Disclaimer: What? Really? Does anyone here think I own Code Geass or these songs? Anyone? Is anyone that stupid?

Note: Hark? Doth I hear people complaining about my use of subbing for parts of these stories? /plugs ears/ Ah, it seems I doth not.

Last Note: Just FYI, I'm updating every other week. This way, hopefully, I will always have another chapter at the right time. If I give myself deadlines, I do much better. Because of this, the story with the most reviews – Memento Mori or Only the Forgotten – will be updated, starting this Saturday, until one or the other is finished. I swear I'm not trying to get reviews. I just know my own weaknesses, and am thus punching them in the face. Metaphorically. In any case, please enjoy. /bows/

"Only the forgotten are truly dead."

-Tess Gerritsen

Only the Forgotten

Chapter One

D.D.

"Who can say if I've been changed for the better, but
Because I knew you (No one mourns the wicked)
Because I knew you
I have been changed"

- Wicked, "Finale"

"Thank you, Xingke," Suzaku said, and held his hand out.

Xingke shook it, those eyes of his glaring at Suzaku's mask. The man's hair had grown even longer in the past year. Beside him stood Tianzi, only an inch or so taller, now standing proudly. She, too, shook his hand. "I would like to speak with Empress Nunnally and you about the new trade routes after they're completed, as well," Tianzi told him. "We should look out for attacks, just in case."

Suzaku nodded. "I agree. Until then, take care."

Tianzi nodded and walked off to speak with Nunnally, practically bouncing to the handicapped girl's side. Both Suzaku and Xingke watched her leave. "I have heard rumors of a growing issue here on the archipelago."

Suzaku turned his gaze to Xingke, but the man had yet to look at him. It was difficult to tell whether the man was offering help or heaping more blame. Still, Suzaku refused to hide such a thing from him. "Yes. A sort of vigilante, from what we can tell. The person keeps writing the Japanese symbol for truth beside the bodies."

Xingke's frown deepened. "And have you found this person?"

"No. Extra guard has been placed here for Empress Tianzi's protection." Small talk buzzed in Suzaku's ears like flies as each person in the conference tried to grab scraps of gossip from another. Even more, the costume he wore seemed to weigh on his shoulders. Lelouch hadn't lied about this, at least; Suzaku had sacrificed a lot himself. In a way, Suzaku's life really had ended that day upon the Damocles.

Nunnally and Tianzi clasped hands and laughed. It made Suzaku smile. "Is it something you need help with?" Xingke asked, his gaze still on Tianzi.

"No, not yet," Suzaku said, knowing by now the game the man was playing. Still Xingke doubted Suzaku's motives. Between his cynicism and Toudou's strange stares, Suzaku found himself constantly tense within groups. "If it continues, however, I would not be averse to assistance. If more continue to be hurt, the peace we sacrificed for will be in jeopardy."

Those dark eyes flickered to him, and almost Suzaku smiled. He saw a light of respect in that gaze. He was making progress somehow.

The rest of the mingling was simpler, as he deflected probing questions and assuaged fears. Nunnally came to stand beside him, and together they saw their guests out of the conference room and into the capable hands of their guards. Only when the room was empty did Suzaku allow his body to slump a bit. His muscles ached.

"You'll give yourself an ulcer," Nunnally said, moving her chair forward and locking the door. One quick button press sealed the windows from the outside world. Suzaku pulled off his helmet and shook his hair clear of his eyes. Nunnally watched him silently as he leaned onto the conference table and hung his head. It almost felt strange to feel the air against his skin. And unnerving. He expected someone to walk in and see him, to shout or scream, and all that they'd worked for would be gone. His gloved fingers clenched around the mask.

"I saw you and Empress Tianzi getting along," he said, and smiled at her so she knew he was happy for her. She gave him a look that said she knew he was trying to control the conversation and nodded.

"We're close in age. And she's fun." With a soft whirr she returned to his side. "She seems to have faith in you, though Xingke is advising prudence."

"Considering they all thought Lelouch to be Zero, it's not surprising." He rolled his shoulders. "Most others have embraced it, but Xingke and Toudou-san both seem to be having... doubts."

"We'll get through it." Nunnally flashed him one of her bright smiles. "There should be an update on the 'Shinjitsu' killer. Maybe we should look into that when we're done here."

He smiled. If he told her he didn't want to leave, she would wait until her bladder burst. And though he didn't want to make her stay, he couldn't find it in him to leave yet, either. The idea of meeting with the witch again, this time with the Requiem complete, made something in his chest knot. Anger started to simmer. Anger that he'd let her go, after all that had happened, all that she'd helped Lelouch do. But he'd had it shown to him rather forcibly how little he could do to change her existence – the woman had sighed, listening to him say she should die with Lelouch, and finally picked up Lelouch's gun and shot herself. Within a minute, she was standing again. She'd asked him is she should burn herself, too, and he, in horror, had shaken his head.

Immortal. That was what she called herself.

Why would she do this? Lelouch never seemed to bother her, only griping at her when she ate several pizzas in one day. There had been a strange sort of relationship between them; Lelouch asked for nothing, she asked for nothing, and they helped one another out without words or reason. Lelouch indulged her pizza fetish even as he told her she would get fat, and she helped Lelouch teach Suzaku about Zero's mannerisms even as she complained that Suzaku was too stupid to get it. But maybe Lelouch had asked her? But then, why write 'Shinjitsu'? It hinted at something people didn't know. Maybe she was trying to say something – that the deaths were related? Other than the fact that each victim was, in some way, dangerous to the peace they were fighting for.

"If she – if C.C. truly is leaving us a message, then we need to find out what it is," he said, knowing he was minutes too late with the comment to be tagging on to what Nunnally had been saying.

"She has to have a reason," Nunnally said, and his brows drew together. Nunnally had known C.C. longer than he. She'd admitted to having known C.C. was a 'friend' of Lelouch's for a very long time. C.C. had seemed distant, but not apathetic. Those were Nunnally's words, and Suzaku had yet to figure out exactly how that equated to a sort of trust in the woman's motives.

Still he didn't make a move to leave, and still Nunnally stayed in the room, letting him think. Sometimes it felt like the mask was crushing in on him, pulling his thoughts from his own mind. Like he was nothing, like he really had died and all that was left was the persona. He wondered, in his dark moments, if this was how Lelouch had felt. Maybe that was how he'd fallen. The old Lelouch, the Lelouch Suzaku had known when they were kids, had been hard and tough and rational, but not cruel. Not like the Lelouch that killed Euphie. And Shirley. He clenched his eyes shut. But he wouldn't be taken in by Zero's mask. He would remain Kururugi Suzaku. He wouldn't become something that would make Euphie sad.

"All right. Thank you, Nunnally." He looked at the mask for a short moment more before putting it on.

Nunnally waited until he nodded, then went and opened the windows before unlocking the door. He went to her then and clutched the handles of her wheelchair. They hardly stepped outside when they were met by a lanky guard. "Empress Nunnally!"

"What is it, Will?" she asked, and the young man blushed at the use of his name before saluting.

"It's Lord Xingke, my lady! He's..." The man made a useless motion with his hands.

Nunnally turned around to look at Suzaku – at Zero. "I must go to Tianzi immediately." Suzaku nodded and began to push her, but she shook her head. "I want you to take a look at what we were discussing before," she said.

Suzaku hesitated, then nodded. He let go of the wheelchair. The guard, Will, took his place. Suzaku looked at the man. "I hold you responsible," he said, and the man paled. His salute was slightly sloppy.

He watched them leave, knowing Will the Guard would feel his stare. Xingke was getting worse; his time was almost gone. The man held himself tall, but his pallor spoke of his condition. He was a little slower as he walked, his eyes a little glassy. Still, the man stood by Empress Tianzi's side.

The halls of the Britannian Palace were white and streamlined as Suzaku walked through them. The Britannian banners had been interspersed with the United Federation of Nations' flag until lions and snakes and doves seemed to fill his vision. By now, the pictures were almost normal.

He went to his personal 'office' and found both General Miyamoto and Schneizel awaiting him. Miyamoto sent Schneizel a nervous look, then caught Suzaku coming forward. "Sir," the man said, and saluted.

Schneizel fell into an immediate bow. Suzaku snarled, but he did it silently. More of Lelouch's work. "Have either of you found her?"

Miyamoto answered in the negative, but Schneizel stood. "I have searched, as Miyamoto, all transportation vehicles. Nothing. So, on the assumption that she will be avoiding people, I had men search for unobtrusive paths." He held out a small disk. "They have narrowed her route to four different options."

Suzaku took the information and turned to Miyamoto. "Anything to add?"

The man cleared his throat. Suzaku was about to hurt the man; he seemed terrified of the mask. "We have people out looking, and every transportation service has been ordered to report anyone who matches the description. Otherwise, his information will be most helpful."

Suzaku frowned. If C.C. was suddenly avoiding being seen, then she could well be invisible again. She wouldn't likely be spotted by any of Miyamoto's men. "Can these estimated routes help us find out where she may be headed?"

Schneizel shook his head. "No. We would need another sighting."

Of course they would. "Set up roadblocks along these four areas," Suzaku said, waving the disk. His voice, altered through the mask, sounded almost angry. "Make sure nothing can pass, not even a bug. Act as if she's invisible."

Miyamoto's brow furrowed, but he saluted and bowed and said, "yes, sir," and the man was walking out with a straight back. At least the man was exceptional militaristically.

Schneizel bowed once more as soon as the door closed. "This woman troubles you?"

Suzaku frowned behind the mask. Schneizel had no real free will anymore. He always followed Zero's orders – Suzaku's orders – without question. He also rarely made his own initiative. Worse, the man never talked. No wonder Miyamoto seemed nervous around the man; he was now little more than a robot. Still, Suzaku didn't want to say anything to the man. Maybe it was the memory of the man's manipulative nature when he'd still had his own personality. Maybe it was because robots had no reason to keep secrets. Or maybe it was simply because Suzaku didn't trust anyone save Nunnally with any of his secrets. In any case, he waved Schneizel out. It took him a moment to adjust, again, to the tension that kept his muscles taut despite any danger being momentarily gone. Then he went to his sofa and sat, leaning his head against the back for only an instant. If someone came in and saw him in anything other than perfect condition, he would be seen differently. Lelouch had created Zero to be a perfect being, never tired – never wrong. One thing he'd made perfectly clear was the need to continue that lie. Zero had to be as strong as his convictions.

On that thought, Suzaku sat straight again and simply closed his eyes. One good thing about the mask: dark circles, sweat, fear, surprise – none of it could be seen. The cloak, too, helped hide knee-jerk reactions. Lelouch must have thought of such before having the outfit made – by whoever. Lelouch had simply assured him that no one would ever come forward with the knowledge. His damn Geass again, no doubt.

Miyamoto entered the room then, hardly giving him a cursory knock as warning. Suzaku stayed in his chair, but straightened. "Sir." Another salute. "The roadblocks are set up."

"Remember what I said." Suzaku glared at the man, and once more Miyamoto started flagging under Suzaku's stare. "Watch the very wind."

Miyamoto nodded and left with one last salute. Suzaku closed his eyes again and wished he could rub his temple. He couldn't be sure if C.C. even had anything to do with the attack, but the very idea of her being in the same place at the same time... it seemed far too convenient, even for him. And though he didn't think she would be caught with something so obvious as a roadblock, he couldn't think of anything else. And with the best of the best on the job, they at least had a chance.

A small chance.

He stood and looked out the windows. They were large, the glass spanning from a foot off the floor to a foot from the ceiling, each attached to one another to make a wall of glass. Just off from the garden, just out of his room's sight, a koi pond sat. Another rested in the garden in the back of the palace, per (once again) Nunnally's request. He didn't put his hand to the glass, though he wanted to. The sun was warm, but night was falling, and so the warmth was no longer stifling. Through the tint of the mask, he saw the sky turn orange. He worried for a moment if he shouldn't be checking on Empress Tianzi and Xingke. Nunnally, however, was the social interaction. He merely showed his face to promote the ideas of justice and unification. If he showed himself too much, he would seem to be taking over, just as Lelouch had.

It meant he would have nothing to do until those roadblocks turned up something. His lips thinned. Until then, he could only imagine what C.C. might be doing.

"Put your faith in what you most believe in
Two worlds, one family
Trust your heart
Let fate decide
To guide these lives we see"

- Disney, "Two Worlds"

"Lelouch!"

He glared at her, even though they were both invisible at the moment. "Really, C.C.?" he hissed, but she just rolled her eyes. The night was coming; gray was gliding across the sky. They had to wait for night to fall, then trek across more populated areas. If Lelouch had calculated correctly, C.C., who had been visible while they'd been on the train, would be a suspect in the death of Pete Granger. With that Immortal woman marking each of his kills, each terrorist death he'd tried to cover up as an accident were now linked murders. He missed his Geass, much to C.C.'s amusement. It would be easier to tell people to get out of his way, or order them to pretend he wasn't there. It made it obvious to him just how much more impossible destroying Britannia would have been without the Geass' strength.

C.C. went traveling, of course, wandering from store to closing store as the minutes ticked slowly by. Lelouch stuck to a wide alleyway and avoided any who might come near. He felt like a thief.

Finally darkness descended over Tokyo and they were able to get onto the last bus ride. Thankfully, the bus was sparsely populated, but still Lelouch had to show himself, remaining hunched under his cloak and trying his best to look homeless. People gave him a wide berth, and C.C. was able to sit invisible beside him without being touched.

The ride was slow, and when finally they reached the last bus stop of the night, they were still far from their goal. They were in the middle of Tokyo, still a good few miles from Zero's base, where guard after guard resided. And since their goal was to find the white-haired Immortal while still maintaining no contact with its prey, Zero... and of course, there was no doubt that the woman would also wish to uncover the truth about Lelouch's death, so that had to be stopped, as well... more, he may be playing right into her hands. Still...

Still. He would win.

"Lelouch, look."

They were getting off the bus when C.C. spoke, pointing ahead of them and to the left. It was where they were headed; just another kilometer or so and they would be by the old Britannian estate in which Zero resided. Lelouch hissed and pulled the woman out of the way of a couple, almost yelling at her before remembering that he was visible. Instead he looked to where she pointed. It wasn't hard to see what had grabbed her attention. A small group of people surrounded a brick wall, already home to several pieces of urban art. One seemed to be more interesting than the others; simple red English letters sat beside two giant red kanji symbols. By now, Lelouch knew what they meant. "Shinjitsu," he murmured, and read the English letters. His eyes widened. "Destroy it," he hissed, and shrank back. Police were coming now. He dropped his head and hunched in on himself, trying to look old.

"Oh? I find the artwork fascinating," C.C. said, but finally she shrugged. "Fine. You owe me."

"I know it," he said, his voice hardly carrying at all. C.C. must have heard it, though, because she laughed as she went to do as told. His eyes strayed back over to the wall. It surrounded a small park, created to give children somewhere to work off their steam outside of the small apartments. Children and teens had already made use of the blank space on the wall to serve up inspiration, and it had been on the list for demolition since before Lelouch's death. He hadn't squandered the money on such an expense – after all, tyrants didn't care about the beauty of the landscape – and apparently Suzaku had been too bogged down to be bothered. But now the new message stood out beside that damned 'truth' symbol, almost popping out among the more ornamental pieces. I never wanted to use it on you, it read. Live on!

Lelouch watched as the police started clearing the area. It wouldn't do for Suzaku to hear of this. Lelouch read it again, then again. Suzaku, if no one else, would understand what it meant. Or at least could understand it. If these men sent the message to Suzaku, then the man may begin to learn things he was better off not knowing. And he may get involved in the case, which would mean walking about these streets, leaving himself open to whatever C.C.'s immortal friend may have planned.

Too bad he didn't have his Geass.

Lelouch passed through the grumbling crowd as it dispersed and clutched one policeman's sleeve. The giant pulled it free and turned to Lelouch. "Sir, clear the area."

Lelouch pointed back behind him. "A man went running past me a couple hours ago," Lelouch said, keeping his head low. "Right past me where I was sle... was. That's good information, right? Good enough for a dollar or two?"

The policeman waved his buddy over. "What did the man look like?"

Lelouch shrugged. "Dark hair, dark eyes, dark hood. Maybe I could remember..." He held out a hand and rubbed his fingers together. The policeman sighed.

His buddy, thinner and shorter by large degrees, grabbed a notepad from his front pocket and turned back to the wall. "I don't get what it says. I'm gonna write it down, 'kay? You get this guy's info, 'kay?"

"No info's coming yet," Lelouch said, and willed C.C. to hurry the hell up. "Just dark. The alleys can get dark, you know?"

Lelouch's first policeman sighed and pulled out his wallet. "Here's a five," the man said. "You won't get it unless you 'remember'."

Lelouch bobbed his head only slightly, but someone started shouting from behind them before Lelouch could say anything more. The policemen looked to the scream, but Lelouch turned to the wall. No wonder someone was freaking out; to others, it would look like a spray can was dancing in mid-air, spraying over the message. Lelouch felt his heart triphammer and turned to the cops. The screamer – of course it was a woman – was pointing to the wall, making everyone turn to watch the spectacle. Lelouch went invisible then and went to C.C.'s side. "Just get rid of that last bit!"

"Shut up, I am!" she said, and scribbled black paint over the last two words. Now the 'live on' part, at least, would be gone.

"H-Hey! Stop that!"

Lelouch turned, but the policemen weren't staring at them. Their eyes were on the spray can. C.C. ignored them and continued. Both of them drew their guns. Lelouch turned back to C.C. "Time to go."

C.C. dropped the spray can. "There will be more like this, I believe." Both stepped away from the message as the two officers went to the wall and cursed. "She must have been close enough to you to record your memories or something."

Record his memories. Lelouch's lips thinned. "She can do that?"

"I guess. I don't know." The officers were arguing with each other over who had to call it in – and what they would say. "She always seems to know people's thoughts. She puts several peoples' memories together and comes up with what she calls 'truths.'" C.C. put her hands behind her head and watched as the shorter of the two finally sighed and pulled out his phone. "Then she goes to whoever needs know the truth and shows it to them. That would most likely be the reason why the witch trials ended – D.D. told Governor Phips about the truth of the trials."

"The people who need to know," Lelouch said, testing out the words, and shook his head. "No one needs ever know about our truths."

C.C. hummed, but Lelouch couldn't be sure if it was in agreement or not. Sometimes, as they sat on the outskirts of a forest or in a deserted town, he could see a sense of boredom and sometimes restlessness in her. After all, her wish hadn't been fulfilled. She undoubtedly wanted to find someone who would answer her wish, since he had failed to. It was most likely only a matter of time before she left him to search once more for her own dream. He couldn't hold her back; she'd done more than enough for him.

"For now, we need to find the rest of her messages and find out just what she's shown," Lelouch said. "She'll most likely have chosen similar locations – large public areas with minimal initial shock value. The next nearest place for that is..." Lelouch turned with a frown. It was in the opposite direction of their intended target. D.D. may want them to turn back, to move away from Zero and thus give her the opportunity needed to get close to him. She revealed truths and erased lies... in either case, Zero would be in danger. Lelouch needed to make sure D.D. didn't succeed in either mission. Still, whatever truths D.D. may want to reveal also had to be stopped, and that included her little wall missives. But if they separated, he and C.C. would be that bit more vulnerable.

He looked to where the estate stood. He couldn't see it past the skyscrapers, but he knew it was there, ostentatious and obvious. He knew he wasn't thinking straight, coming out into the open like this, following an Immortal toward what could easily be a trap. The best he could do was turn the game around, even if it meant entering the game at the last few turns. He was already in check before he could even sit before the board. And the king had to go first. It was why he was here.

Finally C.C. sighed. "I'm going, I'm going." He turned to her. She was walking away from him, away from the estate, and she was waving jauntily behind her. "You take care of the boy. Just remember – you can't die, but you can be paralyzed."

"I remember what you told me." C.C. just flicked her chin up and sauntered off. She didn't even wave good-bye. He sighed and turned away, as well. Of course, if she had waved good-bye, he would be concerned. That was just how it was.

It was dark, and the city's lights were hiding the stars. He stopped and pressed against a condominium as a group of teenagers pushed each other and giggled. The girls wore short skirts and spider-web leggings. The men, on the other hand, wore ripped jeans and rock band t-shirts. Lelouch raised an eyebrow. What in the world was going on? Was Britannia the only reason people had once worn respectable clothes, or was it simply that he'd never been out so late unless as Zero? As it was, the teens barely passed him without touching him, and one turned and looked back as they passed. Lelouch looked each way before stepping onto the street again.

Being Immortal was still new to him. He remembered C.C. talking to him as he awoke from his paralysis, his mind fuzzy and swimming with memories of the sword digging into his gut. He'd been in a field, dumped by someone and left for the birds. He remembered C.C., her face serious as she told him what immortality would mean. It meant rapid regeneration. It meant a loss of Geass and impunity to its touch. It meant finding his body unable to move after being 'killed,' and it meant, of all things, an end to his hair and nails growing. V.V. alone had his hair continue to grow, and only because he had been so young when he'd gained his Code. It had also meant – and hear C.C. had looked ready to cry – living beyond everything else, watching as everything around him fell and rotted and disappeared as if it had never been. Suzaku and Nunnally, Kallen and Millie and Rivalz. They would all become dust, and the world would continue without them, and no one would blink at the loss.

Still, even if it was inevitable, Lelouch would see to it that they lived long, peaceful lives. It was what he'd accepted the curse for. Why he'd fought. Even now, he couldn't stop. He'd launched the Geass Directorate in order to stop the Geass from existing. He'd made it so that only he, Rolo, and C.C. had the curse inside of them, and Rolo had died. Yet here he was learning of a third with the Code, one C.C. had neglected to mention because, as she said, he 'hadn't been Immortal then.' He wanted to curse her. She hadn't mentioned it even after he'd become Immortal, and he had to believe it was because she owed this D.D. some sort of loyalty.

Whatever bond C.C. had with D.D., it might become a problem later. Testing C.C.'s loyalty to him might push her away. They held a strange bond themselves, one he couldn't trust to be impenetrable. It was one unspoken, one never touched, a small thread that shimmered, almost invisible, between them. She'd kept several secrets from him. How many secrets had she kept from D.D.?

He rubbed his temple. That wasn't important. For now, she was taking care of the quotes, presumably following D.D.'s own plan for the two of them, though why the woman would want him alone was, for now, in question. Perhaps she simply wanted C.C. out of the way, perhaps out of the line of fire. He remembered Charles telling C.C. to join with him. It would have ended C.C.'s existence. Did D.D. want one of them? If so, it would most likely be him, and since he was newer to the whole Immortal thing, he would be comparatively weak. But what would she want that for? Simply to erase him? But wasn't he the truth in the picture? Suzaku – Zero – was the lie. She erased lies, not truths. Zero, not L.L.

In the end, there were too many unknowns to safely calculate how D.D. would act. For now, his objectives remained the same. Keep the truth hidden and protect Zero. The problem was that, in chess, while Suzaku would be a knight and C.C. a rook, he was the king. The master of the field, certainly, but not maneuverable. For him to survive, he needed other pieces to protect him. His lips thinned. He didn't have such a thing anymore. In other circumstances, that would be fine, but now...

"Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand." (1)

Lelouch turned. Behind him stood a woman decked out all in white. Lelouch felt a shiver flicker up his spine. He'd been right. She'd wanted him alone. He smirked and threw his head back. "Well, well. You don't waste time."

"Time's glory is to calm contending kings, to unmask falsehood, and bring truth to light."

He frowned. The words seemed familiar, but he couldn't say from where. The woman hardly seemed to be moving; he almost doubted that she even breathed. She stood like a statue in the middle of the road, not hiding herself as he did. Her skin was pale, so pale it shone almost silver in the lamplight. Her clothing was white, white pants, white blouse, white belt. She even had a white choker. It all made her seem wraithlike. Someone looked at her funny as they crossed the street, but she was oblivious to the stare.

He thought furiously. He couldn't die, at least not conventionally, and he'd never had reason before to ask what Charles' maneuver - the one that would kill Immortals - would have been. Something that involved touch, obviously. He needed to avoid D.D.'s touch. Would the cloak be enough, or were clothes superfluous?

"And thus the native hue of resolution is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought; and enterprises of great pith and moment, with this regard, their currents turn awry, and lose the name of action." Recognition flickered in Lelouch's mind, but she was already moving, a garden ornament breaking free from its confines, and with a sedate movement she entered his private space. He hopped back, glaring at her, and she paused. There was no flicker of emotion; she wore neither amusement nor frustration. She didn't even speak her own words, but those borrowed from others. She was like a blank canvas, white and blank and empty, devoid of anything. Like C.C. on overload. How much time had this woman seen?

He didn't know enough about her to know what might change that frostbitten countenance to something more human. Didn't know if the possibility even existed. He narrowed his eyes. "You seek truth, isn't that right? Then how do you know my thoughts? How did you know what I'd thought back on Shikinejima?"

She didn't falter, but took another step. He looked into glassy blue eyes and felt that shiver again. He didn't know where she'd come from or what she wanted with him. "Many yet," she said, "are the truths of God which will be unfolded as they are needed."

God? Lelouch knew, vaguely, whose words she was speaking, how they were said on the shores of what was now Britannia, but she couldn't mean God, as if some higher being had spoken to her. Not unless she was insane. She most likely meant the God that Charles had referenced, the collective unconscious of all people. Lelouch bared his teeth. He'd locked the entrance to the Thought Elevator here in Japan, but there were doubtlessly others. Could they all lead to 'God'? Would his thoughts be recorded inside? How could they be found?

She was right in front of him, but as he stared she moved, disappearing from his sight. He jumped and turned perhaps faster than Suzaku's own. She was behind him, her hand raised. He stumbled back. Still there was nothing on her face. Again she dropped her hand. "The fact that you exist is an error."

Lelouch flinched. On instinct he reached for his gun, hidden deep within his cloak, but she got close again and he had to back away lest she reach out and touch him. He felt his heart thudding hard and heavy in his chest. Of all the quotes in the world, she had to choose that one. He could remember Suzaku's face as he spoke those words, the wide eyes and trembling hand. The fury. Lelouch had only thought to catch her, to use the paralysis that came with 'death' and truss her up before she finished regenerating. If that didn't work, then he was stuck. His first thought had been to protect Zero. He hadn't thought she would come for him. It didn't follow what she'd done so far.

"The object of the superior man is truth," she said. Lelouch pulled out his gun then and to hell with it, but she simply came forward and grabbed it. When he tried to pull the gun free, she touched his chest. "I am in no mood to be deceived any longer by the crafty devil and false character whose greatest pleasure is to take advantage of everyone."

Lelouch paused, unsure, but she just stepped back and ran into the building beside him. He cursed and made to follow, but as she slipped inside, a group of businessmen came out. He had to dodge them to avoid a collision. He cursed again. As soon as they were in their cars and gone, he opened the door and jumped inside, but of course she was gone from sight. He ran to the back, anyway, careful of the couple standing in the lobby and the man taking his trash to the back room. The walls were slate gray, the floor tiled. He had to slow down to keep from making noises as he ran. Finally he reached the far end, but once again there was nothing. She would have easily left the building, not having to worry about sneaking around. And his movements had pulled his cloak back. He tugged it over his face again and waited for the man with the trash to leave before going out the back door. He hid against the wall then and just let himself get his breath back for a moment.

It was clear she was still going after Zero. She would hunt down the lies and expose them. Having met her was, in fact, fortuitous. He now had pertinent knowledge that he could use to plan his moves more strategically. Instead of sitting before the board with all moves already done, he had now seen her first reactions to his own movements. He was starting to see the pattern. Attack and dance away, open chasms in defenses and pull back. She was the type to test, to toy with the enemy before striking where they were most vulnerable. And despite himself, he'd shown her several vulnerabilities. Each led to Suzaku – to Zero. She would know. If she truly was going after Suzaku, she would know he intended to follow. She would want him to – that would be where she turned against him again. And he couldn't allow himself to be caught unaware. Not where Suzaku might see him. He and Suzaku had come to an uneasy truce, all because Suzaku had truly believed that Lelouch would die. He would pay for his sin and be gone from the world. It was what Suzaku himself had deemed necessary. "The fact that you exist is an error." How would Suzaku react if he found Lelouch to be immortal?

No. It was better if he remained dead to all. Zero Requiem demanded the end of his existence. He couldn't let it all fall apart now. That, too, was why he was back in the city.

He studied the small alley he stood in. There wasn't much room; a parking facility rose behind the building, swerving up several levels in order to maximize space. Beyond that structure stood another building, also made to house several families. Within the small space behind the building, most likely to give smokers a small niche, there was nothing but concrete and litter scattered around a large trash bin. The bin went up to Lelouch's height, clearly made by someone who thought women would never have trash to toss. In one place by the bin, the concrete was slightly cracked, and a few small weeds shoved their way through. A couple soda cans sat, feeding the weeds all the sugar they needed.

He shoved away from the wall and looked up. The sky was almost impossible to see. Even in the small back area, a light stood vigil against the darkness, giving smokers a small sort of safety. He shuffled off. He could guess, now, what D.D. had wanted with him. Just as he'd known nothing about her own moves, she had known little of his. For every thought she might have received from the Elevator – from the unconscious known as 'God' – there were breaks, gaps in which even the Elevator may not be able to fill. She would know that he was the mastermind behind it all, but knowing how he would react within certain situations – that was what she'd wanted. And he'd shown her a number of weaknesses. Not only Suzaku, but his identity itself. The cloak while remaining invisible meant he was afraid of someone seeing him.

But she had revealed a few, herself. He looked around as he turned away from the back alley and back onto the main street. She would be heading to Suzaku, possibly to test him, as well, but perhaps also to attack. She would use the words of the past to force Suzaku to think of her meaning himself, to read guilt in his own heart. And Suzaku had plenty of guilt, and plenty of heart. She heeded those words of the past, though, and that was a weakness. She didn't think for herself. And truth was so integral to her it consumed everything. Wearing white, speaking in the 'truth' of the past, pushing and pulling. He was beginning to see how she moved.

He grinned. Finally, he could start his counterattack.

A/N: ...Yeah. I know it's necessary for her character, but she's already tickin' me off. Thank you to several sites and books for these quotes, including the original authors and literature. Special thanks to BrainyQuote, which helped me out the most.

Not as long as I'd prefer, but Lelouch defies. -_-

(1) In order:
Alexander Graham Bell
William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
Henry Ward Beecher
Kururugi Suzaku
Confucius
Camille Claudel