The Plot Device

Lalouche, Sazaku, and C2 were sitting together in the emperors' secret chamber talking over the newest version of the plan.

"Are you sure that your death is the only way to bring every one together?" Sazaku said as he leaned back in his chair, while he tried to hide a worried expression although it could be plainly seen in his eyes. Lalouche pushed back his dark hair from his eye; they showed an unwavering stubbornness that Sazaku had become accustomed to.

"My dear friend" Sazaku knew that Lalouche began all of his royal statements like he had a nail tacked in his side and was getting used to the feeling. "I have set the board up to come to this end, even since the beginning of my rule this has been the goal." Lalouche kept an unchanging face, but Sazaku noticed the slightest pout on Lalouche's lips when his eyes met C2's. C2 turned her gaze to an open window. Sazaku looked down at his hands and tilted his hands in his lap.

"It just doesn't seem right that you be the villain when even your darkest thoughts are for the common good." Sazaku looked up to the ceiling. C2 rose from her seat, and gave Lalouche a come hither look as she went into Lalouche's private chamber. Lalouche followed her with his eyes, and Sazaku saw that Lalouche longed to follow after her. Sazaku stood from his chair and spoke.

"If you'll accuse my lord I have some things to attend to." Lalouche nodded and stood up as well. Sazaku left the room and entered into the great hall. Few people gathered at the palace these days, Sazaku walked alone through the vast room thinking up a scheme. As he finally made it across the hall, the doors opened for him. Sazaku stared blankly at the set of female twins in front of him. Both of the girls placed one hand over their respective mouths and giggled in sync. Then they both reached for there skirts and curtsied while saying.

"Good day knight of the realm Sazaku." An idea started to show its head in Sazaku's mind.

"Ladies would you mind coming with me?" Sazaku smiled in an attempt to turn up his charm, which was unnecessary because of his rank a simple order would have accomplished his goal. Both girls walked to his side and each took an arm.

"Yes my lord." They answered in the same sweet tone.

Lalouche waited a few minutes after Sazaku had left the room before he entered his private chamber. Lalouche spotted C2 lying on his master bed staring at the ceiling, but her gaze turned to him. Lalouche moved to the bed and lay down next to her as he spoke.

"What is on the mind of my immortal flower?" he rubbed his hand along C2's cheek. C2 placed her hand on top of Lalouche's.

"I have forgotten what the passage of time felt like and now that your plan is reaching its end I keep thinking that it would be better for time to stop then for you to go." Lalouche leaned in and silenced C2's voice with a kiss. C2 closed her eyes and felt the warmth coming from Lalouche's lips. They both were reluctant to brake the lock, but the need to breath over came there passion. C2 moved on top of Lalouche and recreated the lip lock. Lalouche wrapped is arms around C2's waist. They continued in their passion until there way a knock at the door.

"Majesty, there is a matter of great importance that must be discussed." They stopped and C2 rolled off of Lalouche and Lalouche sighed.

"Come in Sazaku." Lalouche yelled, a clock somewhere in the palace struck eleven o'clock. Sazaku opened the door and walked in pulling three human seized glass containers covered with curtains.

"What is all this Sazaku, why the theatrics?" Lalouche said in his own dramatic tone. C2 also added her own mocking laugh to the scene. Sazaku ignored the sarcasms and set the containers up.

"I had this idea when I bumped into these two." He pointed at two of the containers as he pulled the curtains to reveal the unconscious female twins.

"I bet you did have a lot of ideas when you saw these girls." Lalouche paused as he and C2 laughed a moment. Sazaku laughed himself as he thought about what really happened, but he continued.

"Can you tell them apart?" Sazaku asked trying to return to his point.

"No Sazaku I can, but they're twins aren't they?" Lalouche looked seriously at the cases and the back to Sazaku. Sazaku smiled and said.

"To answer your first question we could change you out for a duplicate and he could stand in for you while you and C2 leave for where ever you're going." Sazaku was very proud of himself for thinking of something before Lalouche the great strategist. Lalouche saw that Sazaku was on his high horse and decided to hit him with logic.

"But Sazaku I don't have a twin, even out of all of my relatives I stand out." Sazaku smiled even wider.

"I'm glad you brought that up." Sazaku removed the final curtain revealing an almost perfect copy of Lalouche. Lalouche rose from the bed and examined the copy.

"It's me, what is it." Lalouche asked staring first at Sazaku and second at his clone.

"By releasing micro-robots into his body we were able to change his appearance." Lalouche fixed his gaze on Sazaku.

"Did he do this voluntarily?" Lalouche ask.

"No." Sazaku answered.

"Then let me guess, you want me to use my geass on him." Lalouche shrugged as he spoke. Sazaku thought out his next couple words carefully.

"No Lalouche, not if you don't want too." Lalouche looked at C2 and spoke.

"Would you leave me with my copy?" Sazaku pulled the twins out with him as he left and C2 walked by him. When Lalouche was finally alone he walked around and around the case.

"What to do, what to do, of all the possibilities." Lalouche put his head down, and then he lie down on the bed and fell asleep as the clock struck midnight.

Fourteen hours later was C2 seated next to a radio in a motel room, listening to the urgent report that was being broadcast. The reporter spoke in a happy tone as she announced that the tyrant Lalouche had been killed by the people's hero Zero, and how the zones would be broken up. In the back round C2 could hear happy shouts and running. C2 turned the radio off, and spoke.

"Did you hear that, you dead." Lalouche entered the room.

"Really, I wonder how long we can stay quiet for." C2 stood from her seat, walked up to Lalouche and put her arms around him.

"We'll see, we have a long time to figure that out." Lalouche placed his hands on C2's hips and C2 brought their faces.