Hello, everyone! This is my second short story fanfiction, Always! However, it is a bit longer than the one I wrote for Twilight Princess...
This one is for Code Geass! I actually just finished watching this yesterday, and it was so frickin' emotional that I was in tears! Therefore, I needed to get the series out of my system by writing a little story. So, here it is!
Basically, this is about C.C. and Lelouch, and what happens after R2... it is based off the theory that Lelouch does not actually die at the end, but instead receives his father's code and is the cart driver C.C. is riding with. Now, I'm not saying that I necessarily believe this theory, but I do believe that it is an interesting theory with reasonable evidence to back up the possibility. Plus, it was just convenient for writing a fanfiction! Like I said, I really had to get this out of my system.
Anyway, whether you interpret what happens in this story as romance or not is up to you, because I know that plenty of people are fans of Lelouch and C.C. as a pairing... but, just enjoy it!
Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass.
Always
"The power of Kings that we call Geass, can only bring loneliness... But maybe that isn't quite right after all, is it... Lelouch?" C.C. mused as she cast her gaze up to the pale blue sky. Her mind was at ease as she lay in a soft hay bale in the back of her escort's cart and watched the clouds roll past under the direction of a gentle breeze. Beneath her head was her beloved Cheese-kun, and at her side sat a medium-sized suitcase with all of her basic necessities. She didn't imagine she would be seeing this place again for quite some time.
In response to her outspoken thoughts, the cart driver in front chuckled. "Maybe not," he murmured.
C.C. smiled. "I imagine you must be feeling proud of yourself right about now. It all went according to your plan."
"Not completely..." the cart driver said. "I didn't die."
"Well, of course you didn't," C.C. replied in almost an arrogant tone. "I told you that I wouldn't allow you to die. If I had, I would have been breaking my promise."
"But it doesn't matter now," he said. "Because I didn't take your code. I can't give you what you wanted."
"You're right; you can't. That's why I'm sticking around for a while to bother you, as punishment for double-crossing me."
"But you knew, didn't you?" he accused. "When we were in the world of C, that I received my father's code when he died."
"I knew."
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
CC shrugged. "I was worried that knowing it might distract you from reaching your goal, so I thought I'd keep it to myself for a while... but now you know. And congratulations. You must be the first person in history not to receive his code from the one who bestowed Geass upon him."
"Witch," the cart driver said sourly.
"That I am," C.C. said. "And, now, you really are a warlock. What a wonderful pair we make."
When he didn't reply to her comment, C.C. sat up, and then got on her hands and knees. Wobbling just a bit from the motion of the cart as it rode across the gravel, she climbed over the hay bale and sat by the driver's head, which was hidden by a thin hood. After all, he couldn't risk being seen by any person who happened to pass by them on the road.
"So..." she said, much more casually and conversationally than before. "Where are we headed?"
"Who knows?" he said. "The entire world despises me, and they all currently think I'm dead. It would be foolish to risk exposure." And with a sigh, he muttered, "How inconvenient."
C.C.'s eyes narrowed. Yes... how inconvenient. Had he died as he thought he would, his plan would have been perfect, without a single flaw. Surely, the world would fall into peace... not forever, but for quite some time, she imagined. But... despite what he and his friend Suzaku had planned, he was still very much alive. And without a Geass to protect himself, now that his code had been activated. If anyone were to discover the truth, who knew what sorts of consequences would be in store for them both?
That meant it was up to her to protect him, now. Oddly enough, she didn't mind the thought.
"Okay," she said. "How about this? Let's start with finding a place to stay."
A few nights later in a small town...
"Excuse me," C.C. said to the woman at the service desk in a cozy hotel lobby. "I need a room for myself and my friend, here. Can you help us?"
On the other side of the lobby stood a drenched Lelouch, (as they had just come in from a heavy downpour,) with a hood covering his head while he faced away from the woman at the desk. For a man who had succeeded in taking over the world, he was feeling rather nervous. He had almost rejected C.C.'s idea of taking refuge in this hotel and told her that they should find some other place to stay, for fear that someone would suspect him. But C.C. seemed significantly less concerned about the matter than he, and insisted that she would take care of everything.
"Of course, dear," he heard the woman say. Then, in a strange tone, she asked, "Um... is your friend all right?"
Lelouch stiffened awkwardly, but C.C. just said, "Oh yeah, he's all right. He's just cold from being out in the rain. I wanted to get him into a room and out of that weather as soon as possible."
The woman gave a friendly smile. "Well, I suppose you don't want him catching a cold, or yourself, for that matter, do you?" After giving C.C. the price and handing her a room key, she asked, "What are two people like you doing out in this sort of weather, anyway?"
"Road trip," C.C. replied. "We like to travel."
"Oh, that's nice," the woman said. "Enjoy your stay!"
"Well played," Lelouch whispered as they made their way to the second floor, where their room would be.
"You need to relax," C.C. said. "If we do get caught, it will be your fault just because you can't act. What happened to all that confidence of yours?"
As C.C. unlocked the door to their room, Lelouch said, "I don't have Geass anymore. I feel powerless."
"Well, get over it," C.C. said coldly. "We have a long journey ahead of us."
C.C. set her suitcase down in the corner of the room and, in a flash, went straight to the phone on the nightstand.
"What are you doing?" Lelouch asked, shutting the door.
"Ordering pizza."
"And we're wasting our expenses on pizza for what reason?"
C.C. picked up the phone and began dialing. "We need to eat, don't we? Plus, I have plenty of money. At least enough for a few hotel stays and two weeks of pizza."
Lelouch grimaced. "Do I want to know how you got that money?" But C.C. ignored him, waiting eagerly for someone to answer the phone so she could place her order. So, with a sigh, Lelouch simply said, "I'm going to take a shower," and retreated to the bathroom, where he got out of his uncomfortable wet clothes and let the hot water relax all of his tense muscles.
About twenty minutes later, after stepping out of the shower, he heard a knock on the door.
"What?" he demanded.
"Open the door," C.C. said from outside.
Wondering what she could possibly want, Lelouch wrapped a towel around his waist and opened the door. Suddenly, a shirt and pair of pants and underwear were thrust in his face. Pushing them away, he saw C.C. standing in front of him, with a piece of pizza hanging out of her mouth.
"What do you want?" he asked.
She thrust the clothes at him again and said, with her mouth full, "I thought you might like some dry clothes."
He stared at the clothes in her hand for a moment, recognizing them to be his. When he eyed her questioningly, she replied, "I came prepared."
After he took the clothes, she walked away from him and resumed eating pizza. Lelouch shut the bathroom door again, changed into his new clothes, and hung his old ones to dry. When he emerged from the bathroom and sat down on one of the beds, C.C. had the pizza box set aside and was flipping through TV channels. When she saw Lelouch, she reached over and held the pizza box out to him.
"I saved you some," she said.
"Oh..." he said, reaching out to take the box. "Thanks..."
Setting the pizza box down in front of him, he took a piece in his hand and brought it up to his mouth. He hadn't eaten all day, but it wasn't until he bit into the now not so hot piece of pizza that he realized how hungry he was. C.C. had been kind enough to get a large pizza and save nearly half of it for him, and he ate all of it, savoring every bite.
"Feeling any better?" she asked.
"Yeah," he replied.
She nodded and got up from her bed, letting go of Cheese-kun, and said, "I'm going to take a shower, then."
She was also damp and cold from the rain.
As C.C. went and locked herself in the bathroom, Lelouch leaned back against his headboard and grabbed the TV remote. The last channel she had stopped on was playing some sort of program, but it didn't interest him, so he changed it. He spent several minutes flipping through channels, until he came upon a news program. And the person he saw on the screen was none other than his little sister, Nunnally. Behind her stood a tall, masked figure, Zero... also known by him as his former friend, Suzaku Kururugi.
A news reporter spoke in the background. "Just days ago, the Black Knights' leader, Zero, put an end to the reign of our Emperor, Lelouch vi Britannia. The people of the world rejoice as his younger sister, Nunnally vi Britannia, prepares to take the throne. This is an excerpt from the speech that she gave to the public, yesterday."
The screen switched to a focus on Nunnally, and she began to speak in a gentle, yet powerful voice. "People of the world... In the last years, Britannia has been an enemy of many. And much blood has been shed for the sake of both tyranny... and peace. My own brother, Lelouch vi Britannia, became a source of great hatred for his methods and his cruelty. However, I am here today to let you all know how honored I am to receive the position as Empress of Britannia, and that I will do everything in my power to mend Lelouch's mistakes. From now on, the Black Knights will be our allies... I have chosen this man, Zero, to be my knight, and he will assist us in our quest for peace.
"War and discrimination... must come to an end. All of you out there... not just Britannians, but Japanese, and all other nationalities, must come together to make this possible. We must learn to forgive, to love one another... to focus on the issues in this world that truly matter. Protecting the people... if we truly hope to establish a kinder, gentler world."
Nunnally... how you have grown.
Lelouch brushed a tear from his cheek, thinking about his little sister. She was the reason he had started all of this... it only seemed fitting for her to be the one to continue after he was gone. She was so much kinder than he, but also intelligent and assertive when necessary. She would be good for Britannia. She would be good for the world. He knew how much he had hurt her by turning against her in the end. And yet, when he was bleeding out on the ground, she still cried for him.
"Brother, I love you!"
I love you, Nunnally...
"So, she's going to be the new Empress, after all," C.C. said, invading his consciousness and breaking his chain of thought.
Lelouch turned his head and watched C.C., who was now in pajamas, as she crossed the room and flopped back down on her bed next to Cheese-kun, looking much more comfortable than she had a little bit ago.
In response to C.C.'s comment, Lelouch muttered, "It seems so."
"Well..." she said. "At the very least, Nunnally will be less of a tyrant than you were."
"She'll do well," Lelouch said. And he truly meant it.
"Mm." C.C. then threw herself back against the mattress and stretched her feet up, as if she were trying to reach the ceiling. "So... what's your plan, boss?"
"What plan?" he asked, slightly annoyed that she felt the need to address him as, "boss".
"Your plan," she repeated. "What we're doing with our lives from now on. Even if we're living in hiding, we're still going to have to find ways to afford pizza and places to sleep, you know. Unless you like sleeping outside."
Lelouch folded his arms across his chest. This wasn't going to be easy. "I don't really know, C.C. Since I don't have my Geass, anymore, it isn't as simple as making people forget me once they've seen me. And almost everyone knows my face. I guess the only thing we can do is try to keep a low profile for a few years."
"And by a few years," C.C. corrected. "You must mean a few centuries. It will be a long time before everyone who knows your face is gone. We won't be able to lead normal lives... and since neither of us can die, any punishment we receive for being caught will probably just be an eternity of suffering."
"Well," Lelouch said calmly. "Maybe if that thought bothers you, you should leave."
C.C. raised her eyebrows. "Are you insisting?"
Lelouch paused for a few seconds before voicing his response. "There's no reason for you to stay with me now. Your obligation has been fulfilled. I don't need you, anymore."
To his surprise, C.C. smiled and said. "There's Lelouch."
His eyes widened. "What?"
She let out a small laugh. "You haven't been acting quite like yourself since your code was activated. I was a little worried that you hated me for not telling you about the truth right away. But now you're looking at me with that intense face and telling me you don't need me anymore, and... well, I'm a bit relieved."
He looked away. "It wouldn't have made a difference if you told me or not. My fate would have been the same. So there's no point in hating you." He glanced back for a moment and saw that she was still smiling. "Why are you doing that?" he demanded. "This isn't a joke-"
"No, it's not," she interrupted. "I know you're being serious, but you're also acting in a fashion that is very Lelouch-like. You're telling me I should go away and that you don't need me anymore, but not because you actually believe that. Because you don't want me paying for your crimes with you if this ends badly."
Lelouch opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off. "Let's look at this realistically. You've been relying on your Geass for a long time. Now you have no way to defend yourself. You may be immortal, but you're still vulnerable. However, I've been around for centuries and I can help you. Whether you'll admit it or not, you do need me. And if a time comes when you don't need me, you can cast me aside if you want... but for now, I think the wisest course of action is to stick together. After all, Geass or not, you still have the gift of strategy on your side. So, no need to despair... we'll come up with a plan."
That was probably about the most she'd ever spoken to him at one time. And for some reason, he was feeling slightly embarrassed that she knew him as well as she did. He also couldn't help but feel grateful to the green-haired witch. For staying beside him... taking care of him, no less. Even though his pride was against the idea of being as helpless as he was... he suddenly realized he had lifetimes and lifetimes ahead of him to make up for it. It was hard to imagine such a thing, but he knew he might as well get used to it, now.
So, unable to come up with a better reply, he said, "Do as you like."
"In that case, I will," she said, sounding pleased that she got her way.
Lelouch rolled his eyes.
Women...
Several hours later, the room was dark and silent. In one bed lay Lelouch, facing the wall and clearly pretending to be asleep. And in the other bed lay C.C., snuggled up under the covers with Cheese-kun. C.C. knew that Lelouch was awake, and had been trying desperately to ignore him for the last half hour. But every time he shifted under the covers, or she caught the sound of his breathing, she wondered what could possibly be keeping him awake.
Annoyed, she rolled over in bed and checked the clock on the nightstand. It was already past midnight. She was so sleepy... but...
"Lelouch?"
No answer.
"Lelouch, I know you're awake."
"What is it?" he asked.
"I was just wondering what was troubling you," C.C. said.
Lelouch took a moment to reply. "... A lot of things, I suppose."
"And they are?"
When he remained silent, C.C. decided to ask him something more specific. "Do you regret it? I mean... leaving them behind? Suzaku... Kallen... Nunnally?"
Again, his answer came slowly. "They'll... do fine without me. Nunnally will be Empress of Britannia... with Suzaku, er... Zero, to protect her... and Kallen is tough. She can handle herself."
"But I didn't ask if you thought they could handle themselves," C.C. said. "I asked if you regretted leaving them."
"I consider it a small price to pay for my crimes... and the peace that will be created."
"You know..." she told him. "This isn't an easy existence. Even if you stayed with them... you would eventually lose them all. Each and every one of them will die one day... and you will continue to live... unless someone else takes your code. Are you okay with that?"
"It's a little too late to be asking that question, isn't it?" he murmured.
For a moment, C.C. felt a bit of sadness. At first, she had been happy that Lelouch had received a code... because she had felt that she would no longer have to be lonely. But the more she thought about it, the more afraid she became that Lelouch would be unable to accept this fate. And that he would leave her... alone again. Somehow, she wanted to make him happy.
With a sigh, C.C. threw off her covers and, carrying Cheese-kun with her, crossed the space between her bed and Lelouch's. "Move over," she ordered, already slipping her knee under the covers. Without speaking, Lelouch moved until there was enough room for C.C., and then he rolled over so that the two of them were lying on their sides, face-to-face.
"Lelouch..." C.C. said. "I really have never met anyone like you before. I am glad... that, of all the people I could have gotten stuck with, it was you."
In response, Lelouch gave her a gentle smile. Through the darkness, his violet colored eyes seemed to sparkle a little. "Do you think in a few centuries, we'll finally be sick of one another?"
Although she knew he meant it as a joke, there was some part of her that was broken-hearted at the thought of such a thing happening. "I don't know..."
"I am sorry," Lelouch said, out of nowhere.
"For what?"
"For not being able to follow through with my promise." His voice was rather solemn.
She pressed her lips into a thin line. Recently, she had given him a rather tough time about not fulfilling his promise... was that what he had been feeling so remorseful about?
"Don't mind it," she said. "None of it matters now." Then, she decided to be genuine. "Even... if you hadn't received your father's code... I'd have let you go through with the Zero Requiem."
"What?" he asked with wide eyes. "Why? You told me that you wanted to keep me alive. I thought you wanted me to take your code so that you could finally die."
"But you also told me that I should die smiling," she whispered. "If you hadn't achieved your goal of peace for the world, you wouldn't have ever had the chance to find peace for yourself. Knowing that I robbed you of that... I never would have been able to die with a smile. That's why."
He stared at her as if she had just told him something miserable, and for a second she wondered if she had made a mistake. But then... "Well... I suppose, to make up for that, I'll just have to make you smile every day."
That did make her smile. And she said, "You know... I don't believe any being on the Earth is truly immortal. I think we'll both die someday."
For a moment, she was silent, until she decided on what it was she wanted to say. She squeezed Cheese-kun tightly against herself. "Lelouch?"
"What is it?"
"We've... ever since the day I met you, we've done everything together. So, I think, when I die, I'd like to be by your side."
"It sounds like a plan to me," he agreed. "We'll die together... and we'll both be smiling."
C.C. felt a joy bubbling up in her chest that she had never experienced before, but contained it and instead held out her pinky finger to Lelouch. "Promise."
By the look on his face and the chuckle he made, she knew he thought it was childish, but she didn't care. Slowly, Lelouch lifted his hand and wrapped his pinky finger around hers. "Yeah. I promise."
At the same time, they both started laughing. And in the midst of laughing, they were so close that they bumped foreheads, which made them laugh even more. And that night, they were not immortals. They were not the former Britannian Emperor and a green-haired witch. They were just Lelouch and C.C., two people who needed one another, and couldn't have cared less in that moment what happened outside the walls of their little hotel room.
Yes... I want to stay with him.
Always.