Pre-notes: This one was especially hard to write. I have it all played out in my head, but I was also against writing down what's probably in every 'Lelouch is alive' fic already out there. Before, I'd stop and work on a different tangent while trying to decide what to do, but, as this is one of the last ones, there was nothing else to work on. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Disclaimer: Code Geass belongs to Sunrise.

Part 3.042: An End and a Beginning

"The Supreme Council will now have your answers.

"Ohgi Kaname?"

"Yes."

"Gino Weinberg?"

"Yes."

"Tohdoh Kyoshiro?"

"Uncertain."

"Diethard Reid?"

"Yes."

"Bring Tamaki Shin'ichiro."

Lelouch was confused and did not bother to hide it.

Of course, Lelouch being who he was, his mind was already running through many possible scenarios that would explain what was going on, but there just weren't enough facts to narrow them down.

He wasn't even aware of the exact amount of time that passed since Gino Weinberg found him and Kallen in that cave; and waking up handcuffed and blindfolded prevented him from even getting a clue. He remembers being fed and then transferred to another cell, but the blindfold blurred the difference between his sleeping and waking moments. He had tried asking for the time, of course, but he quickly learned that the strange weight on his neck was a collar that kept him from using his voice -- similar to the one that was used on Suzaku when he was accused of killing Prince Clovis. Clearly, they weren't taking any more chances with his Geass.

Working with what facts he did have, he tried to devise a plan that would make fulfilling his promise to Kallen possible. There weren't many options, of course, having planned Zero Requiem so well and far ahead that it rendered turning back a non-option. While he had already decided to drop all his masks the next time he spoke to the Black Knights, he was at their mercy until then. There was also the possibility -- no, probability -- that he would not be allowed to speak in his trial. The charter he helped write pretty much guaranteed that, so long as no one showed up for his defense.

Not realizing he had been dozing again, he was surprised when the blindfold was finally removed to reveal Ohgi towering over him. Without another word he was led to where he was standing now.

He was hoping to get some answers, but all he got was more questions: What questions were they answering just now? Why did the four meet him at different points on the way from his cell to the Hall of Justice? What did they want from Tamaki?

A short moment later, the doors behind him opened to admit a guard leading a handcuffed Tamaki, clad in the trousers and shirt of his emperor's clothing. It was unnerving that he wasn't swearing up a storm, but Lelouch supposed he was trying to make up for getting found out earlier than planned. It wouldn't do much good once he was under oath, though.

"Tamaki Shin'ichiro," began Kaguya from her seat in the Supreme Council when the doors closed, "You were given one question to answer on the way to this Hall. Be reminded that these walls are sacred, and that you are duty- and honor-bound to say nothing but the truth.

"Now, let us hear your answer to the question."

Tamaki seemed to hesitate, but answered after giving a brief look of apology to Lelouch: "Yes!"

That look that Tamaki just had gave him a clue, but still wasn't enough to work with. He quickly scanned the faces of those present to get some other clue. His train of thought was interrupted, however, when he spotted an ornate wheelchair and its occupant.

"...Nun-!" He winced when the collar did its job of silencing him, but it was enough to make Nunnally turn her head towards him. Kaguya's voice brought his attention back to the proceedings.

"Villetta Nu, you may proceed."

"Yes, Your Honor," Villetta replied as she approached him.

"Hold him," she said as she pulled a small device from her pocket. He then felt two sets of hands hold him in place, forcing him to bow slightly so she could reach him more easily. Villetta then reached out to hold his right eye open. He involuntarily struggled when memories of being immobilized so his father could cast his Geass on him came to the surface. He regained control when he heard Diethard speak from his left.

"Calm down. It's alright."

Had he not been rendered partially blind from the dark spots caused by the light Villetta trained at his eyes, he would have noticed the look of disbelief that briefly came across her face. He felt himself being released as she turned to face the Supreme Council to give her findings.

"It is as Governor Nunnally said."

Now Lelouch was getting frustrated. What were they talking about? What did Nunnally tell them? Why was she even here?!

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Supreme Council," began Kaguya, "Seven key facts involving the identity of this man have been presented. Of those facts six were confirmed, none were disputed, and one without a definite answer. I hereby move to have this man released, lest the UFN suffer the shame of condemning the wrong man. All in favor of the motion, please rise."

The rumble that came with the movement of multiple people leaving their seats was reminiscent of when the vote to liberate Japan was made. While there were a few who did not stand up immediately, they followed soon after, having no real reason to dispute the evidence presented.

"So be it."

"You are one lucky young man, you know that?" Diethard told Lelouch after they were moved to a room to rest in after the vote. The collar and handcuffs had been removed before they left the Hall of Justice.

"If Gino Weinberg had a different idea from what we planned out, I doubt any of us could have made up a convincing enough cover story on such short notice."

"You mean the impostor idea wasn't entirely yours?" asked Lelouch, clearly surprised.

"Not exactly. The Knight of Three arrived at the Hall well ahead of us, and was already in the middle of his testimony when we arrived. He was saying that when he found you and Captain Kouzuki, you were acting more like the student he knew from Ashford Academy than the cruel emperor. He was also the one that presented the theory that Lelouch Lamperouge dressed up as Zero to destroy the Damocles, but wasn't able to present a motive for you to do that. In the end, our impostor story supported his theory."

"I see," he acknowledged. "What about the questions you were given to answer?"

"Us confirming your identity, though at individual points-of-view. To me, it was whether or not it was you who I worked with on blowing the Damocles up; to Gino, whether or not you were the student at Ashford; to Vice-Commander Ohgi, it was whether or not you're different from the one they captured from the Avalon; and to General Tohdoh, whether or not you're the boy he knew from Kururugi's shrine. As for why we met you along the way to the Hall, it was to get a better impression of you than just looking at you from the stand."

"Gino suggested the walk, didn't he?"

"How did you know?"

"He asked Ohgi about Kallen's condition before we reached Tohdoh. He must have planned it so Ohgi would see my reaction when I hear about it. Now I wonder if it did end up influencing his answer. What about Tamaki?"

"Whether or not you were the one who made him dress as the Demon Emperor. I've modified the sequence of actual events a bit to set the switch sometime after presenting 'you' to Prince Schneizel. The 'impostor' had since been left in the Damocles to be judged by Zero. Tamaki probably thought he was dooming you by answering truthfully, but was actually helping you out." Lelouch smirked.

"Quite the story weaver. Now I don't know if I should be glad or scared that you can come up with such a story."

"'Glad,' I hope. I'd very much like to hear your feedback when I finally publish Zero's chronicles. Jeremiah should be joining us soon. I suggest you get cleaned up before then." Diethard threw a towel towards Lelouch, which the latter barely caught before it hit his head.

"Ordering me around now, are you?"

"We wouldn't want to blow our story now, would we?" Diethard replied, smirking.

"What about Suzaku?"

"Waiting in the mini-jet until further notice. Should we tell Jeremiah to bring him along?"

"Do that," he replied as he moved to enter the room's shower stall. "If all goes well, he won't need to go into hiding anymore."

.o.O.o.

Now wearing a plain white long-sleeved shirt and black pants, Lelouch - followed by Diethard, Jeremiah, and a bandaged Suzaku - was seen walking towards a smaller conference room where he would be meeting with the Black Knights. Upon arrival, Lelouch easily spotted Nunnally, who was talking animatedly with Gino and Kaguya. Seeing him approach, the two moved away quietly, leaving a confused Nunnally to wonder about their sudden silence. Her quiet confusion soon turned into happy sobs when she recognized her brother's hands taking hers. Barely able to contain his emotions himself, Lelouch let his tears fall as he held his beloved sister tightly.

For a long moment, none of the other occupants of the room dared to disturb the siblings' reunion. The Black Knights, after all, have been fighting with the power of their hearts, and this was the first time their former leader's heart was bared for all of them to see. Setting aside the fact that he was a Britannian prince, he was just like the rest of them -- he had been fighting for those who couldn't fight back. He wasn't using them at all, but was really lending them what strength he did have.

So this is what Kallen saw in him, Ohgi caught himself thinking. Nevertheless, Lelouch had a few things to answer for.

Ohgi didn't have to wait long, as the siblings ended their embrace soon after. Every one in the room was surprised, however, to see Nunnally with her eyes opened. Lelouch turned momentarily to face Jeremiah, who only shook his head, apparently just as surprised as the rest of them.

"This must mean my wish came true," said Nunnally, smiling.

"Yes," agreed Lelouch while returning the smile, "I suppose it did."

So it's truly, finally over, Lelouch thought as he stood and turned to face the Black Knights.

"You want answers. You will have them."

After double-checking the locks to the room and disabling whatever recording devices there were (much to Diethard's disappointment), everyone took a seat to begin the interview. Nunnally's wheelchair was wheeled into the space between the chairs Lelouch and Suzaku occupied. Tohdoh, Ohgi, and Xingke sat directly across them. Villetta, Tamaki, Minami, and Sugiyama sat to Ohgi's right, while Kaguya, Rakshata, Diethard, and Chiba sat to Xingke's left. Gino took his seat beside Suzaku, and Jeremiah beside Lelouch. Throughout the interview, Nunnally held her brother's hand in a show of support, to which he was very grateful.

He answered their questions the best he could, though when it came to questions regarding some of their 'miraculous' victories, he found himself hesitating, somewhat unwilling to let some of the answers reach his sister's ears. She somehow sensed this and let him know as much, and he quickly learned there was actually some relief to be found in not holding anything back. That didn't mean, however, that there weren't any questions he dreaded answering.

"Is it true that you ordered Princess Euphemia to give the order to kill all Japanese?"

There it was. So Schneizel did mention the incident at the SAZ. If there was one event that would truly make the Black Knights turn against him, it was the fact that he was responsible for so much innocent Japanese blood being spilled. He already told Suzaku one truth about it, but not the whole truth. It was a truth his friend wanted to hear, and he held everything else back just so he could make him agree to protect Nunnally. He felt her give his hand a light squeeze. Yes, he would tell them everything this time.

"I had no intention to," he started tentatively, "but, yes, I gave the order."

An angry murmur exploded with that statement, but Xingke quickly brought order so he may ask his question.

"What did you mean by having no intention to?"

Lelouch took a deep breath, thankful for the chance to explain himself. "The Geass becomes more powerful with every use. At first, I had to concentrate to draw its power out before I can make a person follow my orders. When it evolved I could no longer turn it off, and any word or phrase that remotely resembles a request or a command will be followed by whoever I had eye contact with. It evolved just as I was reciting in jest the things I can make her do that could ruin her image."

"Why didn't you just order her to not go on with it?" It was Villetta who spoke.

"Because I can only use it once on any person. It will remain in effect until all conditions of the order have been met, or the person is rendered unable to complete the order."

"So you killed her," said Suzaku from beside Nunnally.

"...so I killed her," affirmed Lelouch, unable to face his friend.

"There is one other thing," said Tohdoh when he decided the silence had stretched long enough. "Before we declared the formation of the UFN, you took Squad Zero on a top-secret mission. Vice-captain Kinoshita was able to leave an account of it to Asahina, who, in turn, forwarded it to me just before the FLEIJA killed him. I would have you tell us about that mission."

Lelouch let out a bitter laugh. He had hoped all that transpired in that mission were kept under lock and key. He had under-estimated the human conscience, having silenced his own time and again so he could achieve his goals. If there was one thing he didn't want Nunnally to know about, it was that mission, and Tohdoh had put it on the table. He could tell that the rest of the people in the room, save for Jeremiah, were clueless, but there was no way out of it. He took a deep breath. Maybe he could word it so they wouldn't all be reaching for his throat afterward, but Nunnally would probably hate him no matter how he worded it.

"You may want to cover your ears, Nunnally," he told her half-jokingly. It should give her an idea how bad it could get. If she wanted to hear it, the choice was hers.

"I'm here for you, Oniisama," came her reply.

"I won't blame you if you will hate me for what you are about to hear."

"You're here because you're taking responsibility," she replied after some thought. "What's done is done, but you want to set things right. I can't hate you for that."

Drawing strength from his sister's words, Lelouch now addressed the rest of the room.

"My Geass is not the only kind there is. A different ability manifests in every Geass user. There are those who can read minds, alter memories, take over your body, take over your mind -- and not all of them have the limitations that mine has.

"Now, imagine an entire city with a population of roughly the number of casualties from the FLEIJA in Tokyo Settlement, all possessing some form of power of Geass. All of them trained to only follow orders, with no value for human life, no sense of self, no knowledge of what it's like to be human. Rolo was one of them, an assassin with the ability to suspend a person's sense of time. His power does not have the restriction of eye contact, and will have an effect on people within a certain radius. That's how his Vincent knightmare appeared to have impossible speed." He took a breath before continuing.

"At first I wanted to take control of them, since I was able to make Rolo change sides. However, an incident involving... a friend... of mine showed what little control over him I did have, and how dangerous having too many people like him -- people with Geass -- could be."

"Shirley," whispered Suzaku. Lelouch only nodded.

"So with the information Jeremiah had on the location of that city, I told C.C. to bring Squad Zero, led a surprise attack and... annihilated them."

"Women and children....!" came Tohdoh's strained voice.

"...with abilities far more dangerous compared to a madman with all the Knightmares in the world," countered Lelouch. "I won't deny that I ordered an attack against unarmed people, but I could not -- will not -- let any more people suffer because of Geass." Tohdoh stood angrily at this.

"You dare say that now?!"

"My brother is speaking the truth, Tohdoh-san," came Nunnally's determined voice. "He has not spoken a single falsehood since we started." This had calmed him somewhat, and slowly returned to his seat.

"What of your soldiers, then?"

"To stifle their arrogance," he quickly replied. "Most of them joined the military so they can consider themselves to be above the common folk. A single ego attack would derail my plans against Schneizel, so I cast it on them to follow my orders absolutely. Those truly loyal to the throne, I assigned elsewhere."

"And Guilford?"

"To balance out Kallen's absence. I intended to reunite him with Cornelia after the siege of Tokyo then use them as bargaining tools, but Schneizel had other plans."

"What about him?"

It was Gino who spoke, jabbing a thumb towards Jeremiah.

"I heard he was obsessed with taking Zero down after the Orange incident. How come he's on your side now?"

"His loyalty was to my mother, Marianne vi Britannia. When he found out who it was under the mask, he willingly joined the Black Knights."

"No way! 'The Flash' was your mom?! Who would have thought such a wea-," he paused at the glare Lelouch sent his way. "Er, never mind, then. Carry on."

"I think I speak for everyone with what I'm about to ask," began Ohgi. "Did you use your Geass on any of the Black Knights?"

"Besides Jeremiah, only on two others. They're both not in this room." Ohgi's visage darkened at his response.

"Who were they?"

"Kallen," Lelouch replied, "and Sayoko. The commands I gave them had nothing to do with their loyalty. I earned their confidence and yours the old-fashioned way."

"I believe him," said Kaguya. "The loyalty I've seen in those two were genuine. They've served Zero with their hearts, and by their own free will." Villetta spoke next.

"Will the effects of your Geass wear off now that it's gone?" The question earned her a confused look from Lelouch.

"I don't understand."

"The light I trained at your eyes during the trial," she replied, "it detects signs of having a Geass power. When you lost your memories and it became dormant, traces still showed. During the trial, there were none."

"If your detection method is light-based, then my contacts would've probably-"

He paused, surprised that his hands felt no trace of the contact lenses that blocked his fully-evolved Geass. A check through a reflective surface on Nunnally's wheelchair revealed that the eerie red glow that came with the bird-shaped sigil truly was absent.

"How-?"

"C.C.-san told me in a dream that it would be gone," came Nunnally's voice. Her face grew concerned when her brother's confused look remained. "I thought you already knew."

"I didn't," he answered. He was sure he found no mark of the Code when he showered, and, from what he learned from C.C. and his father, it was the only way to lose the Geass.

"If we can ask C.C.-"

"No help there," cut in Sugiyama. "We found her in Kaminejima the same day Weinberg found you. She didn't seem to be hurt, but she won't wake up."

What's going on? Lelouch thought. Kallen had metioned hearing C.C.'s voice before meeting his younger self. He lost his memories of that event, then C.C. recently made him remember. Now his Geass was gone. She managed to tell Nunnally about it, but he himself had no clue when it happened. If she was in no condition to be asked for an explanation,

"Then I don't have the answer. What I know of the Geass, I learned from her."

The silence that came afterward was shattered when Tamaki's stomach let out an especially loud growl. Only then did any of them bothered to check the time. It had been over six hours since they started. Ohgi stood and addressed the group.

"Since we've reached a dead end, I move to declare this interview concluded. All in favor?" All seated on his side of the long oval table raised their hands, Tamaki quite enthusiastically. Ohgi nodded and turned to address Lelouch.

"Since we are the UFN's military arm, the Black Knights can not and will not go against what the Supreme Council wishes. However, us being aware about the whole truth regarding your identity and your crimes, we are also duty-bound to deliver the appropriate punishment. Do you agree to submit to our authority?" Lelouch nodded.

"I am in your hands."

"As for Kururugi Suzaku, being an Honorary Britannian and is therefore under Britannia's jurisdiction, we leave to Britannia to be dealt with. Is this acceptable, er, Governor?"

"Yes, it is. Thank you, Vice-Commander."

"Then we will adjourn. We will be informing you of our decision after the Supreme Council announces theirs. Until then, you are to stay in the quarters we've assigned to you. Good night, everyone."

"If I may," Lelouch spoke just as everyone began to leave the room, "I would like to speak with Ohgi. In private."

After giving Villetta and Nunnally assurances that everything would be all right, the rest of the room filed out (to head for the Mess Hall, in Tamaki's case) and left the two of them alone. Ohgi locked the door behind the last person who left. Turning to face Lelouch, he crossed his arms, in a posture that conveys that he was still unsatisfied with how things were.

"Well?"

From his position behind his seat, Lelouch stood wearing a tired expression, then turned to face Ohgi and spoke in a somewhat contrite manner,

"I meant to mention this earlier, but the air was so tense, I wasn't sure how they would react. The mask over Jeremiah's left eye has something called a Geass Canceler, and has the ability to undo the effects of all forms of Geass. Tell everyone that whoever thinks I've used my Geass on them to see him any time tomorrow, and he will undo it. He already has orders to do so if anybody does come."

"Why tell me this?"

"They will listen to you. You're a good man, and they all see a part of themselves in you. Zero was someone to look up to; you are someone they can relate to. That was why you were chosen to be Vice-Commander."

Ohgi's arms loosened a bit at the revelation, but he quickly righted himself and answered,

"Very well. Will that be all?" He saw Lelouch lower his face some more then move his gaze to everywhere in front of him but not at him, suddenly looking like the eighteen-year-old that he was.

"Can I... see her?"

"No," came his easy reply, to which Lelouch's face fell.

"Actually, none of us are allowed to visit," he found himself quickly adding. "The doctors said no visitors until she wakes up and they've done another once-over on her. Rest assured, though, she's out of danger."

"I see. Thank you."

Ohgi took a moment to observe his former commander. It felt strange to finally see who was behind the mask and see him just as human as the rest of them. Now he wondered if he himself would have followed this young man had he chosen to reveal his identity to them long ago. Part of Zero's charisma, after all, was in the air of mystery that came with the mask. Zero, having no past, was defined by results that he delivered. The mere fact that 'Lelouch' was Britannian would get him kicked out of the organization straight away. Moreover, the more senior members would not submit themselves to be ordered around by a mere student. Perhaps hiding behind the mask was a good idea, after all.

"Come on," he finally said while opening the door behind him, "you're probably exhausted from all that. Go get some rest."

Ohgi watched on as the private jet carrying Lelouch and Sayoko faded into the eastern horizon. To keep appearances that the passenger was a mere student, the two escort Akatsuki Knightmares would return to Penglai Island before they enter Japanese airspace. The Britannian imperial private jet (that somehow escaped damage) would be leaving for Britannia shortly with Nunnally, Suzaku, and Jeremiah aboard.

The Supreme Council deciding to confine him in Ashford Academy worked well with their plan. While being 'protected' he would also be 'incarcerated'. Through the work he agreed to do for them they could test his sincerity in making amends. Not that any of them doubted it, though, but they didn't want him to think he got off easy, either. A couple of especially difficult dummy reports should be enough to send the message.

He sighed. In the end, none of them came forward to 'have their Geass undone'. Now that the stress that the war cast on all of them was gone, they all understood that, when they followed Lelouch's orders during his time as Zero, they did so by their own free will. Schneizel was indeed very talented with manipulating people through their emotions.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt his phone vibrate. He reached into his pocket and answered it promptly.

"Ohgi here... Yes?.. I see. I'll be right there. Don't let anyone go in before I do."

Moments later he arrived at the medical wing's intensive care ward. Already Tamaki, Sugiyama, Minami, and Gino were outside the door to Kallen's room, waiting to be let in. The doctors did as they were instructed and let Ohgi enter alone. Sure enough, Kallen was awake and was sitting up, though looking somewhat confused. She smiled when she saw him approach.

Ohgi steeled himself. What he was about to do would seem cruel, but they have all agreed with this course of action. He would not be lying, after all, just not telling her the whole truth. However, he knew he would be breaking her heart, and that was something Naoto would probably hate him for. She was asking about Lelouch now, and he sighed. There was no avoiding the subject.

"I'm sorry, Kallen," he began. "They expedited his trial while you were asleep. His sentence had already been carried out."

.

End-notes: Longest tangent yet, and I couldn't bring myself to divide it. Hope it wasn't much of an eyesore.

Date last edited: 2009-03-02