Life After Life
Chapter 1: Past & Present
Yesterday was the Past but today is the Present . . .
Chapter 1; Start . . .
"Lelouch wake up, Lelouch, wake up!" Cried out a small feminine voice.
Lelouch vi Britannia; the 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, was finally awaking from his slumber.
"Huh? Where am I?" he asked, looking around as his eyes tried to adjust to his surroundings.
"Where else would we be? We're in Britannia!" Said the voice with a joyful smile. Lelouch got up from his bed and started looking around the room.
He turns towards the girl. "Who are you?" He asks.
She looks down to her feet, and then looks up. "Well, I'm a friend. You don't know me but I certainly know you. I am a friend of Lady C.C.'s, she brought you here after your "assassination" and told me to take care of you until you finally awoke." The girl explained
Lelouch pondered this, "Where is C.C. now?"
"Lady C.C. is out right now because of urgent business. She instructed me to watch over you until you finally awoke from you sleep."
"When will she be back?" Lelouch asked.
She smiled "Tomorrow, so make yourself at home. If you need anything, let me know. If you don't need anything at the moment, I'll be in the kitchen." She left to do her morning duties.
After the girl ran off, Lelouch just settled back on the bed. Pondering on why he still lived when it wasn't in his plans to continue living.
"I'm still alive. What a surprise, I wonder why she would still want me alive . . ." Lelouch continues to think to himself for a few minutes, "I guess I'll have to ask her when she comes back then. Also, what do I do about this girl? Does she have parents or siblings?" He wondered to himself. "I guess I'll have to ask her when she comes back as well."
The girl pokes her head from the other side of the wall and asked, "Need something?"
"No, thank you. Hey, by the way, do you live here all by yourself?" He questioned.
"Yeah, it's usually just me. That is, until you came along, but it was still lonesome here since you were recuperating from your injuries." She explains with a big smile.
"What about your family? Where are they?"
She quieted up a bit, and looked towards the ground, "Gone, I've been alone since I was 10 years old, and I've been clawing my way since."
"Sorry to hear that. If I may, can I know what your name is?" Lelouch asked continued to ask.
"It's not that important your majesty. You shouldn't worry for me."
"Why not? How could I call myself a good ruler if I don't take the time to get to know my own people?" Lelouch stated.
"It's not like that your majesty. Its just that we may not even see each other again after you leave this place." She says with a forced smile
"Something seems wrong about her, she seems to be feeling pain or guilt over something, I just can't put my finger on it. I guess I'll take her word for now, but I'll keep a close watch on her. Heck, I might as well invite her to come along with C.C. and I whenever we decide to leave." Lelouch thought to himself.
Lelouch replied to her "So you just live here then? With no one watching over you or taking care of you?"
"Yup, just me, myself, and I. I've been watching myself for 5 years now," she says with a smile "Although, it wouldn't hurt if someone came over every once in awhile."
"I see, so how do you support yourself around here?"
She starts rubbing her arm and looks down to the floor "I would rather not talk about that your majesty, if I may."
"You don't have to answer if you don't feel comfortable about talking about it." Lelouch said as his stomach began to grumble "Oh . . ."
"You hungry my lord? If you're hungry then I'll make you whatever I can muster."
"It's all right . . . what was your name again?"
"I never said my lord," She bows "I'm sorry for not telling you."
"It's all right, you don't have to feel bad about it, I am the one at fault here for not asking you beforehand."
She blushes as she straightens up. "O-okay, then your majesty. So what would you like?"
"Anything like you said, and may I know what your name is now?"
"Since you asked I'll tell you, it's Marlene, but everyone calls me Mary."
"Which do you prefer?
His question caused her to twirl away with curiosity, rubbing her hands together. "Does it really matter by which I go by?"
"Not really, but I would like to know by which you would like to be called by."
"Well then, you can call me Mary. It's simple and easy to remember." She turns back to him. "So how does Lelouch vi Britannia like his eggs?"
"Sunny side-up, if that's possible Mary."
"Yes sir, they're on their way."
"She seems nice enough I guess, but that outfit. She seems to be poor by the way she dresses. Yet this house, it's marvelous! I can guarantee all the money she makes goes to paying this house, which doesn't leave her much for food and clothes." Lelouch thinks once again. "It's settled, I'll bring her with us and leave a note for the rent, leaving the money to pay for the rest of the house so she won't worry. I can at least do that much for her for taking care of me. I should also ask how long I've been unconscious."
Mary returned to Lelouch with his plates: containing eggs, bacon and freshly cooked bread while on the other plate held pancakes, sausages and green beans. She had also brought him orange juice, milk, butter and syrup.
"Wow! What is all this?" Lelouch asked with a surprised look on his face.
"Does that mean you don't you like it?" Mary replied sadly.
"I do but why so much food?" He asked again.
"I thought that is how you ate, with a Big Breakfast waiting for you."
"We do actually but we usually have everybody eating. Not just me." He told her.
"Aw, and I made this all for you." She said with a pout
"I'm grateful, really, but what about you? You need to eat as well."
"I'm grateful for your concern but I don't really eat much."
"Why is that? You don't like big feasts or you don't eat much?"
"I just don't eat much," Lelouch heard her say quietly. "Not any more anyway."
"Can I ask you something?" Lelouch asked after a small period of silence
"Sure, anything your Majesty." She replied
"What would you say if I asked you to accompany C.C. and I when we leave?"
The question caught her off guard, " Why?"
"I'm asking you as repayment for taking care of me."
"I wasn't entirely me that took care of you your Majesty, Lady C.C. was the one that did most of the work,"
"She did? The C.C. I know wouldn't do that much to watch over anyone but herself. Why should I believe that?"
"Well, for starters, she is in town right now looking for herbs and medical supplies that she can use to help you heal faster. She also sleeps right next to you. Waiting for your return. She told me herself that you changed her very existence, which was virtually impossible to do to the Lady C.C. I've known for so many years."
"How long have you known C.C?"
"Well, you could say since I was 10, "
"The same time you when you were alone?"
"Yes, she was cruel, but she was also fair to me. She never did anything wrong to me or anyone unless they asked for it."
"I see, well, the C.C. I knew acted the same way, except she . . ." Lelouch trailed off.
"Except what? What did she do your Majesty?"
Lelouch gives a slight smile, "It wasn't anything she did it was more like what she said. She told me a wish she had always been wanting, and that I was the one that fulfilled that wish for her."
"And what was that wish your Majesty?"
"She just . . ." Lelouch started but began to breakdown.
"My Lord!" Mary runs to him
"I'm ok, it's just hard to think back to that moment, that's all."
"My I ask what Lady C.C said to you your Majesty?"
"I'll tell you, on one condition . . ."
"All right, one condition."
"You tell me where you met C.C."
This shocked her "Uh, sure my Lord, I'll tell you but you have to tell me what she said first before I tell you where I and Lady C.C met." Mary promised.
"Fair enough."
"Thank You."
Looking for a place to begin Lelouch let his gaze fall towards the floor, thinking back to the moment when C.C. gave him the surprise of his life . . .
. . .
"Lelouch, are really going through with your plan?" A curious C.C. asked
"Yes, if I want to make the world a better place for Nunnally and the rest of the world, then you know what I have to do, besides, who will miss 'Lelouch vi Britannia, the Demon Emperor'?" He joked.
She glares at him "I don't know, you tell me Lelouch, or should I call you the Demon Emperor as well?" C.C. said in a mocking fashion.
Lelouch snickered "No, you don't have to C.C., out of everybody here you are the last person I'd expect to hear or call me by that horrid moniker."
She gave a shy smile, pleased with his answer "Well now, I didn't expect the Emperor of the World would have a soft spot on him, except if it involved his little sister. I certainly didn't expect though that you would care what I thought of you."
"I usually don't, I just have been feeling lonely, yeah, I've been feeling very lonely lately." He said calmly
She looked at him; with the face she always gave him "Why is that? I haven't done anything wrong lately," Stating while clutching her Cheese-kun tightly.
"I know you haven't but that is why I feel lonely, you usually get me or yourself into some kind of trouble and that hasn't happened for a while. Why is that?"
"You dare answer my question with a sad excuse for a question like that one?" She said with a bit of ferocity.
Lelouch felt scared, but kept his composure "C.C., I haven't done anything wrong to make you upset at me."
She now had him wrapped around her little finger "Well then, there are 3 things I can complain about then: 1: You haven't made me pizza, 2: You haven't played with me and my little games . . ."
" You know I've been very busy lately, and besides, why anyone want to play those little games of yours in the first place, they're horrid, bad and not even fun." He said trying to defend himself.
She was happy, and gave him a smile of reinsurance "3: And finally, you haven't spent anytime with me lately." She said with a seductive look on her face and a caring look in her eyes.
Lelouch being Lelouch was dumbfounded about her reply, "What are you saying? You never complained before about not being able to see me before, why now of all times?"
She got up mad, and chose to lie on his bed, not before hitting him with a pillow to the face. "Your such a kid Lelouch."
He moved the pillow away "C.C., what was that all about!" He asked while sitting on the edge of the bed staring at her.
"I'm mad." She said with a convinced tone in her voice "I can't hit you if I'm mad at you?"
"Good point, I'll let this one slid then."
She looked happy as she gave him her shy smile once again, "Lelouch,"
"What is it C.C.?" He asked.
"Would you believe me if I said that life here on earth would be lonely and meaningless without you?" She said in a calm, yet poker faced expression.
"Hmm, well it depends, for who are you speaking for?" He added, with a bit of interest in his voice
She wanted to avoid this; she didn't want to tell him how she would feel if she lost him. But at that moment she herself didn't understand her own then: she felt calm, happy, and cared for yet she also felt pity, regret, and stupidity. In those few seconds that she thought to herself she felt as though hours had passed.
In the end, she finally said to him, "Lelouch, do you understand what I'm trying to tell you?"
Lelouch felt dumbfounded, he didn't want to try to understand her logic since she also played him by using it. But right now him seemed to understand the concept of what she was trying to say. He also looked in himself, finding only memories of what he has accomplished; shared memories with her and her alone. No one else seemed to be there or understood why he was doing the way he did except for her.
He then realized that if it came to having someone to share the little time he had left he'd like to share it with her. "Yes I would believe you, and I would like to comment on what your "true" wish is."
She felt excited, curious, sad, and pleased "What is your comment then, oh evil "Demon Emperor"?"
"Your 'true' wish, it is to 'Die', isn't it?"
She felt saddened "Why yes, that is my wish, what of it?" She said with her poker face still showing, but deep down she felt sad and terribly lonely.
"I don't believe that, I don't believe that you want to die. For One Logical reason."
"And what reason is that?"
"Geass,"
"What does Geass have to do with any of it?" She questioned, now feeling dumbfounded herself.
"The Geass one possesses, or possessed is manifested into that person's 'True' Wish, in other terms the ability they were given when they possessed their Geass. I can now give you my honest opinion: You just wanted someone to love you naturally with all their heart, not through the power of your Geass." He concluded.
She turned around not wanting to face him, surprised and fighting with herself to hold back tears of happiness. She had told herself that no one would understand her, that no one would ever come to love her but now someone she truly and genuinely cared for with all her heart had finally proved her wrong.
"Well Lelouch," she started, trying to speak as calm as possible "What would you say if I never wanted to leave your side, for good or for bad, and loved you with all my heart." She said while turning her face to look at his.
Lelouch stood in shock. He couldn't believe what he just heard, well he could but he'd rather not believe it, then he realized that C.C.'s tears were genuine and true.
"C.C.," he said with a smile, "I've realized that if I would want anyone to be with me in my final moments of life, it would be you. I really enjoyed our time together, and would like it to last a bit longer."
She nodded as tears still ran down her face, "Lelouch," she chanted in the kindest voice she could muster.
Lelouch went to her and hugged her tightly; surprised to feel warmth and tears from the witch who he used to loathe so much.
C.C. felt as though she was going to break apart right then-and-there, but she willed her body to stay together and appreciate the time she had left with the person that she loved like no other.
She hugged him back as well. Suddenly she pulled away to his surprise, but then she ringed her arms around his neck while he wrapped his arms around her waist, feeling complete for the first time in her life. He then gave her the gentlest, most tender kiss she had ever felt.
When they finally broke free of the kiss, she returned the favor to him with a smile and a kiss of her own . .
. . .
"My lord?" Mary had asked.
"Huh? Did you say something Mary?" He replied quickly.
"No your Majesty, I just want to see if you hadn't fallen asleep again."
"I'm all right, I was only daydreaming. My I ask, for how long did I not talk?"
"Only a few minutes Majesty, why?"
"No reason, but to be honest it felt longer than that though. Also, can I ask for how long I have been asleep for before I woke up today?" He said curiously.
"A whole year, Lady C.C. said that you were still alive after you were publicly "assassinated" in front of the whole world on national television. Can I ask how?" She pondered.
"I can't really say, I guess we will have to wait until C.C. comes back won't we?" He said with a big smile on his face.
"Yeah, I guess so." Mary replied with a smile as well.
Chapter 1; End . . .