Hubris: Zero

Disclaimer: I don't own the Code Geass Characters so please don't sue me for borrowing them

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A deep echoing hush fell across the room at their entrance, what felt like the weight of a thousand souls resting on their shoulders. More so on the shoulders of Zero who took the seat at the head of the table. People from across the nations from E.U. to America waited with baited breath hanging onto the silence longer than was truly necessary. Finally one soul broke the quiet, his voice echoing like a shotgun.

"Lord Zero, what are we to do?" Ohgi climbed to his feet as he spoke, the representative of the Black Knights stared at the masked hero.

"As I am certain you all know, Britannia has asked for a parley." Zero replied calmly lacing thin fingers together on the table.

It was hard to tell who he or she looked at, the mask prevented anyone from knowing but the effect was there. Whenever Zero spoke, everyone listened as if he or she were being spoken to alone rather than in a crowded room filled with shattered powers from across the world. Muttered words of 'Parley' and 'Never' whispered across the room before Zero brought it to a halt with nothing more than a simple gesture. The tension in the room abated somewhat as they watched, waiting anxiously.

"We will accept their request." Zero continued calmly.

As expected, the room exploded with edged anger as representatives began arguing adamantly against such a decision. Once more Zero sat and waited for the chaos to subside before standing.

"We will accept their request," Zero repeated calmly, "If we refuse then that would make us no better than they. Britannia has built itself up by viciously claiming the only true path to peace lies in the subjugation of the weak. We," A simple gesture encompassed the whole of the room, "Built ourselves under the ideal that the weak have a voice. Britannia's Queen anticipated this, if we turn our backs on Britannia's offer to parley then we would be no better than they."

A whispered acknowledgement echoed across the room as Zero's words sank in slowly but surely.

"Where will this meeting take place?"

The calm almost child-like voice echoed above the whispered din and all eyes turned towards the placid face of Japan's representative. Although young, the weight of her people rested firmly on her shoulders as she watched Zero with eyes that seemed almost ageless. At her question, Zero offered her a slight bow.

"It will be in Ashford Academy, it would seem that the Queen once went to school there. Those are the terms of her parley."

"And the Britannian rebels under the Prince's command?" Kaguya asked.

"Will be discussed at the parley. Do not worry, my Lady every precaution has been taken to ensure the safety of the council."

"Requesting you attend the meeting alone...what foolishness is this?! They dare insult the Queen as if she were no more than a peasant?"

Alex fumed softly under his breath as he glared down at the map laying out the entire Ashford complex. Beside him, Suzaku chuckled slightly as he leaned over the map studying it as closely as Alex.

"Lelouch is no fool, she anticipated that something of this sort would happen that's why she has us." Suzaku replied calmly.

Alex glanced at Suzaku out of the corner of his eye running his fingers through his hair in an obvious show of frustration. His eyes gleamed with the power of Geass having taken out the contacts C.C had given him.

"Foolish...she thinks just because she is immortal that it is okay to flaunt it." Alex sighed scratching at the still healing scar on his arm. His battle against Gino had not gone as well as Suzaku's, though his injury was purely superficial he still had to feel the lash of Lelouch's tongue when he'd returned injured, somewhere between anger and sorrow.

"That's not it." C.C replied easily as she leaned over the map.

"She knows the risks involved, she's counting on the two of us to save her if anything happens. Remember, the world doesn't know she's immortal – the three of us need to keep it that way." Suzaku replied as he stretched his back.

Alex nodded his agreement, everything hung on the notion that the Queen was mortal and thereby killable. The two of them would have to work twice as hard just to keep it that way.

"So, where is that little minx who created that bomb?" Alex asked.

"Mina should be here," Suzaku enlarged a portion of the underground map showing a room that had just the one entrance. "It used to be her old lab back in the day and I'm willing to bet she's there right now hiding from the people."

"If the public even got so much as a whisper of where this girl is..." Alex sighed leaving the rest to hang in the air between them.

The public cried out for blood at the loss of so many lives, civilian, number and military all because of Mina's bomb. Certainly, Lelouch was quick to quell the masses by announcing that Mina was a criminal of Britannia and would stand trial like any other for the deaths. On screen such a declaration seemed so beautiful...but beneath it all was the certainty that the enraged public were not the only ones seeking the 'mad scientist'.

"That is why we prepared thing ahead of time." Suzaku manipulated the map to show the various roadblocks positioned around Ashford. "If Lelouch is right, Mina will run...not of her own choosing but there will be an attempt by either Milly, Rivalz or Shirley. The trick is to get to them before anyone else."

She took a deep breath trying to steady the frantic beating of her heart as she unconsciously fiddled with a strand of loose hair hanging down from the intricate layers styled above. Lelouch shut her eyes shaking her head as she paced the length of the room and back again. She had to maintain calm, she had to present a strong front or else everything would lay in ruin before her! But most of all...most of all she had to keep her mind steady. The door slid open and she turned to see Suzaku walk into the dimly lit room. He paused at the entrance waiting for his eyes to adjust before moving to kneel before her.

"My Queen." He whispered smoothly extending a hand for her to take.

After a moment of hesitation, Lelouch placed her gloved hand in his and took a deep breath to calm the jolt racing through her fingertips. Suzaku rose still holding her hand, his deep penetrating gaze staring back at her without judgment. She breathed slipping her hand from his grasp as she moved to sit carefully arranging her robes so that it did not get wrinkled. A slight smile touched her lips at the mundane thought of wrinkles. Here she was about to destroy the entire world in order to find peace and she was worried about wrinkles in her dress.

"Will you tell me the truth now?" Suzaku's words sent a shrudder through her chest and she flinched as if he'd hit her. Those were the same words...the same words he'd used back then. Hearing them again made her want to scream. Lelouch cursed under her breath as she glared at Suzaku would the actions of this man affect her for the rest of her cursed life?!

"Even after all this time...you still seek the truth." She whispered bitterly as she folded her hands on her lap.

"You owe me that much, after all...you get to live forever." He answered calmly.

She flinched at the word 'forever' looking away from him. Forever was a long time to live with one's sins...the thought of it made her heart skip painfully. It was truly a curse, to live while others died...to watch as those she loved dearly passed away to the ravages of time while she remained – whole.

"What is it you wish to know?" She whispered staring down at her hands.

Suzaku watched her, an icy calmness flowing through his veins as he stared at her slightly shaking figure. "If you can't tell me the truth...then lie, lie to me as you have in the past. It should be a simple matter for someone like you." He replied. "Answer my questions with your lies."

She balked her face paling slightly as the cruelty of his words drove themselves deep into her chest. It was worse than the torture she'd been subjected to...worse than having her memories taken from her. Lelouch took a deep breath clenching her fists tightly together as she looked up at Suzaku her face a pained mask of calm.

"Why did you kill Euphie?"

The words bit at her chest but she shoved the feeling down, "Because she stood in my way." It was a lie...she didn't want to kill Euphie, she loved her sister.

"Why did you give her that order? Why did you turn Euphie into a killer?"

"If her plan had gone through, my revenge would be for nothing. Once more I did it because she stood in my way." Another lie...why did they come so easily to her lips despite the wrenching of her heart?

"What about me? Why did you cast this Geass on me? Why did you curse me to live on?!"

"Because I was going to die. I wasn't willing to die for something as pitiful as your honor." No, more than that she didn't want Suzaku to die.

"And the current Zero? Was that part of your plan?!"

"A failsafe. After you so willingly gave up your life for no reason, I placed a Geass on my closest Knight. If, for whatever reason I should die or disappear they would take command of the Black Knights and bring about my revenge."

"Who? Who did you curse with such a Geass?"

Lelouch stared back at Suzaku as the question hung in the air between the two of them for what seemed like a lifetime before she finally spoke.

"Kallen."