Title: Implications of the Promise
Word Count: 2151
Pairings: Slight Lelouch/C.C., Lelouch and Suzaku friendship.
The heavy pounding of hooves kicking dust into the peaceful morning breeze echoed in the well-cared grounds as two friends raced each other on their trusted companions for the day: Byuuron and Nai-bu. Sweat ran like the sparkling streams, down their backbones, gathered and soaked their white long-sleeved dress shirts placed on their respective beds for the day's activities.
Adrenaline pumped their blood as the familiar competitions from their childhood recollected to the front of their memories. Determination and forgetting the present were the main factors pushing the friends further away from the empire and closer to the wilderness.
Untouched by man. So familiar to their childhood. Their innocent childhood. Before their understanding of this cruel place that they inhabited. And they urged the horses even faster.
A certain green-haired witch silently ate her cheesy pizza as she contemplated the depressing future, of the world, Britannia, herself but most noticeably her accomplice and his plan. Zero requiem.
Just those two words made her put the slice back into its platter, courtesy of the royal staff. The girl lounged off on the large armchair overlooking the nearly forgotten forest at the back of the empire where her accomplice now resided. The wall-sided window allowed her to enjoy the warm morning rays without the uninviting harsh glare and blazing heat. She quietly relished the last days of peace, the last days of her wish, the last few days before the execution of Zero requiem.
Dressed in her usual white suit, she slowly raised her arm to eyelevel. Just looking at its washed out colour and frayed edges brought to her, her most prized memories. She studied the material as though it was the cause for her memories, but it wasn't.
Meeting Lelouch Lamperouge was. Who would have thought that Marianne's son would have finally granted her wish? The day the demon was born, they amusedly called it. She always viewed the geass as a curse, binding the user to a life of loneliness and solitude, until an ever faithfully lonely death.
More memories of the day Lelouch finally took control of the world swam forward. Her timid question. "Lelouch, do you not hate me?" A question that bothered her which was surprising even in itself.
She was his shield; she was not supposed to have any weaknesses. She was C.C. But even C.C. had her weaknesses. And he was the only one who knew her past, her… experiences. His answer gave her strength. He didn't hate her. He thanked her. Thanked her for giving him the geass. The cursed geass…
She showed no outer emotion throughout their entire exchange as her demeanor normally posed but she was finally… she was finally satisfied… happy? She was happily satisfied? She didn't know what these forgotten emotions were, but her time with the Emperor were memorable and that was the only thing that truly mattered.
A bird flew from the tree branch and thrilled a startled song. The painfully high sound broke the green-haired witch from her trance of complete concentration. Seeing the forgotten slice, she immediately plopped it back into her well-used mouth. From eating pizza constantly, that is. A slow smirk graced her lips as she saw the blur of horse-riders pass her view.
Breaths came in huffs and pants as their rocketing heart rates slowed to normal. Climbing off the white and brown horses respectively seemed like an impossible task for the black-haired youth. The brown-haired youth simply jumped down after a while and laughed at his friend's unfit predicament.
As the prince, now Emperor finally disembarked the white horse, he turned his glare to the knight. Upon the familiar scene, laughter emanated form the two. Happy and bubbly until it died down. Random spasms of chuckles reverberated from the now humid morning.
Byuuron suddenly kicked at the dust before him, startling the eleventh prince, and then nudged his shoulder roughly causing him to fall unceremoniously on the ground. The laughter from his friend escalated once again. The mood could not have been any better these days.
From the ground, the youth watched his laughing friend and smiled despite the now disappearing glare he sported.
"I'm glad that you see that incident as being so hilarious Suzaku." The youth who spoke, lifted himself to a sitting position. Suzaku reached forward and offered his hand.
Overpowering tension threatened to wipe the atmosphere of its feel as the black-haired boy raised his violet gaze to the offered hand. Both boys could not stop the onslaught of cherished childhood memories that jumped to their mind front.
Lelouch extended his hand to the tanned one and Suzaku raised him to his feet. Haunted looks graced their handsome faces as their present times caught up. Lelouch leisurely dusted his school uniform while Suzaku tied Nai-bu to a tree. Following his example, Lelouch tied Byuuron to another.
"You know, Lelouch? I can never forgive Zero. Yet." Suzaku raised emerald eyes to meet the highly intelligent violet gaze.
"I know Suzaku. I never expected you to." The even tone did not once falter as the truth rang form its tone.
"But if Euphy and Shirley could accept and forgive Zero… I… I…" his thoughts trailed off as a frustrated look crossed his face. His inability to convey his thoughts pronounced implications as misunderstandings would incur.
"You don't have to explain yourself. I know what I did, as both the creator of Zero and the user of the geass. Zero requiem is and will be atonement." The conviction in his baritone was professed and undeniable.
"No, Lelouch. What I am trying to say is, I may not be able to forgive Zero yet but I forgive you. I forgive my friend, my best friend. I forgive my non-athletic best friend. I have always known that we had different ways of wanting to change the system. I just never expected that it would be this hard, regardless of it being your way or my way. I just never knew that there must be so much sacrifice…"
The depression of both youths weighed heavily. Seeing a cool shady area, Lelouch walked towards it. Suzaku followed, both tired though not wanting to admit it. Like a defined prince of nobility, Lelouch rested his back against the tree branch with one leg extended outwards and the other folded upwards where his hand used as a perch and the other resting other his chin. And like an ex-Prime Minister's son with learned movements, Suzaku arranged his legs forward with crossed ankles and used his hands as levers for his upper body against an adjacent tree branch.
The prince thought seriously before he finally spoke in a soft, regretful voice. "I never meant to hurt my close friends. Especially not Euphy or Shirley. My previous plan was not supposed to include them, at all." His voice grew stronger and forsook the regret fullness in his tone as he continued.
"But the circumstances changed. I lost control of the situations. Lost control of the geass. However, Suzaku, I cannot nor will I ever regret what I did. I will carry the burden, the pain, the suffering, the guilt, every hardship I caused. It is my fault. And I cannot change or erase it. That is why… that is why I must do this; I must commit myself to the promise. Zero requiem."
Suzaku understood the implications and the blame that lay in Lelouch. The truths were unveiled in the World of C.
"Lelouch, you also forget that this is also my atonement. The Knight of seven who created such havoc and death, launcher of Damocles. I have sinned just as much as you. Taken just as many lives as you. Just not anyone close, except… except my father. That is why, that is why this is also my commitment to the promise, to Zero requiem."
Understanding and camaraderie washed the atmosphere of its previous convictive mood and sad, accepting smiles were awarded to the woodland creatures from the two boys, two mature boys who both held the weight of the dominated world on their shoulders. A more light-hearted, joking mood entered the solemn morning.
"Hasn't it always been this way, Lelouch?" Suzaku asked grinning. "You were supposed to become the Emperor and I was to be your knight."
The childhood aspirations they both had, caused the two to grin and laugh as their dream had come through in a rather twisted way. But that was life.
The dirt stains refused to budge from Suzaku's white shirt as his jacket was lost somewhere on the trail. "Hey, Lelouch. Any idea why we're wearing our former school's uniform?"
Lelouch raised his head to watch Suzaku's brown stained shirt before smiling. "I think C.C. picked it out." Suzaku nodded as though it made perfect sense which he guessed... it did.
However that was not the only reason. Maybe he spent more time, maybe even too much time with C.C. but he knew that she had an ulterior reason. He knew exactly what it was. She wanted them to wear their uniforms today, being one of the last days before Zero requiem and she wanted them to…
C.C. wanted them to have another day to feel as though they belonged, to belong somewhere. Both childhood friends believed that they were alone. All alone, even from each other but maybe this sharing of their uniforms would open their minds to the fact that they were both in the plan, the promise together and she would always be Lelouch's accomplice… maybe even a minor one for Suzaku. They were the shield and sword for Lelouch anyway.
She watched them from her place, hidden in the forest. Her plan worked as well as it could. The green-haired witch had decided that there was enough brooding and angst for today and walked towards the clearing they sat by. The familiar scent of cheese trailed behind the sway of her hips.
Both boys looked up at the permeable scent of pizza. They turned to each other and nodded perceptibly. C.C.
And she entered the clearing.
The green-haired witch unconsciously or usually headed to her main accomplice and plopped next to him while carefully holding the pizza platter above her head to avoid dropping it or relinquishing her hold over it. The witch leaned back onto Lelouch's shoulder opposite to his propped knee and snuggled in.
Suzaku looked on amusedly as the witch made herself comfortable and Lelouch… less comfortable. He could however, not miss when Lelouch helped her get more comfortable by subtly shifting his arm to her back and quickly shuffling her closer to his side. The witch showed no emotion or resistance to his move but calmly opened the silver platter and took out a slice of her already partially eaten pizza. At ten o'clock in the morning.
Suzaku could never understand the crazy witch and her actions, her quirks or even the words she spoke. Yet, Lelouch, his ever-brainy friend always seemed to understand what she did or said. At first, he thought it was a smart-people-thing, until Lloyd could not understand what she spoke, whether it was code for something or something else altogether. Then he knew, it was only Lelouch.
Suzaku only remembered one female who Lelouch relaxed around and that was Nunnally. Now, after these weeks in their presence, he knew C.C. was another. He looked on as his smile grew grim and sadder as Lelouch bit into the slice in C.C.'s hand and smiled, regardless that she already ate from it.
Suzaku remembered in the early days of staying in the empire, C.C. always wore Lelouch's white school shirt to sleep… and nothing else. The constant heart attacks his innocent heart endured were now extinct due to her habitual movements.
Suzaku remembered that they still share a bed regardless of the hundreds available. Their excuse: C.C. would not be safe. He remembered looking at Lelouch in complete disbelief before stating, "C.C. is immortal."
C.C. turned to meet his sad gaze with her usual expressionless face. And she returned the sad smile, before turning back to banter with Lelouch for her pizza.
Suzaku recalled their discussion previously and knew as he closed his eyes to lean fully upon the bark of the tree, the promise of the fulfillment of Zero requiem.
Lelouch earned for a better life to live with his sister, C.C. and all his close friends.
Suzaku earned for a better life to die for in order to forgive his sin to Japan.
Lelouch earned to be loved by others for his great leadership.
Suzaku earned to be hated by others for his deceptions and hidden truths.
Lelouch gained a love he would soon leave.
Suzaku gained a love he lost,
Yet, Zero requiem was truly their atonement as their desires, totally opposite to each other, would be awarded to the other.
And, that was Zero requiem, their promise.
My first posted one-shot. Just watching the final episodes and this picture inspired this piece:
.com/d/8871-3/Kawapaper_Code_Geass_0000031_
Essa.