A Code Geass fanfic. I own nothing.
A sequel to The Funeral.
~ Truth or Lies
Free
"Was my brother evil?" Nunnaly's soft voice could hardly be heard over the sound of the waves.
She and Zero stood before the graves of Lelouch and Rolo. The sun was high on the sky, the weather was perfect. A soft wind, the smell of the sea, feeling the heat from the life-giving sun.
Of course, only Nunnaly could feel these elements. To her, the day was perfect.
"I don't believe so, your majesty. He did everything for the world." Nunnaly looked at him, frowning.
"I am aware of that. But I don't believe that a person can accomplish all he did without having a bit of evil inside him."
"We all have good and evil inside us, your majesty. It's what we do that define us."
Nunnaly looked back, at the wild flowers now covering her brothers grave.
"He reacted on the evil inside him, instead of the good. But then, I don't think 'good deeds' could have done much to change the world back then. By the time he decided on what he had to do to the world it was already drowning in evil. The world was so evil that even the evils he committed seems like good deeds at first. And after he became emperor, he did nothing to hide his evil actions, unlike the leaders before him and in other countries. "
"And that made it so easy to hate him. We all knew of the evils done by the governments the world over, my brothers actions were no different. And yet he became the most hated man in the history of the world."
She smiled a sad smile. "Will you please give me a moment Zero?"
He bowed, "Of course your majesty" and walked back to the trees.
He was the only one accompanying her to her brothers grave. Her own guards couldn't be told, for obvious reasons. They all thought that the former emperor had been destroyed together with the Damocles. Nunnaly had refused being accompanied by the Black Knights, and so he was the only one here.
He watched her from the trees. His heart were at peace, the Geass didn't warn him about any dangers. Another moment of peace.
"She seems to be doing well." He did turn around. He had noticed her, watching him and Nunnaly from the trees.
"She is. She is strong, like her brother. She is still young, but wise people are guarding her, teaching her and guiding her." He looked at the person standing beside him.
"How come you've come back to Japan, C2?"
The green haired woman smiled.
"Oh you know, the usual. Keeping Zero out of trouble."
"I don't like the idea of Nunnaly going to that place with only Zero as her guard!" Kallen exclaimed, dropping down in a chair, pouting.
"I may be the prime minister Kallen, but I can't do much when the Empress uses the words 'I will go with Zero alone, or don't go at all'. I couldn't deny her a visit to her brothers grave."
"She shouldn't go to that place alone!"
"There is nothing I can do about it Kallen!"
The rest of the rooms occupants had watched this tennis-match of words for the last half hour. They all kept their breath as Kallen opened her mouth again to retort, but Ohgi beat her to it.
"And that's my final answer."
She closed her mouth, looking like a raincloud and folding her arms in front of her chest.
"When will they be back?" asked Tohdoh. He hadn't liked the idea of the empress going alone either, but his respect to his superior had kept him from voicing his opinion, unlike Kallen who had shouted at Ohgi as soon as she heard about it.
"Around 3 I think. In good time before the press conference tonight."
"So if they aren't back at 3 o'clock we have permission to go and look for them?"
"Why do all of you think that something is going to happen? The country has changed, she has Zero with her which is loved and adored by as good as any japanese. What do you think will happen, that some old foe will suddenly drop from the sky? That is ridiculous. Now, can we please go on the with planning about tonight?"
"So, did you drop from the sky or how did you get here?" Zero asked her, while they both of the kept an eye on Nunnaly who was speaking softly to the graves.
"I could do that, you know. Drop from the sky. But no, I came by plane."
"They let you through the airport?"
"They didn't recognize me."
"You take too many risks C2."
"Perhaps."
He waited for her to continue, but when it didn't happen he voiced the unspoken question.
"Why are you here?"
"Do you mean here here, or Japan?"
"Both."
"I'm in Japan, because you are in Japan, and I am here because you are here.. and because I never really got around to visit his grave, and I figured I would have a good chance of meeting you and Nunnaly alone here."
He nodded, taking his eyes from C2 to Nunnaly. "That makes sense. But why do want to say to me, why have you followed us to Japan?"
"I am here to tell you that you are free of your promise."
Silence. All the sounds drowned out, as Zero very slowly turned his head to face the witch. C2, standing before him, as calm as ever, in total control.
"... what did you say?"
"Your promise, you've been released from it. You don't have to live if you don't want to." C2 answered. "You can die."
He stared at her, not believing his own ears.
"How? What? .. you.. you can't just say that to me!" he hissed.
She blinked, apparently confused. "Why not? I thought you wanted to die?"
"No, I do! But, damn it C2, I can't just die! It's too late! People needs me, Nunnaly needs me!"
"To be fair Suzaku, she doesn't need you. She needs Zero, and the world needs Zero."
"And I am Zero!" he barked.
C2 smiled. "To everybody else but yourself. You act like Zero, but dear Suzaku you've been Zero."
He couldn't answer. What was this? She couldn't just turn up like this, saying something like that!
".. Suzaku?"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT NAME!" he snarled, before his voice cracked. He couldn't.
"Please.. don't call me that. Nobody calls me that anymore."
C2 placed her hand on his arm. "You are Suzaku, to me. And I've come to release you from the promise you made to Lelouch."
"How can you release me from that, when I didn't make that promise to you? I promised Lelouch to live on, to protect Nunnaly. You can't relieve me from his request."
"Oh, it's not me doing that. I'm just the messenger. The words comes from Lelouch."
Zero turned his head, looking at her like he wasn't sure if she was serious. "You know he is dead right?"
C2 looked at him in a very affronted way. "Of course I know he is dead, I'm not a moron like you. But you seem to forgot, dear Suzaku, that I'm connected to the World of C, the Afterlife, God, whatever you call it. I can speak with the dead. And voice their requests. And it so happens that Lelouch are feeling quite miserable for forcing you to live. At the time it seemed like a decent punishment. And it was, like him dying. But time heals all wounds." she smiled a small smile, looking at the grave.
"He forgives you Suzaku."
He didn't knew what to say.
"... you speak with him?" he stammered when he finally after several moments of silence found his voice.
C2 nodded. "In a way. It's not like the two of us are speaking right now. It's more like feelings, like what he wants and thinks. He wanted me to go to Japan, to find you and Nunnaly, and tell you that he have forgiving you.."
He forgives me?
"Zero? Who are you talking to?"
They had forgotten about Nunnaly. C2 hid behind a tree, and Zero turned to face the young empress who were driving her wheelchair down to him.
"Nobody, your majesty."
"Don't play games with me Zero, I heard you talk with somebody, I heard somebody mention my brothers name. Who, who have been told about this place?" it was the empress, not Nunnaly who were in front of him right now. But what could he say..
"He was talking to me, your majesty." C2 stepped out from behind the tree, into view. Nunnaly stared, clearly very surprised. "You?" then she turned her head to Zero.
"What is she doing here?"
"I was asking her about that, Your Majesty. It would seem that she have come to visit your brothers grave."
Nunnalys eyes softened at that. "I see. It's C2 right? You're the same one who helped me folding paper-cranes so long ago?"
C2 nodded. "Yes, your majesty."
"You planned everything together with my brother, didn't you? You helped him?"
"You could say that. Everything your brother did he did on his own. I protected him, and tried to keep him sane. I somewhat succeeded."
Nunnaly smiled. "I thought so. No one knew what happened to you after that day, Zero could only tell me that you had traveled to Europe. Why have you come back?"
Zero watched quite impressed as C2 answered Nunnaly's questions without telling the truth and without lying. She couldn't exactly tell Nunnaly, that she had come to tell Zero that he was free to drop dead now.
".. come with us to Tokyo? To say hello to your old comrades?"
He mentally jumped. Had Nunnaly just invited C2 to Tokyo? With them?
C2 looked at Zero, a small smile on her face, before turning back to Nunnaly "Thank you, your majesty. I appreciate the offer."
"Then that's settled. Zero, please take us to Tokyo, we need to be back before the press-conference tonight."
He nodded mutely, still watching C2.
Why on earth does she want to meet her old 'comrades'? They hated her as much as they hated Lelouch!
But whatever C2 reasons were, she didn't tell him. She hummed softly to herself as they walked back to the aircraft.
I've been stuck with this chapter for ages. All I can think about is the final two chapters (which so happens to be the next ones.. I think).
But now that's over with, and I like the result. I feared that it would turn into another way too short chapter.
I've plotted the story, the final chapters are complete in my head. Now all I need is to write them.
Stay tuned. Or something.
