Author's notes: Fuck. You. Clamp. Awesome series. But fuck you. DX

Title: The Final Requiem.

Summary: Post-episode 25. You all knew this was coming.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass (it would've ended much happier if I had) and claim no profit from the writing of this fan fiction. This piece is written for the sole purpose of entertaining.

Author's notes pt. 2: Having written this in a grand total of under an hour, I thought I had beta-ed it well enough and let it be. Apparently not, I apologize deeply for any and all spelling mistakes and have corrected all I managed to find.

"Yes… I… destroy… worlds… create… worlds…" As the darkness crept towards him, dazed violet eyes drank in their last sight. The sight of a single bright orb hanging in the sky, and an endless sea of peaceful blue. Though he never thought the words specifically, he knew them in his heart as it ceased to beat. Whatever transpires now, no longer concerns me.

For the dead had no place in the affairs of the living.

At first the sight of Zero confuses her. She does not understand, as the remarkable man in the mask and cape dodges the assault of a knightmare head on, she is still confused. She watches as he bypasses Jeremiah with impossible ease and makes his way to the upper platform.

This is not Zero. Zero who values his life, Zero who dramatizes everything, drawing out battle until a climactic point. Zero who has always hidden in the shadows and manipulated all into doing things for him. Zero who totally sucks at being an athlete and so therefore this is not possible because Zero is sitting on that goddamn throne.

And then she realizes, yes. Zero is sitting on that throne. But nobody else knows that, nobody but her, and maybe a few others. She hasn't the time to waste, she calls orders and runs for the stairs, knowing time is precious. When she reappears in the sunlight, she sees him, she sees the hope of all covered in blood, and lies, and deception. There is no hesitation now, there should be none, for what he has done to her, to her family.

"Lelouch the demon has died! Release the hostages!" There is nothing but truth in the words she yells. She cries them with nothing but vicious satisfaction, Euphy has been avenged.

But the words still hurt.

Only a handful of others know. Lelouch has gone down in history as the worst dictator in the history of Britannia. Zero will go down as mankind's hope and saviour in the history of the world, nobody but a handful know they are one and the same. The Zero now no longer speaks. He adds no comments, refuses all voice modifiers so that none will be suspicious and says nothing.

He doesn't have the right. He is not Zero. He is only a figurehead, an image and symbol that the people idolize. He is Zero, but not Zero. He is the icon of peace, but not the man who orchestrated it all. It pisses him off a little, to know that he was Lelouch's pawn to the very end.

But he's absolved of that hate. Lelouch didn't think of him as a pawn at the end. No, perhaps he never did. It's hard to tell what Lelouch thinks, even he, his best friend, his rival, his ally, his enemy, his murderer, does not know exactly how Lelouch thought. He never will now, and that is probably for the best. Suzaku feels that if he ever completely understood Lelouch, he would go insane, or cry at the purity of his selflessness. It's cheesy, but true.

He never expected such purity could exist in such a monstrosity.

It's the most painful minute of his life he's ever experienced. The first five seconds lend themselves to shock, uncertainty, surprise. The next ten land him in realization as Kallen whispers in horrified tones: "Could it be… that what Lelouch was trying to do was…" His body, once numb and unfeeling, prepared for his death (a third time now, he had figured his luck had run out this round) bursts into life as cold horror rips through his soul. The next thirty seconds place him watching in disbelief and anxiety. He knows what's coming, doesn't want it to happen, but at the same time does. With three quick jumps he's cleared the knightmare, another sends him flying past Jeremiah, a third past Schneizel, a fourth past Nanaly.

And then he's there. Fifteen seconds pass…

The deed is done, the plot known as Zero Requiem, whose name he will not hear of until long after the plan has come to fruition, is complete. People will cry, Kallen will sulk, Nanally will withdraw, and Zero will suffer in silence. And he won't get why, won't understand how they can shed tears for that betrayer. Until he realizes they betrayed him. They who couldn't bare to trust in him until the very end, thought so shallowly of him that he ended up bearing the weight of the world's hatred on his own.

And that's the painful truth of it all. They left him alone. It makes him bitterly realize he had the right to wear that mask all along, they didn't deserve his trust. It's the wrong way of thinking, he knows, Zero was not just for the Black Knights, but for the world. Yet he still feels that seed of guilt deep in his heart.

And then he knows Lelouch had planned this all along. Or at least knew this was coming at some point in time. It makes him feel a bit better, and all the worse at the same time.

Ohgi, the letter begins, like so many do. Only this one is special, he will carry these words for the rest of his life, never forget that I lied to you. Whatever my reasons, I betrayed you, used you to my own ends. I was an unfit leader, you saw through that. I was right to trust you as my second in command.

Second Zero gives the letter to him, only saying that he was told to if Ohgi showed signs of sudden depression, about two months after the completion of Zero Requiem. Ohgi takes the letter and reads it in privacy, unable to prevent Viletta from reading it when she comes in to see why he's crying silently. How is it, a boy barely half his age knows him better than he knew him? It hurts, to think that boy shouldered everything on his own, and that the rest of them were too stupid to understand or realize. Hurts more to know that even now, even when he is dead, he is still taking everything upon himself.

At first he feels like he is no longer the right leader. He looks at the people of Japan as their prime minister, and feels unfit for the job. After a week of this, he rereads the letter, and stops. He becomes lively again, having faith in himself. After all, Lelouch trusted him. Zero still trusts him. This time he'll trust back.

He'll continue to believe.

He'll watch the people of Japan grow stronger. He'll watch them grow with confidence day by day, watch as their home is rebuilt. It hasn't been rebuilt on nothing, there were sacrifices. Tears and blood have been shed for this day, but it's here at last. The results of their hard work have blossomed, bringing a readily accepted peace and tranquility. He wonders how long it will last, peace is easily gained, but harder to keep.

Then he rethinks his thoughts. It was not easily gained. Toudou has lived a long life, his body may not show the signs, but his mind does. He feels ancient. He knows only to fight, to protect. Now that that is over, he knows what he wants to do. He wants to try his hand at peace, and miniature tree shaping, and having a family. The life of this old man is ready to settle into the more peaceful things.

He can't help but think Lelouch will never have that. He knows in the end they were played, that Schneizel used him in their war of sibling rivalry. Whatever the reason for Lelouch's secrecy, his vengeance, he did have at least one goal in common with them. That was to bring down Britannia, and create peace in the world. Though his methods were unsavoury, Toudou grudgingly respects the determination Lelouch had. He realizes there's more to life than living for the present day, he must plan for the future as well. He needs to live out the life Lelouch will never have, because he gave it all to them. He gave everything he was for them, strangers, people who betrayed him, people who never considered him more than a leader. Never thought to consider him past a comrade. He wonders if Lelouch has ever had a friend, then snorts a little at the thought. Yes, he answers himself, and that friend killed him.

Who else but a friend would go along with such an insane plan like Zero Requiem?

So he'll live on, he'll enjoy this life that his friends, and Lelouch, have given him, and he'll continue to watch the world that Lelouch molded.

It's the very least he can do.

Girls, he thinks, are impossible. He has half a mind to march up to Ohgi and demand how he does it. Then he realizes that's silly, he's a man and needs to take care of his own problems, and that Ohgi and he are separated by a vast body of water. (Though he could book a charter flight if he ever bothered to leave his beloved empress's side.)

Xing Ke is considered a prodigy. He is swift with the blade, keen with his intuition and sharp as the sword he carries around. Several assassination attempts on Empress Tianzi barely manage to get past the initial planning stage with him on the job. So why is it he can handle several men, all equipped with firearms, yet not the beliefs of two girls younger than him by more than half?

Because he knows what they say are true.

Kaguya won't speak of Zero anymore. She tries not to show it, but he can see she holds him dear in her heart. Knows what everyone who's smart enough knows. Tianzi suspects too, but she's young. She hasn't fully grasped what has taken place, but she understand the truth. Zero, at heart, was never bad.

Xing Ke never knew Lelouch, he knew Zero, the audacious and arrogant manipulator, who wrought evil in all that he did. He's heard of Lelouch, Nanaly and Kallen speak of him in passing comments, enough for him to understand what kind of man Lelouch is. If his death didn't speak enough already, that is.

Lelouch is simply thus, selfish. He has selfishly given away all he's had, given them peace, a world of freedom, then seen fit to die after greedily taking up all the hatred in the world. He will not linger so that they may hate him, instead he will attempt to leave this world thinking themselves rid of a tyrant. He has underestimated his enemies once again. Xing Ke knows, even Tianzi knows.

She calls him an angel. A man who comes along only once in a lifetime to give them a glimmer of hope. Xing Ke agrees, but says he is still selfish. Someone truly just would have stayed behind in the world of the living, so that he may be hated, may be revealed for what he truly is, and then forgiven.

He makes the mistake of voicing his thoughts aloud once. Kaguya calls him impossible. Tianzi follows suit.

Xing Ke is back at square one with them, he'll never figure them out. But he has figured out Lelouch, if only a little.

And it's enough for Xing Ke to respect him.

He's never quite understood what a best friend is. At first he thought it was two men who respected and trusted each other. Admired the other's abilities. Now he knows first hand that admiration and respect have nothing to do with friendship. Trust does, but he's never truly trusted Zero.

How could he? He never knew the man beneath that, Lelouch, and yet... he's known him all along. Something in him has always been a doubting-tom when it comes to Zero, that nothing is ever completely right with his idol. He'll never realize it, but he was always right. Zero was never alright, Lelouch, was never alright. Even in his final moments, he wasn't right.

The most common thing wrong with Zero/Lelouch, is that he never trusted anyone, not even the man he asked to kill him, with everything. He's kept everything bottled up inside him like a good vintage wine, letting it go sour. Shinichiro can't help but wonder if Zero planned to go out like that all along. Or at the very least plan to die in the end.

Maybe that's why he never let anyone be friends with him. He doesn't believe what that FLEIA girl says, the student council were friends of Lelouch. Not Zero. Not the guy who was working non-stop for a peaceful world.

Every night when Shinichiro closes up shop, he has a glass of a good wine, then fills a second one and leaves it at the seat on the table across from him. He'll sit in a chair and toast to no one and take a sip, then he'll feel a little sad. Lelouch was too young, so Zero was too. He wonders what the kid would've been like drunk. He wonders if they could've talked, like real friends. Revealing inner troubles, talking about their days and swearing at life in general. Maybe not, he has a feeling Zero's problems were a little deeper than his. But he knows Zero would listen, or at least understand that to Shinichiro, his problems were just as great to him as the problems of the world were to Zero.

At the end of the night, Shinichiro will finish up the glass and stand, leaving the wine glass on the table. As time passes on, he'll decide to hold a little party every evening. Just with the people who matter, he's decided he doesn't want to waste time anymore, he wants real friends, he wants to experience the happiness of true friendship for himself, and for Zero who never knew and will never know it.

He's pretty sure he knows what's required of a best friend now. He's sad that it's come late, but at least he knows now. And if anyone finds it odd that at the beginning of every party, Shinichiro will toast an empty seat, nobody says anything.

He's just honoring a trusted friend.

The grass is lush and full beneath his body, the sky blue and endless with just a rare peppering of clouds. The sun is high in the sky and shining on the colorful carpet of flowers around him. It's just like the gardens in the royal villa.

He opens his eyes, slowly, and can't believe what he's seeing. He expected brimstone and eternal suffering. At the very least he expected to see this man's face in the formerly mentioned area.

"Welcome, my son." Charles di Britannia welcomes him. There's a smile on his face that Lelouch has never seen before. It's a smile of peace and happiness. Behind Charles he spots his mother who is talking with a girl who has long flowing pink hair. She glances over her shoulder, spots him awake, and waves gaily before gathering up her skirts and running over.

Seeing her haste, a blond man glances his way, laughs as well and begins to make his way over too. He was conversing with a face Lelouch knows all too well, with long pale blond hair and a sharp red mark on his forehead, a contrast against his pale skin.

"Nii-sama!" Another voice calls, one that sends a painful throb through Lelouch's still heart. He sits up, slowly, and glances around in wonderment, not believing. Everyone is there. Everyone who should hate him, despise him, wish him dead, is there.

It is not what he expected at all. Euphemia hugs him tightly around the shoulders, saying nothing of their life because she has forgiven him already. Mistakes are costly, but at least he righted the one between them. Clovis pretends to be sour, but can't help but laugh and be happy. In the world of the dead, there's no point in regretting what was done once living. He is happy to have his brother back, and they embrace. Charles says nothing, he joins Marianne and V.V. But there's a smile on his face, and Lelouch can't help but smile back.

Everything that happened is behind them, here, they are dead and free of their troubles. They have been granted a gift, and that is to be together. As a real family. At first he worries that Rolo might not be considered real family, then realizes he is as much to him as V.V. is to Charles. Nobody seems to think odd of it, nobody questions it. They're happy.

Time has stopped moving for them, it's not the future Lelouch wanted, but he has no future. So this present will do. With Rolo at his side and his parents looking on happily, the worries of the world drift away from him, and while he will think of the friends he left behind once in a while, his thoughts will be occupied now by his brother Clovis, who is an abominable disgrace at chess, and his sister Euphemia who is surprisingly good enough to be on par with Schneizel. As he plays against her, he cannot help but think: we are all pawns on a board of kings, but that does not mean a mighty king cannot be defeated by a lowly pawn. He looks at the chessboard before him. Euphemia sits there quietly, waiting, and Lelouch smiles.

His slender fingers reach out, brush the crown of the king, then slide onto the knight next to that piece. A king's soldiers will not follow a king who does not lead, but there is no need for the king to shoulder such a burden by himself. He's learned that lesson in his time alive, as he slides the piece across the board, he will look up at Euphemia, see her smile knowingly at him, and smile back.

He is dead, the world he left behind in peace.

His geass is complete.

Author's notes: I am aware there is a theory saying that Lelouch is still alive. I in fact support this theory completely, but in the event he is not, I feel he deserves some sort of happy ending. Even if it's probably impossible this many people would realize the truth of what he'd done. Alas, such is the wonderful nature of fan fiction. For those of you wondering why I didn't write for Nanaly, Kallen, Schneizel (however the flying fack you spell his name XD) or Jeremiah, I'll be brief. Kallen had her say in the anime, Nanaly had her revelation during Lelouch's death, Jeremiah would have nothing really to think about. After all, he fulfilled his loyalty to Lelouch and granted his prince's last wishes, loyalty is far from understanding someone, so he's simply happy that Lelouch succeeded in his plan and that the world Lelouch wanted has come to fruition. As for Schneizel? Since he's suffering under the geass, I imagine he's a vegetable at this point in time.