Rewriting this piece after so long. Because if I want to revive this old fic, I'd need to do a complete rewrite of the whole thing.
EDIT: Changed the part about Suzaku near the end, since I belatedly realised that the part clashed with what I ended up writing in Afterimages.
Chapter 1.0: The day the Sun sets
o
o
Everything was in chaos now. Everywhere... the fires of war continued to burn. Was this the kind of world Euphie would want? No, this was far from what his dear sister could've wished!
Yet, right now... was there any other way to salvage this situation? Even if this result wasn't what he planned, was there any other way he could have chosen instead? Without killing Euphie... without causing even more bloodshed...
Then again, it's not like he could undo the things that have happened. It wasn't possible for him to turn back time, no matter how much he wished he could do right now. But what else he could do?
His commlink continued to send him reports from the rest of his men. Suzaku in their Lancelot continued to assault his men all by themselves before even the rest of the Britannian army could arrive to help. At this rate, the odds will end up going bad for him and the Black Knights.
He needs to make Suzaku stop fighting them somehow!
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Lelouch told C.C. what he wanted to do immediately. The witch started to protest right away. But then he started opening up communication towards Lancelot to allow the rest of his men to escape...
xxx
"Suzaku! It's me that you want, come catch me instead..."
Suzaku bit his lip as he tensed, eyeing the figure walking up amongst the rubble in front of it. Earlier as he was about to take down some of the enemy Knightmares, a purple Knightmare appeared to block his way. It was the Knightmare that Lelouch was using.
Somehow in the middle of the battle, Lelouch managed to distract him enough to let the remaining Black Knights escape. As Gawain led him away from the main battlefield, the purple Knightmare suddenly signalled to him to call for a truce. So now as both Lancelot and Gawain landed on the ground, Suzaku could see someone climbing out from the machine. It was Lelouch.
Lelouch was still wearing that mask of Zero. But Suzaku was no longer fooled by that egg-shaped mask anymore. Mask or no mask, it didn't change the fact that Zero was Lelouch. And Lelouch... had killed Euphie in cold blood right in front of his eyes!
"Suzaku, I wanted to talk. This was not what I really wanted. I need your help."
How could Lelouch say that they wanted his help? After what they've done to Euphie? All Euphie wanted was to create a peaceful world without war. She had wanted to work together with Zero by her own choice! Yet what did 'Zero' do to her instead? Not only did they take her life away, but Lelouch also made it seem as if Euphie had just suddenly gone crazy to want to kill every Japanese person on sight!
Suzaku gripped the controls to his Lancelot's VARIS particle rifle.
He could just end it all with a single shot...
Suzaku took a long breath and closed his eyes.
"Calm down", Suzaku told himself. He shouldn't let himself be fooled. He'll let Lelouch think that he trusted them to not pull any tricks. Until Lelouch revealed their ultimate card... he'll play along.
xxx
"Zero! This is crazy. Get back here!", cried C.C. as she stood up from Gawain's cockpit. Lelouch turned as he cocked his head towards her.
"I know this was reckless, but I need to try. Since things had come to this—" he spoke before walking away from her. C.C. gave him a look of disbelief.
He snorted, not that C.C. could see his face anyway. "Are you having doubts that I will not be fulfilling my side of the contract with you? Have faith in me—"
Even from this distance, he could tell that C.C. most probably would think that he was being ridiculous right now. "Wait for me over there," he started to say before turning around to face Lancelot.
Lelouch bit his lips.
Then again, what was he doing? The war had only just started yet right now—Lelouch snorted again. Was he hesitating? On ending things with Suzaku once and for all? He looked up towards Lancelot. Lelouch smirked to himself.
That's so unlike him.
Lancelot backed away a little as Lelouch stepped closer.
"What are you up to, Zero? Don't think you can fool me into dropping my guard on you. You—!"
Lelouch chuckled.
xxx
Suzaku fumed by himself as his anger got the better of him. Not to mention the way the person appeared before him fearlessly, rubbed him the wrong way.
"You can drop the act. I know that you already know who I am."
To his surprise, Zero started to take his mask off from covering his face. And to his regret, the person behind the mask was indeed the person he was suspecting. Lelouch Lamperouge—no, Lelouch vi Britannia. The person who was once his good friend.
How could this person be the same person he used to know?
"Just shoot me down if you want! But before that, I want you to hear me out!"
His hands shook. How could Lelouch speak out the thoughts that were in his mind so calmly like that? Did they really think that he couldn't shoot them down? Why was Lelouch so confident that he wouldn't just blast them to the ground right now? And was his sight tricking him right now? Why did it look as if both of Lelouch's eyes were glowing brightly? Was that the source of Lelouch's power? Was that the reason why Zero was able to create all those miraculous outcomes before?
The glowing eyes reminded him of the faint glow he thought he saw from Euphie's eyes before she passed away. And if he wasn't wrong, her eyes had the same glow when she suddenly started behaving erratically before. Was that it? Was that power what made Euphie like that? Was this all Lelouch's doing all along?
Suzaku almost jumped in his seat as Lelouch's voice broke into his line of thoughts again.
"I'm already unarmed. Why won't you also show the same courtesy to me? Or are you afraid of confronting me face to face?"
Suzaku frowned. Lelouch was just trying to goad him to do something they wanted. No doubt that person would try to capture him the moment he lowered his defences!
Suzaku activated the targeting mechanism for the VARIS. As the screen locked on target, he paused as he caught sight of Lelouch's face again. The lad had not moved from their spot since earlier and somehow... just somehow, he thought he saw Lelouch staring back at him with their saddened face again. He shook his head. No, his mind was playing tricks on him. Suzaku looked back towards the viewscreen again. Staring back towards Lelouch's face. That left eye of theirs really made them look... insane. Demonic. Yes, that should be enough reason to—
Suzaku let out a startled cry as he saw into Lelouch's eye. Despite how Lelouch's eyes had glowed so strangely, those eyes remained the same. Those were the eyes of Lelouch vi Britannia. Lelouch Lamperouge's eyes. The same eyes that always watched over Nunnally, ever looking so kind... yet so sad during other times. His friend, how could he—?
Lancelot lowered its rifle as Lelouch let out an amused laugh.
"I... can't!" said Suzaku as Lancelot's cockpit opened and he stood. "As much as I hated you for what you have done and how much I hated your guts right now, I just can't shoot you! Damn you Lelouch!" shouted Suzaku. Lelouch chuckled as he took out a gun and pointed it towards Suzaku. Suzaku frowned as both of them remained still.
"The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed." Lelouch's mouth twitched slightly into a smirk before it disappeared again. He threw the gun aside without a word.
"You don't even have the resolve to do what you want to do. How could you even try to change the world?"
"That's easy for you to say," Suzaku snapped at once. "Just because you think you are the one on the right doesn't mean that you could freely play with people's lives—!"
Lelouch fumed. "I've never claimed that I'm doing the most righteous things. I knew that the moment I started all of this my actions would affect the lives of many people. I know that while I'm fighting with the Japanese rebels, I will also take the lives of Britannian soldiers. As well as any other innocent civilians who got caught in the middle of this! I accept the fact that sacrifices are inevitable! I've stood by that belief and will not hesitate to eliminate any obstacles on my path!"
"Obstacles? So Euphie was just another obstacle for you?" snapped Suzaku as C.C. called for Lulu from Gawain.
xxx
Lelouch turned around towards Gawain's direction.
"Zero! Enough talk... the battle is still ongoing! I can detect more reinforcements coming from the Britannian side. If we didn't gather our men now and retaliate later, there's no guarantee that we can survive this battle!"
He sighed. Yes... while he wasted time here, the war still continued. And despite the Black Knights's growing number, it was undeniable that many of them were still civilians and not trained soldiers. Compared to the enemy, it was undeniable which had the better odds in terms of fighting strengths. Strategically speaking, it was better for them to defend the area that they'd taken over and secure their own positions before anything else.
"Yes, there is no turning back now", Lelouch thought as he started turning towards Gawain's direction...
"Are you trying to run away again, Lelouch? You killed Euphie!"
Lelouch stopped. As much as he expected this reaction coming from Suzaku, he couldn't help feeling hurt by those words.
"...you can't possibly understand how I feel right now. Don't assume that you know me," he said softly to himself before walking away.
xxx
C.C. bit her lips as she noticed several Knightmare signals heading toward them on her sensor. She recognised those of the Britannian army but one of them...
"Zero! Come back... we've got company! We have to leave NOW!"
xxx
Lelouch cursed under his breath as he continued running towards Gawain. A sudden sound alerted him as he turned towards the sound. C.C. and Suzaku also took heed towards the incoming presence as C.C. noticed an unidentified Knightmare was approaching them at a very fast speed. Lelouch frowned as he moved past the building to get a clearer look and let out a cry. That blue Knightmare... it could not be anything but a Ganymede! But other than his late mother, no one ever used it since and he thought that model was already pulled out. And the only other surviving frame of that model currently resided in—a realization came into his mind as he found his answer. Other than the Ashfords, who else knew about that and had access to it?
He tried to run towards Gawain but he noticed Gawain's gearing up. Could he reach it in time? His ears caught some sounds as he looked back towards the direction of the rogue Ganymede. The Knightmare pulled out its assault rifle—he thought that frame didn't have any weapons installed. Unless... Nina? That girl was always so bright and the fact that her grandfather worked on the Ganymede series in the past... would have meant that she could have been able to add more adjustments to that frame.
And considering that he killed Euphie earlier—did that girl...!
For the sake of revenge...?
The tip of the assault rifle glowed with power not unlike how he was accustomed to seeing in normal rifles. Can't it be? Did she modify it with her own theories and the research that she must've done secretly? In such a short time?
Lelouch smirked at the irony.
So will this be the end of him instead?
xxx
"LELOUCH!", shouted C.C. in the cockpit as she saw Lelouch turn his face towards her. Before she could move, a huge beam of light passed before her towards Lelouch. It missed Lelouch by a meter as the missile hit the ground and exploded.
C.C. gave a cry as the ground beneath Gawain started to shake. She screamed as an invisible force rammed against Gawain.
On the other side of the battle, Lancelot was also taking a hit as the aftershock from the missile that was shot from the unidentified Ganymede model caused massive destruction in that section of the Tokyo Ghetto...
xxx
Bzzzt.
"... C.C... Zero!
Bzzzt.
"Anyone there? Respond!"
Bzzzt.
C.C.'s eyes snapped open as she felt Gawain being raised upwards. She turned out the communicator as she answered. "Yes, Kallen. I'm all right. What's the situation?"
Guren Nishiki stepped back a little as Gawain stood on their own.
"Everyone managed to escape after that strange big blast. Toudou-san took the lead for a while since we couldn't contact you guys. What—"
xxx
Kallen gasped as Gawain ignored her and proceeded towards the direction where the explosion occurred. She followed behind without a word as it was the only thing she could do.
She frowned. Come to think... she only heard C.C.'s voice from Gawain.
"Don't tell me... ZERO—!"
Gawain and Guren Nishiki surveyed the areas as dust and debris finally settled. The place was practically deserted by the Britannian army and of the Order's troops. Kallen frowned as she watched C.C. coming out of Gawain and looking around the area. The place was practically flattened by the last explosion and now, it was harder to distinguish where the Ghetto and Sokkai area started and ended. Should she be... glad about that?
No... she shouldn't. She should not be glad about just only this result. Not until this war is concluded, and they could finally rebuild this land anew...
That would be the day when she should be glad.
Kallen's thoughts broke off as she heard C.C.'s gasp through the intercom. She brought her Guren to her side as she felt her blood run cold at the sight she saw.
A few meters before them, Zero's mask lay on the ground. Abandoned... and broken. Somewhere nearby, they saw a tattered purple and red cape which was once worn by Zero; stuck under a pile of rubble.
Kallen gasped as she saw blood on the cape...
xxx
"He's not here... Lelouch was not here..." muttered C.C. softly under her breath.
She could find no dead body... so that should mean that Lelouch is alive, right? But if Lelouch is still alive... where was he? Looking at how much blood was left on the ground, he could not have managed to go so far. Did that Lancelot pilot—?
C.C. gritted her teeth as she turned off the intercom.
"Don't you worry too much, C.C... Lelouch is still alive..."
A sweet voice that only she could hear suddenly greeted her from nowhere. C.C. sneaked a glare towards the direction where she assumed the voice had come from. She gritted her teeth, as she reminded herself to not show off her anger.
"Then why didn't you tell me right away?" she hissed under her breath while glancing warily towards Kallen's direction. "Even if I got myself knocked out during the blast, you should have told me this immediately."
She could hear a soft chuckle as C.C. rolled her eyes at nothing.
"Still... it was amusing to see you like this..."
C.C. let out a frustrated sigh. "Well, that idiot should turn up later, one way or another. It's not like he's that much of a weakling..."
The voice started laughing at her. If C.C. hadn't been aware that Marianne had long lost her real body and only existed as a wandering soul, she would've started to lash at the annoying woman.
"You really WERE worried about my dear son... weren't you? C.C.?"
C.C. started to muse over Lelouch and the few moments that they had shared during his vulnerable times. A hint of doubt suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
But then Marianne's last sentence jolted her back to alertness. "No! Who said that I was deeply worried about him? He'll live... because he has yet to fulfil his part of the contract with me. He made his promise to me—", she said, with an air of finality that her words would hold true.
She glanced up from Gawain's viewscreen to see Guren Nishiki move to search for Zero's remains. C.C. immediately stopped it as she got out of the cockpit.
"Enough, Kallen. He's no longer here. No point on us searching for him now."
Guren Nishiki's cockpit opened as Kallen came out.
"What do you mean? How'd you know...? He might be... Zero—!"
C.C. let out another sigh.
"He's alive... somewhere. I'm sure of it."
Kallen went quiet as she stared back towards her. C.C. smiled weakly at her. "I have faith in him. He'll be all right. Kallen... would it be alright if I entrust the Knights to you? For now."
Kallen blinked.
"Eh... what?"
"There's something I needed to check, and that person might also be heading there as well—", C.C. said as her thoughts hovered over Lelouch.
There's still Nunnally. Lelouch wouldn't have abandoned her for anything. So even if they've lost contact with each other, Lelouch should still return to his sister's side...
Kallen frowned as she remained dumbfounded.
"B-but... wait a sec! You can't possibly be serious!"
"Zero already noticed that the Order can manage on its own. It only needed a leader to lead it. I trust you can do well to succeed him? Or maybe you could choose a suitable person to take his place. I place that responsibility to you then—", said C.C. as she entered the cockpit again. Gawain started to move as Kallen got back into her Guren.
But could she do it...?
Kallen frowned before turning around again to look for C.C. But by then the green-haired lady already disappeared. She sighed to herself before turning Guren Nishiki around to return to the designated rendezvous point set by Zero much earlier...
xxx
"I told you... right?"
Suzaku glanced up as he saw Cecile giving him the know-it-all look before she ushered him back towards the patient's bed. She started giving him a once over as Suzaku pushed her away.
"Did you find what you're looking for earlier?"
Suzaku shook his head, as that only made him feel even worse. Considering the big fuss he made earlier after stubbornly walking out amid treatment to confirm with his own eyes that Lelouch—for better or worse—was still not left abandoned at the battlefield.
A part of him felt ashamed, yet a part of him was so desperate to know. Was his former friend still alive... or were they dead?
But in the end... he never did find out.
xxx
"Brother... where are you?"
Nunnally wondered about her brother as she kept herself from sleeping. It was already several hours... and he still hadn't returned home.
"Brother... please! Don't tell me something happened to you? If it does... the nightmares I'll be seeing will not be just about mother anymore..."
Suddenly, Nunnally felt a pair of hands holding her own. She was about to call out her brother's name before realizing that the hands were not his.
"Sayoko... is it?" she asked cautiously despite being aware that if it had been her caretaker, the older lady would have greeted her much earlier.
Nunnally felt her hands being held tighter.
"No... it's me..." another familiar voice spoke to her.
Nunnally gasped.
"C.C—! Brother... have you seen brother? He hadn't come home yet! I'm worried—", she cried out as Nunnally felt her body being embraced by the lady.
"Lelouch... is not here. We separated earlier... but don't worry. I'm sure, he'll be alright..." said C.C. again as Nunnally nodded meekly...