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[Containers spoilers for Lelouch of the Re;surrection]

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As all the puzzle pieces fall neatly into place, C.C. reminds herself that she's a broken fragment—her edges too jagged and her colors too faded to ever fit in the picture.

Leaving is not only the correct decision, but also the inevitable one. A witch like herself has no right to cling to a human like Lelouch.

Nunally needs him, Suzaku forgives him, and Kallen trusts him. Lelouch has returned to the people who have carved a place for him, slotted right back into his roles like an emperor coming home to his waiting throne. Unlike herself, Lelouch is not a relic of an unknown past, but rather a present being with living connections—he has places to be and people to be with.

C.C. tightens her grip on the straps of her backpack, her fingers curling into fists and nails digging into her palms. The provisions should be lighter now that she's packing for one, but somehow, the backpack and sleeping mats strain her muscles more than ever. She sighs quietly. What is she doing? She's too old to be feeling sentimental.

With her eyes staring blankly at the trodden trail, C.C. walks away without another word, the sound of her sandals scuffing against the road as her only goodbye. This is how it's always been, she appears and then disappears, so why should this time be any different? Leaving is always the correct decision.

A firm hand yanks her backwards, and so lost in her fog of thoughts, C.C. lets out a surprised gasp. Traitorous hopes instantly flood her brain. Lelouch? Has he noticed me leaving? Is he coming to say goodbye? Will the stubborn warlock miss me? Her eyes are blown wide as she slowly turns around—

She is met with a sullen Kallen, her eyes narrowed, her lips twisted into a slight frown. Ah, why would it have been Lelouch? Of course not, a resurrected ghost would be too occupied cherishing his loved ones instead of worrying about a witch. The weight of her thoughts makes her shoulders sag, but C.C. is quick to compose herself.

In Kallen's hands is none other than her beloved Cheese-kun, forgotten in C.C.'s haste to pack her bags and disappear from sight. How could she have made such a critical oversight? Kallen thrusts out Cheese-kun, her expression unchanging, "You forgot something," the ace pilot deadpans.

Oh, it was only because she had forgotten something.

"O-Oh, thanks," C.C. stutters, and mentally reprimands herself at the pang of disappointment prickling her heart. She accepts her plushie from Kallen and cradles Cheese-kun's soft body against her chest.

Kallen places a hand on her hip, her eyebrows furrowing. "What's this? You're leaving all alone?" The red-head's question tapers off gently. It's almost like she's worried about C.C. being left alone, as if that would be a problem for the immortal witch.

"I can't be part of any public group, but I'll stop in every so often," C.C. softly replies. It's a rational answer and the truth— if C.C. were to be associated with anyone, she would only attract pain and suffering. She turns around quickly, slipping away before Kallen can ask any other unnecessary questions.

"Hmm…" C.C. hears Kallen hum uncertainly as she leaves, but the other woman does not move to follow her. The correct decision, really.

In the last few years, C.C. had admittedly grown quite fond of the red-haired pilot. Kallen is gutsy, and is fearless when it comes to putting anyone in their place with both her words and fists. However, underneath her ferocity as one of the Black Knight's best pilots, Kallen has a kind and strong heart.

Maybe in another life, C.C. and Kallen would have been close friends who engaged in normal school girl activities that didn't involve coup d'é tats and political uprisings. The beginning of a wistful smile lifts up her lips at the same time the pang of disappointment of the "could haves" and "what ifs" prickle her heart again. But thinking of such impossible things was of course, nothing but pointless. Kallen would carry on fine without her, and it'd be good if Lelouch kept someone strong and loyal like Kallen by his side. Who knows? Maybe next time she popped in the two of them would be romantically linked.

C.C. continues up the path towards the refugees, who are trickling out of Zilkhstan like a steady stream of ants. That line is where she belongs. She inhales the dry, hot air and feels the calm resignation sink into her bones. Her feet plop heavily with every step, the sand crackling underneath her shoes and coating her socks with a layer of dust.

"C.C! Hey, wait up, C.C!"

"Eh?"

C.C. cautiously turns around. This time, it actually is Lelouch, and he's running towards her with every ounce of his pitiful stamina. The dash had probably only been about 100 yards, but he's panting for breath and heaving as if he was on the brink of collapsing into a pile of jelly.

She regards him with an unimpressed stare. "You haven't changed at all in that regard," she notes, a hint of amusement coloring her voice.

"It's not that…!" Lelouch immediately interjects, the desperate sense of urgency left unconcealed. "You just…left without…saying anything…" He manages to utter between rasping breaths.

"So, what is it? Did I forget something?" C.C. responds airily. It's been a few minutes, and now the immortal witch is much more in control of her lingering thoughts and won't make the same mistake of jumping to ridiculous conclusions. But what item could she have forgotten this time? Other than Cheese-kun, the number of possessions she values is less than the number of her fingers—

"I'm coming… with you..."

Lelouch does not say this as a question.

Her heart lurches in her chest, she can practically hear it ram against her rib cage…this silly boy can't be serious. Confusion waterfalls over her like a bucket of ice-cold water. The notion of Lelouch joining her is so ludicrous that C.C. automatically protests, "Huh? What about Nunally?"

Nunally, the person who was the core of Lelouch's motivations. How could this overprotective big brother ever let go of his role?

Finally regaining his breath and achieving normal lung function, Lelouch straightens up. He stares directly into C.C.'s bewildered golden eyes, his own eyes strikingly clear and focused on her and only her, and calmly explains, "Nunally…Nunally can live just fine on her own now. If I'm around, I'll just be in her way."

C.C. protectively hugs herself, tightening her grip on Cheese-kun until the plushie's face squishes against her arms. "Then, there are other options, right? You could go pay a visit to Shirley or Kaguya, couldn't you?"

At the mention of their names, Lelouch's face softens. That's right. Shirley and Kaguya are good girls. Good girls with less complicated pasts and pure hearts who will be nice and loyal to Lelouch. These types of people are the ones who will make Lelouch happy.

However, once again, Lelouch dismisses her protest with infuriating calmness. "I am planning to contact Shirley at some point, but if I go now, it will cause a huge scene," he replies, rubbing the back of his neck.

It's unusual for Lelouch to not think a decision through and through, but in this case, Lelouch obviously isn't thinking clearly. It's only a matter of time until one day, he snaps to his senses and decides to leave her. So maybe that's it. Maybe he's just planning to bide his time with her until he's got his bearings all figured out and formulated a new clever plot or scheme.

Once again, Cheese-kun's face squeezes against C.C.'s taut forearms. The heat from her palms are warm against her sweaty arms, but nevertheless, she senses the hairs on her skin rise. "Hmph, if you're looking for someone to wait on you, look somewhere else. I'm on my way to track down the Geass fragments that Shamna left behind," C.C. retorts flippantly.

"What about you?!" Lelouch snaps, falling back into their usual dynamic of snarky banter. "You bring someone back to life without asking, and now you're neglecting them? Hmph, such a self-centered woman!"

"You didn't know that? Yes, I am self-centered!" C.C. agrees without missing a beat. Finally, the silly boy is getting the message through to his thick, stubborn, skull. A life with her would only lead to sorrow and isolation. Leaving is the correct decision, the inevitable decision, the only decision.

"Besides, what are you going to do about your name?" C.C. points out as she spins on her heel. At this rate, the stream of refugees is going to dwindle down and C.C. will miss her opportunity to blend in with the crowd. "If word gets out, it's going to be a huge deal."

She hears Lelouch's footsteps behind her, nearly matching her own pace. "My name?" Lelouch repeats, "well, taking it from Lelouch Lamperouge, how does L.L. sound?"

Her feet abruptly stop moving, she freezes in place. Slowly, like a rusted music box that's been winded after years of disuse, she revolves around to face the boy following her. Her mouth parts open, eyes growing wide and colored with one singular emotion of disbelief.

"Huh?" C.C. murmurs under her breath.

"No good?" Lelouch inquires politely.

Did Lelouch just say…?

She heard incorrectly. That is the only explanation that could be true, because this reality could not possibly be happening. Her heart feels like its bouncing around in her rib cage— no, that isn't quite right, her heart feels like its fluttering— like she was some normal school girl that had just received an out of the blue confession from her crush.

For a few seconds, C.C. can't do anything but stare in shell-shocked silence, her hands trembling as her grasp on Cheese-kun slackens.

C.C. blinks and breathes until her lungs are completely filled—Lelouch does not move a muscle. He stands solidly in place, watching her reaction and waiting for her response.

The boy in front of her is the great Lelouch vi Britannia, the cunning mastermind Zero, and the pleasant-natured student Lelouch Lamperouge, but right now he is asking to be…?

Lelouch, the proudest man that C.C. had ever come across, is baring his soul and handing it over to her on a humble platter of sincerity.

To be L.L. means to share her life of immortality, to shoulder her sins for eternity, to strip himself of his past personas, and to embrace this path of Codes and Geass. To be L.L. means that out of all the people who love and accept him, Lelouch is choosing to stay by her side.

C.C.— The green-haired witch killed more times than history could count. The pizza girl who can demolish an inhuman amount of the combination of dough, cheese, and tomato sauce in one sitting. The self-centered woman who will do anything it takes to find the pinhole of light.

Lelouch…means to stay with her forever. Someone has chosen her simply because they wanted to.

Hot tears pool in the corner of her eyes and stream down her cheeks. She doesn't move to wipe away the tear streaks tingling on her skin.

The witch's eyes are glassy pools of honey-gold as she looks up at her warlock, really looks at him as her equal partner. She smiles with the warmth of a gentle sun lighting up a cool morning, baring her own soul and handing it over to L.L. on a humble platter of gratitude.

If leaving is the correct, inevitable, and only decision, then so be it. C.C. was a stubborn witch, but she was L.L.'s stubborn witch, and there was never anything that said L.L. couldn't make the same correct, inevitable, and only decision.

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Author's note: Finally, after a decade, my original favorite pairing has a happy ending! What strikes me during this scene is how honestly straightforward Lelouch is with his desire to come with C.C.— he doesn't even know where C.C. is going, it doesn't even matter—and his calm rebuttals to C.C.'s immediate protests. Throughout the series Lelouch and C.C. have not always been forthcoming about how much they meant to each other, but now in this final scene, the incredibly proud Lelouch shoves away his pride and lays it all out for C.C., giving up his identity and taking on her name to get it through her head. It's a subtle but poignant shift in their relationship: to be honest with C.C. and to put her happiness first, has become more important to Lelouch than anything else.

Anyways that was just me rambling, I am considering doing a follow-up with Lelouch's perspective. Thank you for reading!