2009-08-13 20:29![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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code_geass
inulovinkit.livejournal.com in code_geassYay, got it done on my vacation from work!
Rating: R this chapter (For Suzaku and Lelouch's naughty language).
Pairing: LelouchxC.C., (implied) Suzalulu.
Summary: So, what would have happened if Suzaku had received the Geass in Stage 1 instead of Lelouch? We'd have one messed up story on our hands.
Chapter 1 here.
Exposition like whoa.
C.C. piloted the Knightmare through the trees, hidden from the firefight above by the thick canopy. By now, the Black Knights and Britannia had engaged in a full out battle above Kamenejima, and before the battle came to land, this would be the only opportunity she had to find him.
Please, don’t let it be too late!
She saw something—someone lying on their side in a small clearing. C.C.’s heart leapt only to be deflated—the person was wearing a Knight of Rounds uniform.
Hmm…was Suzaku still alive? Would Lelouch have shot his friend to escape?
She thought a moment and dismissed it. No, Lelouch was contemplating giving up when he left. He wouldn’t have done something like that.
She hoped.
But where did he go?
Stopping the Knightmare, C.C. turned to the person sitting behind the seat—sitting in a crouched positing with their arms hugging their knees to their chest. That hospital gown had to be cold, after all.
When C.C. turned to her, the person stared up at her blankly. “Wait here,” C.C. told her. “You can’t be seen just now. I’ll come back after getting Lelouch.”
Violet eyes only flickered in recognition of the name and then she nodded—a few strands of her curly hair falling in front of her face.
Being in a coma for so long must have taken a lot out of her—she acted like her soul had been taken!
With a sigh, C.C. turned and left—making sure the Knightmare was locked and well hidden. If she was spotted by Britannian or Black Knight forces—
The minute she was on the ground, C.C. ran for Suzaku. The Knight of Seven lay on his side, sword having fallen from his hands. He was alive, that was sure. But what had happened? It was like he had been knocked out—
At once, she knew. V.V.
C.C. barely touched him before Suzaku jerked awake, grabbing for his weapon in a reflex. When he realized it was only her he relaxed, but not before he remembered what had happened. “Lelouch? Wait—he was here! Where did he—!”
“V.V. took him.” C.C. explained. “He probably wanted to bring him before Charles.”
“The Emperor?” But—but wasn’t he supposed to bring Lelouch to him? Wasn’t that the Emperor’s grand plan?
“Suzaku,” C.C. asked, her face deadly serious. “Would you like to know the truth?”
“The truth?”
“About everything. About Lelouch, about myself—and about your geass.”
“That’s insane!”
“Still, it’s what we have to go on! His Highness Schniezel promised us clemency as long as—”
“As long as we’re willing to surrender everything to him! That’s just bowing our heads before Britannia, don’t you see—”
“But they promised us Japan in return! Japan in return for ending the war—!”
“Do you really think they’ll keep their promise!”
Ougi turned sharply back to Kallen, as she continued to glare at him. How could he accept such terms? Trust a Britannian—ha!
“It’s all we have! Besides, what with Zero and all—!”
“Zero went off to secure our victory. He’s done this plenty of times.” Kallen lied for him. Though Lelouch hadn’t said that…that’s what he was doing, wasn’t he? Didn’t have some trick up his sleeve like he always did?
“Still, what if what the prince said was true? What if Zero really is—!”
There were stares all around. Everyone in the bridge turned to face her as Ougi threw out the accusation. Everyone knew she had been close to Zero, after all. And if she knew it was true and had lied—
Everything depended upon this. Kallen knew she couldn’t screw it up—for Lelouch’s sake, and for hers.
“So what if he is a Britannian? Zero’s proven his loyalty hundreds of times. I don’t need to see his face to know—”
“Yes, but a Britannian prince? Who was using us for his own game and planning on throwing us away afterward?”
Even Kallen couldn’t play her part as well as she hoped. She had wondered that too. She knew Lelouch wanted revenge against Britannia, that the Black Knights were part of this plan. But she always thought that Japan had come first on his list—free Japan for his sister, free Japan for everyone.
But what if that wasn’t the case? Had he lied to her, too?
“Very well,” Kallen sighed. “We shouldn’t trust the Britannians for now, I think, but Zero is on that island. I will go to him and demand he tell me his true intentions. Will that satisfy you, Ougi?”
“He might lie about it.” Ougi warned.
“He might not.” Kallen countered. “Besides, if I’m bugged, you can decide that for yourselves, can’t you?”
After a thought, Ougi nodded.
As Kallen prepared the Guren for her mission, she couldn’t keep herself wondering—what if Ougi was right?
What if Lelouch did intent to use them for his schemes, and desert them all afterward?
What if he had been using her, too?
Lelouch stood up abruptly, glancing around at his surroundings. He seemed to be on a platform suspended high in the air. Where was this place? And why had he been brought here?
By him, nonetheless.
Before Lelouch could demand what was going on, the Emperor and that little long haired child at his side talked between one another—
“It’s a good thing I got him here soon enough, Charles—it looked like Kururugi was going to kill him.”
“Kururugi? Ha, I bet he tried. Still, I would have hoped that at this point, he would have been farther along…”
“Don’t worry, that can be easily fixed.”
“What can be fixed?” Lelouch demanded. “Where am I? What do you want with me?”
The emperor just smiled. “A naughty boy shouldn’t be asking questions, Lelouch.”
“You’re the one who brought me here! I should be allowed to ask questions!” Lelouch’s geass eye flared up. “And I have more! Who killed my mother? Why was I sent to Japan? Why did you take Nunnally from me? Where is she now? Tell me!”
Without warning, his geass acted upon its own. Lelouch realized only a moment after it happened—how did it happen? He didn’t unleash his geass!
But even though his geass was aimed right at the emperor, and a red ring formed around his eyes, it faded in a moment without even taking effect. Charles smirked. “Don’t try using your geass, Lelouch. I have been protected from yours.”
Protected? What did he mean? But he didn’t mean to do it—how did he—It was then that Lelouch caught a glimpse of his reflection in the polished stone below his feet.
What? One of his eyes was the same purple it had always been—and the other, the left one was red. A bright red, with a geass mark overtop.
The child at Charles’s side smirked. “Is there something you regret, Lelouch?”
Lelouch glared back at the child. So, his geass evolved. When had it evolved? It had to have been recently, but—
“Hmph. Well, if you are protected from my geass, then I don’t suppose your friend here is—”
“Don’t try it,” the boy smirked. “No geass can affect me. Especially not here, in this space, where geass began.”
Lelouch glanced around. Where geass…began?
The child walked slowly towards him. “Yes. This is the essence of all geass—a great consciousness that only those connected to geass can tap into. It is in this space that geass can be manipulated—bent to the wills of those who know just how to use it. And it is here in this space, Lelouch, that you will fulfill your destiny.”
Without warning, the child grabbed him and instantly, Lelouch felt a sharp, stinging pain in his right eye. He fell to the ground, unable to control gasps of pain as it felt like something was bursting from that eye—like needles all over as that something burst forth and washed over, covering him completely until—
It was over. Lelouch fell limp, still panting as the child stepped away, a smirk on his face. “Now, that’s better. It looks like that princess Euphie of yours wasn’t enough, but now you’ve finally come around.”
As Lelouch shakily came to his feet, he caught a glimpse of his face. Now both eyes were red an etched with the symbol of geass.
“Euphie…so it was you who did that to me!” he roared, now recognizing that little boy for what he was. V.V. The one C.C. had talked about.
V.V. grinned. “You needed a push back then, too. We hoped the loss of her would drive your geass to evolution, but it looks like you were stronger than we thought. We had to do it the hard way, pity.”
Lelouch didn’t have a weapon. Though if he hadn’t remembered C.C.’s warning, he would have grabbed V.V. and started strangling him. “If it hadn’t been for you, Euphie would be—!”
“What are you talking about, Lelouch?” the Emperor snickered. “Wasn’t it your geass that ordered her? Wasn’t it you who shot her?”
It…it was, but…but—!
V.V. chuckled, walking back to Charles. “If it hadn’t been for C.C. disobeying orders, then she wouldn’t have had to be geassed in the first place.”
C.C.? What did she have to do with all of this? In fact, why had they—?
“What’s going on?” he asked once more. “You accelerated my geass for a reason.”
“Correct. You should be honored, Lelouch. The time has come for the plan to finally be fulfilled.”
The plan? What plan?
V.V. stepped towards him once more, a hungered look in his eyes. Lelouch’s instincts told him to run, but run where? There was no place to run! And if V.V. got his hands on him again, who knew what—
Suddenly V.V. stopped with a shocked look on his face, and then put his hands to his head as if he had gotten a sudden headache.
“Nii-san!” Charles called, “What—?”
“It’s C.C.! She’s—”
Suddenly, everything went white.
Lelouch felt like he was floating in blank space when suddenly everything shifted—he was in a different place than before. Instead of that platform amongst the clouds, he was now in what looked like to be a colonnade under a sunset sky. Just as Lelouch was looking around, he heard someone behind him.
“C.C.?”
The green-haired witch walked towards him, with a somber look on her face. Though Lelouch was glad—relieved, actually—to see her, he couldn’t wait any longer. Someone had to explain what was going on.
“C.C., what’s happening? Why did the Emperor want me? Why did he accelerate my geass? What is this place? Why—!”
C.C. half-smiled. At least Lelouch’s quest for answers showed he was returning to his former self. But…
No, she couldn’t doubt it now. He was directly involved. The time had come to tell him.
“This place—the Sword of Akasha—this is where the plan began, and it is where it shall come to an end.”
“The plan?”
“Ah, finally going to tell him, C.C.?” came another voice. A voice that Lelouch was startled to hear.
“Mother?”
It was true—Marianne came walking towards them, a soft smile upon her face at seeing her son. “I suppose since Charles has already spilled the beans, we’ll have to catch him up.”
“Mother—what—how are you—?”
“I suppose C.C. never told you—my soul’s been hiding away in Nunnally all this time. The only place where I can move like I used to is in here, because I am locked away in a geass.”
“Nunnally? What—geass—?”
“Stop it, Marianne, you’re confusing him,” C.C. chuckled. “Nunnally was the only witness to your mother’s death, was she not? Marianne was given a geass that allows her to enter the minds of others. Though because of that, her soul was trapped inside your sister for nine years.”
Her…soul…in Nunnally? “But—Nunnally—where is she? Is she safe?”
Marianne sighed, “Charles has imprisoned Nunnally in hopes that you would come to him to try to get her back. And you did. But she is alive, at this moment.”
Lelouch let out all his relief in a sigh. Thank God. At least she was alive…he knew that much.
Someone else, hiding behind one of the columns gave a sigh of relief as well.
Lelouch looked like he wanted nothing more than to shake the information out of her. “But—Nunnally! Where is she? How can I get to her? Can you tell me—!”
“Lelouch,” C.C. cut in. “Before all of that—there are many things you need to understand. After all, if Charles succeeds with his plan—”
“What plan? All I hear is talk of this plan that you keep mentioning but what—!”
“It’s the plan that we all have had for longer than you were born,” Marianne cut in, looking reminiscent. “the plan to create a world without war.”
“A world…” Lelouch mouthed. He could hardly believe it. That bastard—who had started so many wars, who didn’t care when innocents got killed, as long as he achieved his goal—wanted to create a world without war? Hmph, what a hypocrite—!
Lelouch caught a glimpse of C.C. as she rolled her eyes, like she knew what he was thinking. So what if she did? It didn’t excuse his father for being such a hypocrite—oh.
And then he got it, and decided not to think about that for a while.
“After spending much time thinking on it, Charles decided the only way to create a world without wars was to have the world run by one state.”
One state? “You mean have Britannia conquer everything.” Lelouch’s eyes narrowed. “Hmph, it wouldn’t work. People would still rise up in rebellion. Everyone wants to govern themselves, no one would buy it—”
“But if people had a wise and caring ruler, who worked for their needs, then surely they would be satisfied and wouldn’t rise up in rebellion?”
“Him? A wise and caring ruler? You must be joking—”
“No Lelouch, not him.” Marianne sighed. “Charles never dreamed of ruling the entire world.”
“Oh, good. So who was Father planning on passing the throne too, Mother? Someone tough like Cornelia? Someone shrewd as Schinezel? Odysseus, just for laughs?”
“I should think, Lelouch, that the answer would be obvious.” C.C. cut in.
Oh, it was then that the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he realized what he meant. It was hard for geass eyes to look surprised—or hold any emotion, for that matter—but he was doing a good job of it. “No…this has to be a joke…it can’t be…”
Marianne smiled. “Charles saw when you were young that you already had the mind to do it—and unlike Schniezel, you cared enough about others that you would take care of the people you ruled once you had the throne.”
“But…Father…he never cared about me! He sent Nunnally and I to Japan! He threw her away when she was injured! He stared a war in Japan right after that, and didn’t even care when Nunnally and I turned up missing!
“That was all after the plan had been put in motion, and it had been decided on that it was you. Everything he did after that was—”
“Well then tell me! Tell me why I suffered like this! I’ve waited for nine years to hear it, Mother, I don’t want to hear it any longer!”
Marianne looked sadly at her son, as if to say she was sorry for all that had happened. Though, she didn’t finish her explanation. C.C. told him, “When you were born, you were also discovered to have an affinity for geass.”
“Affinity?”
“Not everyone can have the geass, you know. It takes a certain type of person. If you were not meant to have the geass, and the affinity is forced on you anyway, you will be in great pain whenever it is used—it will also be highly unstable.” For a brief moment, C.C.’s eyes flickered over towards the columns—Lelouch didn’t understand what that was about.
“It was decided that when you were old enough, you would attain it—and then eventually, be granted the Code as well.”
“The Code?”
“In essence, immortality.” C.C. explained. “The Code is passed from the geass giver to user—and thus the cycle continues.”
Wait…what? Geass…and planning on making him immortal? Then how had everything ended up so wrong?
“Of course, while the plan was kept absolute secret, it wasn’t like other countries who were also aware of the geass didn’t have the same idea.” While C.C. explained, Marianne hung back, looking a bit regretful about something. But what, Lelouch didn’t have a clue.
“One country in particular…was Japan.”
Suzaku, who stayed hidden behind one of the columns, suddenly stiffened. Japan…? He suddenly had an idea of where this was going…
“The Prime Minister of Japan found out about Britannia’s plan, and decided he would set up a counter to it. He sent his son to the geass cult in china where he would be trained as a warrior, and also hopefully given the geass as well, in hopes of standing up to Britannia.”
“Suzaku?”
“That’s right,” Marianne finally spoke. “Kururugi Suzaku was sent to the cult when he was just a child, and enhanced so he would have the strength be a great warrior—a modified human, far superior to anything Britannia could have sent, at that time, anyway. He was there until he was about seven, I think.”
Suzaku almost dropped the sword he held tightly in his grip. Until seven? That’s why—that’s why he couldn’t remember anything before that! His memories were probably wiped when he was sent to the shrine—
But…why?
“I didn’t know until recently,” C.C. admitted. “When I went to China, I found his face among one of the pictures of the children raised by the cult. I hardly believed it when I saw it, but Marianne confirmed it as true.”
“But…Suzaku…why?”
“Do you not understand?” C.C. had to spell it out for him. “From the very beginning, you two were destined to fight each other.”
It took a moment for Lelouch to process that. From the very beginning, huh? But… “Then how did we end up friends? How did we both end up at the Kururugi shrine later on?”
“Charles found out. Having a warrior to challenge you hindered our plans. So it was decided that our next child would be raised as a knight to you—well, and assassin as it turned out. A match for what Japan had decided to throw at us.”
“But…Nunnally? She was never—”
“No, not Nunnally.” Marianne cut him off. “Nunnally was unexpected and therefore left alone—if anything, she was to be your reason for living, and that was the extent of her involvement. No, the one raised as an assassin was her twin brother, instead.”
“Twin?!”
C.C. nodded. “So secret, that it was kept from me, as well. The only people who knew about him was Charles, Marianne, and V.V.”
“But—wait— ” By now, Lelouch was nearly shaking—whether it was rage or shock even he didn’t know, all of this at once was far too much to handle. “If I had a brother, I should have known about it!”
“Didn’t you?” C.C. countered.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! What brother would I have—” Once again, she made things far too obvious.
This time, it was a lot harder to accept.
At the pure simplicity of it all, Lelouch couldn’t help but laugh. “No…no…you’re telling me him? That’s who? You must be mad—!”
“No doubt you also noticed his similarity to Nunnally? Those same eyes—same color hair—”
“All this time I thought he was a fake and now you say he’s the real thing? That’s just priceless!” He cackled again, hand on his forehead as he tried to control fits of laughter.
Laughter C.C. knew was only a mask for his real feelings.
After all, Lelouch had only tried to protect his family. To realize that the person he had hated, despised, treated horribly for being a fake actually was his family must have been a blow.
“Rolo was sent immediately after he was born to China, placed there as a convenient excuse to keep tabs on Kururugi Suzaku. He was given the geass at a younger age, in hopes that years of experience would help him be a better wielder of it.”
Recovered, and trying not to think about the fact that Rolo actually was his brother, Lelouch asked, “So, what then? What did he do now to ruin my life?”
This time, Marianne spoke, “Rolo was given the geass when he was young, it’s true. But there was a problem. His geass has a flaw—his heart stops every time he uses it. Did you know of this?
Lelouch shook his head. Rolo had never told him. His heart stopped every time he…no wonder he wouldn’t want to talk about it!
After he was out of here, he’d need to find him. Find him and apologize for what he had done. He was family, after all.
Marianne cut into his thoughts, He was a failure—he couldn’t be used as a legitimate assassin now, not when his heart was a time bomb. He could be used a little bit, but he would be thrown away eventually—and all would have failed.”
“Oh, and you were okay with this, Mother? You were okay with your children being used for this cause?”
Marianne looked downcast and spoke, “I will never admit I was perfect. I thought as long as Charles’s plan succeeded, it would be better for all.”
“So you didn’t mind at all? You didn’t care when Father was planning all our lives and telling us whether or not we were worthy to him—”
“I never said I didn’t care!” Lelouch had never seen his mother like that—desperate, regretful. All of a sudden, he regretted shouting at her like that.
Though he could tell it was hard for her, Marianne continued, “With the failure with Rolo, Charles decided it was time to get rid of Suzaku. As long as that boy was alive, he was a threat to you. But…I had seen the boy on my last trip to the cult to check on Rolo. He was a young, happy child, who was delighted to be serving his country. I pleaded with Charles. I didn’t want the murder of a child on my hands.”
By now, both Lelouch and Suzaku held full attention to her words. “That is why…I left Britannia. I secretly went to the cult and stole him away. Using a trick with my geass, I managed to remove all his memories of the place. I placed him with his family in Japan where no Britannian agent could touch him. I then went back to Britannia and waited my punishment.”
“Punishment?”
“I had jeopardized the plan, perhaps ruined it forever. I knew something was coming, but I didn’t know exactly what—”
Lelouch’s fingers curled into fists as he understood. “So that was why!” he roared. “All along, that was why you were killed! You disobeyed his orders and he—That fucking bastard! How dare he—!”
“Charles had nothing to do with it!” Marianne cut in. “It was V.V., he was the one who ordered—!”
“Oh, how do you know it wasn’t on his orders?”
“I do not think so. I imagine he wasn’t happy with V.V. with what he had done.”
“Not unhappy enough to do something about it!”
Though Lelouch still raged, still itched for vengeance, C.C. knew it wasn’t the time. She walked up to him, and gently touched his shoulder. “Lelouch…please, not now.”
It took a minute, but seeing the pleading look in her eyes was enough to calm him. For now.
“But…why? Why did I end up in Japan all this time if Japan was supposedly our enemy?”
“I know V.V. suspected that I sent Suzaku to the shrine,” Marianne explained. “Perhaps he and Charles decided that if you were sent there, it would be easy to spy on him, or perhaps send an assassin. Maybe they wanted to see how you two would interact, to see how their plan would turn out in the end, I don’t know. “
“It was because of that,” C.C. explained. “Lelouch and Nunnally were sent so they could have an excuse to keep an eye on Suzaku. I was sent as well, just to make sure he remained alive, and, at the right time, to take you both back to Britannia. I didn’t know I was really there to watch Suzaku.”
“I imagine Charles grew impatient, and decided to weaken Japan before Suzaku had the chance to grow up to lead the country.” Marianne added.
“Probably, but in the confusion, but you and Nunnally were lost. I was assigned to stay in Japan and find you, and at the right time, give you geass to complete the plan.”
“So, why didn’t you?” Lelouch demanded. “Seek me out and give me the geass?”
It was at this time that C.C. looked very much like Marianne had before. Regretful. “Because though I did not know the full extent of it, I knew of the plan and what dangers would come to you. I couldn’t do it.”
“And why not?”
At that, C.C. gave a dry chuckle, “Why not, indeed?”
Lelouch stared blankly, but Suzaku had a shrewd idea why.
“Instead, I searched for a substitute. When I found Suzaku that day, I did not recognize him for who he was—nor did I know of what he had meant to the plan. I realized he had an affinity—though it was a fabricated one—and gave it to him.”
“So you mean to say,” Lelouch turned—Suzaku? What was he doing here? “That the only reason I received the geass was because you were unwilling to offer Lelouch up, correct?”
The witch smirked as the Knight of Seven joined them, “Why, do you hate me for it, Suzaku?”
Suzaku wasn’t sure. He took a look up at that other woman—Marianne, Lelouch’s mother, apparently—and in an instant he recognized her. So she really was that woman from that time—the one who brought me to the shrine back then…
“Suzaku, what are you doing here?” asked Lelouch.
The Knight of Seven shrugged, “I followed her,” he pointed at C.C. “She promised me answers.”
“And I gave them. Now, Suzaku, that you’ve heard everything, will you—”
But she never got to finish. All of a sudden, the white flash came again—this time it was Lelouch and Suzaku who were left floating along black space until everything reverted back to the plane he had been before.
V.V. and Charles were there, still waiting. “Good,” V.V. said once they had arrived. “I’ve sealed out C.C.’s and Marianne’s influence for a while—and it looks like Kururugi decided to drop by, as well.”
At once, that hatred inside Lelouch flared up again—not just at seeing his mother’s murderer, but also seeing the one who had—justifiably—ruined his life for the sake of his own goal.
It didn’t look like Suzaku was too thrilled at seeing his Emperor either; his sword was already drawn and he was giving the emperor a glare of hatred that Lelouch knew all too well.
“I suppose C.C. and Marianne told you everything?” the Emperor asked.
“They did,” Lelouch glared, wishing he had a weapon on him so he could at least look somewhat menacing when standing next to Suzaku.
“So now you understand the glorious destiny we had planned for you.”
“I understand it…but I won’t follow through with it.”
V.V. chuckled, “We thought you wouldn’t follow willingly.”
“As you and your friend Kururugi know, I am in possession of a geass that modifies memories. One order, and I could have you wishing for your destiny like nothing more.”
That was true…the emperor had a geass, and had somehow rigged it so he was immune to his geass. How could he get out of this?
“So, you’ll force him to obey you, then?” Suzaku cut in, glaring. Lelouch turned sharply to glance at his friend. He was standing up for him? Wait…what about what had happened back in that clearing where he said he had to die to fix everything?
Hadn’t he meant that? Hadn’t he been about to kill him?
“Why do you care, Kururugi,” Lelouch muttered. “Isn’t a Rounds supposed to obey the Emperor in all things?”
Suzaku shot him a dirty look. “There is a right way to do things, and there is also a wrong way. That would be the wrong way.”
“Well, if you say so,” Lelouch rolled his eyes. Suzaku pretended to ignore it.
“Just tell me one thing, Your Majesty,” Suzaku said, never lowering the sword. “I heard about how hard you tried to kill me as a child. Why then did you make me a Knight of Rounds in the end?”
The Emperor said without emotion, “You were made as a weapon of Japan. Since Japan was destroyed, why not use that same weapon for myself?”
“I see.” Was there a…smile on Suzaku’s face? “So we are only tools for you…things to be used for your eventual goal, huh?”
Lelouch thought that was pretty obvious but…well, Suzaku did have a more delicate worldview, after all.
Without warning, Suzaku gave a chuckle, a very unstable chuckle, that turned into a full blown laugh.
Now, Lelouch was slightly afraid for the sanity of his former best friend. “Hey, Suzaku…what’s the matter with you?” he muttered in Japanese.
“Oh, nothing, I just realized how much of a fool I was.”
“Uh—okay.” Was this a good thing or a bad thing?
“And I’m thinking—that maybe I don’t want to be jerked around by them anymore, Lelouch. How about you?”
Well, Lelouch couldn’t help but grin at that. Ah, friends again.
“No matter what you think you can do, it is useless. Lelouch will complete his destiny. And perhaps, you, Kururugi, would like to stay by his side? You would make an excellent Knight of One for him—”
“I’d like to decide that for myself,” Lelouch glared. Destiny to rule the whole world for him? Fuck that.
“I dunno,” Suzaku muttered, “Being Knight of One would be nice…Still, if it’s under your orders, Your Majesty, no thank you.”
“And?” V.V. smirked. “What will you do about it? Your Geass is useless, and Kururugi cannot fight both of us.”
Lelouch suspected Suzaku could, but from what he had surmised, V.V. was immortal anyway. Hmm…this would be tough.
Still, remembering what V.V. said…
Lelouch glanced at Suzaku. It only took a moment before the Knight of Seven realized what he wanted him to do. He nodded, and then it began.
“What can you do?” V.V. taunted. “You have no weapon!”
Lelouch smirked. “I don’t need one.”
It was then he looked down at the floor, with the reflective surface and ordered, “Lelouch vi Britannia orders you to destroy him!”
At once, Lelouch went rushing for the Emperor. V.V. raced towards him to stop him, but Suzaku got here first, slicing him up though the chest. It wouldn’t kill but, but it would stop him for a little while.
The Emepror only seemed amused by Lelouch’s ploy. “Forcing yourself to kill me through geassing yourself…clever. However, you forget that once I use my geass on you—” The Emperor’s eyes tinged with geass.
Lelouch merely looked aside. He had seen the geass used far too many times to know when it was coming and when it was best not to look.
The Emperor smirked. “Well, if you’re going to play it that way, what are you going to do? Push me over the edge? You’ve geassed yourself, you must do it; so I wonder, how—”
Lelouch looked like he was about to do just that, when someone materialized next to him. “Lelouch, please, don’t!”
“Mother!”
Marianne was there, pleading for her husband’s life.
Though Lelouch couldn’t handle this right now. “This was the man that didn’t bat an eyelash when you were killed! That used you and your children for his own ends!”
Marianne gave a sad smile to herself, “And yet, I wouldn’t have you kill him, Lelouch. All the same, he is still my husband.”
The Emperor outright laughed. Whether or not he appreciated the gesture, Lelouch didn’t know nor care. No, the geass said he had to kill him, as soon as possible. But how?
Things had gotten especially more difficult now that the Emperor drew a gun out of his cloak and pointed it directly at him.
Though this was just what Lelouch was waiting for. Releasing his geass, Lelouch ordered, “Lelouch vi Britannia orders you to die!”
Marianne flinched, and for a second, everyone held their breath as the emperor’s hand stilled on the gun.
But his resounding laughter filled the chamber. “Did you forget in the thrill of the chase, Lelouch, that V.V. has protected me against your geass? What can you do when your geass is—”
“Plenty.” Lelouch smirked. It was then that the Emperor noticed that Suzaku had been slowly moving towards them. Moving towards them and removing that green contact from over his own geass eye.
“No—!”
“You don’t belong in this world any longer!” roared Suzaku.
That geass struck. V.V. had not warded him against other geasses—who else would have come after Lelouch was taken?
Marianne gasped as the emperor stepped back, with an expression of surprise on his face. With an uncertain hand, he raised the gun.
There was a bang, and the great emperor of Britannia fell—off the edge of the platform and down into the depths below.
Lelouch glanced at his mother, who looked like she was on the verge of tears. How could she still hold feelings for him after all he had done to her? How could she—!
“Charles!” V.V. roared, fully recovered now. “I’ll kill you for this, Lelouch vi Britannia!”
V.V. rushed towards him, but Lelouch never even flinched—Suzaku ran V.V. through again, snarling, “Sorry, but his life belongs to me.”
While V.V. was still recovering, Suzaku unceremoniously kicking him off the platform to join his brother—while it wouldn’t kill the immortal, it would at least get him out of their hair for a while. That was the important thing.
“My life belongs to you, huh?” Lelouch asked when Suzaku came back, smirking.
“Of course it does,” Suzaku glared. “You have a lot to answer for.”
“I’m sure.”
“Did you even geass yourself?” Suzaku glared back at Lelouch, now after the fact skeptical of how that plan of his had worked so well.
Lelouch grinned, “You do know that direct eye contact is what is needed for a geass command, correct? Looking at any other spot besides the eyes makes it useless.”
“Thought so,” Suzaku muttered. “I thought it was a pathetic attempt at killing him if it had been real.”
Lelouch only smirked and then turned back to his mother, who now silently walked away from the ledge that her husband had disappeared over. Still, she couldn’t leave yet. There was still something he wanted to know. “Mother,” he asked abruptly. “Why did you do it? Why did you follow him in this plan when you knew it would hurt us?”
Marianne gave a sad sort of smile. “Because I wanted to build a better world.”
“But…why? With those methods—using us—”
“You should know why, Lelouch,” she smiled. “I wanted to build a peaceful world for my children to live in, that’s all. I’m sure Charles wanted the same.”
Lelouch couldn’t help but stop and think about that. Building a better world…Wasn’t it what he wanted for Nunnally as well?
Though no, he hadn’t used Nunnally in his plans, had he?
But still…thinking that he was doing it for that too? Using them to build a new world that his children could live in?
Hmph. Lelouch wasn’t sure he was ready to believe that just yet.
It was now that C.C. appeared before them, not looking surprised that both Charles and V.V. were gone and Lelouch and Suzaku were (for now) not trying to kill each other. “We have to get back to Kamenejima soon,” she told them. “The battle’s come to the surface and unless you’d like to cut off all escape—”
“Right,” Lelouch nodded.
“Wait a minute, Lelouch,” Suzaku grabbed hold of his arm. “What are you planning on doing? Returning to the Black Knights? Pretending this never happened?”
“I don’t know, Suzaku, are you so eager to return to your job as a pet of Britannia?” Suzaku didn’t answer, but only glared back at him, geass eye burning a bright red. “That settles it then. I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for a break, how about you?”
Suzaku couldn’t agree more.
As they followed C.C. as she led them back towards the real world, Lelouch turned to take a look back at Marianne. “Ah—Mother—!”
“I will remain here,” she said. “It’s either this or return to Nunnally’s mind—and I don’t think you’d want that for her, do you, Lelouch?”
“But…Mother—!”
Marianne looked over at C.C. “You know how to remove geass, don’t you?”
The witch nodded. “I do, but it takes hours—days—it will be difficult with no guarantee. I have to remove every memory ever connected with the particular geass, and it does take time.”
“Please, do it on Nunnally. Remove me from her mind. I wished a chance to explain my mistakes and now I have. I have no more desire to cling on to a half-life after that.”
“Mother!”
Though Lelouch was shouting the same word over and over again, Marianne got his meaning. He had just seen his mother after her being dead for nine years, and here she was, leaving him again. “Lelouch, you have grown up into a fine young man. I hope you get the chance to build that perfect world you have been seeking.”
Lelouch could say nothing, only silently thank her for her words.
“You too, Kururugi, I hope you get a chance to grasp what you have been looking for as well.”
Suzaku didn’t really know what exactly to say to this—the spirit of Lelouch’s dead mother wishing him well—but he just nodded.
“And C.C.,” Marianne nodded as they were almost at the entrance back to the real world. The witch turned back to her, as Marianne gave her a devilish smirk—one like the one she used to know so well. “Take care of Lelouch, will you?”
C.C. gave he a glare, to which Marianne chuckled, before pushing the boys along, back through the portal. Lelouch turned back, to glance at his mother one last time, before the Sword of Akasha disappeared, and the image of his mother with it.
The first things they heard as they appeared back in that cave were the sounds of gunfire—the harsh firefight was still going on above.
“Quickly,” C.C. told them. “We haven’t much time—we have to get back to the Knightmares and get out of here before they spot us.”
Both Lelouch and Suzaku nodded—it wasn’t any desire of theirs to get caught up in another fight tonight.
As they ran, darting into the forest, Lelouch was suddenly caught off guard by a voice calling, “Zero!”
He turned—there was the Guren, heading straight for him.
Shit, Kallen!
Lelouch paused. He could stop, and tell Kallen what was going on now that she spotted him—though what could he explain? He had killed the Emperor, and now he and Suzaku were leaving to go discuss what should be done next? Damnit, he was hoping it would just be explained that Zero had died on Kamenejima, he didn’t want rumors going around—
Also, maybe he hadn’t wanted her to see him leaving. He didn’t want her knowing that he hadn’t planned on staying.
The top of the Guren opened, and Kallen stood out of her seat, “Lelouch, what are you doing—is that Suzaku? What is he doing—?”
“Lelouch!” Suzaku called back to him, unaware of the struggle going on inside his best friend. Come on, they had to get out of here, if more than just Kallen saw them together—
Lelouch grimaced—and with one last, guilty look, he turned away from Kallen, running to catch up with Suzaku and C.C.
“Hey, where are you going? Lelouch!” Kallen called after him, but he pretended he didn’t hear.
I can’t go back, Kallen. I have to go with Suzaku. We have to be together now. Only both of us can save make a miracle and save Nunnally now.
He revised that thought. And maybe find Rolo while we’re at it.
Somehow, they found their way through the winding forest back to the clearing where the Lancelot and C.C.’s Knightmare were.
“Well, where are we going?” Suzaku asked. “It’s got to be somewhere safe, out of the way—”
“Your family’s shrine,” Lelouch stated at once. “Would anyone check there?”
“Not likely. It’s been deserted for ages.”
It was suddenly that Lelouch remembered. “Except…I should have gone with Kallen. C.C., back on the ship, was she still all right? No one had found her?”
“Lelouch, calm down, it’s okay, I brought her with me.”
“You brought her with you?! But she’s—”
“Something happened when you were gone—there was a power surge and while I was in there, she—!”
C.C. didn’t have to finish, because the question was answered for him. The back of C.C.’s Knightmare was opened, and slowly, someone descended from it. Lelouch’s eyes were wide as she came into view, hardly able to believe it.
Someone else was hardly able to believe it too. That someone dropped the key to the Lancelot he was holding and walked forward, as if in a daze.
That was when she noticed him, violet eyes wide with recognition as she stepped onto the ground. “Suzaku…”
“Euphie!”
chapter 15 here.
I know I messed with Marianne's personality a bit, but I always thought it was weird that she was suddenly!crazy in turn 21.
There's about 2-3 chapters left in this story, so lets hope I don't get distracted by work too much again!
Rating: R this chapter (For Suzaku and Lelouch's naughty language).
Pairing: LelouchxC.C., (implied) Suzalulu.
Summary: So, what would have happened if Suzaku had received the Geass in Stage 1 instead of Lelouch? We'd have one messed up story on our hands.
Chapter 1 here.
Exposition like whoa.
C.C. piloted the Knightmare through the trees, hidden from the firefight above by the thick canopy. By now, the Black Knights and Britannia had engaged in a full out battle above Kamenejima, and before the battle came to land, this would be the only opportunity she had to find him.
Please, don’t let it be too late!
She saw something—someone lying on their side in a small clearing. C.C.’s heart leapt only to be deflated—the person was wearing a Knight of Rounds uniform.
Hmm…was Suzaku still alive? Would Lelouch have shot his friend to escape?
She thought a moment and dismissed it. No, Lelouch was contemplating giving up when he left. He wouldn’t have done something like that.
She hoped.
But where did he go?
Stopping the Knightmare, C.C. turned to the person sitting behind the seat—sitting in a crouched positing with their arms hugging their knees to their chest. That hospital gown had to be cold, after all.
When C.C. turned to her, the person stared up at her blankly. “Wait here,” C.C. told her. “You can’t be seen just now. I’ll come back after getting Lelouch.”
Violet eyes only flickered in recognition of the name and then she nodded—a few strands of her curly hair falling in front of her face.
Being in a coma for so long must have taken a lot out of her—she acted like her soul had been taken!
With a sigh, C.C. turned and left—making sure the Knightmare was locked and well hidden. If she was spotted by Britannian or Black Knight forces—
The minute she was on the ground, C.C. ran for Suzaku. The Knight of Seven lay on his side, sword having fallen from his hands. He was alive, that was sure. But what had happened? It was like he had been knocked out—
At once, she knew. V.V.
C.C. barely touched him before Suzaku jerked awake, grabbing for his weapon in a reflex. When he realized it was only her he relaxed, but not before he remembered what had happened. “Lelouch? Wait—he was here! Where did he—!”
“V.V. took him.” C.C. explained. “He probably wanted to bring him before Charles.”
“The Emperor?” But—but wasn’t he supposed to bring Lelouch to him? Wasn’t that the Emperor’s grand plan?
“Suzaku,” C.C. asked, her face deadly serious. “Would you like to know the truth?”
“The truth?”
“About everything. About Lelouch, about myself—and about your geass.”
“That’s insane!”
“Still, it’s what we have to go on! His Highness Schniezel promised us clemency as long as—”
“As long as we’re willing to surrender everything to him! That’s just bowing our heads before Britannia, don’t you see—”
“But they promised us Japan in return! Japan in return for ending the war—!”
“Do you really think they’ll keep their promise!”
Ougi turned sharply back to Kallen, as she continued to glare at him. How could he accept such terms? Trust a Britannian—ha!
“It’s all we have! Besides, what with Zero and all—!”
“Zero went off to secure our victory. He’s done this plenty of times.” Kallen lied for him. Though Lelouch hadn’t said that…that’s what he was doing, wasn’t he? Didn’t have some trick up his sleeve like he always did?
“Still, what if what the prince said was true? What if Zero really is—!”
There were stares all around. Everyone in the bridge turned to face her as Ougi threw out the accusation. Everyone knew she had been close to Zero, after all. And if she knew it was true and had lied—
Everything depended upon this. Kallen knew she couldn’t screw it up—for Lelouch’s sake, and for hers.
“So what if he is a Britannian? Zero’s proven his loyalty hundreds of times. I don’t need to see his face to know—”
“Yes, but a Britannian prince? Who was using us for his own game and planning on throwing us away afterward?”
Even Kallen couldn’t play her part as well as she hoped. She had wondered that too. She knew Lelouch wanted revenge against Britannia, that the Black Knights were part of this plan. But she always thought that Japan had come first on his list—free Japan for his sister, free Japan for everyone.
But what if that wasn’t the case? Had he lied to her, too?
“Very well,” Kallen sighed. “We shouldn’t trust the Britannians for now, I think, but Zero is on that island. I will go to him and demand he tell me his true intentions. Will that satisfy you, Ougi?”
“He might lie about it.” Ougi warned.
“He might not.” Kallen countered. “Besides, if I’m bugged, you can decide that for yourselves, can’t you?”
After a thought, Ougi nodded.
As Kallen prepared the Guren for her mission, she couldn’t keep herself wondering—what if Ougi was right?
What if Lelouch did intent to use them for his schemes, and desert them all afterward?
What if he had been using her, too?
Lelouch stood up abruptly, glancing around at his surroundings. He seemed to be on a platform suspended high in the air. Where was this place? And why had he been brought here?
By him, nonetheless.
Before Lelouch could demand what was going on, the Emperor and that little long haired child at his side talked between one another—
“It’s a good thing I got him here soon enough, Charles—it looked like Kururugi was going to kill him.”
“Kururugi? Ha, I bet he tried. Still, I would have hoped that at this point, he would have been farther along…”
“Don’t worry, that can be easily fixed.”
“What can be fixed?” Lelouch demanded. “Where am I? What do you want with me?”
The emperor just smiled. “A naughty boy shouldn’t be asking questions, Lelouch.”
“You’re the one who brought me here! I should be allowed to ask questions!” Lelouch’s geass eye flared up. “And I have more! Who killed my mother? Why was I sent to Japan? Why did you take Nunnally from me? Where is she now? Tell me!”
Without warning, his geass acted upon its own. Lelouch realized only a moment after it happened—how did it happen? He didn’t unleash his geass!
But even though his geass was aimed right at the emperor, and a red ring formed around his eyes, it faded in a moment without even taking effect. Charles smirked. “Don’t try using your geass, Lelouch. I have been protected from yours.”
Protected? What did he mean? But he didn’t mean to do it—how did he—It was then that Lelouch caught a glimpse of his reflection in the polished stone below his feet.
What? One of his eyes was the same purple it had always been—and the other, the left one was red. A bright red, with a geass mark overtop.
The child at Charles’s side smirked. “Is there something you regret, Lelouch?”
Lelouch glared back at the child. So, his geass evolved. When had it evolved? It had to have been recently, but—
“Hmph. Well, if you are protected from my geass, then I don’t suppose your friend here is—”
“Don’t try it,” the boy smirked. “No geass can affect me. Especially not here, in this space, where geass began.”
Lelouch glanced around. Where geass…began?
The child walked slowly towards him. “Yes. This is the essence of all geass—a great consciousness that only those connected to geass can tap into. It is in this space that geass can be manipulated—bent to the wills of those who know just how to use it. And it is here in this space, Lelouch, that you will fulfill your destiny.”
Without warning, the child grabbed him and instantly, Lelouch felt a sharp, stinging pain in his right eye. He fell to the ground, unable to control gasps of pain as it felt like something was bursting from that eye—like needles all over as that something burst forth and washed over, covering him completely until—
It was over. Lelouch fell limp, still panting as the child stepped away, a smirk on his face. “Now, that’s better. It looks like that princess Euphie of yours wasn’t enough, but now you’ve finally come around.”
As Lelouch shakily came to his feet, he caught a glimpse of his face. Now both eyes were red an etched with the symbol of geass.
“Euphie…so it was you who did that to me!” he roared, now recognizing that little boy for what he was. V.V. The one C.C. had talked about.
V.V. grinned. “You needed a push back then, too. We hoped the loss of her would drive your geass to evolution, but it looks like you were stronger than we thought. We had to do it the hard way, pity.”
Lelouch didn’t have a weapon. Though if he hadn’t remembered C.C.’s warning, he would have grabbed V.V. and started strangling him. “If it hadn’t been for you, Euphie would be—!”
“What are you talking about, Lelouch?” the Emperor snickered. “Wasn’t it your geass that ordered her? Wasn’t it you who shot her?”
It…it was, but…but—!
V.V. chuckled, walking back to Charles. “If it hadn’t been for C.C. disobeying orders, then she wouldn’t have had to be geassed in the first place.”
C.C.? What did she have to do with all of this? In fact, why had they—?
“What’s going on?” he asked once more. “You accelerated my geass for a reason.”
“Correct. You should be honored, Lelouch. The time has come for the plan to finally be fulfilled.”
The plan? What plan?
V.V. stepped towards him once more, a hungered look in his eyes. Lelouch’s instincts told him to run, but run where? There was no place to run! And if V.V. got his hands on him again, who knew what—
Suddenly V.V. stopped with a shocked look on his face, and then put his hands to his head as if he had gotten a sudden headache.
“Nii-san!” Charles called, “What—?”
“It’s C.C.! She’s—”
Suddenly, everything went white.
Lelouch felt like he was floating in blank space when suddenly everything shifted—he was in a different place than before. Instead of that platform amongst the clouds, he was now in what looked like to be a colonnade under a sunset sky. Just as Lelouch was looking around, he heard someone behind him.
“C.C.?”
The green-haired witch walked towards him, with a somber look on her face. Though Lelouch was glad—relieved, actually—to see her, he couldn’t wait any longer. Someone had to explain what was going on.
“C.C., what’s happening? Why did the Emperor want me? Why did he accelerate my geass? What is this place? Why—!”
C.C. half-smiled. At least Lelouch’s quest for answers showed he was returning to his former self. But…
No, she couldn’t doubt it now. He was directly involved. The time had come to tell him.
“This place—the Sword of Akasha—this is where the plan began, and it is where it shall come to an end.”
“The plan?”
“Ah, finally going to tell him, C.C.?” came another voice. A voice that Lelouch was startled to hear.
“Mother?”
It was true—Marianne came walking towards them, a soft smile upon her face at seeing her son. “I suppose since Charles has already spilled the beans, we’ll have to catch him up.”
“Mother—what—how are you—?”
“I suppose C.C. never told you—my soul’s been hiding away in Nunnally all this time. The only place where I can move like I used to is in here, because I am locked away in a geass.”
“Nunnally? What—geass—?”
“Stop it, Marianne, you’re confusing him,” C.C. chuckled. “Nunnally was the only witness to your mother’s death, was she not? Marianne was given a geass that allows her to enter the minds of others. Though because of that, her soul was trapped inside your sister for nine years.”
Her…soul…in Nunnally? “But—Nunnally—where is she? Is she safe?”
Marianne sighed, “Charles has imprisoned Nunnally in hopes that you would come to him to try to get her back. And you did. But she is alive, at this moment.”
Lelouch let out all his relief in a sigh. Thank God. At least she was alive…he knew that much.
Someone else, hiding behind one of the columns gave a sigh of relief as well.
Lelouch looked like he wanted nothing more than to shake the information out of her. “But—Nunnally! Where is she? How can I get to her? Can you tell me—!”
“Lelouch,” C.C. cut in. “Before all of that—there are many things you need to understand. After all, if Charles succeeds with his plan—”
“What plan? All I hear is talk of this plan that you keep mentioning but what—!”
“It’s the plan that we all have had for longer than you were born,” Marianne cut in, looking reminiscent. “the plan to create a world without war.”
“A world…” Lelouch mouthed. He could hardly believe it. That bastard—who had started so many wars, who didn’t care when innocents got killed, as long as he achieved his goal—wanted to create a world without war? Hmph, what a hypocrite—!
Lelouch caught a glimpse of C.C. as she rolled her eyes, like she knew what he was thinking. So what if she did? It didn’t excuse his father for being such a hypocrite—oh.
And then he got it, and decided not to think about that for a while.
“After spending much time thinking on it, Charles decided the only way to create a world without wars was to have the world run by one state.”
One state? “You mean have Britannia conquer everything.” Lelouch’s eyes narrowed. “Hmph, it wouldn’t work. People would still rise up in rebellion. Everyone wants to govern themselves, no one would buy it—”
“But if people had a wise and caring ruler, who worked for their needs, then surely they would be satisfied and wouldn’t rise up in rebellion?”
“Him? A wise and caring ruler? You must be joking—”
“No Lelouch, not him.” Marianne sighed. “Charles never dreamed of ruling the entire world.”
“Oh, good. So who was Father planning on passing the throne too, Mother? Someone tough like Cornelia? Someone shrewd as Schinezel? Odysseus, just for laughs?”
“I should think, Lelouch, that the answer would be obvious.” C.C. cut in.
Oh, it was then that the hairs on the back of his neck stood up as he realized what he meant. It was hard for geass eyes to look surprised—or hold any emotion, for that matter—but he was doing a good job of it. “No…this has to be a joke…it can’t be…”
Marianne smiled. “Charles saw when you were young that you already had the mind to do it—and unlike Schniezel, you cared enough about others that you would take care of the people you ruled once you had the throne.”
“But…Father…he never cared about me! He sent Nunnally and I to Japan! He threw her away when she was injured! He stared a war in Japan right after that, and didn’t even care when Nunnally and I turned up missing!
“That was all after the plan had been put in motion, and it had been decided on that it was you. Everything he did after that was—”
“Well then tell me! Tell me why I suffered like this! I’ve waited for nine years to hear it, Mother, I don’t want to hear it any longer!”
Marianne looked sadly at her son, as if to say she was sorry for all that had happened. Though, she didn’t finish her explanation. C.C. told him, “When you were born, you were also discovered to have an affinity for geass.”
“Affinity?”
“Not everyone can have the geass, you know. It takes a certain type of person. If you were not meant to have the geass, and the affinity is forced on you anyway, you will be in great pain whenever it is used—it will also be highly unstable.” For a brief moment, C.C.’s eyes flickered over towards the columns—Lelouch didn’t understand what that was about.
“It was decided that when you were old enough, you would attain it—and then eventually, be granted the Code as well.”
“The Code?”
“In essence, immortality.” C.C. explained. “The Code is passed from the geass giver to user—and thus the cycle continues.”
Wait…what? Geass…and planning on making him immortal? Then how had everything ended up so wrong?
“Of course, while the plan was kept absolute secret, it wasn’t like other countries who were also aware of the geass didn’t have the same idea.” While C.C. explained, Marianne hung back, looking a bit regretful about something. But what, Lelouch didn’t have a clue.
“One country in particular…was Japan.”
Suzaku, who stayed hidden behind one of the columns, suddenly stiffened. Japan…? He suddenly had an idea of where this was going…
“The Prime Minister of Japan found out about Britannia’s plan, and decided he would set up a counter to it. He sent his son to the geass cult in china where he would be trained as a warrior, and also hopefully given the geass as well, in hopes of standing up to Britannia.”
“Suzaku?”
“That’s right,” Marianne finally spoke. “Kururugi Suzaku was sent to the cult when he was just a child, and enhanced so he would have the strength be a great warrior—a modified human, far superior to anything Britannia could have sent, at that time, anyway. He was there until he was about seven, I think.”
Suzaku almost dropped the sword he held tightly in his grip. Until seven? That’s why—that’s why he couldn’t remember anything before that! His memories were probably wiped when he was sent to the shrine—
But…why?
“I didn’t know until recently,” C.C. admitted. “When I went to China, I found his face among one of the pictures of the children raised by the cult. I hardly believed it when I saw it, but Marianne confirmed it as true.”
“But…Suzaku…why?”
“Do you not understand?” C.C. had to spell it out for him. “From the very beginning, you two were destined to fight each other.”
It took a moment for Lelouch to process that. From the very beginning, huh? But… “Then how did we end up friends? How did we both end up at the Kururugi shrine later on?”
“Charles found out. Having a warrior to challenge you hindered our plans. So it was decided that our next child would be raised as a knight to you—well, and assassin as it turned out. A match for what Japan had decided to throw at us.”
“But…Nunnally? She was never—”
“No, not Nunnally.” Marianne cut him off. “Nunnally was unexpected and therefore left alone—if anything, she was to be your reason for living, and that was the extent of her involvement. No, the one raised as an assassin was her twin brother, instead.”
“Twin?!”
C.C. nodded. “So secret, that it was kept from me, as well. The only people who knew about him was Charles, Marianne, and V.V.”
“But—wait— ” By now, Lelouch was nearly shaking—whether it was rage or shock even he didn’t know, all of this at once was far too much to handle. “If I had a brother, I should have known about it!”
“Didn’t you?” C.C. countered.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about! What brother would I have—” Once again, she made things far too obvious.
This time, it was a lot harder to accept.
At the pure simplicity of it all, Lelouch couldn’t help but laugh. “No…no…you’re telling me him? That’s who? You must be mad—!”
“No doubt you also noticed his similarity to Nunnally? Those same eyes—same color hair—”
“All this time I thought he was a fake and now you say he’s the real thing? That’s just priceless!” He cackled again, hand on his forehead as he tried to control fits of laughter.
Laughter C.C. knew was only a mask for his real feelings.
After all, Lelouch had only tried to protect his family. To realize that the person he had hated, despised, treated horribly for being a fake actually was his family must have been a blow.
“Rolo was sent immediately after he was born to China, placed there as a convenient excuse to keep tabs on Kururugi Suzaku. He was given the geass at a younger age, in hopes that years of experience would help him be a better wielder of it.”
Recovered, and trying not to think about the fact that Rolo actually was his brother, Lelouch asked, “So, what then? What did he do now to ruin my life?”
This time, Marianne spoke, “Rolo was given the geass when he was young, it’s true. But there was a problem. His geass has a flaw—his heart stops every time he uses it. Did you know of this?
Lelouch shook his head. Rolo had never told him. His heart stopped every time he…no wonder he wouldn’t want to talk about it!
After he was out of here, he’d need to find him. Find him and apologize for what he had done. He was family, after all.
Marianne cut into his thoughts, He was a failure—he couldn’t be used as a legitimate assassin now, not when his heart was a time bomb. He could be used a little bit, but he would be thrown away eventually—and all would have failed.”
“Oh, and you were okay with this, Mother? You were okay with your children being used for this cause?”
Marianne looked downcast and spoke, “I will never admit I was perfect. I thought as long as Charles’s plan succeeded, it would be better for all.”
“So you didn’t mind at all? You didn’t care when Father was planning all our lives and telling us whether or not we were worthy to him—”
“I never said I didn’t care!” Lelouch had never seen his mother like that—desperate, regretful. All of a sudden, he regretted shouting at her like that.
Though he could tell it was hard for her, Marianne continued, “With the failure with Rolo, Charles decided it was time to get rid of Suzaku. As long as that boy was alive, he was a threat to you. But…I had seen the boy on my last trip to the cult to check on Rolo. He was a young, happy child, who was delighted to be serving his country. I pleaded with Charles. I didn’t want the murder of a child on my hands.”
By now, both Lelouch and Suzaku held full attention to her words. “That is why…I left Britannia. I secretly went to the cult and stole him away. Using a trick with my geass, I managed to remove all his memories of the place. I placed him with his family in Japan where no Britannian agent could touch him. I then went back to Britannia and waited my punishment.”
“Punishment?”
“I had jeopardized the plan, perhaps ruined it forever. I knew something was coming, but I didn’t know exactly what—”
Lelouch’s fingers curled into fists as he understood. “So that was why!” he roared. “All along, that was why you were killed! You disobeyed his orders and he—That fucking bastard! How dare he—!”
“Charles had nothing to do with it!” Marianne cut in. “It was V.V., he was the one who ordered—!”
“Oh, how do you know it wasn’t on his orders?”
“I do not think so. I imagine he wasn’t happy with V.V. with what he had done.”
“Not unhappy enough to do something about it!”
Though Lelouch still raged, still itched for vengeance, C.C. knew it wasn’t the time. She walked up to him, and gently touched his shoulder. “Lelouch…please, not now.”
It took a minute, but seeing the pleading look in her eyes was enough to calm him. For now.
“But…why? Why did I end up in Japan all this time if Japan was supposedly our enemy?”
“I know V.V. suspected that I sent Suzaku to the shrine,” Marianne explained. “Perhaps he and Charles decided that if you were sent there, it would be easy to spy on him, or perhaps send an assassin. Maybe they wanted to see how you two would interact, to see how their plan would turn out in the end, I don’t know. “
“It was because of that,” C.C. explained. “Lelouch and Nunnally were sent so they could have an excuse to keep an eye on Suzaku. I was sent as well, just to make sure he remained alive, and, at the right time, to take you both back to Britannia. I didn’t know I was really there to watch Suzaku.”
“I imagine Charles grew impatient, and decided to weaken Japan before Suzaku had the chance to grow up to lead the country.” Marianne added.
“Probably, but in the confusion, but you and Nunnally were lost. I was assigned to stay in Japan and find you, and at the right time, give you geass to complete the plan.”
“So, why didn’t you?” Lelouch demanded. “Seek me out and give me the geass?”
It was at this time that C.C. looked very much like Marianne had before. Regretful. “Because though I did not know the full extent of it, I knew of the plan and what dangers would come to you. I couldn’t do it.”
“And why not?”
At that, C.C. gave a dry chuckle, “Why not, indeed?”
Lelouch stared blankly, but Suzaku had a shrewd idea why.
“Instead, I searched for a substitute. When I found Suzaku that day, I did not recognize him for who he was—nor did I know of what he had meant to the plan. I realized he had an affinity—though it was a fabricated one—and gave it to him.”
“So you mean to say,” Lelouch turned—Suzaku? What was he doing here? “That the only reason I received the geass was because you were unwilling to offer Lelouch up, correct?”
The witch smirked as the Knight of Seven joined them, “Why, do you hate me for it, Suzaku?”
Suzaku wasn’t sure. He took a look up at that other woman—Marianne, Lelouch’s mother, apparently—and in an instant he recognized her. So she really was that woman from that time—the one who brought me to the shrine back then…
“Suzaku, what are you doing here?” asked Lelouch.
The Knight of Seven shrugged, “I followed her,” he pointed at C.C. “She promised me answers.”
“And I gave them. Now, Suzaku, that you’ve heard everything, will you—”
But she never got to finish. All of a sudden, the white flash came again—this time it was Lelouch and Suzaku who were left floating along black space until everything reverted back to the plane he had been before.
V.V. and Charles were there, still waiting. “Good,” V.V. said once they had arrived. “I’ve sealed out C.C.’s and Marianne’s influence for a while—and it looks like Kururugi decided to drop by, as well.”
At once, that hatred inside Lelouch flared up again—not just at seeing his mother’s murderer, but also seeing the one who had—justifiably—ruined his life for the sake of his own goal.
It didn’t look like Suzaku was too thrilled at seeing his Emperor either; his sword was already drawn and he was giving the emperor a glare of hatred that Lelouch knew all too well.
“I suppose C.C. and Marianne told you everything?” the Emperor asked.
“They did,” Lelouch glared, wishing he had a weapon on him so he could at least look somewhat menacing when standing next to Suzaku.
“So now you understand the glorious destiny we had planned for you.”
“I understand it…but I won’t follow through with it.”
V.V. chuckled, “We thought you wouldn’t follow willingly.”
“As you and your friend Kururugi know, I am in possession of a geass that modifies memories. One order, and I could have you wishing for your destiny like nothing more.”
That was true…the emperor had a geass, and had somehow rigged it so he was immune to his geass. How could he get out of this?
“So, you’ll force him to obey you, then?” Suzaku cut in, glaring. Lelouch turned sharply to glance at his friend. He was standing up for him? Wait…what about what had happened back in that clearing where he said he had to die to fix everything?
Hadn’t he meant that? Hadn’t he been about to kill him?
“Why do you care, Kururugi,” Lelouch muttered. “Isn’t a Rounds supposed to obey the Emperor in all things?”
Suzaku shot him a dirty look. “There is a right way to do things, and there is also a wrong way. That would be the wrong way.”
“Well, if you say so,” Lelouch rolled his eyes. Suzaku pretended to ignore it.
“Just tell me one thing, Your Majesty,” Suzaku said, never lowering the sword. “I heard about how hard you tried to kill me as a child. Why then did you make me a Knight of Rounds in the end?”
The Emperor said without emotion, “You were made as a weapon of Japan. Since Japan was destroyed, why not use that same weapon for myself?”
“I see.” Was there a…smile on Suzaku’s face? “So we are only tools for you…things to be used for your eventual goal, huh?”
Lelouch thought that was pretty obvious but…well, Suzaku did have a more delicate worldview, after all.
Without warning, Suzaku gave a chuckle, a very unstable chuckle, that turned into a full blown laugh.
Now, Lelouch was slightly afraid for the sanity of his former best friend. “Hey, Suzaku…what’s the matter with you?” he muttered in Japanese.
“Oh, nothing, I just realized how much of a fool I was.”
“Uh—okay.” Was this a good thing or a bad thing?
“And I’m thinking—that maybe I don’t want to be jerked around by them anymore, Lelouch. How about you?”
Well, Lelouch couldn’t help but grin at that. Ah, friends again.
“No matter what you think you can do, it is useless. Lelouch will complete his destiny. And perhaps, you, Kururugi, would like to stay by his side? You would make an excellent Knight of One for him—”
“I’d like to decide that for myself,” Lelouch glared. Destiny to rule the whole world for him? Fuck that.
“I dunno,” Suzaku muttered, “Being Knight of One would be nice…Still, if it’s under your orders, Your Majesty, no thank you.”
“And?” V.V. smirked. “What will you do about it? Your Geass is useless, and Kururugi cannot fight both of us.”
Lelouch suspected Suzaku could, but from what he had surmised, V.V. was immortal anyway. Hmm…this would be tough.
Still, remembering what V.V. said…
Lelouch glanced at Suzaku. It only took a moment before the Knight of Seven realized what he wanted him to do. He nodded, and then it began.
“What can you do?” V.V. taunted. “You have no weapon!”
Lelouch smirked. “I don’t need one.”
It was then he looked down at the floor, with the reflective surface and ordered, “Lelouch vi Britannia orders you to destroy him!”
At once, Lelouch went rushing for the Emperor. V.V. raced towards him to stop him, but Suzaku got here first, slicing him up though the chest. It wouldn’t kill but, but it would stop him for a little while.
The Emepror only seemed amused by Lelouch’s ploy. “Forcing yourself to kill me through geassing yourself…clever. However, you forget that once I use my geass on you—” The Emperor’s eyes tinged with geass.
Lelouch merely looked aside. He had seen the geass used far too many times to know when it was coming and when it was best not to look.
The Emperor smirked. “Well, if you’re going to play it that way, what are you going to do? Push me over the edge? You’ve geassed yourself, you must do it; so I wonder, how—”
Lelouch looked like he was about to do just that, when someone materialized next to him. “Lelouch, please, don’t!”
“Mother!”
Marianne was there, pleading for her husband’s life.
Though Lelouch couldn’t handle this right now. “This was the man that didn’t bat an eyelash when you were killed! That used you and your children for his own ends!”
Marianne gave a sad smile to herself, “And yet, I wouldn’t have you kill him, Lelouch. All the same, he is still my husband.”
The Emperor outright laughed. Whether or not he appreciated the gesture, Lelouch didn’t know nor care. No, the geass said he had to kill him, as soon as possible. But how?
Things had gotten especially more difficult now that the Emperor drew a gun out of his cloak and pointed it directly at him.
Though this was just what Lelouch was waiting for. Releasing his geass, Lelouch ordered, “Lelouch vi Britannia orders you to die!”
Marianne flinched, and for a second, everyone held their breath as the emperor’s hand stilled on the gun.
But his resounding laughter filled the chamber. “Did you forget in the thrill of the chase, Lelouch, that V.V. has protected me against your geass? What can you do when your geass is—”
“Plenty.” Lelouch smirked. It was then that the Emperor noticed that Suzaku had been slowly moving towards them. Moving towards them and removing that green contact from over his own geass eye.
“No—!”
“You don’t belong in this world any longer!” roared Suzaku.
That geass struck. V.V. had not warded him against other geasses—who else would have come after Lelouch was taken?
Marianne gasped as the emperor stepped back, with an expression of surprise on his face. With an uncertain hand, he raised the gun.
There was a bang, and the great emperor of Britannia fell—off the edge of the platform and down into the depths below.
Lelouch glanced at his mother, who looked like she was on the verge of tears. How could she still hold feelings for him after all he had done to her? How could she—!
“Charles!” V.V. roared, fully recovered now. “I’ll kill you for this, Lelouch vi Britannia!”
V.V. rushed towards him, but Lelouch never even flinched—Suzaku ran V.V. through again, snarling, “Sorry, but his life belongs to me.”
While V.V. was still recovering, Suzaku unceremoniously kicking him off the platform to join his brother—while it wouldn’t kill the immortal, it would at least get him out of their hair for a while. That was the important thing.
“My life belongs to you, huh?” Lelouch asked when Suzaku came back, smirking.
“Of course it does,” Suzaku glared. “You have a lot to answer for.”
“I’m sure.”
“Did you even geass yourself?” Suzaku glared back at Lelouch, now after the fact skeptical of how that plan of his had worked so well.
Lelouch grinned, “You do know that direct eye contact is what is needed for a geass command, correct? Looking at any other spot besides the eyes makes it useless.”
“Thought so,” Suzaku muttered. “I thought it was a pathetic attempt at killing him if it had been real.”
Lelouch only smirked and then turned back to his mother, who now silently walked away from the ledge that her husband had disappeared over. Still, she couldn’t leave yet. There was still something he wanted to know. “Mother,” he asked abruptly. “Why did you do it? Why did you follow him in this plan when you knew it would hurt us?”
Marianne gave a sad sort of smile. “Because I wanted to build a better world.”
“But…why? With those methods—using us—”
“You should know why, Lelouch,” she smiled. “I wanted to build a peaceful world for my children to live in, that’s all. I’m sure Charles wanted the same.”
Lelouch couldn’t help but stop and think about that. Building a better world…Wasn’t it what he wanted for Nunnally as well?
Though no, he hadn’t used Nunnally in his plans, had he?
But still…thinking that he was doing it for that too? Using them to build a new world that his children could live in?
Hmph. Lelouch wasn’t sure he was ready to believe that just yet.
It was now that C.C. appeared before them, not looking surprised that both Charles and V.V. were gone and Lelouch and Suzaku were (for now) not trying to kill each other. “We have to get back to Kamenejima soon,” she told them. “The battle’s come to the surface and unless you’d like to cut off all escape—”
“Right,” Lelouch nodded.
“Wait a minute, Lelouch,” Suzaku grabbed hold of his arm. “What are you planning on doing? Returning to the Black Knights? Pretending this never happened?”
“I don’t know, Suzaku, are you so eager to return to your job as a pet of Britannia?” Suzaku didn’t answer, but only glared back at him, geass eye burning a bright red. “That settles it then. I don’t know about you, but I’m in the mood for a break, how about you?”
Suzaku couldn’t agree more.
As they followed C.C. as she led them back towards the real world, Lelouch turned to take a look back at Marianne. “Ah—Mother—!”
“I will remain here,” she said. “It’s either this or return to Nunnally’s mind—and I don’t think you’d want that for her, do you, Lelouch?”
“But…Mother—!”
Marianne looked over at C.C. “You know how to remove geass, don’t you?”
The witch nodded. “I do, but it takes hours—days—it will be difficult with no guarantee. I have to remove every memory ever connected with the particular geass, and it does take time.”
“Please, do it on Nunnally. Remove me from her mind. I wished a chance to explain my mistakes and now I have. I have no more desire to cling on to a half-life after that.”
“Mother!”
Though Lelouch was shouting the same word over and over again, Marianne got his meaning. He had just seen his mother after her being dead for nine years, and here she was, leaving him again. “Lelouch, you have grown up into a fine young man. I hope you get the chance to build that perfect world you have been seeking.”
Lelouch could say nothing, only silently thank her for her words.
“You too, Kururugi, I hope you get a chance to grasp what you have been looking for as well.”
Suzaku didn’t really know what exactly to say to this—the spirit of Lelouch’s dead mother wishing him well—but he just nodded.
“And C.C.,” Marianne nodded as they were almost at the entrance back to the real world. The witch turned back to her, as Marianne gave her a devilish smirk—one like the one she used to know so well. “Take care of Lelouch, will you?”
C.C. gave he a glare, to which Marianne chuckled, before pushing the boys along, back through the portal. Lelouch turned back, to glance at his mother one last time, before the Sword of Akasha disappeared, and the image of his mother with it.
The first things they heard as they appeared back in that cave were the sounds of gunfire—the harsh firefight was still going on above.
“Quickly,” C.C. told them. “We haven’t much time—we have to get back to the Knightmares and get out of here before they spot us.”
Both Lelouch and Suzaku nodded—it wasn’t any desire of theirs to get caught up in another fight tonight.
As they ran, darting into the forest, Lelouch was suddenly caught off guard by a voice calling, “Zero!”
He turned—there was the Guren, heading straight for him.
Shit, Kallen!
Lelouch paused. He could stop, and tell Kallen what was going on now that she spotted him—though what could he explain? He had killed the Emperor, and now he and Suzaku were leaving to go discuss what should be done next? Damnit, he was hoping it would just be explained that Zero had died on Kamenejima, he didn’t want rumors going around—
Also, maybe he hadn’t wanted her to see him leaving. He didn’t want her knowing that he hadn’t planned on staying.
The top of the Guren opened, and Kallen stood out of her seat, “Lelouch, what are you doing—is that Suzaku? What is he doing—?”
“Lelouch!” Suzaku called back to him, unaware of the struggle going on inside his best friend. Come on, they had to get out of here, if more than just Kallen saw them together—
Lelouch grimaced—and with one last, guilty look, he turned away from Kallen, running to catch up with Suzaku and C.C.
“Hey, where are you going? Lelouch!” Kallen called after him, but he pretended he didn’t hear.
I can’t go back, Kallen. I have to go with Suzaku. We have to be together now. Only both of us can save make a miracle and save Nunnally now.
He revised that thought. And maybe find Rolo while we’re at it.
Somehow, they found their way through the winding forest back to the clearing where the Lancelot and C.C.’s Knightmare were.
“Well, where are we going?” Suzaku asked. “It’s got to be somewhere safe, out of the way—”
“Your family’s shrine,” Lelouch stated at once. “Would anyone check there?”
“Not likely. It’s been deserted for ages.”
It was suddenly that Lelouch remembered. “Except…I should have gone with Kallen. C.C., back on the ship, was she still all right? No one had found her?”
“Lelouch, calm down, it’s okay, I brought her with me.”
“You brought her with you?! But she’s—”
“Something happened when you were gone—there was a power surge and while I was in there, she—!”
C.C. didn’t have to finish, because the question was answered for him. The back of C.C.’s Knightmare was opened, and slowly, someone descended from it. Lelouch’s eyes were wide as she came into view, hardly able to believe it.
Someone else was hardly able to believe it too. That someone dropped the key to the Lancelot he was holding and walked forward, as if in a daze.
That was when she noticed him, violet eyes wide with recognition as she stepped onto the ground. “Suzaku…”
“Euphie!”
chapter 15 here.
I know I messed with Marianne's personality a bit, but I always thought it was weird that she was suddenly!crazy in turn 21.
There's about 2-3 chapters left in this story, so lets hope I don't get distracted by work too much again!
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I didn't like messing with Marianne's characterization much either, but it was the only way to make everything work. Took days of working on timelines to make sure there were no plot holes. XD
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