A Code Geass fanfic. I own nothing.
A sequel to The Funeral.

~ Truth or Lies

I love him

"Excuse me. Are you telling me, that you met that green haired witch when you went to visit this grave and then just decided to bring her back to Tokyo?" Tamaki pointed accusingly at C2, who were now currently sitting in the window overlooking the garden, not really paying attention to the racket she'd caused among the people in the room.
Zero stood by Nunnaly's side, silent. It wouldn't look good, if he defended C2.
It didn't look good that Nunnaly did it either, but it was still better than him doing it.

"Yes, that is correct. And I fail to see why that is a problem." Nunnaly answered calmly.

"She was a supporter of Lelouch." Kaguya pointed out.

Nunnaly signed. "So were you. I understand that you're all finding it very hard to forget to past but.."
"I didn't support him." a new voice interrupted.

They all looked at C2, who where still overlooking the garden.
"Pardon?" Kaguya demanded.

"You heard me."
Kaguya frowned in confusion. "I'm afraid I don't quite follow. You stayed by his side the entire time, you fled the Ikaruga with him.."
"That had nothing to do with support, I guarded him. Protected him. Tried to keep him out of trouble. Which was, I have to say, rather difficult at times thanks to his crazy plans and your incompetence."

"Are you calling us stupid, witch? Do you really expect us to believe that? That you didn't have a say at all? You shared rooms for gods sake!" Tamaki yelled, jumping from his seat. He'd never liked the witch, thanks to her sarcastic comments about his mental abilities.
"You were nothing but his bitch!"

"Tamaki!" Ohgi yelled, standing up. "You're taking it too far!"
The rest of the Black Knights had also jumped up, ready to throw themselves into the argument. The sound of laughter stopped them.

They looked at the laughing C2. She was laughing, in a way. It wasn't exactly a happy laugh, more a 'god-I-pity-you' kind of laughter. When she had the attention of the entire room, her laughter stifled. She was looking at Tamaki, her old smirk in place as she regarded him with disgust.

"You are stupid. Both Lelouch and I were very much aware of the rumors about our relationship. And I say rumors, because that's all there was too it." She leaned back, relaxing, folding her arms behind her head.

"I've kissed him, several times. Sadly neither of them were done in pleasure or for the sake of it. But it had a good effect on him."

"Effect?" Kallen required, sharing the confusing the rest of the room felt.

C2 smiled. "It always shocked him. Of course, the effect faded with time. But it was fun." She sighed. "I respect and love Lelouch, as my accomplice. He never showed any real interest and I couldn't be bothered. In fact, he seemed most interested when he'd lost something or didn't reach his goals. Losing battle, a meeting gone wrong.." she eyed Nunnaly. "Losing a person.."

"I believe he was very incapable of loving anyone. In the romantic sense at least."

"Then why have you come?" asked Ohgi, sitting down again.
C2 turned her attention to the garden again.

"That really isn't any of your business, but I can assure you that I didn't plan on killing anybody." She eyed Tamaki.
"Except maybe him."

"I had no idea that's how your relationship were." Zero commented, as he and C2 finally had a moment alone. She dropped down on his chair, and watched as he removed the mask and placed it on the table.

"I meant what I said, downstairs. I really don't believe Lelouch could or did ever love another person."

"but Shirley.."

"He cared deeply for Shirley, I have no doubt about it. But he didn't love her. At times I think he wanted too, knowing how strong her feelings for him were.
But you can't force that sort of thing I guess." C2 looked up at him.
"He loved Nunnaly. He loved Euphimia. He loved his mother Marianne, but that love disappeared when he found out what she'd done to him and what she was prepared to do to everyone else. He loved me. " she looked at him. "And he loved you."

Suzaku sat down beside her, head in hands, not saying anything.

"You two really share the most depressing story in all of history. And I'll have you know that I've spent the last year reading the history of the world."

She leaned back, starring at the celling, frowning.
"You had the same goal, but different approaches. In time I think your way would have worked too. Lelouch's method was.. quicker. He was after all very focused on results." she tilted her head, looking at him.

"You gave him your support, and the two of you won. If he had given you his support, you would've won too. But that's life. You don't know until afterwards."

He looked at her. "How do you know?"
"He told me. He was always very good at analyzing situations, before and after. He saw results in your way of doing things, the 'peaceful' approach if we can call it that. Sadly it just wasn't fast enough for him. He needed results right away."

"And you didn't produce results."

Suzaku bowed his head. "No." he murmured. "I didn't. And whatever results I did get were all because of his actions. His and his knights. His plans. The killings he committed."

C2 sat up, resting on her elbows, studying his face in the dim light. The mask now gone, she could see his face. She hid her surprise, she was quite good at that. But his appearance did surprise her. The small wounds on his face, the scares. His hollow chins, his dead eyes. He looked at her. "What?"

"You look terrible."

"Thank you."

"Remember what I told you earlier."
"Hard to forget. But I can't abandon Nunnaly."

"Who ever said you had to?"

"I did. To myself. Dying without a reason, and leaving her alone.. I can't do that. This is my punishment. A pained existence as a living dead, guarding the last person on earth I love and never can tell." He stood up an removed the cape. "A hell of a life."

She shaked her head, laying back down. "You really are a masochist."
He smiled, a sad smile. "I know. Anya told me the same thing almost three years ago."
"Say, C2.." he turned around, facing her. "you said Lelouch couldn't love anyone in a romantic way. What about you? Did you love him?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe, in my own way. I had had too much love in my life, so to be frank I hope I didn't love him." She stopped, thinking.

"No, I didn't love him. But I respected him. And cared deeply for him. I've never met a man like him before." she looked at Suzaku with a gleam in her eyes. "And I was way too old for him anyway." Her eyes got curious.

"Why do you ask?"

He sat down, back to the door, head leaning back. His arms resting on his knees. He sat there, for several moments. Then his shoulders started shaking, and he leaned forward, hiding his face in his arms.

"I hate him so much."

C2 got up, and went to his side. She kneeled down, placing her arms around him just as she'd done so many times with Lelouch.
"You are very lonely Suzaku. Humans aren't supposed to live like you are living. Isolated among people, never feeling nothing but pain and torment.
I think its much harder than you thought it would be. Living like this.
And the only way you can get through the day is to curse a dead man, claiming to hate him to conceal your own self hatred and self pity." she gently stroked his curly brown hair.

"You are lying to everybody Suzaku. It's time you stopped lying to yourself."

He sobbed, and leaned into her touch. The first human contact he had had in almost a year.

"... I .. I do hate him." he whispered.
"And I love him so much. And I miss him, god I miss him."

And he cried. The truth had finally been told.

"Don't cling to your hate Suzaku. It's time to forgive the last person you need to forgive. I'll help you. You may think you are alone. But I'm here now." She laid her head against his. "And I'm not leaving."

The press conference would begin at six o'Clock in the afternoon.

It would take place at the residence of the prime minister, in the big conference room, used for official, public events.

The conference-room were two stories below the room most of the houses inhabitants currently found themselves in.

"I don't like the idea of C2 being alone with that Zero dude. They are probably planning on killing all of us later." Tamaki commented.

"Yeah, you've said that five times now. But repeating it won't make it sound realistic." Kallen commented dryly. He looked at her, eyebrows raised.
"What?"
"You totally insulted Nunnaly by acting like that! We've been told the truth, the reasons behind everything. C2 has a big a interest in taking over the world as Ohgi does. Why can't you accept that?"
Tamaki shrugged. "I don't know. Guess it's because she's a total bitch, and I don't like her?" he said with a small smile.
Kallen smiled back. "Thank you for realizing that. Please remember that in certain company you have to keep your opinion on certain things to yourself. Such as tonight. We are in peace time now. We don't need you to start a war because you can't keep your mouth shut."

He nodded. "yeah yeah.." he sighed. "Damn I'll be glad when this crap is over with." Kallen nodded distractedly. "Yeah, me too." She turned around.

"Hey Ohgi, when will the press arrive?"
"In a hour. They are going through security right now. Its all quite standard, but the numbers of attending journalists, photographers, cameramen, reporters and I could go on are insanely long and we have to check them all, give them id's and so on. They'll arrive by bus.

"And that's a relief." Tohdoh stated as he walked through the door. "At least we don't have to check the cars."

"Are you certain something is going to happen?"
"Not really, but since it is the empress of Britannia we can't be too careful.
The public opinion on her are good, the Japanese thinks of her as a good, gentle ruler."

"When did her majesty's staff arrive?"
"Half an hour ago. They are all in meeting now, preparing. I would advise you to do the same Ohgi."

"Where's Viletta?"
"With Kaguya and Xingke. Chiba are helping with the security check, and Minami are assisting the Empress."

Ohgi relaxed. "Do we really dare to hope, that we'll get through this without problems?"

Kallen smiled, and leaned back. "Seems like it!"

Nunnaly looked at Jacob, chief of security. "Will you please go and ask Zero to come? I need to ask him about something before the conference."

Jacob bowed his head. "Of Course your majesty."

"I will bring him down."

I officially hate Viletta. Not her character. But because she is damned pregnant! It ruins my timeline, since I can't decide on the time between the events. Damn you!

I know I stated her as pregnant in a previous chapter, but I'm going to change that. There also some other facts I need to change, regarding how long it's been since Lelouch died.

Time sure is a bitch.