The Day The Demon Died

1

She paused in the doorway as her eyes fell upon the man in the mask. He stood tall, with a commanding and noble presence befitting a man of his repute. In that moment the eternal witch decided with certainty that he wore the costume well, just as his predecessor had predicted. She crossed the threshold into his private sanctuary and closed the door behind her.

"I wondered when you might turn up," Zero said bluntly as he approached.

"I considered not turning up at all," C.C. admitted. Lime-green hair spilled free as she pushed back the hood of her dark cloak. She closed her eyes and leaned back against the door with a sigh of relief. "It's madness out there. Just as he predicted."

"He accomplished so much more than I ever dreamed possible."

"Well, he had help. Of that there can be no doubt." C.C. gazed up at Suzaku Kururugi as he lifted the mask from his face. There was a kindness in his eyes as he gazed back, something she had never seen directed toward her. He was an amazing young man, nearly as amazing as the friend he had been forced to slay. "You played your role magnificently, Suzaku. He… Lelouch would be quite proud."

He lowered his eyes to stare at the floor, but only momentarily. "And what about you? You're a wanted woman. You have a role to play as well."

She smiled. "Yes. I leave tonight. As soon as I leave you behind, as promised."

"And where will you go?"

"Who knows? Wherever the winds take me, I suppose." C.C. slipped past Suzaku and stepped fully into the dim light, near the desk where he had been working before her arrival. The last will and testament of Lelouch vi Britannia was there, in plain view. It was not signed, nor was it a will in any true sense of the word. Lelouch had not left the world with thoughts of distributing his tangible possessions. He had surrendered it all quite willingly before death had taken him. No, this was something different: Lelouch's instructions for Suzaku in pressing forward with his plans of recreating the world. C.C. placed a hand on the pages and smiled sadly. "And what of Nunnally? Have you spoken with her?"

"Briefly. She's heartbroken, but she's strong. She's also capable." He chuckled grimly. "Just look at her body of work. I mean, she stood against to the Emperor of Britannia and his Knight of Zero. Pretty impressive if you ask me. She'll be fine."

C.C. nodded. "Then she will ascend to the throne."

"Those are Lelouch's orders. The people have already shown their appreciation for Zero, for what he's done. The Black Knights will support this, as will Britannia. Nunnally is a sympathetic figure for the empire. She's gentle and kind, but she's also very bright. With a well-intentioned staff, she will make a fine empress." Suzaku moved to C.C.'s side, also staring at the papers. "It's the Zero Manifesto. He thought of everything. Potential terrorist hotspots. Political maneuvering. Britannian disarmament. He finalized a budget to lay the foundation for the reconstruction process, even set a timeline. If everything goes according to plan, the world will be united towards a common goal within the year."

"He made mistakes along the way, but it was always with this purpose at heart. His desire to recreate the world was pure, despite his methods." C.C. turned to him then. "And this is where we must part ways. I had no reason to come back. You should not have expected me to. Our connection… it was Lelouch and Lelouch alone. What we have left is less than nothing."

"That's not true. We have a connection, and without it, Lelouch could never have accomplished all that he did."

"Without it," C.C. said calmly, "Euphemia would still be alive."

Suzaku's gaze hardened, but only for a moment. "All of this… everything that's happened. It's all the fault of Geass. From what Lelouch told me you were as much a victim as the rest of us. To bear the burden as if you're the only one to blame is pointless. I think it's time to stop worrying about the might-have-beens and focus on the future that lies ahead."

"Maybe," C.C. replied. "I think I would like that. To walk forward instead of floundering in state of perpetual misery. It actually sounds quite nice."

With that, she took his hand. In it she placed a small, chrome cube.

Suzaku stared at the device. The confusion was evident in his eyes. "What's this?"

"In today's world?" She giggled softly. "I'd call it blasphemy. But in Cs' World, it's what I'd like to think of as the truth."

"The truth?"

"Yes, I'm afraid so." She leaned forward then and kissed his cheek. "Take care of yourself, Suzaku Kururugi. Or should I say Zero now?"

"And you as well, C.C.," Suzaku said quietly.

2

After she had gone, Suzaku sat at his desk holding the chrome cube in his hand. It was a small datadrive, only slightly larger than a sugar cube. He'd already checked to ensure it was compatible with his computer, but he was reluctant to access the information. C.C. had called it blasphemous, and that made him nervous. What was this "truth", and what could it possibly mean to the world he had sworn to protect? He wasn't at all sure he was ready to delve any deeper than he had already come. Not yet, anyway. In fact, he was ready to take a hammer to the device, to ensure nothing could threaten the Zero Requiem.

He set the datadrive aside and switched on his computer. A flood of information awaited him when he logged onto the net. The news reports of the day's events only brushed the surface of all that had taken place.

There were dozens of new articles awaiting scrutiny. Suzaku poured a cup of coffee and began to sift through report after report, most containing encouraging if not exciting news of changes taking place in countries and territories the world over. Some were updates of previous reports that he had been concerned with, but now was relieved to see that situations had improved, for the most part.

Not all was going smoothly, but that was to be expected. The threat of insurrection was high in nearly every Britannian territory, now that the Emperor was dead. Suzaku had spent most of the day, as Zero, urging both Insurrectionists and Imperial loyalists to a ceasefire. There were also worries in many of the U.F.N. countries. Some who had once aligned themselves with China and the Black Knights were now threatening to rise up in rebellion, siting that they had been coerced into joining the U.F.N. With the aid of Cornelia and Schneizel and his growing list of allies in the U.F.N., Zero had achieved much to maintain an uneasy peace, but everyone was well aware that it wouldn't take much of a spark to reignite the blaze of war. Suzaku was determined not to let that happen.

It at least appeared that, for the moment, things were improving. He had already received an abundance of statements from leaders across the globe that vowed to help keep the peace. If things were approached with caution and handled according to Lelouch's instructions, Suzaku had no doubt that the coming peace would prove infectious.

His eyes turned to a notification alert on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen. An incoming call. For a moment, Suzaku caught his breath. It was the first such call he had received over this particular channel, and to have it come to him so late was rather surprising. It had been a long day already, and he was tired.

Then again, he was Zero now. Sleep had proved elusive before he had donned the mask, and he suspected going forward it would be the same, if not worse. He lifted the mask from the desktop next to him and covered his face. Then he clicked the notification icon.

"Yes? What is it?"

The surprise quickly evaporated when he realized that Lloyd Asplund had appeared on his monitor. Those familiar, penetrating blue eyes peered at him from the other end of the link. The man was leaning over his keyboard, calmly adjusting his glasses between his thumb and forefinger. Somehow Lloyd had always made him feel as though he were being scrutinized, and in a way, he probably was. Lloyd never actually looked down on anybody; he was simply drinking in the details, trying to better understand everything there was to understand, and without prejudice. A man of his inquisitive nature likely had dozens of questions circling in his thoughts, but he managed to bottle them up for the time being.

"As per your orders, we have ignited the Damocles' thrusters. It is presently hurtling through space upwards of fifteen kilometers per second. In a few months' time it shall fall into the sun and disintegrate. Never to harm another soul again."

"Good work, Professor."

"My team and I weren't the only ones who pulled off a marvelous performance today." He bowed his head slightly, a small smirk forming at the corner of his lips. "My sincere congratulations to you, as well… Zero."

Suzaku took a breath, closed his eyes, and then released it slowly. "What about your other project?"

"Which one?" Lloyd asked as he finally rose to his full height over the keyboard. His hands rested on his hips as he glanced about triumphantly. At that point Suzaku realized that the former director of ASEEC was standing in his old lab, surrounded by a number of people who were hard at work. He couldn't say that he recognized anyone on the screen, but he suspected Cecile Croomy at the very least was somewhere within an arm's reach of the professor.

Suzaku smiled behind his mask. "So… you're hard at work tonight, as always. I shouldn't keep you."

"Nonsense! You keeping me is the best thing that's ever happened for this little operation!" There was a twinkle of pride in Lloyd's eyes as he looked back at Suzaku. Not pride in his work or pride in himself. Rather, Suzaku could see in the professor's eyes an emotion he had never seen before: pride in the devicer he had chosen to operate his precious Lancelot, once upon a time. "Besides, I can tell you that I've taken a look at the budget approved by the late emperor and I wanted to let you know we can begin work on that… 'other project'… as soon as physically possible."

Suzaku nodded. "Excellent. Then I'll mark my approval on the budget as well." He was about to reach out to cut the link then when a thought stayed his hand. He frowned heavily for a moment as he weighed the potential complications of asking Lloyd Asplund for advice.

"Something on your mind, Zero?"

"Actually, there is. But it may be a question for another night."

"It must be important, if it's on your mind. Why so indecisive?"

Suzaku glanced to the cube next to his computer. He couldn't find the answer within him, so he said nothing. Lloyd leaned forward, pushing his glasses up higher on the bridge of his nose. "Well, regardless, if it's important, you'll make the time for it. As I've always said, why put off until tomorrow what you could do today?"

"When have you ever said that, Professor Lloyd?" someone off screen demanded. "Are you slacking off again?"

"No, no!" Lloyd said, putting his hands up in his defense. "I am having a very important discussion with a very important man!"

"Oh are you?" Cecile Croomy, apparently, had just stepped into the lab. She joined Lloyd on the screen and peered at the monitor. In an instant her suspicious eyes grew wide as she realized who was staring back. "You are!" she gasped. "Oh, my apologies, Mr. Zero! I hope the professor wasn't keeping you from bed!"

Suzaku smiled. "Nonsense. Actually, I think he may have given me the answer I was looking for."

"Oh I did, now?" Lloyd said with a frown. "Well, certainly glad to have been of some use to you, Zero."

"I guess you were. Thank you for everything, both of you. All of you. I couldn't have done this without your help." Suzaku sighed, his thoughts drifting back to his friend who had paid the ultimate price. "We couldn't have accomplished any of it."

He deactivated the link before any more could be said.

He scooped up the datadrive, gazing down at it for a time before squeezing the sides. The USB connector popped out with a small click. He inserted it into one of the ports on the side of the computer and waited for the autoplay to kick into gear.

A familiar voice filtered calmly through the speakers: "How could a single student ever be able to change the world? It isn't realistic. Just think about it for a moment, and you'll see that. Nevertheless… Now that I hold the advantage, there may be a strategic move I need to play."

Suzaku slowly rose up out of his chair. His green eyes went wide.

"It will take time. I need to think this through. I've… committed a crime against the empire, a crime against my own blood. I took the life of my own dear brother. Clovis was a fool, a sorely misguided fool. And he was a butcher, willing to destroy the Shinjuku Ghetto, to slaughter countless Elevens all for the sake of hiding that girl, to keep whatever it was he was doing out of the public eye. She'd been his guinea pig, from what I can tell.

"He died for his crimes, but it was not for his sins that I took his life. I knew before I pulled the trigger that he wasn't responsible for my mother's death. I knew before I commanded him to tell the truth. I thought… I had hoped he might tell me something that I'd missed. That he might have the answers I seek. But no, Clovis might have been eccentric, but he was never that cunning.

"Regardless, I've taken a life. It is not first blood in my own private war. First I had to stand by, after Mother was murdered and Nunnally crippled. But even then, I did not kill. I watched, helpless, as Suzaku…" Lelouch's voice broke up, but quickly returned, stronger than before. "Britannia has stooped so low as to slaughter Suzaku, who had vowed to serve in their army as an Honorary Britannian. He was trying to protect me and how does Britannia repay him for his honor? A bullet? Damn them all!

"This is why I have to do this. I must create a world where Nunnally can be happy. To do that, I must be resolute. I must do what I promised Suzaku I would do seven years ago: I will obliterate Britannia. With my own two hands, if need be… and this mysterious power I've been given. With it… I just might have a chance."