A/N: So apparently… Apparently, there were a lot of issues with chapter 9. And I do apologize; I know how… Well, all I'm going to say is that it could have been better written. With a better plot. That's not to say that this chapter is any bette- I'm feeling really insecure about my writing these days for some reason. I'm not sure why. So, yeah. No need to listen to any of this.

Disclaimer: Code Geass is not my property, nor is the part when C.C. talks about happiness, and I apologize for the poor quality.

Chapter 10: Mosaic Kakera

With a thud, two men tumbled to the ground in a swirl of pink and black. Alexei, grabbing Lelouch's collar, held him down onto the ground before cuffing him with each angry snarl.

"My father died because of you! My mother died because of you, Anya and I nearly died because of you!"

"Onii-sama, it was his father, not him!"

Anya tried to pull him off, but it was all in vain. He merely shrugged her off before returning to the one-sided fist fight.

"I despise you and your family! You're a mistake, you should have never-"

Alexei let out a gasp as his adversary suddenly dropped his defense and fought back.

"Listen to common sense," hissed the raven-haired man. "It wasn't me who caused the deaths of your parents and the separation of you and Anya. It was the 99th Emperor of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia. It was the man who died by my hand, Alexei. I avenged the tragedy that befell you when we were children, not cause it."

"You're a liar," he spat. And with that, he lunged for his throat.

"Shouldn't we stop them?" questioned the young girl. She was neatly pulled out of the way of the brawl as C.C. shook her head, replying that they needed to physically work out the conflict before civilly sitting down.

"Both Alexei and Lelouch are frustrated and furious with what happened to them though it was in the past. They need to release that tension. And what better way is there then to fight someone suffering through the same thing?"

Sure enough, the pair heard Lelouch say harshly, "Do you think I like what I did? Because of my choices and decisions, because of my sacrifice, I can no longer see Nunnally! I can't see her, I can't hear her laugh, I can't see her smile, she's gone! Nunnally is gone! The sister I loved, the sister I love, is gone, out of my reach! You're not the only one who suffered, who's suffering!"

"It's not the same-"

"How is it not the same? In what ways are we not both victims of the greed and violence and corruption that once poisoned the world?"

"I've never killed anyone! I've never used anyone, I've never torn families apart! But you did! You did, and although I don't know how you're still alive, I'm going to kill you for all you've-"

Alexei immediately stiffened and his eyes widened as Lelouch reached for his head. Pressing a hand on his forehead, the Geass sigil on the immortal's palm flared with an ethereal scarlet light as memory after foreign memory surged into his head.

It was too much. It was all too much, the danger of the two years, the intense emotions felt, the bloody images of the Black Rebellion, it was too much, it was so alien, so extraordinary, Alexei couldn't-

"Onii-sama!"

Softly shrieking, Anya tore herself away from C.C. and ran to her brother, who had suddenly fallen onto the raven-haired man. Lelouch, now that the fight had come to a close, collapsed to the floor, completely drained from the battle. The witch came to crouch by him, and he stared unblinkingly at her with tired, tired eyes full of the remorse and guilt he had been bearing for so long.

"Sleep, Lelouch. Find the peace you desire so greatly."

"Alexei-"

"Can have his questions answered after the both of you rest. You need it. He needs it. You both need it."

He said nothing, and she carefully brushed his hair away from his eyes.

"Close your eyes, warlock, and let the quiet darkness take over… Even if it's for a few seconds."

Obediently, his eyes fluttered close, and soon enough, his grip on consciousness loosened until he was floating away into oblivion…

. . .

With a nearly inaudible gasp of shock, Alexei Aleksandrovich III woke with a start.

Wide rubies, brilliant with disbelief, sluggishly blinked at the ceiling of the sunlit bedroom. The sound of his raspy attempts to restore oxygen back into his lungs grated on his ears, and his mind was a blank slate until he remembered. Until he remembered just where he was, remembered who he had met, and what had flitted through his mind as the bastard had pressed his memories upon him.

Bolting up into a sitting position, his bare feet left the warm sanctuary of the blanket that had been pulled up to his chin to hit the cool hardwood floor when he heard a stern, "Get back in bed."

"You… He's your Emperor, isn't he? Isn't he?"

"… Yes, he is. He is the man who returned to me the desire to truly live. And he is the man whom I have grown to love," she replied, half of her expression lost in the shadows of the dark corner she was sitting in. "And he is the man I will always stand by, even if the will of the world is against him."

"… Why? What do you see in him that makes you forgive him for his sins? For the blood he's shed? What do you, and Anya, and Sayoko see in him that allows for you to tolerate him? To live with him? To smile and laugh with him?"

"The reason why we are able to, as you said, smile and laugh with him is because we can see past the mask and see what his true motivation was. Yes, his methods may have been questionable, and yes, he did transgress multiple written and unwritten laws of society and man. However-"

"That is exactly my point. Why should we-"

"Alexei, what do you believe that motivates man to look to tomorrow?"

"… There's no correct answer. There are several answers, all of which depend on-"

"Would you not agree that most, if not all, humans seek happiness in their lives?"

He kept silent and C.C. mused on.

"People. Humans… Chase after the existence of happiness. What Lelouch wanted was just a small bit of happiness. It was nothing special. The spark that triggered his actions was just a tiny wish that every human has. That dream… That vow… Who could deny him? Is anyone fit to do so?"

"You yourself even said that his methods were questionable. Just because he was searching for happiness, it doesn't excuse the death he's wrought on the world. Do you see others killing in the name of happiness? No, you don't. Lelouch-"

"People are judged because they're linked to others and the world. Whether they like it or not, such is their fate."

"Of course. That's why-"

"Alexei. I'm not asking you to forgive him. I am simply entreating you to listen to him, to give him a chance. He will most likely say the same; he's not foolish or naïve. He knows that it would be impossible for you to look past his actions and decisions from the start."

"I can't-"

The door opened quietly and the pair turned to see the raven-haired man standing in the doorway. The witch quickly rose to her feet and murmured, "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," he muttered. "Just a little shaken."

"I spoke to him," she confessed. Frowning, he questioned, "About what?"

"I requested that he at least listen to your story. He was ready to run to your bedroom and choke you in your sleep."

"… I see," sighed he. He rubbed his face tiredly, and she pulled his cardigan close.

"You frail old man," she gently teased. As he sighed again, she adopted a more serious tone and told him, "You'll be fine. You've managed to shove your foot through the doorway. Now all you need to do-"

"Is play my cards right, I know."

"You've faced more deadly dangers before, boy. There's no need to worry."

He said nothing as his eyes flitted towards the young man who had been staring at him ever since he had entered the room. Nudging the immortal into the room, the witch was about to leave, when he caught her hand.

"… Thank you."

"Thank me when all of this is over," she replied with a shadow of a smile. "Not before all is said and done."

And with an encouraging squeeze of the hand, C.C. slipped away, and soon, the two men, who had been fighting each other just an hour before, were left alone in the room. Not to throw punches. But to set aside their differences and to just… Talk. About happiness.

As Lelouch cautiously sat down in the chair besides the bed, he wondered where and how to begin… What was the most appropriate manner to start his story? In what place should he open up so as not to exclude any details or confuse Alexei? Should he, would he, could he; It was all so complicated. He didn't know enough about his personality to make any predictions, and it was aggravating his already aching head. It-

"A good place to start," he heard, "Would be the beginning."

Ah, the beginning…

"I presume it's unnecessary to establish the assassination of my mother, Marianne vi Britannia?"

Ah yes, that was a good place to begin… The beginning. Why had he not thought of that?

And with that, the Warlock started upon his task.

. . .

Sayoko glanced at the stairway for what seemed like the five-hundredth time in the past three seconds. After Alexei had run into the house, she had hurriedly unharnessed the horses and rushed after him. Much to her startlement, she came upon the alarming scene of Master Lelouch on the ground with Alexei lying besides him amongst upturned chairs. Both of their eyes were closed, and though she could see their chests rising and falling (thus telling her they were at least alive), she took note of the bruises marked upon the young men's faces.

When Miss C.C. had requested for help in taking the two, one unconscious and the other in what was apparently slumber, upstairs, Sayoko, though she was slightly perturbed at putting the two individuals on the same floor, assisted. Of course, after they had managed to tuck the both of them in, she had inquired into the events that had led up to the scene she had come upon.

The emerald-haired woman had simply replied that Alexei had, upon seeing the immortal, jumped him. The two fought in the way that only frustrated, hot-blooded young men could before Lelouch had pulled out his trump card (when questioned on why Master Lelouch was so exhausted if he had used his trump, the witch answered with a succinct explanation that because he had used his Code so forcibly to transfer his own memories into someone else's head, and because he had tried to do this for the first time, the effort had taxed him immensely, though the fatigue was more mental than physical).

"They'll be fine," reassured C.C. She could practically taste the nearly tangible tension in the atmosphere, and it was ruining her specially baked pan of margherita pizza.

"Perhaps we should check on them," suggested the worried mother hen.

"You could… If your goal was to wreck all of Lelouch's efforts."

Sayoko nervously glanced down at her dinner; it was bad enough that she now had a new son to explain to her husband, but to describe how the new addition to their family laid a hand on her spouse's beloved master? Sayoko was brave, she was a super-maid, but she didn't have the strength and power to stop a rampaging Jeremiah. What would happen if Alexei and Master Lelouch were to butt heads again? She genuinely liked the young man, but if her husband were to hear of the fist fight…

"How long do you think they'll be talking?" questioned Anya, all the while nibbling on a Hawaiian sweet bun.

"It depends on how many questions your brother has and how detailed Lelouch goes into his answers," was her reply. "Knowing Lelouch, they'll most likely stay up there all night. Then again, if Alexei accepts Lelouch quickly, then…"

Anya turned around in her seat, and all eyes fixated on the source of the slow footsteps coming down the stairs.

"… We talked," said Lelouch.

"… I've decided… To give him a chance. I can't forgive him now, but…" Alexei smiled dryly, "Maybe I can in the future. We'll have to see."

There was a heavy silence cloaking the room before C.C. pulled out the chair besides her and asked, "Want some dinner?"

As the remaining family members sat down, the witch said under her breath, "You owe me."

"Owe you what?" muttered the warlock.

"Pizza. For helping you."

He rolled his eyes as he reached for the steaming bowl of golden corn.

"Later. Not tonight."

"But you will in the near future."

"How can I not? It's you and pizza."

She smirked before ruffling his hair.

"It's good that you know. It's better for the both of us, you know. There's no need to humiliate yourself in front of others if you comply obediently like the good boy you are."

And as Lelouch sat down at the dinner table across from Alexei, who had agreed to at least grant him an opportunity to see that there truly had been a good man underneath the mask of Zero, he realized that people were going to drift into his life, some too stubborn to listen, others too ignorant to dig past the surface.

But C.C. would never resent him for the shambles of what had once been the mask of Zero.

And that was all that truly mattered to him.

. . .

The witch stood motionlessly in the hallway, her ears straining to catch the music of occupation and engagement. When she heard the low rise and fall of Alexei and Lelouch's voices as they conversed over a cup of tea (like the ladies they were, she wryly thought) and the tweeting of Anya as she read her literature essay to her mother, C.C. immediately stole away from the top of the staircase and dove into the hallway. Waltzing down the corridor, she, instead of going to her room, came to a graceful stop before a door that she was very familiar with (though its owner was completely oblivious to her expeditions to what lay beyond the forbidding slab of wood).

Every time the immortal stepped within the Lelouch's room, she always felt a small spark of surprise before it burst into a small fire that warmed her from the inside. The first time she had snuck in, she had decided that she liked his room. It was clean in the way that it was simply decorated. Without too much embellishments or ornaments. Just the perfect amount. Unlike its rather flamboyant inhabitant.

The somewhat large bed, sitting underneath the two pictures windows robed in Paris green curtains, was flanked by two wooden bedside tables, both of which carried a small lamp. To one side was the door that led to his closet, and out of the corner of her eye, the immortal caught sight of his desk and bookshelf. Coming to a stand on the soft circular carpet, she took in the entire bedroom in all its green glory.

C.C. always found it a little strange how the color green was so dominant in the interior decoration of the boy's room. Especially with the way the shade of green that was so prevalent was so similar to the color of her hair.

As she observed the various pieces of furniture that had been arranged in accordance to their owner's specific preferences, she wondered what to do.

Ah, that was it.

Firstly, she began with his closet. Peering in, she hopped inside before browsing through his neatly hung row of perfectly starched and pressed dress shirts. Blue, green, pink, white, black, silver, stripes, checkered, plaid. Once, because she was curious, she had counted the quantity of button-downs he owned; much to her amazement, she discovered that the magical number was twenty-three.

And that was only the dress-shirts.

She hadn't even taken inventory of the neckties, jackets, pants, or non-dress clothes he owned.

Someone was a bit of a shopaholic (not that she could talk; if she were to tally the entirety of her own wardrobe and compare his and hers, C.C. wasn't quite sure who would have the larger closet between the two of them).

When she had picked and chosen her pajamas for the next month (he wouldn't mind her borrowing four shirts; he had twenty-three. He would do well with a smaller number of button-downs), she moved on to survey the contents of his desk.

Sitting down in his black office chair, her fingers ghosted over the handles of the desk drawers until she randomly landed on one. Sliding it out, she scanned over the seemingly never-ending rows of bank ledgers and household accounting books.

The emerald-haired woman sighed as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. How could he possibly not have any dirt, any incriminating piece of evidence that she could use to tease him with? Drumming her fingers lightly on the spines of the logs, she decided that she had had enough of digging through his desk.

Closing it shut, she rolled her way from the bureau to the bed. Leaping off, she rolled around on the cool honeydew sheets. As she lay on the mattress, she breathed in the scent of lavender. True, it was somewhat peculiar for a man to smell like a flower (and a lavender no less), but C.C. decided that she rather liked it. It was a soft fragrance, one that brought to mind the raven-haired man's smile; it never failed to make her feel peaceful and safe, if not a little drowsy (after all, it was lavender).

She tried to recreate the feeling she had had that night at Dion when Lelouch had had his arms around her. It had been nice as- no, that wasn't quite the word. It hadn't only been nice. It had been… Ah. It had been perfect. It had been absolute perfection. As she turned over onto her stomach and rose up on her elbows, the witch wondered if she would ever be able to feel such bliss again.

Probably not.

Or maybe she would. After all, if there was one thing immortality taught her, it was that the future could never be completely predicted.

Shifting onto his pillow, she reached for the well-creased volume sitting on his bedside table. Moving his glasses from the book to the table, she turned it over to read the cover.

1984

George Orwell

Ah, George Orwell. She had never personally met him, but she had had spent a weekend with Mabel Fierz, who eventually became the confidante of the influential Britannian novelist.

C.C. smiled as she thumbed through the paperback; 1984 was just the type of fictional story that the boy would be interested in. In fact, now that she thought about it, the protagonist Winston Smith had much in common with the him, in both thought processes and personality traits. It was funny, because the more she considered the notion, the more true it-

A small slip of paper fluttered out from within the pages and landed in between her outstretched arms.

Hmmm? What was this?

Turning it over, she was taken aback to see her own handwriting swirling across the stark white sheet.

'I'll pay you back one way or other. There's no need to lecture me when I come back, warlock.'

So he had seen it and held onto it. Probably to use it as evidence when she conveniently 'forgot' about recompensation. Huh. Well, if he was going to be that way, then she might as well do whatever she pleased with the flimsy bargaining chip.

Where was there a pen in this room? C.C. didn't particularly feel like getting off of the bed, but she wanted a pen, a pencil, something, to doodle a beautiful picture of Cheese-kun on the back of the note. There had to be a pen near the bed…. There had-

Inside of the drawer of the bedside table lay a small rectangular box. A box that, by design and appearance, clearly belonged in the display window of a jewelry store.

A box that was instead hiding in the bedroom of Lelouch vi Britannia.

It was completely innocent; it had done nothing but sit docilely at the bottom of the compartment. But for the most inexplicable reason, the witch tensed at the sight. Did it hold what she thought it did? It couldn't… Could it…?

Hesitantly, she reached for the case. If her thinking was correct, if she opened the container and it did indeed hold the four letter word she thought it held, then… Then what did it mean? What exactly did it mean?

C.C. bit her lower lip as a strange and foreign sensation of fluttering took over her stomach. Subconsciously clenching her toes out of anticipation, she reached for the lid of the box to discover what treasure lay within…

. . .

Sayoko climbed the steps to the second floor of her humble abode. Outside, off in the distance, she could spot the barest hint of dark, angry clouds assembling together, probably scheming the storming of the Irish countryside. It had been an unusually rainy and wet summer, and it was beginning to chew on the edge of her mind. Orange trees weren't the type of plants that required frequent watering, and if they were overwatered, the harvest wouldn't be as bountiful as it could be. Which meant that Master Lelouch would be in a bad mood, which in turn caused for Jeremiah to be cross. Oh dear… She hoped that the rest of the summer would be at least somewhat dry.

Walking to the end of the hallway, the mistress of the house neatly closed the window before going into Anya's bedroom. Scooping up the snow white Turkish Angora kitten which had been calmly licking its paw on her daughter's bed, Sayoko ran her palm smoothly over its neck and along the back, all the while murmuring, "It's time for dinner, Guinevere."

The kitten mewed in response and she let her onto the ground. Stretching, the little one strutted its way to the kitchen where she knew her evening meal and beloved owner were waiting. Sayoko was about to follow, when she remembered that tomorrow morning was wash day, and she had yet to collect Master Lelouch's laundry.

Ah, what to do, what to do… Should she go into his room to whisk away his hamper? She was already upstairs, so she might as well… But if she just walked in, then she would technically be breaching his privacy. After all, bedrooms were one of the most intimate parts of a person… But she was already up here, so…

Mentally excusing herself, the kind-hearted woman entered the bedroom of the young man. Turning on the light, she made a bee-line for the closet. She quickly took out the laundry hamper and was about to retreat back into the hallway, when she spotted an anomaly.

An open drawer.

She thought of how strange it was to see an open drawer in his room, considering how much of a perfectionist the raven-haired man was. Deciding that he had most likely forgotten to close it (he had had a crazy day after all), she set down the basket and walked towards the bedside table to- Oh. Oh my. Was that a jewelry box?

She found her hand reaching for the case before she realized what she was doing, which was invading the young man's privacy. Hurriedly drawing her hand back, Sayoko closed the drawer and returned to the laundry hamper. But as she exited the room and closed the door behind her, she couldn't help but smile.

So Master Lelouch was growing up…

. . .

The second the door closed with a quiet click, C.C. let out a breath of relief. That had been close. If Sayoko had walked in on her prying into Lelouch's things, then the raven-haired man would no doubt hear of it, thus earning a three-hour lecture from the boy. And the last thing she wanted was a public chastising.

Pulling herself out from underneath the bed, the witch rose from the floor and dusted off her dress. Glancing at the clock, she decided that it was time to accomplish what she had come here to do; Lelouch was a man of habit, and he'd be coming upstairs sooner or later. Making her way to his closet, she grabbed the saddlebag that was hanging on the door handle. Humming softly, she unbuckled and lifted the flap.

Ah, there was her dress.

Pulling it out, she folded it over her arm.

Now, all she needed to collect was her hair comb. The hair comb that Lelouch had given her at Dion, the one that she…

Where was the hair comb?

Wh… Where was the hair comb?

C.C. tore the bag off of its hook and upturned it.

Money, a small screwdriver, vet wrap, chap stick(?), a pocket knife, a small first-aid kit clattered onto the ground, but no hair comb.

Why was the hair comb not in the bag? Where could it be, where could it possibly be, it should….

The vague memory of Antonius rearing back flashed behind her eyes, and it dawned on her.

The river.

Suddenly, a crack of thunder exploded somewhere outside, and her amber eyes widened.

There was a storm coming, and if the hair comb had been left on the banks of a river, and if the river flooded whenever it stormed, that meant-

The door slammed shut as the witch rushed to save, not just the physical comb itself, but the memories embedded within.

A/N: Geez… I'm really just- I'm really sorry about this chap- Is Alexei annoying? Do you guys feel like he's stupid and boring? And useless? Yeesh… I don't know why the quality of this story has been deteriorating. I'm really sorry. But I hope you enjoyed it nonetheless.

To: Guest, SailorPeridot, AKOSI AGATAR, Fireminer, Ghibli Ninja, JonhTitor, Yupi-tankyu, dragon's swordswoman 2013, Sticking To A Niche, misto31, avatar junkman, ucen, and AISmash

(I realized that I forgot to write something here! Yikes!) Um, I just want to thank you for proactively showing your support. Thanks very much; it is taken into considerationa and everything.