Lies
Lelouch sighed as he glanced over at C.C., who was sound asleep in his bed, a usual occurrence these days. She still neglected to tell him anything about herself, and anytime he asked, she bit back with a curt reply that she wouldn't say a word. The fact that she didn't want to say anything about herself proved to Lelouch that she was probably hiding quite a bit, and he shivered inwardly at the thought of all the dark secrets she might be withholding. But how was he any different? His entire life was a lie; he had grown accustomed to dancing around all the personas he had to portray for different people or places. Maybe he and C.C. weren't so different after all. He turned to look out the window at the rain steadily pouring outside, a slow wave of dread sweeping over him as he was reminded of the new alter-ego he had recently added to the list: Zero.
Suzalulu?
"Having a girlfriend is completely normal…as if I had time for that…" Lelouch muttered to himself after his friend Suzaku left the room. He had just been in an important conversation with C.C. about last minute preparations for the arrangement at Narita, but was interrupted by Suzaku, which had forced him to hide C.C. under his bed. Suzaku, however, had found one of C.C.'s hairs on the floor, and immediately assumed that Lelouch had a girlfriend. Lelouch had tried to deny it, but realizing that he would have to once again lie or reveal C.C., he went along with Suzaku's stupid assumption.
"Okay, you got me, Suzaku."
"What's she like, Lelouch?" Suzaku had asked. "Is she pretty?"
Lelouch smiled mischievously, violet eyes quickly flicking to look at where C.C. had last disappeared under his bed. "Oh no, she's hideous. And lazy. She barely lifts a finger and always stuffs her face with junk food. I always have to clean up after her. It's disgusting."
C.C. banged the bedpost at these words, prompting Lelouch to tell Suzaku that it was just the alarm clock.
C.C.'s voice brought Lelouch back to the present. "That's true. How would you have time for anyone else when you obsess over your little sister so much?" she scoffed, letting herself fall back on Lelouch's bed. "No wonder people make jokes about you and her-"
"-Quiet." Lelouch silenced the green-haired woman as he paced the room, trying to remember the last thing he had been talking about having to do with the Black Knights. But one thing was still bothering him. "Why would Suzaku say that? Does…does that mean he has a girlfriend?" Could he still become Nunnally's protector if he's preoccupied with some other girl? He thought to himself. It would make it more difficult I suppose…
"Why are you so worried about it?" C.C. asked, a sly smile coming across her face. "Jealous? Are you in love with Suzaku? Well, Lelouch, I can't say that would surprise me."
Lelouch started at her words. "Wh-what the hell does that mean?!"
C.C. shrugged.
I think I know who the real jealous one is… Lelouch cast C.C. a sideways glance and resumed to his pacing.
Innocence
C.C. stood looking out the window, watching Lelouch as he left hurriedly for school, late yet again. He had woken up early to research something to do with the Black Knights' affairs and had neglected to spend any time getting ready for school. He was so childish sometimes, and yet he could command his own army and bring an empire to its knees. It didn't make much sense to C.C. that someone who had seen and done so much, some very terrible things in fact, could still be naïve and immature. It had taken him a while to realize the full extent of what he was doing, taking people's lives in his own quest to better the world, and one little kiss from one of his friends had shaken him so much. C.C. had known so many others that would have brushed off such a simple gesture as if it meant nothing, skipping over it like some unwanted prerequisite. But Lelouch was different. Now that she thought about it, she could be quite childish herself sometimes, despite her age. She looked over at her stuffed Cheese-kun lying on the bed and a smile came across her face. She had been through so much in her long life, gained so much knowledge and experience, and yet she still had something youthful about her. She could be naïve herself; she hadn't given much afterthought as to what the repercussions of caring for and then deserting Mao were, not until they hit her in the face. Despite all that she had seen and done, she was still unable to see even simple things. But could anyone truly predict everything, even Lelouch?
Zero Needs Beauty Rest Too
Lelouch sighed, leaning back against the arm of the couch in his room, letting his head fall back so he could look out the window at the other side of the room upside down. His eyes hurt from staring at his computer screen so much while researching various things for the Black Knights, and his chemistry homework that he had started far too late. Groaning at how much work he still had to do, he looked over at C.C. as she lay on his bed, wearing one of his shirts and reading a magazine with Cheese-kun on the front of it. She had taken over his once peaceful room at Ashford Academy and made it hers literally overnight. He'd had no choice but to give her his bed, although he never really slept well on the couch. He would often find himself yearning for a nice mattress as he struggled to sleep on the couch cushions night after night. After all that had happened in the past few weeks, like the Battle at Narita, having to wipe Shirley's memories, and getting rid of Mao, Lelouch had become more and more tired, and his lack of a real bed wasn't helping.
C.C. shuffled as she put her magazine on the bedside table and burrowed under the bed sheets. "Lelouch, do you need the light?" she asked, her arm hanging in midair, ready to pull the switch at his answer.
Lelouch looked at her from upside down. "Do what you want." he grumbled.
C.C. didn't move; she just gave Lelouch one of her signature critical looks. "Someone sounds cranky. Have you been staying up late trying to catch up on your homework? If you do none of it people will get suspicious of you."
"No, I…I never really cared about homework anyway. I'd rather lead the Black Knights than wallow in the illusion of education and pretend that I'm leading a fulfilling life by doing useless busy work."
Lelouch closed his computer and put it on the coffee table.
A sly smile lit up C.C.'s face. "Well, someone has daddy issues and anti-school spirit, it seems. You really are interesting, Lelouch."
"Just shut up…" Lelouch didn't want to hear any of C.C.'s comments right now. "Turn off the light if you want, C.C. I don't need it."
C.C. didn't look convinced, but turned the light off anyway. Lelouch went to the bathroom to change out of his school uniform and came back to find C.C. asleep already. With a sigh, he put his usual pillow on the couch and lay down on it, pulling a singular blanket over himself and staring up at the ceiling. Sure, he was a little peeved that C.C. had taken over his room, but he owed her a lot and when he thought about it, maybe he didn't mind having her around as much as he'd thought. In fact, when she'd led him to believe that she was leaving for good when she'd gone to find Mao in Clovisland, he had felt as though part of himself left with her. Although it hadn't been very long, he had gotten used to having her around and couldn't really imagine what it would be like without her.
"Lelouch, are you asleep?" Lelouch started and his thoughts scrambled like scared rats at the sound of the woman's voice.
He looked over to where she had sat up in his bed. "No, why?"
"Would you like your bed back? I know you don't fare well on that couch-"
Lelouch's eyes narrowed. "Why do you care all of a sudden?"
"If you're tired all the time you'll just snap at me more than usual." C.C. scoffed.
"I thought you liked my snappiness." Lelouch chuckled. "Anyway, I can't let a woman sleep on the couch. It's not proper."
C.C. rolled her eyes. "Oh, you thought I would get out of your bed? Hell no, I would never sleep on a couch."
Lelouch's eyes widened. "You don't mean…"
"If you want to sleep in a real bed so badly, just sleep in this one. I'll move over." C.C. lay back down and pulled the sheets over herself.
Lelouch was torn between wanting to sleep on a real bed and not wanting to be indecent and sleep next to a woman he wasn't even…but C.C. was no ordinary woman. She and him were allies, and if they were going to spend this much time together already, what was the point? It wasn't like there was anything between them.
Groaning to himself at his situation, Lelouch grabbed his pillow and quickly slid into his old bed, opposite from C.C. She moved over to the other side and he moved as far over as he could towards the edge, hoping she wouldn't notice how red his face was. For a moment he wondered if he was better off sleeping on the couch.
"Goodnight, Lelouch." C.C. whispered, her voice muffled by the bedsheets.
Lelouch felt his eyelids suddenly grow heavy with fatigue, and all thoughts of the couch slipped from his mind. "Goodnight, C.C." Maybe this wasn't so bad after all.
One Woman Show
"So, are you sure about this, C.C.? Tomorrow will be a good day to carry out the mission?" Kallen looked over at C.C. from her bed at the other end of the hotel room. C.C. finished shoving a piece of pizza in her mouth and sat up on her bed.
"Yes, I think all the preparations are in order, and it's better to do it sooner than later, as we both know. The Emperor may change his mind quickly, and if he does we'll have lost everything, especially this little rebellion you're all so worked up about." C.C. sighed, her shoulders heavy from the weight of Lelouch's most recent mess she'd had to clean up. She'd woken up on the shore of Kamine Island after drowning herself to stop Jeremiah from killing Lelouch, only to have found out from Kallen that said Lelouch had been defeated and captured by Suzaku Kururugi and sent to the Britannian Homeland as a prisoner. A few days later she'd felt a stir in her code and realized that Lelouch's geass must have been sealed, no doubt the Emperor's doing.
It had taken half a year for C.C. to find Lelouch again, and even more time to observe him and figure out how to get through tight security to rescue him. After noticing some suspicious activity over in the EU, she finally found Lelouch back at Ashford Academy, forced to live a normal life without any recollection of being Zero or Britannian royalty. Another thing that bothered her was that his sister Nunnally was nowhere to be found, but Lelouch had been led to believe that he had a younger brother instead, who was actually an assassin from The Order that she was once a part of. In order to rescue Lelouch she'd had to keep the almost disbanded remnants of the Black Knights together, and deal with their ridicules about her relationship with Zero. She didn't want to think about what it felt like for Lelouch to have everything he'd worked so hard for just stripped away in an instant, and forced to live the very life he'd despised. Her observations of him in the past few months didn't indicate that he was going to do anything dangerous or overtly stupid, but he did seem off somehow, as if he knew something was missing. Sometimes will was stronger than geass, C.C. had come to understand.
"Kallen," C.C. continued after a pause, "are you sure you want to continue in the Black Knights, now that you know Zero's true identity?" She glanced over at the red-head woman across the room.
Kallen looked up from a newspaper she was reading. "It was hard to deal with at first. I mean, I had high expectations for who Zero might be, not that Lelouch isn't…you know what I mean." Her blue eyes glanced at the floor as she tried to think of what to say. "But, ultimately I realized that Lelouch really did do all those amazing things, so why does it matter? And besides, this is the best chance at freedom that we've ever had, and I'd never forgive myself if I didn't do something about it. I promised my brother I would, after all."
C.C. smiled. "How sweet. It must be nice, having something to live for."
Kallen raised her eyebrows. "You sound like you don't have something to live for. Tell me that's not true."
C.C. narrowed her eyes. "I don't really know. Maybe there once was something, but it seems I've long forgotten it."
"Well," Kallen eyed C.C. mischievously, "you seem to be pretty fixated on all of this. Are you sure that's not something you want to live for?"
"I simply have a contract with him if that's what you mean." C.C. turned to face the wall. "I told you, all I do is contracts- they're much simpler and easier to deal with."
Kallen laughed. "You don't have a contract with me now, though. Hell, you could even say we've become friends after all this, now couldn't you? So maybe contracts aren't the only way you do things after all, C.C."
C.C. shrugged, and Kallen didn't say any more. Something to live for… when's the last time I had that other than wanting to die? C.C. thought to herself. She got up and walked over to the window, eyeing the lights of the Tokyo Settlement that sparkled outside in the otherwise pitch-black night sky.
Lelouch…why would you want to make yourself like me? She suddenly remembered the time she'd been with Lelouch at Kamine Island when they'd gotten caught in one of V.V.'s traps and he'd seen so many of her memories. Despite how disturbing they were as she stood there, more vulnerable than she ever wanted to be, he shrugged it off like it was nothing.
"If you're a witch, then perhaps I should be a demon…" he'd said to her, and since then she'd been running the words through her mind over and over, wondering if they were as authentic as she believed.
None of the others I made contracts with saw that part of me and still vowed to stay by my side. She shuddered, not wanting to think about her many previous contractees that had ended in failure.
I am a witch, but you, Lelouch, can choose to be something else. She had to know why he'd said that; it was just a few words, but to her it meant everything. Maybe that's why she'd really been so intent on finding him.
The Blood-stained Nightmare
Lelouch practically flew himself down the stairs, running towards the loud popping sounds that sent shockwaves of fear through his mind, accompanied by the shattering of glass and screams. He stopped short at the top of the last flight of stairs, eyes wide as he saw more gunshots break through the stained glass and bombard the room, stopping just inches below his feet. His gaze moved down the stairs and he saw his little sister Nunnally, wide-eyed and frozen, underneath the lifeless body of their mother, whose orange dress was soaked through with the blood of too many gunshot wounds.
He started as he saw his mother turn at an odd angle to face him, her normally warm violet eyes glazed over black and oozing blood. "Lelouch…why?" her voice was deep and ominous.
"I…I didn't do this, mother! What do you mean, 'why'?" He wiped the tears streaming down his face, but when he looked up again, his mother's body was replaced by Euphemia's, her pink gown covered in blood.
He froze under her bloody gaze as she whispered to him. "Lelouch…why?"
Lelouch woke suddenly and sat up in his bed, gripping the sheets as tightly as he possibly could, as if that would somehow make the nightmare fade. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead as he fought the urge to cry, but it ultimately overtook him and he found himself sobbing uncontrollably into his hands. He then became aware of something beside him, and realized it was C.C.
"Lelouch, are you alright? You were screaming in your sleep…" C.C. trailed off as she realized that Lelouch was in no state to respond, and instead wrapped her arms around him. When the sobbing began to let up, Lelouch wiped his face with the back of his hand and stared at the floor, willing the tears to stop.
"You don't have to comfort me, you know. I'm fine. It's just something that comes with the territory." He couldn't bear to look back at C.C.; God only knew what his face looked like after that.
"Oh, I know." C.C. replied as she pressed her face into his back, arms still around his torso. "There's a lot of things I don't have to do, but that doesn't mean I shouldn't do them."
Lelouch smiled weakly. "I suppose."
Disconnect
C.C., are you there? Marianne's voice reverberated in C.C.'s head, and she jolted out of half-sleep as if she'd dreamed of falling. Suddenly she felt cold, not just because she was talking to Lelouch's dead mother when he was lying right there next to her, but also because she knew what Marianne was going to say. C.C. carefully got out of bed so as not to wake Lelouch and stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what exactly she was going to say to her old friend. She couldn't help but notice how peaceful Lelouch looked while he was sleeping, despite all that had happened recently. His friend Shirley was killed just days before by his "brother" Rolo, and he'd vowed to destroy the Order, deeming it ultimately responsible for her death. C.C., knowing that she would be betraying an old part of herself, agreed to help Lelouch annihilate the organization that had taken her in so many years back. If she didn't say something to Marianne now, she knew she'd never leave her alone. It was a hassle trying to block all the telepathy. Feeling as though she thought it through enough, she left Zero's quarters in the Black Knights' airship. After she checked the hallway to make sure no one was around, she slumped against the wall right outside the door and sighed.
"What is it now? I was trying to sleep." C.C. wasn't in the mood to deal with this right now. Usually Marianne would speak with her during normal hours of the day.
So, how have you been? Marianne didn't seem to care that C.C. was half asleep.
"Uh…average," C.C. responded curtly.
Having fun playing chess with Lelouch? Marianne stifled a laugh.
C.C. felt a twinge of anger in her chest- much to her surprise- but held back a response.
Marianne continued talking, realizing she would get no answer. I wanted to let you know that Charles has finished securing all of the gateways to the C's World, she explained matter-of-factly, despite the weight of those words. Ragnarok should be underway very soon. I wanted to make sure that you're still with us on this. Our deal hasn't changed.
"You mean, I still get to die?" C.C. rested her head against the wall.
Of course. A new voice joined the conversation, one higher-pitched than Marianne's.
"V.V., we haven't spoken in a while," C.C. suppressed the disgust in her voice. She had never been particularly fond of V.V., and hearing him say those words as though he were absolutely happy that she'd be gone made her anger spike a little more. At one time, these two would have been on her good side, but she'd realized with time that she no longer approved of what they were doing. Merging the world into one existence- something felt so wrong about that. Felt. That word seemed so foreign to her, and yet it had become more applicable recently. Maybe time wasn't the only thing that had contributed to her decision.
C.C., you are still with us, right? Marianne tried to hide the hint of worry in her voice, but C.C. detected it easily.
This is what's best, V.V. added.
"You know," C.C. began, relishing the words she was about to speak, "your plans don't sound as appealing as they used to."
I know it's been a while, but we really are finally on the cusp of a revolution. V.V. tried to sound optimistic.
C.C., I think this will be a world you would be proud of. One free from all the terrible things that you've seen and had to deal with in your long life. Marianne sounded a bit more frantic as she realized that the uncertainty in C.C.'s voice was not feigned.
"How can you be so sure? You haven't lived as long as I." What C.C. really wanted to say was that she no longer cared about Ragnarok. A world where everyone was part of one thing was not at all something she wanted. Maybe years ago she would have relished the idea of dying and never having to deal with anything ever again, but in these past few years she'd seen what people, particularly Lelouch, were capable of, and how important things like their hopes, dreams, and wishes were to them. Maybe history didn't always repeat itself, and dreams could become reality after all. She wanted to find out, which was why she could no longer allow everything to end so suddenly. However, she didn't want these two to get overly suspicious of her just yet. They'd probably just think she was in one of her moods at the moment, that her thoughts could be persuaded back to their side.
C.C., please understand-
Marianne's voice was cut off as C.C. severed the telepathic connection with both her and V.V. She no longer wanted to hear them talk of such things in her mind, and with a groan of fatigue, she slowly made her way back to her bed. She wormed her way under the sheets again, grabbing Cheese-kun and pulling him close to her chest. Although Marianne and V.V. were her old friends, she felt much more at ease here, with Lelouch by her side. Something like that would not exist in the world that Charles, Marianne, and V.V. wanted so badly.
"How boring…" she whispered to herself as she sunk into the depths of sleep.
Someone Important to You
"Yes, that will do. We should have everything squared away for Tokyo, then. Good work, Ohgi."
"No problem, Zero." The screen went black as the connection with Ohgi ended, and Lelouch sighed, sinking into the couch as he took off Zero's mask.
"Master, can I come out now?" C.C.'s skittish voice sounded from the closet in Zero's quarters. However, it wasn't the same C.C.-she had lost her memories after Lelouch had rescued her from Charles in the C's world. Now she acted just like the slave girl she'd been before she even received her geass, so Lelouch was forced to hide her away whenever he had a call, even though the Black Knights knew of her existence. There was just too much he didn't want to explain. He could already sense tensions in the ranks after he had ordered some of them to storm the Order's base and destroy everything and everyone there.
"Uh, yeah, you can come out." Lelouch yelled over towards the closet. He hadn't thought about it enough until now, but he really had grown used to C.C.'s presence. Often when he came back here to his quarters after dealing with something outside, he always felt a little relieved to have C.C. there. He didn't need to explain much to her- she understood him enough to know. But now it felt as though someone else had been killed in his life. He had just lost Shirley, and now this…how much worse could it get?
"Oh, thank you master." C.C. cautiously slid the closet door open and walked out. "I think I'm going to go to sleep now. Is that alright, or do you need me to do something?"
"No, that's fine. You don't need to ask my permission, you know." Lelouch knew he was fighting a losing battle. Everything she had lived since she had gotten her geass was gone, so she would be like this for a while. He wondered if she would ever make fun of him or scold him again.
"Okay." C.C. crawled into bed and was silent. Lelouch took a moment to collect his thoughts and make sure everything was in order for his next attack on Tokyo, took off his jacket and folded it neatly, then collapsed on his bed, suddenly remembering things were different as C.C. let out a slight gasp next to him.
"Oh, master, I'm sorry, did you want to do that?" C.C. rolled on her back and looked up at him with huge, innocent amber eyes. "Do what you want, just don't hurt me, please."
Lelouch's eyes widened. "What the-no! That's not what…I used to share this with someone, that's all. Nothing else. We never did anything. Absolutely nothing. She was just my…my…" he trailed off, his face feeling like it was on fire.
"Oh…" C.C. twiddled her thumbs. "She must have been important to you. Were you important to her?"
What a weird question… Lelouch didn't know what to answer to that. "I don't know."
"You must have been." C.C. sat up and looked at him shyly. "I mean, if she was here with you all the time, there had to have been a reason. Where is she now?"
"She's somewhere close, but she won't show herself." Lelouch sighed. "Maybe she doesn't want to be here anymore…"
"I don't think so." C.C. smiled slightly. "If she was that close to you and she didn't like you, I'm sure she would have left by now."
"Maybe you're right." Lelouch wasn't sure, but he did know that C.C. had given up her chance to die like she had always wanted to, and she hadn't wanted him to take her code either. She was so complicated he was starting to get a headache just thinking about it. He was so lost in thought that he didn't realize C.C. was still looking at him expectantly.
"Master are you sure you don't want to-"
"-No, just go to sleep. Don't think about that." Lelouch felt uneasy having this conversation.
"You're so good to me, you know. My previous masters weren't like you. They wanted so many things from me…" C.C. lay back down on her side and faced the wall.
"Well, I won't do that." Lelouch lay on his side of the bed and shivered as he thought about all C.C. had endured in her lifetime. Then suddenly he thought of something. He got up and grabbed Cheese-kun from where he had fallen on the floor and handed him to C.C. "Why don't you take this? You used to-I mean, I think you'll like it."
C.C. grabbed the plush toy hesitantly and hugged it to her chest. "Thank you, Lelouch."
Lelouch perked up, surprised at hearing his name again. "What did you say?"
"I said thank you, Master." C.C. repeated. "Why?"
"It's…nothing." Lelouch lay back on his side, a cold weight of loneliness sinking in his chest. I promise, C.C., I'll find some way to get your memories back, and show you a life worth living.
Repetitive Suicide
"Suzaku, you and I are not so different, you know." C.C. pulled her Cheese-kun toy closer to her chest as she stood in front of the gateway to the C's world on Kamine Island.
Suzaku shrugged and sat down on a rock in front of C.C. "How so?"
"We both wish to die yet are unable to."
Suzaku narrowed his eyes. "That's not true. I'm nothing like you. You're a…a demon like Lelouch. Something I despise."
"Do you really despise Lelouch?" C.C. inquired, raising one eyebrow.
"How can I not, after all he's done?" Suzaku laughed dryly. "You know, when I first met him I absolutely hated him. He was always so weak and ungrateful…"
"He's told me that you were once very selfish." C.C. added.
Suzaku sighed. "I guess I still am, to be honest. But the one thing I've never understood about Lelouch is how he just destroys himself for other people, even when they don't deserve it. I've always been disgusted by that. Even when we were kids, when I bullied him and broke things, if my father found out Lelouch would pretend that he did it himself or something like that. So he would get yelled at. I've never understood that, how he always sacrifices himself over and over…destroying his reputation like a self-righteous idiot."
"As if you're different." C.C. lowered her gaze. "I guess Lelouch hasn't changed at all." She glanced at the gateway, wondering what was happening in the C's world at the present moment.
"Maybe I am no different than him. I did fire that F.L.E.I.J.A.…" Suzaku trailed off and looked up at C.C. "I see now. Take me to the C's world, witch. There's something I have to see for myself."
C.C. perked up at his words. "Another sacrifice? Very well then…"
Sakura Blade
"Is this to your liking, Your Majesty?" the swordsmith kneeled before Lelouch and lifted up a long, ornate sword with two wings that sprung from the hilt. Lelouch picked it up and looked it over, surprised at how light it was. Eyeing at the tip of the weapon, he shivered inwardly, knowing what its purpose was. It tapered to an astonishing point, the golden end glinting in even low light as if to remind him of his place.
"The Sakura Blade- a representation of fate itself." Lelouch whispered to himself, running his finger along the edge of the sword. He turned his attention back to the Blacksmith. "Do you think you could make it a bit sharper? But other than that, it is perfect."
"Yes, Your Majesty." The swordsmith took the sword and walked away to sharpen it.
)(0)3
Lelouch and Suzaku walked out of the throne room of the imperial palace in Pendragon, both feeling heavy after they made their final agreement to go through with the Zero Requiem. Lelouch walked over to one of the tall windows in the hallway, and for a second he wondered what his friends back at Ashford Academy thought him, now that he'd become the emperor and they all knew who he really was. Not that it matters- they're better off without me. He found himself unsheathing the sword again and staring at his reflection that appeared on the polished metal like a mirror, his white emperor's clothes reminding him of what he'd planned for himself.
"Are you really going to kill yourself with that? A familiar voice sounded from the other side of the sword as Lelouch held it upright.
"I'm not going to kill myself, you know that, witch." Lelouch remained fixated on the sword, the cold metal seeming to draw all the heat from his body the longer he was in contact with it.
"What's the difference?" C.C. sighed. "You ordered your own death, and your friend will carry it out." The woman found her eyes moving to look at her reflection on the opposite side of the sword, the cold metal capturing her contrasting gorgeous black dress and somber expression almost too well. So they really are going to do it. C.C. had known that Lelouch and Suzaku wouldn't have changed their minds. "If that is what you think is best…then I will be beside you through everything. That I can promise you." Her voice was earnest.
"I don't care if I go to the depths of Hell, as long as you're beside me." Lelouch lowered the sword so he could see C.C. "Maybe that's what I've always wanted…."
"I don't believe that to be true." C.C. cocked her head to the side, thinking for a moment. "You sound like someone I know."
"Yeah, I do." A smile crept across Lelouch's face. "Isn't it funny that I'll have to die to have a life worth living?"
"How ironic."
"Quite."
"You two have such a weird relationship." Suzaku laughed, having idly listened to everything.
"So others acknowledge our relationship as well, then?" C.C. narrowed her eyes and glanced dubiously at Lelouch.
"All the better for your fantasies, witch." Lelouch put the sword back in its scabbard. "There's a meeting I have to be at to set up for tomorrow's ceremony- we'll all talk later."
As Lelouch walked away, Suzaku looked over at C.C. "I'm sorry, you know. I wish there was another way."
C.C. returned Suzaku's gaze and raised one eyebrow. "For what? There's nothing you could have done to change him; Lelouch is Lelouch. If he wants to die, then he'll have himself die."
"I've seen the way you two look at each other; he really likes you, you know." There was a hint of jealousy in Suzaku's voice.
"I never wanted him to end up like me, but apparently there's nothing I could have done to stop him. Whether he possesses a code or not after this- I don't think he cares." C.C. looked out the window, trying to distract herself from the conversation.
"I don't know, I think he might care." Suzaku narrowed his eyes. "As much as you do."
C.C.'s gaze didn't leave the window. "Either way, having the one you love die is a terrible thing."
"It is…" An image of Princess Euphemia popped up in Suzaku's mind, and he sighed. "Just…take care of Lelouch for me, alright? If he, you know…becomes immortal."
"You don't have to tell me that." C.C.'s gaze met Suzaku's again. "I've already made a promise."
Imperial Ways
Pendragon was bustling more than ever, now that Lelouch had become the new Britannian Emperor. Despite an initial uneasiness towards him, the people seemed to take him seriously now, or at least it appeared that way. It was probably only because Lelouch had used his geass on everyone in the palace to acknowledge him as the Emperor, but he didn't mind. It was a means to an end.
Lelouch looked out his window from the palace, surprised at how many of the guests had actually shown up to the coronation; he hadn't wanted to make it such a big deal because the nobility disgusted him, but just this once he'd felt that it was necessary to gain some important allies in both the military and other affairs to help him achieve his goals. With a sigh, Lelouch made his way towards the throne room, preparing himself for the self-entitled scum he would find there.
)(0)3
Suzaku and C.C. stood on either side of Lelouch as he prepared to walk to the throne, where Pendragon's bishop was waiting to officially declare him as the Emperor. Originally the bishop was unwilling to undergo the ceremony, but a little visit from Lelouch and his geass had "changed" his mind. Nodding to Suzaku to follow him, Lelouch made his way to the throne and knelt on one knee before the bishop. Suzaku stood a few steps behind him.
"Repeat these words." The bishop held his book high and spoke the oath; Lelouch repeated the words, hating how hollow they sounded coming from his mouth. They were the pinnacle of all the selfishness and convoluted desires that this empire valued, something he knew he would change as quickly as possible.
"I, Lelouch vi Britannia, son of the late Emperor Charles zi Britannia and Consort Marianne vi Britannia, hereby take on the blessed responsibility of leading the great Holy Britannian Empire, the empire established directly under God. I promise to uphold the traditions and sanctity of the Empire, so that it may prosper for centuries to come and be graced by the Heavens as long as it stands."
The bishop was handed the sword Lelouch had recently received from the Blacksmith-the Sakura Blade- and placed the end lightly on Lelouch's shoulders. "Go forth and lead this Holy Empire."
Lelouch barely heard the words- all he could think about was that sword, the one that would end his life and all the hatred it accumulated. It felt so cold even though it barely touched him, and he knew that the next time it was used by another towards him the blade would not be so kind. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard an uproar, and realized that it was everyone clapping and announcing his name as the Emperor. He stood up and looked at the crowd, slightly unnerved that he felt himself wishing all of this had happened on better terms. He didn't deserve such luxuries.
The Bishop handed him the sword and Lelouch glanced at Suzaku, who knelt where Lelouch just had. "I now proclaim you Knight of Zero." He touched both of Suzaku's shoulders with the sword, knowing that this gesture meant more to them both than just a knighting. The crowd's noise rang once again as both Lelouch and Suzaku stood at the throne, knowing that their applause would not last much longer.
)(0)3
At the reception, Lelouch was having trouble hiding his disgust as he watched all the nobles talking and joking with each other like nothing was going on in the world. Some of them had come up to him and offered him gifts so that they may be in his favor; he accepted them but knew that none of them would ever be in his favor. The first thing he was going to do as Emperor was to abolish the aristocracy.
As the night wore on, dinner was served and finally a band arrived, prompting the majority of people to move the dance floor. Lelouch watched everyone as they assembled into pairs and danced, and felt Suzaku elbow him in the side. He glanced at the seat next to him and Suzaku subtly motioned over to where C.C. was sitting, swishing her wine glass around and looking at him expectantly from the corner of her eye. Lelouch sighed and stood up, ignoring Suzaku's amused glare, and stretched out his hand toward the woman. "May I have this dance, witch?"
C.C. put down the glass and grabbed his hand, ignoring his insult. "Took you that long to ask."
"I was debating whether or not I wanted to be insulted in public, that's why." Lelouch led C.C. to the dance floor, suddenly feeling as though no one else was even there. He carefully put one arm around C.C.'s waist as she rested one hand on his shoulder, and Lelouch couldn't help but realize how strange it felt to hold her like this. Her amber eyes were brilliant and glowing, and their free hands entwined as if they were always meant to fit together. Her magnificent black dress, the one that Lelouch had made to match his white emperor's clothes, flowed as they moved across the dancefloor.
"So, the demon can dance." C.C. smiled warmly.
"I used to dance with Nunnally, back when we were younger." Lelouch returned her smile, and it seemed as though her eyes, her touch, and her steadfast hand on his shoulder made him forget everything that he'd done or was planning to do. The Zero Requiem didn't exist tonight.
He was brought out of his thoughts as Jeremiah and a woman he was dancing with caught sight of him. Jeremiah saw C.C. and winked at Lelouch. "I see you already have someone to dance with. An irresistible someone, if I don't say so myself."
"Once you get to know her, she's pretty resistible." Lelouch smirked and C.C. stomped on his foot. "Witch…" he muttered, limping until the pain subsided.
"I thought you were a gentleman." C.C. faked annoyance.
"Did you?" He pulled her closer. "Depends on my mood."
C.C. glanced around at the crowd. "There'll be rumors about us, you know. Just like in the Black Knights."
"Let them think what they want. I don't give a damn." Lelouch's smile faded as he looked back at Suzaku, who sneered and gave him a thumbs up. Busy muttering to himself in his mind, he was surprised when C.C. wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his chest. He instinctively put his head on top of hers, ignoring the glances that people gave them.
"Let them have their fantasies." C.C. whispered into Lelouch's shirt.
Revival
C.C.'s hands trembled as she held them together in prayer again, something she had been coming to do every morning at the Britannian church in Tokyo for the past few days. Every time she walked into the dimly lit building and kneeled before the altar with no one else around, she was reminded of the days leading up to the Zero Requiem, and the last time she had spoken with Lelouch.
)(0)3
It was the night before the Zero Requiem, just hours before the sun reached the horizon and Lelouch's final plan would be unveiled before the entire world. C.C. lay in her bed, her eyelids lacking the heaviness that came with sleep. She rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling, tracing the intricate carvings in the marble slowly with her eyes. Since Pendragon had been destroyed by Schneizel, Lelouch had moved everything to the Viceroy's palace in the Tokyo settlement in preparation for the Zero Requiem. The room she had occupied back in Pendragon had been much more ornate than the one the Britannians had constructed in Japan, and C.C. wondered how much longer this building would stand in a foreign country. She was sure the Japanese would want to destroy this place after Lelouch…well, C.C. didn't want to think about that anymore. She had already mulled over the fact so much in her mind that it was becoming old and made her even more tired. Too tired to sleep, apparently. Her hand instinctively made its way to her side, her fingers searching among the sheets until they found her Cheese-kun plush and pulled it closer to her. She hugged the toy tightly and rolled onto her side once more, looking at the light that poured out of the window that she had failed to pull curtains over. The full moon filled the room with a blue-white light, bright enough to see everything.
"Such an ironically nice night…" C.C. spoke aloud and suddenly found herself dozing off, only to be awoken again by the faint sound of…a piano? Realizing sleep would never come, she adorned her straightjacket to go investigate, taking Cheese-kun with her. As she made her way slowly down the stairs, the sound became louder and she heard the notes more clearly, depressing as they were. C.C. traced the sound until she found the piano in one of the many large, windowed rooms of the viceroy's palace. Ever so slowly, she made her way over to the instrument, already knowing who the pianist was.
"Lelouch…" C.C. found herself unable to say anything but that.
Lelouch continued to play, his gaze fixed on the keys. "C.C., what are you doing snooping around this late at night? You should be asleep somewhere, far from here so that after the fact people won't try to find you."
"Shouldn't you be asleep as well, Lelouch?" C.C. leaned against the side of the piano, pulling Cheese-kun closer to her chest.
Lelouch gave a hoarse laugh, his eyes still focused on the piano. "I don't really think that matters now, C.C."
"Is that why you've suddenly decided to play the piano after all this time?"
Lelouch stopped suddenly and looked up at the woman. He took in a breath, as if to say something, but then thought better of it and resumed playing.
C.C. watched him for a moment, trying to conjure up something to say in her mind, but nothing was good enough. She couldn't change his decision to go through with the Zero Requiem, no matter how badly anyone wanted it any other way, even Lelouch himself. "Are you sure about this, Lelouch? You're paying such a high price for using your geass. There are other ways…"
Lelouch's eyes didn't leave the keys. "I've come this far; it's the way I can change the world and still atone for everything that I've done. There are other ways, yes, but for me this is the only one."
C.C. sighed. "And if it doesn't work the way you truly want it to?"
"Zero will become a symbol for justice and peace. Hopefully it will stay that way as long as possible so that I will not be needed."
"I can assure you, Lelouch, that it will not stay peaceful forever. People will forget their hatred for you as generations go by and turn it back towards each other." C.C. had experienced the repetition of history so much that she was desensitized to its constant roller coaster of war and peace.
Lelouch laughed. "Then I will just have to keep becoming the villain."
C.C. didn't know what to say. Death was already bad enough, unwanted immortality probably worse than that, but was there even a higher level of suffering? Sacrificing yourself to be hated forever in order to better the world, never getting any appreciation in return?
"By the way, I thought you were through wearing that." Lelouch brought C.C. out of her thoughts as he eyed her straitjacket.
"It's not me who is becoming a slave to the world this time." C.C. uttered. "I thought you said you wanted to break out of the birdcage that was Japan, and yet now you choose to die here. A bit contradictory, to be honest."
"C.C., this is only a prison if I believe it to be. To continue to make the world a just place; that is my destiny. That is the path that I have created for myself, and for the world. I'd feel trapped in a world like the one my mother and father wanted, a world where everything is the same. Believe me, this is a cage no longer. "
"But you do realize that no matter what happens, you're still killing Lelouch? Even if you do gain immortality, your life as you know it will no longer exist- you will outlive everyone you know and love and have to experience every unwanted change in the world." C.C. found herself remembering some things that she had buried deep for a while.
"It's better this way; I can deal with it. If I couldn't, I wouldn't have come up with this plan in the first place." He sounded convincing, but C.C. was beginning to wonder if he was trying to convince himself more than her.
"So you're not the least bit afraid?" She narrowed her eyes as she watched him flinch at her words.
"It's something I have to do." His voice wavered a bit.
"You didn't answer my question."
The piano's sounds stopped instantaneously, and Lelouch hung his head low, his raven hair cascading over his face. "Why are you still here?" his voice was much weaker than before, and C.C. realized that she'd struck a chord.
"Why would I leave?" She asked, her voice softening.
Lelouch raised his head to look at her, his violet eyes a maelstrom of turmoil. He saw that C.C.'s golden eyes were the same, and was unable to say anything back. His fingers rested on the piano keys, having lost the strength that required them to play. "C.C., I am afraid. I want this to be the right way; I don't want everything to just end up like before. I've done so many terrible things, I have to make everything, all the deaths, worth it. Tell me this is the right thing to do...please…"
Without thinking, C.C. suddenly found herself in Lelouch's arms, holding him as tightly as she possibly could, as if she could somehow stop him from shaking like he was. "There is more than one way to right these wrongs, and I believe this is one of them." Her hand cradled the back of his head as he pressed his face into the collar of her straightjacket. "I know you've thought this through way more than you should have, so you needn't doubt yourself now. I promised I'd stay with you, and I'm not about to break that now. I just…I just don't want you to end up like I have, I couldn't bring myself to give you eternal life in the C's world."
Lelouch moved to look at C.C., unable to express in words how grateful he was for her support. "I won't end up inhuman like you fear. I swear."
"It's not something you can stop from happening on your own." C.C. sighed.
"I know." He didn't deserve her, that was for sure. But she probably felt that she didn't deserve him sticking with her either. When he'd had no one else, he'd had C.C. It was her current actions towards him that made him realize her past held no sway over her future.
Without a second thought, Lelouch kissed C.C.'s lips lightly, biting back a laugh when he saw her eyes widen and her cheeks flush, until she eventually leaned into the kiss as well.
"Lelouch…you're so cruel." she smiled and rested her head against his chest, and they both sat there for what seemed like hours. They were finally awoken from their trance as they heard a knock on the door. They both stood up as Jeremiah entered the room.
"Your highness, it's time."
"Yes, I believe it is." Lelouch sighed.
Jeremiah glanced over at C.C. and their eyes met in understanding. "I'll be down the hall." He closed the door behind himself as he left the room.
After a moment, Lelouch turned back to C.C., noticing that despite her calm demeanor her eyes were glazed over, full of longing for something he wasn't sure he could give her. It was almost as if they were they were telling him not to go, not to leave their owner all alone, contradictory to what he had promised her a while ago. Or was it? He had promised a better world that would make her smile, and wasn't that what he was hoping to achieve with the Zero Requiem?
Before he could say something, C.C. broke the silence. "Lelouch…" she began. "I want you to promise me something."
He looked at her solemnly. "And what is that?"
C.C. grabbed her Cheese-kun plush off the floor and held him out to Lelouch, as if she wanted him to take it. "I want you to promise me that you'll come to death smiling." her voice was almost a whisper.
All the young man could do was stare at the toy in front of him, the thing that had meant so much to C.C. that she seemed to be abandoning after all this time. "C.C., what-"
"-I want you to have Cheese-kun. Return him to me one day, all right?" C.C. was surprised to hear her voice crack, and proceeded to walk away before she completely broke her bubble of calm demeanor.
"C.C." Lelouch grabbed Cheese-kun and took a few steps toward the woman. "Are you sure-"
"-Yes, take him." C.C. forced herself to face Lelouch once more. "You need him more than I do." Her hand reached out and grabbed his for a moment, and she debated whether or not to kiss him again, but thought better of it.
Lelouch's violet eyes softened for a moment. "C.C., I promise when all of this is over, I will come find you…I know the witch can't be without her pizza mascot for very long."
A slight smile came over C.C.'s face, and she turned to leave again. "Goodbye Lelouch. You'll know where to find me, whatever happens." She turned the corner of the doorway and disappeared into the darkness of the palace halls.
Lelouch watched her leave, knowing that if she stayed she would be captured as soon as the Zero Requiem was completed. "Goodbye, C.C." he uttered the words even though she had already left; they sounded so foreign on his tongue even though he hadn't known her for as long as others. He looked down at the Cheese-kun toy that his hand still held and laughed a little. "Is that why she always kept you around, Cheese-kun?"
)(0)3
It had already been a few days since then, and nothing from him. Had Charles's code not transferred to Lelouch? C.C. tried to remember how long it took her to completely recover from being killed, but she wasn't sure-it was a little different every time. She pushed herself back onto her feet, gazing up at the large stained-glass window as it cast its light shadow on her. It brought back so many memories, some not so wonderful…
The tap of shoes halted C.C.'s thoughts. She turned around and found herself looking right at the reason that brought her here.
"Lelouch." C.C.'s voice was barely a whisper, as if she still wasn't sure he was real.
Lelouch spoke her true name, destroying any suspicions, and without her consent, two small tears escaped her eyes and streamed down her face. Lelouch's smile didn't help either. It was a real smile, not the fake one he usually displayed around most people. It seemed as though he had never even been emperor of the entire world as he stood there, in commoner's clothes, Cheese-kun in his hand.
"Lelouch," C.C. wiped her eyes quickly. "You did bring Cheese-kun…no one saw you out there? Everyone's supposed to think you're dead."
Lelouch laughed. "So the tables have turned, witch. Now you're worrying about people finding me." He paused, and for a moment C.C. saw a glimmer of pain in those violet eyes as he remembered the past. "So, C.C.," Lelouch began again, his eyes regaining their usual luster, "since we're now in this immortality thing together, as I had planned, I suppose it's time for us to create a new contract. I granted Suzaku the geass of changing the world, and now that I have a code as well, maybe I can grant more geass. So," Lelouch lowered his head, trying to compose his thoughts so he wouldn't sound like a complete idiot. He was never really good at this sort of thing. Finally grasping the words, although his face felt like it was going to burn off, he looked back at C.C. " I'd like to form a contract with you, C.C. Allow me to fulfill your one wish."
"My wish…" C.C. repeated the words quietly. "You don't mean..."
Lelouch nodded. "Yes, your one true wish. The one you've always had, even before you obtained your geass. To-"
"-To be loved." C.C. finished. "Yes, my one true wish. You know me well, warlock."
"Let me be the one to love you," Lelouch continued. "Now that we are both immortal I can stay with you, forever. You won't have to lead an eternal life of loneliness."
C.C.'s eyes widened. "Do you really want to live forever, though? You didn't just do this for me, I hope…"
"No, I didn't. And I don't mind living forever if it means that the world stays peaceful." Lelouch sighed. "But I need you, C.C. I…I love you."
C.C. couldn't believe what she was hearing, even though she had expected it. For once in her long life she had someone that actually loved her, someone that wasn't under the spell of geass or loneliness. She felt herself smile in a way she hadn't in so long. "I love you too, Lelouch. And, I'll accept your contract, but on one condition."
Lelouch perked up at her words. "Which is?"
C.C. narrowed her eyes. "That you only love me because you want to. Not because you think I need not be lonely."
Lelouch's eyes glittered with mischief. "That shouldn't be a problem." He grabbed C.C.'s hand, and she let him pull her to his chest. Their lips met, both of them melting into the other's embrace.
"No one's ever loved me like this, you know." C.C. whispered, parting from the kiss.
"Of course not, there's only one me." Lelouch looked down into C.C.'s amber eyes that had lost their usual impenetrable wall of unreadability for a softer glow. "Where should we go now, C.C.?" he asked.
C.C. pressed her forehead to Lelouch's and thought for a moment. "How about…everywhere?"
Lelouch sighed and kissed her lightly. "Well, we do have all the time in the world, don't we?"
Code of Loneliness
Running through a tangle of dark thorns and a thick black fog; this was a far too common dream for Lelouch. The faces of those whom he had killed or who had died as a result of his past actions seemed to appear and disappear in the fog, taunting him by provoking more pain. Finding no way out of this dark forest, Lelouch fell to his knees, only to find himself being pulled into the ground as it turned to black sludge. He struggled to release the grip of the dark earth, but as if alive, it grabbed him and pulled him under, choking him until he couldn't even scream…
Lelouch awoke, gripping his heart frightfully as it almost felt like it would stop. Even if it did, however, he knew he wouldn't die-the mark of the code on his forehead proved that. The mark of the Zero Requiem and all the sacrifices that had come with it. However, Lelouch knew there was another mark left behind on him that couldn't be seen-the pain he felt on the inside. C.C. had been right way back when she said physical pain was better than emotional pain-he'd rather be stabbed a thousand times with that same sword than feel the feeling he had now for an eternity.
"Lelouch, are you all right?" C.C. appeared in the doorway, concern clouding her golden eyes. "I thought I heard you scream-"
"-Fine. I'm fine, C.C." Lelouch didn't sound convincing at all as he could barely get the words out between his labored breaths.
C.C. walked over to the side of the bed and sat down next to him. Usually they slept together, but the moment C.C. was away from him it seemed that the dark mist could find him more easily. When she was next to him she was like a light that drove away the dark, enough to be almost literal. Was that how Nunnally felt when he had been around? Then how did she deal with it now? The thought made his grief worsen, and he wasn't sure he could hold it in much longer. He hated being weak, but if he had to show his weakness in front of anyone, it would be C.C.
"Lelouch, stop being such an idiot." C.C. huffed, driving Lelouch's mind back to the moment. "I know you're not even close to fine. If you were fine after all of that, you'd be a sociopath, like Lloyd."
Lelouch didn't know what to say- C.C. wasn't wrong, after all. Before he knew it, he felt tears well up in his eyes until he was unable to hold them back. He quickly found himself in C.C.'s embrace, his head against her shoulder. "I'm sorry, C.C. I should be better than this…"
"Don't apologize, Lelouch." C.C.'s hand rested on the back of Lelouch's head as she fiddled with his raven-colored hair. "When I first obtained my code, I had no one to cry to. It was the worst feeling I have ever felt in my entire life, to be so utterly and completely alone. I promise I'll never let you know what that feels like." her voice was fierce, something Lelouch didn't notice often, but it nevertheless made him feel a little better.
"Thank you, C.C." That was all Lelouch managed to say. They stayed that way for what seemed like hours, until Lelouch could get himself to move. He looked over at C.C., wiping his eyes to try to lessen his humiliating appearance.
C.C.'s golden eyes were warm, and Lelouch couldn't help but be drawn to them. They made him feel nostalgic, like those seemingly endless summer days he spent at the Kururugi Shrine with Suzaku and Nunnally. "C.C.," Lelouch felt his face grow hot with embarrassment that he desperately wanted to hide, "C.C., please…stay here. If you leave it might happen again…" his voice grew weak as he trailed off.
C.C.'s eyes flashed a bit of surprise before she gave a small smile. "Of course, Lelouch. But, that wasn't very romantic. I'm going to need a little more than that-"
Lelouch's icy violet glare silenced her, and she lay down beside him, unable to suppress a giggle.
"Witch…" Lelouch sighed, a weak smile making its way across his face.
Fireworks
A distant echo reverberated through the dusk-dim mountains, a loud popping sound that could be mistaken as gunfire, although that had become increasingly uncommon. Instead of the gunfire of nightmare frames, it was the distant explosion of fireworks. Standing on a rock at the edge of a cliff so he could just barely see the light on the horizon that the pyrotechnics gave off, Lelouch felt a claw of grief rip into his heart as he remembered that he had planned for these very fireworks to set off in order to keep his promise with the student council that he had made so long ago: that he would set off fireworks with them one day again. But that day never really came, as the Zero Requiem had taken precedence over sentimentality. If it hadn't been for that, Ashford Academy may not even be standing right now. Or at least, that's what Lelouch kept telling himself.
"Lelouch, how much longer are you going to torture yourself?" C.C. called from the porch of the cabin they had been staying in for the past few days. "I thought you only looked toward the future."
"Well, you need the past to have a future, so…" Lelouch turned to look at the witch, giving her a glare. "And it's not torture. I happen to like fireworks."
C.C. sighed. "You're just far away enough where you can't see them. That doesn't bother you?"
"No." Lelouch turned back to look at the horizon, avoiding C.C.'s amber gaze that was boring into the back of his head.
C.C. huffed and went back inside. Another firework rocked the sky, and after its sound died all became quiet. "I thought I told them to launch more fireworks than that…" Lelouch muttered to himself. "Oh well." he walked inside, but didn't see C.C. in the kitchen, although she had left far too many dirty dishes in the sink. He proceeded to wash and dry them, only to hear C.C. call his name from the back door after he had finished just one. "C.C., I'm busy cleaning up your mess, you witch! What is so important?" He continued to dry a plate as he waited for her response, and suddenly felt a tug on his arm.
"You know half of those dishes are yours, right, warlock?" C.C. gave him one of her classic condescending looks. "Now stop self-loathing and get over here- I have to show you something." She led him outside, released her grip on his arm, and grabbed a lighter that was on the porch.
"C.C., what-"
"-You have to wait and see." C.C. cut Lelouch off and walked out in the grass a little ways to where something stood, which she bent down to light, then backed away. A huge sparkling ball of gold fire erupted from the ground and exploded into thousands of tiny stars, illuminating the area and shining golden light on C.C.'s long lime-green hair as the ashes from the sparks fell down around her. "Why watch fireworks so far away when you can see them right here?" C.C. smiled and set off another, this time a purple and green one.
All Lelouch could do was watch them, eyes wide, before he finally started to catch on. "Yes, you're right, C.C." he walked over to stand beside her. "The fireworks here are just as spectacular."
The Festival
C.C. looked great in a kimono, especially one that Lelouch had picked out for her. "Is this one satisfactory, C.C.?" he asked as she tried it on and looked at herself in the mirror.
"A sunflower kimono…you only got it because you like sunflowers, Lelouch." C.C. huffed.
"Well, I'll see it more than you will. So, the witch doesn't like it?" Lelouch narrowed his violet eyes.
C.C. reciprocated his glance. "I never said that. It just amuses me that you like to dress me up for your own pleasure."
"You make me sound so dirty, C.C."
She shrugged. "It does, however, remind me of a kimono I wore a long time ago, though I doubt you'd remember that. Unless my beauty imprinted on your mind and you subconsciously got me a dress that was similar. " A sly smile came across her face.
"Don't give yourself too much credit, witch." Lelouch sighed, not quite sure what she was talking about. "Now let's go. If you want to see all the bon festival has to offer we need to leave now."
"Yes, yes, alright." C.C. finished putting one last thing in her hair and followed Lelouch out the door.
When they finally got to the festival, C.C. could barely contain her excitement as she saw a booth with pizza and Cheese-kun merchandise. "Lelouch, how much money did you bring?"
"You should know, witch, since you use my credit card without my consent all the time." Lelouch grumbled at the green-haired woman.
"Just be glad I don't use your other things without your consent." C.C. gave him a sideways glance as she walked over to buy something from the booth.
"Witch…" Lelouch muttered to himself as he pulled his hat down, hoping he wouldn't look too conspicuous in public. He hadn't wanted to venture out into such a busy area, since he was supposed to be "dead," but C.C. would hear nothing of it.
The woman walked back over wearing a headband with two plastic Cheese-kuns on springs sticking out of it, a lollipop shaped like Cheese-kun, and slightly less cash in her hand. "You like?" She twirled around, letting the Cheese-kuns bobble atop her head.
Lelouch shrugged. "It's alright."
C.C. looked at him seriously. "Alright? You're supposed to compliment women, you know."
"You're not a woman, you're a witch."
"Oh?" C.C. smirked. "I guess that makes you a warlock, then, but you're also a demon. And, maybe I don't like that hat you're wearing. You honestly would blend in better without it. No one wears a baseball cap to a festival like this. You're such a dork, thinking that'll make a difference." She grabbed Lelouch's hat off of his head before he could stop her, and he felt as though all the eyes of the world were on him, wondering why he was still alive.
"Look, see?" C.C. grabbed his arm and gestured to everyone walking around. "No one even batted an eye. People believe what they're told, in this case, it's that you're dead. They have no reason to think you're alive. Besides, this is a small seaside village, not Tokyo."
As soon as Lelouch got over the initial panic, he realized that she was right. If he didn't act too conspicuous, maybe he'd be fine. "I guess I should take it from the expert of going incognito. Or should I say hiding in plain sight." Lelouch scorned C.C., remembering how she had frequently exposed herself at Ashford Academy just to get pizza or snoop around.
"The people that are looking for you won't think to look in plain sight." C.C. inquired, popping the lollipop in her mouth.
"Well, yes, until they just happen to see you, since you're fully exposed." Lelouch huffed.
C.C. ignored him.
They continued to walk around, looking at the various vendors and insulting each other along the way. Something caught Lelouch's eye at one of the vendor's booths, although C.C. had her eyes set on something else. "Lelouch, they have tempura. Let's go." she grabbed his hand and pulled her along, but he released himself from her grasp.
"Go get some, I'll catch up with you." He handed her some money and she didn't ask any questions; she looked at him suspiciously and walked away.
)(0)3
When Lelouch finally caught up with C.C. near the tempura, he found that she had eaten most of what she'd bought.
"You know, you could've saved some for me, witch." He narrowed his eyes.
"I did save some, but not much because you took so long. That's your fault; you know how I am with junk food." She stuffed another piece in her mouth.
"Whatever…" Lelouch snatched the box of tempura away from her and took some for himself.
C.C.'s piercing amber eyes shone in the low light. "What were you doing that took so long, anyway?"
"Nothing important." Lelouch avoided her gaze and continued to eat.
C.C. narrowed her eyes, a mischievous smile making its way across her face. "Oh, really-"
She was quickly interrupted by a huge boom from a little ways away, followed by a flash of brilliant light as a firework exploded above them in the night sky. Lelouch was thankful for the great timing- he wasn't in the mood to construct yet another elaborate lie. He knew C.C. would see through it anyway. Speaking of her, Lelouch couldn't help but admire how the light from the fireworks lit up her face, the tiny sparks reflecting in her eyes as she looked at the sky.
C.C. noticed Lelouch looking at her and returned his gaze. "What?" she asked, smiling slightly.
"N-nothing." Lelouch avoided her gaze, feeling his face grow hot.
C.C. noticed he was blushing and walked closer, wrapping her arm around his and resting her head on his shoulder. She felt him tense up at her touch and laughed slightly. "You're so stupid…" she gazed back up at the sky, wondering what he thought of these fireworks, since he had a sentimental thing for them.
Lelouch couldn't bury the painful nostalgia he felt as he watched the streaks of fire light up the sky. Maybe Nunnally, Suzaku, and the Student Council weren't here to enjoy them, but C.C. was. I wonder how long these fireworks will happen for… he wondered, thinking about the countless times he might come here in the future. The thought made him a little uneasy.
)(0)3
When they arrived back at the cabin near the water that Lelouch had rented, C.C. walked into the other room to take off her kimono, but Lelouch stopped her before she could do so. "Wait a minute, there's something I have to give you." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box, and C.C. sighed in relief as she saw it was too big to be an engagement ring. She hadn't expected Lelouch to be quite that hasty.
"What is it?" The woman found herself speaking in a whisper.
"Something that I saw tonight that I thought would look good on you as well." Lelouch returned the whisper and opened the box to reveal a gold necklace with a heart on it.
"Lelouch, how cheesy. Is this what you get every girl in your life?" C.C. eyed the heart necklace inquisitively, remembering the locket he'd bought for Nunnally but given to Rolo.
"You're so picky, C.C. You should just be glad that I got you something this expensive at all."
"Lelouch, you have so much money, it's no problem for you."
"You mean money that I no longer should have because I 'died' and lost my claim to the throne?" Lelouch laughed. "Do you want it or not?"
C.C. looked at him in feigned irritation. "Well, if you got it just for me, then I suppose I'll take it." She walked over to the mirror so he could put it on her. He carefully took the necklace out of the box, unclipped it, and placed it around her neck from behind, his hands grazing her skin and making her shiver. After he fastened the clasp, his hands remained there for a little while as he fought the urge not to touch her more.
"Interesting." C.C. eyed the thing in the mirror, touching it lightly with one finger. It was a gold heart with small wings on either side, and both prongs that made up the sides were just short of touching in the middle at the top, so the entire thing was open. It almost looked like-
"-Geass." Lelouch seemed to read C.C.'s thoughts. "But it's also more than that- I'd figure you'd get it."
C.C. smiled. "Ah yes, an open heart, not a closed one. A free one with wings. How clever of you." She saw him smile back at her; one of his authentic ones that she had grown to love. She couldn't help but turn suddenly to face him, surprising him for a moment. "Thank you, Lelouch. I love it. A bit cliché, but nonetheless a great gift. Although I didn't get you anything. How selfish of me…"
Lelouch chuckled. "That's fine. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment thing anyway."
C.C. thought for a moment. "Well, there is one thing I could give you. But it would require that both of us don't get any sleep tonight." She looked at him innocently.
"I wasn't tired anyway." A crooked smile made its way across Lelouch's face as his lips met C.C.'s.
The Clam's Memories
Lelouch started as he felt C.C. move from where she was asleep next to him in their bed, her head on his shoulder. When she finally settled down again, he looked back down at his book and tried to figure out where he'd left off, only to be startled again as C.C. muttered something inaudible in her sleep, her face scrunching up as if she was in pain.
"C.C.," Lelouch put down his book and grabbed her by the shoulders. "are you okay?"
Her golden eyes opened a crack and she sat up. "Don't you know better than to just wake me up?" she growled as she rubbed her eyes.
"You seemed like you were having a nightmare."
C.C. stopped rubbing her eyes for a moment, her gaze moving to look at the book Lelouch had put down. "I'm surprised you noticed anything while you had your face stuck in another book."
Lelouch glared at her. "Stop trying to cover it up. What were you dreaming about?"
"You know, most dreams you can't remember." C.C. stated matter-of-factly.
Lelouch grinned. "Well yes, but usually the last one you had before you wake up is the one you remember."
C.C. sighed. "I see there's no winning this. I suppose I was having a nightmare then; how childish of me."
"I don't know if I'd call it childish."
C.C. ignored him, and continued talking to what seemed like herself. "I'm surprised they came back. I hadn't had nightmares for so long, but now…"
"They went away and then they came back?" Lelouch looked at her curiously. "Why would they do that?"
"I thought you were smarter than this. Probably because before I had been so numb to everything, I suppose. But now I have them again. I blame you." She huffed, grabbing Cheese-kun and pulling him closer to her.
"Well, I'm sorry." Lelouch returned her attitude and picked his book back up, although something was still bothering him. "But what exactly were you dreaming about?"
C.C. sighed. "You are such a little kid. It was something you've probably already seen before anyway. After all, you did see basically everything about me when I didn't want you to, now didn't you?"
"Yeah, pretty much." Lelouch looked back down at his book, but C.C. grabbed it out of his hand.
"If you must know, I think it was something about someone I gave geass to. I'll tell you someday."
"C.C.," Lelouch looked at her as she flipped through the pages of his book. "Did you love anyone else you gave geass to?"
C.C. put down the book. "Yes, I did. But it was different."
"How so?"
"Loneliness reaches out at any opportunity." Fatigue sunk back into her eyes. "So now you're going to ask why you're any different, aren't you."
"No, I-"
"-We're alike, as I'm sure you've realized. We've felt like prisoners and done things we regret. I realized that before you were even born, when Marianne told me she was going to have children. I knew that you'd be a slave to your parents to help them with achieving Ragnarok, just as I'd been a slave to some men and this code. And eventually everything gets to you and you start to internalize it all. You become something like…a clam." C.C. lowered her gaze to the ground. "You create a hard outside to protect a soft inside. But do you know what happens when you stay a clam, Lelouch? The inside hardens too."
Lelouch wasn't sure how to respond. "So, how do you fix it- being a clam I mean?"
C.C. laughed slightly, her golden eyes lighting up a bit. "Well in my case the shell's beginning to dissolve…I blame you."
Homemade Pizza
Lelouch had finally gotten around to making pizza for C.C. as she had requested way back when. She had even dressed up for the occasion in a nice white summer dress, and Lelouch had adorned a waiter's uniform just to match her classiness. He finally took the beautiful homemade pizza pie out of the oven, the cheese on top glistening in the heat. C.C. would surely love this, not that she would turn away at the sight of a pizza anyway.
Lelouch brought the pizza outside to where C.C. was sitting at a table on the balcony of the apartment they had rented, and her golden eyes lit up as she saw the food come out. As soon as Lelouch put the plate down, C.C. grabbed a slice and sucked it down faster than a catfish gulped its prey. "Good Lord, witch, you really love pizza." Lelouch laughed. "I assume this is to your liking." he noticed C.C. quickly grab another slice, and then another after that.
"Yeth…it is." C.C. could barely speak, her mouth was so full of pizza. "Give my compliments to the chef."
"Of course." Lelouch replied, a playful expression coming over his face. "But, the waiter deserves a tip, since you enjoyed your meal so much. Maybe, 20%?"
C.C. returned the look. "Oh, but it appears I didn't bring any money with me. I guess something else will have to…suffice." She moved so that the already loose strap of her dress fell down to her elbow, exposing her bare shoulder.
Lelouch sighed, mischief glinting in his eyes. "Normally I don't take bribes from witches, but I guess I can let this one slide." He took the empty pizza pan off of the table and walked away, only to trip over probably nothing and drop it with a loud clatter. C.C. just eyed him as the plate fell and rolled for what seemed like an eternity, the metal clanging with a harsh sound on the stone. She giggled as Lelouch picked the plate back up and walked back inside, grumbling inaudible curses to himself at having lost his cool.
Someday
Florence, Italy, 380 days after the Zero Requiem
C.C. sat on the balcony listening to the traffic below and the fizz of her champagne as the little bubbles made their way to its surface and exploded. She swished the glass around, admiring how the golden liquid refracted the light as it moved.
Her attention was pulled from the drink as she heard the door to the apartment open and close. She was then quickly joined by Lelouch, who was carrying a pizza box. He set it down on the table next to C.C. and she eyed it hungrily. "Is that it?"
"Yes, that's the place that everyone says is good; it took me a while to get my hands on one, the line was so damn long." Lelouch huffed as he sat down in a chair, making C.C. giggle.
"I find your bad moods amusing." She mimicked his sour face.
"Do you?" He narrowed his eyes at her but she ignored him and began to devour the pizza, relishing the abundant flavor it possessed, even though it was only plain cheese. She'd expect nothing less from Italy.
"I think this was worth it, you know." C.C. shoved a slice towards Lelouch. "You don't have to be so emo about it."
He took the slice from her hand. "I suppose."
"The world is rather peaceful now. " C.C. looked out at the streets beyond. "The E.U. was having quite a bit of its own turmoil, but it seems to have calmed down, for now. Well done."
Lelouch tried to follow her gaze. "Yes, it is. Compared to the last time I was here…it's completely different. They shouldn't have to worry about threats from Britannia, now that Nunnally's in charge."
"I see, that's it." C.C. sighed.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "What's it?"
"Your bad mood." C.C. shoved the rest of her current pizza slice in her mouth and walked over to him, putting her arms around his shoulders. "You miss doting on your little sister all the time."
"Leave me alone witch. That's not true," Lelouch grumbled. "I just happened to see her on T.V. earlier making diplomatic agreements with the E.U., that's all."
"Lies, all lies." To Lelouch's dismay, she began to massage his shoulders.
He was about to tell her to stop pitying him and let him deal with his issues on his own for once, but found it pointless and instead different words slipped out. "I just hope she'll do well without me."
It was barely a whisper, but the attentive woman heard it nevertheless.
"She'll be fine. She is related to you, after all." C.C.'s voice had lost its rough edge and became smoother.
"But I pretty much traumatized her. I died in front of her." Lelouch felt sick at the thought.
"Everyone dies, Lelouch. Well, almost everyone." C.C. laughed slightly. "She would have had to cope with your death someday anyway, if she lived longer than you."
"That's completely different-" Lelouch was cut off as he felt C.C. grab his chin and lift his face up to meet hers.
"Are you really happy here, Lelouch? I mean with me?" C.C.'s condescending attitude suddenly vanished, and Lelouch realized that she was speaking from a very deep part of herself.
"Of course I am." He looked at her, puzzled. "Why wouldn't I be?"
"I know you miss Nunnally and Suzaku a lot, as well as a mortal life. Do you regret knowing me?" C.C.'s eyes began to glaze over, almost as if she was about to cry.
"C.C., I told you that I would have ended up like this with or without geass, and as for immortality, I'm alright with it." He fiddled with a loose strand of C.C.'s green hair. "I'm glad I get to spend eternity with you, because I love you. I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be, you know that. Please don't blame yourself."
C.C. took in all he had to say, seeming to get some relief from it, although Lelouch knew that she would always blame herself a little bit. He probably would have too.
"You know, just because you left your friends doesn't mean you shouldn't see them again. You don't have to be so stubborn all the time." C.C. moved closer until her lips just barely grazed his, but he was too impatient and pulled her in for a deep kiss.
Maybe someday… but Lelouch's thought quickly evaporated under the warm rays of C.C.'s embrace.