...Fate is an unbending force. It is Divine Providence. It is the absolute authority. It is unbending, unyielding. It cannot be denied, and it cannot be turned away. It is the ultimate law.
And yet, here you stand against fate, fighting with all of your strength, never bowing down to it. You do not bow, you do not heed, you refuse to acknowledge that it is absolute.
If humans are flawed, then God is also flawed. If humans are imperfect, then fate shall be overruled... Humans shall always be a paradox existence.
You, who have torn fate asunder...
You, who have chosen to stay within the flow of time...
You, who have defied Divine Providence...
The days of ordeal are not lost... if you wish to obtain a better future, then continue to defy fate... continue to defy the divine order of the universe itself.
I shall watch you closely, son of man... he who's name is Lelouch vi Britannia.
Code BREAKER
"The First Day: Sunday's Requiem"
The Children of Man, who sought everlasting peace, meet the Dawns of Reckoning
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The pain was worse than what he thought it would be.
As the sword ripped into his flesh, cutting straight through the muscle and arteries, pain erupted all across his chest, blood already beginning to pour out from the wound, despite the fact that the blade had only entered him a mere second ago. He gasped in shock, the blade poking out through the other side. He arched his back, repressing a scream of agony before his body became limp, his hand gripping unto Suzaku tightly. His fingers coiled around the coat, using him as a crutch. His breath was so short, so low it was almost like the whispers of the dead. Hell, he might as well already be among them at this point.
"L-Lelouch..." The raven-haired demon frowned ever so slightly, hearing Suzaku's choked sobs. He could see very faintly behind the purple orb of the infamous mask the tears that began to stream down his face, his teeth grinding together harshly from beneath the black face mask. His chin rested against his shoulder, peering out at the world. As expected, all of them looked on in absolute shock and disbelief. Here, his greatest performance... his final miracle as Zero was unfolding right before their very eyes. He could see every one of their reactions. He repressed a smirk. Yes, this was how it should be, this is how the world should be... The world's hatred was placed on his shoulders. This was it... there was no stopping things now. The world would finally be at peace...
His sister would be at peace.
"Your punishment..." Lelouch gasped out weakly, barely clinging on to whatever life he had left. "Shall be thus... You will forever wear that mask... Living on as one who upholds truth... and justice..." His hand reached up, carressing the black cheek that had once instilled fear and awe into the hearts of men. "You will no longer live... as Suzaku Kururugi..."
"This Geass..." Suzaku's voice said, his breath trembling. "I do solemnly accept."
He allowed a content smile to appear over his face. However, just before Suzaku began to wrench his blade out from the flesh-like sheath that it had found, he grew confused, seeing the looks of the Black Knights, of Rivalz who was in the crowd, not far from the transport... of his sister.
The Black Knights stared at the scene, faces wreathed with horror and shock. Kaname Ohgi, Nagisa Chiba and Kyoshiro Tohdoh couldn't believe what they were seeing, staring at the sight as if they were unable to ascertain whether or not this was a dream or reality. Shinichiro Tamaki, Empress Tianzi, Lady Kaguya, and even Kallen were crying, tears falling from their faces and dripping down from their chin, the drops falling through the air and staining the ground upon which they landed on. Li Xingke held clenched teeth in his mouth, his eyes closed shut closed with his head low, as if respecting someone's wishes. Rivalz's face was beset in absolute horror, his eyes watery, jaw agape. It was the look of someone who had just witnessed his best friend being murdered, right before his very eyes. Nunnally stared at the sight in complete confusion, at first unable to understand what had happened before the gravity of the situation finally filled her mind, leaving her stunned and horrified.
Why had they adopted such expressions? Should they not be happy? Their enemy was killed, and at the hands of the one who would bring about the peace this world so richly deserved. So why... why did they look so... distraught? He wasn't able to understand it. But, perhaps, it would be better that way. He didn't need to understand their feelings now... not at this point. After all, the dead need not linger with the living.
The sword's tip left his chest, Suzaku's slender form stepping away. Lelouch's body was staggering, blood dribbling from the corner of his mouth. His body felt so heavy, almost like iron, and the red stain on his noble robes were growing, flowing down and removing the white purity. He had just reached the ramp when his foot caught onto the robe's tailings, causing him to stumble forward. His body flopped against it, rolling and tumbling before coming to a stop, his back sliding against it before reaching the main platform. A bloody streak ran across where he had fallen.
"L-Lelouch?"
He could faintly hear his sister's voice calling out for him. His vision was beginning to fail him. Everything was growing so blurry, like a mishmash of colors caught in a hazardous mess. He could hardly even move at all now. He no longer tried to. He would finally be able to leave this world for the new era of peace that his death would bring about. It would allow the world to move on, to forge peace with words at a table rather than force peace with blades at the battlefield. He was about to close his eyes, and wait for the reaper to claim him when he felt a pair of soft, gentle hands slip around his hand. Despite his body becoming cold, he felt a warmth embrace his hand, a familiar warmth that he had felt before, once so very long ago, back before everything started to spiral out of control.
"Y-you mean..." Nunnally's voice trembled. "T-this was all...?"
Ah... Lelouch smiled in content, the weakest thing on his face. Hah, how ironic that she should learn of it now. Then again, she was always so smart, able to figure things out ahead of everyone else. He had no doubt that, if he had not taken the necessary precautions, she would have learned the true face of Zero much earlier. So, you've figured it out... Nunnally...
"Oh, Big Brother..." Nunnally's voice cried and weeped, bringing his hand to her cheek. He could feel her tears of sadness fall and drip across his palm, staining them with the blood they were never able to rid themselves of, no matter how hard he tried to wash it away. It would always remain there as a dark reminder, a testament of the demon he had become. "I love you!"
...?!
For a moment, Lelouch felt his resolve weaken. How... How could he leave her like this? No, this wasn't right... If he died... she would be left alone, wouldn't she? Even if she had Suzaku, who would be there to protect her in that new age, there would be no one there to hold her hand, to drive away the nightmares that plagued her in her sleep. How could he leave things like this? H-he had to...
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..no, she would be safe. He knew she would be. After all, she was his sister.
"Yes..." he spoke weakly, staring up at the fading blue sky that used to be so bright before. "I..." Images flashed by in his head. Peaceful memories, wonderful memories. "Destroyed..." Sad memories, heart-breaking memories, maddening memories. "The world..." He remembered when he first made that contract with C.C. that day in Shinjuku, becoming entranced with the power known only as 'Geass'. "And..." He remembered the peaceful days of Ashford Academy, back before he had become known as "Zero", back when he used to live in a lie, content with the shaky peace before encountering the resistance cell that changed his life. "Created it..." He remembered that time back when they were young, back when he, Nunnally, and Suzaku were nothing but children, living a short, yet wonderful life... Oh, how he wished he could return to those days.
But... There were no second chances. He did not deserve them.
"A...new..."
Finally, embracing that last, warm memory, Lelouch vi Britannia closed his eyes, and welcomed the sweet embrace of death.
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Next time: Heaven's Discord
Author's Note: Okay, so apparently, fanfiction is being stupid, and for some ungodly reason, will not let me post this as a crossover fanfic. So, yeah, as you can see, at first this seems like a normal Code Geass fic, but come next chapter... Yeah, you'll understand. Anyway, tune in next time.
