao. "But full of potential. He could be...interesting."

Cornelia woke up in a room not her own. Recalling what she had last seen before losing consciousness she immediately searched the room for Euphemia, thankfully finding her asleep in the bed next to her.

Sighing in relief Cornelia looked around the room and saw it bare, merely four white walls, an adjourning washroom, and the bed she and her sister were sharing. There were no weapons and no means to defend herself or her sister.

Suddenly the door began to open just as Euphie began to stir.

"Sister..." Euphie said groggily.

"Stay down Euphie," said Cornelia, ready to pounce like a lioness on whoever came through that door.

However when the door flew open and the visitor revealed his true face, Cornelia found herself unable to move. Waking up fully Euphemia propped up her head and upon seeing what her sister saw, questioned whether she was still dreaming or not.

"Sisters," said Lelouch, standing tall and proud in Zero's costume. "It has been an eternity."