I do not own Code Geass

The truth was, Lelouch had been thinking. He had been thinking for a very long time.

The only way he or CC knew to become mortal and die would be to give their codes to someone else, however, in order to do that, they would have to give someone else the power of geass. Lelouch of course, could just command someone to take his code, because while he was now immortal, he still had the power to control people because it was Charles's code he took, not CC - who had given him the geass power. So, if he simply just commanded someone to take their codes, they could die worry free.

But why do that? Why make someone take on the burden that he had willingly accepted? No, this was his mistake and his alone. And the same went for CC. So they would have to find another way to die.

And that was when he got an idea. The sole purpose for he and CC's existence and immortality was to give people this remarkable power. So if the power was no longer needed in the world, wouldn't if make sense for the people controlling the power to go away? So if he and CC created a world where geass was no longer necessary - or at least, no one else possessed the power, they would become mortal, right? It was like a government of it's own - when Japan fell to Britannia, the Japanese government disappeared because it was no longer needed. Hopefully, geass had the same principles. So all he and CC had to do, was find every person in the world who had geass, and take it away.

No! he told himself. That's too impossible. There's no way to tell who does and who does not have the power. An idea like that probably wouldn't work anyway! Think clearly, damn it . . .

Perhaps there is no way. CC and truly will have to live forever, and watch everyone around us die . . . No, no that can't happen. That just can't happen. What we need to do is find someone who wants immortality, and offer it to them. Yes, then that won't be forcing our burden on anyone. If we can just find someone who won't abuse this power, and who truly wants to live forever . . . But there can't possibly be a person out there who seeks immortality and wouldn't abuse this power. There's just not someone in existence. Maybe if we went back to Area 11 and talked with the Black Knights . . .

He continued to think like this; coming up with impossible ideas and then catching himself. His greatest weakness was that he didn't understand humans as well as he did battle strategy, and that was what had cause almost all of his problems in life. He would never come up with a way to beat this curse he had taken on, so perhaps, just this once, it would be better to simply give up and stop trying.

And he was about to, too, until CC looked up at him as they walked back to their cart and said, "Lelouch, I want to go back to Area 11."

A day off, Suzaku thought to himself. I haven't had one of these since I became Zero . . . I have no idea how to spend my time like this! It's not like I can just go outside, everyone would recognize me, and I'd probably be shot or something . . . And if I take off the mask, I'm in trouble because then people will see that I'm actually . . .

He tried to shake the thoughts from his head. He was over thinking the entire situation. All he really needed was a hood and some blacked out sunglasses and he'd be safe and sound.

Although it's raining, he thought. But sunglasses in the rain is better than being a ghost-knight . . .

And where to go? He could really go anywhere, and there were so many places he hadn't been to in so long. He could catch a movie, of course, he'd have no one to see it with. He could go skating, but again, he'd be alone. The beach is pointless on rainy days, and it was also a Sunday, so everything was closed!

Oh, I've got it! He mentally gave himself a pat on the back. Rainy days are perfect for visiting graves. I can go lay out some flowers for Lelouch and finally clean off all that graffiti people have left on and around his stone . . . Yes, this is the only time I'd be able to anyway.

And so that's what he did. After changing into a baggy gray sweatshirt and digging up a pair of old sunglasses, he sneaked down one of the deserted corridors of the palace and outside. The graveyard wasn't far away, so despite the rain, he chose to walk.

However, he did get sidetracked a few times. It had been so long since he had seen any of the things he was walking by, and he hadn't realized exactly how much he had missed it. He stopped at a hotdog stand and got himself some lunch, then he took a short detour into the pet store to look at the cats. Aurthur hadn't been found after everything that happened with Lelouch and all the craziness, and Suzaku was deeply starting to miss having a companion, so a new cat seemed like a good answer. There were many kittens at the pet store, but none of them really seemed as perfect as the stray that he and Euphy and rescued from a hurt leg all that time ago . . .

When he finally did arrive at the graveyard, it had been about an hour since he left his room.

Princess Nunnally is probably back by now, he told himself. But she did give me the entire day, so . . . Maybe a little while longer wouldn't hurt.

Caring a bag of rags and cleaner, he walked over to his dead friend's grave. Many people had arrogantly written in permanent marker and spray paint all over the gravestone. Things like crossing out "Rest in Peace" and writing "rot in pieces" or "burn in hell" or a very few choice swear words. Suzaku sighed at the sight, thinking that if only these people had known the reason Lelouch had died, they wouldn't have defaced his final resting place in such a manner.

Kneeling down in the muddy grass, Suzaku began to scrub away all the graffiti on the grave, with much appreciated help from the rain. The only issue was that it prevented the cleaner from working as well as it could have, but at the same time, it helped wash out the paint, so Suzaku couldn't really complain.

What felt like hours later, he stood, satisfied with his cleaning efforts. As he made to exit the grave yard, he stopped and turned around, to take one final glance at the headstones. There was one other grave he had been thinking of visiting here . . . His own.

Almost as if he were a mindless zombie, he walked without emotion over to where he was "buried". There was really no point behind it. He knew very well that he wasn't dead, and what was the point in visiting one's own grave? But then again, there was so much he wanted to say to himself, to his old self. The one that had been in love and had protected the innocent. The one that didn't question orders and that tried his hardest to fight Zero. The one that everything had been nearly peaceful for. That Suzaku was the one buried. At least that's what he thought.

When he finally reached his own grave, he was surprised to find a figure slouched over it, shaking with what appeared to be violent sobs. Who would be crying for him? He had died while assisting Zero - the world's most notorious dictator - rise to power. He was sure that not even the student council had visited his grave. The only person he knew to visit regularly was Miss Cecile, who brought flowers every Tuesday, with tears in her eyes. Crying for the boy she had come to think of as a friend, and even began to mother a bit.

So who was this? Definitely not Cecile, although positively female. She had a small frame, maybe a teenager. Milly maybe? Nina? No . . . that wasn't right. Smaller than Milly, taller than Nina . . . But who? Suzaku decided that the only way to find out would be to get closer. As he did, he began to hear the girl's quiet muttering to herself, hardly audible over the pouring rain. "No, no, no . . . It can't be, it can't be . . . no, no, no . . ."

Suzaku took one more step, and froze. Barely visible from under the dark green, thick, wool hat the girl was wearing, was just the slightest amount of visible light pink hair. Her skin was white as paper, and when she turned her head to see who was standing beside her, her face was . . .

"Impossible!" Suzaku exclaimed.

The girl rubbed her eyes. "W-who are you? Why are you here?"

He stumbled back a step. She even had the same voice as his Euphy. But she was dead! This was wrong!

"Who are you?" she repeated. "Sh-show your face! Are you a grave burglar?"

Suzaku shook his head once, not sure if he were answering her question or if he was simply in shock, and then turned and ran off.

Euphy looked back down at the gravestone beneath her. It was true. Everything Cornelia said . . .

"Come on," the voice of a familiar princess said softly. "There's nothing but sad memories here. Let's go home and get you dried off."

"Let's hope that weird guy didn't recognize you . . ." Gino muttered softly. Euphy and Nunnally pretended not to hear.

Euphy nodded and followed her sister and Gino as they made to leave the graveyard. The strange man who had been approaching Euphy didn't even notice that they were there too, but it's not like it mattered. It was probably just some homeless guy getting ready to ask for money . . . All that really mattered was the fact that they were dead. And even now that she had been crying, she still didn't fully believe it. Lelouch couldn't be dead, he simply couldn't have been assassinated, he was too brilliant to let that happen. Hadn't anyone else questioned it? And Suzaku . . . Suzaku couldn't be dead either. He wouldn't let that happen, he wouldn't leave her!

But, then again, she had already left him. How could Euphy possibly know that Suzaku didn't hate her for dying? A little part of her resented him for leaving her, so how could she possibly . . . No, no that wouldn't be like Suzaku. Suzaku would have blamed himself for Euphy's death, and grown to hate himself even more than he already did. Thinking of this made more hot tears spill down Euphy's face. Suzaku was such a wonderful person, it wasn't fair that he had to hate himself. It wasn't right. He should have realized back when he was alive that he was a wonderful person who deserved to be loved by everyone.

And even now, she still felt like the force of the situation hadn't hit her yet. She had, after all, cried, right? So shouldn't she feel at least a little better? But she didn't. Not at all. She felt the exact same way she had on the plane ride, that utterly stupid sense of doubt over the situation. It wasn't fair of her heart to make her think these things, it just made it hurt even more.

"Euphy, as much as I'd love for you to stay here," Nunnally began. "It seems like it's just going to be too painful for you. Perhaps I should call-"

"No!" Euphy exclaimed, looking up into the large bright eyes of her younger sister. "No, Nunna . . . I want to stay here. This is where I belong right now, please."

Nunnally looked over the elder girl with a great sense of pity. Euphy didn't deserve all of this . . . To wake up and a year and a half had passed, and almost everyone you loved is dead . . . The way that must have felt. She wished more than anything that she could tell Euphy that Suzaku was still alive. That he would be living under the same roof as she was . . .

But! If Euphy figured it out on her own . . . If she some way, somehow, were to run into Zero and he was to see her . . . Surely Suzaku would show himself! And then everything would be okay, or at least, somewhat better. Yes! But Nunnally couldn't get too involved. She couldn't force the two to meet, but then again, she didn't necessarily have to prevent it from happening either.

"Alright, Euphy," the viceroy said. "If you're sure, you may stay as long as you wish, I promise I won't call Cornelia."

"What are you talking about?" Lelouch asked in a state of slight shock. "CC, we can never go back there."

"Sure we can," CC replied. "Things made much more sense there, after all, wouldn't you say?"

"No!" Lelouch answered. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Back in Area 11, everything made sense. Think about it; you were Lelouch Lamerouge, a secret prince of Britannia, living in hiding from your father and other siblings, and also the most successful terrorist in history. Who are you now? You don't even know, do you? We have no purpose other than finding a way to die, and that's starting to seem pretty impossible. I think that going back to Japan might just give us something to do at least!"

"So simply because you're bored," Lelouch said. He actually almost laughed. "Let's be serious, there's no way that we're going back there."

CC sighed. "I think that we should. I think going back would be a good thing. Wouldn't it be fun to use your power again, Lelouch? To retake over the world, maybe under a new name or something? There's still so much more that you could fix about this planet . . . Isn't there anything left that you would like to do?"

Lelouch thought a moment. "CC, there are many things that I would still like to do. Nearly two years ago, I had to shoot and kill my sister, Euphemia, and after that happened, I had to completely reconstruct my plan for the New World. What I was going to do, was join her, and together we could slowly give Japan back to it's people. This to me, seemed like a brilliant idea, only because I knew that I would finally repay the debt that I owed Suzaku, by giving him his homeland back. Taking over Britannia would come later. So, I suppose, the one thing I regret, is that I never liberated Japan."

That sparked an idea in CC's head. "So why don't you do it? Go back, and free Japan from it's ties to Britannia. After that, I promise I'll help you find someone to kill you, and me as well. That's when it'll be it. That's when we'll die."

"You only want to die because you're bored, don't you?" Lelouch asked.

CC didn't answer. There was one thing she could tell him that she knew would make him return to Area 11. But, why did she want to go back so badly? Maybe because she knew that now, with Lelouch on her side, she really was about to face her end. She was going to die soon, finally her dream would come true. So, maybe, this one last hurrah, was exactly what she was looking for. Yes, that must be it. "I think I have a little piece of information that will change your mind."

"I doubt it," Lelouch told her, beginning to lose interest in the conversation.

CC grinned a devilish grin, and lifted herself up onto the cart. Then, she leaned over the side, grabbed Lelouch by the shirt collar, pulled him close - much to his surprise and amusement - and whispered in his ear, so softly it was barely audible, "Euphemia is alive."

Suzaku ran from the grave yard and continued to run, faster and faster, the rain around him blurred his vision but still he ran on.

That couldn't have possibly been Euphy, he thought to himself. His heart was beating so loudly that he was sure the people he ran past could hear it. Euphy is dead, and she has been for a while. Why is my mind playing tricks on me like this?

Then something flashed through his mind, a memory of something Nunnally had said earlier. "Just an old friend. I need to get her myself because her being here is a secret."

Nunnally could very well have been talking about Euphy when she said that . . . But then again, why wouldn't she tell me? Well, because she doesn't know who I am of course! Stupid, think straight! He felt like banging his skull into a wall. This was starting to be too much. If she really is alive, and she's here with Nunnally, she'll be staying with us. Maybe I'll be able to run into her or something, just to be sure. But, then again, if she's staying here secretly, it's doubtable I'll be allowed to see her. Maybe if I told Nunnally that it's really me . . .

But I promised Lelouch! Ugh, why is this happening?

He stopped running when he realized that he was back outside his own bedroom window. Or rather, under it. He would have to climb back up the side of the wall to get back in. He did so without realizing it, without thinking. His mind was too focused on Euphy. He had to find some way to see her again . . .