The Phantom meme

Kururugi Suzaku, Knight of Zero

Imperial Capital Pendragon, Underground

One month after Lelouch's accession

For the few times Suzaku transported himself from one realistic realm to another one not so palpable, he never truly appreciated the just how significant of a leap he was making. Even when he pressed his palm against the doors of C's World and felt the essence of his very being transferring to the other side. It was a mild irritation, nothing worthy of his attention.

Suzaku slowly emerged from the unearthly light and saw the same barren landscape that he familiarized with the World of C, nothing had changed about the rundown temple or the massive planet of Jupiter hanging so closely overhead. None of the backgrounds kindled an interest in the knight at all, the purpose of his covert visit was instead resting peacefully on a broken pillar staring into the abyss.

Suzaku crept nervously, almost afraid that a spike of volume in the atmosphere would shatter the wish he didn't believe was possible until he did the impossible.

"~Meow." Until Arthur leapt out of Suzaku's cuddle and alerted the meandering soul to his presence, he wasn't sure how long he remained standing there behind her shadow.

"Oh? Oh my! Meow? Meow, meow-meow! ~Meeeow…" Tracing the featherlike steps of the greyish feline through her vision, the ghost of Suzaku's past turned around to face him, her everlasting beauty never ceased to amaze. "And Suzaku too! How kind of you to see me here."

"Euphie… I thought Arthur would want to visit you too… after C.C. told me it'd be possible to bring him here."

"Thank you, Suzaku. The more the merrier, you see I don't have visitors too often these days."

"I-I'm… sorry I can't come too often… or else the others could get suspicious."

"I suppose they would… but I'm glad to have you and C.C.'s company."

Suzaku quelled the awful unease teeming on the verge of flooding onto his expression as he moved closer to catch more precious glimpses of Euphie's gorgeous features, which he wasn't ashamed to admit he missed for far too long. The young maiden waved for her knight to close their distance and join her atop the fallen column, after deliberation, he couldn't find the strength to step away.

"Euphie…" However, when Suzaku sat down beside Euphie, he was very conscious about putting a metre gap between them and never crossing over the invisible barrier he saw in his mind's eye.

"Tell me another story of the outside, what's everyone doing these days?"

"Princess Marrybell recently came to Pendragon, she's here on vacation…"

"Oh, Marry! Last I heard she's the Viceroy of Area Twenty-four, is it alright for her to leave her duties behind?" Euphie's bright smile beamed eagerness while a dose of worry was concealed in her tone. Quick on his feet, Suzaku calculated a fitting alteration to tag the tale he was telling.

"She said she left someone very competent in charge of the Area during her absence. The people say she's quite a remarkable ruler, I don't think it'd be a problem."

"That's good, I remember Marrybell when we were children, I always liked playing with her… it's too bad what happened to her family, I sure hope she has moved passed that."

Suzaku shook his guilt away as Euphie reflected on the happy memories of her childhood. There was no need for the naïve princess to know about the infamous nickname Marrybell inherited from her sister for the horrendous measures she employed to control the people of Spain. Especially since the Euphie before him would only laugh uncomfortably and dismiss it as a bad joke if Suzaku mentioned her final legacy drenched in blood.

— —

"I can't give you a concrete answer, but my best guess in that the soul doesn't possess the same ability to retain memories as the body. So, she only remembers up to establishing the SAZ… not its outcome. Or, maybe she subconsciously blocked it out."

"Then… what exactly is she? Can I bring her out of here?"

"I'm sailing in the blind here as much as you're, Kururugi Suzaku. I'm not kidding when I said I've never seen anything like this before, or a Geass like yours, for that matter. If you want to do some experimentation to uncover the mystery of your power, be my guest. But don't try to bring the princess out of here, that's my advice."

"Wait, why not?"

"You- have you not tried… touching her?"

— —

"Suzaku…? Aaah! You're zoning out again, aren't you!? Oh, geez! You never pay attention to what I'm saying!" Suzaku gathered his scattered thoughts by the time Euphie called him out for being so secluded in the realm of recollections.

"Sorry, I was… thinking about stuff…"

The Knight of Zero held back a rush of sadness as he studied his previous charge and her playful pout. It was strange to think about, for a week and a half after Suzaku managed to bring back Euphie from beyond the stars, he never once shed a tear, not of joy or sorrow. Although, maybe it wasn't too late to start feeling something more than disbelief for achieving the absurd.

Suzaku reached out his trembling hand, the unbearable desire for closeness overruled his clear understanding of the unfeasible nature of his actions. It was only thanks to Arthur's meow that halted his movement and when he looked down at the cat by Euphie's feet, he was reminded of the ill-fated result were his fingers to caress her cheeks.

"Meow?" Arthur tried to wrap itself around Euphie's ankles, but the cat phased through her. Like a cloud of mist on a foggy night, she was infinitely near to his heart, yet he could never grasp her.

"Arthur… it's okay, little friend. Even if I can't lift you up and hold you… I'll always be there for you…" Euphie smiled again, this time the edge of her lips quivered to maintain the façade of cheerfulness as she sniffed her runny nose.

"Euphie… I…"

"Why can't I remember? Why won't it come to me, Suzaku? I thought that if I wait long enough, I'll remember how it happened… but no matter what I do, I can't see beyond that day in the SAZ!"

"You don't have to remember, Euphie! It doesn't matter anymore, I'm happy to just be able to see you!" Even if it wasn't the entire truth embedded in Suzaku's heart, he believed it was what he needed to say at the moment.

"But it's not true, isn't it? I… I was unsuccessful in bringing peace to Japan… and for that, I've paid with my life. I… I'm sorry I couldn't accomplish what I set out to do. I've failed you, Suzaku… I've failed you."

"No-! That's-! it's not like that, Euphie! You… you did everything you could…! You tried your best, you really… you did." His digits were grabbing onto nothingness as he tried to comfort the lost princess, even holding back the tears that ran dry long ago was becoming increasingly difficult.

"… I'm sorry, it's my fault you're so miserable everyday… I left you so alone… it's not fair to you, I know… I'm so sorry… I couldn't be with you after making… you love me. You don't deserve this, Suzaku…!" Then, the tainted ghost cried all alone, her faithful knight dwelling in melancholy of their ironically tragic synopsis.

Was it… all for nothing? Is this truly the extent of my power? Am I meant to take consolation in a reunion… or am I too greedy…? Suzaku sealed himself back in the depths of his heart, avoiding the confrontation against the weight of Euphie's anguish. He had performed a miracle in the truest sense, yet the young knight was still unfulfilled by the scale of the phenomenon before his very eyes.

"Euphie… I won't give up… not after coming this far."

"What is there… to be done?"

"I don't know, but I'll find something- anything that can help you… that can let you be whole again." Sitting beside the disgraced princess lost in a purgatory Suzaku himself locked her in, the brown-haired teen whispered a determination to the love of his life as the previous mournful mood was shattered by the resolution to explore an unknown future.

Kallen Stadtfeld, Knight of Ten

Imperial Capital Pendragon, Imperial Palace

"Okay, so like- you guys goofed making a sixty-feet pizza not once, but twice?"

"Yeah, you were there for the second time, remember?"

"Ohhhh… yeeeeah! But I didn't mess anything up, right? I dumped the tomato sauce just as instructed."

"And then someone activated the fire suppression system and blasted the entire pan with foam, kinda makes it hard to eat after that." Gino looked down at his own supper for the day, the horrid idea of a ruined Italian cuisine was demolishing his appetite.

"Oh, man! I totally thought that was a part of the show or something! But then, why did they… do that?"

"Because C.C.'s dumbass—" Kallen suddenly paused the recap of her cherished Ashford Academy chronicles when she realized it could potentially unveil some items from Lelouch's extensive vault of secrets. "Because C.C. is the retard controlling the stage pyrotechnics like an absolute twat."

"Wow, chill! You need to be careful about insulting the Emperor's first Imperial Consort like that, they can lock you up for it." Thanks to Gino's unwelcome reminder, Kallen hissed like a venomous snake just at the mention of her scandalous rival competing for Lelouch's affection.

"Alright, dude, I'mma stop this… this meme right now. C.C. isn't anyone's consort, or wife, or empress. None of that shit, she's just Lelouch's friend… like me, okay? I'm sick of hearing this Consort C.C. crap everywhere." Kallen voiced her unfaltering disagreement while shoving a spoonful of pudding into her mouth.

I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous, I'm not jealous…

The common misconception regarding the witch's relationship with the warlock spread like wildfire roughly a couple weeks after their first public appearance and it blazed to newer heights after Rivalz threw a massive celebration in Lelouch's name. Since the Knight of Ten wasn't brave enough to reveal her own undying love for the Emperor to the general public without risking implosion, it was getting on her nerves how the wise king never made a statement about C.C. himself. Not helped by the pizza woman's delight and validation whenever the rumour reached her ears.

"C'mon, Kallen. A lady shouldn't curse."

"Get fucked."

Gino blinked in shock, but he soon awkwardly laughed off Kallen's harsh words and returned to his food. The tall knight's reluctance to engage in a new conversation paired with the redhead's unwillingness to pick up the few openers he dropped soon turned their friendly ambience to an unpleasantly sour taste.

After however long the two unlikely pals ate in silence, something behind Kallen caught Gino's awareness and he abruptly swallowed the food before trying to speak.

"Kallen, quick, put on your mask!"

Kallen wasn't someone to misread a hint so obvious, she understood the severity of the Knight of Three's warning and extended her left arm for the Guy Fawkes mask she placed on the next chair over.

However, there was nothing for Kallen to grab when her hand reached for the white shield protecting her private identity. Instead, she caught a glimpse of someone else's fingers snatching away her most essential piece of equipment.

"-Remember, remember. The fifth of November, the gunpowder… treason and plot!" A sweet, tender voice rhythmed the verses of the mask's poem and its implications directly behind Kallen's ears. "I know of no reason why the Gunpowder treason… should ever be… forgot."

"Your Highness… would you give me that back?" Standing only inches away to her side, Princess Marrybell held the mask in front of her, inspecting its peculiar design and seemingly ignorant to Kallen's fuming request coated in humility.

"Only if you say 'please', my pretty." For a fraction of a second, Kallen saw a flash-forward to ten seconds in the future when she jammed her butter knife straight into Marrybell's throat.

Okay… okay… new mood, new me. No more thinking about C.C. However, that was a reality not meant to be. Kallen readjusted her raddled spirit, disposing of her unfair anger towards the joking girl even if that rascal deserved at least a slap across her cheeks. "Princess Marrybell, I sincerely ask you not to act this way. I'm rather averse to abrupt friendliness." Her harshness froze the Viceroy in place, albeit briefly.

"…Very well, Lady Stadtfeld. I was simply enthralled by how beautiful you are under the disguise I lost my sensible self. Do find it in your better self to forgive me." Marrybell smiled as she returned the mask to a suddenly flushed knight, it was a smile Kallen saw many times before, mostly on Lelouch's face whenever he tested the water of whoever he was dealing with.

"No harm done…"

"Your Highness, is there anything you'd like from us?" Gino also reacted to Marrybell's presence, his gaze shifted between the young princess and her accompanying knight in visor.

"Nothing comes to mind, to be honest. I'm hoping to relieve some of my childhood memories of the palace and wandered upon this cafeteria. And it has, in fact, reminded me not to skip supper, is it alright for us to join you two?" Kallen and her fellow knight shared a look, but somehow it felt like the blonde pilot wasn't on the same wavelength as her.

"Yeah, of course, Your Highness. Take a seat." Gino casually lifted his cape and jacket off the chair beside him for the Marrybell's mute guard. at the meantime, Kallen stole one more glance at the orange-haired commander but said nothing else.

"My gratitude, Sir Gino… Weinberg? And Lady Kallen Stadtfeld. If I may impose some more; would it be a bother if we address each other by our first names? I'm quite a klutz when it comes to remembering the latter."

"Sure, I don't really mind. But Kallen…" Gino was doing her no favours by tossing the beacon of attention her way.

"Why look at me? It's no big deal, don't worry about it." While still contemplating how to properly treat another member of the imperial bloodline, the Knight of Ten had to put on a frontage of neutrality and respect as dictated by her day job.

"Thank you, Lady Kallen. Again, allow me to apologize for touching your mask without permission, it's just that I couldn't resist making a fool out of myself." Kallen failed to decipher Marrybell's intentions behind behaving so bizarrely modest for a princess. The half-breed couldn't tell if her perspectives on royalties were so skewed beyond repair, or if Marrybell truly was a singularity in comparison to her siblings.

"Right, it's all good. Let's not worry about it." Marrybell relaxed her posture and slid into her seat.

For a bit, the four of them ate peacefully, and just a little bit awkwardly as nobody dared to voice a subject of discussion.

"Your Highness, wanna share some stories about Spain? You know, if you're feeling it." True to his character, it was Gino who first broke the ice.

"Oh, yes, of course. As the sovereign of Area Twenty-four, I am formally obliged to invite you wonderful knights to visit my munificent landscape. However, the reality is until recently; we've been trying to rein in some of the more unruly populace that disagrees destructively with my authority."

"What type of disagreement are we talking about here?" Despite being able to guess the state of Spain, the former terrorist was still strung by her morbid curiosity to peek at a fragment of her old self.

"People are naturally resistant to change; I can empathize with that. However, those who choose the bloody path to deliver their message of a futile rebellion are the ones I despicably condemn. I do not wish to speak in details, please understand. Just thinking about all the innocent lives so meaninglessly lost to a senseless act breaks my heart." Kallen replied a meek nod of coincidence, she understood looking back at her foolish past that violence for violence's sake never led to a prosperous end.

"But things are calming down now, have you fixed all your… problems?"

"Indeed so, I am able to successfully root out the weeds in my sumptuous garden. Although the work is far from finished, many assets are required for an Area's recuperation, the main factor being time. It is another reason I aimed to give myself and my knights a breather from the hectic bureaucracy that comes with the administration."

"Huh… so what about…—?"

Marrybell sipped on her tea decorously as she recounted many of her tales as the acting ruler of Area Twenty-four, she spared no detail both describing the many prosperity she gifted the people of Spain as well as her ruthless treatment to those whose goal was to see her burn.

"Man… it's pretty tough being a Viceroy, I never thought about it that hard." The Knight of Ten tagged on a comment at the end of Marrybell's story. Gino stared at her briefly with a sarcastic glint in his eyes.

"Very much so, my pretty. I'm glad someone here can lend an ear to my plight. If only we can all be so willing to coexist with one another instead of choosing such a terrifying means of communication."

Goddamn… I'm such a fucking hypocrite, there's no way Ohgi would think I'm not brainwashed now. After hearing in its entirety, a Britannian's viewpoint firsthand, Kallen reflected on the influence her current position and status had on her judgement juxtaposed to what she believed to be the iron truth a year earlier. It was almost easier to pretend to be under Lelouch's Geass for her not to be hit so hard by the whiplash of switching sides at the drop of a hat.

"Nonetheless, there's no need to speak about depressing topics the likes of this. Instead, let me ask both of you honourable lady and gentleman to accompany me during our stay at the capital. The Glinda Knights and I look forward to enjoying our vacation here!" Marrybell beamed off a new smile, this one was so candid and guileless it pierced Kallen's cautious prudence.

"Yeah, of course, Your Highness! What do Rounds do around here anyway?" Gino very excitingly agreed, leading the cheerful gazes to be shifted to Kallen.

"Lady Kallen, do you mind giving me the opportunity to know you better on the right footing?" Her artless expression proved to be a powerful weapon for the young commander, Marrybell seemed able to plant a seed of optimism in the hearts of everyone she met.

"Yeah… yeah, I guess. You're pretty alright, Princess Marrybell."

Maybe I'm stupid… but is it wrong to hope that other princesses like Nunnally exist?

Marrybell mel Britannia, the Witch of Britannia

Imperial Capital Pendragon, Knightmare development department

Two weeks after Marrybell's arrival

"—I'm calling it, you two. It's over."

"—Wait! I'm still in it, I can take her down!" Marrybell studied the contorting countenance of her childhood friend in her Knightmare's cockpit, Oldrin was losing her composure at the same rate her frame was losing energy.

"—Lyre?" One vote in favour and one against, Marrybell sought the opinion of her nameless knight to tip the scale.

"—The difference in machine capability is too vast, Your Highness… and maybe the Devicer's expertise as well." Marrybell nodded at the projection of her talented fighter, whose verdict she valued in no less merit than hers or Oldrin's.

"—I'll say so too. If it hasn't happened by now, it won't. Cut your losses while your pride is still relatively intact, I'm not here to watch the Guren smash both of you into the ground, withdraw now."

"—Yes, Your Highness." A grumpy Oldrin scoffed at Marrybell, announcing her disapproval bluntly at the princess in charge. Her brother remained calm and collected as he always was, so rarely would he voice his objection these days.

"—AWACS Marrybell to Devicer 01, we concede. Ending simulation in one minute." Marrybell said after flicking to another channel connecting her microphone to the earpiece of her rental pilot.

"—Your pilots can't handle it, princess?" If Kallen was looking to boast, she had every right to.

"—…I'll see you in the hangar."

Letting out a fatigued groan, Marrybell felt herself age a decade over the span of two hours as she danced her fingers across the keyboard and terminated the simulation. Soon afterwards her two most proficient knights exited from the test chambers and met her by the hangar hosting the actual Knightmares they duplicated during the mock battle.

"You two did your best, really. It's not your fault, I'm proud of you two for lasting this long against a Round and a ninth-generation Knightmare." Marrybell tried her best at comforting her two old friends without coming off as an insincere or weak-minded commander.

"You didn't believe in me, Marry. I could've taken her down." Oldrin refused to meet her princess' eyes and instead stepped forward directly under the Lancelot HighGrail, the seething young noble raised her thumb up to her teeth and bit down on her digit through her glove.

"That's not fair Oz- Oldrin, the match was decided when the Guren combusted your sword." Marrybell followed Oldrin into the Lancelot's crooked shadow, she tried to drape her arms over the shoulders of her childhood friend for a hug.

"Don't touch me!" However, Oldrin yelled as she slapped away the hands offering consolation, another angst-filled glare deterred Marrybell from repeating her sympathy. "Ju-just… stay away, stay away from me."

"Oldrin…!"

Someone else's grip tugged the princess away from the wordlessly fuming knight, Marrybell turned around to be confronted by the visor of her equally treasured Devicer.

"Marrybell, give her some time alone." Disheartened, Marrybell allowed herself to be dragged away from the silent Oldrin and her personal Knightmare.

"Lyre… you're her twin brother, can't you convince her to stop acting like this?" Area Twenty-four's Viceroy took her hesitant hands up to the shades covering the bright eyes of her loyal pilot, but they were stopped for the second time that day.

"That's… not who I am right now."

"Please, Orpheus… you're the one I need right now. It hurts so much… to have her push me away like this." Letting gravity take hold of her body, Marrybell collapsed onto Orpheus' arms for the young lad to hold her in an intimate embrace.

"You're asking her to forgive you for what you've done while also hurting her with what you've planned on doing."

"It's my punishment, my atonement to you both… I'll let you two have my life once I walk my due in these silver shoes." Marrybell murmured as she buried her face in his chest, hiding away an ugly grimace she didn't want the world to see.

"…Marrybell, the red woman is here." Once her minute of warmth had run its course, Orpheus prompted her to fulfil the duty she must still to carry out.

"-Urrr… I can come back later if you want, you guys can keep doing your… thing." Kallen consciously called out from somewhere afar once she saw the compromising situation Marrybell presented. The orange-haired princess starkly sniffed away the last bits of her sentiments before departing from her guardian's care.

"No, I apologize for showing you such a shameful display. Please, do forgive me, Kallen." When Marrybell came face to face with the Knight of Ten, she already donned her infrangible mask of a gentle royalty.

"Don't worry about it, I'm not interested in growing rumours. Anyway, I trust you won't be running amok knowing what you know?"

"Of course not. The deceitful cocoon of your previous self is of no concern to me, she who stands before me is an honourable knight to the throne and a protector of justice. Moreover, if Lelouch trusts you to watch his back, who am I to disagree?" Pridefully acknowledging Kallen's old identity, Marrybell held no ill-intent when she proclaimed how the redhead's virtuous new allegiance with Britannia was all she cared about.

"A-alright- cool… hey, if you need a sparring partner just call me up anytime. I'll be happy to fly the Guren for you, not like there's a lotta occasion for me to do that nowadays." Kallen said slightly clumsily, not used to Marrybell's vivacious attitude.

"As you wish, I'm indebted to your boundless generosity for letting my knights test themselves against the Black Knight's ace in the flesh. It's an exotic opportunity being able to engage the worst nightmare of our military in a safe and controlled environment. Your reputation indeed precedes you, Kallen. I feel privileged as the commander of the Glinda Knight to be able to witness your flair."

"Oh- that's really- really, thanks… errm… your people were very good too, I mean." Once more, Kallen was visibly flustered by Marrybell's high praises. She ran her delicate fingers through her scorching red hair and flung them upwards in a feral yet docile display of her feminine beauty.

Lord… if only I still have the heart left to appreciate that womanly allure. Brother, you're a big gay for nothing jumping on her. Marrybell proceeded to chuckle inwardly, mostly at herself but also just a little bit at Lelouch.

"We'll share any data we gathered over the course of this simulation, think of it as our admission fee."

"Great, thanks. I'm not the guy to talk to about this, but Earl Asplund is probably gonna have a field day with it."

"Wonderful, do you have any feedback for my two elite knights during the simulation?" With her usual hospitable smile, Marrybell asked.

"Err… they're not bad at all, pretty good, in fact. I don't wanna talk down to anyone just because I'm a Round, although I guess the red Lancelot with the capes is a bit headstrong and the red-black Vincent is a bit too… methodical, maybe."

"I understand, I'll inform Oldrin and Lyre about your criticisms, thank you." Kallen shot a fleeting look past Marrybell towards her masked pilot. Without seeing for herself, the pink-haired leader read from the ex-Black Knight's expression that Orpheus didn't muster a response.

"Well, you need me for anything else?"

"I do have one question. Have you heard anything of the Knight of Nine?"

"The lime-haired woman, right? What's her name… Notteee?"

"Nonette Enneagram." Marrybell considered cringing at the butchered pronunciation from Kallen only to remember Oldrin made the same joke when they first met.

"Right, that one. I think she's with Schneizel right now, Gino and the rest said that it was the last time they saw each other."

"I see… this may be an unreasonable request, however… if you two were meet in battle…" Kallen raised a hand to pause Marrybell's predictable behest, she thrashed around a bit under her cloak to scratch an itch before readjusting herself and her clothes.

"I'm not gonna make promises I can't keep, just so you know. If there comes a situation where I can let her live, I will. But don't blame me if she refuses to surrender her arms and ends up dead."

"…Understandable, it's the best I can do for Nonette anyway." Marrybell found herself sighing a lot recently, the cause of her frustration somehow escaped her as she shook away her concern for the acquaintance she used to care for.

"A-anyway, if you got nothing going on, princess. Wanna grab a bite to eat?" To cure the atmosphere from growing stale, Kallen proposed a suggestion that brought forth a soft chuckle out of the princess.

"Darling, you certainly have a fascinating mind. And to invite me instead of my handsome brother? Am I suppose to pick up some hints from this behaviour?"

"Huh- no, it's not like that! I just-! Me and Lelouch, we are… we both have a lot of things to deal with, he's probably too busy anyway." The young knight was surely caught off-guard by the Viceroy's observant comments, Kallen fumbled to get her thoughts coherent as to solve the misunderstanding at her earliest convenience.

"~Ahaha… then I shan't hunt further… for now. However, if you're ever in need of a consultant to some of your more romantic predicaments, let it be known that I am somewhat of an expert when it comes to… interactivity between individuals." If Marrybell was any less of a woman, she definitely wouldn't be harbouring such devious thoughts on the lovestruck Knight of Ten.

"…Right, right… let's just go eat foodies."

"Let us." Marrybell said, ready to depart the hangar.

"Your knights, they aren't coming with?" When Marrybell followed Kallen out the door unperturbed , she voiced her concern for the two Glinda Knight aces.

"Oldrin and Lyre… prefer not to spend time with me outside of duty."

"Is it something personal… or?"

"I… used to be with Oldrin, but then I was with Lyre… and now it's all an awkward mess." Marrybell casually muttered a half-truth carrying a massive insinuation.

"Oh… sorry about that- wait- hold on, what?"

C.C., the immortal Code

Imperial Capital Pendragon, Emperor's private chamber

The clock struck twelve, signalling midnight.

"Lu… Lelouch…! What happened…! Between you and Kallen when you two… went on that vacation…?"

"-Hah…! Are you actually- asking me this right now…?"

"Just… tell me, or I won't keep going…"

"…Damn you- witch, what happened back then is happening right now… you can see how the situation might turn… unpleasant if you bring up such a topic!"

"Fine, my bad… but don't you dare lie to me, boy. You know you like it when I do this to you…"

— —

"I don't need to remind you to keep this under the table."

"No, Mistress."

"Don't hog this all for yourself, yeah?" C.C. slid a hundred-dollar bill into the breast pocket of the head maid Lelouch summoned to clean up their late-night mess. The Britannian servant gratefully nodded before taking an elegant bow and disappearing along with her posse of lesser maids.

C.C. shut the master bedroom door behind the cleanup crew and loosened the bath towels swaddling her pristine figure to a chair nearby. She climbed on top of the newly laid sheets, taking in their refreshing smell before pulling the blankets over her body. The silence of another ordinary day washed over her, the witch's creativity was set free to picture an eternity just like today.

The dim light rays shooting in from her peripheral vision notified C.C. of Lelouch's arrival. "Enjoyed your long shower, Your Majesty?" Her tease was true on the mark for how long the king liked to spend in the washroom almost daily.

"As much as a woman like you enjoyed creeping into my room tonight." Lelouch's retort stunned C.C. out of the blue, especially since they mutually agreed to never strike a low-blow by mentioning their physical reliance on each other.

"…Come back to bed, my liege." C.C. insisted, she lifted a corner of the cover for Lelouch to sneak under. He wearily followed soon after taking off his bathrobe.

"I didn't… mean to say that, sorry if I came off that way." Lelouch humbly apologized once a period of refined silence came and gone.

"It's alright, I'm sorry too for asking you about her when we were… so engaged. Did I ruin it?"

"No, you are still… C.C., I guess. I just didn't want to think about that at the moment. What made you bring up that topic out of nowhere?" C.C. flipped over and brought herself only inches away from Lelouch's adoring stare, her lips only inches away from his own.

"I… what we were doing just reminded me of it. The report from the Knight of Twelve read that until her surveillance ended with the two of you entering the hotel, your mood was very happy. So, something must've happened in there. Besides, you wouldn't have let me in tonight if there's nothing going on between you two."

"…Kallen is- well, she's a bit like you…"

"In bed?" After C.C.'s question, Lelouch's paced breathing took a short pause.

"Yeah, she was great… amazing at the start, but she doesn't… well, she's a virgin… and—"

"-She thought you were one as well?" Again, The Emperor was slow on his response.

"Yeah."

"And then what happened?"

"I thought to tell her everything, between us and… everything we've done together. She deserves to know the truth." Hearing Lelouch's honest confession, C.C. mused inwardly how such a genius strategist would choose to be such a bonehead.

"What did she say?"

"It's complicated, I don't really know what she wants, and neither does she, I suspect. Kallen is smart intellectually, maybe not so emotionally." Was C.C. supposed to laugh at Lelouch's oblivious irony? She couldn't decide.

"Lelouch, we talked about this before, but I don't want myself to hinder your pursuit for that woman. You love her, and you should make it obvious so."

"I… I know how I feel, but in time, it won't matter…" Of course, C.C. couldn't forget the dripping sand continued to flow in the hourglass of destiny.

"You know that you have time. In fact, the world can be put on hold if you so choose. The only one who even wants to push you along is Suzaku, and he's busy with his Geass project."

"Zero Requiem… is my punishment, my atonement to the world." Over her countless years and unnumbered deaths. C.C. never felt as powerless as she did when Lelouch still refused to welcome his own future.

"Lelouch… you don't have to do this, please…"

"I don't wanna talk about it… we've been through this so many times now, C.C. If there's any other way, I'd be willing to reconsider."

"Why not just rule the world as is? Can the most powerful man in the world not shape its outcome?"

"Peace in our time will always be a mere illusion, nothing can change that, not even Zero Requiem."

"Then why—!"

"Because people will not accept peace if it's forced upon them! Brittle and fleeing the peace will be if we do not struggle for the right to prosper. And it is the role of a hateable antagonist to stand in the way of that struggle." Leaving that as his last remark, Lelouch tossed and turned away from C.C.'s vision.

The ambience of the noiseless midnight only worsened C.C.'s anxiety as she felt the scorching passion for her most unique contractor lying within an arm's reach, yet at the same time a world apart. She sealed her eyes and dived into herself, seeking for answers she knew she didn't have.

Am I still the same weak woman in the end…? Unable to change the fate of a single man… is this the price I have to pay for finding my humanity? This… staking pain in my heart? On the verge of tears too foreign for C.C. to recognize, she tugged the blanket higher up to her face and wiped away a few drops leaking out of her floodgate.

Marianne, what would you have done if I told you your son is martyring himself for the sake of the world? Marianne… my friend, why must you be gone from my life… the only time I ever ask you for help? Strangely, it was only when C.C. allowed herself to be vulnerable and feeble, was she finally able to feel the weakness of humanity often despised.

— —

Author's note

A pretty nothing chapter, but it's just something that's gotta happen.

I didn't want to snap my fingers and make Euphemia come back alive. I think that it's better for Suzaku to put in a bit of work for the Deus ex Machina. So the subplot with Euphemia will continue for the foreseeable future, or is it the main plot? I don't even know.

I do have an actual question though, in the show we see that someone under the influence of Lelouch's Geass has the red ring around their eyes. Is that a visual metaphor or an actual symptom? So are other characters supposed to see the red ring in someone else's eye if they're Geassed? I'm leaning towards no; since it's never brought up, but let me know your opinion.

Replying to Marche V's chapter five review talking about if Zero Requiem will work or not: Yeah, I think at least it'll bring peace for however long was shown at the end of the series. Peace can't last forever, that makes sense, but Zero Requiem should bring a longer period of peace than most events that have happened in our world.

I didn't comb through this chapter as thoroughly as I normally do, so just let me know if you spot a mistake somewhere. As always, thanks for taking a look and hopefully it's not so cringe that you commit roof dive on the spot.