Move 04: Deal

CC moved towards Suzaku, and it almost seemed as though she was floating above the ground slightly. "Terribly sad." He looked down, wondering exactly how long she'd been there. "But you… you're pathetic. What a joke. You were a Knight of Rounds, weren't you? And his Knight of Zero… I really would have thought that you were stronger than this." His eyes hardened slightly.

She continued, seeming to be satisfied with the reaction. "You were the only person Lelouch ever really trusted. He relied on your strength. I wonder if he knew you'd be reduced to a sobbing mess on his grave one day. What would he say if he saw you now?" She smirked, and he had half a mind to punch it off her face, the fact that she was immortal and a woman made no difference to him at this point.

He'd destroyed those that tarnished the meaning of the Zero Requiem before, and he would do it again. Yes, he'd broken one of those last rules Lelouch had set for him, which, other than these situations, he had lived by faithfully, and he knew the other would understand why. They all saw his face, but none had survived to report to their friends that Suzaku Kururugi still lived.

"But, I didn't come here to make fun of you. I knew you would be here. And so, I've come to offer you a deal." Suzaku eyed her warily. Lelouch had warned him that she might do this. She was the only remaining link to Geass. "I don't want Geass. You can forget it." A hearty laugh erupted from the girl. "Oh no. You don't have the right kind of disposition for Geass. I was talking about Lelouch." He felt the hair prickle up on the back of his neck. Lelouch… he knew she'd been attached to him. She'd tried to stop him from going through with the Zero Requiem. "What about Lelouch?" CC waved her hand dismissively. "I'm willing to bring him back for you, for a price."

He hesitated for a moment. "What kind of trick is this? You liked him, didn't you? Why haven't you revived him on your own, then?" The slight acid in his tone seemed to go unnoticed. "You might say, Kururugi Suzaku, that I am an opportunistic woman. I knew what his death had done to you, I just had to wait for the right time to present my offer."

Her gaze met his, and he almost recoiled at the sudden intensity in her eyes. "This is no trick, Suzaku. He was my last chance to die. This world is filled with weak willed and deceitful people. I've been around long enough to know all the tricks. The others I've contracted with haven't had a strong enough will to free me, to take my Code, as it were. This is my deal. I will bring him back for you, if you are willing to take my Code, and along with it, my immortality."

He wrinkled his nose. "I've got no reason to trust you, witch. You don't have that kind of power." Her chuckle grated on his nerves. "But, you've also no reason NOT to trust me. And you're REALLY in a position right now to be talking about power, sniveling on the ground like you are. Are you really going to let your only chance slip away, Suzaku? Weren't you just saying you wanted him back?"

Suzaku gritted his teeth. Lelouch had told him, warned him, to never accept Geass, especially not from her. And he had also sworn to himself that he never would, after all the work Lelouch had done to get rid of it. It was a large part of the reason he'd wanted to be killed, wasn't it? But this… they never accounted for anything like this. Against his better judgment, he found himself blurting out "Is there any way… we could split your Code?"

CC drew back a bit, obviously surprised. "What do you mean by that?" He made a fist around his cape. He'd taken the first step, he couldn't stop now. He would at least explore the possibility. "I mean, if you bring him back and I'm immortal, it will be a waste, since he will eventually die again. I don't want him to have to suffer it a second time. And I don't want the pain of losing him again. I want him to stay with me forever. Will it work?" She returned to her previous position, eyes filled with curiosity.

"You are an interesting person, Kururugi Suzaku. You kill him one minute, and the next, you love him and don't want him to die." He frowned. "I've always loved him. Sometimes it was just suppressed by other things. Emotions got in the way. I don't need YOU chiding me about it, I already feel bad enough." She seemed to consider it for a moment, smiling contently. "I suppose there's no reason why it couldn't be done. I'd never thought of it before. But I wonder if he will really want it?"

She shrugged. "At any rate, it will take him a few days to recover enough that his body is ready to accept the Code. I will leave the decision up to him then. We will see if he accepts your proposal, or if you will end up alone forever, like me." He hesitated a moment, then nodded fiercely. This would be his only chance, he had to take the risk, no matter how high the stakes were.

If Lelouch really didn't want to stay with him, he would accept it. But that didn't mean he wouldn't try to change the other's mind if it came down to that. "I accept your terms." The mark on CC's forehead began to glow a faint red. "A wise decision." Suzaku swallowed thickly, acknowledging the fact that he'd just made a proverbial deal with the devil. His name was on the dotted line, and he would wait anxiously to see if Lelouch's would join it. He would try his best to make sure that it did.

He moved back a bit as a storm started swirling around the area. CC floated a bit higher and started chanting. A bolt of lightning crashed onto the grave, and Suzaku shielded his eyes. When he looked again, Lelouch's coffin was breaking out of the ground. He slapped at his face to be sure he wasn't dreaming, and the sting seemed to confirm that he wasn't. Normally, this would be a grim sight, and he would stop her; it was morally corrupt, it was a terrible thing to be doing, but… he would do anything if it meant having Lelouch back. Even this. "Lelouch…"

The coffin set down to the ground gently, and all was still for a moment. All of a sudden, Suzaku heard gasps and coughs coming from inside. "Lelouch… Lelouch!" Suzaku clawed at the door, prying it open relatively quickly. "Su...zaku?" Suzaku bit his lip to keep the tears from flowing. Having Lelouch in front of him again was just an indescribable feeling. "Lelouch…" Lelouch coughed, then stretched slowly. "Suzaku… what's?" He coughed again. Suzaku's eyes swept over Lelouch, still in his emperor's robe. His gaze caught when it passed the tear in the chest. "Suzaku… are you… you haven't… died? No… this is… what IS this?"

Suzaku shook his head with a watery smile. "Lelouch… welcome back." Lelouch's eyes widened in disbelief as he repeated the phrase, and he finally noticed CC standing there. "What have you done, CC? This has your stench all over it. Why did you bring me back? My job is done. The Zero Requiem is finished. There's no reason… from what Suzaku's told me, the world is at peace. So, why? If this is just you being selfish, I swear…"

Suzaku sniffled. "You… you did hear me." Lelouch finally looked at him, those deep violet eyes seeming to have regained their glimmer. "Well, of course I did. You came here to talk to me all those times, didn't you? Of course, I couldn't respond, but I did hear you. I always found myself wondering, 'what will Suzaku have to say today?'" Suzaku smiled in return, wanting so badly to reach out and grab the other, to touch him, to make sure this was real.

"How touching." CC teased, rolling her eyes. "Lelouch. You asked me why. It's not me you should be asking." He looked at her, frowning slightly. "You revived me." She nodded slightly. "I did. But not for my own reasons alone." Lelouch again turned his gaze to Suzaku. "Suzaku, you didn't." Suzaku averted his eyes. "I didn't take Geass, if that's what you mean. I would never forget all the things you told me."

A small sigh escaped Lelouch. "I came to our dear Suzaku with a deal, and he accepted." Lelouch's eyes swept between the other two. "But, he just told me that he didn't take Geass. He doesn't have a reason to lie to me… No. He would never lie to me." Suzaku felt his cheeks warm slightly. "Lelouch…" CC's chuckle came again, causing Suzaku to shiver. "Oh, no. Perish the thought. He did something much better for me. He agreed to take my Code in exchange for reviving you. He just so happens to meet the special condition. The loophole, if you will. I'll finally die, Lelouch. No matter what happens now."

Lelouch's eyes widened, and Suzaku flushed. "But… Suzaku, why?" Suzaku winced. "I thought you would have known… I just wanted you back. I wanted to see you again, for no matter how long." He stated, trying to keep his voice flat. "And it gets better, Lelouch. He had the curious idea of splitting the Code with you. I believe he had some kind of fairy tale notion that the two of you could be together forever or some nonsense." CC interjected in a mocking tone, laughing heartily. Suzaku's flush deepened, and he scowled at her. She was making him look like a child, and he certainly didn't appreciate it. "Suzaku… did you consider what would happen if I didn't want that? Tell me you didn't make a rash decision based on emotion alone."

Suzaku winced again. That had stung. "But, Lelouch…" Lelouch finally sat up in the coffin. "I've lived my life, Suzaku. You need to move on. Stop clinging to me. You'll never really be my successor as Zero until you give me up. No, you'll never be a better Zero. Zero had Nunnally to worry about, and you have no one. You have so much potential, Suzaku, such opportunity… but you waste your time on me, a man who died for the sake of the world, and has no business being alive anymore. Why can't you just let go?" Suzaku felt the color drain from his face. This wasn't turning out at all like he'd thought it would. "Lelouch… please. Just give it a chance. I'm begging you. You're already here… just think about it. That's all I'm asking."

CC smirked briefly, then returned to her usually vacant expression. She didn't normally allow emotion to escape her, but this situation was just too entertaining. "You have four days, Lelouch. If you haven't changed your mind by then, I'll put you back." Lelouch thought for a moment, then nodded. Whatever happened, Suzaku had to make the next four days count. He'd change Lelouch's mind, no matter what it took.

-.-.-.-.-TBC-.-.-.-.-

Lelouch is being a bitch atm, yes. But that's the way he is. xD

Don't worry, I'm sure he'll come around. x3

-Beta'd by UKELICIOUS!