TOKYO GHOUL: Requiem for a Demonic Centipede

by Starlight's Poet

(One-Shot. Contains Spoilers. Set near the end of Aogiri Arc) The Black Knights, along with Nunnally and Suzaku, wake up during the Aogiri Raid by the CCG with no memory of how they got there. The Bin Brothers find them, but they are saved by the last person they expected. However... Lelouch is not the same as he used to be. After all, he's been broken beyond repair... or is he?

Hello, everyone! I'm sorry to inform you, but this is not an actual chapter. You see, my friend, Code-Emperor07 and I, we have this bad habit of making up scenarios of what could possibly happen in our stories, which end up becoming future plans. TOKYO GHOUL: Requiem for a Demon does diverge from canon at some point, the most prominent being the Aogiri Tree Arc. However, this idea popped into our heads, and before we realized it, we were writing it down via Private Messaging!

Naturally, this contains spoilers for what is to come later on in the series, so if you wish to avoid spoilers, PLEASE, stop reading here! This is a One-Shot chapter, and if you don't really care for spoilers, then I welcome you to this masterpiece... which is in dire need of proof-reading T_T

TOKYO GHOUL: Requiem for a Demon ONESHOT

It was completely confusing, and illogical. They had no idea how they ended up in this place, but they did know that it was certainly probably the closest you could get to hell. The Black Knights, the current Empress, and even Zero, who was dressed in casual clothes, couldn't begin to describe what they were seeing. Humans with demonic limbs growing out of their backs, slaughtering men with otherworldly weapons.

Unfortuately, while searching for answers, they found themselves facing against two opponents, both of which formidible in their own right.

"Wh-what are these guys?" Suzaku trembled at he held the shattered remains of his sword.

The two opponents before all of them didn't have a scratch. Or rather, any wounds that were inflicted upon them were healed.

"...Number One combo!"

Kallen and Suzaku held their ground, but the attack was fierce. It was enough to knock them both off of their feat. Tohdoh narrowed his eyes, steadying his battered form. "What sort of human are you...?" he questioned.

The Bin Brothers' Rikaku lashed around patiently, the two standing together silently until answering. "We're Ghouls."

"And unfortunately for you..."

Then the two pounced, aiming for... Nunnally! "You're are meal!"

"Kyah!" The YOung empress screamed in fear as the two monsters lunged at her.

"No! Nunnally!" Suzaku cried, pressing his Live Geass Command to its Max, but would be unable to make it in time.

However, before the Bin Brothers could reach her, black and red tendrils rained down from above and pinned them to the ground.

The dust cleared out as soon as the two bounced out. However, there was someone in front of Nunnally now. Behind him were four black and red tendrils, slowwly dancing around hi sback before slipping out into the man's back. His attire was ragged and worn, nothing but a black shirt that was just barely hanging on with a pair of white shorts, his hair black with white streaks. On the lower half of his face was a black leather mask, the eyepatch gone. His left eye was black and red, while the right eye was...

"B-Big... Brother...?"

"What?!" Everyone whipped around to the newcomer, shocked to discover that it was the very person who destroyed the world and remade it. The Demon Emperor...

"...Lelouch..." Suzaku breathed.

"..." Lelouch looked over at the Bin Brothers, his eyes practically lifeless until he turned to Nunnally, a faint smile underneath the mask. "...Yo, Nunnally."

"Big... Brother?" the younger sister asked, tears streaming down her face. "Is that... really you?"

Lelouch nodded, kneeling. "...Yeah, it is."

"H-how..."

"I don't know how I can explain it, Nunnally." Lelouch shook his head solemly. "But, for now... can you close your eyes?"

"H-huh?"

Nunnally was confused, but nodded, and shut her eyes tightly. Lelouch lost his smile, and stood back up. "...Keep them like that until I say, and keep your ears closed."

Nunnally nodded again, and shut her ears tightly. Lelouch walked past Suzaku, and the brown-haired boy's eyes widened when he saw the tendrils emerge from his back. "...Kururugi." Suzaku couldn't help but feel as if his body was dumped in cold water when he heard Lelouch's voice. It was cold... so cold like ice, and his tone... it was far darker than even how he usually was. "Look after Nunnally."

All it took was Lelouch cracking his ring finger, and his left eye burned coldly at the Bin Brothers. Then, Suzaku heard Lelouch say the one thing he never thought he would ever hear in his life: "...So, which one of you wants to be torn apart first?"

"..." The Bin Brothers said nothing ad they dashed to their opponent.

"Number 2 Combo!" Lelouch remained still as they continued their charge. At the last moment, when they were just about to make contact, he disappeared.

"Wh-what?" The one of the left questioned.

"Gragh!" The one on the right gagged as his arm was torn off.

"W-when did he?!" Suzaku's eyes widened when he saw Lelouch holding the severed limb, looking down at before tossing it away. He pulled down his mask, and looked at them with a cold, terriying glare. "Is that it?" he asked. "Come on... try me."

The two charged back at him once more, only this time, Lelouch was smirking darkly. The first one tried to strike him with the tail, the second one going for a sweep. However, Lelouch leaped over them easily, evaiding both strikes before whirling his body around in mid-air and swinging his leg.

The first Big Brother caught it. But... then Suzaku felt his body go cold.

Lelouch spun around, his leg twisting in a way that it shouldn't have been, and slammed his free leg into the Bin Brother's masked face, thus colliding with the second brother. He set himself back on the ground, his leg twisting back in place. He looked down at his foot, and then back at the Bin Brothers, who were starting to recover from the strike, and cracked his index finger. "You think, after everything Yamori put me through... something like THAT hurts?"

"Y-you killed Yamori?!" the left one exclaimed in shock, unable to believe that someone as powerful and terrifying as Yamori wa killed by someone like him.

"Correct." Lelouch wiped his mouth, a dark grin appearing on his face. "He tasted like the intestines of a fish on the verge of rotting... It was rather foul."

No one couldn't believe what they just heard. The tendrils quivered, lashing in front of him, their tips poised. Lelouch frowned for a moment, cracking his middle finger and tapping his head before his other hand moved to the opposing ear. "Must've been two in without me realizing..." he muttered...

...as he pulled a centipede out of his ear and tossed it to the ground.

"Blergh!" Some of the Black Knights were unable to hold down their lunch anymore, and released the contents of their stomach to the ground.

Lelouch stepped on the squirming bug, its exoskeleton splattering.

"Seriously...After all he did, he had to put these things in my head?! It was rather annoying."

'Dear God...' Suzaku couldn't take his eyes off of Lelouch. No, it was more like... he couldn't afford to. "Lelouch... what happened to you?"

"Now then..." Lelouch grinned. "Where were we?"

"You b***! Number 1 Combo!" The Bin Brothers charged once more. Lelouch grinned darkly, the tendrils on his back suspended in air. Right before they could use their own tendrils on him, Lelouch had them pinned to the opposing wall.

"Oh, what's the matter?" Lelouch asked darkly, practically grinning all the way. "Can't move an inch? In that case..." Lelouch cracked his ring finger as the tendril pierced one of them in the stomach. "What's one thousand minus seven?"

"G-gah..."

"Y-you little-GAH!" the one on the right found a tendril thrashed into his stomach, casing blood to splash out of his body.

"I'll ask again..." Lelouch said slowly. "What is one thousand minus seven?"

"L-lelouch...?" Suzaku called out weakly. "H-hey, calm on, this is enough..."

Neither of them answered. A tendril pierced them again. "What is one thousand minus seven?"

"L-Lelouch? Hey, t-this is..."

"N-Nine hundred and three!" the first brother cried out as a tendril buried itself in his shoulder. "Nine hundred and eighty six!"

As the brother began to count down, Lelouch cracked his pinky, and inched closer to the man. "You two tried to kill me earlier... what's more, you tried to kill my sister..." Another finger was cracked. "So you don't get to complain if I eat the two of you..."

"...right?"

"L-Lelouch...?!" Suzaku's anxiety was growing with each passing moment.

"I wonder...how you would taste..." Lelouch opened his mouth and tore a piece of flesh off of the Ghoul on his right.

"Lelouch, god, please...!" He didn't care, he was practically begging at this point.

He didn't stop.

"Lelouch! Lelouch?!"

He continued to bite deeper and deeper...

"Lelouch, JUST STOP!"

The Demon Emperor stopped, blood splattered over his face, and looked over at Suzaku. Tears were falling down his cheeks.

"...What's wrong...Suzaku...?" Lelouch asked as if nothing were wrong.

"Please...Just please...for God's Sake...Just please stop this madness!" He begged.

"What madness?" He asked in turn as he tore off another chunk of flesh with his bare hands. the blood dripping through his fingers as he squeezed the squishy fibrous substance. "All I'm doing is having a meal..."

"A-a meal?!" Suzaku cried out. "Lelouch, I don't know what happened, but please, just stop! If not for me, then please... for Nunnally!"

That caused him to pause. His looked over at Nunnally, who still had her eyes and ears shut tightly, her body quivering. What if she decided to open up to all of this? But... these people tried to kill her. They tried to kill Kallen and Suzaku. They deserved this, didn't they?

...But...

Would Nunnally want this?

No...she wouldn't...Is is not...and never will be...that type of person who would want revenge.

"..." Silently, Lelouch pulled his mouth away from the bodies. Just as the Bin Brothers thought the worst of it was over...they were wrong.

With his expression remaining cold, the tendrils on Lelouch's back spasmed and skewered the two ghouls through the skulls.

Once the tendrils pulled black, the Bin Brothers fell to the ground as lifeless heaps. He looked down at his hands. They were bloody, bits of meat still clinging. He absently noted the cuffs that were still hanging on his wrists.

He had accepted his Ghoulish existence during his fight with Nishiki... but he never fully expressed himself, emersed it as far as he had done now.

He supposed he had Yamori to thank for that, but... was this...really him?

He just didn't know anymore. He did know that he was still Lelouch, Nunnally's older brother. "It's okay... Nunnally..." Lelouch said as he walked over to the girl, making sure to clean the meat off of his hands. "You can open your eyes..."

Nunnally slowly removed her hands, and through her tears, looked up at Lelouch. "A-are you... okay...?" she asked shakily. Lelouch nodded as he kneeled. She looked down at his hands, and over at the Bin Brothers. She took his hands into hers.

the tears came in greater force, and she buried herself in his chest. "Oh, big brother..." she sobbed. "What did that man do to you...?!"

Lelouch's eyes softened at her sorrow. "...He had done too much..." He gently wrapped his arms around her.

"I'm sorry Nunnally..."

"Nunnally..." He felt his eyes becoming blurry, stained with tears. "I just don't know anymore..." His teeth clenched. He could hear the man laughing, standing over him with his pliers in his hand. "Am I... am I really... still human?"

"Of course you are, big brother!"

"...!" Lelouch grimaced, holding his sister tightly. He felt tears falling down his face, toching down on her long hair. "I don't know what happened to you while we were gone, Lelouch, but..." the raven-haired Ghoul looked over Suzaku, who still looked shaken up. "...even if aren't human anymore... always, ALWAYS..." he said through tears. "...remember the things that make you human..."

"Suzaku..." Lelouch gazed at his best friend, who held no ill will toward him for what happened.

"Don't ever forget any of it..." Kallen joined in, just as shaken up, but tearful nonetheless. "Don't ever forget...or you will lose your humanity...We don't ever want that to happen..."

For the first time in his life, Lelouch felt truly blessed to have such precious people in his life.

He was unable to hold himself back anymore, all the emotion lelouch had restrained, his anger, frustration, anguish, sorrow, and pain, he released it all.

His grip on Nunnally became tighter, his sobs harder, and everything was undone. Sobs became screams, not at all hindered by the rain.

Yamori had broken him... but he did NOT break his soul.

"Lelouch...It's alright now..." Nunnally hugged him tighter.

"We should get out of here now, before more of them come to find us..."

"Actually, Lelouch..." Kallen managed to say at last. "...just what the hell is going?"

"I don't even know where to start..." Lelouch said as he slowly got up, carring Nunnally up with him. "...what I can tell you... is that anyone wearing a mask and a red cloak is NOT someone you want to mess with."

"Tell us on the way." Suzaku nodded. "I don't want to meet the rest of these guys...!"

"Let's move. As far as I know, friends are on the roof." Lelouch said as he placed his mask back on.

"Well what are we standing around her for? Let's move it!" Gino urged. Lelouch set Nunnally back on her wheelchair and led the way, the Black Knights and his friends tailing closely behind. On the way up, he re-told everything that happened to him, from his awakening in this world, to his battle against Nishio, to meeting Hinami, to Battling Ghoul Investigators, and to what happened with Yamori. And everyone else was completely sickened and shaken by the last bit.

Upon reaching the uppermost level, they were greeted with the sight of two Ghouls, siblings fighting each other, the younger having defeated the elder.

Lelouch's eyes widened. "That's...!"

"Friend of yours?" Suzaku asked, to which Lelouch nodded.

When the yonger sibling, Ayato, fired off red crystals, Lelouch already found himself moving. He took Touka's barely conscious body, and leaped out of the way, the crystals piercing to the ground. "Tch!"

"Wh-who...?" Touka stirred slightly, her eyes focusing on who saved her. "L...Lelouch..."

Lelouch looked down to face her, his one revealed eye solemn and empty. "This is because of me. I'm sorry..."

"Why are you..." Touka's eyes became misty, "...such and idiot...?" She passed out.

Enraged, Ayato shot forth more crystals, but the appendages from Lelouch's back swatted them all away.

"Nishiki, can you look after Touka?" Lelouch asked, gently laying the girl down next to him. The man was confused at first, especially by the appearance of the strangely-dressed newcomers, but nodded. Smiling a bit, Lelouch got back up and turned to Ayato, who was glaring at him. "You know, I suppose I should be glad that I was born an older brother, and not some obnoxious little brat."

"What was that?!" Ayato shouted, shooting forth more crystals. Lelouch dived straight in, avoiding each crystal aimed at him while his tendrils blasted the others away. The idiot didn't realize Lelouch was already behind him until after he stopped his barrage. 'When the hell did he-?!"

"Hot damn...!" Tamaki said in awe. "How'd he get over there so quickly?!"

"If it weren't for the fact that you were Touka's brother, I'd have killed you a hundred times over." Lelouch said, glaring at the younger Kirishima sibling with anger. "So, instead... I'm going to kick your a**."

"You son of a b***!" Ayato swung his fist for a straight punch, Lelouch side stepped and countered with one of his own. The blue haired ghoul leapt back and punched again, this time meeting with Lelouch's fist. A shockwave resonated throughout the rooftop. They backpeddled and dashed in once more. Their movements became a blur, becoming only visible for each instance that they were deadlocked. Fist met fist, kick met kick, and Kagune met Kagune.

"They're equally matched..." Tohdoh said, eyes narrowed. "Although..."

"So, you noticed it too, Tohdoh-sensei?" Suzaku asked, looking at his former teacher for confirmation, and received. Tamaki frowned, tilting his head and wondering what they were talking about, so Kallen elaborated. "Lelouch is trying to teach him something..."

Ayato leaped into the air, and sent off several crystals. Lelouch knocked all of them away with his Kagune effortlessly, giving only a silent glare. "You know, you try to play the role of a hard-a** who doesn't care about his sister... but you are by far the most horrible liar I have ever met."

Ayato paused for a moment, his face beset with shock and disbelief. But it was quickly broken with one of pure, unbridled rage. "Shut up!" He dived down, his Kagune wrapped around him in a spiraling cloak. He spun and spread open his sharp wings when he was close enough. "What the f*** do you know?!"

Lelouch didn't move, and just waited for the attack. The Kagune was right in his face until he used his own Kagune to impede it, sparks and shreds of crystals flying everywhere, scratching the front of his body. Once the cloak was removed, revealing an angry Ayato, Lelouch grabbed the boy by the head, pulled him forward, and delivered a hard knee to his stomach, shattering his Kagune instantly.

"Gragh...!" the boy coughed out blood from the impact breaking a couple of ribs, while Lelouch, staring coldly down at him, had him by the hair.

"Shut up and listen, you little brat..." he said menacingly, holding a finger over his mouth. "I'm talking."

"Why you..." Ayato snarled viciously. He swung his leg forward in an attempt to strike Lelouch in the face, but he flipped back at the last moment, using his Kagune as a boost.

As Lelouch landed on his feet, a flock of ravens flew into the sky next to him.

"Do you want me to tell you...?" Lelouch said, making Ayato glare. "...you're secret?"

"What the hell are you babbling about?"

Tohdoh's eyes narrowed, a thin line turning upwards at the corners of his lips. "I see... so that is why..." he mumbled, causing Chiba to frown. "Lelouch sees himself in that boy, and now... I understand."

"Allow me to ask you something, Ayato Kirishima..." Lelouch said as he looked the boy in the eye. "How far would you be willing to go... to protect Touka?"

"The hell are you talking about?!" Ayato snarled, slowly growing frustrated.

"You're reasons for gaining strength..." lelouch's eyes moved over to Touka, who had been watching the exchange for a while, but was unable to stop it. "...was for Touka, wasn't it?"

Touka's eyes widened, in shock. All of this...all of Ayato's actions...had been for her?

The younger Kirishima's eyes were the same way, but they were unseen by the bangs obscuring his eyes, which soon narrowed into a vicious glare. "...I'll kill you...!"

"So I was right." Lelouch mused, almost in triumph.

"Wait, but, how does that work?!" Ohgi said, absolutely dumbfounded. "I mean, he almost killed his sister for God's sake!

"As I said... you're a horrible liar." Lelouch said, a smirk forming beneath his mask as Ayato charged at him again, trying to deliver a solid blow. However, the raven-haired Ghoul caught his fist, and the two glared back at each other. "Those in Aogiri Tree are powerful, of that I saw..." Lelouch mused bitterly, his time with Yamori flashing in his mind. "Yamori and those twins are proof of that... You wanted to get power, power so strong you could protect your sister... Hell, you even went so far as to make sure she didn't have to continue fighting by devouring her Kagune."

"As if I give a damn about that weakling!" Ayato cried in denial, unable to listen to him any longer. However, Lelouch's smirk only grew.

"If that's the case... then why didn't you let Yamori take her?"

At these words, Ayato stopped cold in his tracks. If he didn't care about his sister, why didn't he let Yamori have her? Ayato was well aware of Jason's torturing techniques, being so gruesome that it makes even him recoil in fear.

Ever since their father abandoned them, Ayato's perspective of the world changed. He learned that the strong preyed on the weak, a prime example of Social Darwinism. And above all, he realized that his sister was the one of those who would be devoured.

"Even if they did allow you to grow stronger... why would you join Aogiri?" Lelouch asked, as if the answer eluded him. "Or maybe you really are just a brat throwing a tantrum."

Ayato growled, and tried to impale him with his Kagune. However, he was soon sent flying by a strike to the face, causing him to crash into one of the air-vent units behind him. Lelouch couldn't help but look at the boy with a hint of disdain. "Unlike you, I'm an older brother... and no matter how harsh the world was... no matter how she would have seen the world..." His eyes softened when he looked at Nunnally. "I would never abandon my sister."

"Shut up..." Ayato growled, his Kagune starting to flare around impatiently. "Shut up...shut up... SHUT UP!" He finally screamed out in rage, crystals shooting at Lelouch. "WHAT THE HELL WOULD YOU KNOW?! OUR FATHER WAS SO WEAK THAT HE ENDED UP GETTING KILLED! HE COULDN'T PROTECT US! TOUKA WAS SO SHAKEN BY WHAT SHE DID DO THAT INVESTIGATOR THAT SHE COULDN'T GET ANY STRONGER!"

Touka felt tears slowly falling down her face. She had no idea her decision to stay with Anteiku had what made Ayato so cold.

And yet, Lelouch still looked at him with pity as his Rikaku shattered any and all crystals aiming for him. "I HAD TO GET STRONGER!" Ayato screamed out, uncaring if his sister was hearing this at this point. "FOR ANEKI'S SAKE!"

Lelouch gave a 'hmph', having enough. Faster than what Ayato or anyone thought possible, with speed surpassing even that of an Ukaku user, Lelouch shot forward and slammed his fist into the boy's gut. The force of the punch shattered several ribs, forcing Ayato to cough up blood. "You." Lelouch didn't stop. He slammed his knee into the side of Ayato's face, causing a few teeth to go flying out of his mouth. "Are." Ayato tried to throw a punch, but lelouch caught it effortlessly and shattered it with a strike from his knee, causing the younger Kirishima sibling to cry out in pain. "An." Before Ayato even saw it, he found a fist colliding with his face, slamming him back to the ground. "Idiot."

Lelouch stood over his body...delivering a condescending gaze.

Ayato, his face broken and bleeding, glared in turn. "...Screw you...!"

"...Whoa..." Suzaku and the others could only watch on in awe. They never would've thought Lelouch could fight like that.

"Obviously, Lelouch has been training vigiriously..." Cornelia said, although even she herself was in disbelief and awe. "Is that... really Lelouch?"

"Uh... yeah..." Suzaku nodded slowly. "I think that's him... but... WHEN DID HE START TAKING HIS TRAINING SERIOUSLY?!"

"Ayato..." Lelouch said, staring back at the boy, who glared in return. "It took me so long... I didn't even realize it until after it was over..."

"The hell..." the Kirishima sibling groaned out, glaring at the boy. "...are you yapping about...?"

"I wanted to make a better world for my sister." Lelouch told him his story, about his reasons for becoming Zero. "Our parents abandoned us, caring for themselves... you were lucky, you had a father that cared for you. Me and Nunnally didn't have that luxury. It was hell for us, and all I could think of was making a better world, a world where my sister could be happy."

Ayato didn't give any brash or harsh remarks, he just continued to listen. There was... something about him...

Lelouch gave a mirthless chuckle. "I didn't even realize that my sister was fine with the world we were in... she didn't mind the fact that it was hell... because she was happy being with me." Finally, the one-eyed ghoul looked at the one that mirrored him so much, it was almost painful. "Ayato... did you ever stop to think... that maybe... all Touka ever wanted...

...was to be with the only family she has left in this world?"

Ayato's eyes widened to the point that they would roll out of their sockets. Never once had he ever thought of that. He assumed that his Sister wanted to be happy, but the pain of what happened to their father tore it all away from him. It was from that point that he chose to shoulder the burden of it all. He left his sister to grow stronger, despite the pain it caused her. He did so to protect her, to shield her from the pain the world would inflict upon her. He was the younger brother, the one who admired his strong older sister. He refused to see her in such agony. He took it upon himself to bite back at the world that caused them suffering, alone.

The younger Kirishima never realized that tears were rolling down his cheeks.

"Ayato..." the younger Kirishima looked over to see a still tearful Touka limping over to him, holding her numb arm. "Please... just come home already... stupid..."

"Touka..." Ayato choked. But he shook his head before opening his eyes, now lacking the cold, ruthless spark. "...Aneki..."

Lelouch smiled, removing his mask as he walked over to Nishiki and the others while Touka took Ayato by the arm and pulled him up, lending him her shoulder. Suzaku and Kallen ran up to him, eyes large. "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT?!" they shouted in unison.

Lelouch frowned. "What was what?" he asked before he realized that they were talking what he had done earlier. "You can blame yomo and Touka for that." He couldn't help but shudder at the memories. "trust me, Suzaku... they're demons in human skin. Anyway, Nishiki, can you tell me how everyone's been holding up?"

"Well, everyone else infiltrated the building in other locations. We have yet to hear back from them." He answered, but seemed to fidget slightly.

"...When you speak of everyone else...are there any that we know of in a bad way...?" Lelouch deadpanned.

"...That gourmet freak was with us..." Touka answered for him.

"...f***!"

"Gourmet?" Tamaki asked, frowning. "You guys got a chef with you?"

"Not..." Touka sweat dropped. "...exactly."

"Eh?"

"He's a sick f*** who tried to eat Lelouch because he's a One-Eyed Ghoul." Nishiki cleared it up.

"...WHAT?!" Everyone else screamed.

"Why the hell would he do that?!" Kallen demanded, disturbed by this piece of information.

"Because Gourmets, like that f***, seek out the 'Ultimate Meal', and apparently, this guy saw Lelouch as such. The sicko wnated to eat Lelouch while he ate my girlfriend!"

"Unfortunately, Lelouch didn't exactly have that in mind." Touka added, smirking at the memory of him kicking the s*** out of Tsukiyama. That was probably one of the best moments in her life. "Speaking of which... how many bones did you break?"

"One hundred and three." Lelouch answered, grinning. "And I tore off both of his legs and an arm for good measure. Surprised he was still up after that."

"Uh... psst, Suzaku..." Gino whispered to his self-proclaimed best friend. "Does Lelouch seem more of a..."

"Yeah..." Suzaku gulped. "He's acting kind of like Luciano... and that scares me."

"For your information, Kururugi," Lelouch called out, catching the two red-handed with his improved hearing. "I am only as cruel as the Vampire when someone really p*** me off. Tsukiyama just really did a bang up job. So, can I take a guess and say that Hinami and Yoshimura are also involved?"

Nishiki nodded. "Hinami stood behind, and as for the manager, I've got no-"

Suddenly, a loud boom shook the building, smoke dashing up in the distance. "The hell?!" Tamaki shouted, running over to the edge and saw several people combating a lone figure adorned in a red cloak with a mask that had only a single red eye revealed, and two bloody silver appendages of some kind portruding out from his back. "The hell is that thing...?"

"It's...so it's him...!" Ayato gasped in realization.

"Ayato, you know who that is...?" Touka asked her brother, and quite surprised by the look on his face.

"Yeah..." The younger Kirishima settled down. "It's one of the most powerful member of Aogiri...The One-Eyed Owl."

"The One-Eyed Owl...?"

Ayato nodded, a look of both fear and reverance on his face. "He's easily the strongest guy in Aogiri... not even Executives like Tatara and Yamori could hold a candle to him. Also," his eyes drifted to Lelouch. "He was the only person that Yamori was absolutely terrified of."

"Eh?" It was Lelouch's turn to be shocked. The One-Eyed Owl was so frightening, to instil complete and utter terror into someone like Yamori?

"Yeah...He is that powerful..." Ayato answered, as if in response to Lelouch's thoughts.

"Dude, how strong is this guy?" Tamaki asked, scratching the back of his head. "He's practically pushing those guys back like they're nothing."

Lelouch frowned though when he saw a familiar face among the group. "Wait... that Investigator..."

In the fight itself, Amon panted, having barely managed to keep up, but noticed that someone was watching him. Looking off to the side, taking his eyes off the fight for just a moment, he saw a boy with black hair, accompanied by severals. However, what caught his eye was the mask that hung around the boy's neck. "Are you...?"

"It's him..." Lelouch realized after getting a better look.

"Someone you know Lelouch?" Suzaku asked.

"Yeah..." Lelouch closed his eyes. "...Someone that tried to kill me..."

"I remember him..." Touka growled, gnashing her teeth together. "He's one of the f*** doves that almost killed Hinami-chan's father."

"I'm surprised you didn't kill him, Lelouch." Xingke noted.

Lelouch nodded, having been surprised he made that decision himself. 'The only ones who should kill,' he remembered saying to the man once. 'are those prepared to be killed!' "Something he said... struck a cord with me." he told them. "It made me realize just how big the gap between humans and Ghouls are."

"What did he say...?" Todoh asked.

"...He asked why we ghouls kill. The reason why we kill..." Lelouch answered.

"Ghouls devour humans to survive. We can't eat human food, because it would just taste disgusting to us. The first couple of weeks when I woke up in that hospital after the surgery were absolute hell for me." Lelouch smiled bitterly at the memories. "It didn't matter what it was. Miso soup tasted like motor oil, tofu like solidified vomit, and rice like paste. In order to stay alive, we have to kill people. Half the time... we don't care about the loved ones those people having waiting for them back home."

"That's why Anteiku eats suicide victims." Touka said, having understood what Lelouch was getting it. "The manager doesn't like it when we have to kill, and prefers us going after corpses rather than the living."

"Yeah...It makes things for ghouls like us a bit easier too." Nishio said. "Being able to eat without the guilt."

"Indeed. I feel the same way. I only kill if its necessary." Lelouch said.

The only ones who should kill are those prepared to be killed..." Suzaku recited, smiling a bit. "Even here, you stick to that philosophy."

Lelouch chuckled, his eyes moving away from the fight before his senses suddenly flared up. Ayato and Touka sensed this uneasiness as well, and the group felt a silent hostility slowly encroaching them. Their eyes fell upon a singular Ghoul wearing a red cloak, his face obscured by a plain mask with exaggerated teeth and lips, accompanied by a long red ponytail. "The hell?" Tamaki frowned, getting ready for a fight.

Ayato scowled. "Noro..."

"One of Aogiri Tree's executives?" Suzaku asked, preparing for a fight, despite the fact that he would be useless without some sort of weapon.

The younger Kirishima sibling nodded. "Yes... he's powerful, and never speaks a word... and he's a f*** glutton."

"Wait...what?" That piece of information sparked some fear in the human group.

As if in response, a Large black and purple hand tendril with silver talons shot down from where Noro stood, aimed directly at the group. The ghouls and the Black Knights quickly moved back, barely missing the demonic appendage.

"As it stands now...we are screwed." Ayato lamented.

Suzaku gritted his teeth, looking around for anything that could be used, and found something odd beside a corpse in some kind of battle spandex suit. It was a katana of some kind without a hilt or guard, the blade completely black, save for the red edge. 'I can use this...!' he thought, taking the blade in his hand and standing up. "Lelouch!"

The black-haired Ghoul saw his friend's intentions, and couldn't help but grin. "Yeah... let's go!"

The two charged in unison. Noro did not waste time, the tendril aimed at them. However, Suzaku leaped over it like it was nothing, with Lelouch using his speed to avoid it. It swung around, hoping it whack the human down in his place, but Suzaku was much more agile, especially now that his live command was in place. "Suzaku!" Lelouch called out, avoiding a strike from the demonic Kagune.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Suzaku obeyed the orders of the Demon Emperor, and quickly dashed around behind Noro. If the Ghoul was surprised, he did not show it, even after the blade was jammed into his abdomen. To Suzaku's surprise, the attack was also followed by Kallen, impaling her hand through Noro as well, a demonic-looking Gauntlet with sharp, glowing red claws on her hand. "The hell?" Kallen's eyes widened when she felt no resistence. "Why isn't he putting up a fight?"

"Kallen, Suzaku...!" Lelouch shouted, taking the moment of surprise to his advantage and shooting forward. "Keep him there!" Taking a page from Nishiki's book, Lelouch wrapped his Kagune around his leg and swung with all of his might, literally blasting Noro's head off.

However...

"W-what the hell?!" Tamaki shouted in disbelief.

To everyone shock, dark tendrils from Noro's severed head shot out and reconnected to the wounded area. The strings retracted, pulling the dismembered parts back together. His head hung limply for a bit before the slack tightened and the two parts were fully connected.

"Wh-what is he?!" Xingke exclaimed, equally as disturbed.

"How was he able to do that?!" Tamaki yelled.

"It's Noro's Kagune..." Ayato answered. "...His life force is just that astonishing..."

"Unbelieveable..." Suzaku breathed as he and Kallen quickly distanced themselves away from the monster, while Lelouch looked at him in silent awe. "His healing abilities are far beyond what any normal Ghoul should be capable of."

"Heehee..."

Everyone's eyes widened when they heard a voice ring out in the air, a childish, female one at that. "Eto." Ayato narrowed his eyes as a small figure appeared from behind Noro, wearing a purple jacket with floppy ears on the hood, her entire body covered with bandages.

"Eto?" Tohdoh asked, frowning. "Is she also an Executive of Aogiri?"

"I don't know." Ayato confessed. "No one knows much about her, other than Tatara holds her in high regard, which is surprising, considering he's one of the top dogs in the Tree."

"So it would be reasonable to assume that she is either a special ghoul that Tatara keeps an eye on, or that she is a top dog herself." Lelouch hypothesized.

"Heehee..." Eto giggled. "...You are getting warmer...Lelouch-kun..."

That took everyone by surprise. "Wait, how do you know Lelouch?!" Suzaku demanded, readying his new blade.

"Considering that Lelouch was held captive by Aogiri, they obviously wanted him for some reason or another." Tohdoh guessed, eyeing the small ghoul. "Am I correct?"

Eto nodded, giggling again. "That's right, mister. We've had our eye on him ever since he became a One-Eyed Ghoul."

"What?!"

"You were keeping tabs on me...for that long...?!" Lelouch asked in surprise, not realizing that he was being observed from day one.

"Hai, hai!" The bandaged female giggled once more.

Ayato, did you know anything about this?" Touka asked, though she found even astonishment on her brother's face. "I only knew that Aogiri found someone of interest, but..."

"Why were you watching my Big Brother?" Nunnally demanded, glaring at Eto. The girl simply giggled at the display, however.

"I just found him to be... interesting. After all, he isn't like any of the Ghouls we've met." the bandaged Ghoul looked at the silent behemoth. "Right, Noro?"

The being nodded.

"Not like... the other Ghouls?" Nishiki frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"That's for me to know..." Eto said while in front of them.

"And you to find out." She finished, on the opposite side of them.

""W-what?! How did she do that?!"

'That speed...' Lelouch narrowed his eyes on her. 'She's obviously no ordinary Ghoul, especially if what Ayato said is true. Now that I recall, he mentioned something about a leader... and the One-Eyed Owl... plus, there was something off about that Ghoul...'

That was when a thought struck him, and his eyes widened. "You are..."

"Heehee...So you figured it out, huh? Lelouch-kun?" Eto asked, appearing right next to the Demon Emperor.

"The hell?!" Suzaku cried out, but readied himself.

"It was confusing, really." lelouch admitted, staring back at the eyes behind the bandages. "That Owl down there... I didn't get the same feeling that I do from people like Yamori or Ayato... in fact, it reminded more of someone from Anteiku." A morbid smile appeared on his face. "Appearances truly are deceiving, aren't they...

"...One-Eyed Owl?"

"...WHAT?!"

"How is that possible?! We just saw him fighting those guys below us!" Tamaki argued.

"LIke I said, appearances can be deceiving. But the one before us is the true One-Eyed Owl." Lelouch answered.

"...Say what...?" Ayato blanched, not expecting this outcome.

"...Heehee..." Eto giggled in amusement. "Ne ne...Lelouch-kun. How did you figure it out?"

"The first thing was how he fought." Lelouch said, raising his index finger. "Even though it was a brief exchange, he never tried to kill them, in fact, he was only trying to incapacitate them. Strange, for someone from a group as powerful and ruthless as Aogiri. Secondly," he lifted his middle finger. "He was holding back. It's rare for a Ghoul to do that against Investigators, people trained to kill Ghouls, but it's even more outlandish from someone in Aogiri. And lastly, there was his movements." Eto giggled his head, his deductions practically spot-on. "He wasn't spry or agile, like with what you displayed. In fact, he moved like an old man..." Lelouch gave off a grin. "...just like Yoshimura, the manager of Anteiku."

"Wait...are you saying...?!" Touka and Nishio sat up in alarm.

"It's as I said...The One-Eyed Owl we saw...was Yoshimura."

"Y-Yoshimura?!" Nishiki shouted in disbelief. "That old geezer?!"

"That's the manager...?" Touka said, equally as shocked. She never would have believed that someone as old as him would be that powerful and terrifying.

Lelouch chuckled. "I always knew that there was something off about that old man... but to think it would be something like this." He looked back at Eto, who had yet to vanish from in front of him, her hands behind her back. "I assume that he was the Owl that attacked CCG shortly after you did?"

"Impressive, Lelouch-kun..." Eto giggled. "Hai, hai! that's right, he attacked the commission of counter ghoul to protect me."

"Why?"

"I can't keep giving you freebies, Lelouch-kun." Eto teased him. "But, I'm sure you can figure it out. After all... you're special." Then, a mischevious glint entered her eyes. "And that's just what I like about you."

"...Eh?" Lelouch could only blink at her response.

"I. Like." the One-Eyed Owl got on her toes, and did the one thing nobody expected her to do. "You." she said, her clothed lips pressing against his own.

"...EHHHHHHHHHH!?" Everyone gawked.

Lelouch stood frozen, clearly not anticipating this. His mind just...froze...

"Y-y-y-y-you little BIIIIIIIITCH!" Kallen screeched, aiming to kill the little brat with her newly acquired Quinque, but Eto easily evaded, flying over straight to where Noro was waiting. "How DARE you?!"

"heehee~" Eto just giggled. "You should know, that was my first. Although, a bit on the cold side. Then again, you're as cold as they come, right?" Suddenly, after Lelouch regained his senses after the girl's stunt, she said the one thing they never clearly expected.

"Mr. Demon Emperor."

How...How do you know that?!"

"Like I said..." Eto said as her body soon faded out of sight. "...You will find out..."

"Wait!'

Unfortunately, before Lelouch could chase after her, Noro attacked them with his Kagune again, causing the ground in front of him to be obliterated. "Tch!" Lelouch scowled, jumping back. His senses also picked up something else, and his scowl deepened. "F*** pests!" he exclaimed angrily, extending his Kagune over to Touka, blocking an incoming knife from impaling the girl's skull.

Ayato's eyes widened, and scowled deeply, catching sight of a familiar figure wearing a white coat and a red mask, standing atop a ruined mass of metal. "Tatara...!"

"I see..." the Ghoul said quietly, eyeing Lelouch carefully. "To be able to sense my presence... little wonder Eto has her eye on you. In fact, there is hardly any doubt that you were truly the one who held the world in the palm of your hand."

"Wait, what is he talking about?" Nishiki asked, confused as he looked at Suzaku. "And what did that girl mean by Demon Emperor?"

"It's...well..." Suzaku tried to come up with a response, but found none.

"It's none of your concern." Lelouch replied.

It was cold, he knew that, but he was also ashamed of his past self. If Touka or Nishiki learned, how would they react?

"Ayato." Said Kirishima sibling tensed. "Tell me... are you leaving Aogiri?"

"..." He turned away.

"If you're only staying becuase of my sake, then don't! I won't let you keep doing it for that reason!"

"Love... for a sibling..." Tatara chuckled. "No matter how powerful you may be, Ayato, you're still rather fragile. If you want to leave, fine by me."

"Oh?" Lelouch inquired, raising an eyebrow. "You're fine letting a subordinate go so easily?"

"I'm sure he'd be a much better fit under your command..." the Ghoul drawled out with a finishing, "You're Majesty."

Lelouch scowled. "Why, you..."

"I do mean it out of spite, Lelouch vi Britannia." Tatara held his hand in defense. "In fact, think of him as a gift. After all... you are probably one of the few that holds mine and the King's respect."

That caught the group's attention. "King?" Tamaki frowned. "You tellin' me you guys got a king?"

"I was not speaking to you, imbecile."

"HEY!"

"The One-Eyed King..." Lelouch muttered. "I've heard of him from Itori. He's the leader of Aogiri Tree."

"You are correct." Tatara nodded. "Ever since he has learned of you, he's been yearning for the day when he could meet you."

"Funny." Lelouch said sarcastically with a glare. "You haven't shown me this respect you seem to have for me when you pierced my stomach and handed me over to Yamori."

"It was more along the lines of testing you, truly." Tatara said. "After all... people like Yamori... are expendable."

"So you treat those beneath you as your pawns?!" Xingke yelled, only to get a knife lodged in his shoulder. "Gragh!"

"I don't recall ever speaking to a rodent like you." Tatara spoke coldly. "But people like Yamori, are expendable because they truly have no redeeming qualities.

Ayato just stared at the man. "Yamori was one of your expendables?!" he cried out in sheer disbelief. "That b*** had a Kakuja for Christ's sake!"

"A weak one, thus he had no worth." Tatara dismissed. "After all, you managed to destroy it with relative ease, didn't you, Lelouch vi Britannia?" he inquired, earning a scowl from Lelouch once more. "WHat's more... you even devoured it, along with Yamori. I imagine he must have tasted fowl beyond imagination."

"...Yeah...He tasted like the intestines of a fish on the verge of spoiling." Lelouch cringed at the taste.

"Nevertheless, cannibalism such as that is what unlocks a Ghoul's true strengths...and you very well will reach that level soon enough..."

"The hell does that mean?" chiba frowned, to which Ayato answered.

"If a Ghoul continues to cannibolize, they'll develop a Kakuja." the younger Kirishima said before cringing. "I tried it myself once, damn near puked. Ghouls that can stomach other ghouls are downright terrifying... especially someone like Tatara."

"He would have to be." Lelouch said, eyeing the Chinese Ghoul carefully. "After all, he's one of Aogiri's Top Executives."

"A position that can also extend to you as well, You're Majesty." Tatara answered, much to the shock of everyone in attendance.

"...What are you saying...?" Lelouch treaded cautiously.

"What I'm saying...is that Aogiri is opening its arms to accept you as well. The decision remains open as long as you'd like. We are very patient with individuals such as yourself, You're Majesty."

"Lelouch..." Suzaku said, wondering what Lelouch would do. Naturally, though, his friend gave the response he had hoped in the form of a glare. "And what in the hell makes you think I would ever join people like you?"

"Those at Anteiku are unaware of who you truly were..." Tatara said, making him freeze. "You, who slaughtered countless humans that stood against you... You, who became a ruthless tyrant that answered to no one... You, who controlled the world with an iron fist... Truly, you wore worthy of your moniker, 'Lelouch the Demon'."

"Lelouch...the Demon...?" Touka murmured, both her and Nishio unaware of such a title their friend had.

"Lelouch..." Nishio narrowed his eyes. "WHo are you really?"

Lelouch didn't turn to face them. He was too ashamed to. "Remember how I told you that I was a monster long before I was Ghoul?" he asked them. "I wasn't lying."

"You may have been a demon." Tohdoh said, his grip on his katana tightening. "However, you had your reasons... reasons we did not try to understand until you had sacrificed your life to make the world you wanted your sister to live in. Just as they said, Lelouch. Even if you are no longer human, so long as you recall the things that do make you human, you shall never truly be a monster."

"Indeed so." Tatara chuckled. "Every monster's face is always a mask... wouldn't you agree?" his eyes turned to Suzaku. "Zero?"

"What?!" Lelouch and Suzaku's eyes widened. "How do you about that?!" The latter demanded, the grip on his weapon tightening.

"WHo knows?" Tatara shrugged.

"He clearly knows far too much..." Xingke narrowed his eyes at the Ghoul, gripping his shoulder. "Tatara... just who are you truly?"

"All in due time, Black Knights..." Tatara said as the ground beneath them began to shake. "All in due time..."

"Until we meet again, Lelouch vi Britannia..." With that, the man turned to take his leave, vanishing with Noro. The group could not give chase, as the ground's shaking only increased.

"Uh Guys...? I think we should leave...like right now!" Tamaki spoke in panic.

"Everyone evacuate now! The building's collapsing!" Ayato yelled.

"No s***, moron!" Kallen shouted before everyone bolted out of the panic. "Nishiki, where's everyone else?!"

"Probably at the randevous point!" the glasses-wearing Ghoul replied, all of them practically leaping down the building's interior. "We were told to meet there when we got Lelouch! This WAS a rescue operation, after all!" He turned to the group. "And you guys SOOO owe us an explanation when we get out of here!"

"Fine, just MOVE!"

Everyone quickly navigated their way through the crumbling building. They tried to ignore the sounds of bodies of CCG Troops being crushed beneath the rubble and advanced. Their minds were heavy of what transpired, but they would put it aside for now as survival was the main priority.

Once they were finally out of the insuing chaos, they were finally able to breath more easily. They reunited with the Anteiku group, and also found a visibly worn-out Yoshimura. Those that were not present to see Lelouch rally the group were confused at first by the appearance of the newcomers until Touka and Nishiki explained that they were apparently Lelouch's friends.

"So these are your friends Lelouch-kun..." Yoshimura greeted.

"Yes."

"Hm, I see..." the old man said, looking over at the group before smiling at them. "I am Yoshimura, manager of Anteiku. It is a pleasure to meet all of you."

"Li Xingke."

"Kyoshiro Tohdoh."

"Nagisa Chiba."

"Shinichiro Tamaki, nice to meet ya, old man!"

"Kallen Kouzuki, it's nice to meet you."

"Suzaku Kururugi, a pleasure, Yoshimura-san."

"Gino Weinberg, nice to meet you all!"

"Anya Alstream. It's a pleasure."

"I'm Nunnally. Thank you for looking after my Big Brother!"

Naturally, this caused some great confusion, the first being Enji. "Eh? But, I thought Lelouch's brother was Kaneki-kun?"

Lelouch squirmed. 'Ah, crap... Well, time to play the tune, I guess.' "Kaneki is my adoptive brother, whereas Nunnally is my blood sibling."

"Ah, I see..." Yoshimura nodded. "Also, Lelouch... how are you feeling?"

"Huh? Fine, I guess."

Yoshimura's smile fell. "You know that is not what I was referring to. You spent ten days with Aogiri, moreoever... with the Eleventh Ward's Jason."

Lelouch grimaced, recalling all those horrible memories. "Um, Lelouch-nii-san?" Hinami said, walking over to him. "What did... he do...?"

"...He shoved a centipede in my ear, and crammed it inside my skull."

E-EH?!" Revulsion washed throughout the group.

"But before that...he would use these pilers to remove my toes...then force me to eat them...and before that he shoved a needle in my eye to inject a drug that inhibits my kagune."

"THAT F*** DID WHAT?!" Nishiki roared out angrily, his nails digging into his palms to the point where they bled.

"Lelouch..." Touka felt tears beginning to mar her face alongside Hinami. Ayato winced, having seen Yamori's brutal torture before, but he had never heard of it being so severe before. The whole group, including the Black Knights, were in complete horror behind the torture.

"And that wasn't even the horrible part..." Lelouch's breathing started to go harder, and his body shook. "He brought two people in front of me... he said that... he would make the torture stop... if I chose one person to be killed... they were both lovers... I... I couldn't..."

Yoshimura's eyes fell to the ground. "...It is a miracle that you were even still in one piece, Lelouch-kun." he said, but received a shake of the head. Tears were falling down Lelouch's face. "No... I wasn't... The Bin Brothers tried to attack Nunnally... and I... I...!"

"...You had to kill them to protect her...am I right?"

"It didn't stop there...I begun to eat them...in front of everyone's eyes...!"His voice trembled even further.

Yoshimura placed a hand on the boy's shoulder, making him stop. "...If there has ever, ever been one thing I have regretted, Lelouch-kun..." he said sadly. "It is that we did not try to save you earlier... Although..." he smiled reassuringly. "Even if you were left broken back there... you're friends saved what little there was. Even if you are not whole, you are still Lelouch Lamperouge, and shall remain so."

"Th...thank you...Yoshimura...Thank you..." Lelouch was on the very edge of breaking down into tears.

"I've never once seen Lelouch like this..." Suzaku said, practically hurting from seeing his friend shaking and crying like a leaf, holding onto his sister for dear life. "Why...?" His fists clenched. "Why did this have to happen to him of all people?!"

"Actually..." Touka said, looking at the group. "About what those guys said earlier..."

"Indeed." Tohdoh nodded, placing himself on the ground. "I suppose it is that time." The old war vet looked over at Nunnally and Hinami and Ryouko. "Nunnally, Fueguchi-san, Hinami-san, please look after Lelouch." His old face softened. "I believe comfort is what he truly needs at this point."

The three girls nodded, and led the boy away, seeing as how he was practically breaking down. "Now then..." Kyoshiro Tohdoh sighed. "Where should we begin?"

"You can start by telling us who all of you really are." Nishio spoke.

"Would you believe us if we told you were from another world?" Tamaki asked, being blunt like he usually was. "And would you also believe us if we said that we've got no s*** idea about what the hell you guys are?"

"...should I really take this idiots word for it?" Nishio deadpanned.

"Hey!"

"Whether or not you want to believe us is your choice." tohdoh said calmly. "Now, before we go any further with these questions... just what are you? And moreover, what has become of Lelouch in this world? I've never heard of humans devouring one another before."

"That's because he is not human..." Ayato answered, wiping away the blood from his face. "he's a ghoul, like us."

"What the hell is a Ghoul?" Kallen frowned. "I've heard you guys talk about them before... and why do you have to..." she stopped herself. That image of Lelouch devouring the twins was still in her mind. She had been downright horrified. The person she saw was not Lelouch, no what she saw was a monster that looked at him.

"Ghouls are, for a lack of better term, monsters that kill and eat humans to survive." Nishiki answered. "We can't eat human food, don't ask why because even we don't get it. We can only get by by eating humans. Though, people like us, at Anteiku, just eat suicide victims and corpses, like Lelouch said earlier."

"We answered your question, now answer ours." Touka hmphed, crossing her arms over her chest. "How do you know that blithering pompous idiot?"

'That was kind of a harsh way to describe Lelouch,' Suzaku sweat-dropped. 'Yet also very accurate...'

"We met him a few months ago. Apparently, he got into a construction accident and got an organ transplant. In addition, it seemed that he was human before that." Touka answered.

"Wait...he was human?"

"Then how'd end up with four tentacles on his back?!" Tamaki all but shouted. "And since when the f*** could he kick a** like some kind of f*** kung-fu expert?!"

He...is a good friend of ours..." Suzaku said slowly.

"Really? Because from the look of your eyes..." Ayato interrupted, "...is a different story."

"If we told you what happened, you'd probably hate Lelouch so much you wouldn't want anything to do with him." Kallen answered for the new leader of the BK. "So, let's start at the beginning."

"Y-yeah..." Suzaku nodded, taking a deep breath before explaining. "Lelouch was... originally... from our world. He wasn't just some average person, like he is here. He was..."

"He was what?" Nishiki asked, raising an eyebrow.

"...Royalty."

...

...

...

"...BwahahahahAHAHAHA!" Touka and Nishio broke down laughing. This continued for several moments until they ran out of breath. As they calmed down, they noticed the humans looking at them with even expressions.

"Oh...you're serious?"

"Deadly serious." Suzaku nodded. "He was the eleventh prince of Britannia, and was seventeenth in line for the throne. In short, he is a prince."

"I sense a but coming on here." Ayato noted.

"His father..." Suzaku scowled. "...his father was the Emperor... and the most cruelest human I've ever met."

"How much of a d*** are we talking here?" The younger Kirishima asked.

"The biggest you have ever seen in your life." The Knight of Zero answered. "He views his own children dead to him, ships them off to a nation yet to be conquered, and wages war with said nation. He didn't care whether or not they were dead or alive..."

"When Lelouch's mother was murdered, Nunnally had lost her sight due to the trauma, and during the incident a bullet hit her spinal cord, leaving her in a wheelchair." Suzaku continued. "Lelouch was angry, he barged into the throne room, and demanded that the Emperor investigate the matter. Charles zi Britannia just waved him off, calling it a useless matter, and even called his own daughter 'weak'."

Ayato scowled, his hands tightening into fists, an action not unnoticed by Touka. Now they understood what he said when they had it better. "So, he's a giant f*** pissant."

"Worse than that." Kallen scoffed. "Any nation Britannia conquered was turned into a colony, and those that were conquered were renamed Numbers. For example, back in our world, Japan became Area 11, and Japanese, Elevens. Those that accepted Britannia became Honorary britannians and could find jobs. And those that refused to bow down..."

"...were sent to live in the ghettos, which were completely wrecked, and were not even touched since the war ended." Ohgi finished off bitterly. "And it's been nine years since then."

"SO what happened to everyone?" Touka asked.

"We're getting there. It was two years ago, that Lelouch's story truly began..."

"After Lelouch cast off his status as prince, the Emperor sold him off to my family to be used as political tools, as my father was Prime Minister at the time. It wouldn't be until 3 months later that Britannia invaded, and Japan was taken over in less than a month. That was because of Knightmares, humanoid combat mechs."

"Lelouch was briddling with rage." Tohdoh continued, closing his eyes as he recalled this part himself, standing near the children while watching a comrade being put to rest in the flames. "In fact, his very words before he and Suzaku parted ways were, "I will one day obliterate Britannia."

"I don't blame him." Nishio said. "If it were me, I'd kill any of those b*** that I came across."

"Well, the true revolution didn't start until seven years later, when Lelouch was in high school." Suzaku continued. "An incident took place in the Shinjuku ghettos, and that allowed me to reunite with my friend, unfortunately, circumstances took a turn for the worst, further fueling his hatred."

"And it all started when he met a green-haired woman by the name of C.C." Kallen said. "I don't much about it, since I was fighting the Britannians when they ordered a massacre on everyone in Shinjuku, but-"

"Wait, the f*** did WHAT?!" touka snapped, eyes large in rage.

"They ordered a full-scale massacre." Kallen repeated for him. "It was because the resistance group I was in stole something from him, believing it to be poison gas. But we soon discovered otherwise."

"It was that girl...C.C..."

"Great, so the b*** are into human experimentation..." Ayato scowled angrily. So far, these britannians made the Ghouls out to look like a bunch of pacifists. "What was so special about this chick anyway?"

"C.C. is immortal." Suzaku said, causing the group's eyes to widen. "She has this thing called a Code inscribed on her forehead. So long as she has that, she can revive herself, even if she gets her head cut off or if she's blown to pieces. Lelouch told me she survived a gunshot to the head. Also, the Code also allows her to give people she deem worthy a special power."

"A power?" Touka asked, raising an eyebrow, before something clicked. "Wait... that power wouldn't happen to be mind-control, would it?"

"Mind control?!" Everyone shot up at her words.

"Is it Lelouch?!" Suzaku demanded an answer.

"I'll take that as a yes..." Ayato said for her sister.

"I remember him doing something weird to the Investigators back at CCG when he managed to clear Ryouko and Hinami, he just made anyone involved in the investigation forget everything they knew about them, and corrupted all of their files on them."

"Wait, he actually did that?" Nishiki whistled. "Damn, sounds like it could come in handy."

"Geass," Tohdoh said, closing his eyes. "Though we are in the dark about it ourselves, it is a power that differs from person to person. For Lelouch, he had the absolute power to make anyone follow any order. It was with that power that he killed his brother, Clovis, the one responsible for the Shinjuku massacre. It was also because of that power that he made Jeremiah Gottwald out to be a traitor to the Purebloods."

"It was actually that day that Lelouch began his rebellion against Britannia." Suzaku said, smiling at the memory, all things considered. "I'll be honest, I actually prefer that mask over the one he's wearing right now."

"Why? What mask did eyepatch wear?" Nishio asked, using Lelouch's alias.

"Eyepatch?" Kallen raised an eyebrow.

"An Alias we give eachother based on our masks.

"Well, I can understand how he got the nickname." Gino chuckled. "Still, why the Frankenstein motif?"

"How should I know?" Touka shrugged. "Ask Uta. He's the one that makes 'em."

"Well, Lelouch had a different mask when he saved me during a false trial that set me up." Suzaku said. "And believe me, he brought whole new meaning to the term 'flashy'."

"Lelouch? Flashy...? Why would I not be surprised by that...?" TOuka asked sarcastically.

"SO what happened next?" Nishiki and Ayato took an interest to the tale. "After that, I unknowingly met the 3rd Princess of Britannia, Euphemia il Britannia..." Suzaku spoke with a sorrowful smile.

"Lemme guess, Lelouch's older sister?" Nishiki asked, receiving a nod. "Yeah. She was like an older version of Nunnally, preferring peace over violence. She wanted to make the lives of the people in Area 11 better, instead of worse. Unfortunately, her older sister on the other hand..."

"Alright, I admit, I was a blow-hard b*** back then." Cornelia sighed, shaking her head. "Cut me some slack, Kururugi."

"Anyway, Cornelia and Lelouch were practically rivals back then, and it only got worse after a hotel hijacking, where Euphie was held hostage." Suzaku continued to tale. "It was actually there that he revealed his organization."

"Really? He had an organization?"

"Yeah, the Black Knights. A group purposed for justice, protecting the powerless and eliminating the corrupt."

"Knights of Justice, huh?" Ayato chuckled. "What an oddball."

"Got that right." Nishiki snorted. "So, you said he went by a different name and mask?"

"Yeah," kallen nodded. "He was known as Zero, otherwise called the man of miracles."

"Now that sounds rather far fetched." Nishiki brought up.

"Maybe...but his alias was true to its namesake."

"Lelouch was a genius." Suzaku said, smiling sheepishly. "No matter how thick the situation was, he was always able to turn it around to his favor. he outsmarted every opponent that came at him, and was always able to beat Britannia, in one way or another." That was when his smile turned sour. "But... not everything went like Lelouch thought it would."

"Eh?" Nishiki frowned. "Why? What happened?"

"It was back at Narita." Kallen answered, sadness reflected in her eyes. "One of Lelouch's friends, Shirley Fenette... her father was working there when we began one of our operations."

"Our plan to attack Britannian forces was creating a landslide to wipe them out, but SHirley' father was caught up in it, buried alive..."

"It was after that I saw the Black Knights and Zero in a Negative light." Suzaku spoke honestly. "And it was after that...a man named Mao tried to use Lelouch's moment of weakness."

"Wait, what happened?" Ayato asked, suddenly interested.

"Mao had Geass, though his was different." Suzaku said. "He could read people's thoughts, but unlike Lelouch, he couldn't turn it off. He had to listen to the thoughts of everyone around him in a 500 meter radius."

"F-five hundred meters?!" Nishiki gaped. "Damn, that's harsh..."

"If at all anything, the b*** deserved it..." Suzaku scowled. "Not only did he try to convince Shirley to kill Lelouch, and then herself, but he even took Nunnally hostage...!"

"Say what?!" Ayato gaped, his eyes narrowed with outrage.

"That's how twisted he was...He did it to eliminate Lelouch so that he could get C.C., thinking he stole her away from him."

"Damn...the guy sounds like a real psycho."

"He was obsessed with C.C. because she had hoped that he would be the one to take her Code away from him." Kallen continued. "I don't know how long C.C. had been alive, but she had seen a lot of things in her lifetime... enough to make her want to die. Try to think how it feels to want to die, but are immortal. That's the sort of torture the Code brought her."

"Jesus..." Nishiki muttered, shaking his head. "So, what happened after that?"

"A string of events that made everything so hectic, I'm not even sure where to start..." Suzaku muttered, looking down at his hands. "And the trigger of it all... was the Special Administrative Zone Massacre."

"The what?" Touka frowned.

"The Special Zone is a district in which all Numbers are there herein by granted all rights they had before Britannia invaded, and thus retake the name they were originally called." Kallen answered. "Lelouch was against the plan at first, because he knew it wouldn't work. No matter how hard a person tries, some people wouldn't accept change. Britannians would continue to see Elevens as just people below them. But... Lelouch reconsidered when he heard Euphie's reasons for starting it."

"Her reasons?" Nishiki asked, confused. "So, she didn't start it because she wanted to help the Japanese?"

"No, she did, but she had another reason." Xingke answered. "Though I was not there at the time, I did learn of what happened. Lelouch learned that Euphemia li Britannia enacted the plan to ensure that Lelouch could stop being Zero, and live the peaceful life he deserved, after all the suffering he had been forced to endure."

"But..." Touka's eyes narrowed. "Something happened... didn't it?"

"..." Suzaku remained silent at first, but pushed himself to continue. "He told me the truth of it later on...WHen Zero was talking to Euphie, he made a joke about her killing all the Japanese...but...his geass...went out of control...He couldn't turn it off like Mao. He accidently gave Euphie that order to kill all the Japanese..." He choked.

"...what...?" The Ghouls were rendered speechless after that.

"With each use, the power of Geass increases." Tohdoh said. "Lelouch had used it extensively up to that point. It was only a matter of time."

"It had been by far the worst mistake Lelouch had made." Cornelia answered, a sad look of grimace and pain appearing on her face. "Zero had no qualms about involving innocent people in war, but Euphie... all she wanted to do was help him..."

"Ever since then, Lelouch began to rely on Geass less, and swore he would never involve innocent people ever again." Kallen said. "It had been after what came from the SAZ Massacre that I learned who Zero was, a high school student that never really cared about anything... and a Britannian prince on top of all of that!"

"...What happened after?" Nishiki asked, dreading the answer.

Suzaku didn't lift up his face.

"Suzaku..." Kallen tried to fill them in, but said man in question stopped her with a raised hand.

"No...let me finish this..." Suzaku then raised his head, tears streaming down his face. "Lelouch...killed Euphie to stop the SAZ Massacre...Then the Black Rebellion happened...I later learned about Lelouch's Geass from a boy named V.V., another contractor. After that, I confronted Zero on Kamine Island, I was so consumed with rage I didn't care what happened. In the end...I..."

"You...did what...?" Touka asked hesitantly.

"...I betrayed Lelouch...my best friend..." He sobbed.

Before anyone saw it, Nishiki grabbed Suzaku by the collar, his Bikaku already emerging. "YOU SON OF A B***!" he screamed in the boy's face. It took the combined might of both Ayato and Touka to pry the man off of Suzaku. "LET ME GO, YOU S*** SIBLINGS! I'M GONNA KILL THIS F***!"

"CALM DOWN DAMN FOUR-EYES!" Touka yelled in his ear. "Just calm down and Listen! He's getting that that part and he'll explain why!"

"Yeah! So do it before I shove my fist in your jaw!" Ayato yelled in turn.

"Tch... fine!" Nishiki growled once the two let go of him. "But, if I don't like his answer... I'm knocking his f*** little head off!"

"...I brought Lelouch in front of the Emperor, and in return for capturing Zero, was granted the title as the Knight of Seven, a member of the Knights of the Round, a part of Britannians elite." Suzaku gritted his teeth. "What I didn't know at that time... was that the Emperor had Geass as well."

"Wait, he has Geass too?" Ayato asked, surprised. "Oh boy, what can his do?"

"Re-write memories." Kallen answered. "He altered Lelouch's memories, so as far as Lelouch knew, he wasn't a prince of Britannia, he wasn't Zero, and he had a younger brother instead of a sister. He lived a lie for a year before we found him and rescued him."

"And let me guess..." Nishiki said sarcastically, glaring at Suzaku. "This f*** tried to kill his 'best friend'."

"Nishiki, so help me god!" Touka growled. "If you don't keep your s*** mouth shut...!"

"Well whaddya want me to do?! Stand here and listen to this b*** say that he betrayed his best friend, believing it to be the greater good?! Don;t give me that f*** s***!"

"...I don't blame you..." Suzaku told him. This caused Nishiki to face him.

"Ever since he killed Euphie... I hated him... I hated him for the longest time... I was thinking he was a monster that didn't care about anyone." Nishiki growled, his eyes turning black and red, and his fists clenched. He was reaching the breaking point. All it would take would be a few more words, and he'd bash Suzaku's head in. "But... I stopped after we talked about everything in the Kururugi Shrine... and in C's World."

"C's world?" Touka frowned. "The hell is that?"

"You could say...it was God's domain. More specifically, the Collective Unconscious of mankind." Suzaku asnwered.

"...In normal terms please...?" Ayato questioned, still a bit lost.

"Basically, one giant pool of people's innermost desires, all of their thoughts, wants, and emotions, all gathered up into one giant world."

Everyone's eyes turned to Lelouch, walking over to them with Hinami. "Lelouch." Tohdoh greeted. "Did you...?" Lelouch nodded. The group noticed that his eyes were slightly red and puffy, and that the sleeves of his shirt were darkened with stains. "Yeah..."

"So, uh..." Ayato scratched the back of his head, absolutely confused. "What happened in C's World?"

"Well, before that..." Lelouch sighed. "There was an incident in which the Black Knights and the Knights of the Round fought one more battle, the Second Battle for Tokyo. It was around that time that Britannia had unveiled their latest weapon..." Lelouch developed a grim look on his face. "The F.L.E.I.J.A warhead..."

"A F.L.E.I.J.A. Warhead...? That sound's bad." Ayato said.

"It was much worse than you would think." Think of the explosion of a hydrogen bomb. From that firing, an entire portion of the city was reduced to a crater."

"WHAT?!" Nishiki, Touka, and Ayato screamed in unison, and Hinami's eyes widened.

"The explosion had taken a large chunk of the city, and many were killed." Lelouch said somberly, a distant look in his eyes. "I even thought that Nunnally had been caught in the explosion... it was sometime after that..."

"That what?" Touka asked, pressuring him to continue.

"...That I was betrayed by the Black Knights..." This aroused expressions of guilt from said party, and causing the ghouls to look at them in contempt.

"...I only wanted to die after that, knwoing that my little sister, my reason for living, had perished. The Black Knights wanted to kill me, as they believed I had been using Geass to control them, when I haven't. I played along, taking the blame, so they would hate me more and shoot me down..."

"Which was the stupidest decision you ever made." Kallen hissed. "Did you stop to think that maybe Nunnally would have wanted you to live?"

Lelouch laughed at that response, though there was hardly any emotion in it. "I wasn't thinking at the time... but I couldn't let you get dragged into my mess, Kallen." he said, looking at her with a look of sadness and pain. "...Not like with Shirley."

"Wait, what happened?" Ayato asked, confused. "Kururugi said that some crazy f*** named Mao tried to convince her to kill you."

"That's right." Lelouch nodded. "She was a classmate... and a very good friend of mine. She even had a bit of a crush on me. But," his smile faltered. "Sometime after Narita... she learned that I was Zero. She hated the man who killed her parents, but after she learned it was also the boy she had feelings for, she didn't know what to do."

"That's why... I erased all of her memories about me." Lelouch smiled sadly. "As far as Shirley knew... the student Lelouch Lamperouge never even existed."

"..." The ghouls could only remain silent. Ayato and Nishiki looked away in their own emotional pain, while Hinami openly cried, with Touka consoling her, despite being teary herself.

"And after that..." A tear fell from Lelouch's eye. "...after rediscovering her love for me...she...was killed..."

"W-what...?" Touka stared in disbelief while the raven-haired Ghoul laughed in a broken, sheepish manner. "She was killed by Rolo... the boy who was acting as my brother when my memories were altered... the same boy who gave up his own life to protect me when the Black Knights betrayed me. Rolo had Geass as well, except his was a double-edged sword. He could warp one's perception of time, but if he used it too much... his heart would pay the price." Another tear fell from his face. "His heart gave out after he finally managed to get me out of the crossfire. I kept telling him that I was lying to him, that he was nothing but a pawn... and yet... he thought that I was just giving him another one of my lies... that I never cared about him... I was the first person to ever treat him as a human being."

"Lelouch..." Kallen's eyes softened, looking at the boy with pity.

"...After Rolo saved me, I went to C's World to confront my father. It turned out that V.V. was his younger brother, and that the two made a promise to each other to never lie." Lelouch adopted a grim smile. "But V.V. broke that promise when he murdered my mother."

"Wait...So he was the indirect reason why you grew to hate Britannia?"

"In a way...yes...And...Charles took the Code of V.V. and killed him, making himself Immortal." He spoke his name in contempt.

"SO what happened then? In C's world?" Every one of the Ghouls was anxious for the rest.

"Charles explained to me that, with the power of Thought Elevators, ruins that connect to C's World, it was possible to create a weapon that could kill God, or rather, the collective subconsciousness within every living person in the world. By doing so, he could bring them all together, to make a world where no one lied" Lelouch explained.

Ayato snorted. "Talk about a stupid f*** world to want. People lie all the time!"

Lelouch grinned. "I couldn't had said it better myself. Anyway, I had no intention of allowing him to see that new world he wanted, so I destroyed the entrance to the Thought Elevator, trapping us both in C's World. Although, it was then that C.C., Suzaku, and someone else entered C's World through a different means." Lelouch developed a scowl at the very memory. "And that person... Charles co-conspirator besides his brother... was my own mother."

"...WHAT?!"

"You're mother...was conspiring with that b*** from day one?!" Ayato wailed in outrage. Not one, but both of Lelouch's parents had caused him pain.

"That b***! Did she know how much s*** you went through for her cause?!" Nishiki yelled.

"She did...but she supported the decision of sending us to Japan. They didn't even try to stop the war!" Lelouch could feel tears prick his eyes again. "They didn't care what we were dead or alive...As their plan would rejoin the living and the dead...She couldn't even see the meaning...behind Nunnally's beautiful smile..."

"Lelouch-nii-chan..." Hinami said, tears starting to form in her eyes from sadness. Lelouch had become like an older brother figure to her. Not only had he managed to save her mother, but he had even made things so that they wouldn't be hunted down by CCG ever again. In short, she owed him her life, and so much more. "Don't cry..."

"Thank you, Hinami..." Lelouch said, wiping the tears away from his eyes before continuing. "After Marianne explained everything to me, I decided that there was no way in hell I would allow their plan to continue." A grin formed on his face. "That's why I performed one of my greatest magic tricks yet."

"Why? What did you do?" Ayato asked, grinning back, having a feeling he already knew what Lelouch did. "Kick their plan down the drain?"

"Oh no, even better." Lelouch said smugly. "I ordered God to continue the march of time, thus bringing the Sword of Akasha plan to a halt."

"Oh damn!" Ayato laughed. "I wish I could've seen the looks on their stupid faces!"

"It was priceless...It was at that moment that Geass awakened in both my eyes...allowing my order to follow through more effectively. And it was at that point...that both Charles and Marianne were being absorbed by C's world..."

"Serves them right!" Touka gave a 'hmph', crossing her arms over her chest. "B*** like that deserved much worse!"

"You're right, but what came after that was probably the most important part." Suzaku said, closing his eyes before smiling sheepishly. "You know, even now, I still can't believe we pulled off a stunt like that."

"How do you think I feel?" Lelouch asked with a smug grin. "I wasn't expecting to wake up in a whole new world, and as a Ghoul no less."

"Ano..." Hinami tilted her head. "What did you and Suzaku-nii-san do?"

"We made a plan to get rid of the world's hatred." Lelouch answered swiftly. "And to do that... I had to become the Emperor."

"How would that work? I thought you hated the Imperial Family."

"I did...but it was necessary to put the plan into action. I was to become Emperor, subjecting those to oppose me to my will using Geass, which was expected considering a lot of my siblings were against me as ruler." Lelouch chuckled. "I made Suzaku my Knight, the Knight of Zero, as he was essential to the plan. With him at my side, we eliminated the Knights of Round that opposed us."

"Eliminated? Hah!" Gino laughed. "You practically kicked our a***! It lasted two minutes! And that kick still hurts like hell, Suzaku!"

"Hey, I said that I was sorry." Suzaku rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyway, moving back on topic, after the Knights of the Round were dealt with, Britannia was to enter the United Federation of Nations, a collective group of countries and states that were created by Zero and my cousin, Kaguya Sumeragi."

"It was the meeting that really set the Zero Requiem, the plan that would erase the world's hatred, into motion." Lelouch answered, losing his smile. "It's also where I got that particular nickname..."

"Nickname?" Touka frowned, but her eyes widened. "You mean you-?!"

"Correct. All member nations must do a majority vote in order for a motion to be passed, and with the Chinese Federation broken up, the one with the largest population was Britannia. Naturally, my choices were to limit my votes, or secede all of Britannia's territories, in order to make things even. My response?" Lelouch's face became darker. "I held them at gunpoint with a Knightmare."

"Hah! Nice! I bet they were scared shitless!" Ayako grinned broadly.

"They were...and it was at that moment I was deemed as the enemy of the world."

"But, why did you threaten them?" Touka asked, curious.

"In order to erase the hatred in the world, I had to gather it all." Lelouch answered the older Kirishima's question. "Although, as i thought, that road did not prove easy. one of my brothers, Schneizel el Britannia, stood at my way, and even worse, he had a Fortress known as the Damocles." At this, his face became sullen. "And it was loaded with F.L.E.I.J.A warheads, and the only one that could disarm it... was Nunnally, who I thought to be dead at the time."

"W-what?" Nishiki gasped. "Dude, is almost every member of the Imperial family, a f*** d***?"

"Schneizel believed that peace was nothing but an illusion, and could only be made a reality through fear and hate. That's why he used the Damocles to destroy Pendragon, and kill all other members of our family."

"Wow...the b*** sounds pretty messed up in the head." Ayato commented.

"That...I won't deny...And from the conflict of seizing the Damocles, ignited the Third Pacific War. In this, the Black Knights Joined Schneizel's side to stop me. But eventually, we were able to enter the sky fortress and seize it. I used Geass on Schneizel, after having him believe I was nowhere near the Damocles by making a recording of myself and anticipating his thoughts. I had him to serve Zero. He told me where the Damocles Key, the control of the F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead device, was. In the hands of Nunnally."

"Christ, can this guy get any more messed up in the head?" Nishiki asked. "Seriously."

"So, what happened afterwards?" Touka asked curiously. "I mean, there's no way Nunnally would have agreed to this, right?"

Lelouch only gave her a sad smile. "Schneizel told her that, because of my Geass, I was descending into madness, all for her sake. In a way, he was right. Ever since I gained Geass, I've been bringing pain to those around me. But, I couldn't allow a weapon as powerful as the Damocles in the hands of someone like Schneizel." tears were beginning to swell in his eyes again. "That's why... I did the one thing... the one thing that still continues to haunt me to this day... the worst decision I ever made."

"What..." Ayato gulped. "What was it...?"

"..." Lelouch's bangs hid his eyes, but they did not hide the tears. "I used my Geass... to order her to give up the key to the Damocles."

"You...what...?" They were all speechless.

"I did something I vowed to myself not to do...but it was necessary for the Zero Requiem..."

"How the hell does that justify anything?!" Ayato screamed, grabbing him by the collar. "A-Ayato-nii-san!" hinami screamed in distress. "Please, let him go! I'm sure Lelouch-nii-san had a reason!"

"Oh, to get rid of the world's hatred, I get that!" Ayato snarled. "But that still doesn't give you a goddamn excuse to rob your sister of your free will! And you had any right to lecture me about MY reasons for joining Aogiri, you self-righteous a**?!"

Lelouch glared, and screamed back without thinking, "WHY DO YOU THINK I HAD SUZAKU KILL ME TO COMPLETE THE ZERO REQUIEM?!"

This caused Ayato, and all the other ghouls to freeze in their tracks...The Younger Kirishima let go, his arms falling to his sides.

"He...you...what...?" he whispered wide-eyed, disbelieving his ears.

"It is the goal of the Zero Requiem. The plan was that I would gather the hatred of the world upon myself. and Suzaku, taking up the identity as Zero...kills me...erasing the world's hatred."

"Y-y-you... killed yourself...?!" touka shouted in disbelief and shock. "Just to get rid of the hatred in your world?!"

Lelouch nodded. "I didn't see any other way to get rid of it all... besides... it was also my way of atoning for all of my sins. If I could die, making the world where Nunnally could be happy, then I didn't have a single regret." A sad smile plastered over his face. "If only i realized sooner that Nunnally was just fine with the way the world was, so long as I was there with her... I'm a complete failure as a brother."

The black-haired ghoul looked at Ayato, dead in the eyes, and gave a silent glare. "That's why, Ayato, I swear, if you make any of the same, stupid mistakes I did... If you even think of leaving Touka behind, when she has no family left... I swear, so help me..." His left eye developed a Kakugan. "I'll kill you myself."