The streets of Tokyo had become lively as the sun fell down beyond the horizon. Streetwalkers alike were now occupying the usual hotspots of the city. Students once again leisurely roamed the streets, briskly starting up conversations about their usual school/family related-drama. Workers alike had entered bars and restaurants, drinking their pains away into the night.

At this time, another meeting of world government powers was planned. Representatives flocked into the building where the meeting was to be held. No civilian was allowed to be at the sight, neither were they aware that such meetings were being held, for the most part. Rather, it had become a bit too common that no inhabitant paid attention to the ordeal until the results were evident.

In the distance, high atop an adjacent building, a shadowy figure gazed down upon the scene, hunched over as if melding with the building's own form. The figure watched as dozens of national representatives entered the building, even those from the Black Knights. As the cars left and the procession of delegates ended, the figure rose from his place and withdrew into the building itself.

Descending down flights of stairs to the first floor, the figure stood and gazed once more at the entrance to the building to which the meeting was held. A few guards were posted at the doors, guns in hand. A sigh came from the figure as he exited the structure.

The guards stood at attention, carefully scanning the area. One guard scanned towards the right; silence when nothing suspicious showed. The other guard yawned, shaking his head back and forth to force the drowsiness away. Upon regaining sight, the guard spotted the figure walking towards them from the opposite side of the street. Raising his gun, he called out.

"Who are you?" The guard beside him looked in the same direction and soon raised his gun.

The figure continued to walk towards them.

"I said, who are you!?" shouted the guard as he cocked the gun.

The figure soon stopped just several feet away from the entrance. "I am…"

The guards soon lowered their guns, eyes widening as they saw the figure in the glow of the lights around them. The black and gold cape, the purple garments, and the empty mask; all that the figure donned was soon revealed.

"Zero!"

Zero noticed their surprised faces and smirked to himself. "Let me pass, if you would. I am needed at this particular meeting."

Without question, the guards stood aside and allowed Zero to cross through. Zero scoffed at their complete admiration of him, so much so that they would allow him in without checking for proof. Although, how can one prove the truth about a figure like Zero if none have ever revealed exactly what the real Zero has? Especially now that the Demon King was dead to the world, he figured that a person dressed as Zero could get away with most things. Walking down a few more hallways, Zero spotted a guarded elevator. Once again, eyes were turned towards his direction and guns were lowered as he approached closer.

"Take me to the meeting" Zero commanded.

A solid "Yes sir" was the only thing to be heard afterwards. Sheer silence was evident as Zero and the guards went into the elevator and down to the lower levels.

At the meeting, most of the representatives were on the same page most of the time. Some of the discussions included updates on country affairs and reconstruction of afflicted nations, most of which have been nearly repaired. The two major parties the helped the meeting along were Japan and China, both known to have members within the famed Black Knights, the official, and necessary icons of the world government.

As usual, most of the delegates were all aware of the circumstances that allowed Britannian representatives to be included into the meeting. Most of the reconstruction of Britannia had been halted due to lack of support, due to the history that the nation's royal class had. Most other delegates were opposed to the idea of aiding Britannia, even after the death of the 99th emperor. The lack of aid and support would soon bring Britannia to the point of destruction.

"I implore all of you" spoke Cornelia, the main representative of Britannia, "Britannia is on its last leg. If the nation does not find aid soon, then the people will starve and surely riot."

Flurries of ill-spoken words were soon hurled in reply.

"Aid for Britannia is certainly not advisable, nor is it really ethical now."

"Now maybe the people will know what it is like to be weak!"

"As if the people would want to aid your country; they'd rather see it hit rock bottom!"

"Please" spoke Schneizel, the secondary representative, "You must listen to reason."

"The wounds of the war that Britannia has waged are still evident. Surely asking for aid at this point is nothing short of impudence."

"Besides, there are not enough resources that each country can give that can restore Britannia even to a minimal status."

The comments were true for the most part. Cornelia sat back down and gravely pondered on how the delegates were making excuses. 'If we don't find aid soon' she thought to herself, 'then the country will be in ruin…and we would be headed towards a civil war amongst the people and the government.' Cornelia remembered the visions of war that she had accumulated over the past few years. Death and destruction would run rampant and people would pointlessly lose their lives. 'If only we had a strong, influential figure on our side…'

Britannia had indeed been the country with the least amount of influence left. And even though some of the Black Knights, minimal at best, along with the slight bit of aid from Japan and China, Britannia was still not rebuilt.

"We can…" started a little voice, thus all eyes turned towards the Prime Minister of Japan, Kaname Ohgi. "We can at least give some support to Britannia, even if it is miniscule."

Silence hung in the air for a while after he spoke; faces of astonishment and disapproval became all the more evident as well as everyone had their gazes turned toward Ohgi.

"He's right" started another voice. Soon, all eyes were turned toward the second Japanese representative, Kaguya Sumeragi. "Though Britannia has done many things in the past, all of that was due to the authority of the emperors. Britannia now has none with the death of the 99th emperor."

Gasps could be heard when Kaguya mentioned the late emperor's name. An unspoken rule between the delegates at the meeting was to avoid speaking of or mentioning Lelouch vi Britannia, whose name had been considered a blot upon history and as such taboo to even say it.

"Might I add" she continued, undaunted by their reactions, "The representatives of Britannia did help in the fight against the late emperor. They were as opposed to him as any of us. Does that not account for something?"

Hushed whispers were apparent after Kaguya spoke.

"Albeit that they did in fact intervene at one point" started one delegate, "we cannot overlook the past that they have acquired."

"Indeed" started another. "If memory serves, wasn't Cornelia known as the warrior princess of Britannia? Her ruthlessness off the battlefield is only shadowed by her ruthlessness on the battlefield."

Soft rambles continued as the past was brought to light.

"And was it not true that Prince Schneizel's In Vogue team were the ones to first create a working F.L.E.I.A. warhead, the same weapon used by the late emperor?"

"That monstrosity?!" another voice rose, causing others to be heard.

By now, another storm of angry voices was raised, calling for opposition against any aid for the ailing country. The Britannian reps', as well as Japan's reps' eyes began to dim as the situation had turned against them.

"We will never forgive them for their crimes."

"You must listen to reason" Ohgi meekly spoke. "If the people do not see that things have changed, then this peace will not last."

"That is right!"

All voices were soon hushed as the main doors soon sprung open. The faces of the representatives were wide with astonishment and wonder as they gazed at the man now standing at the doorway. But the ones who were really surprised were the delegates from Britannia and Japan.

"Y-You…" started Ohgi, stuttering a bit at the sight of the man. "You are…"

"Yes, I am Zero." His words silenced the whole room. Zero glanced around and was not surprised at the delegates' reaction to his appearance. A part of him smirked at how Zero's name was still so well known and revered.

"Why have you…"

"Why have I come here today you ask?" The smirk disappeared from Zero's face, letting the seriousness of the situation set in. "I have returned for a reason."

"And that reason is…"

"To keep this 'peace' alive." Murmurs were uttered all throughout the room.

"What do you mean by that?" Zero glanced at Kaguya, noticing her tensed posture, slightly smiling at how she had acted.

"I think we all would like to know what you mean as well Zero" spoke Ohgi.

Zero glanced around and saw the undivided attention that he had been given.

"There is no doubt in my mind that what all of you, the representatives of the world, have done in such a short time has been admirable to say the least. However, as it stands, Kaname Ohgi is indeed correct. If change, and I mean that in a large-scale sense, is not present or shown, then this world, this peace will collapse."

Zero's head turned as his eyes analyzed the group. Most had been baffled by his words, others still showed a bit of uncertainty. As his gaze reached towards the Britannian representatives, he saw the disbelief in their eyes. He wondered if it was either because of his sudden intervention or because he had just showed up coincidently at the right moment. He saw Cornelia's wide eyes, commenting to himself at how stern they still were since the last time he saw her, back when the world soon turned once more. His eyes soon were upon the Japanese representatives. Zero saw her now firm gaze and felt slightly glad to see her growing up. When the gaze fell upon Ohgi, Zero saw the determination within him that was needed now more than ever.

"What can we possibly do to prevent this peace from collapsing, Zero?" Ohgi spoke, headstrong about getting an answer from the man whom he had once called "leader". A tense stillness drifted in the air as Zero took a breath to speak.

"Tell me, what does it mean to move on?" His gaze turned towards the delegates. Most of the group was evidently baffled by his words. "Humans are always living for the next day, which is mostly true. While most survive, others will fail and then become discarded. Humans seek to help others either directly or indirectly; this is also true. In doing so, humans learn to live peacefully with each other." Zero paused to let the information sink in, mentally noting the amazement at how he sounded when speaking.

"However, it is also true that humans abhor that which has harmed them in any way. As such, the divide in aiding one another and completely separating from another grows exponentially. This is also due to the fact that most humans will always judge others not only by recent action, but also by personal history of the other group. Thus, peace becomes impossible, and equality is thusly shattered. As Emperor Charles put it, there is no equality between humans; the strong will always crush the weak."

Zero glanced at Cornelia from the corner of his eye; her face grew dim when her father's name was said. Whether out of pity or sorrow, Zero did not take the time to dwell upon it and continued.

"The history of the Britannian country is encompassed by the actions of the main ruler. It is only for an instant that the offspring can make an impact. Cornelia is known for being a ruthless warrior, Schneizel is known for heading the creation of a warhead, as well as others like the Massacre Princess." Zero felt himself cringe inside for mentioning Euphemia, but numbed the ache as he continued.

"All these people are known only for instances, but the emperor is known for most of the actions upon the world. Sometimes, the actions of the king overshadows any and/or all actions taken beforehand by any other."

"What is the point that you are trying to make?" spoke one of the delegates. Zero turned to the delegate and paused. Knowing that some of the words spoken were a bit rhetorical and a bit intellectual, Zero found himself getting to the point.

"The reasons that you delegates use to justify not aiding Britannia are, though reasonably valid and true, nothing more than mere excuses."

After hearing the comment, most of the delegates were slightly appalled by the sheer audacity of Zero's words. Zero could see that most of the group had been uproarious with opposition. However, when he turned to both the Japanese and the Britannian groups, all he saw were wide, astonished eyes.

"Listen to me" spoke Zero and soon the delegates hushed their voices. "I understand that most of you are still opposed to aiding Britannia. However, with your opposition, the consequences to which we all want to avoid will come true. The government must set an example for the people to follow, but to maintain peace, we must all be willing to absolve past discretions. We must all move forward to maintain what we have gained recently with the death of the previous emperor." For a moment, murmurs between the delegates could be heard; most were of the reasonable sort.

"The people won't take this sitting down" spoke one delegate. "Neither will they allow themselves to forgive the actions of the emperors of Britannia."

"Indeed" started another delegate. "We have already limited their actions with publicly hating the late king."

"After the order to destroy any remnants of his existence, there was no evidence left to prove of his existence. There is nothing left of him, other than memory, to hate"

"There still is." All eyes were once again upon Zero, whose arm was now digging in the pocket inside of his garments. "Here."

Gasps filled the air as the room gazed upon the cloth within Zero's hands.

"That's…"

"Yes, it is the late emperor's royal cape." All were fascinated by the condition the coat had been in. The blackened edges of the cap revealed signs of fire damage. Most was left pristine; however, the huge red blot upon the lower center of the cape had tarnished the cloth entirely.

"Where did you get that?" asked Ohgi, causing Zero to turn his head towards him.

"It matters not how or where I came into possession of it, but it is what it represents that matters." Stunned silence was evident as Zero continued to speak. "Due to your actions, the people have been limited to personally holding their hatred for the king. I can understand that you probably did so to help the world move along the path of time. However, with no evidence left to remember the emperor, you have unknowingly dissipated the one factor that the world had; a common enemy."

"A common…enemy?"

"Yes. You may have thought that forgetting the past would push people towards the future, but what you have overlooked is the need for the knowledge of that past. What people need is a physical reminder that such atrocities have existed, but can be endured and overpowered. As the saying goes, if one does not learn from the past, then history is doomed to repeat. Right now, the common enemy of the world that is needed is the past." Zero raised the cloak towards the group.

"Lelouch vi Britannia is the embodiment of the past. He who subjugated the world, the man whom created atrocities that man is capable of, who has taken away freedom and shackled the weak to his rule, and who thusly destroyed the will of the innocent. History books can only mention the name, but this will serve as the reminder that there was once a man whom thought himself a god-like ruler and pressed the will of humanity under his thumb like an insignificant ant. I say to all of you, for the world, let us remember that man and learn from our mistakes, for his way of power is not one to be allowed if the peace is to survive. Let Lelouch vi Britannia, once again, be the one we must hate, and let his actions call forth the will to live in peaceful coexistence."

Zero's words hung in the atmosphere for a while, a strong silence overcame the delegates. Murmurs could soon be heard, and soon voices rose up from the silence.

"Yes, Lelouch vi Britannia should be blamed."

"Indeed, he is the object that must be hated now, not Britannia itself."

"He is our hated enemy, and not the Britannians."

"All in favor of giving aid to Britannia?"

"Aye!" The whole group of delegates soon agreed to providing aid for Britannia. Cheers for Zero had rung throughout the room, banishing away the silence.

Cornelia was baffled by the effect of Zero's words; from being the most dejected country, now attaining the support and aid it so desperately needed. She glanced at Zero and wondered who exactly was now under the mask. The charisma that Zero had used was similar to the first Zero, maybe even greater; that was a given considering both are considerably tactful. A part of her understood the position that Zero had taken, calling for eternal hate towards her younger brother. She had also known that her same younger brother had also played as Zero originally, as well as how charismatic he was.

She also knew about why he became Zero; for the sake of his sister Nunnally. She had remembered how appalled she was to hear such a low excuse to justify not only countless numbers of innocent/civilian deaths, but to the royal family as well; a part of her would never forgive him for killing her own sister Euphemia.

She had also paid witness to the events that happened just a few weeks ago. She vividly remembered how Lelouch had sat atop the float while his sister was chained down below him, along with their older brother Schneizel, as well as the couple of prisoners from the Black Knights and the Britannian forces. She remembered how she saw Zero standing against her brother, poised to deliver the fatal blow. She did not see the event with her own eyes, but she knew the final outcome; that it would be the end of Lelouch nonetheless.

It baffled her that Zero stood before them, with the same charisma that he had in the beginning, yet she knew that it was not her brother that was under the mask. Whether she wanted to call out for his identity or not, Cornelia just sat and gazed at Zero in all his glory, wondering about whether it is good to agree with such a plan.

"We must restore the hope and dreams of the people, all people including Britannians."

"Indeed," started Zero, "but first we have to show that we, the representatives of the world are united in our stand for peace. That is why, for those countries without leaders or representatives, we must choose appropriate people for this cause. Now, though most of the representatives here are certainly already in a position as such, only two nations still remain without a leader." Zero turned toward his right, facing two groups. "Japan and Britannia are the only ones without a leader."

"That is correct Zero" Ohgi replied. "Japan has no solid leader as of yet."

"That is why, as head of the Black Knights, and as a person seeking peace, I nominate you for that position."

Zero saw the color draining from Ohgi's face when he processed the words. "Me?"

"Yes, I can think of no one better to lead Japan through these tough times. You who had put your faith in me since the beginning, whom stood against the tyranny of Britannia's emperors, my Second-in-Command; I am convinced that you would indeed make a fine and honest leader, one that is needed to bring hope back to the people, and to future generations."

Much to Ohgi's surprise, the sound of clapping hands began to fill the room. Ohgi looked over the whole group and saw that they supported Zero's decision. Turning back to Zero, Ohgi nodded.

"I'm much honored to have this position, Zero."

"Indeed" Zero's head now faced towards Cornelia. "As for Britannia's choice of leader…"

"Zero" Cornelia responded. "I am grateful to you for your decisions; however, currently Britannia is not in a position to be electing a representative."

The group fell silent with the understanding of Cornelia's words.

"Indeed it is not" responded Zero. "It will certainly be rough for Britannia to recover, so I understand that it should not have one as of yet. But when the time comes, I am putting my faith in you and Britannia to choose a suitable leader whom shares the same ideals as we do."

Cornelia nodded in reply.

Zero soon turned towards the group. "We must all do our part to ensure that peace becomes reality. I hope that everyone understands." All of the attendants nodded in reply. "Good, and with that, I adjourn this meeting."

All the representatives stood and clapped as Zero turned and headed towards the door. When it closed behind him, Zero breathed a sigh of relief. It amazed him at how his actions were like that of the previous Zero.

'No, it is because we share the same ideals that I am able to do so' he thought to himself as he entered the elevator. As it ascended, Zero began to ponder the actions that he had taken recently. It was not really unorthodox, but from a standpoint, his reasoning was mostly his own. To him, his decisions were only influenced by the assumption that if the original Zero had been there, he would have done the same thing. And yet even so, it still stung to have done so.

'The price of peace is indeed a terrible thing' he thought to himself once more as he exited the building and disappeared into the twilight; the night sky lit only by the town and moon. It was a long way back home, only made longer by the sheer thought of what's to be in the coming days.

'Forgive me, my friend…'

Arriving back to his abode, Zero walked up to the door and entered. Walking straight up to the room to which he stayed, Zero soon stood alert; a light had been turned on within the bathroom. Cautiously approaching the door, he heard the uneven sound of running water. He gazed down and saw unfamiliar clothing. Fearing the worst, Zero bravely and softly opened the door. The silhouette of a person had appeared behind the shower curtain. Zero reached out for the edge of the shower curtain.

"I know you're there, Zero."

Zero's hand stopped as his ears picked up on the voice, instantly knowing who it was that was behind the curtain. The faucet had suddenly stopped and a hand soon came from the shower, open-palmed.

"Hand me that towel" said the figure.

Zero turned towards the towel rack; seeing only one towel, he grasped it and placed it within the hand. He turned away as he saw the figure using it to dry. The shower curtain was drawn back, revealing the person behind it. Zero turned his attention toward the person and sighed. He had recognized the person instantly; the long hair and dull eyes were more evident than ever.

"What are you doing here" he took a glance at the person's face, "C.C.?"

To be continued…if desired…

A/N: Okay this took too long and now I have to prolong the story a little bit more (originally I wanted to finish this story before summer ended, but I guess I can't now). In any case, I feel it was kinda rushed, so please forgive me if things are a bit out of place (or if characters seem OOC). I wanted to include Kallen for this one, but due to my own work habits and my changing mind, I decided it was best to leave her out for now. A real surprise isn't it, having C.C. at the end there? Okay, my point for this chapter was to have Zero return to help the situation out. In doing so, it would help unite the world again, despite it returning back to its previous state before the war. In any case, I consider this chapter not as well done as my others, but still a pivotal point to explain how the world became peaceful at the end of the series. I hope that the wait has not put off many of you, nor do I hope to lose any of your support with this new installment. Once again, if you have any questions, please feel free to review or message me about it. I thank you all for reading my work. Hope to see you again with a new chapter.

EDIT

A/N: I've recently read all of the reviews for this chapter, and I think that some explanation is needed to quell any doubts about the direction of the story (I am just trying to clear things up since I did indeed rush the chapter and had been between feelings about whether to edit it or not). First, understand that the time that this chapter is set in is two weeks since Lelouch's death. The development of the world after the war is still at a minimum, and hope/stability is slowly crumbling and if the government doesn't act, then civil war would eventually break out. Everyone seems down because they expect the problem to either solve itself or to be solved as quickly as possible. In terms of characters' attitudes, most of the known ones are still in some shock that Zero appeared before them and killed Lelouch, whom they knew was Zero when he was still their comrade. Ohgi, as we know, is not that strong of a leader, but has shown leadership skills when fighting against Lelouch. Kaguya still plays support for Ohgi and for Japan. Schneizel is still not allowed to speak a lot since Zero has not wished it yet. And for Cornelia, I had her retain her calmness while trying to gain support for Britannia and its now near impoverished state. As for Zero, I had him act like Lelouch because that is how Zero is known as; a charismatic and logical thinker with a flare for the theatrical and rhetorical. Once again, I'm sorry for not putting this into the chapter before I uploaded it. Hopefully now things are almost resolved until the next chapter. Once again, thanks for all of your support and hope to hear from you soon.