All he needed was just that one day.

One day to de-stress. One day to get away from all of this. One day to put everything behind and become a normal teenager again.

Just one day. That's all he needed.

But it wasn't that easy.

Nunnally was a governor of Area 11.

Charles was back while Lelouch thought he'd trapped the former in the World of C.

Everything was a mess. He was a mess, but worst of all…

C.C. was gone, replaced by this pathetic girl with a mind-set of a slave.

All the more reason why he needed that one day.

"C.C., grab your coat. We're going out for a bit," said Lelouch to the girl curling up on the couch and watching a show on TV.

"Where are we going, Master?" she asked, turning off the TV.

"You'll see."

Lelouch didn't care where he was going. He didn't even know where he was going. All he was aware of was his feet taking him southward from the Black Knights' headquarters, presumably to downtown.

He was walking on the sidewalk streaked by the twilights and C.C. was quietly trailing behind him. Once in a while, he'd hear her exclaim excitedly from behind. He didn't turn around and kept walking.

Sounds of footsteps resonated on the sidewalk.

Lelouch closed his eyes. All he needed was just one day.

Today. Just one day. That's all he's asking for.

Quickening his pace, Lelouch opened his eyes again, and suddenly all the operation-related thoughts flooded back into his clouded brain, cleared it, and he was back to his old self again. The sad, depressed, lonely, and desperate self.

He stopped. C.C. bumped into him from behind. Apparently, she was too engaged in window-shopping to notice her master had halted.

"C.C.," said Lelouch as he turned around to face her. "Would you like some ice cream?"

"Ice cream?"

Right, she never had it before…

"Come" was all he said before he started forward again. C.C. meekly followed.

Her bright, golden orbs widened considerably as she licked a corner of her mouth in satisfaction. Lelouch had bought her a cone of strawberry-flavored ice cream, and he watched in slight amusement as the former witch hungrily devoured the treat.

"Slow down," he said. "You have to slow down to enjoy it."

C.C. bobbled her head in agreement.

They walked for a while before Lelouch stopped again. He beckoned with his head toward the window of a clothes shop. "Girls like this kind of stuff, don't they?" he asked his companion. C.C. only looked at him innocently while still shyly licking her ice cream, and he gestured with his head for her to follow him.

Handles of bags and bags were dangling from Lelouch's fingers as he strolled on the sidewalk with a brightly smiling C.C. walking beside him. She was laughing and saying something excitedly, presumably about the shopping spree on which they'd just been, but he couldn't hear anything. It was a buzz in his ears.

Lelouch was walking, he knew that, but his mind wasn't there. It was back at the headquarters, hovering over those maps and plans, and centered on the sole facts of Charles's return and of Nunnally's fate.

C.C.'s laughter was so shrill and high-pitched it hurt his ears.

Suddenly, all around him sounds were magnified, his head was bursting, and Lelouch's grip on the shopping bags tightened till his knuckles turned white.

Just one day, that's all he needed.

"SHUT UP!"

C.C. yelped. Shopping bags dropped on the sidewalk. The spot in which Lelouch had just stood was vacant now, and C.C. was calling desperately after him.

"Master! Master!" Eyes befell her.

In the distance, the dot of a running figure was becoming smaller and smaller…

C.C. froze where she was. Wrapping her arms around her slender frame, she trembled after realizing she was all alone, not knowing where to go. Tears were streaming down freely.

Just one day…

Lelouch dragged his tired feet across the darkened playground. It was dusk now and the air was chilly. Sitting down in an empty swing - the whole place was empty save for himself and the nearby rustling trees – Lelouch put his head in his hands.

Then, he rested his elbows on his knees and leaned slightly forward, peering into the descending darkness.

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting there, staring into the darkness which provided no end. An endless, unknown path in front of him.

A corner of his lips lifted up into a rueful smirk. "I'm so pathetic."

"C.C.?" Lelouch's quiet voice echoed throughout the room. The doors slid shut behind him. He glanced at his cell phone's clock and saw that it was close to 11 p.m., yet no sign of the green-haired witch anywhere.

The room was empty. It had been empty ever since she'd lost her memory, but now it was worse that she wasn't even physically there.

Lelouch dragged himself toward the couch and flopped down, ruffling his hair in annoyance. Where was she?

Leaning back in his seat, Lelouch draped an arm over the sofa, crossed his legs and stared into space with those dead, violet irises.

Then…

Those soulless irises became alarmed, and he shot up from his seat.

He remembered now and fear shot through his spine as he darted toward the sliding doors.

Not daring to call out her name in fear of getting them both discovered, Lelouch could only run wildly around downtown in search of the helpless girl.

Unfit for such task, he was quickly worn out and he panted furiously with both hands on his knees.

"C.C…" he said through gritted teeth. Sweats were matting his hair against his forehead. His eyes were wild, but he had to find her.

Running this way and that, he searched for her like a mad man. He must have looked like one, indeed, because a couple of people actually moved out of his way and whispered to each other with judgmental eyes.

Just one day. To de-stress. To forget. To start over.

Just one day. To lose her…

Lelouch had reached his limits. Staggering toward a lamppost, he put his hand against the cold metal to support himself. His breathing was ragged and uneven and sweats dripped freely down from his matted hair. His legs were wobbly, his whole body shivered slightly against the cold, chilly air.

"C.C…" It was cold. She had gone out with a simple, relatively thin jacket. There's no way she could have survived the night, especially right now when she possessed no Code.

He had to find her fast.

But he couldn't. There was no strength left in that slender body, no energy left to even lift his legs. Slowly, Lelouch slid down and sat with his back against the lamppost with his face in his hands. His whole body shook against the winds.

It was half past midnight.

Lelouch's head was swimming.

… A hand reached out…

… Touched his hair, ruffled it…

Lelouch looked up with a start.

Nothing.

Suddenly, there was this feeling. What do they call it? A gut feeling?

He painfully climbed back onto his feet and started running again. This time following the feeling deep in the pit of his stomach.

There was no word to describe how he was feeling at the moment.

She was sitting there, hunched in a dark corner, squeezed against two tall, brown-bricked buildings. Arms wrapped around her, shopping bags littered about, head upon her folded arms, facing downward. Knees drew up. She looked so small against the whole world. Small and insignificant.

Lelouch bent down on one knee, reached out his hand and tenderly touched the top of her head. She stirred slightly, looked up with hazy eyes that quickly became clear and bright as she recognized her knight in shining armor.

Shopping bags fell over as she threw out her arms and flung herself into his opened ones. Her cries were muffled into his chest as he enclosed his arms protectively around her, unexpectedly squeezed them as if afraid of her evaporating right then and there if he hadn't.

"I'm sorry, C.C." He was whispering into her soft hair. "You're alright now. I'm sorry…"

"Master... Please don't leave me again."

"I won't. I promise."

That was the first time Lelouch ever allowed himself to unleash all the sorrows that were built up and buried ever since he'd gotten the Geass.

Those sorrows escaped in the form of tears.

Falling and falling… Never ceasing…

Just one day. To start over. That's all he needed.

Just one day…


Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.

A/N: I'm not sure if this is really angst, but I just categorized it as such just in case. Thank you for reading! Reviews are appreciated!