"Do you not understand, Suzaku? I no longer have any right to be happy. I am a monster, a demon. Do you not hear the people? Lelouch, the Demon Emperor. Right now, the world is united in their hate of me. If I am killed, it will bring around the destruction of this rotten would. Do you not see it? For Nunnally's sake, I will destroy the world. For Nunnally's sake, I will rebuild it into peace. But for that to happen, countless people must die. Even innocents. Because of my mistakes, sometimes civilians got caught up in my schemes. This is my repentance. Happiness… is no longer an option for me."
"You're always like that Lelouch! Always thinking in terms of other people, never once stopping to consider yourself! I don't think I've ever met anyone as kind, selfless and as stupid as you. You are the one that doesn't understand. Is it really that impossible for you to see it? Demon or not, you can become someone's happiness. No, in fact, you've already become and been someone's happiness. Several people's, actually. What about Shirley?"
Even though you made me forget everything, I still fell in love with you. Even though my memories were tampered with, I kept falling in love with you... all over again. No matter how many times I'm reborn... I'll keep falling in love with you Lelou. I suppose that it's simply fate. So is that okay then Lelou? And as I'm reborn, I'll fall in love with you again. Over and over... I'll keep falling in love with...
"I…."
"And what about Nunnally? Don't you hear her voice? Didn't she say that she would be happy as long as you were by her side? You are already someone's happiness! Open your eyes, Lelouch! You are loved. Why do you not understand? You are loved!"
"Suzaku! ….Suzaku. I… I simply wanted to protect her smile. Nunnally, who can't do anything on her own… To protect those gentle, grateful smiles. Even when I wasn't Zero, that's what I longed to protect. I told you this, right? To rebuild the world, countless people must die. I am one of those people, Suzaku. There's no choice in this. So can I make one last request of you? Not as an emperor to his knight, but simply as a boy to his best friend- like those days back at the temple..."
"…when the three of us would play and be so carefree. I miss those days, Lelouch. But we can't go back to then anymore. I'll listen to your request."
"Thank you, Suzaku. My final request is this… accept the name Zero, and don this mask. And as Zero, oversee the reconstruction of this world, and make sure we don't fall back into the endless corruption of the Britannian Empire. And protect Nunnally for me. Please, Suzaku."
"Alright, Lelouch. It's a promise."