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Destiny of the Geass - Chapter 2
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Having passed through the mysterious gate found within the cavern on the island of Kaminejima
Karen and Suzaku found themselves on a dark, narrow path. Without a single source of light,
the two could only keep going on, relying on their other senses in the darkness.
Even though Karen had never been afraid of the dark, the cold blackness surrounding them was making her feel uneasy.
It had a feeling of finality to it.
Suzaku, on the other hand, was not bothered by the darkness. Or rather, he did not let it bother him.
At the moment, his mind was wholly dedicated to one, and only one, thing. Saving Nunnally.
Before long, the path before them widened into a small clearing, with a massive gate similar to the one they had passed through earlier. Bracing themselves, the two pushed the gate open, mentally preparing themselves for what was to come.
What greeted them behind the huge gate, however, was something totally different from anything they could've ever imagined.
It was as if they had entered a world different from ours. Long stone stairs rose high up into the sky,
where clouds slowly chased each other in the light of a setting sun. At the top of the stairs was a small platform where stood two pillars, almost like a gateway to heaven.
Between the two pillars, two small figures could be seen. Without a second thought, Suzaku sprinted up the stairs,
quickly followed by Karen. Arriving at the top, he permitted himself a second of rest before turning to face the two figures.
Sitting on the second uppermost step of the stairs was a boy with long, golden hair and eyes red like flowing wine.
It was, he realized, the very same boy who had told him about the Geass.
Behind the golden haired boy, unmoving in her wheelchair, was Nunnally.
Seeing her still body was enough to make Suzaku's heart strangle in fear. Had he been too late?
If so, how could he ever forgive himself?
However, just as he was about to call out to Nunnally, the boy got up, turning to the girl in wheelchair softly whispering,
"Nunnally-chan, our guests have arrived."
With a little mumble, the frail body straightened and asked in a sleepy voice, "Mm...Eh? Is brother here?"
Her melodic voice was filled with expectation. So much so, that it made Suzaku gasp involuntarily.
"Suza...ku?" Her voice became even cheerier as she happily asked, "Did you come with brother?"
By now, Karen had also reached the end of the stairs, panting hard and staring at Suzaku's back incredulously.
Again, before Suzaku could open his mouth, V.V. Answered in his stead, "No, Nunnally-chan,
it would appear that your brother is not with them."
This caused Nunnally's shoulders to slump slightly, which caused Suzaku an unimaginable amount of pain.
While still trying to catch her breath, Karen somehow managed to question V.V. while almost achieving the threatinging tone she was aiming for, "You...Who are you, and for what reason did you kidnap Nunnally for?!"
Nunnally seemed puzzled by Karen's words, as well as suprised by the fact she was here too. V.V. seemed rather amused,
though, as he opened his arms, "Kidnapped? I'm sorry, but it seems there has been some kind of a misunderstanding.
Nunnally-chan came here of her own accord to meet her brother. Isn't that so, Nunnally-chan?"
Nunnally nodded, and V.V. smile grew a fraction. "As for the other question, I apologize for the late introduction.
I am V.V. and this," he gestured at the surroundings, "...is my sanctuary. Pleased to meet you, Karen Stadtfeld.
Or...would you prefer to be called Karen Kohzuki?"
Karen froze at V.V.'s words, her hand reflexively going for the gun she'd dropped at the cave's entrance earlier.
"How...how do you know my name?!?" The red haired girl hissed at the golden haired boy.
"Oh, I know many things, but that is inconsequential right now." Ignoring Karen, whose eyes were glaring daggers at his direction,
V.V. turned back to Suzaku, "But pray tell, where is Zero? I am quite sure I had made an appointment with him, yet he is nowhere to be seen."
Suzaku's eyes turned colder as he answered, "Zero won't be coming. He's dead."
The boy cocked his eyebrows, clearly not having expected such a thing. "Dead, you say? Are you certain?"
There was a hint of disbelief in his otherwise apathetic voice.
"Yeah." A short, cold reply. Suzaku didn't know what it was, but there was something about this boy that greatly irritated him.
Even more than he wanted to admit.
"I see..." A small hand curled into a fist, but other than that, his true feelings remained hidden.
"That is a pity. I was really looking forward to meeting him in person, you know. I had even prepared a little...entertainment."
V.V. briefly glanced at Nunnally over his shoulder, which made Suzaku realize something.
If V.V. had brought Nunnally here to lure Zero out...it could only mean he had also known the true identity of Zero.
That, and he had also known about Karen. There was definitely more to this guy than met the eye.
Giving a small sigh, V.V. shrugged his shoulders, "But if he is, as you say, dead, then I no longer have a reason to remain here. I have no business with you two." Turning his back on Suzaku and Karen, V.V. walked over to the left pillar standing on the platform on top of the stairs, pushing a hidden button on it.
There was a loud roaring sound as the tile V.V. was standing on started to slowly sink downwards.
In a worried voice, Nunnally called out to him, "V.V.?"
With a nonchalant voice, V.V. apologized, "I'm sorry, Nunnally-chan, but it would appear your brother's not coming.
Why don't you ask your two friends over there? Perhaps they would know of your brother?"
Both Karen and Suzaku had been too stunned by V.V.'s way of escape to act and by the time they regained their wits,
he had already disappeared into the strange mist below the platform.
"He's...gone!" Karen dashed to the platform's edge, but there was no way for her to follow the mysterious boy.
Seething with rage, she clenched her fists, "Damn!"
Nunnally, who only knew Karen Stadtfeld, was more than suprised at the sudden change in Karen's behaviour. "Karen...?"
Gasping, Karen turned around, finally remembering she was not alone.
"N-Nunnally? Uh, um, I-I, I don't know what came over me. I just..." The voice soon faded into silence, which was,
to Karen's fortune, soon broken by Suzaku.
"Nunnally?!" He rushed to the girl's side, worriedly asking, "Are you okay? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
For a moment, Nunnally seemed puzzled, but then a bright smile rose to her lips.
"What are you talking about, Suzaku? I told you, V.V. didn't kidnap me. I came here to see my brother."
"But-!" There was a part in Suzaku that refused to believe the whole rescue operation could've gone so easily.
"Funny Suzaku. I'm fine, really. But...V.V. said that brother would come here for sure. Yet..."
There were traces of disappoinment, even sadness, in her voice.
Suzaku didn't know what to say. He knew that Nunnally would eventually find out about her brother's death, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything. Because he knew how close those two had been, he knew that the news of Lelouch's death would break Nunnally. Possibly beyond mending.
The one to break the heavy atmosphere was no other than Karen. Without doing anything to prepare the poor Nunnally for the crushing news, she bluntly blurted out, "Lelouch...is dead."
"Eh-?" The shocked gasp that escaped the frail girl's lips was soon followed by Suzaku's horrified scream,
"KAREN!!" as his mind came to a full stop caused by the other's lack of sensitivity.
"Dead? Brother...is?!" The question was asked in a weak voice, while the strength seemingly escaped the small, fragile body.
Her face drained of it's colour and she gasped for breath as if she was having trouble breathing, most likely caused by the shock.
Suzaku, grasping Nunnally's left hand between his own hands, shot a reproaching glare at Karen,
who merely shrugged as if to say that she would've found out anyway, one way or another.
Nunnally's right hand tighly clasped her chest as she struggled with her breathing, her body trembling uncontrollably.
At her side, Suzaku could do nothing but hold her other hand, whispering soft words of encouragement to the suffering girl's ear.
After a while, the trembling subsided, and her breathing returned to normal. All that remained was a dark, lingering silence.
Thinking the worst was over, Suzaku quietly called out to the girl, "Nunnally?"
However, there was no answer. Looking at the girl on the wheelchair, Suzaku noticed that her lips were slightly ajar.
No, not ajar, moving. Slowly, repeating a single word over and over again. A single name.
Then, without a warning, the girl broke into tears, bending over on the wheelchair, sobbing heartbreakingly.
Suzaku was taken aback by the suddenness of it, and let out a small yelp. He knew he had to do something and quick,
just that he had no idea what.
Had it been Lelouch, Suzaku thought, he could've come up with a dozen ideas in seconds.
Of course, if Lelouch had been there, there wouldn't have been a problem to begin with.
Seeing the sobbing, bent over girl made even Karen feel awful. She had thought that telling her straight up would be for the best,
but she was already beginning to doubt if it had really been such a bright idea.
For several minutes, Nunnally's sobbing was the only sound breaking the otherwise serene silence of the place.
When she finally straightened up again, her cheeks were soaked from all the crying.
Still shaking slightly, she parted her lips as if to say something.
After a few minutes of waiting patiently, Suzaku lightly squeezed the girl's hand to encourage her to say whatever she was going to say. As if by suprised by this, the girl winced. Wetting her lips a bit, she then finally gave voice to her mind,
"H...o...w...How...did my...brother die?"
It was as if Suzaku's heart had been stabbed. With a startled cry, he stumbled a few steps back, away from the wheelchair.
Suprised by his reaction, Nunnally turned her head towars him, "Su...zaku?"
Panicking, Suzaku desperately sought for something to say, but his mind was blank.
"L-Lelouch, he...I-I, I didn't...He, it, it wasn't-!"
Seeing Suzaku panicking, Karen stepped up to cover for him. With a calm voice she exlaimed,
"He was killed by Zero in the middle of the fighting."
Both Suzaku and Nunnally turned to the red haired girl, astonished.
Especially Suzaku was more than just suprised by Karen's words.
"Killed...by Zero?" Nunnally inquired in a broken voice. Karen walked a little closer to the wheelchair and answered,
"Yes. He stood up to Zero, and was killed for it."
Suzaku's eyes widened at the lie Karen was feeding to Nunnally. He did, however, do nothing to correct her.
A silence. Nunnally's both hands were reaching to her chest, grasping through the clothes and her face was distorted with mixed feelings.
"Brother...He was always there...beside me. Always...taking care of me. Even at the expense of his own life."
A weak sniff shook her small body before she continued, "I...I knew it was unfair to him. Having to take care of me all the time. And then, when C.C. came, I-I was...jealous of her. Even as I felt happy for my brother for having found someone, I couldn't...I couldn't help feeling...abandoned."
Suzaku was listening to the girl's confession with tears in his eyes. With regret. He had killed his best friend, yet who was the one who had to suffer the most because of it?
"He never put himself before others, so why?! Why did he have to die?!" Nunnally's voice was nearing hysterical levels, her screams increasing in volume, "Why did my brother have to die?! Why?! He never would've hurt a fly, and yet...Yet-!"
As her scream reached it's peak, accompanied by a strong anger uncharacteristic of her, a miracle occured.
The eyes that had remained unseeing for the past eight years opened, a new, blinding light burning bright in those ocean-blue eyes.
Even through the tears and shock, Suzaku noticed the miraculous change and his jaw dropped at suprise.
Pointing at the girl, he incredulously asked, "N-Nunnally? Y-your...Your eyes!?"
Nunnally blinked, momentarily forgetting the traumatic death of his brother, and looked at Suzaku.
She swiped her eyes, blinking again. Then, a suprised expression rose to her face.
"I...I can...see?!" She looked around, still dumbstruck. Seeing the world again after so long...It felt incredible.
A warm, swelling feeling filled her chest as her eyes wandered around.
It seemed like the work of god to Suzaku, seeing Nunnally's smiling face, something he had feared he might never see again.
Karen was also suprised by what had happened, but compared to before, it was more than an improvement.
As long as it helped keep the little girl's mind off the death of his brother, everything worked just fine.
Of course, reality was not as simple as that. After the initial fascination had faded, the pain came back - tenfold.
Tears started flooding from the newly awakened eyes, and the desperate sobs returned.
"When...When I could finally see again! When I could've...sniff...finally seen brother again, after all these years! When I-!"
She buried her face on her hands, looking as if she might really break down on the spot.
Panicking, yet again, Suzaku picked Nunnally's hands in his own and tried to think of something to calm her down with.
Karen, on the other hand, had a complex expression on her face. She did feel sorry for the girl in the wheelchair, but she also realized this was not the place, nor time for a mental breakdown.
"Hey...Suzaku, I don't think we should stay here much longer."
Instead of answering, Suzaku gave her a fierce glare full of animosity.
"Tch..."
Then, she realized something very important. Lelouch...His body was still in the cave!! And for some reason, his blind little sister was no longer blind.
"Uh, Suzaku...I'll leave her to you. I'll go make the preparations to leave."
Without even confirming if the boy had heard her, she rushed down the stairs and into the tunnel below.
For a while, all that was left was the sobbing sounds Nunnally was making. He couldn't think of anything that could make things better, so he just kept holding the girl's frail hands in his own, praying to whatever gods would listen to him that Nunnally would make it through it.
Within the awkward silence, Suzaku soon lost his sense of time. He couldn't tell wheter it had been only a few minutes, or maybe hours. It didn't matter, though. He would stay with Nunnally as long as it took. That's what he had decided.
"Su...za...ku."
"..."
"Su...zaku."
"..."
"Suzaku!"
"Huh-?!"
He had been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even noticed that the sobbing had settled down.
"N-Nunnally?"
Looking up, he saw a forced smile on the girl's lips.
"I'm...alright, now. Shall we...go? Karen-san must be waiting."
Suzaku let out a small sigh of relief, as well as as a thank you to the gods, and rose up.
"Y-yes."
The descent from the platform was, indeed, quite troublesome with the wheelchair.
In the end, Suzaku had to carry the whole wheelchair down first, then go back up and carry Nunnally down.
All the while worrying about how long they'd made Karen wait.
Even though Nunnally had said she was fine, Suzaku knew she was just putting up a brave front.
As such, the pass through the dark tunnel was much harder for him than the first time around.
And only as they entered the first chamber, where the final showdown between him and Lelouch had taken place, did Suzaku remember that Nunnally was no longer blind. And that they had just left Lelouch's corpse lying there.
Cursing himself for his carelessness he was almost ready to panic, but then a familiar voice greeted the two of them.
"Sure took you long enough."
Surveying the whole chamber in the blink ofan eye, he realized that Lelouch's corpse was not there.
Karen...So that's why she left on her own.
"Uh...yeah."
"I'm sorry, Karen-san."
"No, no, it's alright. Let's just get off this island already, okay?"
With that, the three of them left the cavern for the Knightmares. Before taking off, though, Karen pulled Suzaku further away from Nunnally for a private chat.
"Suzaku, there's something-"
Before she could finish, though, Suzaku cut in.
"Phew...that was too close, Karen. Thank goodness you'd hidden Lelouch...
For a moment there, I thought...well, in any case, thank you for doing it."
For some reason, Karen's face darkened at this.
"Actually..." she started, "When I arrived...it was already gone."
Suzaku's eyebrows shot up.
"Gone? What do you mean gone?!?"
"Just that...gone. Apparently, someone else was here while we were away..."
Suzaku thought about it. Yes, corpses don't walk away on their own, so someone had to have been there.
The question was, who had it been.
"In any case," Karen continued, "there's no point in worrying about it now."
Suzaku nodded. Whoever it had been, they now had Lelouch's corpse in their possession.
What they would do with it, only time would tell. If they were going to anything at all, that is, he thought.
"Moreover, what are you going to do from now?"
Suzaku was taken aback by the sudden question. From now on? What...would he do?
Then, the answer came to him.
"I...will quit the army."
Karen didn't seem too suprised by this. She merely nodded, "And then?"
"I will keep looking after Nunnally in Lelouch's stead. It's the least I can do."
"I see...I'm sure he'd be happy to hear that."
Suzaku could see the moistness that was beginning to form in the corners of the girl's eyes, so he quickly changed the subject.
"And you? What are you going to do?"
With determined look, Karen answered,
"I shall see through what he started. That is the only path left for me."
Suzaku nodded. As much as he disliked the idea of Karen taking over the Black Knights, he had known, in his heart,
that it would end this way.
And with that, the two parted ways to follow their own paths.
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Author's Notes:
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Okay, uh, it seems like there's been a lot of crying scenes, which isn't really that suprising considering what's been happening...
I just hope it hasn't gotten too repetitive or anything...
Well that, and the if you think the end seemed a bit rushed, it was. Sorry...
Anyway, this was originally supposed to be the end, but...Actually, I've got some plans for continuation.
So, um, from here on out, I'll be going to the unknown territory of what will happen now that Lelouch's gone.
Might take a while before Chapter 3, though. I really ought to finish 'Crimson Love' (a MGLNS fanfic), so...
Oh and thank you for all the people who reviewed the first chapter!
