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Chapter 6 - Still Human

...

Silence reigned in Kallen's quarters as she stared up into the ceiling. Her usually spiked hair was splayed across her pillow and she spun her Knightmare frame key around on a finger. Clockwise, catch. Flip, counter-clockwise, catch. Repeat until epiphany is reached.

...

"What if I told you Lelouch was alive?"

Kallen and Zero froze in their tracks and quickly looked at each other for counsel. The room turned a deathly quiet and one could almost hear the harsh lights buzzing in the ceiling. The dull drone of the generators a few decks below could be heard throughout the entire ship.

"That's not...possible." Kallen hissed at the woman, without even turning around to face her.

Zero, on the other hand, kept a more open mind.

"Explain how that would be possible when I stabbed him with my own hands."

He racked his brain for his meetings with Lelouch prior to his death. Not once did he mention anything about rising after his assassination. Or did he? Suzaku's head spun as he forced himself to remember anything he might have mentioned, even if it was a dismissable joke.

Zero turned around and slowly walked back into the room from whence they came. Kallen looked at him in alarm.

"Zero! What are you doing? She's trying to play you!"

The woman scoffed. "Correct, you are being played, though I assure you not by me."

She looked at Zero and addressed him.

"You really don't understand the powers of the Geass, do you? Pity." Was her response when she received no sign that either of them knew what she was talking about.

"C.C. is an immortal. Lelouch is not." Kallen stated.

"Wrong. Now are you going to guess over and over until your mind can think no further? I'm the one with all the answers."

"I'm not going to sacrifice a comrade just to play games with you!" Kallen shouted angrily.

"It's quite obvious to me that you want to learn the truth about Lelouch. Of course, you saw the man die by Zero's hand, but why would you even consider the possibility he is alive is quite odd indeed. Feeling sentimental, are we?"

Zero finally sat at the table, across from the woman.

"What's your name?" He started.

"My callsign with my unit is Mercury."

"That makes sense for you. Mercury is a metal that is liquid at room temperature and can take any shape it is poured into." Zero mused.

"Precisely. It is also toxic if consumed." She glared at Kallen who glared in return.

"Is it possible he is alive?"

"Possible? Oh, more than possible. Isn't it obvious? C.C. left because she's on the run with Lelouch."

"What proof do you have to back your preposterous claim?"

"C.C. possesses a gift of immortality. Lelouch's Geass he received from her allows him to eventually take over her immortality once his power reaches a certain potency."

"That's only a possibility. How do we know for sure that Lelouch took her immortality?"

"The government tried to keep this under wraps, but luckily for us, there are always a few who can't keep their mouths shut. A report by a Johnathan Barnes says that Lelouch rose from his coffin and stuffed him inside it instead. His coworkers confirm the story, stating they could not find the Emperor's body anywhere."

"Media hoax." Kallen rejected.

"Are you thinking about this objectively? You seem to be highly opposed to the idea that he survived."

"You're just trying to use our emotions as leverage to find C.C.!"

A light on the woman's wrist began to flash red. She looked down at the light and swore softly.

"What the hell is that light?" Zero demanded.

"My team is wondering why I've taken so long. Let me talk to them. We can call a temporary alliance. We help you defeat the Dark Phoenixes, you give us Lelouch and C.C., or whichever one is immortal."

"We have no guarantee we can find them." Kallen countered. "Or that we will betray them."

Mercury let out a sigh. "I suppose you're stubborn enough that you won't ever betray your friends. I wouldn't be surprised if you already knew Lelouch was alive along with his current location, but were keeping quiet to protect his hiding spot."

Kallen's eyebrows knitted together in an angry glare. "Believe me, if I knew he was alive, I would've killed that bastard with my own hands a long time ago!"

The light on Mercury's wrist, which had stopped flashing a while ago, had begun to flash again, this time with an orange light.

"My team is looking for me. Let me go, and I'll help you destroy the Phoenixes."

"Why do we have to let you go? We can go looking for Lelouch and C.C. while you sit comfortably in this detention cell." Zero grinned tauntingly, though his mask covered his expression.

"I have a GPS locator implanted in my hip that lets them know exactly where I am. If I don't respond in the next thirty seconds, they'll send someone to investigate. My team can and will destroy this ship inside and out looking for me. They're nothing like the undisciplined pawns the Britannian military sends your way. Whether you want that is up to you."

Zero looked at Kallen, expecting some sign of approval or otherwise, though she gave none. Taking a deep breath, Zero nodded to the Geass user across the table.

"I accept. You will help us destroy the Dark Phoenixes, after which we will give you Lelouch and C.C."

"Zero! What are you thinking? We can't just-!"

Zero held up his hand, silencing her. The woman smiled before she jerked her wrist which was still attached to the ropes. The small movement was enough to change the light from orange to green.

"Mercury to base, I'm fine. C.C. isn't here, but be aware that we have new temporary allies."

She shook her wrist again, and the light disappeared.

"Now, let's get to work, shall we?"

She stood from the table, the ropes falling off of her wrists and ankles. Zero and Kallen gaped at the sight. Since when did she cut the ropes?

...

Present day

"I...I think I have something."

C.C. looked at him surprised. His hand still lay under her own, on top of her shoulder.

"Do you mind me asking which memory it was?"

Lelouch thought for a moment. There shouldn't be any harm in telling C.C. the memory he had just relived, but for some reason, he decided against it. Perhaps it was because the memory was directly connected to her that he thought it best not to tell her.

But why hadn't he remembered the memory of Shirley dying? Or even when he believed Nunnally to be dead? Why is it that his mind chose to vividly remember the moment he chose to desert C.C.? He had a theory, though he wasn't sure what to make of it.

"I'd rather not tell you my memory..." He finally said.

"Well you're quite the secretive one, aren't you?" She smiled only a ghost of a smile. "You know, we're still accomplices. Your immortality doesn't change that. You can trust me with anything."

"Of course I can." It was Lelouch's turn to smile. "Though I'm not sure if I want you to know what my memory was."

C.C. nodded her head with understanding.

"Very well. Now, close your eyes and focus on that memory."

"But why-"

"Do as I say. I'm training you to harness the powers of Code."

"You mean even Code-bearers have abilities the same way Geass users do?"

"Of course. How else do you think I first made Suzaku go mad when I touched the Lancelot?"

"If I recall, you used shock images to force him to relive his past...but when I touched your shoulder on accident, I also saw the pains of your past...wait a minute!"

Lelouch yanked his hand out of her gentle grasp and jumped off of the bed. She stared at him in alarm.

"You're teaching me how to use shock images! And you're having me train my abilities on you!"

"Don't worry, I won't go mad like Suzaku did." She didn't even try to deny her intentions. "You're not going to be an expert the first time using your shock images, so they should be weak enough for me to suppress them before they do any damage to my mind."

"Damage to your mind? What if my shock images are more powerful than you expect? What if I can't control them?"

She merely shrugged. "Don't worry about it. You'll do fine."

"No! I refuse to use my shock images on you!"

She smirked. "What's wrong, Lelouch? Scared of hurting a little girl?"

"Witch." He corrected. "And of course I don't want to hurt you."

"Well that's touching that you care about me. But really, you're quite useless without your Geass. I at least have to train you how to use your new powers."

"I'm not useless!" Now he was just offended.

"Even with your Geass, I still had to bail you out of countless messes. Shall I list them?"

"Oh no..."

Lelouch held his head in his hands as he collapsed at the desk. His fingers moved toward his ears as C.C. began to list the dozens (dozens according to C.C., not him) of times his accomplice had saved his life. She sure did like to gloat and hold the occurences over his head.

"The first time was before you even had Geass, so that alone proves my point of how useless you are without your powers. Remember how I had to jump in front of that bullet for you?"

"Yes, I remember...but I also remember saving your life by rescuing you from your capsule. That was also without Geass."

She waved aside his last comment as if she didn't care.

"Well after that, I had to dress up in your stuffy outfit to give the soldiers something to shoot at. After that, I even had to fall over a three-story building. Do you know how much that hurts?"

"No, but I also remember how you tried to keep me from fighting by threatening to shoot out my knee caps."

She again waved him aside.

"Yes, well you were being quite stubborn."

"As were you."

She raised an eyebrow at him. "Anyway, I had to save your life by going out to distract Mao. He would have had Shirley kill you, given the chance."

"Mao. Of course I remember him. But I also remember saving you from a gruesome fate in that theme park. I had to pretend we were in love to infuriate him so that his concentration would be ruined. That was after he incapacitated you by shooting you multiple times."

"And I'm sure you enjoyed pretending we were in love, didn't you?" Her smirk was probably the easiest thing Lelouch had ever predicted in the history of what he had predicted.

"Come on, Lelouch. I'm the only person in the world who is willing to be your temporary punching bag. You need to train your abilities if you want to fight the Phoenixes."

"I'm still not going to use my shock images on you. I'll find another way to fight."

She snorted. "How? With your fists? Your physical condition is so terrible that you got out-run by a teenage girl wearing a dress and heels. I don't know how you're going to live out eternity as a permanently-out-of-shape eighteen year old."

Lelouch was still indignant. "I can't bring myself to hurt you, even if you asked me to!"

He remembered the lonely days after C.C. had lost her memories during their visit to the Thought Elevator. He had lost his cool and accidentally lashed out at the amnesiac. The result was a pained frail girl Lelouch couldn't recognize and didn't want to ever see again. It was during those days he felt lonelier than ever, his one companion in the world erased and replaced by memories of some time foreign to him.

C.C. sighed. This boy really wasn't going to even let himself near her if he realized the potential damage he could cause. He had become so soft after losing everything that was dear to him. His own sister thought he was a mass murderer and a despised tyrant, while all his friends and comrades believed he was only using them and resented him as such.

"You leave me with no choice." She stepped forward from the bed and began to back him into a wall.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

He was silenced as a cold hand made its way to his neck. He twitched as his mind was yanked out of its shell once more. A familiar dreamy voice spoke inside his head.

"I haven't begun to feed you shock images yet. When I do, think of the happiest moment you can remember. Think about it and try to place yourself back there."

"What are you doing to me?"

"I'm teaching you defense since you seem to not want to learn offense. Now focus."

A barrage of memories violently assaulted his mind and forced their way into his vision. He was repeatedly faced with several images repeated over and over. Among those he could distinguish was the moment he was forced to pretend as if he and C.C. did not have a contract. He could still see the pain in her eyes as she was faced with the realization that she would once more be alone in this world.

He desperately tried to find a memory to focus on in order to counter the onslaught of shock images but found himself failing miserably. His heart raced as he thought he might go mad or insane, but he soon realized that neither was happening. Even when his mind was completely out of focus, no harm seemed to be coming to him. Either C.C. was purposely sending incredibly weak images, or...

"Are you trying to read my mind?"

With great effort, Lelouch mentally broke their connection and he slipped out of her grasp. The hotel room spun back into place around him and he glared at the witch. C.C.'s vision returned as well and she turned around to face him.

"Of course not." She stated innocently. Too innocently for Lelouch to believe.

"When you were inside my head, I felt something...though I don't know what it was. I do know what it felt like."

"What did it feel like?"

"It felt like someone was pulling something out of my head before stuffing it back inside. Almost as if they were looking for something."

She flopped down onto the bed, her arm lazily draped over the edge of the mattress. She stared up into the ceiling with a bored expression across her face.

"So you did feel it." Her question confirmed his suspicions.

"You were actually trying to look through my memories and thoughts? Why?"

From the bed, her head turned over toward him.

"I wanted to know what you thought the best and worst moments of your life. Curiosity, you could say."

"That's very rude, you know."

"What more did you expect from a witch?"

...

*Three hours before the Zero Requiem*

Lelouch straightened out his overcoat upon reaching the palace gates. His hood removed, he wanted to make himself presentable to those under his command. To the end of his days, he would have to deliver the impression that he was a cruel iron-fisted tyrant who didn't have need for anything else in the world except to rule and to be served.

The truth was quite opposite. For how can a king expect his subordinates to follow if he does not lead first?

The woman at his side also straightened herself out. As the Emperor's mistress, she had to also look as if her very being was under Lelouch's control. All for the sake of appearances, she supposed.

"Your majesty!"

The row of guards lined up against the front gate swiftly parted down the middle of their formation. They dropped their rifles into a lance-arms salute, left hands across their chests as the Emperor and his mistress walked through the gates, deliberately slowing down to inspect the soldiers.

"Posts!"

The gatehouse commander called out as soon as the pair was out of earshot and deep enough into the palace to dismiss possible outside threats to their safety. Internal safety was up to the Emperor's personal bodyguards, however.

The platoon of soldiers returned to their positions along the perimeter of the royal palace. All, including the gatehouse commander, breathed a collective sigh of relief. The Demon had passed. To them, fear of the Emperor trumped any outside threats they might face.

The palace walls did little more than to provide physical shelter to the recently-appointed Emperor of Britannia. Beyond that, they did not provide a home, per say, to the increasingly anxious Emperor. A home was something that comforted its owner after a long day of activity, a rough day at work, or in Lelouch's case, a day filled with organizing a massive rebellion army.

His legs grew heavy with each step he took toward his bedchambers. He was now aware of every single nerve in his body, noticing things he never noticed before, such as the way his left arm swung forward when his right foot stepped in front of his left. He could no longer breathe normally without thinking; every bodily action seemed to be under his complete control, the one exception being his racing heart and furiously pumping adrenal glands.

He stood in front of his massive dresser after having sent away his wardrobe manager. He could dress himself on his own, thank you very much. Once his small team of designers and tailors had shuffled through the now closed doorway, he hurriedly tore off his stiff jacket that prevented breathing. He fumbled with the buttons at his collar, his clammy hands never ceasing their shaking.

Air...he needed air...

His collar finally undone, his usually dexterous fingers worked on the cuffs of his sleeves. He then moved to the front buttons of his shirt in a desperate attempt to regain oxygen. Beads of sweat surfaced at his hairline, dripping down the sides of his face. His eyes stung and a single tear rolled down his cheek, where it mingled with his sweat.

He was about to simply tear off the stupid garment when he noticed a tap on his shoulder. He spun around instantly, his movements shaky and jittery with adrenaline. His head spun faster than his body did however, and he felt himself losing his balance.

A pair of hands grabbed his shoulders and he steadied himself. His dizziness passed, he looked into the questioning eyes of his seemingly concerned accomplice.

"You don't look well." Was her simple statement.

"I can't...I can't...I'm not ready to die-!"

Hands grasped the sides of Lelouch's face as C.C. pulled his face to her own in an unforseen but completely accepted kiss. His mind went blank as his lips melted against hers. He would have suffocated and died right there had he not regained his senses to pull away and breathe. They jumped apart.

"I can't...breathe..." He panted.

"Let me help you with that."

Their lips crashed together once more, and this time, Lelouch didn't feel even a slight need for breathing. Oxygen could wait its turn.

...

C.C. had the faintest ghost of a smile as she found which memory Lelouch tried hold onto as a defense for her shock images. It seems Code-bearers could still be human after all.

...