Episode 10

Destroy the Cult

After 30 minutes of driving, C.C was finally able to make her way out of the secluded woodland area where the safe house was located. Now she was driving down a highway with no clue of where she needed to go, and on top of that, she wasn't the best driver!

"I'm going to get caught by the police before I reach Tokyo!", she said nervously to herself as her eyes desperately clung to the passing green and white directional signs above her. She cursed Cristian for destroying her phone. If she had it she could use it to get to Tokyo quickly using gps.

"Maybe he has his phone.", she said as she looked in the rear view mirror at Edgar who was still passed out on the backseat of the car.

In order to search him she decided to take an exit on the highway. It led her to a small gas station that had no customers.

"Let's make this quick.", she said as she got out of the car and opened the door to the backseat. Without wasting time, she searched all of his pockets for his phone.

In the gas station's convenience store, a cashier looked away from her phone and at the car that had just pulled up to a parking space in front the store. She saw a woman with lime green hair quickly get out of the drivers' seat and open the backseat door. Looking closer, she could see that the woman was bare footed and her hair and clothes were haggard. She concluded that the woman was extremely suspicious.

'Too many weird things have been happening lately…I don't want to get involved but what if I can prevent something bad from happening?', she thought to herself. She then watched the woman become frustrated whilst rummaging through the car.

Deciding to get involved this time, she left her post at the register and walked towards the door to interrogate the suspicious woman outside.

C.C grumbled to herself as she desperately searched for Edgar's phone in his front pockets.

"Is everything alright mam?", a feminine voice asked. It startled her so she quickly turned around and shut the door. As she turned she caught a glimpse of Edgar's phone in his back pocket.

The cashier cautiously walked towards her as she tried to straighten her disheveled hair.

"Is everything alright mam?", the cashier asked.

"Everything's fine." C.C replied as the woman scanned her. She curled her toes as the woman gazed down at her bare feet.

"…Are you sure? You're not wearing any shoes…and it's very cold to just be wearing a thin dress like that."

As the woman spoke, she took long glances at C.C's backseat which she desperately tried to block. C.C rattled her brain in order to think of a way to escape the situation.

"Umm actually, I needed gas as well!", she said to try and get the worker to return to her post. The woman gazed at the car one last time before heading back inside the store. C.C quickly opened the backseat to retrieve Edgar's phone.

She quickly pressed his finger on the fingerprint scanner to unlock it before heading back to the driver's seat and leaving the station just before the cashier could stop her.

The cashier noticed the car pulling away and quickly ran back outside to stop it. It was of course useless.

"What if it's a stolen car or maybe she's hiding something illegal?...Should I report it?"

The worker pondered. Just last week a stolen vehicle pulled up to the gas station but she didn't report it. She felt guilty because she could have prevented someone from losing their car. She then decided that this time would be different!

"It won't hurt to report it.", she concluded as she called the police.

"Big brother why hasn't C.C visited yet?...Did you upset her brother?!"

Nunnally was currently in the process of pestering her older brother Lelouch, about C.C whom she hadn't seen ever since the banquet. Lelouch had just arrived at their house to meet with their mother who had a very important matter to discuss with him.

He gave his little sister a fake smile as he answered her query about C.C.

"I haven't upset her Nunnally!...C.C is busy with school right now so she couldn't visit. Don't worry, when the semester is over all three of us can go wherever we want to play okay?"

Nunnally's soft violet eyes glimmered as her brother blatantly lied to her even though he knew she would see right through him. She decided not to press the matter further though. When her brother arrived he looked extremely exhausted and whenever she mentioned their mother his eyes would flare up in anger…She knew that something serious was going on between them.

With an exasperated sigh, she held her brother's hands tightly and spoke, "Whatever it may be…you will overcome it big brother…and if it gets too hard then I'll be right here to comfort you okay?"

Lelouch kneeled down and placed his right hand over hers. He looked up at her and smiled softly.

"As always…I'm relying on the strength of my little sister.", he said and Nunnally giggled.

"As you should big brother!"

The sound of the door opening interrupted their sibling bonding moment.

"Ah, it seems my children are getting along quite well without me…I'm glad."

They looked towards the door at their mother who had her usual cheery smile plastered on her face. Nunnally greeted her cheerfully whilst Lelouch glared her down.

"…A new expression.",she said under her breathe as Lelouch stood up and walked towards her.

"I believe we have something to discuss mother.", he said sharply.

"Of course. Let's head to my office."

*ring* *ring* *ring* *ring*

…..

Jerimiah started to get annoyed at how long it was taking Edgar to answer the phone. With his face all over the news and internet, he had to make sure the impulsive man was staying put and not causing trouble. The phone rang a few more times until a recording played,

"The customer you have tried to reach is not available~"

Jerimiah took a deep sigh. As he was about to start his car, his phone rang. It was Cristian. He wondered is he should be relieved or even angrier.

"Edgar and the child have disappeared."

Jerimiah's calm expression contorted. He was angrier!

"WHAT HOW?! WEREN'T YOU THERE?!", he yelled at Cristian.

"I left for a moment to go to the lake because the most beautiful camellia flowers were blooming and I wanted to bring some back for the child.", he responded calmly which angered Jerimiah even further.

The man was so incompetent when it came to things that did not involve the cult. If it weren't for his and Lady Marianne's help, he would not have escaped two years ago. If he could cut off Cristian's head he would do it in a heartbeat. However, his loyalty to Lady Marianne was much stronger so sadly, he held back his anger.

After taking a deep breath, he spoke to Cristian through gritted teeth,

"Check the security camera footage on the computer in the study. I will be there soon."

Without hearing Cristian's reply, he hung up the phone and drove off. All the while he thought of whether or not he should inform Lady Marianne. Ultimately, he decided not to until he got the situation under control.

C.C let out a sigh of both relief and nervousness as she arrived at the dreaded apartment. Leaning forward on the steering wheel, she reminisced their first encounter.

3 Years Ago

"What's your name?"

She asked the boy who was huddled on the opposite end of the cage. She had been here for 3 days already yet it was her first time talking to the boy who held his hands on his ears tightly and shook like crazy.

He looked at her with trembling eyes. Not answering her question…

She moved closer to him…her hand touched his.

"…You've been here for a while huh?", she asked as he shut his eyes tightly. After not receiving a response she let go of his hand and sat in front of him…staring solemnly at his frail body.

"...Don't be afraid anymore…I think I'm here to take your spot. They won't hurt you anymore." she said softly.

His shaking began to subside.

'Why…can't I hear her?', he thought as he opened his eyes and faced her. She looked calm even though the situation they were in was terrifying. Slowly he moved his hands away from his ears to confirm if it was right.

'…..nothing.', he thought as they sat in silence. He heard nothing from her.

"Your eyes…they're shining just like a star." she said to him as he began to calm down.

"Why…can't I hear you?", he finally asked. She looked confused at his question.

"Are you deaf?", she asked whilst making a gesture in case he truly was.

"No…but you, aren't you afraid right now? You should be going insane, thinking all day and night yet you are so calm…I didn't notice you were here.", he said.

C.C didn't have an answer…she just accepted that her life was this way. What could she do anyway? She was an orphan, forgotten by the world. No one cared about her…not even the person she came to trust wholeheartedly.

She smiled at the boy.

"You still haven't told me your name."

"My name is Mao…what's your name?"

"….C.C."

"C.C…I won't leave your side.", he said finally.

*groan*

C.C was broken out of her memories by Edgar's loud groan indicating her was regaining consciousness.

"You're awake.", she said dryly as he tried to break free from the duct tape around his mouth, arms and ankles. C.C rolled her eyes.

"However…", she clicked the child protection lock, "…this isn't your final destination."

She got out of the car after locking all of the doors. Thankfully his windows were deeply tinted so there was no way anyone would know he was in the car.

Leaving him to suffer in the small space, she walked across the parking lot and to the apartment complex. Her feet was covered in dirt and dust and the rough ground scraped at it, but through it all, she pressed on.

She took the elevator to the third floor and walked down a long corridor until she reach his apartment door.

She knocked on the grey door three times until she heard footsteps approach slowly.

He looked out through the peephole to see if the police had finally arrived to search the apartment. Instead, he was met by a familiar appearance. His eyes widened in shock and his hand froze on the door knob.

"I-is it really h-her?", he asked himself as he gazed into her golden eyes.

To confirm if it was truly the person he thought it was, he took off his black headphones and listened for her thoughts.

'Nothing…I can't hear her!', he thought. The only thing he could hear was the loud screeches of the other tenants.

"It's her!", he said loudly. Quickly, he opened the door. Her long lime green hair and golden eyes, oh how he missed them. Tears welled up in both of their eyes as they came face to face.

Her heart almost stopped when she saw him. His long silver hair brought back hidden memories…but his eyes that glowed were hidden by dark sunglasses. He reached out his hand to touch her and she met him half way and held his hand tightly.

"Mao."

"C.C."

He pulled her closer into a warm hug. They hugged each other tightly as if to make up for the two years they'd been separated. C.C then pulled away and looked up at him. Taking off his glasses, she was met by his purple glowing eyes.

"Let's talk inside.", she said and he nodded.

They headed inside the apartment. It was small but very luxurious. With no windows, the only light sources were the expensive chandeliers and lamps in the living room and kitchen.

Mao refused to let go of C.C's hand as they walked to the dining room table. He stared at her in awe until he noticed her rough appearance.

"C.C, your hair and clothes are…and why aren't you wearing any shoes?...What happened?!", he worriedly asked.

She ushered him to sit at the table. She then took a seat opposite him and held his hands.

"We have a lot to discuss.", she said seriously.

So for the next thirty minutes she told him everything besides her encounter with Lelouch. She told him how she came to Japan and how she was kidnapped by Cristian, Lady Marianne and Edgar. Mao was utterly shocked at the fact that Edgar was lying to him the entire time.

"Just how did you not know that Edgar was a part of the cult?", she asked him.

"The first time I met Edgar was when I followed you to Japan just a week after finding out that you left. ", he answered.

"…Edgar's father must have sponsored the cult when your experiment failed…that's why you didn't see him when I arrived…But why did you easily accept his help? Could you not read his thoughts?", she interjected.

"…When I arrived at the airport my brain nearly exploded. I was around so many people that I couldn't think. Then an unknown number called my phone and I answered it. He offered to help me and I accepted because I was in so much pain…"

C.C squeezed Mao's hand tightly as he recalled how Edgar tricked him. She spoke to calm him,

"Edgar and Jerimiah, they lied to you so that you would stay put and not cause trouble…Its time for us to end all of this Mao."

He looked up at her with a worried expression.

"How are we going to do that C.C?", he asked.

"I'm going to turn Edgar into the police. I don't expect him to reveal everything so I am going to dig up evidence that will destroy them all", she answered.

"You know they've destroyed every trace…so what are you going to dig up?"

"Cristian has been talking nonstop these past few days…I've learned some very interesting information. Investigators in Japan, Italy and Britannia want to close this case and bring peace to society…With this information everyone involved will be brought to light and punished."

Mao frowned at her ambitious behavior.

"Do you think they'll let you snoop around so easily? We've found each other after so long C.C…let's quietly escape whilst we can."

She shook her head in disagreement. Lelouch was fighting this battle blindly. There was no way she could let him fight alone.

"No. If we don't do something now they will win Mao. And I have rebelled too many times. The police are after them so they need to destroy everything and start from scratch somewhere else…if I don't stop them now they will kill me the next the next time they catch me."

He knew she was right. As soon as they tried to escape they would die…

"Then C.C….if we make it out alive. Let's get Rolo and go to Australia…together we can live a peaceful life and play like we used to.", he pleaded it to her but saw her eyes waver.

Jerimiah finally arrived at the safe house. As he entered the garage, he noticed that Edgar's car was gone.

'Did that dumbass betray us?', he thought as he exited his car and entered the house.

He met Cristian in the study upstairs. He was currently reviewing the security footage.

"Did you see what happened?", he asked Cristian.

"Edgar disabled the cameras around Camellia's room. The only camera's active are the entrance cameras. From that I was able to catch his car driving away from here."

Jerimiah hit the desk with his fist, letting out all of his frustration.

"What time was that?", he asked angrily.

"12pm…4 hours ago.", Cristian replied.

The security footage was useless so Jerimiah left the office to inspect C.C's room. That was also useless as there was no information of where Edgar might have taken her. He paced around the room before looking at his phone, thinking of whether he should inform Lady Marianne.

"Dammit! There's nothing else we can do…we'll need his help.", he thought as he called Lady Marianne.

"We've got it!", said detective Nagisa excitedly.

"What did you get?", asked detective Uragiri from his desk in the police station.

"Edgar Rossi's address. We can go to inspect his apartment right now.", she said, gathering her leather jacket and car keys in the process. "Let's go detective Uragiri."

The man started to sweat once again. But he had no choice. If he didn't go he would seem suspicious. He also did not receive any messages from Edgar in a while so he concluded it would not matter if they inspected the apartment. After gathering his stuff, he left the office with detective Nagisa when a message from the station's speaker stopped them,

"Contacting Kyoshiro Tohdoh's Investigation team!"

"Suspect Edgar Rossi has been apprehended in front of the station. Please report right away!"

They both looked at each other with a shocked expression. Quickly they ran outside to see Edgar being carried inside by patrol officers.

Detective Nagisa noticed a note protruding out of his shirt pocket and quickly swiped it away before the officers took him to a jail cell. She opened the note that had a short message scribbled on it. Immediately she knew it was for Lelouch and decided to call him right away.

The atmosphere in Lady Marianne's office was extremely cold and it was not because of the air conditioning. It was because of the icy relationship the mother and son had shared. And this past week that relationship only got colder. She spoke first to break the tension,

"Do you remember this Lelouch?", she asked, holding up a picture frame.

In the picture was her, Lelouch and Nunnally, all laughing together in their garden back in Britannia. He scoffed at the picture.

"…You and Nunnally are my precious gifts. How I loved running around the garden with the both of you when you were younger."

He rolled his eyes,

"Then why did you abandon us? Were we too weak for your husband's glorious plans?"

"It's not your fault for being born weak. It's my fault…that's why I had to stay away to protect you and create a future where you and Nunnally could thrive."

She looked at him with sorrowful eyes. It only made him angrier.

"Nunnally and I…what we needed to thrive was your love mother…When Nunnally was paralyzed and in the hospital I was there with her the entire time…not once did you visit her.", he looked at her with malice, "and what was your solution? Ship us away to Japan so that you could cover up your disappointment of a son and daughter and play around with a ridiculous cult that you've been obsessed with!..So stop lying mother…you didn't love us at all."

Marianne tried to keep her calm posture as her son pelted her with harsh criticisms.

"My love for you cannot be understood right now it seems. When everything is all over you will understand…that I love you and Nunnally."

Lelouch sighed. It was time to get to the main point.

"So…you tortured and abused an innocent girl because you loved us?"

She lost her composure at his bold statement.

"That girl is different. She cannot be measured the same as you who have grown up as royalty. She has been born to endure the pain of this world. To be a sacrifice for its happiness. That is what she is…so my dearest son, I do wish you would forget about her."

Lelouch squeezed his hands together to hold his calm composure.

"No mother…she is human just like you and me. She laughs, she cries and she bleeds just like us. She is not your toy or your sacrifice!"

"My son, you are blinded by your youthful emotions. If you continue to be this way then she will only be hurt further!"

"Stop talking nonsense mother! Everything you're doing…if Nunnally found out just imagine how devastated she would be? Nunnally's smile…will you really take that away?!", he saw her eyes waver for a second, he continued, "stop what you're doing mother…for your precious children please stop.", he begged her.

Lady Marianne sighed,

"If only I had known she was a student at our school…then maybe I could have stopped this before it strengthened…Your mother is truly sorry for making you go through this Lelouch but there is nothing you can do to stop us. You can stop playing detective with those police officers and return to school at once. I want you to return to your rightful position as a model student…You will forget about C.C and have a normal life with your friends, understood?"

He was completely at a loss. She was not listening to him no matter how much he pleaded.

"You can't be reasoned with…", he concluded. If he wanted to see her change then he would have to defeat her…even if it meant hurting her.

The room went into a deafening silence. It was broken by the sound of both his and his mother's ringtones. Jerimiah was calling Lady Marianne and detective Nagisa was calling Lelouch. They both turned away from each other to answer their respective calls.

After a couple minutes, their phone calls ended and they faced each other once again. Lelouch with a look of triumph and Lady Marianne with a look of frustration. Lelouch spoke,

"It seems we've both received important calls."

Lady Marianne balled her fists.

"Mother...I will show you that you are wrong. I will destroy the cult by any means."

With that, he turned away from her and exited her office. The crashing of glass and thumping of books could be heard as he walked away.

As he entered his car, he looked at the photo detective Nagisa sent to him. It was a picture of a note that read,

"I will hold on longer. For you who is desperately trying to free me…I am grateful. That's why I am going to fight along with you…together we can end everything…"

Lelouch knew that it was C.C and it was comforting to know that she heard his message. However, the final lines of her message would hurt him.

"When everything is over I want you to be happy…I want you to get married and have a big family that will love you with all their heart…..so for the final time I will say…I love you Lelouch…But if we were to be reborn in another reality I wish you would never meet me."

To be continued~