Disclaimer: Code Geass does not belong to me.
The Tiniest Bit of Happiness
The parade had begun. The so-called execution for the captured Black Knights. This was also when the last stage of the Zero Requiem would take place. This thought had Lelouch smile. He would repent for his sins through his death, which would bring peace to the world.
Peace.
The word struck a hard cord in Lelouch's heart. Now that he thought about it, he hadn't had any peace for the last two years, did he? He quickly pushed those thoughts out of his head. Even if he didn't have peace for the last two years, he would have peace soon enough. And right on cue, Zero appeared.
The extravagant attire easily stood out from the crowd gathered around and the iconic mask only served to bring attention onto himself. Zero started into a quick run from his spot, quickly bypassing all the guards. And Lelouch watched. His heart beating incredibly fast. He didn't know why. He had been prepared for this. He had been the one to create the plan. So that everyone on this world could have peace and not have to worry about war. Be happy.
Happy.
Yet another word that struck a deep chord. However, this one struck harder than the previous one. He had started his rebellion so that he and his sister could be happy without the Empire finding them. Happy...
Lelouch internally cringed. It hurt. He was about to die. His entire life had been one in which he lived in fear. Fear of being found out and dragged back to the homeland to be pawns of that man. Zero, the persona he had created, was supposed to be a beacon to happiness. But thinking back on it, Zero had caused deaths and millions of people to lose their families. How could he be happy through such acts? He didn't know anymore. Had he truly been foolish...?
Leouch's eyes traveled to the crowd and he caught sight of a familiar boy. It was Rivalz, the boy who would tag along with him in his gambling sessions. Rivalz considered Lelouch his best friend. What would he think of Lelouch now?
What about Milly? She had known about his royal heritage and she had sheltered him from it. She was like an older sister to him in many situations and was always willing to be there for him. And now, Milly was probably watching him do this. What would she think?
What would Shirley think if she was here? She had been willing to join him just to help him and be there for him. His breath hitched. It was because of him Shirley had died. Even if it wasn't by his hand, Rolo had been influenced by his presence and his promise of family.
Rolo...what would he think? He had sacrificed his life for Lelouch. So that he could live. Rolo had used his Geass even though he knew it would kill him.
If Euphemia was still here, what would she do? Lelouch had killed, sabotaged and black mailed people for his own cause. Euphie was dead because of him. Because he couldn't control his Geass.
If C.C was in his position, what would she have done? Now that he thought about it, the witch was cunning in her own way. If she had been the one to start a rebellion against Britannia, what would she have done? Would she have done anything differently?
There were so many people here that he knew and cherished. What were they thinking right now? That he was a demon? Someone who never should have existed?
Lelouch could vaguely remember talking about happiness with Suzaku and Nunnally once. It was when he was still eleven. What had been said then?
"Happiness is like glass. It may be all around you, yet be invisible. But if you change your angle of viewing a little, then it will reflect light more beautifully than any other object around you."
Lelouch gasped. Glass...
How could he have not seen it before?
He did have happiness, didn't he? The Student Council back at Ashford, Nunnally, Sayoko, Suzaku. Even that darn witch!
The Student Council at Ashford had been like his family. He still remembered that promise he had made a couple months back.
Fireworks exploded in the sky as Lelouch hurried as fast he could up the stairs to the roof of the Ashford Academy building. And there, he found Milly, Shirley and Rival lighting up fireworks with smiles on their faces. They turned to face him as soon he entered.
"Oh, hey Lulu." Shirley spoke.
Milly got up from her position of crouching on the floor with a large bag. "Light some off too, Lelouch. We have plenty left over from the culture festival."
"Why are you..."Lelouch started in confusion, "What about the school trip?"
Another batch of fireworks exploded in the sky before Rivalz turned to him, "We couldn't leave you here crying while we three went and had fun."
Milly smiled as she walked up to Lelouch, "The important thing about a vacation is not where you spend it. It's who you spend it with."
Shirley opened her closed hands a little, revealing a blue origami crane, "Exactly."
Surprised from seeing the crane, Lelouch whispered slowly, "Why's that...?"
Shirley looked at the crane, "Oh, this? I made one because they say it makes your wish come true."
Nunnally...
"But for the life of me, I can't remember who taught be how to make them." Shirley said.
"What did you wish for?"
"It's already come true a bit, I suppose." Shirley spoke with a small smile, "I wanted to set off fireworks with everyone."
"Everyone?"
"Nina. Kallen." Shirley started.
"And Suzaku," Rivalz added.
"And goes without saying, you and Rolo too." Milly said.
Rolo, who was hiding behind the doors leading to the roof, gasped.
Shirley smiled nervously and said, "And because I folded one crane, you were the only one who showed up."
Lelouch smiled sadly. He could imagine Nina, Kallen, Suzaku, Arthur and Nunnally there along with the ones who already were. He remembered Nunnally speaking of the matter with the cranes. When he had asked her what she wished for, she had responded with the words whic had become his reason for fighting.
' That's right. A gentle world is this close. Even if we were clouded by phony memories. Like transparent glass. Always. Always. Always.'
"Lulu?"
"What're you crying for?"
Lelouch gasped. He was crying?
"Lelouch? Are you really moved that much by our friendship?" Milly asked. "You do have a sweet side!"
Lelouch turned his head away, "That's not it." He quickly turned away. "I-I-It's nothing like that at all."
Everyone else giggled.
"Everyone." Lelouch addressed them. He looked out towards the sky with a smile, "I'll launch fireworks with you again someday. We will. We will do it together right here. I promise."
He felt a stray tear leak from his eyes. Although, it went unnoticed by all else, he felt it. That promise wouldn't come true, now would it. He had lied. Once again. However, he knew for sure, he had felt true happiness then. Even after all of the lies he had said, this one hurt the most. His less logical side was screaming out within him in sadness. He truly had wanted to launch fireworks with everyone.
He really had.
Lelouch had wanted to see everyone again. He wanted to laugh with them. He wanted to attend classes with them. He wanted to go gambling with Rivalz. He wanted to be teased by Milly. He wanted to talk to Shirley and Suzaku. He wanted to apologize to Rolo for lying. He wanted to apologize to Euphemia for staining her hands with blood. He wanted to fix everything between him and Kallen. He wanted to thank Nina. He wanted to buy C.C a pizza himself. He wanted to fold cranes with Nunnally...
Lelouch wanted to do so much. He had actually felt happy and he was realising this now. A point in which he no longer had time.
He could see Suzaku jumping onto the stage where he sat in the guise of Zero. Lelouch felt his body move by itself. Pulling out a gun, he pointed it at Zero but soon had it flung out of his hands.
Lelouch felt time slow down as Suzaku steadied the sword. He heard the cries of those he knew shout in fear and sadness. Lelouch was surprised. Even through everything, he had done, they wanted Suzaku to stop? Was he hearing things?
No.
He wasn't. Glancing down, he saw it through his own eyes. They were looking at him. He saw Kallen's eyes widen with realisation as tears escaped her eyes. So, she figured it out, huh?
Lelouch saw Nunnally wail out. Lelouch saw them all. He could even hear the soft sobs echoing from the dark mask in front of him.
His eyes softened as he felt a smile on his face. They still cared. And it warmed his heart with a feeling he had felt before, but was never able to associate with anything. He knew what it was now.
And so, when the sword struck him through the chest and he leaned against Suzaku, he didn't feel pain. Now, he spoke.
"The punishment for what you have done shall be this." He traced his bloodied hands around the mask, "You will live on, always wearing that mask, serving as a knight of justice and truth. You will no longer live you life as Suzaku Kururugi. You shall sacrifice the ordinary pleasures of your life for the benefits of the world for eternity."
And just as soft as his own, a familar voice spoke through the mask. "This Geass I do solemnly accept."
Lelouch smiled wider. It felt weird. For quite a long time, he had been the one behind that mask. To see it in front of him in action was a foreign feeling to him. But since he knew, who was behind that mask now, he felt content. And with that, as his body slid down the slope of the stage towards Nunnally, he felt his energy leaving him.
"Ah, I have..."
Nunnally kept sobbing. Telling him to not leave her. I'm sorry...Nunnally...everyone...
"...destroyed the..."
...for hurting you all...
"...world..."
...so much...
"...and created it..."
...But I...
"...anew."
...But I still...can't help but...feel happy right now.
And with that thought, the Demon Emperor. The loving brother. The first Zero. The caring friend. Died. And in his last moments, he felt that tiniest bit of happiness he had been searching for all along.
A/N: And that's all for The Tiniest Bit of Happiness. I literally cried when I remembered the fireworks scene and I felt it really deserved to be acknowledged better. This one-shot was something that I had been wanting to do for a long time. Code Geass is my favorite anime of all time and I just couldn't live with the fact that I had fanfictions for other anime yet not this one.
But the idea of this fic was not based on that. I just kept thinking about how Lelouch only ever wanted the tiniest bit of happiness and that was how this one-shot was formed. It had me go all emotional, really. I personally felt that Code Geass' ending was beautiful and probably one of the best endings I have ever seen in anime. Even though there are a lot of endings in which the main character dies for the greater cause (even though I've only stumbled upon 3), I felt this had a lot more feeling.
Plus, I know this one-shot wasn't long, but then again, it wasn't supposed to be. It was just going to serve the purpose of Lelouch's feelings in that scene.
I also know that this is sloppily written. I had just wanted to pass time and I kind of just went with the flow, so excuse any errors you find please.
So all in all, I hope you liked this one-shot and please be sure to drop in a review. FaerunZ signing out!
