Code Geass 1. Suzaku Kururugi

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes:**** My first fic in Code Geass. To be truthful I am writing this for my own satisfaction. But I would appreciate it if I get feedback and suggestions on how to improve. Since I am relatively new to this fandom the characterizations might not be too much consistent. Thank you. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 1: Suzaku Kururugi **

I see now Lelouch.

We were never meant to be heroes.

We were not to save the world from tragedy and sadness by becoming their light.

No.

We were always meant to be antiheroes

Saving the world from ourselves as the people cheered our demise.

Even as Zero and Knight of the Rounds

We were always Villians

You, to the Britannian Empire

Me, to the Japanese people.

No matter what we did, we always ended up being the villains

But maybe...

Maybe it is alright to be an anti hero

As long as the world can have the peace it desires,

As long as Euphie's and Nunally's dream can be fulfilled

I am ready to be the antihero

After all, a hero cannot be created without a villain.

**Author Notes: Yes its going to be a series of one shot kind of stories. Please give suggestions.**


	2. Shinichiro Tamaki

**Disclaimer:****I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes:****Second chapter! Normally people do his character last or don't do it at all but I felt like doing his first. I hope you enjoy reading!**

**CheapSk33t:****Thank you for the review! I hope you continue reading this fic and enjoy it. Thank you! **

**Chapter 2: Shinichiro Tamaki**

You were my best buddy.

The one who actually understood my dreams and hopes.

At first I might've been a little- OK maybe a lot skeptical about you but I soon started to believe you as you performed miracles after miracles.

We were not a resistance team.

We were Allies of Justice.

Our top priority was to give hope to the other Japanese people.

We had never even considered trying to defeat Britannia.

But you came along and changed everything.

Not only we actually thought about it but also felt that we could actually do it.

Even after you become the Emperor, I was sure that you had something up your sleeve.

Some miracle.

Cause it was always like that.

You always performed a miracle when everyone least expects it.

I wanted to hate you when you sentenced us for execution.

But I still couldn't bring myself hate you.

I trusted you.

And my theory proved to be correct.

You produced another miracle.

You managed to unite Japan and Britannia under a common area.

Your death.

But I felt no happiness in it.

Because you were my buddy, Zero.

**Author Notes: ****And done! Review if you can!**


	3. CC

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass!**

**Author Notes:**** Thank you for the support and reviews! This is from one of the important characters in Code Geass whose personality is very hard to capture. **

**Katkatw1luv:**** Thank you! It is confusing in the beginning. I will try to remedy that. Glad you liked it.**

**Kairu Kagemori:**** I am trying to balance out the less important characters and the primary characters of the series actually. Thanks for reviewing!**

**KK:**** Thanks for reviewing!**

**Chapter 3: CC**

Geass. The power if the kings.

You said it was like a wish.

Then why aren't you alive?

Didn't you promise to be my warlock?

True, that the world you envisioned is slowly taking shape but you are not here to see it, to enjoy it

You are just an arrogant child.

You always were.

But that was all you were, a child.

A child too young to die.

All you wanted was a little bit of happiness

You had, once, a long time ago, declared that you would walk the path of carnage.

That was not really true was it?

You did walk in the path of blood but not willingly.

_Never willingly. _

You might have hated the world for what they did to you but...

But you sacrificed yourself for it in the end.

And that's why, Lelouch vi Britannia, I promise you that I will go on living- not existing but living- without passing my immortality to anyone else.

This is the least I can do for you.

**Author Notes:**** Thank you for reading! Hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Nina Einstein

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass!**

**Author Notes: Thank you for the great reviews! I appreciate the response I have received from everyone. I hope all the other chapters are up to your satisfaction.**

****Terlander: **Aw thanks though I dont think I was able to capture it so perfectly. Thank you for the encouragement.**

**Kairu Kagemo:**** Hope this is fast enough for you. Thank you for your review!**

**Anon: Thank you for reading this. I too believed it but it was hard to accept it. That was one of the main reasons I wrote this fic. And I made the chapters knowingly short since I just came into this fandom and need more time. Thank you for the review!**

**CyberP: I am glad that this touched your heart. I hope you continue reading this. And I too feel better thinking that the people Lelouch care about knew the truth. Thank you for the review!**

**KK: She sure is interesting but also very hard to write. Thank you for the review!**

**Chapter 4: Nina Einstein **

I will never forgive you.

Not after what you had done to Princess Euphemia.

You not only killed Princess Euphemia but also made her out to be the villain. They called her Massacre Princess even though she was the most loving and caring person I have ever met.

You did not only destroy my heart but also your best friend's, Suzaku Kururugi's heart.

Despite all that...

You are still the boy in the Student Council who everyone always looked up to.

You were the Vice President of the student council

My schoolmate.

The only reason I helped you is you promised to create the world that Princess Euphemia had wished for.

I might never be able to forgive you. Not for as long as I live.

The only reason I trusted you is because...

You sincerely regretted Princess Euphemia death.

I know because the same thing that flashed on your face when I mentioned her name was the same thing I see on my face everyday.

**Author Notes: She is one of the most hated characters in Code Geass but she did like Euphemia. Thank you for the positive reviews! It does encourage me.**


	5. Nunally vi Britannia

**Disclaimer:****I do not own Code Geass!**

**Author Notes:****I actually crossed 10 reviews! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! Enjoy!**

**Kairu Kagemori:****Thank you!**

**KK:****I don't hate her actually. She is just too… different than others. Thank you for the review!**

**Kingrichard360:****That's what I believe she was doing in the last scene of the last episode. Talking with Lelouch like she used to talk with Marianne.**

**Chapter 4: Nunally vi Britannia/ Nunally Lamperouge**

Big brother. Why?

I did not want anything else. I would rather be with you at the Ashford Academy than be an Empress without you.

I am sorry.

Sorry to have doubted you.

Sorry to have betrayed you.

I don't know how could I have questioned all the times you said you loved me.

I would do anything to get you back.

I am even ready to give up my sight.

But please, please come back.

But that's not possible is it?

So, I promise to look after the world you left behind.

While I do blame the world for what has happened to you I will try my best to keep it at peace.

I will never let your sacrifice go in vain.

You died for a peaceful world and peaceful world it shall be.

**Author Notes:****I hate Nunally. She was his sister and she knew how much he loved her and yet she doubted him and ultimately betrayed him without questioning the reason for his actions. **


	6. Cecile Croomy

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass**

**Author Notes:**** I hope this is fine. Since she didn't know Lelouch personally there is not much she can say.**

**Guest: Awww. Thanks for the review!**

**KK: Maybe but even if zero did kill her sister Euphie did meet both of them at Ashford before that. So didn't Nunally even pause to think that maybe there might be a reason? Cause when you love someone you will give them the benefit of doubt. And even Suzaku was siding with Lelouch and Nunally knew that Suzaku loved Euphie. But she did have the potential to be a strong character.**

**Chapter 6: Cecile Croomy**

Justice.

Such a small word with infinite no. of meanings.

The only thing I ask is,_'Where is justice?'_

I hoped that justice would be delivered to all the people fighting out their for their dreams but I didn't think that it would be delivered in such a tragic way.

Where is justice in this case?

Where was justice when two _18 year old boys_ were out fighting for the world?

Where was justice when the world was against them?

_They were 18._

They were supposed to be studying, partying, enjoying with their friends and wondering about what they could do with their futures.

They were not supposed to be in the middle of the war.

_They were 18._

They had dreams and hopes.

And maybe that's why one is still carrying the burden of the world on his shoulder, dead to the world and other had to be killed by his closest friend.

After all, only the good die young.

**Author Notes:**** Another minor used character.**


	7. Kallen Kouzuki

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes:**** Next chapter! Ace of Black Knights, Kallen. To be truthful she isn't my favorite character only because I thought she could have a more deeper character if they reduced her fan service scenes. But she does have extremely realistic reactions. **

**Kairu Kagemori:**** thank you for the review!**

**Terlander:**** Thank you for the review!**

**Fai's smile:**** Thank you for the review!**

**kingrichard360:**** But she did declare him her enemy before he used his geass on her. She should've trusted him a bit more. After all he was her brother who had taken care of her for all these years. Thanks for the review!**

**KK:**** I too like Cecile. Yep, lets leave it at that.**

**maesde:**** I decided to do Kallen's but I am not really satisfied. I dont think I did her character justice.**

**Chapter 7: Kallen Statfield/ Kallen Kouzuki**

Life is unfair.

Japan might've got its freedom but at a very high cost.

For me at least.

I lost not only Naoto but you too in the fight for freedom.

When I had lost Naoto I vowed not to let anyone I love die ever again. Not if I can help it.

That's why, I might never forgive myself for not standing by you.

Maybe if I had been less impulsive and more trusting you would still be here by our- by my- side.

I should have never believed in those words you had spoken just to chase me away from you.

How stupid was I?

Mom used to always tell me that I reacted too quickly and believed all negative things too easily. I never thought I would have to suffer so badly because of it.

And now you are dead and gone.

Maybe if you had died a year ago I might have been of a different opinion.

I would have not minded so much since you had hidden your identity from me.

If I had the same childish attitude now, I would be angry at you for leaving me and would most probably be depressed.

But I have grown up since then.

I realized how childish and impulsive I was. I decided to change for the better.

So I will move on.

Not only for myself but also for you.

You created a peaceful world for us and I don't think you would want us moping around

Of course I will never be able to forgive you- or Suzaku- for hiding it from us- _from me-_ but I will live my life to its fullest. Without regrets.

You deserve that much at the very least.

As your Queen I failed to protect you from yourself so the least I can do is to protect the world you left behind.

**Author Notes:**** I am not satisfied. Not at all. But it might be because I tried writing her when I still don't have a proper insight to her character. Just to be clear I don't actually support LelouchXKallen. But I do love her very realistic reactions.**


	8. Lloyd Asplund

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass.**

**A/N:**** Maybe in an ideal world all 3 of the girls would have been perfect in their own ways. But in the CG world I dont think anyone could be with him. He was broken from inside. C.C might have been the closest one of all to him. I think that he cared about each and everyone of them in his own way (Kallen: He pushed her away so she wouldnt get shot. C.C: I will be your warlock. Shirley: Destroyed the Code geass order.)**

**Maesde:**** Thanks for the review! I am glad that it wasnt that bad. She might never forgive herself but she does move on. Thats all I can say.**

**KK:**** Thanks for the review! I like the fact that she is able to accept ehat Lelouch had done and did not blame him after the Requiem. He DID care about her a lot.**

**kingrichard360:**** Thanks for the review! And thanks for being rational. There are many fans of different ships that start a fuss if anyone says that they dont support that particular ship. I personally prefer Shirley or C.C. I see Kallen more as a very close friends who puts some sense in his head when he does something stupid.**

**Lord Joyde:**** Thanks for the review! Here is Lloyd!**

**Gur40goku:**** Thanks for the review! Am glad that you think so. I was worried that it wasn't true to her character but at least it wasnt so bad.**

**Chapter 8: Lloyd Asplund**

My, my, my it has been a long two years.

My Lancelot has been destroyed.

But alas, I have no motivation to recreate it despite it being my best work.

Afterall, what is the use of a machine without a devicer?

Suzaku Kururugi.

The most compatible pilot with my dear Lancelot.

As Zero, he truly is wasting his talents.

But since the war is over and things are beginning to settle down, there is no real need of combative knightmares right?

That was what you strive for after all.

A more peaceful world where conflicts can be settled with diplomatic talks and truces rather then weapons and war.

You did this all for your sister.

Being a sociopath I have never understood the reason behind doing things for others satisfaction.

After all, what is the use of the world if you are unable to enjoy it yourself?

You might have thought that you created a world of peace for your sister but I don't think that is what she needs. What she actually needs is her brother by her side.

Being a person without a heart does have its benefits. I notice much more than an average person who is ruled by his emotions.

Well, there is no use of me in a world like this.

I am a scientist and an expert in creating knightmare frames.

Now I can retire and do something a sociopath like me wouldn't have ever thought of doing.

Taking care of my dear Kururugi.

It is less of an emotional gesture and more like a tribute to a fantastic pilot.

**A/N:**** I love Llyod! He is amsuing and notices much more than he lets on too! But that makes his character hard to capture. Forgive any OOCness. Any requests?**


	9. Kaguya Sumeragi

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass.**

**A/N:**** Lloyds chapter was OOC. Hopefully this is a bit better.**

**maesde:** No it's fine. I understand what u meant. Lloyd is awesome! Thanks for the review!

**MadRaving:** He was always one of my favorite characters in the series too! He had an unique point of view of the world and I think he is he best to be with Suzaku after Lelouchs death. I will do one of your suggestions next. Thanks for the review!

**madking97:** I based Tamaki's chapter on his reaction to Lelouch's death. I will do Cornelia next maybe. Thanks for the review.

**Fai's smile:** Heres Kaguya! Thanks for the review!

**KK:** It was a OOC chapter but thats what I get for trying to update at 5 in the morning XP  
Btw I loved your review and agree with everything you said. Hope this chapter is more in character. Thanks for the awesome review!

**Terlander:** I will surely do Tohdoh after the next chapter. Next one will most probably Cornelia (since too many people requested her) and then Tohdoh. Thanks for the review!

**Lord Joyde:** Milly will come up soon. After 2 chapters most probably. Thanks for the review.

**Guest:** Yeah it is OOC. I apologize for that. But I couldn't get Lloyds character. Anyways I hope his will satisfy you. Thanks for the review!

**Chapter 9: Kaguya Sumeragi**

Master Zero. Lelouch vi Britannia.

At times I think to myself,'_How could have I not realized?'_

I might have supported you if I had been there when they confronted you.

Because I knew.

I knew that Lelouch vi Britannia would never think of anyone as his pawn.

Especially since he was used as a pawn himself a long time back.

They said that Zero- _that you_\- were a very complicated person.

But I disagree.

Black and white, that's what you were.

Your goal was clear from the start. To destroy Britannia.

The interference of people, death of the innocents and the burdens of the past that you carried was what made you look complex.

Friends are like family. After all, family isn't always blood.

You and Suzaku were always friends.

Then why did you fight each other? Friendship doesn't work that way.

In the end, friends are the ones who share your burdens. That is what happened right?

You and Suzaku, whose hands were covered with blood, knew that you wouldn't be forgiven anyway. So you decided to take the burden on your shoulders and then gave it to Suzaku with your death.

I am happy to say that I was able to see the real Lelouch vi Britannia.

The Lelouch vi Britannia who used to smile bravely no matter what happened, the Lelouch vi Britannia who thought the world of his sister and the Lelouch vi Britannia who was more like his hidden self than the one he displayed.

_(And I wonder, how could I've not realized what was happening when you imprisoned Nunally, you sister)_

I'm sorry I didn't defend you when you needed it the most.

I chose my duty over my heart.

Thank you for the sacrifice you made.

And I might not have been married to you but in my heart

I will always be your lady.

**A/N:**** A bit longer this time. I love Kaguya. Next up is Cornelia!**


	10. Cornelia Li Britannia

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass**

**A/N:**** Here is the next chapter. And no, I am not entirely satisfie with it since I wrote it within 10 minutes and it doesn't feel organized. So sorry if it is OOC. And thanks for the favs and follows though I would love it if you would be able to review too! Thanks!**

**Fai's smile:**** Thanks for the review!**

**KK:**** I love Kaguya's spunk. And I would surely do Schneizel but not for the next few chapters maybe. And since he is under the effect of geass its a bit more I o have a plan for it... Not revealing though. But he is VERY cunning too. Like Lelouch. As usual your review was amazing to read! Thanks for the review!**

**Chapter 10: Cornelia Li Britannia**

Vengeance.

Many people believe in the phrase that vengeance is sweet.

But it isn't.

It is one of the life's greater motivators other than fear.

It fills ones heart with bitterness and forces people to dwell in the past rather than walk forward towards the future.

Yet both of us fell prey to it.

Knowing that vengeance was a path that will only lead to destruction: of ourselves and everything dear to us, we still walked it.

You, for avenging the death of a mother and the stolen future of a sister.

Me, for the death of my beloved sister.

Until now I still wonder, Did Euphie know your identity?

As much as I don't want to believe it I think she knew.

And that only made it all the worse.

My title 'The Goddess of War' is of no use if I couldn't even save the innocent civilians of Pendragon from destruction.

As much as I regret unable to save my dear sister from her death I equally- if not more so- regret the death of all the residents of Pendragon.

After all Euphie would never would have wanted anyone to die.

Which is ironic from some wrongfully titled as 'Princess Massacre'

All she wanted was to help the people regardless of their race and ethnic background.

She was naive and yet she could see what all of us couldn't.

She saw _peace._

She was tainted by the power of Geass. The power that you used on her.

To avenge her I destroyed the Order of Geass with your help.

That still didn't extinguish the anger in my heart; directed towards you and -as irrational as it sounds- others for believing that sweet and gentle Euphie could do something like this.

But now that her name has been forgotten in the heat of the blood spilled by the Demon Emperor I feel more at rest than before.

I can never forgive you for killing her, for killing my sister but I can never claim that I cannot relate with you on other levels.

And just because of that I promise to take care of Nunally until the very end.

We both have lost someone very precious to us; someone who cannot be replaced.

And despite that I am alone.

But, in the end, I am a Warrior.

And warriors must always bear their pain silently.

Even if tears them apart inside out to do that.

**A/N: Thanks for reading this and sorry if it is OOC. Please continue to support this story and review if you can!**


	11. Kyoshiro Tohdoh

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass!**

**Author Notes:**** I am really not satisfied with this. I feel like this is even more OOC than Llyod. Sorry. **

**Scarease:**** Thanks for the review!**

**Tenwings:**** thanks for the review~!**

**Terlander:**** Unfortunately this is far for good. Thanks for the review!**

**KK:**** True... Cornelia did truly care about Lelouch until he killed Euphie. Amazing review. Thanks!~**

**Guest:**** Sorry for the extreme OOC-ness. Thanks for the review!**

**Maesde:**** Guilford is there but I couldn't find a place to fit him. Thanks for the review!**

**Chapter 11: Kyoshiro Tohdoh**

You were never the Hero we wanted.

You were the Hero we needed.

You were a brilliant strategist.

An even more brilliant manipulator.

But the thing you were truly best at was acting.

Making the Black Knights believe that you were the enemy that had to be vanquished not only to free Japan but also the world.

You were also very good at hiding secrets.

It wasn't until the Zero appeared on the horizon that we all understood.

Especially since the almost superhuman strength could belong to only one person.

Suzaku Kururugi.

Who was supposed to be dead.

Although the Suzaku I knew- the passionate young student of mine- had died the day he left behind all his ideals to fulfill his goals.

Seeing him slay you was a shock.

Lelouch vi Britannia should not have been defeated so easily.

I vaguely remember mentions of the Britannian Royalty being held as hostages when I had been a Japanese Colonel.

A hazy image of my student, a black haired boy and a small girl on a wheelchair laughing together.

I wanted to voice my doubts.

It was Kallen's words that stopped me.

It is Zero.

And that is right.

Because Zero isn't a person, he is a symbol to all the nations of the world.

Even if no one understood what happened its enough that we know about your sacrifice.

It must be a shame to warriors everywhere that where as they could only speak about giving themselves up for their country, two 18- year old boys sacrificed everything they loved for the world.

In the end it doesn't matter who you are.

What matters is the deeds you performed.

So I swear on my Japanese honor to do everything in my power to uphold the peace so that the sacrifice made by you - and Suzaku- doesn't go in vain.

You both were True Warriors.

After all, true warriors are those who protect the defenseless and above all the future of humanity.

**A/N: Not satisfied. Review!**


	12. Milly Ashford

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass!**

**Author Notes: Here is Milly Ashford. Hers is more like a monologue that does not include much about much actually. But I hope you are satisfied. I think the Student Council Members were like family for Lelouch. Enjoy!**

**Scarease: Thanks for the review!**

**Terlander: I am glad you liked the viewpoint of Tohdoh. Thanks for the review!**

**Zoderak19197: Actually I was planning to do the idea you suggested though at the very end. It is completely probable so expect it at the end of the story. :) Thanks for the review!**

**KK: I agree with everything you said. I am glad you agree with the viewpoint of Tohdoh. Here is Milly. A surprisingly large number of people requested her. Rivalz too will be coming up soon. Actually I did think of someone who would ask 'What if'. Lets see how that goes. Thanks for the review!**

**Chapter 12: Milly Ashford**

Things are never what they seem to be.

That does not only apply to things but people as well.

Everyone wears masks. Some wear the masks of kindness, of forgiveness while others wear those of anger and sadness.

Which one did you wear?

Was it that of a adoring brother to Rolo, the vice-president of the student council or something else entirely?

That is a question I keep asking myself whenever the fireworks go off in the sky above me.

You promised to set off fireworks with everyone one day. It was just one among your many broken promises.

I might've thought you as a cold hearted bastard like the rest of the world if I hadn't spend the time with you.

Maybe all those times you smiled, laughed and enjoyed with the Student Council was all an act. At least that's what everyone else would believe.

But I and Rivalz know that it isn't true.

If you hadn't cared about us you wouldn't have called Rivalz to tell us that you wouldn't be able to keep your promise.

You wouldn't have cared about Ashford.

You are great at masking your true feelings but its takes a person like me to understand that all those times you spent with the Student Council and all the laughter you shared with us was never an act.

No one can be that great of an actor.

And I am sure that if Shirley was alive she would have believed in you no matter what.

Suzaku supported you too.

Maybe the becoming the Emperor was your greatest achievement but in the end it isn't the big things that we remember but it's the small things that matter the most.

It's good to have a poker face but smiles and laughter are important too.

Despite whatever happened I hope you are still alive.

If you are alive I hope you know that Ashford will always be your home and your friends-whatever is left of us anyways- your family.

After all family isn't always blood.

Its about the people who love you and would do anything to see you smile without asking anything in return.

That's the least I can assure you of.

The world has changed. For better or for worse, I have yet to decide.

**A/N: And its over. Who do you want next? Please read and review! Suggestions are very welcome.**


	13. Kaname Ohgi

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass!**

**A/N:**** 50 reviews! Thank you whoever reviewed, followed, and Favorited this story. Its much appreciated. And since i reached 50 reviews two questions:**

**a) Which was your fav chapter up until now?**

**b) Heart touching line in this fanfic?**

**c) Who do you want me to do next?**

**kingrichard360:**** I completely understand what you mean. Milly was normal and that's what makes her even more extraordinary. (Check out my story 'Friends are like family') I don't really like Ohgi so this might be a bit biased... XD Thanks for reviewing!**

**scarease:**** He will be coming up within a few chapters. Thanks for reviewing.**

**KK:**** Yeah, she would have been there when Lelouch and Nunally was bought in. Actually according to her and Rivalz character poem they hope that Lelouch is out there somewhere alive. Check out their character poem. Thanks for the review!**

**Milly Ashford:**** Yep, I was referring to their poem actually. Thanks for the review!**

**1000 cherry blossoms:**** How could they regain their memory? I don't think Jeremiah would use the 'Geass Canceler' on them so there is no way for them to regain their memories (though I wished they did) I don't like Ohgi so this piece might be a bit biased.**

**Chapter 13: Kaname Ohgi**

You were our leader.

We followed you.

Despite the doubts everyone had I was ready to follow you to fulfill Naoto's dream.

I defended you from everyone as much as I could.

You were our Messiah.

But that illusion soon shattered.

I always knew that there would be bloodshed but never to this extent.

Even then, I convinced myself that what I was doing was for the right cause.

I put aside my suspicions even though I knew you were a Britannian.

Chigusa... Villeta was one reason I started to doubt you. She told me about the existence of Geass and I began to wonder whether you used it on us and that was the reason we followed you.

I seemed to be the most probable explanation. So we turned on you.

I didn't want you to lead the Black knights to victory on the expense of others blood.

We were ready to kill you once and for all.

I hated you- I was angry with you.

But most of all I was disappointed.

Disappointed that you weren't our savior.

I hoped that you would perish when we fought alongside Schenizel.

In any another time it would have been unbelievable for Britannian Royalty and the Black Knights to work together but we both had a common goal.

Your destruction.

I was sure that you had to be defeated. I hoped that you burnt in hell after you die for all the deaths you caused, all the hopes you shattered.

I felt hopeless when we were defeated.

I wished that there would be someone for you to die. For everything you had done to hurt others.

But in the end it wasn't really necessary

Zero, the symbol of hope, was the one that ended your life.

It is easy to differentiate between you and Zero.

You, the cold hearted Lelouch vi Britannia.

Zero, the symbol of hope for all nations.

But you were Zero.

When you died for peace, everyone who knew your identity, stopped hating you.

We don't know who Zero currently is but we do know that you must've planned for it.

There is no way you would fall so easily otherwise.

The hatred in my heart towards you has completely died down.

But... I will never regret betraying you. Maybe you might've caused more death and destruction if you were still in charge of the Black Knights.

I had to be sure that no one was being controlled by your geass.

If you would've been truthful since the start it might've not come to this.

Despite everything, we accept you as Zero.

And as Zero you will forever continue filling our hearts with hope.

**A/N: Not my best work but oh well... Read and Review! Please answer the above question.**


	14. Jeremiah Gottwald

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass!**

**Author Notes:**** By popular demand, I present you: Jeremiah 'Orange' Gottwald! Btw I am thinking of making chapters for the dead characters too. No they wont be alive but there are in a limbo kind of place where they could observe everything. What do you think? Read and Review!**

**1000 Cherry Blossom:**** Oh well I didn't see that drama. Well, just ignore that mistake on my part and assume that this is just before Jeremiah restored their memories. It made me angr too at how easily they were able to be convinced to betray the man that led them to victory. Thanks for the review!**

**kingrichard360:**** I really hope that guy didn't become the prime minister. I would have preferred if Kaguya became one. Here is Jeremiah! Thanks for the review!**

**Terlander:**** I used the point you made in this chapter. You put it in a really beautiful way and I couldn't resist. The black knights couldn't even be called loyal. At least if it was an ally who had told them all this I wouldn't have minded that much but it was the enemy! Thanks for the review!**

**Fai's smile:**** I am glad that you like this story. Here is Jeremiah! Thanks for the review!**

**Mister Scamandros:**** Rakshata will be coming up soon. Thanks for the support and review!**

**KK:**** Ohgi was a good man who made horrible choices. That's all I can say. And Lelouch being as emo as he is would not blame them for the betrayal. Thanks for the review!**

**Kairu Kagemori:**** Glad you think like that. Thanks for the review!**

**Guest:**** That is the most irritating thing. Thanks for the review!**

**Chapter 14: Jeremiah Gottwald**

I was once a proud man.

Proud of myself, proud of my nation.

Even after I failed to protect Lady Marianne, I had retained that pride

I created the Pure Blood Faction with the thoughts that only the most noblest and purest of Britannians could be capable of protecting our nation.

What a great fool was I!

Now, years after Lady Marriane's death, I finally understood things that I had refused to acknowledge before.

It doesn't matter who we are or where we are from.

Some of us act all high and mighty but the fact is that we are all humans regardless of our blood, whether we like it or not.

Its the loyalty that one has that matters.

Suzaku Kururugi might have been an ele- a Japanese bu he also stood by you when you needed him the most and he will continue to stand as Zero for the world that needs him.

He trusted you despite everything that had occurred between both of you in the past unlike the Black Knights.

Zero was the man who had destroyed my future.

But that is the one thing that opened up my mind, that made me understand the world so I can never regret it.

If that hadn't happened to me, I might've been as closed minded as I was before.

For a very long time, after our first encounter I wanted revenge.

Even after I was turned into a human cyborg, I still itched for revenge.

It wasn't until I was told who you were that I calmed down a bit.

Of course, I still wanted to confirm it by myself but I was sure that if it was really you, Lelouch vi Britannia, then I would not hesitate to follow you to the depths of hell.

And then, Zero's enemy, Orange, turned into his most loyal ally.

I never thought that the Black Knights would betray you so easily after all you had done for them.

That too at the enemy's, at _Schenizel's_ words.

It goes against my principles and I can never forgive them for that.

I still followed you and my reward for that was the truth regarding what had happened to Lady Marriane.

I was shocked and disgusted by the lengths she had gone through just for a plan, including readily sacrificing her own children.

Bu at the same time it also gave me a sense of immense relief.

I would at last be able to forgive myself.

So, as an act of goodwill, I decided to take Anya under my care.

She is a sweet child who didn't deserve the punishment she had been forced to go through.

She is a great helper at my orange farm _(The irony)_

People often linked evil with you.

Little did they know that you walked the path of evil so they didn't have to.

I often think of the things that could've happened.

What if this all was not required?

What if you has turned out to be evil?

What if Lady Marriane had never died?

_(Would you still be alive?)_

There are a lot of 'What if's' I'll never know the answer to.

The only reason I agreed to let you die was that you would've anyway found a way to do so even if I didn't support you.

So the least I could do was to support you till the end.

Even if I would never agree with what you did.

Despite all odds, you turned out to be selfless.

You had all the right to be bitter, to turn to the path of evil but the people in your life kept you on the right tack.

The world might curse you but you will always be remembered by me as the greatest leader who was not afraid to die for his people.

**A/N:**** It's over! I hope that his character was captured properly. Since Jeremiah is so freaking loyal I think he would've been really, really angry at the betrayal of the Black Knights. Who next? Review!**


	15. Rivalz Cardemonte

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass**

**Author Notes: I was going to update tomorrow but I was overwhelmed by the reviews and decided to update today. I am very thankful to everyone who reviewed and am glad that this many people are enjoying this story. Thank you for all the support and encouragement and I hope you keep reviewing and supporting!**

**Bboy46: **I had to go back and read the question again to understand what you meant. I did not even notice it! Oh well... Ignore it. That is a great suggestion by the way. I will be sure to do it though it will come at nearly the end. Thanks for the amazing review!

**Lord Joyde: **Though I am sure that your stories are amazing I did not read your stories or quote any of your characters (What line are you talking about?) You have to wait a little for Euphemia since I want to first finish the living people and then move on to the dead ones. Thanks for the amazing review!

**Terlander: **I agree with all your views actually. You have really magnificent views. Gino will be coming up in a few chapters. Thanks for the amazing review!

**kwerli: **I will surely do that though you have to wait a bit. Thanks for the amazing review!

**maesde: **Thanks for the amazing review!

**kingrichard360: **I love Shirley! though many people don't and I have yet to understand why. Her's will be an interesting one to write. Xingke will be coming up soon! So watch out for it. Thanks for the amazing review!

**katkatw1luv:** Thanks for the amazing review!

**KK: **Actually it is true. His was the most surprising and unexpected one of all. Jeremiah's action might've befuddled nearly everyone who wasn't in the know. Only Lelouch, CC and later Suzaku knew why he supported Lelouch. I doubt if even Zero/ Lelouch told Kallen why Orange was suddenly supporting the Black Knights. As for your questions, the people near to Lelouch found out about his plan. And they are quite powerful ones too so they might've most probably helped Anya and Jeremiah to sneak out of the country and buy a farm in some remote place where no one probably recognized them. And people only hated Lelouch not his soldiers. Thanks for the amazing review!

**Fai's smile: **True that. I actually hadn't thought of Naoto since he was dead before the series even began but I will consider it. Thanks for the amazing review!

**HD-spartan: A**w I am glad that you felt that way. Welcome to the Code Geass Fandom! I myself am relatively new (discovered CG a few months back) and am a crazy fan. I hope you continue enjoying this story. Thanks for the amazing review!

**Chapter 15: Rivalz Cardemonte**

Is this what you wanted, Lelouch?

To take over the world and try to bend its will to your wish?

I still find it hard to believe that the boy- _my best friend_\- who barely was able to run a few meters had conquered the world.

When you first came to the Ashford you were distant.

But you slowly started warming up to us and I actually thought that I could understand you.

Then you joined the Student Council and we began to hang out.

With only me and Kallen left on the Student Council its not an easy job to handle.

More so, since I am now the President.

This job is for you not me.

You were supposed to lead the student Council after Milly left, along with me and Shirley.

But now both of you are gone.

A long time ago, I had actually worshiped Zero for what he was doing. I thought of him as a defender of Justice.

I started to realize that things aren't so simple- _that the world isn't black and white-_ when Shirley's father was killed.

I started to hate him when you were assassinated by him.

I never understood why he had to kill you.

He could've just captured you.

True, you would be in a prison somewhere for everything you had done but at least you would still be alive.

I would've been able to visit you.

_I could've asked you if you cared._

Where had the light hearted days gone?

I never thought this many things would change within a year.

I too might have left for Britannia after the F.L.E.I.J.A blast but I was worried.

I didn't return because I wanted to make sure that you, Rolo, Suzaku and Kallen were fine.

I wanted to protect Milly and Nina.

While most of our friends were out fighting on either side of the war, I sat in the old Student Council Room missing the peace.

But what I now miss the most is the time before all this.

You, me, Madam Prez, Kallen, Shirley, Suzaku, Nina and even Rolo.

I would even do a repeat of all the ridiculous events if it means getting all of you back.

There was no one else in my life who I could call as my family.

I had no where to go, no one to return to.

It did hurt when you looked away as I called you.

But it also hurt when I saw the sword plunging into your chest and realized that it would be the last time I ever saw you alive and well.

Everything pointed to the fact that you never really cared about any of us.

You did not even attend Shirley's funeral.

Everyone said that you were a cold hearted who only wanted power.

But at the same time I refused to believe it.

I want to believe what you showed us- _the charming boy who loved all his friends_\- rather than what others tell me about you.

I still hope that you are alive somewhere.

Maybe you will one day come back to Ashford.

That is one reason that I continue to stay at Ashford.

And, despite what the world says, I believe in you.

And, you will always be my best friend.

**A/N: I was originally going to do Rakshata but her character needs more depth so it will come up next. So until then... Review!**


	16. Rakshata Chawla

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes: I had real fun writing this chapter since I too am an Indian and I could actually input my own knowledge into this fic. Most of the Hindi quotations in this fic are from movies and I also wrote the English translation. Some words:**

_**Namaste= Hindi version of hello.**_

_**Dadi- Maa= Father's mother**_

_**Vishnu, Shiva...= Names of all hindu Gods.**_

_**Sadu- babas or tantriks= The people who can do black magic.**_

_**Mama/Mamu= Mother's brother.**_

**kwerli: **Thanks for the compliment. It isn't that hard actually. I just put myself in their position and think up something. Thanks!

**Lord Joyde:** It is similar but it is a magnificent line all by itself. I might steal it sometime XD Thanks for the review!

**Fai's smile: **Thanks for the review!

**HD- spartan:** For that I have to stop writing this fic XD. Thanks for the review!

**Terlander: **Awesome view, as always. He isn't used to his full potential in the anime. I feel so bad for him. Thanks for the review and compliment!

**KK: **Ughh! Fan service. If they removed that they would have had more time to deepen the character personalities. But that couldn't be possibly done. Actually his character poem says that he thinks Lelouch is still out there somewhere alive and he might return back to Ashford. I took it from there. Thanks for the amazing view and review!

**Chapter 16: Rakshata Chawla**

_Namaste._

My soul honors your soul.

I honor the light, love, truth, beauty and peace within you because it is also within me.

Maybe this is why I never used this word as a greeting anymore.

I don't believe in peace within one self.

No one is completely peaceful with them self unless they are just born.

In India, they believe in life after death.

They also believe that anyone can be reborn and the form you take in your next life depends on your deeds in this one.

Superstitious fools.

Maybe, I too would have grown up to be like them if I had been a pure blooded Indian.

I was lucky to have a half blooded mother who managed to instill some sense into me before she died.

I am a woman of science.

I never did believe in God.

_(Agar tum bhagwan se muh pherogi toh bhagwan tujhse muh pher lega_

_If you turn away from God, then God will turn away from you)_

Maybe it was due to the 30 million Gods that I was forced to pray to by my _Dadi-Maa._

_(Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma, Ganesha, Krishna, Rama, Om...)_

It was hard being a girl in a place like India.

Especially under the limited control of the Chinese Federation.

Even though the Chinese Federation had captured only a few cities, the panic was high among the Indians.

Due to the oppression by the ruling government, people began to turn to _sadu- babas_ or _tantriks_ to do some kind of magic to free them.

I was nearly married to a goat after the declaration of a _sadu_ that I was cursed and the only way to remove the curse was to marry an animal.

The only reason I was able to escape that fate was because of my mama, my mother's brother

He himself was a half Indian.

He managed to free me and took me out of the country.

To Colchester.

It was there that I was first introduced to the wonderful world of Science.

As I grew up, with Suresh _mamu,_ I was sent to attend the Imperial Colchester University.

I had been kept in an hostel and it wasn't until later I found out that_ Mamu_ had gone back to India.

When I finally managed to contact him, he told me that India was his mother land and he had to return back to help it regain its freedom.

He also informed me that he had kept some money in a bank account for me to start a life.

In a way, I could understand what he meant.

Despite everything that had happened to me in the past, I couldn't blame the nation for it.

And I had some good times there.

India was a beautiful and diverse country and soon after I left, the Chinese Federation had taken over the whole country.

The country didn't deserve to be crushed by them.

It was funny how I didn't have any kind of empathy for the people but was a strong patriot.

So, I decided to return.

Then, as they say, the past is past.

And now, here I am, after surviving the war between the biggest forces on Earth.

The Black Knights rebellion was the most interesting one I had been involved in.

I was delighted to find many skilled devicers for my babies.

And of course, working with Zero was even better.

You were straight forward in everything you did and never actually hesitated.

You were an enigma.

You must have seen the betrayal of the Black Knights coming in the light of everything you had done.

But I was more curious about your mysterious power.

These people pulled the gun on you without thinking about the future consequences.

_(Kiski majal jo chede dildair ko... gardish mein gher lete hai geedar bhi sher ko_

_Who dared to trouble this courageous man... in the sky even jackals can surround the lion)_

I abhor those kind of people.

The future is more important than the past.

And you were the future.

Historically, the most terrible things- war, genocide and slavery- have resulted not from disobedience but from obedience.

Suzaku Kururugi was an excellent devicer but he made all the wrong choices.

He obeyed everything that Britannia told him to do and when he finally realized that he had the right to think for himself, it was too late.

Humans are fragile beings, run by their heart and emotions rather than their head.

I learnt early on that emotions were of no use in this world if one wanted to survive.

But you turned emotion- the love for your peace or your sister, I presume- into your greatest weapon.

You had the whole world in your hands.

You could have ruled for years to come without any opposition.

Yet you sacrificed yourself.

_(Kis kadar khush naseeb hai wo log khoon jinka watan ke kaam aata hai_

_How lucky are those people whose sacrifice has been useful for the country)_

Science may have managed to understand many things but the human nature will forever remain a mystery to us.

**A/N: Being an Indian I can verify that whatever I wrote above- about marriage, sadu's, etc- is true. It mostly happens in small villages where it seems like the new era hasn't touched them yet. And Rakshata doesn't look like an Indian hence the half-Indian. And the quotation about Suzaku is not mine but Zinn's. It was the quote that I found related to Suzaku the most so I put it in here.**


	17. Shinozaki Sayoko

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.**

**A/N: Special Treat! Whoever is the 80th reviewer can suggest who I should write for the next chapter and the things they want to see added in it. Till then I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Scarease: **Schnitzel or Li Xingke (the bodyguard) will be next. Villeta will be coming up in a few chapters. As for Tianzi (the Chinese Empress) I don't know what should I write. But I will try. Thanks for the review!

**4HD-spartan: **I am glad you liked it. I hope you enjoy this one too! Thanks for the review!

**kingrichard360: **In a way the characters that have not much said about them are the easiest to write since I can make up things. How did you like Rivalz chapter by the way? Thanks for the review!

**Maesde: **Glad you liked it! Thanks for the review!

**Terlander:** I swear that your reviews spoil me so much. They are always so loaded with compliments. Warms my heart and makes me want to update. So here it is! I hope you enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the other chapters though I wrote it in a slightly different way than the others. Thanks for the heartwarming review!

**Chapter 17: Shinozaki Sayoko**

Once upon a time, this was a country that believed in Gods.

There was a time when people rejoiced freely and smiles were abundant.

There was a time when hope was high and life worth living.

But, there soon came a time when everything went wrong.

A time when hopes were destroyed and death sounded better than life.

I dreamt of the old life, the festivals and the happiness on the faces of children.

I dreamt that the Gods will be forgiving towards all the sins we had committed in our arrogance.

I dreamt that they would give us back _those times._

I worked for a boy who had fought battles no one knew about.

I worked for his little sister whose innocence was a bright spot in this deary world.

I worked for his friend who, despite her carefree attitude, knew the horrors that others were capable off.

I was ready.

Ready to do anything to see the same joy in the eyes of the people of the Country of Gods.

Ready to give my life to wash the sins off my people.

When I was young, I had believed in _happy endings._

When I was young, the sky was always blue and the people were _good._

When I was young, the concept of _war, death,_ and _sacrifice_ never held any meaning to me.

But when I grew older I realized that not all stories had happy endings.

I realized that the sky was anything but blue and no one could be as good as they claimed to be.

I realized that I had never even dreamt of being involved in all the three things that never held any meaning to me in my childhood.

There was a time when I would've felt sick at the injustice that was being done.

There was a time when I wouldn't have agreed to it.

There was a time when I thought that good always triumphed over evil.

But that time was not now.

I stood strong for the people who were fighting.

I stood strong for the Japanese.

But, most importantly, I stood strong for the boy who was ready to give up everything to give back the people the happy times they always dreamt about.

**A/N: This is a slightly different style of writing. I hope you liked it! I was originally going to write Gino but this struck me and I had to write it! Btw, dont forget the treat. The next reviewer can ask for any character along with the things they want included. Review! It makes me happy and updates faster. (And I would love suggestions!)**


	18. Schneizel el Britannia

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes: Schneizel was the hardest one to write up to date. His character is so multi layered that it's hard to know his true self. He is like an onion. I just hoped that I captured his personality well enough. Sorry if it's not up to the mark. Thanks for reading!**

**fliggy91: **I really hope I did his character justice! He is a very complicated person. Thanks for the review!

**Terlander: **Don't worry about the criticism! I can just improve myself with it. And to be truthful, even I felt the lack of Sayoko in this. So I might most probably write another one of hers and put it as an extra in one of the chapters. Not now, later maybe. You are a fan of Schneizel? I hope you find this chapter fine since he is a very hard character to write. Sorry if it isn't that good. Thanks for the amazing review and suggestions! They are very much valued.

**maesde: **Actually this had a lack of Sayoko-ness in it. XP Thanks for the review!

**kingrichard360: I** am glad you liked it. Kanon will be coming right up! Rivalz could have been a great character if they would've developed him more instead of concentrating on the fan service scenes. I love rants! You can rant whatever you want. Thanks for the review!

**KK: **I had wondered where you were XD No need to apologize! I am glad you are back to read the story! Thank you for the compliment and I am glad you liked it. Sayoko's chapter had something missing in it though. And I love your character suggestions. Those are the characters I hadn't even thought about! I just hope I will be able to write them properly. And I hope you enjoy this chapter too. Thanks for the amazing review.

**Chapter 18: Schneizel el Britannia**

What is peace?

Most people describe peace as equivalent to freedom.

I disagree.

Peace is an _illusion._

Humans are creatures who thrive in conflicts.

They desire peace but unconsciously seek reasons to fight.

People wage wars in the _name_ of peace.

There are some who say that peace can only be obtained through love.

But I believe differently.

I believe in enforcing peace through terror.

When one rules with fear they are more in control of others.

If the world was perfect and all people equal, love would be the perfect way of ruling.

But humans are far from perfect.

We all have flaws no matter how much we try to hide them.

The only difference between people are their ability to hide the flaws behind the masks of perfection.

If one rules only through love then it hinders their ability to punish others for their wrong doings.

There would be no order and the world will descent into chaos.

But at the same time, a leader has no right to be apathetic to the problems of his people.

A leader who is stuck in a world of whimsical desires has no right to rule over the harsh reality of the present.

Father might've been an influential leader but his desire for a perfect world soon turned him into an unworthy one.

He had lost interest in the real world as he was busy envisioning a perfect one.

He focused only on the supernatural power of Geass and that drove him to subtle madness.

The thought elevators had become his obsession.

He had to be disposed.

And who could be better for the job than the proclaimed traitor of the Japanese, Suzaku Kururugi?

More so, since he had for my permission so politely.

People needed to be ruled; whether by their own ideals or someone else's.

Leadership is an influencing process just like ruling is a art.

Every dark night is not necessarily frightening but a bit of the moon always help.

We are those moons.

We shine and guide, influence people to think and act differently; whether they are aware of it or not.

Lelouch, you were a born leader.

Just like me.

That is the reason that you were a man- _a brother-_ that both feared and loved.

We believed in the same principle- that the ends would always justify the means- yet we had different ways of carrying them out.

Euphie was a dear sister who would always hold a place in my heart no one else- other than Nunally- could touch.

I would be a hypocrite if I accused you of killing her.

_(Me, a bother who had annihilated nearly all his siblings in order to reach his goals)_

But regretting it was never an option.

As long as the world had the peace it desires, the means in achieving the peace doesn't matter.

Peace has its price but it's worth the expense.

I could've finished off Cornelia too but after losing nearly all of my siblings I couldn't bear to see another one die.

But I couldn't allow her to come in middle of my plans either.

My goals were more important than her beliefs.

So, I did the next possible thing.

I injured her and sent her to a hospital so she would stay out of my way.

_(I did love my sister so but she was blind to the necessity of taking ruthless actions to stop you)_

If I had been a more emotional person, I might've reminisced the times when we were just a happy family.

Maybe, somewhere in my heart, I still do.

But, just like everyone in the world, I have a facade to keep up.

The days when you and I used to play chess just for the sake of winning, when Nunally and Euphie's laughter used to fill my heart with joy, when Cornelia used to smile a bit more and Clovis used to chase you all around the Palace are gone, never to cone back.

I admit that I let you take over the throne to present myself as the lesser of the two evils and instigated the Black Knights- and Nunally- to go against you.

_(I also admit that it surprised me that you openly declared that Nunally was 'presumptuous' and that whatever you did was for yourself and not her. It was only later that I understood)_

But in the end, it turned out that you had the same plan that I had.

Except you ended up using a much better sacrificial lamb than the one I had in mind.

Till now, no one has realized that the geass you used on me has been removed.

Thanks to Jeremiah Gottwald though he doesn't know it either

I could've usurped the throne but I let Nunally rule.

I might not have a soft heart like others but Nunally reminded me of Euphie with her cheerful optimism that the world can be a better place to live in for everyone.

Maybe there will come a day when I will regret everything I had done.

Maybe I would even cry at the loss of my family.

But that day isn't today.

You let the mantle of Zero to Suzaku Kururugi and ordered me to follow him.

I am a honorable man.

As a tribute to everything you have done, I will adhere to your wishes.

For now.

_(Until the peace lasts)_

Since humans are creatures that continue to find reasons to fight.

And peace is merely an illusion waiting to be shattered.

**A/N: I hope that this is satisfactory. I felt that it was the best I could do since Schneizel is equally complicated to Lelouch and we don't even know much about him. I hope that I did him justice. Thank you for reading. You can suggest more characters that might be unconventional too and give me suggestions. Please review and let me know how you liked this! Thanks!**


	19. Gino Weinberg

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes: This chapter was typed within 15 minutes so it is a bit... short and not that great. Sorry for that but from 7th Sept on updates might be a bit slow. Anyways I didn't want to write Li Xingke since I had to put a bit of thought in his character and it would take some time. So I present you Gino. (Btw this story is going to reach 100 reviews! Thanks for everyone who reviewed!)**

**Guest:** They will come up soon! Thank you for the review!

**fliggy91:** Well, it was your request. Thanks for the review!

**Terlander:** I am glad that you liked it. Schneizel wants peace though he doesn't believe that this peace would last so he will be prepared. Tianzi will be a hard one to write (being mentally a kid unlike Kaguya though they are both the same age) though I will soon get to her. Thanks for the review!

**HD- spartan:** XD This chapter won't make you cry. Thanks for the review!

**kwerli:** Yeah, that's right. Thanks for the review!

**KK:** Thanks for the compliment and I do agree with your views. Charles believed in peace without progress, Scheizel in forced peace while Lelouch believed in peace along with progress. All three wanted peace but with different means. I am glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!

**Scarease:** I am glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!

**Chapter 17: Gino Weinberg**

It's over at last.

Peace is something that I hadn't experienced for a very long time.

It seemed like a distant dream.

I had almost forgotten how _great_ peace was.

No worries about who was going to get killed next, who all we would never see again.

Most of them were people whose faces I had never even seen- those who had perished in knightmare battles.

But among the people I would never meet again was one person who was a friend.

_(Who had been a friend)_

A close friend.

Suzaku Kururugi. The man who had been broken from the inside.

There were many things I wanted to ask him- still want to ask him.

_(Why?)_  
_(Why did you do this?)_  
_(Why did you go against us?)_  
_(Against Prince Schneizel, Princess Nunally, Anya and me?)_  
_(Why did you take the side of a tyrant?)_  
_(Why? Why? Why?)_

But they would never be answered.

Since he was gone forever.

Maybe the only reason I had first talked to him when he joined the Rounds was because of his background.

Japanese.

It reminded me of someone I had loved a long time ago.

Maybe it wasn't really love but she still held a tender place in my heart.

So me, Anya and Suzaku stuck together as friends.

_(At least I considered us as friends. Did Suzaku ever think of us as friends or was he so broken that he couldn't relate with anyone anymore?)_

Lelouch Lamperouge. Lelouch vi Britannia.

I never expected the Vice president of the Student Council at Ashford to be royalty.

Hell, you and Rivalz went gambling together- _illegal gambling_ that too.

Too top it off you were so at home with your younger brother that we never thought twice about why you stayed at Ashford Academy in the first place.

_(We ignored your absences, your excuses and many more things that we should have paid attention to)_

I never thought that you could be responsible for such drastic changes.

You were physically weak and looked like you hadn't faced even a single day of hardship in your life.

_(A small harmless kitty cat... fragile and in need of protection)_

But then, I had been wrong many times before and this might have been one of them.

_(Not that I didn't notice things. I just tend to ignore the ones I didn't like)_

From this war I understood a few things.

That there is no honorable way to die.

That there is no gentle way to kill.

And that there is nothing good in war except its end.

And this war has ended.

_(After many deaths and sacrifices... some regretted, some not)_

Now, I can live an ordinary life.

Going to school, hanging out with friends and things I should have been doing instead of piloting a Knightmare.

Maybe I can even get Kallen to date me.

_(If one can get past her icy attitude, she is like a teddy bear waiting to be cuddled)_

The war had been terrible and its mark was carved in people's mind- and hearts- forever but it isn't the end of the world.

There is a poem about how the buried bodies of soldiers from the war gave new life to a field of poppies and made them bloom beautifully.

People of the new world are like the poppies.

The sacrifices and deaths of the friends and enemies that were killed gave the people left behind the power to rise and stand strong.

So we will stand strong.

**A/N: I am not satisfied -_- I hope it is not too disappointing though. Review and tell me who you want next. (Li Xingke will most probably be next) 100 reviews?**


	20. Li Xingke

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Code Geass**

**A/N: ATTENTION: YOU CAN REQUEST ME TO WRITE ANY FAN FICTION FOR AN IDEA YOU HAVE IN YOUR HEAD. I am sure that many of you imagine scenarios that could have occurred in Code Geass but no one had written about it yet and you are unable to write. Well, as I am reaching 100 reviews I would love to give everyone a treat. So send me an idea that you want to read about and I will try to write it. Any pairings. Just review!**

**kingrichard360: **Oh Schneizel definitely would. But his dying bought on a temporary peace to the world. Post your story! It will be interesting to read :) I like Gino (Sorry) And I also like the idea of Kallen finding happiness with him after the death of Lelouch. I mean she has to move on right? Thanks for the review!

**Terlander:** I think I was focusing so much on their thoughts on Lelouch that I forgot to add their confusion about Rolo. Anyways he will be getting his own chapter (I loved his death scene! The background music!) I know that so I added it here. This is immediately after the requiem so before he died. Thanks for the review!

**HD- Spartan: **I understand! Thanks for the review!

**Scarease: **Thanks for the review!

**Leonard Church814: **What I meant to say was that I was unable to convert my thoughts into words and therefore I am not satisfied. And especially with side characters like Gino who I havent put much thought in. I am satisfied with this fic but some chapters feel incomplete. Thanks for the review anyways!

**Chapter 20: Li Xingke**

_Kuānshù. Forgiveness._

A long time ago, I had been saved by a little girl.

I might have not deserved the kindness that was bestowed upon me by her but I did not question it.

I promised to show her the outside world one day.

I hoped to improve the condition of the our people before I could fulfill my promise.

A child like her should never lose her innocence and trust in goodness.

But I guess I failed.

Her first trip out of the forbidden city was through the hands of terrorist.

She was greeted with gunfire and battle.

This was not the way I had intended for her to see the outside world.

But she surprised me by staying strong and not panicking like I would've expected her to do in that situation.

Zero was an ally- no matter how reluctant I was to accept it.

_(He saved us even if it was for his own gain. He saved her and that is all that matters)_

Lelouch vi Britannia was the enemy of the world.

I thought that I was beginning to understand Zero a bit after you saved us and gave me a chance to end the rule of the Higher Eunuchs.

Maybe I did understand Zero.

But I couldn't understand Lelouch vi Britannia, the man who wanted to conquer the world by any means possible.

Zero had left all the power in the hands of Lady Kaguya and the other representatives of the UFN while Lelouch vi Britannia had openly declared himself as the Emperor of the World.

I wonder what was going through your head.

_(Trying to understand what you were thinking was like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle)_

You were more complicated than most people I have met in my life.

Zero fought for the freedom of people while Lelouch vi Britannia conquered them.

It made no sense to me.

There were too many missing pieces for me to understand why you had changed.

Maybe if I had the answers to a few questions I would be able to understand.

Where were you for one month after the Black Knights betrayed you?

What happened in between that caused such a drastic change?

Why had Kururugi joined you?

Too many questions, not enough answers.

No one other than a few important people knew the true identity of the original Zero.

_(You were a very dangerous ma- boy, yet you were younger than I has expected.)_

And I suspect that I might also know the identity of the current Zero.

_(After all, you both are opposite. The previous Zero had a flair for the dramatics and attention seeking and while this Zero is more likely to mix with the backdrop and silently offer his support when required)_

Even though it is highly probable that I am wrong, something tells me that I am not.

That you gave the burden of Zero to the one person who stood by you till the end.

Suzaku Kururugi, Knight of Zero.

Though he should be dead, I doubt he really is.

_(Dead should stay dead; yet they never do)_

And since he is the only person who must have known everything _(along with being the only person capable of such acrobatic movements),_ he is the most probable choice for being the next Zero.

I think I understand your plan.

It is a penance.

For both, you and him.

Your punishment was death, that you would be unable to enjoy the world that you created while his was life, to live on under a mask by forsaking his identity as Suzaku Kururugi.

I don't think we could have done anything to stop the sacrifices and deaths.

After all, not all lives are destined to be saved.

My life is an example.

I don't have much time left.

_(I think you might have known that)_

I have survived long enough to ensure that Her Majesty, The Empress will remain safe and protected in this world.

There is nothing else left for me to do.

My time is nearing and I can at least be happy that I was able to do some good before I bid farewell to this world.

And who knows?

Maybe we both will meet up in hell for all the people we have killed.

I am not afraid of dying

_(I am sure you too were not)_

Life is gamble and death is the stake that we put in order to play the game of life.

I have been given more than the time I thought I had and for that I am grateful.

_Duō bǎo zhòng. Take care._

**A/N: REMEMBER! YOU CAN REQUEST ANY IDEA THAT YOU WANT TO READ AND I WILL TRY TO POST IT. Btw the words I used at the end and start are Chinese (If you haven't guessed it already)**


	21. A Mother

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.**

**A/N: You guys are amazing! Spectacular imaginations. I received requests and I will be sure to complete them. Thanks for the reviews! This might be the last update for sometime. School is starting :'( Anyways, this is an unusual chapter. This was suggested by KK. Guess who this is!**

**Lord Joyde: **Thanks for the idea!

**fliggy91: **Thanks for the idea!

**Scarease: **Thanks for the review!

**Terlander: **People's thoughts are never in order. That's the only reason I can give. Thanks for the idea and review!

**kingrichard360:** I understand your feelings. There are days when you want to write and days you don't. Xingke was, as Lelouch puts it, 'as smart as him and as strong as Suzaku'. But the poor guy died! Thanks for the review!

**KK:** The usual cheerfulness that Gino has isn't present. I noticed it too. Xingke is an interesting character who had very less screen time. No problem. I too will be busy the whole month of September. Thanks for the review!

**Kream: **You mean a parody fic? Thanks for the idea!

**Deathknight3-0: T**hanks for the idea but as I told you there is already a story like that. But thanks for the idea!

**Chapter 21: A Mother.**

She is a lonely woman.

_(A broken one)_

She is unable to understand what went wrong

_(How could fate have dealt such a terrible hand?)_

Just two years ago, they had been a small but happy family.

They had everything they could ever need and more.

A dedicated father, a caring mother and a sweet, gentle child.

Now, in just 2 years, all that is left is a grieving wife and broken mother

_(Why? She wanted to ask but there was no one to listen, no one to understand)_

She stares at the photo above the fireplace- _a photo of happier times_\- everyday.

_(To remind her of what she had lost, what she could never get back)_

The man in the photo had been buried alive while the girl had allegedly committed suicide.

_(And they had left her behind to grieve)_

They die just a year apart.

_(She too wished to die)_

She had been broken enough when her husband- _her dear, loving husband-_ had passed away.

_(Oh how he must have suffocated and died an agonizing death after being buried under the heavy soil)_

But she reaches her limit when her sweet daughter- _her only child-_ has gone away from her too.

_(The support she had leaned against when her husband died)_

Her daughter is-_was-_ just a child _(in her eyes)_ and she had wanted to protect her child from all the horrors in the world

_(Especially after what happened to the father)_

Is she a bad mother?

Before all the incidents that had broken her, she might have said no.

But after everything that happened she isn't sure anymore.

_(She should have known what was wrong with her child. What had drove her to suicide)_

_(Maybe she wasn't such a good mother after all)_

But somewhere in her heart, she knows that it wasn't suicide.

Her daughter is-_was-_ many things; childish, foolishly optimistic, naive and, at times, stupid but she is-_was-_ not selfish.

_(She would never leave her mother alone)_

Looking at the terrorist attacks in the news, she cant summon energy to even care.

_(People die everyday. Her husband died due to a terrorist attack. But did anyone care?)_

Her mind has taken on to repay the memories.

_(A beach trip, the bright and cheerful faces of father and daughter, an unusually hot day, a phone call, Death, days passing by, another phone call, another death)_

The time she first reacts to anything around her is when Milly Ashford and Rivalz _(she couldn't remember his last name)_ came by to offer their condolences.

She feels a bittersweet relief at the tears in their eyes.

_(It felt good that someone else other than her cared)_

Milly hugs her and that prompts a question out of her.

_(Did she really commit suicide?)_

At the glance that Milly and Rivalz shares, she realizes that they themselves are not sure of the answer.

The next time she has any interest in anything around her is when a boy announced himself as the next Emperor.

She wouldn't have cared about it if the boys face hadn't dredged up long forgotten memories.

_("And this is Lulu!" Her daughter voiced chimed, as sweet as honey and the expression on her face brighter than sunshine._

_"Lulu?" She asked, looking at the too thin boys photo in her daughters hand._

_"Well... Its actually Lelouch but I call him Lulu." Her daughter cheeks were tinted red and she raised her eyebrows._

_"Your boyfriend?" She asked, a small smile curving her lips upwards. The small smile turned into a big one when her daughter falls back in surprise and shakes her head and waves her hands, trying to deny it.)_

_(And she knew)_

_(It is love)_

It seems surreal to see the boy her daughter had loved sitting on the throne.

_(And she wanted to scream,'You are too young, much too young to take the burdens of the world on your shoulder. Please, escape when you can!')_

She idly notes that he looked even more thin then when she had seen him in the photo.

She wonders if her daughter would have been happy with him.

The last time she shows any emotion was when she sees Zero again on TV.

She sees him running _(with an almost superhuman speed)_ and after a couple of jumps, landing in front of the boy _(who was still painfully too young to be holding the burden of being the Emperor)_

Her breath catches in her throat when the sword glints in the sunlight as Zero pushes it into the Emperor.

Her eyes are glued to the TV as Zero stands tall and proud, and the Emperor falls, never to open his eyes again.

Her heart clenches as she hears the soulful cries of his little sister despite everything he had done.

_(And she thinks of how unfair the world is if it is able to take to painfully young children away from their loved ones)_

She knows that most of the world regards him as a monster.

But she remembers him as the boy whose name always bought a smile on her daughters lips.

_(Lulu. Lulu. Lulu. This was all she would hear from her daughters mouth)_

Zero had killed them.

_(She didn't know who killed her daughter- for she was sure that her child had been killed by a monster- but she felt that it is connected to Zero)_

And she hates him for it.

_(She wonders how the Empress could allow her brothers killer to stand beside her)_

But there is nothing she can do.

Except sit on the chair in front of the fireplace, staring at the photo and waiting for her time to come.

_(When she can rejoin her family and the picture would be complete)_

**A/N: Ahh... I think you all might have guessed who this is. If not... Shame on you! Anyways review! Hope you enjoyed!**


	22. Anya Alstreim

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes: I wasn't planning on updating this so soon but I found out that i won't be able to update or write anything until the first week of October. So I decided I will put one last chapter for a while. This is my longest chapter yet and it might be a bit OOC since nothing much is said about Anya in the anime. This too is written a bit like the last chapter instead of the first P.O.V. I just felt like it suited hr more. Read and Review!**

**kingrichard360: **Actually that is a great parodish idea. Though it can be even turned into a serious story (For some reason your idea reminded me of Kill Bill movie) Thanks for the review!

**Terlander: **I am glad that you enjoyed it so much. i hope you like this chapter too. (Though this was written in haste) And I have started writing your fanfic request too. Thanks for the review!

**HD-spartan: **I am glad it invoked such reactions from you (Cause that was the intention) I hope you like this one and I have started writing the fanfic request. Thanks for the review!

**Lord Joyde:** It was too obvious right? And I have started typing your fanfic request. Thanks for the review!

**kwerli:** I am glad you liked it! Thanks for the review!

**KK:** You just put that image into my head (I might just do a spoof one -shot about that maybe... and all credit goes to you) Thanks for the review!

**RandomName3064:** That is true XD! I hope you enjoy this one too. Thanks for the review!

**Doctorjaws:** Actually, even I thinks so but this is in case she didn't die in the blast. I am looking forward to your thoughts. Thanks for the review!

**wanderer097:** Here is Anya! I hope you like it. Thanks for the review!

**Chapter 22: Anya Alstreim**

Memories was a way of holding on to things that were dear, to the experiences that shaped a person's life and the things that no one ever wanted to lose.

But for her, memories were the biggest deceiver of them all.

They were the facts that had always highlighted that something was wrong with her.

She is just a small child when she is first bought to the Aries Villa.

Still in training, she is already more mature than she should be.

_(She vividly remembers the screams that tore from her parents throat as the rebels broke into her parents house and proceeded to burn them alive)_

_(She also remembers the sobs that shook her body but didn't come out of her mouth as she hid in the cabinet from where she had a view of the bodies of her parents burning to death)_

But, like all the children if her age, she wants to be happy.

_(Isn't that what everyone wants?)_

She values the gift her parents gave her.

_(A pink mobile recorder)_

_(Her mother titters around her delicately._

_"I hope you like our gift. It isn't much but we wanted you to have something meaningful instead of the usual lavish gifts."_

_Her father smiles brightly._

_"Always remember that memories are worth more than anything in the world.")_

_(And it is the last time she sees them happy)_

She meets the occupants of the Aries Villa.

The sweet and motherly warrior; Lady Marriane.

The cute and naughty daughter, Princess Nunally.

And last, but in no way the least, the proud and arrogant son, Prince Lelouch.

Even though she is withdrawn, she can't help but admire the beauty of the boy.

_(She might have had a small crush on him)_

_(But that soon disappears when she hears him say that he doesn't care much about his father.)_

_(Doesn't he know how important parents were? How it felt to lose them?)_

_(Of course he doesn't. He is a spoiled prince after all)_

She works through all her classes mechanically, unfeeling and uncaring.

She refuses to let anyone too close to her.

_(If you start caring for someone, it hurts even more when they are gone)_

Another death.

Lady Marianne.

She doesn't remember much of the time around that.

She has a vague memory of bullets, of a bird like symbol and of looking down at all the blood but as far as she remembers she hadn't been anywhere near the place of murder.

Prince Lelouch and Princesses Nunally are sent away to Japan.

_(And she regrets hating the Prince for his frostiness.)_

_(He also had lost his mother and his father sent him to Japan, used him like a bargaining chip)_

She suddenly thinks about joining the Rounds.

She doesn't know how the thought had entered her mind _(she despised killing and murdering)_ but she found herself wanting to do so.

She didn't think that she would be allowed to even undergo training let alone join one of the Rounds (she was too small after all) but is surprised when she is immediately taken into Special Training.

_(Someone tells her that it was His Majesty himself who had asked them to train her to become one of the Rounds.)_

_(She wonders why but doesn't question it out loud)_

She starts to have memory lapses during training.

At first, she ignores it.

_("Great job Alstreim!" An officer remarked._

_She looks confusedly at the gun in her hand and then at the targets in front of her._

_Bulls Eye. All of them._

_Last thing she remembers is loading the bullets into the gun._

_"Thank you, Sir." Her voice is quiet and devoid of any emotion)_

But she couldn't ignore it anymore when she sits in the basic Knightmare Frame for a test against 7 opponents.

She switches on the Frame and stare at the more menacing Frames she has to defeat to prove herself worthy of joining the Rounds.

The next thing she sees is the mangled up Frames of the her opponents littering the ground while hers is only missing a leg and both arms.

Deaths were not uncommon during training but they were rare and prevented, if possible.

_(She wants to scream at the sight of blood as she realizes that none of the pilots had escaped the Frames when she... destroyed them)_

_(She shivers and despite her shock she could hear the fear in the voices of her Training Officers too as they ask her to come out)_

She joins the Rounds.

By now, she has transformed from a scared child to a emotionless teenager.

It happens suddenly.

She wakes up in cold sweat one day and realizes that she doesn't remember her childhood.

_(The faces of her mother and father, the picnics, and the fun they had)_

She feels like she loses a part of herself everyday as she tried to recollect how her mother's smile looked and how her father's hugs felt.

_(Yet she couldn't remember a single thing)_

So she records.

Her thoughts, her feelings, the faces of the people around her so that she would never forget anything.

_(But it still frightens her when she looks at the photos in her phone and don't remember doing some of the things she had supposedly done)_

The only 'friend' she has is Gino.

She has never had a friend before.

She never shows any thankfulness but she feels glad for the company all the same.

_(It helps her distract her mind from the holes in her memories)_

She is called apathetic for her attitude towards the death of other people

_("She is so small and yet she has already inherited the evil spirit of the Britannians." Whispers follow her. "For her it is all a game and nothing more. She doesn't understand anything)_

_(And she wants to turn back and scream,'I know how it feels to lose the people you love. I know how it feels to be ignored. I know because I have gone through it.')_

_(But she is outwardly apathetic and a Knight of the Round so she keeps on walking with her eyes on the screen of her phone)_

She is just a scared young girl who has repressed herself deep inside.

She remembers some of the words that her mother had once spoke.

There are times when you feel like giving up. Never ever give up. People who are strong are labelled as such not because they were never defeated, it is because they stood strong even when they had nothing to stand for.

And these are the words that stay with her.

She hears whispers that feel like it is coming from her own head.

_(You have to be strong.)_

_(There is no place for weakness in a world like this.)_

_(But then, no matter how strongly you project yourself o the outside, you are just a weakling like the others)_

And with it appears an image of a black haired, purple eyed woman that she knows, she recognizes from somewhere.

_(And she goes to sleep; waking up to find another piece of her memory missing)_

She considers Suzaku Kururugi as masochistic no matter how much he declines.

_(After all, isn't it better to run away from the pain rather than to welcome it?)_

She finds a strange familiarity in the newly appointed Viceroy of Area 11.

She is sure that she has never met the young girl_ (who is about her age)_ but she still feels like they have talked a million times before.

She keeps Nunally vi Britannia safe.

A part of it is duty but another part of it is slight curiosity.

_(And fondness, though she doesn't recognize it as it doesn't come from her)_

She, along with Gino, joins the Ashford Academy.

She finds a photo of a young boy on her camera-phone who looks a lot like the Vice President of the Student Council but he denies it when she asks him.

She is unaffected by the various festivities held in the School.

She even tries to participate.

But, with her sense of judgment completely impaired, she just manages to destroy a part of the Library.

A few days after the Cupid Day, death struck again.

_(She should have known that, no matter where she went, death and destruction would always follow her)_

She doesn't feel anything as the casket is lowered into the ground.

All she has of the girl buried is a few photos and videos.

_(She knows that she should be feeling something. She so desperately wants to feel something)_

_(But all she can bring herself to think is that no matter who anyone was, innocent or a sinner, death always caught up to them one day or the other; some earlier than others)_

She doesn't feel anything even when the F.L.E.I.J.A destroys most of the Tokyo Settlement.

_(She wants to mourn the death of all the innocent people who didn't deserve to die but she is unable to)_

_(She wonder if it means that she is a monster)_

She tries to destroy Zero and the Frame that rescues him but fails.

Then, her mind goes blank.

She wakes up to Gino's face hovering above hers, peering worriedly at her.

And after a very long time, she smiles.

_(It's a tiny, insignificant thing to her but at the look on Gino's face she understands the power of a smile)_

She returns to Britannia.

_(She feels like she could fly into the sky, float on water. She feels free)_

_(There was once a time, long ago when she smiled and laughed and danced happily without a care in the world)_

She is still the same quiet and introverted girl.

_(After years of suppressing her emotions, she couldn't bring herself to show any of her face even if she wanted too)_

She looks at the still familiar boy who sat on the throne and the masochist Suzaku Kururugi and thinks that she isn't the only one who hides herself from others.

_(She knows that they are not supposed to be like this.)_

_(She goes through her phone gallery and finds all those times when Suzaku and Lelouch looked like normal boys enjoying their life)_

_(She wonders if they it was their way of lashing out to the world for the injustice)_

But despite all their reasons, she doesn't like what they have become.

She feels that it is her responsibility to see the end of the war.

So, she joins Prince Schneizel.

_(Because she doesn't like what Lelouch has become)_

She thinks that it is the end of her life when Jeremiah raises his blade.

And, at that moment, she admits something she had never been able to admit openly.

_(I have no memories)_

She sees his eyes widen in surprise and the orange mask splits up, revealing his eye that glows with a weird symbol.

And then her mind is flooded with memories.

_(Her mother's smiling face, her father's loving hugs, the picnics, the gift, the people barging into their house, the terrible screams of pain as they burnt to death, Aries Villa, the prince and princess, Lady Marriane's death, and many more things that she couldn't separate from each other)_

_(And she is overwhelmed)_

She stays quiet when she is captured even though Gino tries to make her to talk.

She still doesn't understand what is happening.

In the end, she is just another child too young to be caught up in a war.

Her eyes flicker with something when she is freed and informed that Lelouch vi Britannia is dead.

_(She remembers the frail boy holding a rose and wonders how could he change so much)_

_(But she also knows that it doesn't take much for a person to break)_

She looks at the so called peaceful world with the same apathetic expression that is always present on her face.

_(What if nothing happens for a reason?)_

_(What if everyone deludes themselves into thinking about a better tomorrow just as to not face the reality that there might be no tomorrow?)_

She accepts Jeremiah's offer to help him at an Orange farm.

_(And the irony never occurs to her)_

She feels a lot more at peace than she had in a long time.

_(But darkness always leaves its mark)_

She remembers the days of the past when she used to be a her parents princess.

She remembers the days when she enters Aries Villa.

She remembers the days after the murder of Lady Marriane.

_(The confusion, the desperation to understand what was wrong with her)_

She remembers the days at the Training Camp

_(The horror in her heart as she stares at the corpses of the officers)_

She remembers joining the Knights of the Rounds.

She remembers joining the Student Council.

She remembers the war.

At last, she remembers.

And she knows that she will remember all this the rest of her life.

_(For, some memories never fade away)_

**A/N: Here it is! It is the longest chapter yet with over 2000 words. This will be my last update for quite a while unfortunately. At least, until my exams are over. Review! Who do you want next?**


	23. Villetta Nu

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes: At last! My exams are over andI can update and publish fanfictions. For everyone who requested a fanfiction, it will be up before 12th October. Thank you for your support and interest. Btw, since the people alive in CG has dwindled you can start requesting chapters of people who are dead also. Let us see what they think. This chapter is a bit OOC since I still haven't got back into the flow of writing. Onwards!**

**HD-Spartan: **I am glad you liked this. I think you too have a fanfiction request from me. If it is so expect it to be published before this week ends. Thanks for the review.

**Terlander: **Guilford will come up in the next few chapters if not the next chapters. I just wanted to get back into the flow of writing and I didn't want to spoil the plans I had for him with my rusty writing. And you fanfiction request will be published within the next few days. Thanks for the review!

**winxfan808: **I am glad you enjoyed it so much. You request might take some time but I will do it. Thanks for the review!

**Leonard Church814: **I will do Charles near the end. Thanks for the suggestion and review!

**BlazerX: **Actually that video is fake and the director has confirmed that he is dead. But the ending is ambiguous enough for us to believe what we want.

**KK: **Of course. I will be asking you for suggestions. I am glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!

**Chapter 23: Villetta Nu**

Position and Power. The two most important things in the world.

They were also the most deceiving.

Getting a high position and power is not a hard task.

It is keeping it that was challenging.

The society makes you believe that if you have position and power than you have everything.

You didn't need anything else.

Nor friends, nor family or... love.

I am just a commoner.

_("I should have married someone of a higher status in society." I sometimes hear my mother sigh._

_Position and status were more valuable than love. That's what I understand from it.)_

Born into a family who are middle-class with a good reputation but no position in the nobles.

_("Always remember that love is the most important thing. Money and Power can be lost but love will always stay within your heart." My father tells me and I bite back the urge to ask him if that is why Mother always wished she had married someone of a higher status)_

My parents die in an accident the day I join the military.

Even though I had scoffed at them for just being commoners , there is a sadness in me when I realize that I wouldn't be able to see them again.

My path is now clear. There is nothing holding me back.

I meet Jeremiah Gottwald in the Military Academy.

He is a charismatic man.

_("Do you like him?" Naila, my batch mate, asks as she sees me waving bye after meeting him._

_Glancing at her, my lips curve into a smile and I shake my head. "We are just friends."_

_Even if, to me he might just be a bit more)_

After the assassination of Lady Marriane, he changes.

He is still the same charismatic man but with a mission.

He asks me to join the Pure Blood faction.

I accept.

_(And I wonder if it is because I want to climb up the social ladder or because he is my friend)_

I am named a Knight.

But that isn't enough for me.

I wanted more.

The title of Knight would only last for me. I wanted my future family to also have the titles of nobles.

_(I didn't want to do it by marrying a noble though. I wanted to it by my own hard work)_

_(I wasn't going to be somebody's trophy wife)_

I am pleasantly surprised when Jeremiah admits that he wanted to make me a Baroness so that my family will continue to have the noble name.

It endears him even more to me.

_(Seeing us together, people always assumed that we were a couple._

_But that couldn't be any further from the truth._

_We were close friends and nothing more)_

The day everything changed is during the Shinjiku Ghetto Incident in Area 1- Japan.

_("We are going to Japan?" I ask, surprised._

_Barely glancing towards me, Jeremiah continued to sign some papers. "Yes. Japan."_

_And that was it)_

_(I acted like I didn't know what attachment he had to that country)_

I had enter the battle with vigor, happy about the fact that the Pure blood Faction was growing in power and I had been allowed to be a part of it even though I am not a noble.

I go into the warehouse and the last thing I remember is seeing the dead bodies of Britannian soldiers and the blurry image of a Brittanian school boy.

When I regain my bearings, I am alone in the warehouse with the dead bodies and there is no sign of my knightmare or the boy.

Then, Prince Clovis is killed.

It is a shock to everyone.

_("How can the Prince of Britannia be killed so easily?" A comrade mutters looking at the casket that carried the body of the deceased Prince back to Britannia._

_"I don't know. I don't know." I reply though deep inside my mind I feel like I knew.)_

We use a scapegoat.

Suzaku Kururugi. The son of the last prime minister of Area 11.

He is very young.

_(I know in my heart that he was not the culprit. He is not the one we are looking for. But who am I to talk?)_

At first, I couldn't understand what came over Jeremiah for him to order us to leave Kururugi.

_(Zero. A mere terrorist but there is something in him that set him apart from all the others. There is a power in his words and confidence in his walk)_

_('What is orange? Is Jeremiah really involved with the terrorists?' I think before I feel shame well up at distrusting my closest friend)_

But then I remember the same thing happened with me in the warehouse

_(The hazy recollection of a bird like sigil and a boy as young as Kururugi)_

The Pure blood Faction had lost its credibility.

The others had lost their trust in Jeremiah.

_(But I stand strong by him. He was my friend and...)_

Kewell tries to kill him and he is saved by the Eleven boy- Kururugi.

_('Why?' I want to ask him. 'Why save someone who tried to frame you for a murder you didn't commit?')_

Narita bought on many casualties.

_(Too many pointless deaths. Including... Jeremiah.)_

I didn't know how long I stood in shock after hearing the news but I didn't cry.

_(I couldn't cry. I had just lost a friend and something more but I has to stay strong for Britannia. I wouldn't let go of my dream just because of this.)_

_(My death wouldn't be meaningless)_

I investigate, search and prob about the boy I had seen in the warehouse.

And, at last, I found someone.

Lelouch Lamperouge.

Student of Ashford Academy and friend of Shirley Finette.

I manipulate the girl into confirming his identity.

And when I find out- nothing.

_(A bullet grazing past my head. Dragging myself to the rocks to avoid getting involved in the fight)_

And that's when I meet Kaname Ohgi.

He is an Eleven, the most foul people according to me.

_(The people who caused the death of Jeremiah)_

But of course, I didn't know all that.

I had lost my memory.

And a memory-less Villeta had started to love Ohgi, had started to enjoy life.

_(She didn't care about the war, about positions and power. She only wants to be loved)_

But that dream is soon shattered when the Black Rebellion takes place.

As soon as Japan- Elevens burst in through the door and targets me for being a Britannian, it is like a switch had been flipped.

_(And I remember everything)_

Leaving their dead bodies there, I make my way towards Ashford Academy

_(Because that's where everything had started)_

I shoot Ohgi.

_(And for some reason it hurt more than it should have)_

_(But I couldn't show any weakness. Not now)_

As soon as it started, the Black Rebellion was over.

Zero is captured.

_(A small boy- 10 years maybe- meets me. And tells me many things. At first, I didn't believe but I know it was true.)_

_(I am sent to Ashford Academy as a teacher)_

_('I am a teacher' He had said.)_

_(And I shake my head to clear out the memories)_

_(I am a noble now and Kaname Ohgi was the past)_

A year is all it took for my life to be thrown into chaos again.

Zero is resurrected.

I am confused at who could it be at first.

_("Where were you and Lelouch yesterday?" I ask Rolo._

_"At the movies." He answers avoiding my eyes._

_I don't pay much attention to him. He was always weird.)_

As soon as, Lelouch takes the name of Kaname Ohgi I understand.

And there is nothing I can do about it.

So, I keep quiet and follow him.

It is after a long time that I meet him as the Zero's were being exiled.

_("Are you-?"_

_"No, I am- I am Zero." But I didn't miss the sadness in his voice, like he didn't want to lie._

_And I knew who he was)_

It had been a long time since I thought of Jeremiah.

_(Kaname Ohgi seems to always be on my mind and Jeremiah is a mere memory)_

So, when I see him fighting Sayoko, it feels like a a train has hit me with full speed.

_(The rush of emotions; happiness, astonishment, surprise and mostly shock)_

He accuses me of working with Zero and I tell him where Zero is.

_(Because I knew that he would never hurt Lelouch vi Britannia no matter how much he hates Zero.)_

_(That is something I owned him after everything he has done and tried to do for me)_

But despite that, there was no way I wanted to be with Zero any longer.

_(The death of Shirley Finette doesn't cause me much grief but it is still a pang in my chest as I remember the happy and cheerful girl who always used to have a smile on her face.)_

I confront Ohgi.

And he says,'I love you."

_(And it takes everything in me not to say,'I love you too.')_

After being captured by the Black Knights, I try to explain Ohgi about the power of Geass and its consequences.

_(And I wonder if I could've prevented the FLEIJA if I had been faster in telling everyone the truth)_

He believes me.

I didn't know how much I was counting on his trust.

_(I couldn't let Zer- Lelouch destroy anymore more lives.)_

It is around here that I realize that nobility isn't everything.

_(And even more surprising is the person who tells me this; Cornelia Li Britannia)_

After that, there is nothing I could do except sit back and watch as Lelouch became the Emperor and took over the world.

_(He had always been a stubborn and willful boy but I never thought he would go so far. Or maybe I expected him to.)_

Ohgi is slated for execution. And there is nothing I could do about it.

_(I wouldn't mind giving up my life but I couldn't sacrifice the life inside my womb)_

It hurt to see the person who I thought hated Lelouch and the person who had once been my closest friend by the side of a tyrant.

_(I no longer felt the same attachment towards Jeremiah but he had still been a long time friend.)_

And then Zero appears.

And the crowd waits with a bated breath.

And Lelouch is dead.

For a a moment, the world come to standstill before erupting into celebrations.

I free Ohgi and kiss him.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jeremiah retreating.

I turn towards him and open my mouth _(to shout, to scream, to question)_ but before I can do either of the things, he turns towards me and smiles.

_(It's a small one, barely visible above the heads of thousands of people, but it is there.)_

_(And I understand)_

_(So I smile and turn to hug Ohgi)_

Years later, little Naoto is running around and I see Ohgi on the TV shaking hands with some delegates from India.

I smile to myself and think about the boy who had the courage to change the world all by himself.

**Author Notes: My writing is still a bit rusty after the long hiatus but I hope its satisfactory enough. I am going to pay attention to the fan fiction requests I got so watch out for new stories from me (acting on the ideas given by amazing reviewers) And you can request anyone you want now.**


	24. Suzaku Once More! (Improved version)

**Disclaimer****: I do not own Code Geass**

**Author Notes: Actually doing Suzaku wasn't my original plan but I was unable to find inspiration to do anyone else and everyone requested for either VV, Marianne or Charles. Sorry but these characters will be done near the end and not now. So you can request anyone else except them. And it would be amazing if you took some time to check the first fanfiction request story 'Of Misplaced Devils and Unmeant Queens' (by Lord Joyde)**

**HD-spartan: **I am glad you enjoyed this. Thanks for the review!

**kingrichard360:** Sorry but Marianne won't be coming up now. Since she is the main character I wanted to keep her in the end. So you can request anyone else. We share dissimilar opinions about Marianne then. :) Thanks for the review!

**FireWater0712: **CC is a truly difficult character. I too like CCLelouch. It was a payment actually. He had to suffer for all the deaths. But I actually like Shirley better than Kallen. By Queen I not only meant in the romantic sense but in his strongest piece kind of sense |(Since he did call her his Queen -Q1) Thanks for the review!

**Terlander:** As usual I agree with everything you have said. You have interesting opinions and that is something I respect. VV will be coming up later so suggest someone else. Thanks for the review!

**nahte123456:** I am glad that you enjoyed this story and I hope you will continue to enjoy it. Lelouch will be the last chapter and I am going to start the dead characters now. Fell free to suggest some. Thanks for the review!

**Chapter 24: Suzaku Once More!**

He is an idealistic person.

He believes that good will always defeat evil, that the world can be fair if the people tried hard enough.

_(He tries to forget the shock on his father's face when he stabs him)_

He had no right to live after murdering his own father but until he lives he will try to change the way people think.

He keeps going, taking up dangerous missions and hoping to die

He has nightmares each night and it isn't long before he is able to shrug them off like they are nothing.

_("You are completely worthless!" He hears his father growl. "You betrayed me and you betrayed Japan. And now, because of you, it's people are being oppressed.")_

_(And he wakes up sweating and shivering)_

Despite all the taunts and abuse, he keeps his head held up and walks forward.

_(He muses that it was something he had learnt from his childhood friend, Lelouch)_

_(And he wonders where they are and if they are alright)_

When he sees his friend again, he is overjoyed.

He believes that his friend might have joined a terrorist group but that doesn't stop him from pushing the gas mask over his face to protect him from the 'poison gas'

He feels sick when he sees a tied and gagged girl inside the containment.

He gladly took the bullet.

_(He would take the bullet over and over if it meant saving his best friend- he would've done it even if he knew that it would one day lead to chaos and destruction)_

He finds it ironic that it is his father's old pocket watch that saves him from being killed.

_(Maybe that was his father's punishment for him; to go on living and suffering)_

He is awed when he sees the Lancelot. He had never been inside a real Knightmare frame before let alone one as advanced as this.

But he doesn't think twice before taking control

_(He had to save Lelouch)_

He slashes through the enemy ranks and finds their leader.

He tries to pursue him but stops to save a falling woman.

_(But she was afraid of him- and if she would've seen his face, she would've hated him. The traitor of Japan)_

He trusts that the court will find him innocent but Lloyd's blunt remarks throws that hope out of the window.

_(If this is the way the world works, I am not sad to leave it)_

Then, he is saved by Zero.

_(And he hates him because Zero wears a mask and deceives people by showing them empty promises of freedom through meaningless sacrifice) _

He leaves and goes to his Court Hearing despite Zero's protests.

He meets one of the sweetest girl on Earth that day.

Despite her being a Britannian and him being an accused Eleven, she smiles and introduces herself without any hesitation.

_(And he likes the way her long, pink hair swings around as she walks and the way her eyes glitter as she talks)_

It is a shock for him to find out that she is a Princess.

_(And her name drags out an old memory)_

_(Lelouch smiling and talking. "Euphie is the one I like the best after Nunnally. She is kind and sweet and always smiling." Turning to look at Suzaku he continued,"I know you would love her too.")_

_(And little did he know that it would come true in the future)_

Ashford Academy is the kind of place he never thought he would ever enter into.

But he is thankful all the same to see that Lelouch is safe.

_(And when they meet on the roof, its as if no time had passed between and they are still the best friends they once were)_

_(And if he noticed anything amiss from Lelouch behavior he didn't comment)_

_(There were a few things that were better left unsaid)_

Nunnally's smile fills him with hope just like Euphie's had and it reminds him that they both are indeed sisters.

_("We will kill the Britannian Brats and let's see how they like it." His eyes widens with shock as he hears his father speak to his colleague and decides that he wasn't going to allow anyone to hurt his friends)_

He relaxes after a long time as he chats with Nunnally and Lelouch.

_(He doesn't care that he isn't accepted by the other students. As long as he had them, he was happy)_

He freezes under the stares of the students as he comes down with the cat.

But a girl comes forward and smiles at him and introduces herself

_(Hey, I am Shirley Finnette. Thanks for saving Lulu.)_

_(And it reminds him a lot of how he and Euphie had met)_

_(And he idly notes that her smile is a lot like Nunnally and Euphie's; pure and innocent)_

It doesn't take long before the rest of the Student Council comes forward.

He is shocked when Lelouch declares him as an old friend and asks the President for him to join.

He vows to save everyone when they are caught up in the Lake Kawaguchi incident

_(Since they were his family now and family protected each other)_

Narita Incident makes his hatred for Zero worse.

_(And he tries to remember what was the green haired girl had been doing there and what she had done to him)_

Seeing one of his most valued friends at her father's funeral stung badly.

_(He would never forget that she was the first one to extend a helping hand to him)_

He didn't know how Lelouch knew the man who kidnapped Nunally but it was he who made Suzaku to recall his worst memories.

_(And part of it is the fact that Lelouch had heard all of it and will now hate him)_

The relief he feels when Lelouch understands him is palpable.

_(And it was all he could do to stop himself from hugging his friend and saying thank you over and over)_

When he faces Tohdoh in a Knightmare battle, he expects his _sensei_ to call him similar names that his father had but it wasn't so.

And he feels the respect for his _sensei_ grow a bit more.

He doesn't expect to be Knighted.

_(But looking at Euphemia's gentle smile, he promises that nothing would ever hurt her)_

He is shocked to find that his combat partner for all the battles he had fought against Zero was Kallen.

But he is still the same idealistic person and he believes that people can change.

So he doesn't turn her in.

_(Because she is a friend)_

The Special Administrative Zone sounded like a great idea.

He believed in that, he believed that Euphemia could do it

_(He believed in her)_

But the Gods had never been kind to him

For once in his life he felt like everything was gong to be alright, and that too was taken away from him

_(He still dreams of her smiling and laughing; dancing just beyond his reach. By the time he reaches her, there is a gaping hole in her chest and a frozen half smile on her lips)_

_(And he cries and begs her not to leave him alone, to save him)_

_(But through the tears staining her cheeks, her eyes slowly lose colour until all that is left of her is the feeble memory of a once bright and optimistic girl)_

_(And he cries)_

He had never understood the word Vengeance before that day.

But when a child comes and tells him the truth, he doesn't know anything except for Vengeance.

And he doesn't think twice before dragging Lelouch in front of the Emperor to have his memory rewritten.

_(But even when he sees that Lelouch is completely destroyed, it doesn't satisfy him)_

_(It leaves a bittersweet taste in his mouth)_

_(He wonders if he didn't kill Lelouch just because he still-deep in his heart somewhere- thinks of the boy as his best friend)_

_(And he quickly erases the thought from his mind)_

He hates lying to Nunnally.

To tell her that he doesn't know where Lelouch is

_(And every time the dejected expression comes on her face, he is forced to turn away so he wouldn't blurt out the truth)_

He still misses Euphie everyday and keeps his Knight badge as a reminder of what he had lost.

He, Gino and Anya form a team as the youngest members of the Rounds.

He considers both of them as his friends but he has long since sealed his heart against most of his emotions.

_(Anya stares at him without blinking and it unnerves him.)_

_(Before he could say anything she speaks,"It's not good to be so closed of to the world when you have the ability to feel things so passionately. I don't have that ability.")_

_(And he stares back in surprise and she goes back to fiddling with her phone)_

When he sees Zero on TV, he hopes that it isn't Lelouch.

_(But in his mind, he knows that it couldn't be anyone else but him)_

Going back to the Academy invited a lot of cherished memories.

But he was no longer the same idealistic person he once was.

_(He had no place in his heart for anything except anger)_

When he makes Lelouch to talk with Nunnally, he hopes that he will reveal himself.

_(Because its easier to hate a person who declares you as an enemy openly than hate a person acting as your friend)_

He is tempted to make some excuses when Shirley asks him to meet her but he hears the desperation in her voice and agrees.

_(Because he still hasn't forgotten the fact that she is the first person to come forward and treat him like an equal after Euphie)_

_(And that her smile was as innocent and pure and Euphie's and Nunnally's was and he didn't want anything to taint it)_

He is actually able to smile with Lelouch when she is there before he remembers what had happened

_(Euphie's cold hand against his warm one and her hopeful smile even during her death)_

_(And he feels his anger renewed)_

But he feels himself faltering when Shirley asks him if he hates Lelouch

And, for some reason, he doesn't mind admitting it to her that he used to like him

_(Because she had asked him directly- because she had noticed)_

When she says that she has forgiven Lelouch a long time back, it confuses him but before he could ask her what she meant an alarm sounds.

And he decides that there would always be time later for questions

_(Little did he know that it would be the last time he saw her alive)_

_(Her bloodied body lying on the cold hard floor reminded him of Euphie)_

_(The only difference was that he wasn't able to say goodbye this time)_

He tried to use Refrain on Kallen but remembers that he is not Lelouch.

_(He just feels so frustrated that despite everything he had done, he had lost a dear friend)_

He never intends to use the FLEIJA just like he never intended to betray Lelouch.

But life had a funny way to dealing with things

_(He shakes and shivers when he realizes that it was the blast that killed Nunnally. That he killed Nunnally)_

_(And he can hear the whisper of his fathers voice taunting him,'And that's how you treat your family, isn't it Suzaku?')_

He feels his carefully maintained self control snap as he realizes that Lelouch might've been right.

The Emperor of Britannia had to be destroyed.

So he takes the Lancelot and goes to the place that was the central to everything.

Kamine Island.

_(He hates the 'Live' geass that is placed on him but he admits that it saved him many more times than he remembers)_

He muses that there isn't much difference between his and Lelouch's father.

Both were heartless bastards willing to sacrifice anything to win.

And he at last understands Lelouch.

He would never forgive him but Lelouch would always be his best friend.

And he was going to help Nunnally's and Euphie's dream to be fulfilled.

Seeing Nunnally alive was a shock but he knew that there was no way they could back down now.

They had come to far and too many sacrifices had already been made for them to cancel the Zero Requiem

_(He tries to avoid thinking of the final phase of the plan)_

Suzaku Kururugi dies in battle against Kallen Kouzuki.

(And he is frightened)

He and Lelouch have long talks nearly everyday after his 'death' and that helps him feel more at peace.

_(But it also makes it harder for him to even think about killing Lelouch)_

Plunging the sword into Lelouch was easier than expected.

_(Maybe because the reality of the situation hadn't completely sunk in- maybe it never would)_

As he watched Lelouch slide down, he felt the tears blurring his sight and sobs threatening to break out.

_(But his hands were steady. They didn't quiver nor shake)_

He had killed his best friend and himself in one go.

_(Because Lelouch was the last thing that linked him to his previous identity of Suzaku Kururugi)_

With him gone, all that was left was Zero, the symbol of hope and peace.

And he doesn't have any complaints since he can feel the world changing slowly but surely and he knows that Lelouch- wherever he was- would be looking over the world.

_(And he smiles wryly when he thinks of how smug Lelouch would be that everything went according to his plan)_

He had always thought that there were too many differences between him and Lelouch but when he drove the sword into Lelouch chest he realized that the main difference was that when he had tried to mask his death as a noble sacrifice whenever he threw himself into a battle, Lelouch had done the exact opposite by masking his as the death of a tyrant to bring peace to the world.

But now, he was no longer going to be trying to do anything of that sort.

He would fulfill his promise of protecting Nunnally and would make sure that the world remains peaceful.

For Euphie, Nunally, Shirley and Lelouch.

**A/N: Maybe it was not what you expected but I am satisfied with how it came. So you can request any characters (except VV, Marianne, Charles, God and Lelouch) and please give my new story (Fanfiction request idea by Lord Joyde) 'Of Misplaced Devils and Unmeant Queens'**


	25. Clovis la Britannia

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author notes: I present to you Clovis. And I started another Fan Fiction request. This time by Terlander it is called 'An Edge of Soul'. I would love it if you would check it out and give some feedback. Thank you.**

**nahte123456:** Here is Clovis. I really hope I did him justice. Thanks for reading this and enjoying it. Feel free to suggest anyone else. Thanks for the review!

**Eclipse130: **I am glad that it touched you so much. (I too dislike Nunnally and like Suzaku) I hope you continue reading it. Feel free to suggest anyone you want. Thanks for the review!

**KK:** Well, I think what Dumbledore meant that we should never let fear of a mere name rule our hearts. He did say that words cut deeper than any other weapon(Sorry for the rant, avid HP fan here) I thought Suzaku and Shirley were good friends so i decided why not add her here. I will do as you said. I really appreciate your compliment. it does mean a lot to me. Thanks for the suggestion and review!

**Terlander:** I love the dynamic relation between Suzaku and Lelouch. Here is Clovis. I hope you enjoy this. Thanks for the review and suggestion!

**Scarease:** I am glad you enjoyed it so much. Your review made me laugh. Thanks for the review!

**winxfan808:** I did think they would be a couple actually. (They would make a cute one) I too thought about it! Never did any of the Black Knights question why did Kirihara decide to believe him. Maybe he thought that even Kirihara was under his Geass. -.- Brainless fools! Thanks for the suggestions and reviews!

**Chapter 25: Clovis la Britannia**

He is an artist.

He paints and it expresses his deepest desires and hidden secrets.

_(A splash of colour here and another there)_

He paints and draws his siblings, brothers with eyes brighter than the stars and sisters with smiles larger than life.

He loves each and every one of them.

_(Maybe except Schneizel)_

_(But then, it is understandable. After all, Schneizel has never appreciated his talents and has always mockingly scoffed him)_

He loves painting in the Aries Villa.

The gardens with flowers brighter than found anywhere else and stars bright in the night sky, it is perfect for him.

_(He loves to paint Nunnally and Lady Marianne; the latter being the picture of poised elegance)_

_(Lelouch not so much since he couldn't sit still in one place long enough for Clovis to capture him)_

_(It has nothing to do with the fact that Lelouch always beat him at chess; or so he claims)_

He stops painting for a month after the proclaimed death of Lelouch and Nunnally.

_(His brother with eyes full of wonder and his sister with smile full of warmth)_

But it's Euphemia who comes to him with tears in her eyes and asks him the reason for him stopping.

_('The world needs more brightness Big Brother. Without your colors it seems more deary then ever.')_

_(And he starts to paint again)_

People often call him a snob.

_(And he wonders how can loving only his family and not anyone outside it make him a snob)_

He is not as stupid as others think.

_(He is an actor, just like most of his siblings)_

Being made the Viceroy of Area 11 is a bittersweet feeling.

_(While it meant that he is being recognized, it also meant that he had to govern the land that had taken the life of two of his siblings)_

So he turns ruthless.

He is an artist.

And an artist feels all their emotions more intensely than others.

So, even his hatred towards the Elevens is intense.

_(He doesn't care whether they live or die.)_

_(They would pay for taking the life of his beloved siblings)_

He doesn't care about the people who work below him.

_(What did they know about the life of the nobles, they were too simple-minded for such complexity of a higher lifestyle)_

He continues painting.

It is by accident that he finds out about the green haired woman.

When a lowly Britannian soldier comes to report an unusual incident to him, he doesn't think twice before dismissing him.

_(He doesn't like interacting with low class people)_

It is only by sheer luck that the soldiers manages to get in a word before he is thrown out by his bodyguards

_("The woman I shot came back alive, Your Highness." The soldier screams as he is being'escorted' out._

_Clovis freezes before turning towards his bodyguards and signalling them to let the man go._

_"What did you say?"_

_"I shot all the citizens of the Kazumi Ghetto as you ordered but there is a woman who continued breathing even after being shot through the head. And even her wound had disappeared after a few hours.")_

_(And the artist in him is piqued)_

So he starts to experiment on her.

_(Being an artist he wants to know if it is possible to preserve something, to keep it forever young)_

_(If he can be forever young)_

Shinjiku Ghetto incident changes everything.

He, being involved in the project, orders the massacre of all the Ghetto citizens.

_(After all, they were just commoners and nothing else. What matters if a few were killed? There were a thousand more to replace them)_

Failing was not something he was used to.

_(The only time he remembers loosing is with Lelouch in chess. All others let him win everywhere to keep him happy)_

But with defeat staring at his face he orders the execution of all the people in the Ghetto.

_(And that turns out to be his worst mistake)_

He doesn't know what to feel when he sees Lelouch once again.

He feels happiness, joy, astonishment and many other emotions.

He notices that Lelouch vividly purple eyes have darkened over the years making him look more sinister.

_(The eyes of the man who was betrayed)_

The purple disappears and is replaced by a red symbol.

_('I don't know who killed Lady Marriane.' He hears himself say.)_

_(And somewhere, in an isolated corner of his mind, he is sure that it is connected to the green haired woman, CC)_

The last thing he remembers before being shot is the regretful smile on Lelouch face.

* * *

I sigh as I see you empty your stomach contents in the bathroom.

At least you regret killing me.

Somehow I was able to see everything you did.

All your plans and dreams.

_(It all had the same underlying tint of red; anger and vengeance)_

I even saw Nunnally and it did hurt me so to see her with her eyes closed and her legs crippled.

_(Somehow, she still retained her innocence despite everything that happened to her)_

I did laugh when they framed a Eleven for my murder.

_(As if those fools could kill me)_

But what I didn't expect was for you to be ready to help him escape.

Zero.

_(And it fills me with glee. At least, you inherited some of your character from me. It was dramatic and eye-catching)_

It doesn't surprise me to see the green haired girl at your home

_(I already knew that she couldn't be killed and that she would be the one responsible for your mysterious power)_

On the other hand, I am filled with disdain when I see Euphie with my so claimed murderer.

That child is as naive as ever.

Cornelia hasn't changed a bit.

She still gives more value to military duties than social ones.

_(Really... who would roll about with Knightmare Frames when they could live lavishly?)_

Well, not all people can be the same.

And she is family.

I hadn't expected her to bring Euphie with her though.

Being her real sister, she is as over protective over Euphie as you are over Nunnally.

_(You both are more like mothers than siblings)_

But I am sure that she will try to shelter Euphie as much as she can even though she made her the Sub-Viceroy is Area 11

But I really wonder if you would be able to stand up against Euphie like you stand up against Cornelia.

Euphie and you were always close.

_(A picture of childish innocence; you, Euphie and Nunnally)_

When I see your interaction with the Eleven, it clears a lot of doubts from my mind.

_(I would have never expected my arrogant brother to ever make friends with a lowly Eleven; oh, how people change)_

I talk with Father.

_('Clovis, you are the first one of my children to die so pathetically.')_

_(I shiver and remind myself that I am already dead. 'Father... it's Lelouch who killed me. He had the Power...')_

_('I expect complete loyalty from my children and death is your punishment from hiding CC from me.')_

_(I open my mouth to defend myself but am not given a chance to speak. 'I will soon destroy 'God' and all of humanity will be united.')_

_(I stop in shock. For all I had found out, I had never expected Father's goal to be this.)_

_(He fades away)_

You never did take defeat very well

_(But then, nor did I)_

You are still like the petulant brat you had been when Schneizel defeated you in Chess.

You have forgotten the fact that no matter how much you ignored it, Cornelia is your half-sister and she could be as cunning as you are.

It is only due to CC that you are able to escape unharmed.

_(I could feel jealousy in the air when CC and the red- haired girl faced each other)_

For a moment I thought that another member of the Royal Family will be killed in a terrorist attack.

Euphie was always a bit dense

_(She has to understand that her life held more value than that of a lowly commoner; that she didn't need to stand up for anyone at the Kawaguchi Lake conference)_

It doesn't surprise me that you spared her.

_(She is your favorite sister after Nunnally after all)_

Cornelia too could never accept defeat gracefully

_(It is a trait shared by most of the members of the Royal Family)_

Narita mountain, for her, is a defeat.

I never did trust Kirihara.

Despite him being business allies with us, he is still an Eleven.

So it doesn't surprise me much to see him secretly supporting terrorist groups.

_(He is a shade of brown; with the wisdom and experience of the world)_

I had truly believed that you had changed into a complete monster incapable of feeling sorrow.

_(After all, who could kill their brother without a second thought- even is it was half brother)_

But when I actually see you consider what you had become after the death of the father of a friend, I had to- rather reluctantly I admit- change my view.

_(I guess for you, the people you considered your family was not us but your friends)_

I pray that you would change your mind, that you would continue living normally.

_(I didn't want to see any more of my siblings die anymore than I wanted to be dead)_

But the Witch has other plans.

She manages to instigate you once more.

So I wait.

You are as ruthless and Father or Schneizel.

To meet your goals you sacrifice the JFK without any remorse.

_(And you had the nerve to point me out when I did the same to save my dignity in Shinjiku)_

But you paid for it.

When I see that your identity has been discovered by your orange haired friend and a member of the Pure Blood Faction, I think that it it the end of Zero.

_(I didn't know whether to be happy or sad)_

But love is greater than anything else.

_(At least, it's supposed to be)_

Despite you being responsible for the death of her Father she still shoots the lady to save you

_(And I can't help but scorn that. How could she put you above her father?)_

Somehow I doubt she would expose you to others.

It is the first time I see you use your Geass for something other than your own gain.

That is when I realize.

As much as you are ruthless and unforgiving to your enemies, you are equally loving and protective about your friends- your family.

_(The light heartedness of the picture cannot be captured by any artist- including me)_

_(It is a concept I cannot completely wrap my mind around; they aren't blood so how could you be so-so free with them?)_

Nunnally getting kidnapped has thrown you into complete panic.

It is nice to see that there was someone from our family that you actually cared about.

Being away from the family has completely changed you.

If you would have grown up with us, you wouldn't be interacting with commoners let alone Numbers.

The inauguration of my Art Museum is an event I would've loved to attend.

The paintings are utterly delightful and some of them are magnificent beyond belief.

But alas, I am dead and can no longer enjoy the fine pieces of art.

_(I have to curse you for killing me so early)_

I never thought you would pull back your attack when you saw that it was your Eleven friend who piloted the Lancelot.

_(You actually have a heart?)_

_(Did the life of the Eleven hold more value than mine in your heart?)_

_(That is sad)_

Despite you promising to walk the path of carnage, you still couldn't stomach killing your friend.

I never expected Schneizel to make an appearance.

_(But maybe he realized that his opponent, Zero was someone above average intellect and it is like a challenge he could not resist)_

It isn't surprising that Euphie discovers your identity before anyone else.

She was always perceptive even though it was often overlooked.

_(And just like that you found another person you couldn't fight against)_

The Ancient Ruins in Kamine Islands was something I knew about but didn't get the chance to explore

_(The tragedy of an untimely death)_

But now I have an idea of what it was going to be used for.

_(For destroying the pleasures of living that made the life enjoyable)_

I am against Euphie decision of creating a special zone in Japan.

_(Those people didn't deserve the privileges)_

But then, she has always been soft hearted- and, if I am not wrong, in love with her Eleven Knight.

_(I hoped that she would have a better choice but unfortunately it seems that even she, like you, didn't care about a person's standing)_

I thought that it would mean the end of all the fighting.

_(Shame, I was starting to have fun seeing you act so dramatic)_

If there is one person other than Nunnally you couldn't fight against, it would be Euphie.

_(Despite your anger at her decision, I know that you would end up supporting her)_

But what happens is something even I could not have predicted.

It is one of the rare times I saw that kind of expression on Schneizel face and I am sure that it was the same expression that is mirrored on mine as well as your face.

_(If it had been any other situation I would've enjoyed seeing such an expression on Schneizel's face but this was...)_

Even though I know that it is a mistake, that you didn't mean to make her do what she is doing, it still fills me with anger that one of the gentlest people I know had to go through this.

When I see you shoot her, it is with a sense of foreboding.

_(Somehow, things are going to get worse)_

And I am proved right when I see an immortal talking with Kururugi.

_(VV; our uncle)_

Our Uncle, the one who gave Geass to Father.

I wonder if the sense of betrayal or the strength of friendship would win.

I get my answer when I see Kururugi level a gun against you.

_(And there are splashes of red, orange, brown and mostly black in the picture you both painted. The picture of broken friendship and trust)_

I actually feel afraid for you when you were dragged in front of Father.

I have proof that Father is also involved in the power of Geass and it just got confirmed when he uses his own Geass on you.

_(The expression on your face is something that would've made any artist shiver at the intensity)_

There is a whole year of inactivity.

_(Though it seems like mere minutes to me)_

I wonder if you would ever awaken.

_(That is foolish of me; you are always too stubborn after all)_

I get my answer when Babel Tower is attacked.

The Demon is born again.

_(And the dark aura that had been hidden emerges once again as you embrace Zero)_

Kururugi returns to find out if you are Zero.

_(And as an artist, I shiver at the elegant dance of various emotions between you two that remains hidden from everyone)_

Even Nunnally being against you fails to break your resolve.

_(It did waver it but there were people to pull you out of it)_

_(And there is love blooming in midst of the darkness)_

The way you juggle both your lives is admirable; since you are dedicated to both and both of your life displayed the different sides of you.

You create another 'miracle' by helping in the exile of a million 'Zeros' out of Japan.

_(And you know that Kururugi would never allow another massacre to take place after what happened last time)_

The girl is too young to marry Odysseus.

_(But then, since when did the Royal Family marry for love?)_

You rescue her.

_(And that gains you an ally inform of the strongest man in China)_

With Schneizel entering the fray, I figure that things are getting more interesting and serious.

But it is not the end for your allies.

Jeremiah Gottwald, someone I thought to be your enemy, joins you.

_(It didn't take me long to remember that he was Lady Marriane's guard)_

Then you lost a friend.

I never actually thought that I would see you shed tears after what happened to Euphie.

But it seemed like you still had some humanity left in you.

It was a picture of tragedy.

_(You hunched over the corpse of your friend, the same one who had forgiven you and protected you. And that's when I feared that any weakness left in you- any trace of your heart- has been buried along with her)_

VV is killed. Father is now an immortal.

_(I admit that it was something I had wished for)_

_(And I also admit that the thought of Father gaining immortality scared me)_

Despite everything that happened in the past, you once again decide to put your trust into Kururugi.

And are betrayed.

_(Though it is actually a false betrayal)_

As usual, you have a back up plan for it.

_(I don't think Cornelia will be too happy with you for involving the person she cared about in your plans; not after what happened to Euphie)_

Another war.

_(The battlefield is a combination of yellow and red)_

Fake death of a family member.

_(One that would completely break you)_

Another betrayal.

_(The scornful faces of your once faithful and loyal Black Knights; smug face of Schneizel and your resigned face)_

A rescue.

_(Somehow I understand why you put more trust into people who are not even family; those are the people who have saved you over and over again, even at the cost of their own life)_

Finally, you are ready to go against Father.

_(And somehow I am not surprised)_

_(What is surprising is the fact that I wanted you to win)_

I thought you would join up with them when Lady Marriane appears.

_(After all, she is the reason you fought so hard for)_

But you are no longer the brat you once were.

_(You grew up)_

You reject their dream.

_(And I sigh thankfully)_

The Zero Requiem.

A dramatic plan and I didn't know whether to be happy or sad that you thought of it.

_(I wondered if you would even succeed. It's Schneizel you will be up against)_

The way you established yourself as the Emperor is something anyone would have been proud of.

Schneizel proved his ruthlessness when he killed all our siblings in Pendragon without any mercy.

_(And I realize that there were bigger monsters than you out there)_

_(He made Nunnally do it)_

_(He never did get his hands dirty)_

But still, in the end, it is you who won.

And it isn't long before the day of completion of Zero Requiem comes.

Zero's cape flutters in the wind before he comes dashing towards you.

As he pushes the sword in your chest, blood blooms on your pristine white robes.

_(And the sheer beauty of it has me stumped)_

_(So it's true)_

_(There is a beauty in death too)_

And so an era of peace starts.

By now, I really didn't care about what happens in the world.

Most of my family is dead and the ones who were left behind are scarred.

Maybe it's time for me to move on.

You are dead and so am I.

Maybe in our next life we might live together as brothers but it is not possible in this life.

Until then, I will wait.

Maybe enjoy a bit before going on to my next life.

Also trouble you a bit for killing me long before my time.

**A/N: The ending is not all the good but this has already reached 3K+ words and I got tired. Thanks for reading and don't forget to** **check out idea by Terlander 'An Edge of Soul'**


	26. Ruben K Ashford

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes: This is not my best work. Since school is starting tomorrow, I won't have time to dedicate to my fics. I will try to update atleast once in two weeks but no promises. Read on.**

**Thank you for everyone who reviewed. Since I am short on time I won't be able to individually reply for now. Thanks for all your support and encouragement and I hope you continue to enjoy.**

**Ruben K. Ashford**

He is an old man

He has seen how the world works

_(Of how unfair and unjust it could be)_

There are things he knows cannot be said out loud, things that are better remain hidden

_(Secrets that can destroy the illusion of peace)_

But he also knows that no secret can stay hidden forever.

One day, it will come out, clawing to the surface with its sharp claws and glinting teeth

_(And it brings along with it the destruction of the people involved in it)_

When he first sees the children of a woman who had been like a daughter to him, he feels an overwhelming sense of elation.

Their eyes are dim and faces drooping but they are safe

_(And that's all he cares about)_

He introduces them to Milly and she integrates them into the Academy as if they have lived there forever.

He helps cover their identity

_(He knows he could turn them in and be reinstated as a noble but there were things in life that was more precious than status)_

_(And he learns that through experience)_

He is an old man.

And like all old men of his age, he has wisdom that has accumulated through years of experience

As his fingers absently tap on the table, he glances at a small golden framed mirror to the side

_(A gift from his dear grand daughter)_

The lines on his face was clear as the sun outside and his hair is grey.

_(But he bring himself to care about it)_

He is an old man.

Sometimes he feels like he had always been an old man

When he sees the war that seems to be going on for ages he feels like he has lived forever

_("Milly, you have to meet him next week." He can hear the words clearly even though he was sitting a fair distance away._

_He notices the despair that dances across his grand daughter's face but says nothing. "Yes, Mother."_

_She looks up and gives him her brightest smile before waving goodbye.)_

_(And he can't help but admire her strength)_

He sits alone in his simple office at Ashford academy.

_("Should I come over for tea Grandpa?" Milly asks over the phone._

_But he hears the incessant clicking of the keyboard keys and understands that he world is moving faster than he could comprehend._

_"No thank you Milly.")_

The sun shines brightly over the grounds of the Academy and he can see the students chatting, walking and enjoying life.

_(Oh how innocent they are!_

_They danced, sing, have fun and go on_

_They have never seen the horrors of the outside world_

_And after everything that has happened, they probably never will)_

He turns towards a framed picture hanging on the wall.

The Student Council of 2017.

There were not many people but all the people present had crave their names into either in history or someone's heart.

Milly; his bright and cheerful grand daughter.

_(Who always had a smile on her face despite the circumstances)_

Rivalz; a boy too simple yet had a heart of gold

_(Someone who knew the worth of a family)_

Shirley; an optimistic girl who had died too young

_(With bright, shining eyes and heart that loved unconditionally)_

Nina; the brilliant mastermind of the biggest destruction in history of Japan.

_(A lonely girl who had no one to understand her)_

Kallen; the half blood who was found guilty and had been slated for execution

_(A frail and sickly girl who had lost her brother)_

Suzaku; the Japanese who had sided with the demon and died in battle.

_(A boy with eyes that shined as bright as emerald but that had lost its shine at the end of his life)_

Lelouch; The so called tyrant and Demon Emperor. The one who had thrown the world into chaos.

_(A physically weak boy who loved his sister with all his heart)_

He doesn't turn on the brand new TV in his office.

There was only one news that adorned all the news channel

_(The Demon Emperor has been slain... The tyrant... the worst man... cruel... too many adjectives for one young person)_

Lelouch vi Britannia is dead.

He doesn't know what to feel

On one hand he was the child of a daughter and on the other hand he was a tyrant who had proclaimed himself as the Emperor of the world.

But he has also seen another side of the children.

Unbearably small, young and dirty; they had stood by the gates of this very Academy as it seemed to overshadow their tiny frames.

Even then, Reuben remembers seeing a look of fierce determination on the young boys face.

_(But was he ever a young boy?)_

He had seen the slaying of the Demon on his TV.

He is an old man.

And despite the fact that many people believe that as one grows old they become senile, it is actually quiet the opposite.

He notices things due to his age.

He notices the widening of everyone's eyes as Zero appears.

He notices the look of acceptance on the face of the blue haired knight

_(who had also been the knight of Marriane)_

He notices the deliberate lift up that helps Zero to reach the platform.

He notices the lack of reaction from Lelouch

_(He knows that the boy could've done a number of things... he wasn't a fool... yet... yet he stood there, in the path of the sword)_

He notices the tears on Nunnally's face as she cries for her brother.

_(Her eyes are open at last...)_

He notices the look of comprehension on the faces of the Black knights

_(Did they expect Zero to come and save them?)_

But most of all, he notices the old and weary man who had grown tired, hiding behind the mask of an young tyrant.

_(But he didn't know whether it is also an illusion or the simple truth)_

If he got the chance, he would've asked Lelouch several questions.

_(Why did you do all this?|)_

_(Was it for Marriane?)_

_(If it was for Marianne how do you think she would be happy to see her son go against everything she believed in and imprison his own sister?)_

But then, he is not going to last much longer.

His time is nearing.

_(He knows that there was no use denying it)_

Maybe he would get a chance to ask all those questions when he died.

Until then, he would remain alive as an old man who had seen too much.

**Author Notes: Yes, I know its short but please bear with me for now. Here are the characters that are left. Is there anyone else?**

**Alive: Guilford, Tianzi, Kanon, Chiba, Kallen Mom, Sophie Wood**

**Dead: Kirihara, Rolo, Euphie, Diethart, Bismark, Luciano, Shirley, Rin (Suzaku mom), Genbu, Mao, Naoto, Bartley, V2, Charles, Marriane, Lelouch, God**


	27. Euphemia Li Britannia

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes: ****Thank you everyone for the overwhelming response! I appreciate each and every reviewer who took time to pass on their suggestions and praises. I am glad you enjoy this story so much. Thanks for reading and reviewing. I hope you enjoy this chapter too.**

**Lord Joyde: **Don't worry about me. I work more efficiently if I multitask. Thanks for the concerned review!

**kingrichard360: **Thanks for the review!

**wrathKhorne: **She will be coming up! No worries :) Thanks for the review!

**Terlander: **I will consider nearly all of them... I can make up my own back stories of their characters. Thanks for the review!

**hello: **I hope you like this. Thanks for the review!

**ThunderMastery24: **I thought it would be a break from the normal, usual characters. Thanks for the review!

**OtakugamerF: **I am seriously glad you liked it. I hope you continue reading. You mean Odysseus? He will be coming up. Thanks for the review!

**azul120: **Ohgi wasn't much better than Villetta. I think Ohgi is a bit too... well there is no proper word for him but I guess you understand what I mean. Thanks for the review!

**Doctorjaws:** Coming up soon! Thanks for the review!

**HD-Spartan:** Hmm... interesting idea..Thanks for the review!

**Aqua Roxas:** I will do it! Thanks for the review!

**KK: **Mid terms have already snuck up on me and decapitated me. Anyways, I am glad you like this. Thanks for the review!

**winxfan808:** Take your time. I hope you enjoy them as much as you like this. Thanks for the review!

**random guest:** It isn't stupid! It might be the next chapter actually. Thanks for the review!

**Euphemia li Britannia**

She is optimistic

_(She hopes for a brighter future not only for herself but also for others)_

She is called naive and dense

_(And maybe she is)_

_(But she thinks that it is better to be naive and dense than blind to the sufferings of others)_

Her favorite siblings are Cornelia, Lelouch and Nunnally.

_(They always have time for her)_

She remembers the starry nights when they, along with Lady Marriane, used to go star gazing.

_(The stars seemed so far away yet... when she glanced at the faces of the people with her, she thinks that the brightest of them are present on Earth)_

It doesn't take long for the illusion of happiness to shatter and sad reality to sit in.

_(She remembers Cornelia's pale face and shaking hands)_

_(She remembers being told that she cannot see Lady Marianne's body)_

_(She remembers Lelouch hunched over Nunnally's body in the medical center as he whispers his pleas for her to wake up and assurances he will protect her)_

_(And she feels her heart clench)_

She decides to do everything she could for the pair of siblings.

She would stand by them and give them all the emotional support they needed.

But she never did get a chance.

Just weeks after Lady Marianne's death, they are exiled.

_(And she is displayed another side of the Royal Life)_

_(Abandon those who are weak and only can move forward)_

She wants to do something- anything.

But she is a child.

_(So she sits curled up against Cornelia and cries her heart out)_

She grows up too soon for her taste.

_(At least when she was small, she could stay naive and dense)_

She is afraid.

_(When Cornelia goes for a battle, she says a silent prayer)_

_(She had already lost two of her beloved siblings)_

_(She didn't want to lose her sister too)_

It hits her hard when Clovis death is announced.

_(In the same place where Lelouch and Nunnally perished)_

It chills her when she hears that he is killed without anyone's notice.

_(And she wonders if they are cursed)_

When she hears that Cornelia is going to Area 11 she requests to come along.

She decides that it's time for her to act her age.

_(She knows deep inside that it is related to the fact that she wants to see the place Clovis, Lelouch and Nunnally had perished)_

She looks at the green, green eyes of the claimed murderer of Clovis and wonders if the innocence present in them is as deceiving as the fleeting moments of happiness in life.

Zero.

Her breath catches when she sees the flair with which he controls the pieces in his hand.

_(Like he is a puppet master with the control of all the strings and others are mere puppets)_

And, for some reason, it reminds her of someone though she cant pinpoint who.

_(And she is glad to know that the hardened innocence in the accused person's green, green eyes are not a lie)_

But she is a curious person.

She wants to know more about him when he attends the court hearing despite having a chance to escape.

For him, she is just a girl who randomly fell from the sky- or window.

_(And she asks him to call her Euphie because she doesn't want to him to be closed off- because for once, she wants to act like she is a normal person with no responsibilities)_

_(A normal girl enjoying life)_

But she still wants to understand.

So she asks Suzaku to take her to the Ghettos.

_(And she notices the dimness in his eyes at the mention of that word)_

Looking at the broken down areas where the Elevens -Japanese, her mind supplies easily- stays, she feels disgust at being a part of the people who were responsible for this.

Looking at the boy by her side, Suzaku, she notices the guilt in his eyes

And she understands.

_(The self loathing is clear in those green eyes and she hates it)_

When she sees Knightmare Frames engaged in a battle, and Suzaku going forward to fight, she decides to step forward.

_(She isn't a small child anymore)_

_(She can no longer hide behind her childish fantasies and naive dreams)_

_(She has to step forward and try to make it a reality)_

She hates the way Suzaku quickly bows down when he finds out her identity

_(And she is no longer a normal girl)_

She doesn't understand why Cornelia harbors hatred towards the Ele- Japanese.

_(Even though she suspects that it has something to do with the deaths of their siblings)_

At Lake Kawaguchi, she could've sat quietly.

Allowed the abuse to continue.

Save her own skin.

But she isn't that kind of a person.

_('You shouldn't be so soft hearted Euphie.' Clovis comments lightly._

_Puffing out her cheeks, Euphie pouts. "But Brother, those people needed help and I helped them."_

_"They are commoners." And Clovis says it with disdain._

_"Euphie." Schneizel gets hr attention. "There are times when being soft hearted is good." At that Euphie smiles but it quickly disappears when he continues,"But more often, being soft hearted is a weakness. It's no use having a soft heart if it hinders you from making decisions.")_

She stands up and defends the commoner girl.

She asks for a meeting with their leader.

_(And looking at the thankful look on the girl's face, she doesn't regret standing up)_

She felt a slight shock go through her system when she sees the dead bodies of the terrorists that had imprisoned them.

But she is surprised when she feels sure of the fact that she wouldn't be harmed

_(There is something hauntingly familiar about Zero)_

_(Something in her aches as she stands facing him)_

_(Something in her mind clicks when he comments about her still being the same)_

And she suspects.

She is curious.

She wants to know for sure.

So she forces Cornelia to take her along with her to Narita.

_(Even if she is shocked at the amount of destruction Zero had caused, she doesn't say anything)_

_(After all, she is just a foolish figure head)_

_(Who knows more than she should)_

She hopes in her heart that her sister would return safely.

_(And that Zero is who she thinks he is)_

But she feels like all the hope is lost when she sees Cornelia cornered and about to be defeated.

_(And she now hopes that Zero isn't who she thinks he is)_

_(She doesn't think she can bear it if he is the one to hurt her sister otherwise)_

She smiles as she sees Suzaku mouths Euphie.

_(She feels like a normal girl again)_

And, Cornelia is saved.

_(But she still doesn't know whether her suspicions are true or not)_

_(But she vows to find out)_

She finds Japanese people beautiful.

Despite being subjected to a life of poverty and discrimination they have an unconscious elegance.

_(It is hidden by hopelessness in some but shines brightly in others)_

As she sees Suzaku battling the Black Knights who had come to free Tohdoh, she can't help but notice the hidden elegance in the movements of his Knightmare.

_(She can hear a guard whispering to his fellow mate. "The Princess must give the prize to the painting of His Majesty. It is magnificent and made by a highly regarded Britannian Family heir.")_

_(And she feels like telling them that it isn't the painter that matters but the painting)_

_(And she finds it sad that the talent is being pushed down just because of discrimination)_

And, in a split second decision, she declares Suzaku Kururugi as her Knight.

_(And despite it being made on the spot, she knows that what she did was right)_

_(She knows that Suzaku will protect her with his heart)_

She earns the disapproval of most of the nobles with this action.

She feels disappointed that even Cornelia didn't agree.

_(Nor did she expect her to)_

_(But, for the first time in her life, she stands her ground and doesn't back down)_

At Kamine Island, she rushes forward to stop Schneizel from destroying the Lancelot along with Suzaku.

_(And Zero)_

The next thing she knows, she is facing Zero.

She voices her suspicions.

_("Lelouch?")_

And is happy to find that it is right.

_(The violet eyes are as bright as she remembers though there is a lurking darkness in them)_

_(And even though she feels fear at what it could mean, in her elation she manage to ignore it)_

She knows that he is equally happy to see her.

That night, she dreams about the old times as she finds out that two of her beloved siblings are alive.

_(She wants to meet Nunnally but is afraid to ask Lelouch in case he doesn't want to meet her again)_

She doesn't find it hard to promise not to tell anyone about his identity.

_(Especially after Lelouch tells her the reason for his rebellion)_

_(She couldn't possibly hate him for killing Clovis)_

_(Cause she understands)_

_(And she knows that if Cornelia is there in his place she would've done the same thing)_

She feels broken when Suzaku gives back his batch.

_('I killed my father')_

_(And yet, for some reason she still doesn't hate him)_

_(But she is no longer a free girl)_

Meeting the commoner girl from the Lake Kawaguchi incident, she is reminded of the fact that everyone has something special in them.

It might not seem so special at first but it still might play an important role in someone else's life.

_(Just like how Suzaku had entered her life and changed it without realizing it)_

So she thanks Nina with all her heart for making her realize she should've known all along and runs to express it.

_(Because she feels like she is soaring through the sky like a bird and nothing can stop her)_

Then she finds out that Suzaku has been sent to fight the old Japanese Govt.

_(And the bird is shot, and she falls to the ground)_

Seeing him fight, something in her tells that he wasn't fighting to win.

_(That he would leave her and go)_

So she doesn't hesitate to order him to love her

_(Because she already knows that he does)_

And, for a moment, she thinks that everything will be fine. That he would survive.

_('Please, tell my friends that I transferred somewhere else.')_

_('You have to live!' She screams in desperation.)_

_(And then Lelouch appears)_

She is filled with delight when Suzaku and Lelouch fight together.

They are the two most important people in the world to her.

_(And she can't help but marvel the way they both danced around each other)_

_(Perfectly synchronized like they had done this a thousand times before)_

_(Like they are two puzzle pieces meant to fit in together)_

The only reason she goes to Ashford Academy is to see Suzaku but she meets someone who she didn't expect to see so soon.

_(Nunnally?')_

As the sisters talk, it feels as if no time has passed and that they were still in Aries Villa discussing who would marry Lelouch.

_(But seeing Nunnally sitting on the wheelchair with her eyes closed, she knows that she can no longer afford illusions)_

_(She makes up her mind)_

She likes the way they three sit and talk about things like there is nothing else in the world to worry about

_(And how she wishes it would last)_

Somehow, she is astonished to learn that Suzaku and Lelouch study together

_(She recalls the graceful dance of Knightmares as they worked together and decides that she shouldn't be surprised that they are friends)_

In another on the spot decision, she declares the creation of SAZ.

_(So that she, Lelouch, Nunnally and Suzaku can be happy together)_

She is delighted when she has the support of Schneizel

She is sure she can succeed.

She waits on the podium with the other representatives behind her and the Japanese people in front of her.

She is worried but she knows hat he will come.

Even when he requests a private audience she doesn't panic.

_(Because he is her beloved brother)_

She manages to convince him to join her

She is amused when he reveals his plan.

_('Do you think I would shoot you?')_

_(And Lelouch smiles that smile which makes him look even more mysterious than his Zero mask)_

_('I have my ways')_

The last thing she knows is snatching the gun from Lelouch and making her way to the podium.

Then blank.

_('Will you all please die?')_

Her voice is enthusiastic as she asks it to the crowd of people assembled in front of her.

Gasps of outrage and shock are heard.

She can vaguely hear the screams of her beloved brother screaming from behind for her to stop.

But she has something she has to do.

_(She smiles)_

_(She is no longer a normal girl)_

_(She is Princess Euphemia Li Britannia, the 3rd princess of the Empire of Britannia)_

And she will not allow anyone to come in middle of what she wants to do

_(Even if there is a small voice at the back of her mind that screams, cries and begs for her to stop)_

_(She ignores it)_

She is deliberately raises the gun and fires.

_(And it sounds loud in the shocked silence that envelops the stadium after her request)_

It's only when the old man falls to his knees, gasping, does everyone finally start to panic.

And she gives her orders

_('Princess Euphemia Li Britannia commands the Britannian Forces to kill all the Japanese. Don't leave a single one alive.')_

_(And pandemonium breaks out)_

When the bullets in her gun get over, she doesn't hesitate to jump into a Knightmare.

_(She feels like there is something wrong. That she is doing something she shouldn't)_

_(But she is too far gone to listen to it)_

Climbing out of the frame, she searches among the rubble for a gun.

_(Her mind tells her that she shouldn't be searching among bodies like it is normal, everyday thing but she couldn't bring herself to feel horrified)_

_(And somewhere, a small part of her that is still the same old Euphie, cries in anguish at the deaths she has caused)_

That's when she sees him.

Zero. Lelouch.

Her mind immediately links him as a Britannian

_(As her beloved brother)_

She thinks that he has come to offer his help.

He points a gun at her.

_('Euphie... you were my first love.')_

Time seemed to slow down as she looks at the bullet hurtling towards her and looks up as it hits her chest.

_(The blood blossoms on her chest and she feels a stabbing pain)_

_(Tears prickle her eyes as she struggles to understand what happened)_

_(She feels like she is slowly losing herself)_

_(Is she Euphie or is she Euphemia?)_

_(Is she a normal girl or is she a princess?)_

_(She could no longer tell)_

And then, suddenly, she is being lifted into the sky by a frame.

_(She has often dreamed of flying into the sky like a free bird)_

She could hear someone begging to save her life.

She wants to say that as long as others are happy she is fine with losing her life but somehow she can't muster enough energy.

_(Since when did things seem so hollow?)_

As she fights to keep her eyes open, she spots the one person who makes her feel like a normal young girl in love.

_(And despite something in her telling her to kill him, the old normal Euphie who is in love with him comes to the forefront and talks)_

_('Suzaku... Did I make the Japanese people happy?')_

_(And she doesn't understand why is he crying. Yes, she might not live but at least his people are happy)_

_(Her vision quickly blurs and she can feel tears leak from her eyes)_

She knows that she is only one person against an army of many.

She knows that she cannot change the world by her own.

She knows that her innocence and optimism in the world might one day lead to her death.

But she hopes that through her death, new lives will be created.

For the world, for the Japanese people, for Zero, For Suzaku, for Lelouch and for Nunnally.

_(And there is still a last frozen smile on her lips as her eyes dim and she closes them, never to open them again)_

* * *

She looks at the events taking place after her death.

Her heart clenches when she looks at all the destruction she has caused.

_(Even if she doesn't have any physical heart anymore, she still feels the pain)_

She wanted to make a better world for the people around her but she isn't able to.

Despite everything that happened she cannot bring herself to blame her brother

_(Maybe it is because she seen him shed tears after killing her)_

_(Maybe it's because of the fact that he confessed before shooting her)_

_(Whatever the reason might be, she could never hate him)_

She now understands things she didn't before.

About geass, about immortals, about everything

_(About how the world actually works behind the scenes)_

She wants to ask Suzaku not to do anything rash

But she knows that he will blame himself for her death and set out to correct it

_(She feels scared when she sees the hatred burning in Suzaku's eyes)_

_(She feels even more scared when she finds that it is directed towards Lelouch)_

_(She finds out that they are friends for a long time when she hears them talk and wonders if hatred has blinded Suzaku too much for him to see what he still has left instead of pining after what he has already lost)_

She doesn't like the fact that Cornelia too is driven by vengeance.

_(Is it all her fault?)_

She sighs in relief when Lelouch leaves Cornelia alive

_(Because she knows that despite how Lelouch acts, he is never actually heartless)_

She wants to ask Lelouch to run away when he goes to Kamine Island.

She knows Suzaku is waiting there.

She looks on as Suzaku points a gun at Lelouch

_(And for the first time, she is scared of what Suzaku would do)_

_(The hatred in his green, green eyes made it seem even more green an it reminds her of poison)_

_(She just hopes that the poison doesn't destroy him and Lelouch)_

She hates the fact that Lelouch lies to Suzaku about what actually happened.

_(That he would want to hide himself behind the mask of a cold hearted person while in reality he was as lonely as Suzaku)_

She was always scared of her Father when she was alive.

But now, she merely feels angry at the man who she had once called Father.

_(And she doesn't know what to feel that it is Suzaku (her happy, cheerful and smiling Suzaku who was Lelouch's friend) who had ragged her brother to him)_

She is unable to see as their Father erases Lelouch's memories.

_(Of Lady Marianne, of Nunnally, Of herself and everything that ever mattered to him)_

As time passes, she feels her anger at Suzaku for what he did slowly draining only to be replaced by a deep sadness.

_(As she sees him inducted in the Knight of the Rounds and turn into a killing machine, she hopes that someone would save him)_

_(She had tried)_

_(But some lives are not destined to be saved)_

_(And that she is something she cannot accept)_

She sees Cornelia searching for the geass order.

_(Her sister, her best friend)_

_(The only person she loves more than Suzaku and Lelouch)_

She hopes that her sister would return to Britannia and live peacefully.

_(She wants to stop her from walking on the path of destruction like Lelouch did)_

_(But she is helpless)_

She sees Nunnally sit alone in her room at nights and cry herself to sleep.

_(She wants to comfort her but there is nothing she could do except watch the small girl who had been thrust into the cruel world without the support of her brother who had always been there)_

She also sees Lelouch.

Seeing him get along with others so nicely she wonders if what happened is for the best.

_(If Lelouch is happy then...)_

_(But she remembers Suzaku's anger, Cornelia's determination and Nunnally's tears and decides that it isn't for the best)_

She isn't surprised when she sees the red head girl who had abandoned him come back to save him

_(And she thanks the girl for doing everything she could to save Lelouch despite the risks)_

And the Messiah has returned.

_(And she fears of what this would mean for Suzaku, Cornelia, Nunnally and the people connected to them)_

She doesn't want Nunnally to be against Lelouch.

She doesn't think Lelouch would be able to fight Nunnally.

Yet he tries.

And then Nunnally takes a decision.

_('I will recreate the Special Administrative Zone of Japan.')_

_(And she is assaulted with memories of dead bodies, blood all over her clothes, Suzaku's desperate tears, Lelouch's confession)_

_(She feels fear creeping in her at the thought of the same thing happening)_

She knows that Lelouch would do everything in his power to prevent it.

_(But she can't help but be scared)_

She waits with a bated breath when Suzaku tries to decide whether to let the Zero's go.

She lets it out when Suzaku acts like her Suzaku

Seeing Lelouch with his friends at Ashford Academy she wonders how could he have turned to be Zero

_(She is happy that he has someone to look after him when there is no one else)_

_(She knows that his friends care a lot about him even if he acts aloof)_

She doesn't know what to think when she sees Suzaku and Lelouch work together once again

_(Even if it a small reflexive thing as saving the life of a friend, she is glad that they are together)_

She sees the girl being killed.

_(And she has a feeling that it isn't going to be good for Lelouch)_

_(And she is proved right when he is hunched over the girl's body crying for the loss of a close friend)_

She sees the same hatred in his eyes that Suzaku had after her death.

_(And she fears for Lelouch's sanity)_

She is happy that Suzaku is reconsidering the fact that Lelouch might have done it on purpose.

But she isn't happy when Kanon arrives, taking away any chance of them both working together.

She recognizes the girl who had helped her stand by Suzaku

_(And she is horrified at what her death had caused people to turn into)_

_(Suzaku, Nina, Cornelia...)_

As Lelouch is betrayed by the Black Knights and sets out to stand against their father, she prays and hopes that he wins.

And he does

_(She feels the shock when she finds out that Marianne was always alive)_

_(She had only felt the presence of Charles in the World of C and no one else)_

_(And she wonders how can sweet and gentle and brave Lady Marianne be so willing to sacrifice her own children in the name of a better world)_

And when Marianne offers him a chance to talk with her, she fears that he might agree.

_(But he has grown out of the resentment)_

_(He still retains some of his sanity and declines the offer)_

_(And she is thankful)_

After destroying his parents, she wonders what would Lelouch do.

And she gets her answer.

Zero Requiem

_(She never expects Schneizel to be so ruthless and kill all their siblings)_

_(That too with Nunnally's hands)_

_(And she understands by what he meant by 'casting away a gentler side to bring peace to the world')_

_(Not that she can support it)_

She is happy that Cornelia still has the same sense of honor and tries to stop Schneizel

_(In vain)_

After the bitter war, Lelouch emerged victorious.

_(And she is left with a bitter feeling at the thought of the last part of the plan)_

She hopes that Suzaku will decline

_(Lelouch is his best friend and he shouldn't be able to kill him...)_

But days slowly ticked by and the final day arrives.

She tilts her head back and closes her eyes.

_(She doesn't need her eyes to see whats happening)_

To save the world, two of the most important people in her life _(and death)_ gave up their happiness.

_(She can hear the chanting though she is far away from it all)_

_(She can hear the heart wrecking sobs of Nunnally and imagine the despair on the faces of the Black Knights)_

_(She could also hear the small prayer by a soul damned to suffer an eternity of loneliness as her last hope of freedom dies)_

But when she opens her eyes, there is a smile on her face.

Despite everything that happened Lelouch achieved what he wanted to achieve.

And he could finally rest in peace.

It wouldn't be long before they would be joined by their loved ones and they might be able to start over, in a new life.

There might be problems and conflicts but she knows that the people who knew the true Lelouch would do everything in their power to keep the world peaceful

_(She knows that Suzaku and Cornelia would look after Nunnally in place of Lelouch)_

There might be many more obstacles to overcome until peace is finally achieved but for now...

But for now, all is well.

**Author Notes: You can ask me any questions you have in the review and I will make sure to reply you. Thanks for reading and review if you can!**


	28. CC Once More! (Longer version)

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes: Probably not a character you expected but the only one I was able to write for now. It is hard to update stories with school, projects, exams, family problems and all things like that. Sorry for any late updates. Enjoy.**

**Mafia king:** I myself hadn't realized it until I started writing the chapter actually. Thanks for the review!

**Wanderer097:** Thanks for the review!

**Historyman14:** She was an important character actually. Her death had affected all the characters in ways no one could imagine. Life isn't always fair. I can't do Akito and Leila right now because it's been a long time since I saw the OVA's and I have to resee it again for writing their chapters. And I unfortunately don't have time right now. Sorry. I will try writing a one-shot on it. Thanks for the review!

**Saki-Rose Chan:** The biggest flaw in Suzaku's character is his unwillingness to let go of the past. His father's death or Euphemia's death. He was never able to move towards the future. I love the dynamics between Suzaku and Lelouch and that is one reason I mention it. Thanks for the review!

**Kingrichard360:** I don't think I would be able to see it XD Thanks for the review!

**Lord Joyde**: Thanks for the review!

**ThunderMastery24**: A person who doesn't ate Euphemia and Shirley. Such people are very hard to find. Both of them had an impact on the story no matter how much less screen time they might've been given. Thanks for the review!

**Sticy17:** Thanks for the review!

**Alicia Testorosa:** I am glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the review!

**Guest:** Tianzi is going to be next. And she is 15 not 5! Thanks for the review!

**Guest**: Rolo and Shirley are 2 of my fav characters too. I have made it a habit to like characters that others hate. They both were loyal to Lelouch till the end and that's what makes them special. Thanks for the review!

**HD-Spartan:** Glad you liked it. Thanks for the review!

**Terlander:** I am glad you liked this chapter. Thanks for the review!

**Amazingstory:** Of course I would be willing to do the story. But it will take time. And I am guessing that Suzaku is your favorite character. Thanks for the review!

**TheAbsolutistsCreed:** Thanks for the review(S)!

**C.C**

She is an artist, a musician, a leader, a follower and a witch.

But most of all, she is just a lonely girl stuck in the flow of time.

_(Forever and ever)_

Her mother is a prostitute: plain and simple.

_(But that word hadn't existed in her time, she only found out in the later years)_

At first, she doesn't understand what her mother is.

All the men that enter and exit her mother's room are her 'uncles'.

_(And she is happy that even if she doesn't have a father she has a big family)_

But it doesn't take long for her to realize that what she thought as her families were just a group of strangers who wanted nothing to do with the green haired girl with shining amber eyes.

When she is 7 years old, her mother leaves her.

_(She hears the whispers on the street about how her mother had abandoned her and run away with a bit well to do man)_

_(Leaving her crying and aching)_

She doesn't have proper clothes to wear or food to eat.

_(She begs on the streets for something)_

_(People stare at her in disgust and whisper to each other about how 'low class' she is and how she will 'turn out to be like her mother')_

_(And her once bright amber eyes fill up with unshed tears as she tries not to shake in the cold)_

She manages to find a job as a servant.

_('Slave' her mistress corrects her.)_

_(And she isn't treated anything more than that)_

She scrubs and cleans and cooks and washes and does all kind of odd jobs.

She doesn't mind doing the work others would rather not even talk about.

_(Because she is just a mere slave)_

She can't help but feel envy when she sees her mistress fussing over her child.

_(And she wonders if her mother never did love her enough to stay with her)_

She sleeps with the horses and cattle in the shed.

_(The hay is as comfortable as anything she has ever slept on)_

_(It is a lot better than the floor at least)_

But it is not long before she is thrown out.

_("Yo-you insolent child!" Her Mistress rages as she cowers and looks at her with fearful eyes._

_"Ho-How dare you steal food from my child?!"_

_Out comes the wooden stick. )_

_(And she doesn't try to explain how hungry she is, or how it was an accident and how she would never repeat it again)_

_(She won't explain because she knows she won't be heard)_

And she is back on the streets, living under trees and rocks, sleeping on the hard ground and scavenging through garbage for food.

She is 9 years.

It wouldn't be so bad if it is summer.

But God is never with her.

_(She is born with a cursed luck)_

It is the most bitter winter the country has ever seen.

And while most people were warming themselves in front of their hot fires, she huddled under a small shelter in the cold.

_(She could hear the wind howling as it tried to reach her)_

_(She could feel the frozen tears on her face)_

_(She could hear herself whispering, 'Mama. Mama')_

_(She remembers reminding herself that her Mama is gone and she is all alone)_

_(There is no one coming to save her)_

Somehow, she manages to scrap through the winter.

But she is weak, with little to no food and harsh conditions have begun to take a toll on their body.

And that's when she meets the man who works at the cemetery.

He offers her a job.

_('You can clean the corpses that come in and I will give you shelter and one meal a day.'_

_She is terrified of dead bodies but she accepts)_

_(Because she wants to live)_

_(She doesn't want to die)_

So she starts to clean the bodies.

There are different types of bodies.

Thin, short, tall, fat, bloated, disfigured, missing arms or legs and sometimes even internal organs.

_(But she does her work dutifully)_

Then one day she sees something that terrifies her.

Her Master comes with a dead body.

It wasn't unusual.

People often gave him the dead bodies to keep it in the shed near the graveyard until the day they could be buried.

But he looms over her and orders her to clean it.

_('Clean it and make sure to do it properly.' He whispers, careful not to break the scared silence that had settled over barn she was staying in)_

_(And she looks at the face of the corpse and sees the frozen horrified look on its face)_

_(And she wonders what had he gone through)_

She makes the mistake of questioning her master

_('Why can't we do it in the morning like usual?" She looks u at him. "The funeral is anyway held late morning.")_

_(And for the first time, she receives a punch to her face)_

_("Don't you dare question me Girl!" He brings his face and nasty breath near her face. "Do as I say and keep your mouth shut)_

_(And she shudders and curls herself until he leaves, the dead body near her with his face twisted in grimace)_

But despite the fact that she is warned, she tries to escape.

And succeeds.

She walks and walks, eager to get away from the cursed place that she had once called her home.

She passes many villages but doesn't dare stop at any.

(She is afraid of Her Master)

So she continues walking until she is tired, hungry, and exhausted

_(Both physically and emotionally)_

But she doesn't want to die yet

_(Because she has things to accomplish)_

(And she reflects on the short span of a human life)

She manages to drag herself into a church

_(She doesn't know whether to believe in a God or not)_

_(She never did have any reason to trust Him)_

She meets an Angel there.

_(At least, that's what she thinks at that time)_

The sweet angel gives her a power; a power that helps her to be loved

_(And she is given gifts, flowers, and many other countless things)_

She slowly grows up.

And her Geass loses control.

Slowly, she starts to grow tired of the attention and gifts

_(Because she starts to understand that even though people seem to love her, it is nothing more than hypnosis and manipulation; that the love they had for her is fake_)

The only person she actually believes cares about her is her Angel.

But it doesn't take long before her Angel to show her true colors.

(And she reflects on how she should've remembered that no one is trustworthy; after all, the devil also was also once an angel)

But by the time she understands, it is too late.

She sits in her pool of blood, with tears in her eyes and her body shaking.

Time passes.

The flow of time is endless and she goes through the motion of living unconsciously.

_(It's more like a ritual)_

She meets many people, people who could've freed her.

_(But they never reach that stage)_

And after sometime she stops feeling anything.

She meets Marianne and feels hope.

_(Here is a woman who wanted to live on and is as ruthless as any CC had ever met)_

So she stays with her.

But then Marianne breaks the contract and dies.

_(And when CC finds out the truth, she leaves)_

She didn't see Marianne's son.

She just saw a lonely boy with determination in his eyes and fire in his heart.

And she felt herself admire him.

_(Because despite how uncaring and unfeeling she seems, she knew she could never be as strong)_

She observes the him, his sister and his brown haired best friend and wonders how carefree they were; away from all the reality

_(But she doesn't let it fool her)_

_(She has lived too long to allow herself to hope or fantasize)_

_(She knows how this is an illusion and she knows that it won't be long before it would shatter; like many she had seen before)_

_(And she is right)_

It takes another 7 years of hiding and escaping until she is finally caught.

_(She is in the wrong place at the wrong time)_

At least she knows that the Dramatic Prince would never hand her in until he researched her completely.

_('Where are you CC?' Marianne coos, trying to extract her whereabouts.)_

_(CC merely smirks and replies, 'If I don't know where you are, you don't need to know where I am.')_

She is tied, killed and researched upon extensively.

And all throughout that, she doesn't smile, cry or show any kind of emotion.

_(Because emotion is a weakness)_

_(And immortal like her cannot afford to have any weakness)_

She is kept in a strait jacket.

_(And she smirks at how symbolic it is)_

_(Despite being an immortal she has been in chains her whole life; willing but never able to die)_

_(A life without purpose)_

She stays in captivity for around 5 months.

Then she gets kidnapped.

_(Though it is hard to tell with all the protection she is in)_

And suddenly her senses awaken.

**_So, here you are at last._**

The lonely boy she had seen a long time ago.

_(The one whose fate would soon be doomed)_

She is freed.

_(And she wonders at how tightly woven the fate of the two best friends must be if even after 7 years they were able to meet so coincidently)_

_(Like hers and Lelouch)_

She is pulled to safety by Lelouch.

_(And she can see the shock beneath his careful façade at the brutality of the Empire)_

_(And she fills a twinge of pity that she quickly squashes down)_

_(There is no room for that emotion in her heart anymore)_

She takes a bullet for him.

It isn't her first time taking a bullet for someone else but this time she feels like it would be different.

She initiates contact and isn't surprised when he accepts the contract.

_(He is his parent's child after all)_

She smiles and closes her eyes for a while

_(She vaguely hears him say, 'Lelouch vi Britannia orders you. Die!')_

_(And she realizes that a dangerous chain of events have been set in motion)_

She lifts herself up and founds herself surrounded by the dead bodies of the men who had tried to capture her.

Marianne's son is nowhere to be seen.

But she knows where he would be and where to find him.

She waits for some time, biding her time until she is sure that she can move to Ashford Academy safely.

She meets Marianne's daughter and wonders at how different she was from her mother.

_(But she knows that not every child turns out to be like their parents)_

She doesn't care about what Lelouch does as long as he fulfills her contract.

_(Because she wants to die)_

So she helps him try to achieve a seemingly impossible goal.

_("So…. You are with Lelouch then." A voice whispers._

_She isn't surprised and she knew that it would be coming anytime. _

_"I don't see how it is any of your business." She replies slowly._

_"How can it not be my business? Lelouch is still my so you know! And I am sure that he has grown into a handsome young man by now. Perfect for you.")_

(And CC scoffs, because no one can love a witch like her)

She doesn't want to kill Mao.

_(Because, despite his obsession of her, he truly cared about her. In his own twisted way)_

But when things go too far, and there is no other choice, she doesn't hesitate to shoot him.

Because she can't allow anything to come between her and death.

_(Not now)_

She had lost all her sympathetic nature a long time ago but when she sees Lelouch _(not Marianne's son but a lonely boy)_ hunched over at the death of his sister, she doesn't hesitate to hold him.

_(Because he had no one to do so)_

_(And maybe because she knew that the person he was doing it for was still alive and couldn't care less about her children)_

So she fought alongside him.

Never did she think that VV would come in between.

_(But he did and she is about to lose her only hope of salvation)_

_(And that's something he won't allow to happen)_

She convinces Kallen and Urabe to help save Lelouch.

And they do.

_(And she stops wearing the jacket; because, after a very long, she feels free and like her life has a purpose)_

She continues to work along with him.

The Liberation of the Chinese was just another experience for her.

She didn't think that the death of a friend would have such a big impact of Lelouch that he would go so far as to annihilate the whole Geass Order

_(And once again she is reminded of the fact that blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb)_

But she doesn't care about anything else anymore so she agrees t go with him

And she is forced to confront her feelings and thoughts

_('You pity me.' She hears Lelouch say and she doesn't reply because she knows it is true.)_

_(And it is an emotion she didn't know even existed in her anymore) _

It's only when he asks her to die with a smile that she pulls back and tries to save him.

And then she is hiding in her own mind.

_('Are you my new Master?')_

It is only when Marianne comes to take her that she awakens.

She goes with her previous contractee to finish everything off once and for all.

_(And for some reason she isn't surprised to see Suzaku Kururugi there)_

_(After all, his and Lelouch's fate were tightly woven together as no one else she had seen before)_

She realizes the futileness of their efforts to destroy God.

_(Because, even if she didn't believe in God anymore, she knew that there is someone up there who pulls the strings and makes everyone to dance to their tunes)_

She doesn't feel much when Charles and Marianne fade away.

_('What are you going to do now?' She asks and the question hangs in the air)_

She can feel her clench as the thought of what was about to come.

She didn't know why she had allowed him to proceed with his plan; even going as far as to promise him not to pass on the power of Geass anymore.

_(Maybe because in him, she could see a reflection of herself)_

_(She is a scared and lonely girl and he is a scared and lonely boy)_

_(And they are both still children)_

She doesn't want him to die.

She doesn't want to be left alone once more.

But she knows that there is no turning back.

_(And she finds herself pitying the brown haired friend of his, whose fate had been so entwined with Lelouch that if Lelouch was destroyed, he too would have to suffer)_

_(The only difference is that while Lelouch suffers by dying, he would suffer by having to live on without the people he loves)_

On the final day, she finds herself in a Church.

_(And she also finds it ironic that she had ended up in the one place she promised never to enter ever again)_

_(And she prays for Lelouch)_

She doesn't want to see how he fell, how he took his last breath or how he died.

_(Because she can still imagine the small smile that would be there on his face as he dies)_

Time passes.

The flow of time is endless and she is sure that there would once come a day when she would no longer remember his face, his voice or his eyes.

But she also knows that there would never be a day where she would not remember his promises and his assurances.

_(Because sometimes, it's the small parts of life that is imprinted in the mind rather than the great achievements)_

And she smiles and no longer wants to die.

**A/N: I hope it was better than what you expected. Thanks for reading. Please review!**


	29. Taizo Kirihara

**Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes: Well… I updated. At last. This chapter was inspired by the poem 'Survivors' by Siegfried Sassoon. Even though I normally don't like poetries this one caught my eye and it reminded me a lot of Code Geass. So I decided to write this chapter. It is short and lacks real effort but it's the best I can do for now. I need suggestions please! **

**Lord Joyde: **Well I decided to go all out. This one is shorter. Thanks for the review!

**Saki-Rose Chan: **I felt like CC was a really complicated character. And since she is so mysterious we can't really pinpoint her emotions. This chapter is a lot shorter. Thanks for the review!

**History Man14: **It is symbolic actually. Thanks for the review!

**ThunderMastery24: **I like nearly all the characters in Code Geass. All of them are unique in their own sense. Thanks for the review!

**Destrark: **Thanks for the review!

**OtakugamerF: **Thanks for the review!

**Maesde: **It is actually quite sad for her but she is a strong character by the end of the series. Thanks for the review!

**KK:** I can understand your feelings. That's what happening with e right now… I have always liked Euphemia a bit more than Nunnally. CC is a complicated character to write since she had lived for so long. Thanks for the review!

**Guest:** Really? Thanks for the review!

**Terlander: **She finds that the world goes in a loop so she doesn't care much about the events. It's the people that influence her thoughts and actions. Thanks for the review!

**Ayaheartright: **Thanks for the review!

**Winxfan808: **Thanks for the review!

**Guest: **Thanks for the review!

**Inugomeluna: **It isn't Karen's mother. It is Shirley's mother. Thanks for the review! I am glad you liked it.

**Chapter 29: Taizo Kirihara**

Experience comes with age.

And he is the oldest and wisest of them all.

_(Or so they claim)_

He knows that they think that it would be easier to manipulate an old man.

_(But he is no ordinary old man)_

_(He is proud Japanese)_

No matter how much he agrees to the demands of their oppressors, he could never stand keeping quiet.

_(So he secretly funds terrorist groups in hopes of bringing back the pride of Japan)_

**_No doubt they'll soon get well_**

**_The shock and strain have_**

**_Caused their stammering, disconnected talk_**

Suzaku Kururugi. His only nephew. A traitor.

As proud Japanese, he condemns his nephews' weakness in the time of war.

_(Kirihara condemns the horrifying act of killing his father)_

But as his uncle, he tries to protect him by hiding the truth and masking the death of Prime Minister Kururugi as suicide.

He grits his teeth and keeps his head held high even when he sees the dead bodies of the Japanese people- _his_ people- being laid to rest.

He had to stay strong for them.

He had to help Japan to break out of its oppression.

And for that he had to work among the Britannians.

_(No matter how much he hated them or how he wished he could just forget about it all)_

He breaks all contact with his nephew as soon as Suzaku joins the military.

_(And he wonders of the guilt of killing his father would ever wear off)_

_(And if he would ever get well)_

**_Of course, they're 'longing to go out again',_**

**_These boys with old, scarred faces,_**

**_Learning to walk_**

Lelouch vi Britannia. The bane of the Britannian Empire.

Hidden behind the mask of Zero, he is the only hope of the Japanese.

_(He could see the determination shining in Lelouch's eyes when he removes his mask and Kirihara knows that he had found someone who hated Britannia more than he did)_

_(Who had lost more than he had)_

As he looked at the miracles Zero performs, he couldn't help but wonder all the trials and tribulations the child had go through to reach where he is.

_(And even though he is sure that Lelouch would go to any lengths to fulfill his goal- especially if it involved his sister- he knew that the scars gained would never be healed)_

But nevertheless, he is proud that while his own nephew (son of the ex-Prime Minister of Japan) is working for the Britannian, a prince of Britannia was doing all he could to stand up on his feet and defeat the empire.

_(And he remembers the both of them; a long time back, smiling and laughing together)_

**_They'll soon forget the haunted nights_**

**_Their cowed subjection_**

**_To the ghosts of friends who died_**

He had seen a lot of things in his lifetime.

Sometimes, in the darkness of the nights, he cannot help but remember old friends and family.

_(The people who died to save him- to save Japan)_

He knows that until Japan is avenged the ghosts would not rest in peace.

He wonders if Suzaku goes through the same thing he does every night

_(The ghost of his brother visiting him in his dreams and even though no words are exchanged; he can feel the underlying emotions)_

_(The unspoken words hanging in the air)_

_(The silent accusations)_

**_Their dreams that drip with murder;_**

**_And they'll be proud_**

**_Of glorious war that shattered all their pride._**

He is honestly surprised when he finds out that Suzaku is the Lancelot's pilot.

And then it dawns on him that it is the Lancelot that always foils Zero's best laid plans.

And it also helps him understand why Zero pulls back his attack after finding out the identity of the Lancelot's pilot and why Zero had come forward to help the Lancelot to fight against the Old Japanese Government.

_(And Kirihara knows that even Zero has his weaknesses)_

He sees the men fighting valiantly for what they believe in.

He sees the people struggling to live- to survive.

He sees all the desperation, the anxiety, the tiredness that war brings with it.

He also sees the satisfaction and happiness at its end.

But as Princess Euphemia la Britannia is killed by Zero, he knows that this war would go on for a long time.

_(And its end will not be sweet with relief but bitter with untied ends)_

**_Men who went out to battle, grim and glad_**

**_Children with eyes that hate you, broken and mad._**

He was an old man.

_(He had no regret in dying. He died with honor- not like his nephew with lifeless eyes who Kirihara had caught a glimpse of before his death)_

He knows that the world will keep on ticking even after his death.

He was just a small and insignificant star in the galaxy.

He finds war terrible yet fascinating.

And above everything he just finds war a sad tragedy.

He remembers the young idealistic boy _(his nephew) _joining the military with hopes of changing the system from within.

_(An idealistically impossible dream)_

He remembers the young determined boy _(his nephew's friend)_ promising revenge on Britannia.

_(A dream that costs a lot)_

But as he observes the world from above, the two boys- _men_\- he sees are just broken versions of themselves.

The light in their eyes have been overshadowed by darkness and their shoulders are bent with the weight of the world.

Despite their efforts, they continue to make mistakes that lead to ultimate choice of death.

And that is the tragedy of war

_(How it can turn even the most noblest of intentions into cruel, twisted imitations of itself and pure people into horrible monsters)_

_(And the saddest part is that nothing except their eyes would reveal the truth)_

_(And no one wanted to look into the eyes of monsters)_

**Author Notes: I really need some suggestions for the upcoming chapters. Of course you can suggestion anyone except, Lelouch, Marianne, Charles, VV and God. Thanks for reading. Review!**


	30. Shirley Fenette

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes:**** Well, this fanfic is coming to an end. There are very few characters left. Mao, Tianzi, Rolo, VV, Marianne, Charles, Lelouch and God. Is there anyone I have forgotten? I might even add a chapter of Arthur the Cat since I have been requested. If there is anyone I have forgotten feel free to suggest. But as of now, these are the only ones coming to my mind.**

**And don't forget to check out the new stories I have posted as a request from the readers **

**HistoryMan16:** I am keeping them for the end. Thanks for the review!

**Guest: **Will do Arthur. Thanks for the review!

**Guest: **Here's Shirley! Thanks for the review!

**winxfan808: **The poem is what inspired me to write him. Kaguya is Suzaku's cousin right? So Taizo should be his uncle. Mao will be coming up in next chapter. Thanks for the review!

**Alicia Testarossa: **Yes, I am gonna do a chapter on God. I know that we can reply to reviews like that but being as absent minded as I am I will forget t reply to some and get confused. So this is better. Thanks for the review!

**KK: **I am glad you liked this. Thank you for the review!

**wanderer097: **Really? Thanks for the review!

**Chapter 30: Shirley Fenette**

**Remember, Romeo?  
**_The thundering of footsteps as you find her bloodstained body lying on the cold floor_  
_The desperation in your voice as you plead and beg her to hold on, not to die (and leave you alone)_  
_The last frozen smile on her lips as she closes her eyes forever after whispering_  
**_I love you_**

The Girl- Next- Door.

That's what she always was.

She is neither glamorous like Milly, nor strong like Kallen nor mysterious like CC.

She is just a normal girl.

_(With a big heart and a kind soul)_

She doesn't mind being a normal girl.

_(After all, she has her father who adores her and a mother who loves her)_

She is just a normal girl.

But for her, he is anything but a normal boy.

He is the boy with shining amethyst eyes overshadowed by sadness.

He is a brother whose world revolved around his sister.

He is a friend who never fails to be there.

But most of all, he is a boy trying to stand on his own legs.

_(Trying just to breath)_

She pins him as arrogant the first time she sees him.

_(She hates the way he sits alone and stares out the window like he is better than them all)_

But it doesn't take long for her to realize something.

_(She frowns in confusion as he helps an old couple on the road and leaves without taking any credit)_

She realizes he is lonely.

_(And suddenly the rueful smiles and the sadness in his eyes start to make sense)_

It was merely due to curiosity that she introduces herself to him.

_("Hi! I'm Shirley Fenette. Nice to meet you!" Her smile is brilliant and he blinks in surprise before smiling back._

"_Lelouch. Lelouch Lamperouge.")_

And she doesn't know when curiosity change to love.

She initially hangs out with Nunna-Chan to know more about Lelouch.

But it doesn't take long for her to get attached to the small blind girl whose visions were more colourful than the world around her.

_("Hey Lulu!" She grins as she sits beside him._

"_Lulu?" He asks, raising an eyebrow but she doesn't answer and merely smiles mysteriously.)_

She wants to be angry at him.

_(For gambling. For breaking the rules. For constantly putting himself in trouble)_

She shouts and whines about his habits to him and others but deep down she knows that his behaviour is an act of defiance.

_(Though she has no idea against what or who)_

Her life was perfect

_(Or so she thought)_

Until everything started to go to hell

_(And she doesn't realize that it is a one- way trip)_

The murder of Prince Clovis comes as a shock.

_(But since it isn't related to her, she puts it behind her and moves on)_

_(Just like the rest of the world)_

As she sits in the Student Council Room with the rest of her friend _(except Lulu) _she notices the resignation on the face of the deemed murderer of Prince Clovis.

_(She wonders if he is really the murderer)_

_(She wonders what might've made someone so young commit such a great sin)_

_(He must not have been much older than she is yet there he was, being led to his execution while she is sitting in a warm room far away from all the chaos)_

_(And she reflects on how unfair life can be)_

That's when Zero appears

_(The symbol of peace and justice)_

_(The good guy)_

_(The Hero)_

Of course, she admires him.

_(Or more accurately, she admires the fact that he didn't allow an innocent man to be executed for his crime)_

She sees the admiration in Rivalz eyes as well.

Milly, as usual, smiles her mysterious smile and speaks a few cryptic words.

Nina keeps quiet.

_(But Shirley can see the terror in her eyes)_

She doesn't question where Lelouch had been when all this was happening.

_(She didn't want to poke her nose where it was not needed)_

She feels a pang of guilt when she sees the way Suzaku Kururugi is treated.

_(Like an animal in the zoo)_

So she wants to extend a hand of friendship to him.

_(But she is stopped by Rivalz)_

_(And she wonders what the difference between Elevens and Britannians is. Weren't' they all humans?)_

She decides to step forward when he rescues Arthur

_(And she doesn't regret her decision)_

She admires Princess Euphemia for her courage to stand up against the terrorists to protect Nina.

_(As far as she knew, the Royal Family tended to save their own skin first)_

She stands near the body of her father

_(Why? Why? Why?)_

She remembers dragging her legs towards the place she is supposed to meet Lulu.

_(Why? Why? Why?)_

As tears blur her sight, she keeps her head down and let the rain soak her.

_(Her father… her only…)_

And Lulu appears.

She doesn't think as she hugs him.

_("Zero is supposed to be good right?" She cries)_

_(She doesn't know is she is distraught that her father died or disappointed that Zero wasn't the hero she thought he was)_

_(Maybe it was a bit of both)_

She kisses him.

_(Salty tears mixed with rain)_

She doesn't understand why everyone apologizes to her at the funeral.

_(Rivalz, Suzaku and even Kallen)_

_(It wasn't their fault that Zero turned out to be the villain)_

_(And she is thankful that Lelouch doesn't say anything)_

She doesn't believe Villeta

_(Maybe she has her doubts)_

She follows him.

_(Not to find evidence of his guilt but to find proof of his innocence)_

But she finds all her hopes dashed when she raises the fun and the mask falls off.

_(Her hands shake as she realizes what it is Lulu- her Lulu- that had caused her father's death)_

_(That he is Zero) _

_(That he is the villain of her story)_

But, when she faced the woman who could destroy Lulu _(Zero)_ she didn't hesitate to shoot.

_(Because she believes that everyone has some good in them)_

_(Because she wants to believe in Lulu)_

She is manipulated

_(As she points the gun at Lulu, she tries to understand why he still stood in front of her despite being in anger of being shot)_

She is made to forget.

_(As the memories began to slip away, she cries and begs)_

_(Because she doesn't want to forget)_

_(Not Lulu)_

She doesn't recognize the boy with shining amethyst eyes overshadowed by sadness.

_(They say he is Nunna-Chan's brother but she doesn't remember)_

She finds a letter addressed to him but she doesn't recall writing it.

_(She doesn't remember him)_

_(Lelouch. And for some reason his name felt foreign yet familiar on her lips)_

_(Lu-Lu?)_

She doesn't understand why Zero orders the terrorists not to hurt any one of them.

_(Weren't' they Britannians?)_

_(Wasn't he the one who had killed her father?)_

But that doesn't stop them from trying to free Suzaku.

They are evacuated from the Academy.

_(And she wonders where Nunna- Chan and her brother are)_

But she is made to forget again.

_(But she remembers Lelouch- Lulu)_

As months pass by, she loves him again.

_(And then Zero comes back)_

_(And Lulu is gone)_

She doesn't understand what is happening

_(She just wants Lulu back)_

She sets off fireworks with her friends from the roof of the Academy.

Yet she can't help but feel that she is missing something.

_(She remembers Kallen, Suzaku, Nina and ….. Rolo)_

_(But what she doesn't remember is who taught her how to make paper cranes)_

For some time, she thinks that things would get better.

_(She notices the tight smiles of Madame Prez as her day of graduation nears)_

_(She notices the lingering longing in Rivalz glances)_

_(She notices the suppressed anger in Suzaku's gazes)_

_(She notices but does not speak)_

_(Because the most important things always remain unsaid)_

Of course, she forgives Kallen.

She knows that Kallen fought for what she believed in.

_(That she is still ready to fight somewhere out there)_

_(And she still remembers (vaguely) the look on Kallen's face at her father's funeral)_

_(Maybe Kallen too had lost someone precious to her)_

And she no longer hates Zero.

_(Because she knows that behind the mask was the world's loneliest person)_

When she faces Lelouch on Milly's graduation day, she is thankful that Lulu is back.

Because she had missed him.

She remembers.

As all the memories seemed to settle in their respective places, she remembers.

_(She remembers the way Milly used to smile)_

_(She remembers the way Rivalz used to joke)_

_(She remembers Nunnally's hopes for the future)_

_(She remembers Suzaku's bright emerald eyes shining with joy)_

_(She remembers Lulu, the boy she had fallen in love with)_

_(The boy who caused her father's death)_

_(Zero)_

_(The antihero)_

_(The villain)_

She goes to Suzaku for answers.

She doesn't know who to trust

But when she slips and is about to fall, someone catches her hand.

_(She looks up into shining amethyst eyes that only had fear and desperation in them)_

_("I – I not you too….")_

_(And she nods)_

She wants to make things alright for Lulu.

Because she knows that he is still lonely.

_(She wants to be his hero)_

So she talks with Suzaku

_(And she wonders how Suzaku could sell his best friend for a position despite everything that happened)_

She is a normal girl.

She is neither glamorous like Milly nor strong like Kallen nor mysterious like CC

The only thing she has is a big heart and a kind soul.

Maybe that's the reason that in the end she is lying in a pool of her own blood confessing her love to Lulu.

_(She thinks about her mother)_

_(She doesn't want her mother to be lonely but she knows that it is already too late for her)_

She was never meant to be his hero.

She is neither great nor special.

But when she sees Suzaku and Lelouch fighting together, she doesn't mind being the normal girl.

_(After all, she had managed to bring two best friends back together)_

_(And that was the greatest gift she could've given to them)_

**Author Notes:**** A bit rusty but I really didn't want to elongate it too much. So you might've noticed I skipped a few parts and her feelings on them. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed. Thanks for reading! Please review your suggestion!**


	31. Rolo Lamperouge

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes:**** I am back! And my writing is rusty but bear with me for a while until I recover from my examinations xD Feel free to drop suggestions.**

**Guest:** Thanks for the review!

**Terlander:** I am glad you liked it! Thanks for the review!

**KK:** Exactly! I have never understood why people give Shirley such a hard time. Not everyone can be special or great. Thanks for the review!

**DemonsAnarchy:** Diethard will be coming up soon. I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to write Diethard just yet. Thanks for the review!

**Historyman14:** I will be sure to do them. Thanks for the suggestion and review!

**Winxfan808:** I am glad you enjoyed the last chapter. Hopefully this will be fine too. Thanks for the review!

**Maesde:** Were you referring to me or Shirley? :p Thanks for the review!

**Chapter 31: Rolo Lamperouge**

Happiness is a fleeting emotion.

More than that it is a lie.

A delusion.

There were moments you felt a surge in your chest, laughter bubbling on your lips but in an instance it all disappears and you are left with broken people with broken minds.

_(Maybe I was being overly critical about it since I had only seen the unhappy side of life)_

_(I still remember lying in middle of the dead bodies when VV found me)_

_(Even then I hadn't cried at the sight, I merely looked around in interest. The sight of blood had enraptured me and VV had noticed)_

People who cannot cope with reality turn to hope.

Hope is the biggest deceiver of them all.

_(Hope that I will be saved… that the power given to me would lead to towards a brighter future)_

_(It didn't take long for that hope to shatter as I was placed as an assassin)_

_(But it was a fitting role for a child who had no qualms in killing people)_

Love is meaningless.

_(A weakness)_

Death is constant.

It surrounds us, claims the lives of the people around us.

So why hide from it?

As an assassin, I shouldn't have a heart.

But I do.

I feel it stop for a few seconds every time I use my geass.

But it is of no use.

It just lies in my chest.

Empty. Emotionless. Merely a burden to my work.

_(The only thing it is useful is to keep me alive)_

VV scares me.

He might be small. He might be tiny.

But his eyes held the madness that his innocent face concealed.

_(What kind of person gives his life to immortality at such a young age?)_

Family is merely mutualism. Benefiting from each other.

Sometimes living off one another.

_(Parasitism)_

I never really found the relevance in family.

_(And suddenly a memory strikes my mind)_

_(A small family of four. Father, Mother, Sister and Brother)_

_(The frozen smiles on their faces, the faded look of joy in their eyes after I used my geass and shot them. They hadn't even seen it coming)_

_(And for some reason, it was their expressions that had shaken me the most)_

It isn't often that I attended funerals.

But when I do, I notice people crying.

Saying how unfortunate, how utterly sad it is for the person to have died.

But it is easy to realize something.

It isn't the person who will be missed.

It is the memories, the moments one has with the person that cannot be replaced or relived that makes people cry.

Most people go to funerals to cry for themselves and how much they will miss the dead.

_(Not realizing that no matter how much they cry, the dead are not going to come back)_

Humans are inherently selfish

They protect their close ones for their own selfish reasons.

And they delude themselves into thinking it is love.

I had never worked in a group with other people.

Of course, the fact that I don't- cannot- trust anyone doesn't help me bond with people.

So I was hesitant when they put me as a look out for Lelouch Lamperouge AKA Lelouch vi Britannia.

_("Rolo."_

_Yes VV?"_

"_Your next assignment is quite an interesting one."_

"_Interesting?"_

"_You will be assigned to keep an eye om Lelouch vi Britannia."_

"_One of the Emperor's children?"_

"_Who was supposed to have died 7 years ago but came back as Zero."_

"_Zero?"_

"_Yes, don't worry. His memories have been erased and you are NOT supposed to kill hi unless he regains his memories. So you will be staying in Ashford Academy to keep an eye on him._

"_W-what? Stay with him?"_

"_I told you it's an interesting assignment. I hope you are aware of the consequences if you fail."_

"_Y-yes.")_

At first I had no idea how to act around you.

The Student Council members were all annoying in their own ways.

Lelouch, on the other hand, was bearable.

You didn't whine or wasn't emotional like other people.

You didn't force me to interact or to do things I didn't want to.

You took care of me.

It was the first time someone had taken such good care of me.

_(Of course, I was aware that your memories had been erased; that this all gentle gestures of affection were for your sister Nunnally yet it still felt nice to have someone care)_

And I let myself believe.

But I cannot forget that you were the prey and I, the predator.

I shouldn't be hauled into a false sense of security.

_(Yet I let myself forget about the fact that I didn't believe in family and enjoyed the affection)_

Nearly a year passed by without incident.

I settled into a routine.

I was bored yet I enjoyed my time with Big Brother.

_(And I knew that somewhere deep in my heart I was hoping that you would never regain his memories)_

But alas, luck had never been on my side.

I didn't want you to be Zero.

_(I ignored the relief I felt when Ms. Villeta called and informed me that Big Brother had returned back to school)_

I didn't know why I had panicked when you offered to take back the gift you had given me for my birthday

_(For Nunnally's birthday)_

_(Maybe it was the only proof that I had someone who cared about me)_

My hands didn't shake when I aimed the gun at you.

I knew that everything was too good to be true.

I am not stupid.

Then why, I wonder, did I give in so easily when you told me that you wanted a future for both of us?

_(Maybe because you promised something I had only dreamed of)_

_(Because somewhere in my cold heart, I had actually started to hope)_

But that didn't mean I trusted you.

I would've killed you _(I really would've) _if you hadn't jumped in to save me from being killed.

_(Because you are my little brother)_

_(Those memories may be fake but the time I spent with you was real)_

_(And for some reason the locket dangling from my phone caught my eye)_

I saw CC standing calmly on the side but my ears were being filled by the sweet promises made by Big Brother.

_(And that threw me into turmoil)_

But my mind was made up by the end of the day.

Even the sight of CC didn't change it.

_(Yes, I wavered but your sweet words lulled me into a sense of security I hadn't felt in a long time)_

Still, it didn't hurt any less to see the impact that the little b- that Nunnally still had on you.

But I'm proud that you snapped out of it and continued on.

_(Or I might've had to kill you)_

Ms. Villeta was curious.

_(Why did you betray the Empire Rolo?)_

_(It is a simple question but the answer was no less complicated than the motives behind Lelouch's actions)_

So I continued along with you. And you continued to care for me.

I hated Suzaku Kururugi.

He was a traitor- the one who had betrayed you.

I might've not blamed him but the files said that he knew you for the past 7 years.

_(And that's why I hated trusting people- no matter how close they seemed to you, they could turn their back any moment and leave you all alone; abandoned)_

I wanted to save Big Brother.

I might've spared the orange haired girl- Shirley.

_("She could be a part of your family in the future, you know." The words swirled around my head)_

But she mentioned Nunnally. She wanted that _parasite_ to come back in Big Brother's life.

And there was no way I could let her live after hearing all that.

_(It didn't help that she knew Lelouch's true identity and could be a threat to him)_

I was worried that Big Brother would be upset with me but you took it surprisingly well even going as far as to say that I had done the right thing.

I hadn't realized how much I had begun to depend on you until I heard you ask for Nunnally after the Battle of Tokyo.

_(Because it broke my heart knowing that despite everything you had told me, despite all your promises, you still cared about his sister)_

CC, that irritating woman, stayed out of our way as I placed you on the couch.

And then, everything shattered.

_("I never want to see your face again. I said get out!")_

Hope and happiness are illusions.

Yet I fell to both of them.

Love is meaningless.

Yet I was ready to die for you- for my big Brother, for only family.

At the end of one's life, people normally remember the things they didn't do, the roads not taken.

They regret all the opportunities lost.

Do I regret what I did?

No.

Because I knew, as I flew through the skies, dodging the knightmares, that you cared for me.

Yes, you used me as a tool

Yes, you confessed that you hated me.

Despite all that….

Despite everything that happened…..

You are my big Brother.

My Family.

You helped me achieve one wish I never even dreamed could be accomplished.

_(To have a real family)_

You might've lied to me, you might've hated me. But I remember those times when you actually cared about me.

_(When you actually loved me)_

And it is those times I remember as I fight to keep you safe.

The locket you gave me snaps open and the soft melody floats through the air, enclosed in the cockpit.

And as I used my Geass over and over, I knew that my heart was no longer cold.

That it was no longer weak.

I had a heart that was useful for something.

Because the main source of human power was the heart.

While most of my life I had considered my heart to be a weakness it wasn't until the very end I understood that it was the heart that drove people to strive to be stronger and better than they were.

People often don't realize their own strength until they have no other choice than to fight back.

Until they have no other choice than to defend the people they care about from the monsters around them.

Until today it was you who protected me, from myself as well as VV.

But I am glad… glad that I got a chance to be of some use to my Big Brother.

It might've ended my life but there are a few things no one ever regrets.

This is mine.

Never would I regret dying for you.

I would never want you to end your life for anyone.

Especially for the people who didn't care about you.

_(For a sister that abandoned you, for a friend that betrayed you)_

But I knew that you would do it anyway and I respected your decision.

_(Because no matter how many harsh words you utter, behind the mask of a monster was a human being; as flawed and filled with hope as we all are no matter how much we try to deny it)_

_(Yours was a hope of a brighter future, of a better tomorrow)_

And I am glad that I was able to help you achieve it to an extent.

Because family isn't always blood.

It's the people who care about you and would do anything to make you smile.

You are- and forever- will be my family.

My Big Brother.

**Author Notes:**** Well… I am ashamed. I feel like I could've done a lot better but after a whole month of examinations my writing ability had shrivelled up and died. So it will take me some time to come back to my normal level. Then I may rewrite this. But for now this is all I can do.**


	32. Mao

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes:**** Umm… well I have no concrete reason for why I haven't updated. No I wasn't busy. I just wasn't in the mood. And it didn't help that I started watching Fairy Tail and anime always gets me addicted. I will try to update everything soon. Thanks for the patience!**

**(I am so sorry but no review replies this time. I really appreciate each and every one of my reviewers and apologize for not replying. THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING!)**

**Chapter 32: Mao**

Bright blue skies.

Wasteland all around him.

He stands up on his shaking legs and begins walking.

His wounds bleed and he falls many times but each time he gathers the strength to stand up and walk away.

_(Walk away from the destruction)_

_(From the fire and screams)_

He knows he won't ever be going back.

There is not much left to run back to.

His mother is dead.

He doesn't know if he is supposed to care.

_(Some of his early memories were trying to understand exactly what his mother wanted from him)_

_(Nothing he did seemed to please her)_

He drags on and on.

At last exhaustion takes over and he collapses in a pitiful heap.

_("What is a child doing here?" A soft and melodious voice mutters and he feels smooth hands tracing his face)_

_("My v-village des-destroyed. I a- orphan…" And he loses consciousness. But before he closes his eyes he catches a glimpse of golden eyes filled with pity)_

CC is her name.

He chants it over and over and it is like a prayer that keeps him sane.

_(CC. CC. CC)_

_(And he wonders what her full name is)_

_(No doubt it is as beautiful as she is)_

She is beautiful and graceful and elegant and charming.

She is his.

She rarely talks and even when she does it is in that monotonous tone of hers.

He wonders what she thinks off and what would please her

_(Once upon a time he used to wonder the same about his mother too)_

_(But she is gone, gone ,gone, long gone- and now there is only CC)_

They stay in a small cottage on the outskirts of a village near a forest and Mao has never been happier.

_("Would you like a gift Mao?" Her melodious voice demands his attention as he sits by the bank of the river._

"_A gift?" He wants to tell her that being with her was the greatest gift he could ever be given but his curiosity was piqued._

"_Yes. But in return you have to fulfil a wish of mine."_

_And she looks at him with eyes filled with hope and something else he couldn't define that he readily agrees)_

He loves it.

It had been his innermost desire which he himself had not been consciously aware of but CC had fulfilled it

_(Because she was his angel sent from heaven)_

He can hear the deepest desires, the dirtiest secrets of all the people around him.

It fills him with a sense of power he never had a chance to feel before.

But CC was still his priority

_(And he finds it unfortunate that hers is the only mind he cannot read)_

And when she looks at him with the thoughtful expression on her face he is left to wonder what she is really thinking

_(What she actually wants from him)_

He enjoys hearing other people's thoughts but there are times he couldn't stand it.

So he shut them off by cancelling his geass.

Then insanity ascended.

It ascended in form of the gift he had received from his angel.

A blessing that hid a curse.

He clutches his head and bends over the first time he loses control of his geass

_(And he is barely aware that he is sobbing for CC in a crowded market place as people gather around him and whisper in each other's ears and he can hear their thoughts too and all he can hear are- crazy- poor boy- witch and –and)_

It is CC who takes him back home and lulls him to sleep with her reassurances that everything is fine.

_(I will always be there with you. That's what she says. And like a fool he had believed her)_

He doesn't go to the market again preferring to stay only with the company of his angel.

_(And that's when the line between insanity and sanity begins to blur)_

_(Where fantasy starts to feel like reality)_

Since he can't read her mind he tries to read her expression.

He sees the fleeting glances she gives him, the care she takes of him and many more things he hadn't actually noticed before.

And he comes to a conclusion that she loves him.

_(Because she said that she would always stay with him)_

_(Always)_

But he doesn't say anything to her

_(He thinks that she is too shy to say anything and he doesn't want to embarrass her by revealing that he knows about her love for him)_

_(It wasn't like she was going anywhere)_

_(He could wait for the day she would herself confess)_

So he observes her from afar, taking delight in her elegance

One day he follows her to the town.

_(He knows it is dangerous for him to be around people with a geass such as his but he cannot bear to be far from her for too long)_

He walks through town with his visor covering the bird sigil that dominated his eyes.

_Isn't this the boy who had-_

_What is he doing h-_

_The witch he is staying with is-_

_What a-_

The thoughts are overwhelming but the moments he see that sight everything goes silent.

She stands by the shop with a man. Standing too close. And there is a smile on her face.

He sees red.

_(In his obsession he doesn't notice that the man is handing her a package and the smile on her face is nothing but polite)_

Hours later he finds himself being dragged through the forest by CC after losing the police intent on catching him for the murder of the town's kindest person.

CC doesn't say anything.

They walk for some more time before coming to a clearing where the only sounds to be hear were the chirping of the birds.

And here she turns on him with a frown on her face

He hears her asking 'What the hell was wrong with him?' and 'Why did he kill a person who was helping them?' and-and he cannot wait anymore so he snaps and starts talking.

_(Because I know you love me. And I love you too! And-and those people were all calling you a witch and even he was pitying you and you-you always told me you didn't want pity so I did it to protect you- and I really don't want to hurt you. You know I will take care of you forever and never, ever hurt you-)_

He breaks off to breath, his visor long abandoned, the bird like sigil in his eyes glowing brighter than ever.

_(But despite how much bright it glows he would never be able to read her mind)_

_(And he cannot read her blank expression as she studies him but he can see the slight panic and remorse in her eyes and he doesn't understand why was she scared of and -)_

She keeps quiet for a long time and he doesn't dare break the silence.

(Maybe she was just embarrassed of him blurting it out like that. Maybe she required the romantic dinners or maybe-)

"Wait for me here. I will be back soon."

"I love you." She glances back for a second before melting into the forest but he hears her say 'I love you too'

_(Little does he knows that the words spoken by her doesn't matter since it came from a mouth full of lies)_

So he waits. And waits. And waits.

He doesn't move as rain starts to pour.

He doesn't move when he could hear the thoughts of the soldiers long before they enter the clearing.

He doesn't move as they snap the handcuffs to his wrists.

_(But as they force him up he realizes something)_

His angel flew away.

* * *

Don't listen to them. Just listen to the sound of my voice. That's it. Since my mind is the only one you can't read, and you can only be happy when you're with me, I will stay with you always. Yes…I'm right here, so you don't need to worry.

He could hear them.

Their voices scrap his eardrums.

It hurts him.

Sometimes people interrupted

Interrupting was rude.

Rudeness was bad

Badness was not allowed.

At the very least it wasn't allowed near his precious CC.

She was his angel, the one who had saved him from certain death.

_(An angel from heaven should never be subjected to badness)_

But she had left him.

Of course, she loved him.

She ran away to protect him.

She ran away because she was scared of falling in love with him.

_(Because angels are not supposed to fall in love with people like him and yet she did)_

_(That's why she ran away)_

_(Of course she loved him)_

He manages to escape from the prison after a few years of being captured and he immediately began searching for his love.

_(His CC)_

It takes a lot of time- and effort- (and a bit of manipulation using his geass) but he manages to find out where she is.

Area 11. Japan.

He uses her voice to keep him sane.

_(She never knew that he had managed to record her voice when she spoke to him and it was the only thing that kept him sane- or so he thought)_

He hates, hates, and hates that boy who dared to try to steal CC from him.

C.C was and always will be his.

He could've easily killed the boy.

But where would the fun in that be?

_(He wants the boy to suffer like he did without CC)_

Shirley Fennette. A boring, simple minded girl so unlike his precious CC.

_(He is disgusted by her weakness but he doesn't care about that)_

_(All he wants is revenge)_

Manipulating her is easy.

_(All it takes is a few well-placed words and she was under his control)_

But that insufferable boy managed to break the spell and she falls into his arms sobbing and weak.

_(It disgusts him. CC was not so weak)_

And then he sees he-

_(And she looks exactly like how he remembers her- like a fallen angel)_

He manages to lure her to him at the amusement park and he doesn't expect the boy to come to save CC.

_(CC was his to save. She is his and no one else's)_

He clapped his hands and grinned.

Round and round it went.

A bright kaleidoscope of colours. But his attention was on CC.

But the boy intervenes and-

And a shower of bullets fall upon him-

And he feels like he was drowning and drowning and drowning.

But his eyes still tinged red and he spots CC being carried away in that boy's arms.

And he fell inside the black abyss of his mind.

Britannia medical science manages to patch him up.

_(Of course questions are asked but he manages to escape)_

He concocts another plan and this time it's full proof.

There is no way Lelouch vi Britannia- or Zero- would win.

_(And CC – his CC- was away from all this badness)_

But then he doesn't anticipate the intervention of another person.

(And he feels the anger, the rage of being outsmarted again and he- he)

_('You killed your father.')_

Another thing he doesn't expect is the fact that Zero would react so- so violently.

_(Maybe he should've targeted Kururugi before going behind the sister)_

He is mute.

He runs out. Away from the kid who tried to steal CC from him.

But suddenly he spots CC waiting for him.

Looking as eternally beautiful as he had remembered.

But he doesn't like the remorse and regret on her face.

_(He wants to wipe it away and he wants to kill the boy and he wants to say how much he loves her but he can't and-)_

"I love you Mao but now-" And he doesn't want to hear the rest of her sentence because she says she loves him and now she will come with him and they will-

And suddenly he felt the cold metal pressing against his neck.

He remembers the day he first met CC.

And just like that day the last thing he sees before the bullet rips him is the sadness and pity in the beautiful golden eyes of his angel.

**Author Notes:**** Well…. A bit OOC but I wanted to portray Mao's descend into madness. He thinks CC loves him (and maybe she did care a bit) but she was only analysing him and waiting for him to reach his complete potential. You can notice that his thought processes start to become more erratic as the story goes on. Thanks for reading. Please review!**


	33. Marianne vi Britannia

**Disclaimer: ****I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes: ****Well, it has been a long time. My excuse? No wifii. Not to worry. These stories won't be abandoned. But it may be slow updates due to lack of internet. Thanks for the reviews, love and patience and I hope you enjoy this chapter! I am aware it may be a bit non canonish especially the convos between Anya and Suzaku as well as CC and Marianne but then it seemed to suit the flow of the story.**

**Enjoy!**

**Chapter 33: Marianne vi Britannia**

_Commoner_

That one word is enough to make other nobles frown and scowl.

That's why she wants to show them that commoners are not all that bad.

_(That they are a hundred times more useful than those snobby nobles)_

She doesn't want to become a noble herself.

No, that is not really her aim.

She wants to show the nobles that even commoners can reach the highest pinnacle of power without having to marry into it.

_(Without becoming nobles)_

So she works and works hard.

Luck is on her side.

She gets the backing of the Ashfords- one of the richest non- noble family in Britannia.

More specifically she gets the backing of the eldest Ashford.

The other Ashfords are less than happy to sponsor a commoner- she resists the urge to remind them that they too are commoners despite their apparent wealth- but keeps quiet due to the smile on Ruben's face.

_(She knows that he isn't doing it because he wants to be promoted to Noble status but because he actually believes that she will be able to do it)_

_(And for solely that reason he is given a place in her heart- he is a man she considers to be like her father)_

And she rises up the ranks.

She loves soaring in the skies with her Knightmare frame.

_(It gives her a sense of power that she begins to feel intoxicated with and she knows she wants more)_

And that's when the opportunity presents itself.

She never wants to get married to a noble to elevate her status.

But then, this is not any noble.

He is the child of the Emperor of Britannia.

And if he plays his cards right, he can become the Emperor himself.

The most powerful man on Earth.

_(Maybe that's the reason why just thinking about him sends tingles through her bones)_

But she is careful not to get too close.

_(Not yet at least)_

Men, she understands, are predictable creatures. Seduce them and they are at your command.

Of course she doesn't physically seduce them _(because despite everything she really did love Charles)_ but mentally bends them towards her _(with a smile, a laugh and her eyes)._

And soon she manages to seduce them into agreeing that a New Emperor is due and that Charles zi Britannia is the best candidate.

The next day the Emperor disappears and Charles becomes the Emperor.

No one fights his decision.

_(She does wonders why none of his siblings say anything against him but he just smiles at her and mummers, 'Not now.' And he leans in for a kiss.)_

_(And when she kisses him she can taste the power on his lips and she forgets about her questions)_

She is promoted to the Knight of Two and for once Marianne knows it isn't because of her beauty but because of her sheer talent that she is promoted.

_(Being close to Charles she knows that he doesn't care about the relation a person has with him but about how useful a person could prove for him)_

And that's when she decides to make herself indispensable.

_(Because there is no worse way to rub her commoner status in the faces of those nobles than to marry the Emperor himself)_

But she doesn't marry him merely for her own selfish reasons only.

She adores him. She loves his power.

_(She has woven the thread around him in such a way that he wouldn't be able to forget about her after he became the Emperor even if he wanted to)_

_(And he doesn't)_

Maybe that's one of the reason she adores him; he doesn't care about her background but values her for her skills.

She knows the effect she has on men. Whether it is Bismarck or Jeremiah; she knows that they are all slightly in love with her whether they know it or not.

But they are all puppets; they are boring and bent all too easily to her wishes.

And that makes her value Charles even more.

And she finds her love for him growing when he introduces her to CC and tells her all about the magnificent power of geass.

_(And she knows, at that moment, that the power of geass is the ultimate power)_

He also tells her about the Ragnörak connection.

_(She personally finds the plan flawed but seeing the eagerness in Charles she cannot help but smile sweetly and agree along with him)_

_(And ignore the angry glares of VV)_

She never wants children. She finds them too loud and annoying.

But when she sees the bright violet eyes and wisps of black hair on her precious baby's head she cannot help but coo and fawn over him.

_(She is allowed her moment of motherly love- since she probably wouldn't show it more often after this)_

_(CC meanwhile stands to the side with a mysterious smile on her face that spoke volumes about what she thought)_

_(But Marianne has become an expert at ignoring CC by now)_

She may not tell it to anyone but Lelouch is her favourite child.

_(Of course, as a mother she isn't supposed to have favourites but when she sees Lelouch with his brilliance and cunningness shining through the childhood innocence and compares him with the sweet smiles and slight brattiness of Nunnally she cannot help but gravitate towards him)_

_(Since he reminds her of herself and Charles)_

Nunnally is as beautiful as any of her other siblings and Lelouch was growing up to be a handsome prince.

_('My son will one day rule the world.' She one day declares with a laugh to Charles)_

It is mere curiosity due to which she tries it out on them.

But as time passes she continues experimenting with them and she comes to a conclusion that any child borne by Nunnally and Lelouch together would be the perfect vessel for her soul to rest in if the need ever arises.

_(But then by that time Ragnörak Connection would be complete and there would not be a need for such drastic measures)_

_(But she still toys with the idea in case it is required one day)_

_(Since she still believes the plan is flawed and she has no trust in VV)_

And that is proven true when he calls her out one night to meet him alone.

He talks calmly but she can hear the anger and frustration underlying the calm tone.

Anyone would think that he was jealous of her becoming closer to Charles; of taking away his only family away from him.

_(But she knows better. She knows how men work and she knows that no matter how much VV insists he dislikes her and doesn't trust her he is as much infatuated with her as the other men she has encountered in her life)_

_(And it isn't her over confidence but pure truth)_

But then he is unstable and disillusioned and desperate.

She sees the signs before itself and is ready for him when he brings out the gun.

She doesn't think. Just acts.

_(Like a true Knight of the Rounds)_

The vessel she occupies is nowhere even remotely comfortable as her own body or even her children's body but she adjusts.

She meets Charles and witnesses his anger.

_(She calms him down and whispers her plan in his ear. VV could still be useful to them after his betrayal.) _

_(But until then she has to sit like a good girl and again earn her place in the Knight of the Rounds)_

CC leaves.

She fumes yet she understands the reason why CC left.

_(She had promised the immortal her death and by dying she had broken the contract)_

As days go by she finds it easier to adjust in her new vessel.

_(She restricts her meetings with Charles unless it is important; she doesn't want any rumours flying around)_

She hates seeing her children being sent as hostages to Japan but she knows that is the only way to keep them safe.

_(They are a liability now and she is reminded of the reason she never wanted to have children)_

But she does admire Lelouch's courage to stand up for himself.

After all, it takes a lot of courage to stand up to the most powerful man in the world.

_(She hears the whispers in the corridors._

'_The Commoner Prince is exiled to the small island country. I wonder what will happen to-'_

'_He was stupid to go against the Emperor-'_

'_How could he raise doubt on the reports of the terrorist attack?')_

_(There was a twinge of guilt but she quickly squashed it down)_

Then war.

She stands on the side-lines and watches her world burn down.

_(She tries to justify herself by thinking it is all for the greater good and she will get her children back once the Ragnörak Connection is over but somewhere, buried deep in her heart, there is a niggling feeling that no matter what she does she can never atone for the sin she has committed)_

But she soon manages to push it down.

_(She thinks about Charles and she convinces herself that he is all she needs)_

_(He and his power and her power of geass)_

Of course, CC will find Lelouch.

She cannot help but smile bitterly at the overwhelming resemblance between him and her and Charles.

_(They were all gifted- cursed- with the power of geass)_

But she still doesn't know where he and CC are.

He is Zero.

_(And she laughs at the strange irony that her son is trying to avenge her death while she is very much alive)_

She knows that her son is stubborn and strong. But he also young.

_(He makes mistakes, catastrophic ones and she is glad that CC is there with him to guide him)_

_(But she also cannot help but tease CC about the attachment she had towards Lelouch)_

She does feel bad when Euphemia dies but she justifies it.

_(The Ragnörak connection is the answer to everything)_

She is glad when he is caught and his memory erased.

(Now no one can stand in between their plans)

Of course Lelouch is still a threat and orders have been given out to kill him the moment he shows sign of regaining his memories.

_(His is merely bait for CC and nothing else)_

_(He can ruin their plans and she isn't taking the risk of that)_

She joins the Knight of Rounds with Suzaku Kururugi and Gino Weinberg.

The only person Anya talks to is Gino and that too because of his over friendly persona and being one of the youngest members along with Anya.

But Anya does take an interest in Suzaku Kururugi and even Marianne's interest is piqued.

_(This is the man who had betrayed her son for power)_

_(But this is also the man who had lost the love of his life because of his best friend)_

She knows that Suzaku Kururugi and her Lelouch had become friends during the stay in Japan before the invasion but she doesn't know the details.

_(And suddenly all the things that had puzzled her before starts to fall in place)_

_(Why Lelouch as Zero had saved and spared Suzaku's life. Why Suzaku had bought Lelouch to the Emperor instead of killing him)_

She normally doesn't take over Anya's body other than in times of battle but she makes an exception to talk with the 'traitor'- the person who had sold out her son.

_(The reason she never trusts anyone except for herself)_

_('Suzaku.' She calls out in the usual monotone voice of Anya and continues to click away on her phone._

'_Yes?'_

'_You killed your father didn't you?' They were alone in the common room and she didn't need to look at him to see the surprise no his face._

'_How did you-'_

'_Why did you kill him?' _

'_I- I couldn't allow him to continue fighting a losing war and-'_

'_Is that really the reason?' Marianne looked up and stared at him. She is taking a shot in the dark here but she wants to know if it will hit the target._

'_No.' Suzaku admits. He doesn't meet her eyes. 'I did it for my best friends.'_

_And this is something she doesn't expect. 'What?' She asks, her persona of Anya slipping a bit. But Suzaku is too far gone to notice._

'_My father had planned to use my best friend's sister as the bait, he planned to kill her and showcase her body to the Britannian soldiers and- and I overheard him planning and I-I couldn't just sit there and do nothing- I- I just acted without thinking-' Suzaku takes a shuddering breath and leaves the room._

_She sits there frozen and wonders if this is what selfless love is all about and where did she go wrong in judging the boy who is, despite everything that happened, her son's best friend)_

She laughs and laughs when she sees Zero back in the game.

The surveillance doesn't find any amiss from the routine of Lelouch Lamperouge.

_(And she knows that they cannot; not when it is Lelouch they are up against)_

Nunnally is a pawn against Lelouch and a very powerful one.

_(She is sure that if she is alive, she too could have been used against Lelouch; but then if she was alive none of this would've happened)_

She is like an onion- strip away one layer and you'll encounter another, and then another.

The devoted wife, the proud Empress, the caring mother and the strong warrior.

Despite having this many masks she herself isn't sure which one of it is her true face.

_(If any of them are even part of her true face)_

CC's relationship with her son puzzles her.

_('Why did you return CC?' She asks in the C's world._

'_I want my wish to be fulfilled.' CC replies without hesitation._

'_Is that the only reason?'_

_At that CC turns to look at her and for the first time in a very long time Marianne actually feels the piercing stare of CC's haunted golden eyes. 'No. There are many others. But the most important one is that he is tragedy in the making. There isn't going to be a happy ending for him. No matter how hard he tries to fight his destiny the Grim will always hang around him. He has lost and will continue to lose.' _

_Marianne stands frozen, mesmerised by CC's words._

'_He has lost and he is broken and for the first time it isn't because of me. I didn't do a thing. I may have been a catalyst for all the things that took place but unlike my other contractee he didn't need me whispering in his ears to lose his soul to the darkness.'_

_And with that CC stands up and starts to fade away._

'_Or maybe the simpler explanation is that he is a broken soul and creatures like me his souls are an addiction.')_

Combats, battles and war.

Soon it will all be over.

VV is dead and Charles has gained immortality.

No there is no way Lelouch can defeat them.

They had won.

_(Now she needn't need to stay in Anya's body any longer)_

_Or so she thought)_

Why is she surprised?

How many times has she pondered upon how similar their son is to both of them?

But she had failed to see that he is also similar to his kinder siblings.

Maybe if she had lived and kept him with her he would've turned out as cold and heartless as they are.

But she had pushed him away and he discovered the value of relations.

But the apple doesn't fall too far from the tree.

No matter how utterly soft he is towards the people he cares about he has the same unforgiving nature of his parents.

She might understand men but she couldn't understand her son.

_(She cannot see why he is able to so easily push her away and embrace the world that had given him nothing but pain)_

_(Why he and Suzaku are able to keep their differences aside and fight against them)_

Her son's ruthless nature was clearly seen in the way he banished them both away without a second thought.

_(And the only thought in her mind was how unfair it was. CC isn't fading away but they are.)_

The last thing she sees before fading away is the tear-filled eyes of her only son.

_(And despite everything she feels pride stir in her chest.)_

_('My son will one day rule the world.')_

**Author Notes: ****Hope you enjoyed! **

**Review Replies:**

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**Terlander:**** You might have found this chapter a bit non canon. Thanks for the review!**

**Squeegywing:**** I need to think a lot on how do I portray her. Thanks for the review and suggestion!**

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**Winxfan808:**** Am glad you enjoyed the previous chapter. Thanks for the review!**


	34. Charles zi Britannia

**Disclaimer:**** I do not own Code Geass.**

**Author Notes:**** It's been a very, very long time and the only reason I have for not updating is that I lost my muse. (As is apparent by this chapter) I tried my best to make this chapter worth reading but it didn't come out as good as I wanted it to be. Please read and review!**

**Chapter 34: Charles zi Britannia**

A promise is something sacred.

It isn't a lesson that is taught to him but he learns it all the same.

His mother's promise to keep her children safe.

His brother's promise to protect him.

They were sacred.

He remembers clutching his brother's hand tightly as their mother lay dying underneath the carriage that was supposed to take her to Pendragon to meet his father.

He remembers her vacant violet eyes with her hand outstretched towards where he and his brother stood; clutching one another like they were each other's only lifelines.

He reflected that when death struck others it seemed surreal and not worth caring about.

But when it struck home….

_(And he knows that his mother has fulfilled her promise of protecting them by pushing them out of the way)_

The funeral is a quiet affair consisting of people with dry eyes and fake sympathy.

_(His father arrives in all his glory, sparing only a glance at him and his brother before laying a single flower of the coffin and leaving)_

_(There was no sadness on his face)_

_(He clenches his hand into a fist as he hears people whispering behind his back about how they won't last any longer than the dead Empress- one of many- as he and his brother too will soon be gone)_

He is merely a child and yet he knows the intricacies of court and the fact that he is now considered to be a burden than an asset.

That is when V steps up.

_(He only knows his brother as V, he could never pronounce his name when they were young and the nickname stuck)_

Despite the fact that his brother is same age as him there is determination in his eyes that made him look more mature than Charles.

What he lacks in size and height, he makes up with his cunningness and manipulative nature.

He witnesses his brother cut down anyone who had the potential to harm them with careful precision.

And he remembers the promise his brother makes with him.

_(I promise to rid the world of all lies)_

_(So that people will no longer deceive each other)_

_(So we will never loose anyone we care for)_

The next day V disappears.

No one knows where the Prince had gone to and most of his family- what was left of them at least- is only thankful that there is one less contender for the throne.

He feels betrayed.

Until Bismarck - a young 12 year old like him arrives and promises his loyalty to him.

_(It isn't until later that Charles learns that it is V who had asked Bismarck to protect him)_

_(But he never understands why Bismarck agreed)_

So he stays at Ridgeon Villa and steers clear of the court unless he has no other choice.

_(He may not have his brothers' cunningness but he is smart enough to deal with whatever is thrown his way)_

No one truly tries to harm him just due to the fact that they never see him as a contender for the throne.

He is merely a boy who lost his family and has no interest in Royal life to them.

Even his father has nothing to do with him; too busy fanning the flames for more bloodshed.

It is nearly 5 years later that his brother returns.

_('Where were you?" He asks -eyeing the still 12 years old body of his brother- but gains no answers other than a small -and sad smile- along with one sentence)_

_('Finding a way to fulfill my promise')_

_(Because promises are sacred)_

It isn't until another year passes with his brother making him promise to keep his existence is secret that VV opens up.

_(And Charles protests that this Geass, this power is another method of deception but a look from his brother shuts him up)_

_('I know.' VV assures him. 'That's why we are going to use this power to destroy God.')_

Charles had never been religious.

He never thought much about God but when it did cross his mind the only word he could associate with the invisible being is 'unfair'

If God really cared then the world would have been free of sins.

People would not have needed to lie.

Their Mother would still be alive and his brother would not have to do drown himself in sin.

Nor would he have to walk the path of deception to reach his goal

_(He knows that Bismarck too has a geass but something stops him from asking his best friend what it is) _

_(Maybe it is a fact that his brother is dragging another person down with him) _

_(Maybe he truly doesn't want to stain his hands with sin any more than he already has; if he remains ignorant about it then he isn't committing a sin)_

But he understands that it is a necessary evil.

You can't wipe out evil without staining your hands too.

And that is a sacrifice he is ready to make.

He isn't interested in being the Emperor but VV convinces him that in order for the plan to succeed they would require the control of the 'Gates'.

_(VV whispers the various atrocities committed by their father)_

_(His thirst for power)_

_(About his careless attitude on the Mother's death) _

_About the lies he spews to keep his spot)_

_(About all the bloodshed he caused by pitying the family against each other)_

Charles knows that this will continue to go on and on if they don't stop it.

The deaths, the fights and all the internal conflicts that tore families apart.

_(So he agrees)_

Bismarck becomes one of the Knights of the Round.

They bide their time and wait for the right moment to strike.

(_And it is during this time that he meets Marianne) _

_(While he knows many more ladies of 'Royal blood' who are more worthy of him he finds her captivating)_

He dances with her at parties and it is then that he realizes that she shares the same disdain as him for deception and lies.

_(This prompts him to confess about his plan to usurp the throne)_

_(Her eyes glint like she expected it and the smile on her face was beautiful but deadly)_

_('Let me help you then.')_

He doesn't end his father's life.

Despite everything he has done he leaves this part up to VV and instead goes around to visit his other siblings- a little of them that were left- and have a short talk with them.

By the end of it all, the 97th Emperor is declared dead and the rest of the siblings have given their consent for Charles to be the next Emperor.

_('Remember me as the strongest of you all. Remember that I have the power to crush you people if I want to do so. Remember me and stand out of my way.')_

_('I will make the world a better place to live in.')_

It isn't until he sits on the throne and faces the Nobles that an epiphany strikes him.

It will do him no good to try to change Britannia for the better now.

Men and women were not born equal and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

The weak will perish and the strong will emerge victorious.

_(It is a doctrine that is believed by everyone in Britannia and while he isn't too fond of it himself he has to agree that there is truth in it)_

And this will continue to be so until the Ragnörak Connection is activated.

So he dons on the blank mask of a tyrant and starts his rule.

_(Without power, one cannot survive)_

_(It's a lesson learnt the hard way and he knows it will stick)_

Britannia might've been a superpower but it mostly kept to itself under the rule of the previous Emperors.

There were too many internal conflicts for them to think about outside invaders and it is one thing he is determined to change.

Because Ragnörak Connection is a priority now and that meant that the Gates had to be under the control of the Empire for them to be able to work efficiently.

It is with that thought in mind that he begins to conquer the world

_(He only wages war on the nations that have what they required for the plan)_

_(He doesn't care for the people; he knows that once the connection is complete the conscious will unite as one and the dead too can walk amongst the living)_

He has a destiny to fulfill and he will make sure nothing will stand in his way

_(He marries and remarries but no one no one holds his heart like Marianne) _

_(And despite his brother protests, he ends up marrying her) _

She makes him happier than he has ever been

If it was a different world; a world without lies they would have lived happily.

_(But life is really fair and he ends up losing her) _

He believes the fact that there is something amiss but it isn't until Anya Alstreim comes up to him that he understands.

_('Why would he do such a thing?' His fists are clenched as he stares out the window._

'_He is your brother. He doesn't like to share.' Her voice sounded so very wrong and doesn't help calm him down like it normally does._

'_I am going to talk to him about this.' He starts to make his way towards it the door but a tiny hand on his arm stops him._

'_No, don't let him know about this.') _

But V is his brother and despite Marianne's claims he wants to give his brother one last chance to redeem himself by admitting the truth.

_('It's sad. I heard it was a terrorist attack.')_

_(And his fist clenches)_

His brother has lied to him and nothing can ever change that fact.

_(The promise he made shatters and Charles realizes that V has lost himself to the sin and nothing could possibly save him now)_

Sending his and Marianne's children off to Japan isn't a hard decision to take.

He knows that Marianne doesn't care about them and staying in Pendragon would only endanger them.

_(Staying away from the court may teach them not to deceive or lie)_

_(And that is one thing he wants his children to learn)_

_(Promises are sacred and lies are sinful)_

As they declare war on Japan he decides that they are better off dead than living in a world full of deceit and crime.

_(He thinks that he is doing them a favor by helping them escape the injustices of the world)_

_(Marianne doesn't vocalize her agreement but he knows she will stand by him) _

It isn't until Clovis is killed 8 years later that he realizes that he may have been mistaken.

_(And Marianne's words come back to mock him)_

_('My son will one day rule the world.') _

He stays back lets the events play out without entering the fray himself

He finds the reasoning behind 'Zero' childish but it helps draw the attention of Schneizel away from him.

_(He thinks that it is a good idea to pit his children against each other politically rather than have them kill each other)_

_(It makes Britannia stronger and he can concentrate on his main project)_

_(But that leads to his children lying and cheating to get one up; but no one tries to cross Schneizel and he knows that his son could one day prove to be dangerous to him)_

_(And he admits to VV that Schneizel may be the only person who could have a chance to stop him) _

He isn't prouder of Lelouch than the day he puts Euphemia under his Geass and lets her go on rampage.

_(He is well aware that it's a mistake but it bought consequences that would end everything and help them obtain CC)_

He doesn't anticipate the capture of Lelouch by a Number.

He knows that VV set a trap but he thought that Lelouch would concentrate more on his apparent victory than on his little sister.

It is only when he glimpses in Lelouch's mind that he sees the memory that starts the chain of events.

_('I promise to make this world a gentle place to live in')_

_(And it is so startlingly close to what VV promised him a long time ago that he finds himself disorientated for a few moments)_

_(He erases Lelouch's memories and thinks that it is for the best)_

_(Or else Lelouch too would end up drowning in sin like V and hurt Nunnally)_

He admits that CC is a lot more experienced and it is that experience that helps her evade them.

_(Though he still doesn't understand why she doesn't give up)_

_('Isn't it death that that she wished for?')_

_(Marianne smiles and titters when the question slips from his mouth)_

_('She doesn't want death at the cost of another's life.')_

He isn't surprised to see Zero come back and while he sends his three of his Knights to apprehend Zero he has no doubt that it is Lelouch himself who has returned.

He doesn't know how did the boy manage to break his Geass but he had a doubt that it has something to do with CC.

_(And yet again he wonders why she goes to such lengths for Lelouch while she could easily get her wish if she joined them)_

Nunnally is of no use to him; she is only useful as a pawn against Lelouch.

And she provides the perfect opportunity to be used against him when she offers to take up the position of Viceroy in Area 11.

He withdraws even more from the world as the Thought Elevator on Kamine Island comes together perfectly.

He knows of Schneizel's plan to get him out of the way but he stays quiet.

Schneizel's idea of peace was as bad as what he is doing now but he doesn't expect his son to accept his version of what the world should be like.

Sending an assassin after Lelouch is the last straw.

While Charles doesn't mind Lelouch being killed he hates the fact that his brother lies to him when asked about it like he isn't the one behind it.

For that alone, his brother had to go.

_(His words had ceased to be meaningful and he can no longer believe anything his brother tells him)_

_(There is no way Ragnörak connection could be completed if there is mistrust between them)_

So he picks up the opportune moment and goes to confront VV when he is attacked by Lelouch.

He doesn't want to fight against his own brother and it would be best to use the time when he is weak to force him into surrendering his Code.

But it never comes to that.

He finds V sitting on the stairs near the Thought Elevator with blood all over his clothes and his hair matted with dust and blood.

And he finds himself faltering just a bit.

But he reminds himself of his mission and walks forward.

The gun in his hand feels like it weighed more than it should and V looks up as he reaches him.

He hates the expression of resignation on his face like V knew what he is about to do.

_(Maybe what makes it hurt worse is the fact that V doesn't do anything to fight him but only smiles sadly)_

_('I broke my promise didn't I?' I am so-')_

_(And Charles shoots him before he can complete his sentence) _

_(Because he isn't sure if he can continue with his original plan if he hears the apology)_

_(He hates the fact that he never cried in the last 3 decades even when Marianne had died, yet he cries when he kills V)_

It is easy to convince C2 to help him with his plan.

She stands beside him and he grabs her hand, joining their codes together.

But she pulls away and falls.

_('At least die smiling!')_

Marianne promises to bring him C2.

He knows that she will do so without fail so he sets everything and gets ready for the ultimate showdown.

What he doesn't expect Lelouch barging in between to try to stop him.

But he also knows that it is of no use now.

The Connection is complete and nothing can stop them now.

_(Not even God)_

And God doesn't stop him.

But his son does.

He finds anger bubbling to the surface as he starts to disappear along with Marianne.

His hands wrap around Lelouch's neck but the defiant look in his sons' eye doesn't fade away until he banishes them.

This is his punishment for all the lies, deceptions and bloodshed he had caused.

And he knows that Lelouch too will have to pay the prize for his sins.

_(But he will manages to fulfill Nunnally's dream)_

_(And that itself is enough to make Charles proud even if he doesn't forgive Lelouch for taking away his dream)_

_(Because out of all his children only Lelouch learns the lesson he wanted to impart to them)_

_(Promises are sacred)_

**Author Notes: Yes, the ending is a bit lackluster but I lost all the will to write it. Yes, I drew a few parallels between the sibling relationships. I tried to make Charles reasoning logical because I don't believe he was completely crazily evil but he actually thought what he was doing was right. Review!**

**Questions:**

**1) Favorite chapter up until now?**

**2) Favorite line?**

**3) Which other characters do you want to see?**

**Review Replies:**

**Wanderer097, foxydame, nahte123456, sorel y, CaiaNadiya, Demons Anarchy of Pride, Inheritance1990, winxfan808, mistmagic100:** Thank you for the review!

**TheBlueSuperSaiyan:** This is immediately after Zero Requiem and I am not taking the picture drama into account. Thanks for the review!


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Code Geass, Friendship, Hurt-Comfort