Part VII: How Far We've Come
"all the men held tall with their chests in the air,
with courage in their blood and a fire in their stare
it was a grey morning and they all wondered how they would fare
till the old general told them to go home
He said, I have seen the others, and I have discovered,
That this fight is not worth fighting
And I have seen their mothers and I will no other
To follow me where I'm going"
-'The General" by Dispatch
"Is everything prepared?"
"Almost. I'm sorry about the delays, but we couldn't risk-"
"I know." Soft hands clasped calloused fingers. "Thank you. For everything."
"Are you sure about this?"
"It's the only way. I'm grateful for what you've done, but if I don't do this… everything will be for naught."
"… he'd be proud. I just want you to know that much."
'I know. That's why I have to do this."
00000
It was the most surreal, unnerving experience he had ever been through. Watching powerful muscles swing the blade in the same arcs and patterns he had learned under Toudou's watchful eye as a child, seeing eyes exactly the same shade as his own from across their blades…
Zero twisted and whirled about, blade singing through the air in a high slash, and his opponent mirrored his movement, their blades clanging together as they met mid-swing, sending jarring shockwaves through his arm.
As their swords were knocked away from one another, he pushed into the momentum, spinning away and coming out with a low slash.
Without pause, the Knight of Seven (if he referred to his opponent by its – his - true name, Suzaku feared he might go mad) sidestepped the blow, and came forward with a brutal stab aimed directly for his face that he only narrowly parried.
Unfortunately, the movement cost him his guard, and the Knight of Seven delivered a brutal kick to his open chest, sending him crashing backwards, off the platform, crashing into the lower platform with a painful crunch.
Suzaku wheezed as the breath was driven from his body, wincing as he glanced up, just in time to see the determined, emotionless expression of the Knight of Seven as he plunged from the shrine platform, jumping down towards him in a stabbing motion.
Eyes widening, Suzaku rolled away, body protesting the movement with every rotation. The Knight of Seven struck only stone, sparks erupting around his untarnished blade as it connected with the ground.
Zero staggered to his feet, and the Knight of Seven charged forward again.
Suzaku wondered if this was some kind of cosmic practical joke, to have to face the person he hated most in the world- himself- in single combat. He'd dreamed of killing himself for years, but the hope of trying to atone and later Lelouch's Geass averted that destiny.
Now, it seemed, he would finally get his wish.
Irony, Suzaku thought as he parried a vicious thrust from the Knight of Seven, causing his opponent to stumble, is incredibly cruel.
With his enemy's guard weakened, he came forward with his own stabbing motion, footsteps light over the stone platform.
Without pause, the Knight of Seven kicked off the ground, briefly stepping atop Zero's blade, before leaping off of that as well and bounding off behind his opponent, causing Zero to stumble forward, off balance from the unexpected maneuver, nearly toppling off the platform.
He cursed himself, even as he whirled about, barely turning in time to see the Knight of Seven's blade flash forward, whistling a deathsong as it slashed through air.
Twisting his arms, Zero blocked the blow, but the force of the attack pushed him back, and he strained to keep an even footing- unsurprisingly, his opponent was completely equal in strength to himself, and so every muscle in his body had to strain just to keep it a stalemate.
With nowhere left to retreat behind him, Zero leapt off to the right and the Knight of Seven mirrored his movement, only leaping to his left instead. As they both landed, they twisted and faced each other once again.
He paused, adjusting his grip over the sword, and his opponent did as well, glaring at him behind emerald eyes that were painful to see.
Briefly, he wondered whether this enemy was created purely by Marianne, or perhaps somehow it sprang from his own thoughts to torment him, for it seemed like an exercise in brutal madness, to face himself in this way.
The Knight of Seven shifted, and Suzaku recognized the stance as one he had learned as a child at Toudou's feet- a stance he had unconsciously started using at the same moment.
Madness.
With a cry, Kururugi Suzaku leapt forward yet again in a vain attempt to kill himself.
00000
Kallen prided herself on her physical abilities. She was no Suzaku, true; she could not outrun bullets or leap over Knightmares with a single bound, but she was probably one of the best fighters in the Black Knights, past or present. Even after the war, she had not let her abilities slack off, retaining her abilities as a first class fighter.
Marianne vi Brittania, however, had surpassed the idea of a first class fighter- she was a prodigy at killing, a genius of the battlefield, a terrible talent that appeared in every war as the unparalleled slayer of men.
Though she was born after the brutal succession war amongst the royal family that made Marianne famous and Charles zi Brittania emperor, even Kallen had heard tales of the Brittanian Empire's "Flash", a Knightmare Frame pilot without equal, and her exploits as a soldier were near myth. Even Toudou once mentioned off hand, without any kind of begrudging tone, that Kallen's skill with a Knightmare was reminiscent of "that woman's".
She was facing a legend.
"Move!" C.C. said quickly, and darted away, shaking Kallen from her reverie.
With a grunt, Kallen dodged to the left, and grabbed at the holster of her pistol- she might not know how to wield a sword, but a gun worked better in any case. She didn't have time to draw it, however, as the Empress of Brittania closed in on her like a razor whirlwind, noticing her attempt to draw a weapon.
Marianne did not walk across the shrine platform, swinging her blades, but rather danced with them, letting them move about in terrible patterns that reflected the golden light of the unnatural sky behind them.
She was fast, and Kallen couldn't get her weapon out of its holster fast enough, and was forced to roll away before she ended up as mincemeat before those blades.
"Come on, come on!" Marianne urged, laughing as though they were merely playing a game, "I'd heard you were a fighter! Surely you can do better than run!"
Kallen ignored her taunts, ducking behind one of the pillars of the shrine, trying to put a barrier between herself and the insane Empress of Brittania.
"Come on, isn't dodging boring! Fight back!"
"She's out of her goddamn mind," Kallen muttered to herself, before she was forced to lunge to the side to avoid being impaled.
Marianne paused in her assault as Kallen retreated, a playful, girlish smile on her face that contrasted sharply with the gleaming swords in her hands. Their eyes met, and the smile widened.
"Hmm… maybe I was overestimating you, Kallen-chan," Marianne said slowly, tacking on the honorific with a mocking tone. "After all, you proved to be too worthless a pawn for my son, so you couldn't be that good."
"Stop saying that!" Kallen snapped, and drew her pistol, but her momentary loss of concentration cost her, as Marianne suddenly closed the distance between them, that lunatic smile of hers inches from Kallen's face as her swords closed in. Her first slash knocked the pistol away with a brutal sweep, jarring Kallen's hand, and her second slash closed in from the opposite side, ready to slice her in two.
Kallen barely had a second to twist away, cursing the loss of her gun, before Marianne's attack connected, but she couldn't get away fast enough and a small cut, just above her hip, was left in the wake of Marianne's swords.
"First blood to me then," Marianne said delightedly, saluting with one sword, even as she stabbed forward with the other, and this time Kallen had no time to dodge, nothing to block with-
When another blade- a slim, basket hilt rapier- came out of nowhere and deflected the blade, saving Kallen.
"There's two of us here," C.C. reminded the Empress coolly, gripping the hilt of her sword tightly, a second sword in her other hand. "And you're not the only one who can manipulate the World of C, remember."
Glancing over at Kallen, she tossed her the second sword, matching C.C.'s own, which the redhead caught after a moment of surprise.
"I don't know how to use this!" Kallen insisted, blinking as she pulled the sword into what was hopefully the right stance, imitating C.C.'s.
"You stick the pointy end in your enemy. And shift your hands, or you'll hurt yourself," C.C. quipped back, an ironic, thin smile on her pale face as she stared down the Empress of Brittania. "I hope you've got a talent for this, Kallen, because I've never once beaten this woman in a duel."
Marianne watched them with amusement dancing in her eyes as she clapped her hands delightedly, an ecstatic smile on her face.
"Now we're getting somewhere," she crowed, and charged them again.
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Kamijou Touma was, on the whole, a regular guy. He liked cold beer, baseball, and put in his hours at work like everyone else. It was just that his job was a Corporal in the Black Knights (and now the self proclaimed 'New Japanese Self Defense Force'), and that he now took his orders from that bigwig Hideyoshi instead of the Prime Minister. He didn't particularly like this change in management, but it was either go with the flow or get shot.
Which was why he was standing outside the government building, rifle in hand, keeping watch over the entrance, when he saw two figures slowly walking up the steps. As it was still night and the streetlights were off, he couldn't see them very clearly.
"How unlucky," he muttered irritably. The public wasn't supposed to know about this until Hideyoshi's speech- he'd have to get these people to leave.
"Hey there!" came the voice of one of the figures- a young man's, and probably a foreigner's, judging from the accented Japanese. "Mind if we use your bathroom?"
"Sorry, no visitors today," Touma replied, keeping his voice level.
"Aw, come on!" the young man pleaded, stepping closer. As the two figures drew nearer, Touma noticed the larger figure, probably the man, had his arm around the smaller. "My girlfriend here just needs the bathroom for a minute."
Touma frowned. "Like I said-"
He was cut off, courtesy of Gino's fist connecting solidly with his chin, sending him crashing backwards.
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"Well, that was easy," Gino muttered cheerfully, grabbing the man's rifle, sidearm, and ammunition clips with practiced ease.
Anya pushed his arm away, giving him a cold look.
"Why did I have to be the one to use the bathroom?" she asked clinically, snatching the pistol away from him and cocking it. She still had her long rage rifle from earlier, when she rescued Gino, but the weapon wasn't much use in close combat.
Gino shrugged, tapping the transmitter in his collar as he hefted the rifle in one hand. "Alright, we're going in. Jeremiah, you ready?"
Jeremiah turned the corner and stepped towards them, where he had been waiting, in case something had gone wrong. Unlike the two of them, he didn't have a gun- they didn't have enough weapons, and would have to make do with whatever they managed to take from the enemy. At the least though, Jeremiah's enhanced body and built in weapons gave him an edge over their enemies.
The three stepped up to the entrance, and Gino glanced to his left, at Anya, and to his right, at Jeremiah, and then grinned.
"Let's go to work then."
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The distant roar of an explosion came into hearing, vibrating the walls, and Ougi sighed. "It sounds like it's started."
They stood in the cramped corridor of one of the escape routes built into the government facility, one that would take them only a few floors below the Prime Minister's office, where they were betting Hideyoshi had taken refuge.
"They'll be fine," Viletta said softly, clasping his shoulder and squeezing it tightly. In her other hand, she hefted a compact submachine gun, a sight that pained Ougi- that his wife should have to take up arms yet again because of his weakness. "Jeremiah is a great soldier, and Anya-san and Gino-san are former Knights of Round. They can handle themselves."
Behind them, Minami shifted, holding a rifle of his own. "How much farther?"
Ougi glanced forward. They didn't dare use flashlights, in case someone had been posted in the escape route, instead of just at the entrance, but so far there had been no resistance. "Just up ahead. It's one of the few two-way escape routes in the building, and requires a DNA scan and a passcode. There's only a few people who have both the code and the DNA entered into the system to go through it."
"Do you think Hideyoshi knows about it?" Minami questioned.
"Probably," Ougi admitted, looking down.
"Which is why Jeremiah and the others chose to act as our diversion," Viletta finished. "We should hurry. Every second we waste is one more second they risk being caught or killed."
The three of them exchanged glances, acknowledging their commitment to this endeavor, and sped off down the corridor.
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A wide slash nicked his gloved hand, tearing into the flesh beneath and leaving a stinging cut in its wake. Suzaku cursed and winced, but, seeing an opening, he steadied himself, and lunged forward, trying to catch his opponent with a powerful thrust, straight at his heart.
The Knight of Seven sidestepped and lashed out with a kick, catching Suzaku in the ankle, disabling his balance and causing him to stumble, knee crashing to the floor with a pained cry.
Zero glanced up, just in time to see the Knight of Seven raising his sword, coming down with a powerful double handed slash. Suzaku scrambled to raise his own blade, but it was only a one handed guard and the resulting impact of the swords striking each other caused him to be knocked over, flat on his back.
Suzaku winced yet again, his already aching body protesting this further abuse. He was a great physical fighter, near the peak, but there was only so much he could take against an opponent who could move just as fast and hit just as hard as himself.
His opponent, however, had some kind of supernatural endurance, and pressed the assault, already coming at him again with that same implacable, expressionless face that mirrored his own image.
Even with his bruises causing tremors of pain to race through his body, Zero forced himself to move, to avoid the attacks, stumbling back to his feet exhaustedly, just in time to block another incoming slash from the Knight of Seven.
Suzaku stared at a mirror image of his own face, still totally expressionless and cold, and shuddered. His grip faltered as a result, and the Knight of Seven pushed the blade closer, inching towards his neck, forcing him to try and push back with his muscles that burned with fatigue poisons.
As the face of this false self loomed ever closer, his sword nearly breaking through Suzaku's guard, he felt a panicked desperation set in, a cold realization washing over his mind.
I can't beat him.
He shut his eyes, and, in desperation, did the only move he had left, head butting the Knight of Seven with as much force as he could muster.
A distinct crunch could be heard as the mask of Zero connected solidly with the Knight of Seven's nose, and a bit of blood spattered across the faceplate, blinding Suzaku. Even without being able to see, however, he guessed his opponent's position and lashed out violently with a kick, which connected solidly with his opponent's torso, sending the Knight of Seven flying back across the platform.
Quickly, Suzaku wiped the blood off the mask, and glanced around for his opponent, who was already recovering.
As the Knight of Seven returned to his feet, nose bloodied and likely broken, expression still as blank as a marble statue's carved face, Suzaku paused, and realized his hands were shaking.
How long they had been at this, he couldn't say anymore. They had exchanged blows so many times, and he had held his own as best he could- there were a number of small cuts and bruises on the Knight of Seven that remained proof of that.
And yet, as Suzaku wearied, his opponent remained as strong as ever, ignoring every wound and injury as though they didn't exist. This doppelganger Knight of Seven simply did not feel pain or exhaustion.
He steeled himself, willing himself to stop shaking. Nunnally was dead, and the world was on the verge of collapse, he reminded himself.
There was too much riding on this to die yet. Even if it looked hopeless, he had to win.
And yet his hands still wouldn't stop shaking.
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Using a sword, Kallen discovered, wasn't nearly as easy as the movies and television suggested. After just a few barely managed blocks against Marianne's skillful attacks, her arms ached and muscles burned with the effort of just holding the weapon, let alone making her own attacks. She wasn't exhausted, per se, but it was far more draining than she thought it would be.
C.C., meanwhile, had been mostly covering for her lack of skill, intentionally diverting the mad Empress' attention onto her whenever possible to keep Kallen from being overwhelmed.
She had to admit, she'd never seen C.C. fight, not really. Most of the time she'd been too lazy or bored to fight alongside the Black Knights, only occasionally taking the controls of a Knightmare or wielding a gun when the situation actually needed her- and even then, Kallen got the impression she wasn't truly trying, because she wasn't putting her will into it.
Here, however, C.C. was actually giving it her all, her rapier a blur of silver that jabbed and parried Marianne's twin swords with remarkable speed.
"It's just like old times, huh C.C.?" Marianne said conversationally, smiling as she slashed with her left sword, forcing Kallen and C.C. to step to opposite sides.
"Not really," C.C. replied coolly, and slashed at her. Taking advantage of C.C.'s attack, Kallen pressed in as well with a wide, if clumsy slash.
Marianne parried both attacks and laughed- she was by far the superior swordswoman of the three of them, and barely seemed to be taking the whole fight seriously.
"I have to admit, you've changed!" she declared loudly, and came at them both with a quick half-step and wide slashes that forced both of them to block. "My son really made an impression on you, did he? What a heartbreaker."
C.C.'s eyes flashed, and she deflected the Empress' attack, coming forward again with a strong thrust. Kallen, meanwhile, had to retreat, not trusting her clumsy swordsmanship and tiring body to properly counter.
"Such force," Marianne commented airily, skillfully parrying the attack and causing C.C. to stumble. "What happened to the old C.C.? She was so much more interesting- she would never persist in something as futile as protecting a peace that would never last! What did Lelouch tell you that made you this way?"
"You always did talk too much," C.C. shot back cuttingly, and slashed high, while Kallen stabbed forward- her attack and her grip were weak, however, and it would cost her.
"A battle is a fine place for conversation," Marianne responded sweetly, a sharp contrast to her actions as she blocked C.C.'s attack with one sword and deflected Kallen's with the other. As the redhead stumbled, the Empress struck like a viper, and managed a shallow slash across Kallen's shoulder, causing the younger woman to cry out in pain.
Before Kallen could get her sword up again, Marianne delivered a surprisingly swift kick to her stomach, sending her crashing back into a stone pillar.
C.C. stepped in then, pressing her attack in order to cover for Kallen, driving the mad Empress back across the platform with a flurry of jabs.
Kallen staggered back to her feet, bracing her back against the pillar, wincing at the pain in her shoulder, trying to find an opening where she wouldn't get in C.C.'s way and actually contribute to the battle. She tried to ignore Marianne's taunts, but she couldn't help her own curiosity as her eyes kept darting back towards C.C.'s face.
The witch's expression remained coldly distant, but there was an edge to her movements, a drive that was apparent in her every twist and slash that made it clear she was determined to win this fight.
Marianne noticed it too.
"You really are taking this seriously, hmm?" She grinned. "I guess I'd better start taking you a little more seriously as well then."
And then suddenly, Marianne's movements sharpened. Her sword swings increased in speed, humming through air louder and louder, in tune with her ever widening smile, driving C.C. back across the platform near effortlessly, and the witch seemed to strain now with every hasty block and parry, unable to do anything except retreat and defend against the onslaught.
And then suddenly Marianne made a powerful swing, and C.C.'s sword was knocked out of her hands, sent clattering to the floor, leaving her wide open to the follow up attack-
When Kallen leapt forward and intercepted the attack, catching it with her own blade-
And Marianne smiled.
She had been waiting for Kallen to make a move, and her second blade was still free, while Kallen's tired arms and fatigued body were trying to occupy the first.
She was utterly open.
"Looks like its game over, Kallen-chan," Marianne said, in a sickly sweet tone, and came forward with a powerful thrust that would run her through.
Kallen shut her eyes. Lelouch…
"Oi, what kind of fighter closes her eyes in the middle of a fight?"
What? Kallen's eyes opened, and her mouth dropped open in horror.
"We're even," C.C. coughed, a thin trail of blood leaking down her mouth, as Marianne's sword protruded brutally from her stomach, the shining silver of the blade now dulled with crimson.
"You really have changed, C.C.," Marianne commented again, her tone almost somber, a wistful note in her voice. "Taking the blow for this girl? Sure it won't kill you, but I know you've never been a masochist."
"Maybe I'm just getting sentimental in my old age," C.C. quipped back weakly, and closed her eyes.
"Maybe," Marianne echoed, and yanked the blade out brutally, letting C.C.'s still form collapse onto the stone platform, her blood staining the worn stones in the eternal twilight behind them.
Kallen stared down at her, eyes still wide with shock. C.C. would survive, she knew, but there was still no easy way to just dismiss a sight like this.
"Well now, I suppose it's just you and me," Marianne said lightly, calling Kallen's attention back to her. "You're not scared, are you?"
Kallen swallowed, mouth dry, still staring down at C.C.'s bleeding form.
C.C. had fought hard, for the sake of Lelouch's dream.
What had she done to save the tomorrow Lelouch died for?
She left him once, believing he had stopped caring for the world.
She would not do it again.
Kallen gritted her teeth, and glared back at Marianne, who blinked and smiled.
"So you do have what it takes!" she declared happily.
"Shut up!" Kallen snarled, and leapt forward, rage and conviction giving her body renewed strength.
Even if it was hopeless, she'd go down fighting.
It was the only thing she could do for him.
00000
"Think they're out of bullets yet?" Gino wondered, poking his head out, only to nearly get it taken off by a sudden hail of gunfire. "Nope, guess not."
After their initial attack, involving a thrown grenade to catch attention, they had taken shelter behind the receptionist desk in the high ceilinged entrance hall of the government building. The towering slate wall behind them that proudly displayed the Japanese and Brittanian flags was being relentlessly hammered by the ever growing number of guards.
"Stay behind the wall, idiot," Anya muttered, giving him a cold glare. An enemy soldier rounded the corner, rifle raised, but she was quicker on the draw and shot him, and then returned her gaze back towards Gino. "We're a distraction- the longer we stay alive the more time we can buy for the others."
"Yeah, yeah, I remember," Gino replied with an off-hand sort of tone, shouldering his rifle and firing a short burst towards the guards that had gathered at the top of the stone central stairway. The once elegant hall was rapidly becoming more and more dystrophic with each passing minute- the flowing fountain in front of the receptionist's desk was cluttered with rubble, the once pristine marble walls now battered and filled with innumerable holes.
The entrance hall had two separate levels, connected by a single massive stairway at the far end, opposite the doors. Next to the stairway stood two large elevator doors, which weren't the objective at the moment. The second level was a fenced walkway that ran around and overlooked the entire hall, and gave their opponents the advantage of the high ground.
"We should try to take to higher ground," Jeremiah interjected, glancing around. He had managed to commandeer a rifle off of one of the first group of guards, as well as several clips of ammunition. "I don't think we can hold this position for much longer."
"Agreed," Anya said, nodding.
"I've still got a few grenades," Gino offered, hefting one of the oblong objects in one hand. "We could use em as distractions- Orange-kun, you mind using that crazy body of yours to jump up to the second level and surprise those guys?"
Jeremiah examined the wall- it didn't look too much out of his abilities to be able to leap off of the wall and use it as leverage to land on the second floor balcony. "I will do my best."
"Then let's get started," Gino declared. He pulled the pin on the grenade, cocked it back, and hurled it around the corner as high as he could- it wasn't intended to kill, but to scare their enemies.
Even as Gino let fly with the grenade, Jeremiah was moving, bounding off the wall and landing on the upper balcony, amidst a group of soldiers who had been firing on their position.
"Hey, what the-" one soldier turned, but Jeremiah was on him in a flash, wrist blade extending in a silver blur, slashing his way through the crowd in smooth, fluid movements- the soldiers had no chance to react or defend themselves.
As the attention of the soldiers on the upper deck was diverted on Jeremiah, who continued pressing forward towards the stairs, making quick work of any guard who attempted to bar his way- at that kind of range, his enhanced body and wrist blade simply had too much of an advantage over the surprised soldiers who had to adjust their aim.
"Alright, let's move!" Gino declared loudly, after Jeremiah had diverted nearly all of the guard's attention.
Anya gave him a crisp nod, and the two former Knights of Round burst out from behind their cover, sprinting full speed towards the stairs, taking potshots at any soldier on the upper level opposite Jeremiah, who had the most chance of actually hitting him with a burst of fire. Gino took out three, Anya two, before they reached the stairway, clearing the area and easing Jeremiah's job of sweeping up the remaining soldiers.
One soldier turned and raised his rifle at them, but Anya was quicker on the draw and fired off a quick burst of fire that struck dead on in the chest. They hit the stairs at a dead run and pumped their legs as hard as they could until they reached the upper deck, where Jeremiah was finishing the last of the soldiers with a ferocious stab.
As the man slumped to the floor, Jeremiah wiped his blade clean, expression tired. Gino guessed that his own expression probably mirrored it- they had killed a lot of people, fellow soldiers who just happened to be fighting for the wrong side.
Guessing their mindset, Anya interrupted them with a quiet statement. "They chose this. All the soldiers here work for Hideyoshi remember."
"Doesn't mean I have to like it," Gino muttered.
"I hate to interrupt you two, but there's a problem," Jeremiah cut in, and motioned towards the small light above the elevator doors, which indicated that both elevators were descending rapidly towards their position, likely bringing fresh waves of soldiers to the fight.
"Here we go again," Gino said weakly.
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"It appears there are two groups of intruders, not one, as we were originally informed," Hideyoshi commented lightly, as the level below them was rocked by an unexpected explosion.
Hanekoma, his assistant, nodded in confirmation. "Surveillance shows Gino Weinberg, Anya Earlstreim, and Jeremiah Gottwald are in the Atrium, while former Minister Ougi, his wife, and Minami Yoshitaka are one level below us, having used some kind of alternate route to bypass several levels of security."
"What fools," the Chief Cabinet Secretary scoffed. "Do they really think they can accomplish anything?"
"Sir, I must remind you that our military force in this building is somewhat less than substantial, and most of it is tied up on the lower levels still after we dispatched the soldiers to repel Weinberg's group," Hanekoma said slowly. "We have, at most, ten guards on this level."
Hideyoshi flicked an annoyed glance at his assistant. "So what are you suggesting?"
"There is no shame in retreating," the other man said simply.
Hideyoshi opened his mouth to reply, when the door burst open and one of the clerks who worked at this building ran over to him hurriedly, looking out of breath as he held a single sheet of paper in his hand.
"What is it?" Hideyoshi asked brusquely, edging on rudeness.
"Sir, we've just received word that General Toudou's personal airship, the Kusanagi, has just entered Tokyo airspace, and has requested permission to land on the rooftop of the government building. He will be here within the hour."
"The Kusanagi? Are you serious?" Hideyoshi's eyes widened, and the annoyance he had felt before suddenly dissipated, replaced by elation as he snatched the memo from the hand of the clerk, studying it with greedy eyes as the gears in his mind began turning.
Toudou's personal airship was a powerful Dreadnaught-class warship, and carried its own Knightmare Frame hangar and room for a platoon of soldiers- the additional military force alone would make the matter of the intruders easy to deal with, not to mention the fact that Toudou himself would be aboard.
"Then he's come to offer his support at last, and has agreed to take command of our army," he asserted confidently, smiling as he stood up from his seat.
Hideyoshi allowed himself a malicious cackle. "With his help, repelling Ougi's pitiful band will be a simple matter. Delay them until he arrives- I myself will wait for him on the rooftop, to welcome him as a partner in our endeavor to forge a new Japan."
There was no one now who could oppose this change.
This time, Japan would fight Brittania, and they would emerge triumphant.
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Nagisa released the button that opened communications with the government building with a small sigh, and glanced over at her husband, who sat in the command chair, arms crossed and katana held in the crook of his arm with his eyes closed, looking utterly impassive.
"Are you sure about this?" she whispered gently.
Toudou refused to open his eyes. If he did, Nagisa knew he felt he would only be showing weakness and hesitation, which would be a fatal flaw.
Especially now, at this most critical moment.
"It is the only way," he answered simply.
Nagisa set her hand upon his arm, and squeezed it once, hoping to convey her desire to support him, regardless of what decisions he was about to make, and the consequences.
00000
Kallen let out a sharp cry as she was knocked down to the floor yet again, numb hand dropping her sword with a raucous clatter onto the stones.
"Come now, up, up!" Marianne said cheerily, twirling her swords absently. "I haven't had nearly enough fun yet!"
The redhead reached out with shaking hands towards her fallen weapon, gripping it with fingers that felt as brittle as glass. She tried to lift it, but failed.
"It looks like you're nearly at your limit though," the mad Empress observed somberly. "Just like Suzaku-kun."
Unbidden, Kallen chanced a glance behind her, to the platform below them, where the titanic battle between Suzaku and his strange doppelganger had been raging.
True to her word, Zero was failing- his swings were sluggish and reactions dull, a far cry from the young man whom Kallen had seen dodge bullets and jump clear over a Knightmare Frame with a single bound. His opponent, that dark version of Suzaku dressed as he once looked as the Knight of Seven, however, remained as relentless and absurdly athletic as ever, feeling neither pain nor exhaustion.
After badly missing a low slash, Suzaku was kicked in the chest by his mirror image and sent flying backwards again, crashing into a stone outcropping on the edge of the platform with a sickening crack.
He did not get up, and a chilling realization came to Kallen at that moment.
They were both going to die here.
"I can see it in your eyes… despair…" Marianne murmured, eyes glittering with relish, "Perfect. Even you two can now see that everything my son worked for was but a fleeting delusion, and has given way to the coldness of reality."
Kallen said nothing, and looked down.
"Before you two die then, I shall give you a reward," the Empress said, clapping her hands. "I shall show you the end of Lelouch's pitiful dreams, so that you can die with despair at knowing with certainty that you had failed."
And with a wave of her hand, the sky overhead warped and changed, clouds swirling like a drain, the sunset twilight becoming the outline of a night sky, filled with battleships of the Black Knights heading straight towards what Kallen recognized as the Shiroda forward base- the origin point of this entire crisis.
"Let us watch as the war renews itself, shall we?" Marianne said gleefully.
00000
From the bridge of the Vigilant, Guilford gripped the armrests of his command chair tightly.
"Sir, the Shiroda base has issued us their final warning. Any further action will result in an immediate military response," said his communication's officer.
"What word from Chairwoman Kaguya and the United Nations Council?" he asked slowly, mouth dry with trepidation.
"They've given us the green light to open fire, on your command."
Guilford swallowed, throat tight. This was it then.
"… begin the warm up cycle for the main Hadron Cannons, and tell the Merryweather, the Executor, and the Pillar of Autumn to follow our lead with their cannons as well. We will not fire unless fired upon, is that understood?" Guilford barked, and was greeted with an attentive affirmation by his crew.
He leaned forward, and set his jaw tightly.
Your move, Keima.
00000
"Captain, our sensors indicate that a number of ships in the enemy fleet have begun a warm up cycle of the Hadron Cannons."
Keima gritted his teeth. Why hadn't they listened and just left peacefully? Why couldn't they see that no one wanted this war, but if they kept pushing forward there was no choice left but to fight?
Orders are orders, he supposed darkly.
"Ready all missile batteries and anti aircraft guns. Target the Vigilant first- we'll cripple their command structure, and leave them leaderless," Keima declared, and the other soldiers did as they were ordered… just as he was doing, all of them ignoring that tiny part of their conscience that declared all of this as pure madness.
"On my signal… open fire."
00000
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Marianne said cheerfully, as they watched both Japan and the Black Knights prepare to open fire on each other and begin a new world war.
"Stop it…" Kallen whispered, aching, battered hands clenching into fists. "Just please, stop it…"
"It's already been done, dear," the Empress said, shrugging as if it were none of her concern. "Don't feel so bad though! This is just human nature coming to the surface, that's all."
"It was you who started this madness!" Kallen refuted desperately, eyes stinging with tears of frustration and sorrow that she fought hard not to shed.
"I nudged humanity, just a little, that's all," Marianne replied simply. "If they really wanted peace, if they really were like Lelouch dreamed them to be, wouldn't they have resisted and shrugged off my influence? All it took was a little suspicion and a few deaths, and voila! The world is back as it was, ready to plunge into another war."
Her smile turned sharp and cold. "This world is cold and cruel and vicious. The mask of warmth and peace that Lelouch cast over it has been shed, and its true face has been shown."
Kallen bit down hard on her lip. She wanted to say that the Empress was wrong, that she was full of crap, that the world could change, that Lelouch hadn't died for nothing…
But could she really, with Brittania and Japan ready to destroy each other yet again?
"Lelouch has lost," Marianne crowed. "And everything he sacrificed, everything he surrendered, has been rendered utterly meaningless."
She shook her head with a bemused look. "Really, how could I have raised such a fool. To believe in humanity, to think they were greater than the beasts they really are, to think they could change enough that he would give up his own life…"
Marianne smiled.
"And in the end, he was proven so very wrong. How very tragic."
00000
Two things happened simultaneously, and one immediately after.
At the Shiroda base, Keima issued a damning order.
"Fire at will-"
Aboard the Vigilant, Guilford readied himself to take the hit and return fire.
"Activate the Hadron Cannon-"
And at the same instant, a voice cut in before they finished, a voice no one thought they'd ever hear again.
00000
"He wasn't wrong."
Both Kallen and Marianne gave a start, and their gazes swiveled until they rested upon Suzaku, who was standing yet again, unbroken, and unbowed.
"He wasn't wrong," Zero declared again. "You are."
00000
"It's impossible," Guilford breathed. He couldn't see the face that appeared on the viewscreen of his ship, but he knew that voice as well as he knew his own Princess's.
"You're alive?" Keima whispered, hardly daring to believe it.
"I will say it again," Empress Nunnally Lamperouge said softly. "Please, lay down your weapons, everyone."
00000
"You're still breathing, hmm?" Marianne said, ignoring the view of the Shiroda base that she had painted in the sky. "And still spouting that same garbage… what a loyal dog you are to my son."
"Better a dog than a ghost," Suzaku spat back, glaring up at her. "I believe in Lelouch's dream. And I will never let you destroy it."
Before he could say anything more, the Knight of Seven, which had been standing idly off to the side, charged him, blade upraised.
Kallen gave off a cry of alarm, but Suzaku already anticipated the movement- after all, it was exactly how he would attack. Instead of raising his own sword to block, Suzaku did the last thing he should have done, and therefore the last thing the Knight of Seven would react to.
He caught the Knight of Seven's broadsword in one gloved hand- it bit deep into his hand and immediately sent a searing wave of pain through his nerves as blood spilled out from the gash, but he caught it early enough in the swing that it hardly had any force to it. With his opponent left entirely defenseless, Suzaku lunged forward and rammed his own sword deep into the heart of the Knight of Seven, ending the battle.
"Like I said," Suzaku said quietly, but his voice carried enough strength to reach the ears of all, "I will never let you win."
00000
"Everyone, lay down your arms. Please." Her words were soft but full of steel, not an order, yet not begging either.
She was inside the Tokyo Peace Memorial that Suzaku had seen from the sky days before, the towering obelisk she had built in memory of all those who had been lost in the previous wars- and secretly, one she built as a testament to her brother's tremendous sacrifice, an unspoken, hidden tragedy that she had wanted desperately to pay silent tribute to.
They were inside a hidden room where Cornelia and Nunnally's personal guard had set up for them hours before, complete with communications equipment received from Lloyd and Rakshata, allowing Nunnally to broadcast to the entire world at the same moment.
Standing next to her, just off screen, Cornelia gave her a supportive smile. Nunnally silently thanked her again for the warning she had delivered hours earlier.
A voice called out to her, coming from the plane.
"Get back, Empress!" Lilliane scrambled backwards, pulling her wheelchair frantically as the other four bodyguards made a human barrier between her and the Imperial jet.
All four soldiers pointed their weapons at the plane, just as a figure stepped out of waiting jet.
Nunnally's eyes widened.
"You are-"
Cornelia smiled. "Hello Nunnally."
Though she had been surprised when her older sister showed up at the hangar, it proved most fortuitous. They had taken a different, identical ship, sending the original one out first on autopilot, remotely directing it using a device Cornelia received from Lloyd and Rakshata hours earlier, when she had first visited their lab.
They had explained the situation to Cornelia, including Lelouch's plans and his suspicion that Nunnally would be targeted if she attempted to come to Japan. Cornelia left in secret back to the homeland to intercept Nunnally.
After the explosion, Nunnally wanted to appear immediately, but Cornelia convinced her to wait, to draw out their enemies. But now, at last, Nunnally could keep her silence no longer.
She had to speak.
"I know… I know that we have all hurt each other," Nunnally said slowly. "And we've all shed tears for the ones we have lost. And we have lost so very, very much already."
She thought of her brother, in those final moments, peaceful, as though sleeping, as his blood seeped out to stain the pure white of his imperial robes, unmourned, his death cheered for by the entire world- all except her.
"But please, is anger and violence really how we want to honor our fallen dead? Is that really how far we've come, after all the pain and sadness we've gone through to get here? Is that really the legacy we want to leave for our children?"
She gripped the front of her dress as though her chest was in pain.
"I say no. I say that we are better than this… this anger and hate… this meaningless war over old grievances. We are not bound by the ghosts of the past. We are moving towards a future, a future brighter than anything we can imagine. And yet we insist on trying to return to the past, instead of moving forward. What will that accomplish?"
Nunnally shook her head.
"Nothing. It will accomplish nothing but bringing more tears. One man kills another. And then he is killed for killing him. And then that man is killed by another. Sooner or later, we will run out of soldiers to sacrifice for wars we never really wanted to fight. So please, everyone… lay down your weapons."
Cornelia watched her from the side, wondering at the young woman speaking before her.
This was no grand speech like Lelouch would have given, full of enchanting words and compelling visions.
This was a girl, pleading for sanity, in a world that had gone mad without realizing it.
Nunnally eyes glittered with unshed tears.
In those eyes, Cornelia knew, women would see the husbands and sons they had lost, her loss and pain reflecting and amplifying their own. In her voice, men would hear the wailing of mothers, the whispers of the lost loves they fought for, and her youth resembling the daughters they swore to protect.
It was not a speech.
It was a wish.
"So I ask you once again… lay down your arms. Let us find a different way… a better way." Nunnally clasped her hands tightly, and allowed a single tear to run down her cheek. "If not for ourselves, if not for the future… then for those who have already given their lives to give us this tiny hope for peace."
She bowed her head.
"Please."
00000
"Orders, sir?"
Keima heard the voice of the Corporal next to him only faintly, as though it had traveled from a distant star.
He opened his mouth to speak, but the words became stuck in his throat, choking him.
"Your orders, please, captain," the Corporal repeated, half begging, needing some kind of guidance. Keima realized absently that the rest of his soldiers had also turned towards him- in each of their eyes, he saw the same hesitation that stormed inside of his own heart. They were wavering, and had fallen back on their military training, that desire for guidance from a superior officer.
And right now, that was him.
"… stand down."
Not a man moved, the soldiers frozen before his eyes.
"I said stand down. All units are to disarm and stand down," Keima repeated tiredly, shutting his eyes as he removed his glasses, wiping them against his shirt. "Call the Vigilant, tell them I am surrendering the Shiroda base to the custody of the Black Knights and hereby resign my command as commander. I am voluntarily going into custody as well, to insure that my men are treated fairly as prisoners of war. "
And without waiting for a reply, he walked away.
00000
"That bitch!" Hideyoshi raged, sweeping his desk clear of all its contents, sending them to the floor with a loud clatter.
The soldiers next to him shifted uneasily, glancing at each other. They too had heard the Empress' heartfelt wish, but dared not express any of their sentiments in front of Hideyoshi. He was still their leader… or so they wanted to believe.
"You told me she was dead!" he said accusingly, shooting a venomous glare at his assistant Hanekoma, who flinched.
"She must have been warned ahead of time. I promise, I had no knowledge of her continued survival," Hanekoma said slowly. "At any rate sir, what is our plan from here?"
"Our plan?" Hideyoshi asked, momentarily incredulous, before he shut his eyes and nodded. "Toudou is landing within a few minutes. I'll simply have him help me regain control of the situation. Yeah… that will work."
His voice gained strength as he continued, and a faint smirk even returned to his face. "I will still have control over most of the military, with Toudou's help. And all that little bitch managed to do was stall the inevitable. People might show a little sympathy today, but Japan still remains independent. We still have control."
Hideyoshi stood. "Come, Hanekoma. We have a lot to do."
One minor setback was hardly the end.
00000
"Damn it, we're too late!" Ougi swore uncharacteristically, moments are they had come bursting into the Prime Minister's office where Hideyoshi had briefly taken to.
Viletta, who had been picking through some of the papers, came across the memo Hideyoshi had received earlier, and gave a start.
"Kaname," she called out, waving him and Minami over, "He's on the roof. Toudou is coming and he must be planning to meet up with him to escape."
Minami and Ougi briefly shared a glance. They had been comrades with Toudou for several years- tonight, would they have to end that long camaraderie tonight with bloodshed?
"Let's hurry. God only knows how long Jeremiah and the others can hold off the soldiers," Viletta reminded them, starting towards the door. The two men followed close behind, both of them still contemplating the idea that they would have to shoot Toudou to bring this matter to a close.
00000
The Kusanagi was a magnificent ship, even beyond its symbolic meaning to Hideyoshi as a means of escape and the promise that he still had control over this situation. It had settled above the government building, holding a stationary position high above as Toudou's personal shuttle descended from its belly to land atop the rooftop.
"Hideyoshi!" came the angry voice of his former superior, Ougi Kaname, as he burst through the rooftop door-
And ran straight into a wall of stony faced soldiers, complete with their rifles pointed straight at him and his companions.
"Come now, Ougi, did you honestly think I didn't anticipate you following me up here?" Hideyoshi scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Now, just wait a moment. I think I'll let the General decide your fate- he might be merciful and suggest we simply imprison you and your friends for life instead of an immediate execution. Perhaps even exile."
Ougi gritted his teeth helplessly as his weapons were stripped from him and he was held in the iron grips of two soldiers, as was his wife and Minami. They were forced to their knees, helpless.
"A brave attempt, I must admit," Hideyoshi continued lightly. "And the Empress' apparent resurrection was a powerful move, but ultimately irrelevant in the overall scheme of things. Japan remains under my control, and with Toudou at my side the army will continue to move as I will it to."
The shuttle landed, and Hideyoshi strode towards it with a confident smirk as Toudou exited the doors, dressed in his old military outfit, katana held loosely in one gloved hand. Behind him fanned out several soldiers- Nagisa, Ougi noted, was not among them.
"General!" Hideyoshi greeted cordially, extending his hand, which Toudou took with an impassive look. "I'm glad you've come. You're just in time to help me deal with this little insurrection."
"That is why I came," Toudou rumbled, tone devoid of emotion as he stared directly at the former Prime Minister.
Ougi met his stony gaze, still in disbelief- he had known there was a chance Toudou would turn against them, but to have it happen in front of his very own eyes was quite another thing entirely.
"So, shall we get started immediately?" Hideyoshi asked, with barely restrained glee as he turned back towards Ougi, a triumphant look in his eyes.
"We shall," Toudou agreed. He drew his katana with a slow flourish, taking a careful step forward, eyes never leaving Ougi's gaze.
With a single swift motion, he turned, and severed Hideyoshi's head with a single sweep of his katana, cutting through neck and bone with a single powerful stroke.
Before the body had time to fall, he barked, "Now!"
The soldiers who had exited the shuttle with Toudou immediately surrounded Hideyoshi's surprised guards, who dropped their weapons without protest.
Before Ougi could even process what had just happened, Toudou stepped towards him with swift, powerful strides, and then bowed.
"My apologies for the wait, Prime Minister," Toudou said crisply. "I should have been here sooner."
And at last, Ougi found his voice again.
Shakily, he said, tone uncertain, "Toudou… did you just make a joke?"
00000
"NO!" Marianne raged, fists clenched tight with impotent rage as she watched the soldiers at Shiroda surrender peacefully to the Black Knights. "NO! NO! NO! THIS IS NOT HOW IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE!"
Suzaku and Kallen both stared as the once composed Empress descended into a fit of rage, stamping her feet and roaring fury at the images passing before their eyes. Suzaku had made his way up to the top platform, next to Kallen, hand still bleeding profusely, but he ignored it for the moment.
"You've lost, Marianne," came a cool voice, and Suzaku and Kallen turned to see C.C. stagger to her feet. Her restraining suit was still stained with blood where she had been stabbed earlier by the mad Empress, and she looked deathly pale, but her voice carried strength. "It's over."
"IT IS NOT OVER!" Marianne screeched, whirling on her.
Even Suzaku and Kallen took a brief step back at the insane glint in her eyes, that mad fury that only the powerful can have when faced with their own failures.
"I still have control over the gods! I still hold power over the World of C! Watch this!" she declared as she extended her hands to the sky, as she had done before when she summoned the doppelganger Knight of Seven and her twin swords-
But nothing happened.
"W-what's happening?" Marianne whispered, face ashen and slack with shock as her hand dropped limply to her sides.
"You've lost," C.C. repeated. "You have no more power over mankind- they have thrown off your Geass."
"Impossible!" the Empress snarled, pretty lips drawn back into a vicious look that seemed more akin to a wild beast's than a woman's. "You and I both know there is no way to overcome a Geass once it is cast, not without another kind of power."
"There was another kind of power," C.C. answered simply. "A wish, just like Lelouch made when he defeated you and Charles the first time. Only this time, this wish wasn't made by one man influencing all of the world, but by all humanity- just for instant, but it was enough to break your hold."
Unexpectedly, Marianne laughed mockingly, high and lilting, like breaking glass. "You really believe that? You think that mankind's will, that a simple wish can break the power of Geass?"
"It just did," Suzaku cut in coldly, stepping in line behind C.C. with a defiant stance. "Humanity just proved it was better than you believed."
"You were wrong," Kallen agreed, stepping forward as well. "Lelouch's dream is more than that. It's real, and it's stronger than you."
"Shut up!" Marianne shrieked, trying to lunge at them, but C.C. stepped forward, into her stance, and slapped her full across the face.
As the Empress reeled from the blow, the witch spoke.
"We don't belong in this world, Marianne," C.C. said coldly. "You and I, we're just ghosts of the past, revenants of a darker age. We don't have a right to exist. The future is for the living."
Marianne opened her mouth to deliver a scathing reply, when she realized with a start that her body had begun disappearing. "W-what is this!"
Suzaku and Kallen took a momentary step back in surprise as well, though Suzaku quickly realized where had had seen this before and regained his composure quickly.
"Lelouch's will remains with the gods, Marianne," C.C. reminded her flatly. "You did not disappear then… but you will now."
Marianne glanced down at her disappearing form, and, after a few moments of obviously struggling with herself, the rage faded, replaced by a melancholic resignation. "So, this is the end, hmm?"
"Goodbye, Marianne," C.C. whispered, and looked away.
"Such courtesy." The Empress clicked her tongue in bemusement.
"Once upon a time, we were friends," C.C. said simply.
"So we were," Marianne agreed. She cast the witch an edged smile. "I'll see you on the other side then, C.C. At the end of all things. But remember this- I may have lost, but there will be others to challenge this dream. Do not think because you passed one trial that you will pass the next."
"We will," Suzaku assured her coldly, determinedly. "I will never let those like you win. As long as people like you exist, people like us will be right there too. I will always be here, between you and the world."
Marianne gave him a wry look and an unfriendly smile.
"I wonder… how long can you hold the mantle of justice before it breaks you?" she asked rhetorically. Even as her body faded, swallowed up by the World of C, still she smiled at him, until that too faded into the sunset sky."I look forward to finding out…"
And with that, Marianne vi Brittania, the last of the Geass users, vanished.
Author's Notes
This took longer than I thought to write. Blame Umineko. Stupid game. I heartily recommend everyone play it though. I posted this chapter specifically today (with 30 minutes or so left!) because it was the one year anniversary since Turn 25 was first shown, and I thought it extremely fitting. Forgive any spelling errors as I posted it rather hastily- I'll go back and fix them later.
The title of this chapter is from the song by the same name of Matchbox Twenty, which pretty much summarizes the entire point of this chapter. The quote is from a song by Dispatch that accurately captures the sentiments of the chapter, I think.
I am never writing a fight scene between a man and his alter-ego clone. Ever again. Way too confusing, and it took a lot of time to choreograph in my head. (Though that might be because I kept playing Final Fantasy Dissidia as "inspiration"… in my defense, Cloud has the same seiyuu as Suzaku. So technically, it counts. Sort of.) Also, I started utilizing what I remember from the famous fight with Dark Link in The Ocarina of Time (and if you have not played this game, I weep for your childhood), so that probably started showing in the fight.
Kamijou Touma was lifted from To Aru Majutsu no Index, my favorite anime of the last year, which I highly recommend to… well, anyone who likes magic and science. Or anime. And there was a reference to the original Halo in here, if anyone caught it.
And a big GOT YOU to everyone who thought Nunnally was dead. I have no qualms about killing off characters, but with this story I wanted all named characters alive. Otherwise it just wouldn't work thematically for me.
Well guys, I'll see you in the epilogue- and trust me, if you think I've shown you every card in my hand, you'd be wrong. So stay tuned.