A/N: Haven't been active lately… I'm sorry. till grateful for your kind words and for the personal messages though. Sooo~ This. What is this? It's side-material for The Emperor's Wish AGAIN. XD Can't seem to let that go. I guess you can call this the 'Prequel'? (oof, never thought I'd be writing that).
I was rereading the entire story the other day, and felt compelled to return to the drafts and the scrapped ideas I had for it. In a gist, these scenes are what didn't make the final cut. They were outlined last year. But inspiration to write for them only struck now. A big contributor to that inspo was the recent manga for Re;surrection where they showed snippets of Lelouch & C.C. exploring a broken C's World Gate, and Lelouch was attracted to a butterfly etc. xD In short, I missed the mindless & adorable Lelouch xD Also, months-old Alexander ^_^ uWu
WARNING: Semi-descriptive mentions of how bodies decompose. Also. Death, in general. (It's nothing a Code Geass fan doesn't already know about Lelouch).
Chapter 1: A Seed of Faith
Shirley Fenette eyed the casket draped in the flag of Britannia. The lion and the snake on either side of the shield stared back at her with blank eyes — as blank and as numb as she felt from this whole ordeal. Rushing to a prearranged private flight back to Britannia (or what's left of it) from Japan on such short notice was jarring enough — not to mention the inevitable jet lag that would follow soon after. There had only been time for quick naps, none longer than four hours — which wasn't much.
Consecutive knocks rattled the metal container followed by a gruff yet muffled voice saying something too quick for her to properly understand.
"Non-hazardous cargo you say?" A different voice asked.
She listened intently to the creak of the truck windows as Jeremiah rolled them down and proceeded to lie their way through a tightly guarded checkpoint to the outskirts of Britannia — to the countryside, very close to its land borders.
"Agricultural supplies for my orange farm."
Not a lie, but not the whole truth either… The sacks of fertilizer and crates of fruit barely concealed the gold-plated casket. The object itself wasn't a problem. The issue was what — or who — was inside the exorbitant coffin.
Shirley missed the rest of the conversation, but she tuned in long enough to hear the soldiers chuckle and joke about 'carrying so much produce'. Though the reason why they found it funny eluded her completely.
"I'll be off, gentlemen. Thank you!"
The engine rumbled as Jeremiah shifted gears. There were two more taps against the metal, and they were clear. Barring any untoward incidents, they shouldn't encounter anymore trouble. Left to her devices until they arrived at the plantation, Shirley fell back on her thoughts once more. So much thinking these past days… It felt like it was all she was doing, especially after that first encounter with C.C.
She was offered vague explanations — only ones good enough to answer some of her questions. Not all of them. Still, it was a relief to at least understand the bare bones of Lelouch's motives. C.C. was very cryptic about most things, but she had been clear about one thing.
"When the time comes, will you help me save Lelouch?"
Even now, C.C.'s words rang in her head like a broken record. Shirley barely understood back then. What for? Why would Lelouch (her ex-boyfriend from high school at that point) ever need saving? Wasn't he more than protected already? Surely the Emperor of the world could afford the finest security guards. What would he ever need Shirley for?
C.C. had given her a melancholic smile that confused and tugged at her heartstrings. What were they to each other, but strangers? C.C. had complimented her for her innocence and her faith, and insisted on receiving an answer. Just a simple 'yes' or 'no' would do, she said.
And she had said 'yes…' She barely understood but it was a 'yes.' She would do anything to protect Lulu. He may not be the boy she thought she knew, but he was still a friend. In their short time as boyfriend and girlfriend, he had expressed his concern and his care — albeit fleeting most of the time, now that she looked back and took a gander at it.
Unfortunately, her own confusion had cleared up and her questions were answered too late. The truths of C.C.'s allusions (or what she could glean from it anyway) suddenly made sense in the snap of a finger.
She never truly understood how life-changing a single moment could be, until that fateful day. In the past, she'd pictured her 'life-changing moment' to be something positive — something worth commemorating and placing a pedestal on in her mind. Never had she imagined it to be like that; for it to happen after the death of a beloved person.
It well and truly changed her…
When that ceremonial blade ran him through and she'd seen the pain and the realization flash in his eyes, she had known… She looked away and did her best to block out their cheers and Nunnally's anguished wail afterwards.
It appeared so surreal. It was hard to believe in at times… And it happened so fast too.
"When the time comes, will you help me save Lelouch?"
"Save him from what? I-I don't understand."
"You will understand soon. Will you have faith and give me an answer?"
"Yes…"
Making vague excuses to her parents was easy. The hard part came when she asked Jeremiah if she could see him. Well, see Lelouch's body.
The desairologists employed for the job did most of the work. He gave the illusion of being asleep, except his chest hadn't been moving. No ounce of breath entered or left his body. He was just still — with his hands folded on top of his abdomen. There was no blood, of course. Well, not anymore. They changed him out of his drenched clothes as well. The customary white robes of Britannia's demon emperor were discarded in favor of traditional Britannian clothing worn by past kings.
Shirley didn't want to think about the physical damages his body sustained when that sword ripped through his flesh or how maybe some of his bones were broken because he had fallen down that steep incline.
Between that whole ordeal and traveling with Jeremiah, she hadn't received every detail, but she'd heard that Zero did insist and coordinate with Prince Schneizel, Princess Cornelia, and Nunnally about seeing to it that Lelouch's body would be interred in Britannia — again, as tradition dictated. In the homeland's second biggest city, they had planned on holding a State Funeral (a brief and slightly closed off one considering how people were more than relieved to see the dictator dead) and then bury him in the mass graveyard created for the victims of the FLEIJA bombing in Pendragon.
It had the media's attention for all the right reasons… Though the rest of the public and the Emperor's own biological family were completely oblivious to the fact that they had entombed an empty coffin — a very close replica of the actual one. Jeremiah was mostly responsible for smuggling the Emperor's corpse and casket from its carrier vehicle and into this one.
Just as C.C. instructed them to do…
They hadn't saved him yet, but they were in the middle of doing it.
Their truck hit a bump on the road, and Shirley barely contained her yelp as she sat up straighter. What C.C. planned to do next, she wasn't sure either. But this was proof of her faith.
Faith in C.C.'s capabilities and faith that Lelouch wasn't as dead as everyone believed him to be.
=OoOoO=
Jeremiah's plantation was modest compared to the larger ones in the area, but it wasn't without charm. A two-storey colonial home — just like every other house in the vicinity. All things considered, and if done right, it was the perfect place to conceal and protect Lelouch's remains until the other co-conspirator arrived.
Shirley sincerely hoped C.C. wouldn't take long. The woman knew that she was in a limited time frame. Away from Japan, it was easy to forget that she still had school to come back to in a few weeks — still had papers to organize, and still had to get in touch with Kallen and Rivalz; Milly and Nina, just to see how they were doing.
For the first few days, she had found it slightly odd to keep the casket in one of the bedrooms. It made for a morbid display, especially after she and Jeremiah had opened the head panel. Like a funeral wake with no visitors.
She shouldn't have been surprised, but she still was when they opened it, relieved the glass casing, and she'd noticed how his appearance hadn't changed one bit. It had been a week and he still looked as if he was simply asleep. Apart from the pale skin and the darkness underneath his eyes, he looked normal. Or… abnormal. She didn't think she'd ever have to do it, but she'd done her research. Weren't lifeless bodies supposed to bloat after five days or so? He was supposed to look bigger.
As much as she wanted to, she didn't dare touch him. Her fears seemed irrational, but she didn't want to risk it. What if his hair was brittle and fell away at the slightest tug? What if his skin flaked or what if she ruined any chance he might have at coming through this ordeal mostly unscathed?
Shirley sighed heavily as she pulled up a chair and began her vigil for the afternoon. There was no law that said she had to. She just wanted to… Plus, being around Lelouch (even if he was technically gone) helped her process her conflicting emotions and most of her confusion. She believed in C.C.'s capabilities and what she claimed she could do for Lelouch, but sometimes Shirley had to ask herself if she was just desperate and slowly going insane.
C.C. was close to Lelouch but what if she was a mad woman? C.C. didn't even tell her what she was and how she was capable of bringing Lelouch back to life through her contact with the 'World of Collective Human Consciousness'. There was something else about 'Codes' and 'Geass,' but truth be told, Shirley had pushed them all to the back of her mind in favor of blind faith and believing in Lelouch's revival — even if all manner of scientific logic demanded that it was impossible to bring the dead back to life.
As the days wore on, Shirley had grown accustomed and comfortable with the facts that couldn't be explained. One of the reasons why she thoroughly didn't dismiss this was Jeremiah himself. He had faith in C.C.'s plan and risked his life to commit theft of the highest degree against his own country for this.
"Lelouch, when you come back, will you give us a sign? It's all I ask." Shirley managed a small smile, imagining lively purple irises underneath those closed lids. Perhaps he would look at her and give her a dastardly grin.
She blinked… But of course there was nothing.
Life went on for the rest of the world. The birds still sang and the flowers still bloomed. In the news, she'd caught glimpses and heard brief discussions about what the UFN planned to do to Britannia's empire now that the remaining royals were far more cooperative and willing to secede previously conquered territories.
"I can't wait for you to see how different the world is. That day will come, won't it Lulu? Maybe you and I can travel to parts of the world together." That would be nice, wouldn't it? A tour around Europia sounded fantastic. "And if they're up for it, maybe we can take Milly and the others too."
=OoOoO=
C.C. craned her neck to gander at how massive Jeremiah's two-storey house appeared up-close. She'd given him word of her impending arrival as soon as she'd crossed the borders. After a long trudge up the dirt road, she reached her haven at last. And with Jeremiah at the door to greet her, nonetheless.
"Welcome, Mistress. Your travels haven't been too taxing I hope?" Jeremiah graced her with a welcoming smile as he stood aside to let her pass. He took her minimal baggage as well and was making a beeline for the kitchen — presumably to fetch some water. "How have you been?"
"A little tired." She nodded once, and answered him honestly. Though the cause of her tiredness was not mostly because of traveling.
She hated admitting that the morning sickness, bouts of nausea throughout the day, and the hormonal fatigue took a greater toll than expected.
"And Shirley?" She didn't feel like asking about the whereabouts of her dead lover. Not when she knew that Shirley would be wherever Lelouch was.
"Upstairs." Jeremiah and C.C. shared a knowing look.
They reached the doorway of the room where they kept his stolen coffin just in time to hear the rest of Shirley's quiet confessions along with her hopes and dreams.
"I can't wait for you to see how different the world is. That day will come, won't it Lulu? Maybe you and I can travel to parts of the world together. And if they're up for it, maybe we can take Milly and the others too."
She wanted to remind Shirley that the previous Emperor of the world with his infamous face was supposed to remain anonymous if she ever succeeded, but C.C. held her tongue and decided against shattering Shirley's dreams. The poor girl had gone through enough already. She deserved a happy life with friends and her family — to enjoy the world peace Lelouch achieved through his death.
Rapping her knuckles on the door frame, C.C. caught Shirley's attention and the two women shared tired smiles after the surprise and the embarrassed flush faded from Shirley's expression.
"Welcome, C.C." Shirley rose from her chair to greet the immortal woman.
C.C. returned the pleasantries with genuine thanks — to Jeremiah and Shirley both. She was more than aware of the risks this girl took. A night's rest, and Shirley was due back in Japan; back to her mother and father the next morning. Brief small talk gave way to discussions about what they were having for dinner. And while Shirley gladly went with Jeremiah to help however she could, C.C. stayed and started to think about why she was doing what she had set out to do.
She'd left Japan with no more than a promise to Zero — to give him news on the birth of the Emperor's child. At that thought, a hand subconsciously alighted on the concealable bump she now sported. Eight weeks pregnant… She still had a long way to go. And Lelouch's damaged body to tend to on top of it.
Her curious gaze fell on the open casket in the room. Approaching it with steady steps, C.C. placed her hands on the rim, assessing Lelouch's pallid but flawless face. No sign of decomposition or a blatant picture of death except for the ashen complexion and the discoloration underneath his eyes. Remarkable considering she gave Jeremiah careful instructions. One of them was to not fill Lelouch's body with embalming fluid. She wrested the foot panel open as well.
Even in death, he was regal. They'd done away with the white robes and the red-eye motif. Instead, they dressed him in the raiment not unlike Britannia's old dead kings. A military suit of plum and royal blue, champagne and ivory trimmings on the suit and the pants. And untouched while cradled between his gloved hands, was a replica of the Imperial scepter and the traditional king's crown — with the red velvet, gold metal, jewels, and everything.
Well, it was nice to know that neither Jeremiah nor Shirley bothered to change him out of the State Funeral outfit the desairologists stuffed him in. That was an entire week ago.
It was impressive how his siblings saw it fit to at least give him a kingly burial. (Most likely at Nunnally's behest). His funeral was a modest affair thanks to world hatred. But C.C. had a feeling Lelouch would have made his rites a grand show too if it contributed to Zero Requiem's success.
Britannia's youngest Emperor. The worthiest ruler of them all — the one who chose to discard his crown and his legacy in favor of being the world's scapegoat for its sins.
"Forgive me, Lelouch."
With gentle and deft fingers, she tenderly removed the miscellaneous items on his person. The soft snapping of buttons being forced apart attested to the silence in the room. Her actions revealed an unmoving chest underneath it all. He was so cold too — no life and no warmth.
Her fingers grazed the rough and ugly scar above his heart. This was where Suzaku had valiantly put an end to him. And just a couple of inches above that — right at his collarbone — was the scarlet mark C.C. had suspected he would have all along.
A Code… She had yet to know why it didn't activate like it normally would. If it did, he should have been alive by now.
But here it was. And hope was hope… It was enough to hold on to for now, so she set to work.