Footsteps rebounded off of the walls, replacing the sounds of heart beats in the chests of the two young men who stared at one another. One directed a gun at the other who was masked. Suzaku was detachedly watching Zero, his mind battling with horrific, blood coated memories. In these nightmares, he was a failed knight, who could now only protect promises to the dead. His heart felt like it had died long ago. Moving and living to kill the man before him had pushed the blood through his veins so that he would live to see this moment of desired revenge. Suzaku's gaze was frigid, but Zero was protected by the shield of his purpose, and he stood through the onslaught of hatred with his own effrontery.
Lelouch was not Lelouch at that moment, and he could only feel remnants of himself tugging at his memories of Suzaku and himself. Memories that would not block the bullet that hurtled towards him. A bullet has no need for memories and thus cannot understand them, for their lives are too short to create more than one. That one defines them and becomes their legacy. One moment of victory or failure determines whether they will be forgotten or remembered in one or a thousand minds. A bullet shattered the silence and stuck Lelouch in the head and the mask of Zero split and fell away.
Suzaku forgot the bullet and his revenge and his heart beat in remembrance as he saw Lelouch's face and the eyes that were unfamiliar under his bangs. Suzaku's face was transformed by revulsion and disbelief. "No…" he breathed, the air was painful in his lungs that wanted to force it out in a scream. "Lelouch….." Lelouch did nothing but gaze back a Suzaku. Blood branched down his face and Suzaku's heart recoiled, knowing the undeniable reality in the familiar red. The memory of another's blood ripped into his soul and dragged out his suppressed pain and anger. "YOU KILLED HER!" he screamed, relieving his lungs and releasing some of his rage in the violent manor in which he threw out his voice. His eyes glazed with fury and desperate helplessness. He hated life and any god that hid above and ruled over mankind. A sadistic god. A devil.
Suzaku's hand shook as he tore into his heart in order to keep it level in Lelouch's direction. Lelouch had been deathly silent in the atmosphere that rang with silent screams and turmoil, now he smiled. This gave Suzaku physical pain as his heart constricted enough to make him bend over slightly in agony, and he didn't have the strength to hold up his gun. He strained his eyes to find a familiar feature in Lelouch's face, but found none. "You are not Lelouch…" Suzaku whispered. "You are not Lelouch…." He looked up, the pain vanishing. "Zero." He raised his gun against the murderous demon that stood before him.
Lelouch could feel nothing and his body felt cold inside, like it was dead. He raised his gun against Suzaku slowly, but his finger felt no erg to fire. Nothing in his cold nature wanted to reach out into the warmth of passion that would have to rise from shooting Suzaku. Lelouch's body feared the pain that this warmth of returned emotion and life would thaw. The two friends wielded death against one another, while letting death consume themselves from within.