Disclaimer: We do not own Code Geass. This is purely fanmade.
oddsisters' note: Characters may be out of character. There will be one OOC character that we will claim as our own. This fan fiction is not related to the anime/manga. It will contain boy x boy. Rated M for sexual content, language, and maybe violence (that will be later in the story).
The Fallen King : Destined
"Why? Why him? Why did it have to be him?" asked Suzaku as he whispered the question repeatedly under his breath. He was sitting with his head down and his elbows resting on his knees. He took in a deep breath and looked up at Lloyd who had a red, already bruising, cheek. A few minutes earlier, after seeing Lelouch back from the dead, Suzaku had reacted in way that even he didn't know he could. He had turned towards Lloyd, grabbed him by the collar and punched him as hard as he could. Lloyd had toppled over and Cecile had ran to his side, scolding Suzaku. He had turned back to see Lelouch, but the young man had hid himself behind the white door after seeing the violent action.
It was at that moment when Suzaku plopped himself onto the chair which led them to this moment. He sighed and said in a low voice, "Sorry...it was just...shocking. I didn't expect that Lelouch had...a clone."
Lloyd rubbed his cheek slowly and shrugged. "Honestly, I had no idea either. I didn't think that Prince Schneizel would actually clone Lelouch. Maybe he missed his younger brother. After all, despite his ambition for the throne and killing anyone who gets in his way, he did...kind of care for his siblings."
Suzaku shook his head, "If he did, I doubt he would have shot Cornelia."
"Well...before that, that is."
Suzaku looked back to the door where Lelouch was still hiding behind. He was shyly peeking around the door. It was Cecile who walked over to him and ushered him out. Suzaku gulped back the lump forming in the back of his throat. He watched the mirror like image person walk out from behind the door once more and toward them. It felt as though he was dreaming again. The same figure he had seen in his dreams had come back to life. It was almost surreal. Suzaku hesitantly reached out with one hand and touched the clone Lelouch, but pulled back immediately. He shook his head and said, "I can't...if you're expecting me to take care of him while observing him, I can't do it."
"Why not?" asked Lloyd, "Out of everyone else, I believed that you would be most interested. After all, is he not Lelouch?"
"He's not him!" exclaimed Suzaku as he stood from his chair and shook his head, "This is not the Lelouch that I killed! He is not the friend that I knew from my childhood. He is not the enemy I despise. He has no recollection of our past together nor our history and he is not...the one that I made a promise to. This is simply a stranger with Lelouch's face."
His voice had made the clone Lelouch flinch, but Suzaku held back any emotions of sympathy. He glanced over to Cecile and shook his head again. "As much as I had come to love Lelouch...I hate him just as much. I don't think that I'm the right person fit for this job." Suzaku grabbed the Zero mask and put it back on. He turned to leave, but remembered that Lloyd had locked the door. He stopped before the door and turned to look at the three. "Please open the door," he said.
Lloyd looked over to Cecile and Lelouch and then back to Suzaku. He sighed and stood, walking over to the red button and pressing it.
Suzaku heard a click and turned again to leave, but was stopped when Cecile called out to him.
"At least...think about it, please," said Cecile.
Suzaku looked over his shoulder and he could see Lelouch standing next to Cecile. He stared at the amethyst eyes. They were the same as the pair of eyes on the day he had killed Lelouch; pure from evil, only showing what he had done was for the world. Without answering Cecile, Suzaku nodded his head once and left the room, returning to Nunnally's house.
When he arrived, Nunnally was in her study room with Sayoko.
"What did Mr. Lloyd discuss with you?" asked Nunnally as Suzaku entered the study room.
He walked over to her side and sat down in chair next to her. "He was just explaining a new type of knightmare," answered Suzaku smoothly. He had no idea why he had lied to Nunnally. In truth, he should have told her what Lloyd and Cecile was up to, but seeing Lelouch's face again, he didn't know what to do anymore. He was torn between wanting to be near him again and not wanting to ever see him again. He dreamed of Lelouch and that was enough to bring him pain. To actually see Lelouch in the flesh once more; it was much more painful. He loved him and only realized it after he had killed Lelouch, but he couldn't bring himself to forgive him for what he did to Euphie. Even if it was an accident, their ideal of uniting a nation had been too far apart that Suzaku couldn't understand it. "Nunnally," he whispered.
She glanced up from the book she was reading and smiled at him expectantly.
Suzaku stared at her, searching for any sign of facial resemblance to Lelouch, but there was none; not even the purple pair of eyes were the same. Nunnally was gentle and kind, a benevolent ruler. "Do you...ever wonder what it would have been like if Lelouch was still alive?" he asked.
Nunnally's smile faltered slightly and then slowly disappeared. She set the book down on the table and turned to face Suzaku."I have...many times. If he was still alive...if the world was not the way it was back then...I think Lelouch would have been a wonderful King. A lot better than I am," she said quietly.
Suzaku closed his eyes and forced himself to ask the one question he always feared of asking her, "Do you blame me for his death?"
"No! Of course not! Suzaku...Zero...whichever you are right now, I would never blame you for Lelouch's death. I...never expected my brother to come up with Zero Requiem...to die for the nations. However, I would never blame you for his death. He wanted that...it was a decision he chose and because he knew that only you could do it," she replied, "Don't blame yourself, because you only did what you had to do. I would have been happy if I was still able to just live with him, but I'm happy right now too."
Suzaku was about to reply when there was an announcement that Cornelia had come to visit Nunnally. He could see Nunnally's face beam at the announcement and he chose to end their conversation. He did not wish have Nunnally suffer over the memories of Lelouch. He turned in his chair and looked to the door when it opened. Cornelia stepped inside and greeted Nunnally. Watching her, Suzaku could tell that she was relieved to see Nunnally doing perfectly fine. Euphemia's death had hit Cornelia the hardest since the two were close. He was sure that since Euphie's death, she probably didn't want Nunnally to get hurt either. Suzaku stood and allowed Cornelia to sit in the chair. She nodded her head in thanks and seated herself.
"It's good to see you doing your duty," said Cornelia with a tight smile.
Suzaku glanced down at her and nodded his head. He walked over to Nunnally and stood beside her. He knew that Cornelia did not know his true identity and therefore, she was quite wary of him. Despite her wariness of him she did seem to acknowledge the fact that he was protecting Nunnally properly.
The day passed by slowly as the two women spoke to each other. Their topic of conversation held nothing important. It was after dinner when Cornelia left and Nunnally was being put into bed that Suzaku entered the room. Sayoko pulled the blankets over the young girl before leaving. Suzaku thanked her and then strolled to Nunnally's bedside.
"If it's alright with you...I wish to go somewhere. I will have Sayoko watch over you," he said.
Nunnally looked up at him with a smile. "Okay. Please be careful," she replied.
Suzaku nodded his head and left her room. He searched for Sayoko, who wasn't far the room. "Can you watch her for a while?" he asked, "Make sure nothing happens."
Sayoko agreed, walking to Nunnally's room.
Suzaku stayed long enough to watch Sayoko enter Nunnally's room. Once assured everything was in order, he then left the house.
Again, Suzaku stood in front of the facility he had earlier entered that afternoon. He walked into the building and returned to the lab where he found Cecile compiling some paperwork. She looked up from her paperwork and greeted him. Suzaku glanced around the lab which was empty now, but he still made sure to speak to her in private. They walked away from the main station toward an empty corridor. "I want to address what we spoke about earlier. You said you had cameras in that room," said Suzaku, "Does that mean you both recorded him?"
"Yes we recorded him. It was so we could observe him," she replied.
"Can I...please see them?"
He asked hesitantly, but Cecile agreed without a second thought. She led him to Lloyd's office where he was currently working.
"Oh, what brings you back Zero?" asked Lloyd.
Suzaku spared him a quick glance, noticing that there was a patch over the cheek that he had punched. He felt a rush of guilt for punching the older man. "Sorry again," muttered Suzaku, "I just...want to see the recordings of the clone."
Lloyd stared at him for a while before nodding and returning to his work.
Cecile led him to a small laptop where she turned it on for him. It took a few minutes for the laptop to load, but once it did, she grabbed a clear case containing a CD within and placed it into the CD-ROM. Once again it loaded for a few seconds before a screen popped up. "This is the recordings of his first month here," said Cecile.
Suzaku pulled out the chair and sat down. He glanced around the room once and then looked up at Cecile who was standing over him. "Is the room wired?" he asked.
Cecile's eyes widen slightly at the question. She looked down at him then shook her head back and forth in a negative answer. "Feel free to be Suzaku Kururugi," she said with a small smile.
Sighing, Suzaku removed the mask and set it aside. He had wanted to see the recordings, not as Zero, but as Suzaku. He stared at the moving images, watching as the clone Lelouch wandered around the small room aimlessly. The screen went black for a second and then the image came back. The once empty table now had a board game of chess on top with Lelouch sitting in a chair. He was playing against himself. The corners of Suzaku's lips tugged slightly into a smile at the sight. Even though he was a clone with no memories of the original, the two seemed to share the similar like for chess. He continued to watch in silence, letting the hours pass. Comparing, he could already see the similar aspects of the clone to the original. The way he slept, the way he moved, the way he ate, it was all the same. Suzaku never knew how much he was aware of the other until now. He tightened his hands into fists, his fingers biting into his palms as he watched the clone Lelouch through his daily life of his first month in the white room.
"Would you like some water?" asked Cecile, interrupting him shortly.
Suzaku pulled his gaze away, long enough to look up and nod. She left and returned with a bottle of water, which he gladly accepted. Opening the bottle, he drank the water while watching the video. He was entranced by the recording, watching with curiosity as Lelouch slowly moved towards the cot. At first, Suzaku thought he would be taking a nap, but the next action that came from the clone Lelouch shocked and surprised him. The clone sat down on the cot and unzipped his pants. He kicked off the pants he was wearing, baring his lower half. Leaning against the wall, the clone Lelouch started to touch and caress himself. Suzaku choked on the water he was drinking and started coughing.
"Are you alright?" asked Cecile as she rushed to his side.
He was busily trying to stop himself from coughing when he heard Cecile muttered an 'oh.' He glanced over to her and saw her blushing.
"Ah, did he reach that scene?" asked Lloyd amusingly.
Suzaku recovered from the fit of coughing and frowned. He looked over his shoulder to Lloyd. "I thought you said all clones were created with a blank slate?" asked Suzaku.
"They are...but remember this clone has been out on the road for quite a while. He probably learned it somewhere while roaming out there," said Lloyd with a shrug.
Suzaku turned his attention back to the screen where he could still see the clone pleasuring himself. Unable to tear his gaze away, he watched the slender hands of the clone stroke himself. The facial expression of the clone was erotic and lustful. Suddenly amethyst eyes looked straight up into the camera jolting Suzaku back. He stared at the darken eyes staring into the camera.
"If you are uncomfortable with this, would you like me to forward this part?" asked Cecile.
"No," answered Suzaku, a little too quickly than he would have liked.
Cecile seemed to have noticed this and smiled at him. Suzaku could feel his ear burning hot from embarrassment. He looked away from her. Without glancing back at her, he said in a quiet voice, "I'll continue watching." He could feel her stare and smile burning a hole through him, but he ignored it. The scene passed with Lelouch satisfying himself and falling asleep. Deciding that he had seen enough for the day, he exited the screen and turned off the laptop. Suzaku put the mask back on and bid his farewell to the two scientists before taking his leave.
As soon as he returned to the house, he immediately checked on Nunnally and found her soundly asleep. He looked slightly to the right and saw Sayoko sitting in a chair by her bed side, so he retired to his room. He slipped off the mask and the Zero suit. He walked over to the mirror and stared at his reflection. Suzku reached out with a hand and touched the cold mirror. The image of himself blurred and became Lelouch. He stared back at him with those same eyes Suzaku had seen earlier. Suzaku longed to hold him in his arms. "I am a part of you. Struggle all you want, but you can never erase me," said the image of Lelouch, "I am embedded into the deepest part of your memories. We are tied by blood." A slow burning arose from deep within Suzaku. He gritted his teeth together and clenched his hand into a fist. He drew his right fist back and swung into the mirror with force, cracking it. The mirror shattered and broke into pieces. He looked down to the shards of mirror scattered on the ground. He could still see distorted images of Lelouch's on the shattered pieces of mirror. "Shut up," he hissed angrily under his breath. He heard Lelouch laughing at him.
A loud, tentative knock on his door jerked him from his trance. "Zero, is everything all right in there? I heard something break," said a maid.
Startled, he looked up at the door. "Yes, everything is fine. I accidentally knocked over a glass," he said.
"Should I clean it up?" asked the maid through the closed door.
"No. There's no need for that. I already picked it up. You can leave."
"Yes, Zero."
Suzaku waited till he heard the footsteps disappear into the distance. A slight, throbbing pain in his right hand drew his eyes downward. He finally noticed the ripped flesh embedded with little pieces of mirror glasses. Droplets of warm, scarlet blood dripped from his ripped flesh down to the floor. In the silence of his room, the sound of each blood drop echoed in a rhythmic heartbeat. Numbly, he went to the bathroom and took out a pair tweezers. With quick precisions, he removed the small shards of glass. After removing the glass, he rinsed and cleaned his injured hand. Taking out the first aid kit, he bandaged his damaged hand and returned to his bed. Sinking into the mattress, Suzaku stared up at the ceiling. He slowly closed his eyes and eventually fell asleep.
Looking to his left and then to his right, Suzaku found himself enveloped in darkness. Suddenly, he heard footsteps ahead of him. He looked up and saw Lelouch's straight and slender back. He called out to him, but Lelouch continued walking. He tried to chase after him, but his feet were heavy like lead and he couldn't move. He struggled to free himself, calling out to Lelouch once more. When Lelouch did not turn, he began to plead for the other to look at him. Surprisingly, the dark haired fallen king stopped in his tracks. He spun around to face Suzaku. With a sad expression he asked solemnly, "Why should I stop for you? Do you not hate me? Didn't you want me to disappear? I killed Euphemia whom you loved. I can feel your hatred even after death. What is it that you want to prove?"
"...Yes, I hate you. I hate you for killing Euphie. I hate you with every fiber of my body that I wish you would completely disappear...but you continue to haunt me. Yet despite my hatred, there is a part of me that yearns for you. You have taken my heart with you to the grave," answered Suzaku, "You may feel my hatred even after death, but that hatred comes from this torture. I'm a living, walking corpse. The agony that rips away at my soul each night, it does not matter how much I scream, it falls on deaf ear. I don't want to prove anything. I just want to be released from this invisible chain that binds me."
"You accepted my geass-"
"I had no choice."
"You killed me."
Suzaku stared into Lelouch's amethyst eyes. Tears of blood began to trickle down Lelouch's sad face. Suzaku took a step back. Lelouch's words sliced into his soul. He could never repent for the act he committed against his friend. He tried to wipe away the bloody tears from Lelouch's face, but the raven haired man was pulled from him. Suzaku grasped thin air and suddenly he was falling into the dark abyss. He came crashing down with a thud that awoke him. He sat up and realized it was all a dream. Sighing, he stood up and forced himself to get ready for the day.
Upon Nunnally's order, he was given the day off. Although he protested, she insisted and assured him that Sayoko would take care of her. Resigning, he agreed to take the day off. He returned to his room and closed the door. Leaning against it, he sighed and stared at his half empty room. He remained there for a while and then pushed himself off the door. As he took a step forward, a knock on the door grabbed his attention. He turned and opened it.
A young maid was standing before with a yellow orange package in hand. "This was delivered to you from Cecile," she said.
Suzaku took the package from her and thanked her before closing the door. Walking to his computer desk, he pulled out the chair and sat down. He opened the package and a letter fell out. Unfolding the paper, he read the short letter addressed to him.
Zero,
These are the rest of the observations. One of the CDs is an hour long interview. It's the CD marked with the red label. I felt it was more appropriate for you to watch these in private. If you have any questions, let me know.
– Cecile
He set the letter down and stared at the CDs inside the packaged box. He grabbed the letter again and stood up. Suzaku walked over and rummaged through his dresser. He found a lighter and walked out toward the balcony. On his way, he grabbed a picture frame sitting on the desk and slid the glass out. He set the frame down and carried the glass with him. Opening the door to the balcony, he stepped out and stood by the railings. Putting the letter on top of the glass, he lit a small corner of the letter. He watched the orange red flames slowly lick and burn the letter. A small gust of wind blew the ashes of the paper away. Suzaku silently watched the last piece of ash disappear. Turning, he walked back inside in his room to sort through the CDs. Sitting back down at the computer desk, he flipped through the CDs until he he found the one with the red label. Turning on the computer, he waited for it load before inserting the CD. It loaded and a screen popped up. He clicked the play button. The screen fuzzed and then it cleared up showing Lelouch. Suzaku could see the uncertainty on Lelouch's face. "Different," muttered Suzaku. Lelouch always appeared to be confident.
Suzaku proceeded to watch the interview. Lloyd's voice could be heard asking, "What is your name?"
"...I remember first being called number Zero. But I have also been called Hei, Gou, and Li."
"I see. Well, let us give you a permanent name. From now on, you will be known as Lelouch."
"Lelouch?"
"Yes, Lelouch. Now, where are you from?"
The clone shifted in his seat and gave a hesitant look at the camera.
Lloyd said, "Take your time. What is the first place that come to mind?" The clone tilted his head, deep in thought. "I remember white. I remember water. I remember tubes...faceless people...white coats. Muffled voices and sounds," answered the clone in broken sentences.
Lloyd paused and Cecile took over, "What happened when you were there?"
"I woke up in a bed. A man in a white coat took me from the room. They strapped my arms and legs onto a chair. They would inject me with a white liquid and ask me questions if I remember anything. Are you going to do the same thing to me?" asked Lelouch anxiously.
"No, no we're not," replied Lloyd, "We just wanted to know a little bit more about you. Do you remember anything else? What about how you escaped?"
Lelouch replied, "One day...there was a loud explosion. People were screaming and I was running down a hallway with others. A man pushed into a room and told me to keep running. I did as I was told. At the end of this hallway, there was a light. When I ran to it, I was suddenly outside. Big trees. There were big trees everywhere. I turned around to look and saw huge monsters destroying the building. They were shooting people...more flames and screams. I was scared and I ran...ran from the scary monsters. I reached a road and a passing car stopped in front of me. An elderly woman got out and kindly helped me. She took me in...I lived with her until she passed away. Her grandson took me in. He treated me worst than those in the white coats. One night, he started yelling, saying that he would sell me away. The next day, he dragged me into the car and took me somewhere far away. But then...a car hit us. I pushing myself out the broken window. I looked over my shoulder and saw him bleeding. Scared, I ran again. I wandered the streets for months...and then you two found me."
"Okay Lelouch, if you could live with anyone, what kind of person should they be?"
"...Kind. Kind like the elderly woman who took care of me. Strong, not like her grandson, but strong in their will. Justice to fight for and help the weak. Selfless."
"What if we told you there's one person that exist with your ideal preference? Would you live with him or her?"
"If there was, I would," answered Lelouch without hesitation.
"Very good. This concludes our interview for today," said Lloyd.
The screen turned black and Suzaku leaned back against his chair. He replayed the interview over in his mind, letting the information sink in. He began to think that this Lelouch, in many ways, was like a child. Abruptly, he stood up and left the room. Leaving the house dressed in his Zero suit, Suzaku walked with his destination in mind. It took him an hour and thirty minutes to reach the location. The cemetery was bare. He found his way around the graveyard and found the headstone of the person he was looking for. He stared down at the headstone, reading the letters displayed on it: Lelouch. "If this is a part of my punishment to see you again in the flesh, then I will face it head on. I will not run from this. Let me see where this road will take me," he whispered.
In the back on his mind, he could hear Lelouch saying, "Where the road will take us..."
Suzaku returned to the facility where he found Cecile and Lloyd in the white room where Lelouch was currently living. As soon as Lelouch was out of ear shot, he turned to Lloyd and said, "I have decided...I will take him in, but...what about Nunnally? I cannot leave her side, so he must stay in my room."
Lloyd smiled at him and said, "That's fine...he's lived in this tiny room for a few months already. As for Nunnally...I suggest that you make sure she doesn't see him when you bring him to your room. You should know her schedule, you are Zero after all."
"Very well."
Lloyd turned and call for Lelouch. Appearing beside them, Lelouch glanced between the two. "Lelouch, do you remember when I asked you if there was a person who existed with your ideal preference, would you go with them and you said you would?"
Lelouch nodded silently at him.
"Well, this is the person," said Lloyd, waving a hand at Suzaku.
Lelouch glanced at him and faintly smiled.
"Pack your things Lelouch. You will be living with this person from now on," said Lloyd.
Lelouch nodded once more and left them to pack.
Afterward, Lloyd excused himself and Cecile spoke up as she appeared next to Suzaku. "You made a good decision. I'm glad you decided to take him in," she said.
"...I don't know if it's a good decision," said Suzaku, staring at Lelouch's back, "...I wonder why we were brought together...time and time again, I can't seem to escape him."
Cecile looked at Suzaku and quietly said, "Maybe because you and he were destined to be together."
Afterword
oddsisters: We made it again...somehow. We give props to writers who can write forever. For us, we're tired. We've been nonstop writing for three weekends now. We're taking a break due to school and work. See you guys during spring break! We'll have more stories, drabbles, and continuations next time! See you in our next chapters. And remember, review, review, and review. Don't forget to favor and alert this story. C: