A/N: This has been sitting on my computer for months. Found it while looking through my fanfiction files this morning and was like, "Why haven't I posted this?" Lo and behold, here we are now. This story is a one-shot centered around a curious idea. What if C.C. survived to witness the arrival of The Ruin in the Casshern Sins series? How would she respond to it. Well, this story is pretty much my interpretation of the answer to those questions. I hope you guys enjoy it.

Warnings: While I enjoy the Casshern Sins series, the anime does not have a whole lot of exposition in terms of how long The Ruin has actually been going on, how Braiking Boss took over, and a bunch of other little small things. For this reason, I had to take one or two creative liberties in order to provide proper exposition.

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or Casshern Sins. Those belong to their respective creators and affiliates.

World's End

"I never thought I would live long enough to see the end of the world, Lelouch."

Sitting atop a ledge along the towering mountains of the eastern continent, a woman watches the sun begin its descent along the horizon with a cold look of indifference in her amber irises as her lime-colored locks flow with the dusty wind that passes.

She remembers this land well, though the landscape no longer resembles the bright city living on in her memories. She recalls the faces of the people who have long since passed on, even those plagued with the task to live on in misery for the sake of the world.

In her reminiscing, the woman almost allows a smile to lift the corners of her small mouth.

"See how it all falls to ruin, boy? Do you now understand why I used to seek death so tirelessly?"

The mental question meets no answer, but C.C., the immortal witch, is accustomed to this solitude. She has lived many lifetimes, seeing the same patterns over and over, yet she has never again met a man like Lelouch Vi Britannia. It bruised her pride to think how helplessly she had fallen for him more than seven hundred years ago, but it also made her happy. For a short time in her long life, she had known what it was like to have friendship and love.

Her life since his death has been bittersweet. She encountered new adventures in her journey throughout time, established friendships that were always too short, and lived as normally as she could in the gentler world Lelouch had given his life to create.

If the man once known as Zero were able to see this place now...he would be devastated.

Alas, C.C. is completely alone on this dying planet and he is free.

"The Ruin," the witch mused, pulling the tattered, grey coat she wore more tightly around her body to sheild it from the growing chill in the air. "A fitting name for the end of humanity and its creations."

Two hundred years after the death of the Demon Emperor, Lelouch Vi Britannia, advances in technology enabled humans to gain even longer lifespans than before, to the point where many were practically immortal. During this time, artificial intelligence was perfected, creating robots that could not only speak, but could reason and even have emotions. There were some robots who could start off in an infant-like state and later grow into a permanent, youthful adult state.

The technology was fascinating, but the immortal witch steered clear of getting involved in the robotic craze. Back then, she knew that these tools would slowly gain awareness of their power and perhaps the mindset that they should rule. After all, robots were built to be strong, stronger than most humans could ever hope to be.

In the 350th anniversary of Lelouch's death, C.C. witnessed a robotic takeover in Pendragon City, the former capital of the Holy Britannian Empire. Within days a totalitarian government was in control of the city. Its leader, soon to be a dictator over the entire world, was a robotic man who called himself Braiking Boss.

In the days of his rule, he ordered the extermination of all humans. Those who were able to flee from this ruling fled to space ships bound for a new planet in an entirely different galaxy. Those who were unable to escape the planet went into hiding underground. C.C. was one of the many to be exterminated at that time, but thanks to her immortal Code, she rose again, surrounded by mutilated bodies of the unlucky masses.

Robots who were against Braiking Boss went into hiding with the humans they were loyal to. Without much care for what was to come, C.C. followed suit and took refuge with a small entourage of robots and humans.

During this time of opression is when Luna appeared, offering salvation.

Humans and robots flocked to her, praising and worshipping her as if she were an angel sent from Heaven. Skeptical of this, C.C. broke away from the camp and carried on, traveling alone as she had become accustomed to doing ages ago.

A few years later, she happened to wander near the gates of Luna's mysterious castle. The air had been extremely humid that night, with black clouds rolling over the midnight-blue sky as thunder echoed across the land. Jagged lines of lightning brightened the area with its sparks of electricity, signifying the coming of a ferocious rainstorm. The immortal witch had been looking for shelter in the wake of this oncoming natural disaster when the towering building caught her attention. Naturally, she began to walk towards it, hoping to find a place of comfortable rest for the night.

Instead, as she came to stand at the open gate, the centuries old woman found herself standing face to face with a lithe cybertronic man covered head to toe in crimson blood.

C.C. did little more than raise an eyebrow at his appearance.

"If you are here to see Luna," he began hoarsely, "You have come too late."

The witch didn't bat an eyelash, her gaze boring straight into his. "I see. So you killed her then?"

"Correct," he muttered, stumbling forward. The immortal woman moved aside, allowing him to pass by her.

"Your actions are of no hindrance to me," she answered when he stopped to look back, almost as if he were contemplating if he should leave her alone or attack. "Go in peace."

For a long while the cybernetic man had continued to stare at her. C.C. almost groaned in agitation, now aware of the metallic stench lingering heavily on him. With a glance back toward him, she noted that he still looked hesitant to act in any way.

"Does something about me interest you?" she wondered aloud, her gaze falling to the multiple wounds on his person. While most of the blood covering him probably belonged to Luna, he had been damaged by a couple of blades. His wounds were leaking profusely.

"Are you human?"

C.C. almost laughed at the question. "What would you do if I was?"

"I would have to kill you," the man replied, his words veiled in a cloak of lifelessness. "All humans are to be exterminated."

This time the immortal witch let out a sardonic chuckle. He wasn't in the proper condition to walk, let alone fight.

With a look of mirth on her face, C.C.'s amber eyes met his. "So, a follower of Braiking Boss then?" With a dry laugh she turned away. "Be gone, cyborg. I am merely a witch looking for a place to rest. Nothing more."

Silence hung in the whistling air for a long while, the only sound being the continuous roar of thunder.

"Very well." The man stated finally, resuming his slow pace away from Luna's castle. C.C. watched him silently for a short moment, a question coming to mind as he stumbled along, groaning softly in pain.

"Wait."

He stopped, but didn't turn around or speak.

"Indulge my curiosity for a moment," she began, looking up toward the sky. "Were you ordered to kill Luna, or did you do it of your own volition?"

"It was an order given to me by Braiking Boss," he replied, cutting straight to be point. "I am under his direct command."

C.C. wanted to laugh again, but restrained herself from doing so. "How sad it is to have no will of your own." Exhaling she added on another question, "Do you have a name?"

"I am Casshern."

Turning on her heel, C.C. started for the castle doors without a care for the tragedy unfolding inside. "Well then, goodbye Casshern, unless we meet again."

She said this as an afterthought, knowing that the chances of another encounter happening were minimal.

A month later, the Ruin began.

Suddenly the rich, country landscapes C.C. enjoyed on a daily basis began to disappear. The grass turned to dust, the air she breathed became a poisonous substance that corroded her lungs, and over time the skyscrapers of the remaining cities began to crumble. In the one hundred years that passed during this corrosion, countless died. C.C. herself had probably died a couple times already thanks to the Ruin. She didn't really know anymore. These days her multiple deaths felt more like short naps between her endless agony.

"I wonder how you would approach this disaster," the immortal wondered, thinking of her last accomplice. "The world has plunged into anarchy following the disappearance of Braiking Boss. Robots seeking to live longer kill their own kind and humans alike. Everyone is a moving target now."

Exhaling a sigh, the immortal witch rose from her place on the rock. "You know, Lelouch," C.C. paused in her speech, noting something off in the air as she bent down to pick up the few belongings she had. Within seconds she could hear the pounding footfalls of bandits, robots who continuously slaughtered the weak. She had come across these types of robots many times before. Sometimes she managed to escape from their clutches. Other times...

Narrowing her amber gaze, C.C. stood tall, her back facing her attackers. "What an unpleasant surprise."

The robots wordlessly descended upon her, small chortles of laughter radiating off them as she continued to stand by the mountain's ledge, completely unbothered by it all.

"Look at that," one of them finally bellowed, much to her chagrin. "It must be our lucky day to stumble upon a human."

The immortal witch closed her eyes, refusing to acknowledge the presence of such foolish beings.

"It's in times like this that I wish I would have forced Lelouch to take my Code. Had I done that...no, despite my longing for death then and now, I didn't have the heart to deliver such a cruel punishment to him. As strong as he once was, he wouldn't have been able to shoulder the death of the world. It's almost funny, how everything continuously falls to ruin in one way or another."

In her inward musings, C.C. didn't notice when one of the robots leapt into the air for an attack, angered by her lack of response to the dire situation she was in.

"Ignore me will you!"

A fierce wind blew past, sending her long locks of hair whirling as she opened her eyes to gaze upon the rapidly disappearing sunset. Something reminiscent of an explosion sounded behind her a few seconds later, followed by another, then another.

"That's Casshern!"

C.C. blinked, almost tempted to turn around to see what was happening. "Casshern?"

"If we eat him we can be saved from the Ruin!" another bandit shouted, sounding overjoyed. "We can deal with the human later! Devour Casshern!"

The immortal witch finally shifted her gaze behind her. A lithe, cybertronic man with brown hair clad in a white bodysuit stood between her and the robotic bandits.

"Leave this place now while you can," he said stiffly, barely looking at her. C.C. scoffed, recognizing the familiar stare.

It was indeed Casshern.

With an indignant huff she turned away, intent on watching the sun fall from the sky until it disappeared completely. "Who do you think you're talking to?" She laughed to herself then, thinking, "Remember when I used to say that to you, Lelouch? How I wish..."

"Why are you still standing there!? Go! Hurry!"

"There's no reason for me to run from death," C.C. stated in a nonchalant fashion, smiling as darkness began to dominate the area. In another few minutes, the sun would be gone.

"Kill Casshern! Devour Casshern!"

Stretching her arms over her head, the immortal witch closed her eyes again with the sounds of battle fueling the memories she began to envision. She saw herself within the Gawain, the knightmare frame she and Lelouch piloted together during the course of his initial crusade against the Britannian Empire. Thinking of those times, she could hear his voice calling out to her again. She could almost see his face again.

You are not alone.

Tears leaked from beneath her eyelids. "Lelouch..."

We are each other's accomplice. If you are a witch then perhaps I should be a demon.

Another crash sounded, accompanied with a battle cry from the man who destoryed the world.

However...

C.C. didn't open her eyes, but she definitely raised an eyebrow. "That's not part of my memories."

Becoming a demon took me away from you C.C. I failed to keep my promise to make you smile, to love you. For that, I am truly sorry,...

The immortal witch gasped, hearing his voice call her true name again. "Are you...are you really..."

But just like before, you are not alone. Soon you will know that for yourself.

Suddenly she could feel a hand on her shoulder, his hand. C.C. opened her eyes, unable to fathom how Lelouch could be standing behind her. Her body twisted away from the hand, her heart full of hope until cold reality closed in.

Casshern's deep blue gaze was full of confusion as he stared down at her.

"What is it?" she asked, unable to completely hide her disappointment. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm sorry," he responded cooly, retracting his hand. "It's just...I'm confused. Why didn't you run away when you had the chance?"

C.C. scoffed again, bitterness hanging on her tongue. "Why would I? What good would it do me to run from them?" Turning away she added, "When you are incapable of dying, it's easier to embrace pain rather than run from it."

A heavy silence hung between them until he spoke again. "You're immortal? Like me?"

The witch's amber gaze lifted toward the darkening sky. "I suppose so."

Without another word, C.C. slung her small bag over her shoulders and briskly passed the cybernetic man in hopes of finding shelter before night truly descended over the land.

"Wait."

C.C. stopped and thought it ironic that he was the one calling out to her now.

"Tell me, how long have you been alive?"

"Centuries," she answered quickly. "Why?"

He let out a sigh. "Well, I was hoping that perhaps you could tell me about my past. I get the feeling...that I know you."

The immortal woman almost laughed. "And what gave you that idea?"

"You look familiar to me," he responded, sounding hopeful. "And up until this point, I haven't been able to remember anything from my past. It's been difficult, trying to figure out just what I am."

C.C., turning on the balls of her feet, moved to face him. "Don't you mean, 'who you are?'"

His ocean-colored irises widened, signifying that he was perplexed by her statement. The immortal witch chuckled softly at his expression. Something about it reminded her of Lelouch.

"You may have started out as a killing machine, Casshern," she began, "But now you have the free will to decide who and what you are. If you are looking to find yourself, you will have to search within your own heart. That is where your true self lies."

Casshern's expression softened. "Is that...from experience?"

C.C., clasping her hands behind her back, shifted her gaze toward the sandy ground. "No. It's a way of life." With another chuckle her feet began to move of their own accord, skipping along the dirt as an uncharacteristic smile overtook her features. "Good luck in your travels."

"Hold on! What's your name."

The immortal woman, feeling lighter on her feet than she had in the last seven hundred years, lifted her right hand in a wave without looking back to see the man's face.

"Should we ever meet again, I'll be glad to tell you."

A/N: And that's the end of this story. Thanks for reading! I sincerely hope you guys enjoyed this little piece. Who knows, maybe one day I'll continue it as I think I originally wanted it to be a multi-chaptered story. We'll see. For now, that's it for me. If you enjoyed this story please tell me so. Have some constructive criticism? Leave that in the review box as well. Have a nice day! TTY7 out!