Prologue

Divergence

"It" had been called a variety of things over the years, from the simple and mundane, to the fantastical.

"It" had been cried to, cursed, pleaded with, disavowed, yet "It" still remained, stubbornly resistant to any changes, even as the world changed around it.

But things were changing, not by any design of "It" but it was happening nonetheless as the threat was growing.

Even though "It" was a collection of various personas and subconscious that could never agree to anything, it could agree to something in this case. That the existential threat that is facing "Them" was one in which it could no longer be ignored.

But how to deal with it was the issue was difficult for "It" to deal with. Because of the fact that "It" required an agreement and that "It" was in a state of constant conflict relegated any decision to a sheer impossibility.

But that didn't stop "It" from seeking other means to impose "It's" influence upon others in the most minutes of ways…

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How bothersome, CC thought as the Siegfried began its attack, to think that we were so close.

She had every belief that there was only one person who would have known the identity of Zero as that of Lelouch Vi Britania, and he would also know, thanks to his access to C's World, exactly where the one weakness that Lelouch had would be.

She bit her lip, running through the situation, even as the warnings for the Gawain were sounding in the cockpit, letting her know that what little energy it had left was fast becoming depleted as the Float System sucked away what was left of it.

And the Siegfried launched its attack, tearing away from the left leg of the Gawain as she targeted the Siegfried.

Don't die, you said, she thought amusedly, launching the finger-mounted slash harkens and digging them into the Siegfried to the howls of Orange, good for you I'm not one of those girls that let you down.

She then fought to drag it towards the ocean, intent on taking it into the depths where they would quickly reach crush depth.

"I WON'T LET YOU," screamed Orange, causing her to frown as the Siegfried suddenly veered away, swinging her around even as she fought the Siegfried's massive vernier capacity.

This is going to suck, she thought, as she redlined the Float System, driving the Gawain and the Siegfried towards the oncoming ground of Kamine Island, the ground rushing up towards her at such a blurring speed as she drove both it and the Siegfried into the ground in a cataclysmic trash, the Gawain being thrown off as the harkens detached and flying through the air as the Siegfried's harkens, devastating as weapons, turned into liabilities as they proceeded to tear the Siegfried apart as they dug into the ground.

The Gawain wasn't spared from the devastation, as its power finally went out, it flew into a rockwall beside the entrance to ruins, when Lelouch was, the Glide System crumbling like a cheap children's toy.

Yep, this sucks, a part of C.C.'s mind mused, being thrown around like a ragdoll in the cockpit, before it came to a rest, her arm bending at an unnatural angle in the impact as her shoulder separated, causing her to wince in agony as the remnants came to a stop.

But then it felt like electricity shot through her, causing her eyes to snap wide as they rolled up into the back of her head as her body went into convulsions.

But instead of any type of mental effects, C.C.s brain coldly registered everything, as if the event was pure physiological, even as it felt like her body was on fire.

And then it was gone, and for C.C. she felt suddenly…..empty, as if a part of her had been ripped away, leaving her stuck trying to figure out what it was that was gone.

"You owe me a lifetime supply Lelouch," she grumbled as she started to get her from the cockpit, tenderly moving as she grimaced the driving agony in her arm.

But that was when she realized it, the pain wasn't dissipating, in fact, it was getting worse, and her shoulder wasn't reattaching.

She tested shrugging her shoulder, grinding her teeth as it not only worsened the pain, but her shoulder still refused to move, as if mocking her sudden vulnerability.

C.C. started laughing, for the first time in a long time, even as the pain wracked her body, as her mind concluded exactly what was happening, as if her wish had been fulfilled. But the laugh abated as she tried to figure out what happened…

But then it turned to concern, as she suddenly remembered a contact she had detected as she gone down, but the Gawain had reported the Lancelot approaching.

Concern replacing happiness, she moved to activate the emergency hatch, the back of the cockpit in, opening the top to the cockpit and slowly dragging herself out, flopping down to the ground, causing her to groan painfully as her ribs protested the landing.

"Where is Zero?!"

C.C. dragged herself up to stare down Jeremiah Gottwald, looking down on her, blood trailing down from his head, but there was no doubt he was still capable, judging by the way he was holding his gun.

She looked him up and down, before laughing, remembering now exactly where she had seen Jeremiah before, the memory being jogged as she slowly pulled herself up.

"You don't know it," she said, bemusedly, "do you?"

"Know what," Jeremiah demanded.

"Who Zero is."

"I don't care who he is, I just want to know where he is," he sneered in response moving the gun closer to her face.

"As straight thinking as you were in Aries palace," she murmured, her eyes flicking back to him, "Do you think Empress Marianne would approve of you trying to kill her son," C.C. asked, "after all, you swore to protect her and her family."

"Empress Marianne's children are dead, killed by the Japanese."

"Then you should go in there and make sure for yourself," she replied, motioning her head, "maybe you'll save him before he gets himself killed."

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It was unfair and completely to his disadvantage, Lelouch vi Britannia raged as he attached the liquid Sakuradite to his chest, Nunnally was just on the side of that door and his best friend…and worst enemy was on a revenge bender for Euphemia.

And Kallen was completely frozen up in shock because of his identity as he continued his confrontation with Suzaku, back and forth as his eyes traced towards Kallen who had stood there stupidly. Another one of his damn mistakes, the lies had piled up too quickly for even him to defeat, and now this.

"Nothing that happens now is any of your concern! Your very existence is a mistake! You need to be erased from the Earth! I'LL TAKE CARE OF NUNNALLY!"

So that is how it is, a part of Lelouch's mind coldly processed as everything went red, his weapon aimed at his best friend and enemy.

"SUZAKU," he screamed.

"LELOUCHE!"

They both fired at the same time, hitting Lelouch's gun and knocking it upwards, but his round tore into the left side of Suzaku's face, scraping along the cheek before going through the wireless and his ear and tearing a chunk away, before continuing onward.

It was as if he suddenly went into autopilot, but Suzaku jumped up towards Lelouch, spinning around and kicking away Lelouch's gun, before landing on top of him, ripping away the liquid sakuradite bomb, and aiming his gun down at Lelouch.

Lelouch could only look up with a grim smile as he looked into Suzaku's eyes, before recognizing what was going on, as his eyes were lit up in the familiar light of a person under Geass.

It was all Lelouch could register before the gun was lowered to his head, and the world entered slow motion as he saw the trigger being pulled, the flash, and then nothing.

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Kallen could only watch in horror as the proceeding go on, as Lelouch and Suzaku fired and then Suzaku ruthlessly executed Lelouch in front of her without a word, as if he were a methodical executioner, one in the head, and two in the heart.

The entire time this had gone on, a war had been waged inside Kallen as she had fought over the two differing identities, that of Lelouch the student and Zero the revolutionary. She felt soiled at having been used so horribly and not seeing it, the idea that Zero had been with her wherever she had gone, using her. But a more private part of her looked at the aspect that yes Lelouch had used her, but he had promised Japan for him using her for whatever little war he was planning against Britannia.

But that had been gone out the window, as Suzaku deposited those rounds into their leader, and the leader that she secretly loved, despite the man in the mask was a man she loathed. It was a dichotomy of madness.

Suzaku looked helpless and lost as he looked down at the corpse of Lelouch, as if he was surprised by his very actions, but for Kallen, it was the moment she snapped, as every instinct to flee left her as she raised her gun, and fired for the man that she had loved….but now was gone.

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Suzaku was stunned by what had just gone on, one moment he had been there, the next moment he was on autopilot executing Lelouch, and he had no control of his body other than the mantra of "live" running through his head over and over as he had executed it.

He looked at the body of work before him; his best friend's eyes stared lifelessly at him as the gun in his hand seemed heavier than any object he had ever handled.

So gone into his own world he had no warning as Kallen's first round slammed into his shoulder, causing "live" to ring through his head as he looked towards the source of a screaming Kallen charging him, her gun now leveled and firing.

Everything screamed for him to flee, and he just did that, moving as evasively as possible as the rounds bracketed him, but not one hitting him as he made it out of the entrance, totally on autopilot as he headed for the Lancelot where it was hidden.

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Kallen watched as Suzaku ran, her finger kept pulling the trigger even though it was empty as she could only look as Suzaku fled, tears trailing down her face as she hugged the gun tightly, trying her best not to cry.

She had even failed to take revenge on him, not supporting him, then not killing his killer who had done it right in front of her. She had failed everyone, including Zero.

The gun dropped from her hand as she walked slowly over to the body of the man she loved and loathed, the tears refusing to end as they trailed down her face as she dropped to her knees beside him, looking into his lifeless eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly at first, "I'm so sorry," she said louder, her head bowed as her hands were balled up at her knees, "I couldn't do it, I couldn't…."

Before she knew what she was doing, her hands were hugging his body, pulling it close to her, cradling his body, even as it became cold, the tears flowing freely now as she tried to hold back the choking sobs.

"If I could say to you that I love you fool...I would sell my soul to the devil...after all...I already sold my heart to you…"

She knew it was disgusting, she knew it was wrong, but she couldn't stop herself, even as she fought against it, her heart overriding her logic, as she leaned in, and kissed him.

It was then that the world dropped out from under her.