R.R.

I've put this off for far too long. Meh

Chapter 16: Ghosts of the Past

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The emperor of Britannia stood on the bridge of the Godwyn, watching the four small dots grow further away past the horizon. The four Knights of the Round had just been deployed to the island off the coast of Japan. What they would find there Gideon had no idea at all. The weapon that annihilated the Pacific relief fleet was unlike anything seen thus far. He couldn't go so far as to call it a gigantic hadron cannon; the beam lacking any physical properties of the only thing that came close. Regardless, all he hoped was that whatever it was, his knights could deal with it swiftly, and without difficulty.

However, even that was less of a concern when he took note of his sister's approach. It would seem the time for answers had finally arrived.

"Brother, I would speak to you. Privately." Marellia declared, her stony face devoid of any conflicting emotion.

Rather than lead her somewhere else, Gideon simply ordered the other staff present to leave, clearing the bridge of everyone but the two of them. He strode to the front of the bridge, overlooking the sea as his sister came to stand beside him. "So are you ready to give me some answers then, sister?"

To that, she slowly nodded. "Only now do I see I was wrong to have chosen his side. I apologize for refraining but I was firmly in the belief that I was correct to withhold."

"So you were working with R.R. after all?" The emperor asked, surprised to hear the admission.

"More like working for him, if you could call it that. The man has several allies who aid him behind the scenes; how he secured them I have no idea. Especially considering who some of them are." She told him.

Gideon frowned at that. "Who... are R.R.'s allies?" He asked.

"Well, it should be obvious, but Aleina is probably the closest to him. She was the one who introduced me to him, and the one he piloted the Shinkiro with." Marellia explained.

He slowly nodded at that. "I suppose that makes some sense. I really should have made sure to pin her down, but she's been surprisingly slippery. Though I can't actually see her value to him. She is one of the most politically inferior royal members, though I assume she must have some other asset?" He had spoken to her earlier in the day, when she first arrived onboard the Godwyn with Marellia. But he didn't recall much of their conversation, too busy to pay any attention was likely the cause. He wasn't sure what to make of his younger half sister. She had always been content to stay far from attention, ever since her family was murdered. He shuddered at what that implied however.

"Then there's the prime minister, probably the most baffling one." Marellia continued, breaking his line of thought.

"Gottwald?!" He exclaimed. The man was nothing but loyal to Britannia and her people! Even after the events following the demon emperor Jeremiah's involvement was cleared up by Zero. He was acting to both curb where he could and ultimately bring down the tyrant when Zero finally did step in. That made absolutely no sense in the slightest.

"You're certain of this?" Gideon asked, still doubting the aged minister's betrayal.

"Without a doubt, unfortunately. I have no idea how R.R. got a hold of him. If it's even legitimate or some kind of threat is held over him. But I don't doubt he has likely leaked quite a lot of information, and has worked behind the scenes for him since this all started."

"That is troubling." Gideon muttered, thinking of everything that could mean.

"Then he has a scientist that worked on the Shinkiro, and built the other knightmare that a young teen pilots. I believe R.R. found him from the Pendragon Defense Unit. There is really no connection to that kid, and I really don't know why he is there. But honestly none of R.R.'s allies make any sense to me."

"I'm going to venture a guess the scientist is Edmond Calvaire correct?" Gideon asked in response. "We sought him out to construct the Knight's frames only to find he had completely disappeared. He was the closest thing to a knightmare engineer there was, though more like an enthusiast but...either way, I had my suspicions."

The princess nodded. "Yes, I believe that was his name. He had a team that helped manage the two knightmares, but I don't think any of them really stood out."

"So he really just has that small of a group then?" The emperor asked with a frown.

"Yes." Marellia confirmed. "Except what is most troubling is how quick to ally he was with Zero."

"He what?!" Gideon exclaimed, alarmed at the revelation.

"Oh, I suppose it may be important to tell you Daedalus is the one behind that mask, though possibly unsurprising." She continued. "But even then he isn't actually the one in charge."

Gideon furrowed his brow, already ignoring his shadowy brother's apparent betrayal. "Then who is?"

"The one R.R. knows. A woman called C.C." She revealed.

"C.C.? Those names..." Of course the first thing that came to mind was the striking similarities between them, but he couldn't right it off as more than coincidence just yet.

"But it gets even stranger. See the man who called himself Adam just now? I've seen him before; he's been sabotaging R.R. for quite some time now, even made sure the Shinkiro couldn't be restored again. But I knew him as Z.Z." She explained.

"But that doesn't make any sense." Gideon replied. "If anything, that would mean he too would be there ally." Yes, that was the only real conclusion to make, if they all shared that connection. Because there was no way it was coincidence now. They all had similar names that were not their own. Each bearing them before meeting one another, at least in their more recent appearances. In truth, it seemed superfluous to consider their 'code names' even held any significance at all. But he couldn't help but feel like they were in fact too similar to be just that. These three key players were in some way connected, and he had no idea how. He supposed it was in a way beneficial to him that this Z.Z. was acting on his own. It was bad enough knowing two of his enemies had allied, but if a third; who held the kind of power he demonstrated just now...things could have ended worse.

"But there is one thing I have to know Gideon."

The emperor snapped from his thoughts to see his sister's serious face. He nodded in reply. "Of course."

"It is R.R.'s belief that you orchestrated the start of this war. That you built the Phoenix Order to use them to get to where you are now. At the time, I had believed it, although I was hesitant to do so. So tell me brother, can you deny that claim?" Marellia questioned, asking that she was wrong. For her, she hoped that she was.

Gideon, for his part, was completely shocked at the accusation. "How could you say such a thing? That I would...I would repeat the same mistakes made over a hundred years ago? You know how much it means to me that I diligently maintain the peace our father; our whole family has been responsible for. Even if in that I have already failed..." He added slowly. "Do I truly seem like the kind of man who would desire such a thing? Have I fallen that far?" His own defense seemed to be more directed at himself, rather than Marellia. Even still, she saw the pained look in his eyes as they fell to the floor, and recalled the years her brother spent dedicating himself to matters of the court. Studying not just Britannia's, but the entire world's affairs. There was a reason almost no one disputed his ascension to the throne, after all.

Could that kind of person really harbor such dark intentions?

No, if anyone held ulterior motives it would be the man who never once shared his true name. The man who offered a foolish plan giving him more power than anyone in the world; and for what? That in the end he would give it all up, including his own life?

And she was expected to believe that? Of course not.

"You've done far more than can be expected of one man Gideon. Its far easier to maintain an era of war than an era of peace, if history is anything to go by."

The emperor looked up at her, surprised at her response. "But I believe that justice may be on your side after all, and the will of the people behind you as well. You will overcome this, you won't be the one to lose sight of this peace we've all enjoyed for so long. Though you may be tested far more than any before you, it only means there is a brighter future over the hill."

Gideon gave her a small turn of his mouth, barely a ghost of a smile. "Thank you for your trust dear sister. Though I'm not sure I am deserving of it, I've not ready to give in just yet."

How she went from throwing accusations to offering comfort Marellia wasn't certain. But she knew for certain there was nothing in her brother to doubt.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Nora sat next to the bed that occupied the majority of the space in the small room. It was one of many medical rooms in their base of operations; her mother believed in complete self sufficiency, not even relying on the outside world for anything. It was the reason she was able to create such an organization in compete secrecy and run it for so long without so much as a rumor of its existence.

She quickly glanced to the bed's occupant, believing to have seen movement in the corner of her eye. Of course, there was nothing. He hadn't even taken a breath since their encounter with Z.Z. His body was motionless, his skin not yet cold. Almost as if he was frozen in some sort of limbo; his life not yet completely departed. She was familiar with the process of rebirth that went with the code's immortality. Her mother had been far more accepting of her own curse throughout her daughter's life, using its perks to their fullest. The fearless woman had placed herself in immense danger countless times to benefit the organization she built. And carrying back a lifeless corpse that often returned to life in her arms had become quite normal. It was a strange thing to say the least, but she had become accustomed to it. Or at most, it had always been that way for her. Her mother could not die, for as long as she could remember; and her father was the same. Yet she was terrified of the idea of losing him. Her mother had always been sensitive about the subject of her father. Both the unknown man she never knew, and the demon emperor she only recently discovered. Of course she knew about him, how couldn't she? That time had always been a touchy subject for her, though it was around that time that her organization was first created. Any attempt at asking her about it was met with silence, or a diverting answer. She hadn't wanted to talk about her experience in the era of Lelouch vi Britannia, and that was that. But now she knew why.

Her father had sacrificed his life for the entire world, and for that she was proud. But at the same time, he had abandoned her this whole time, even if he didn't know it. Nora wanted to ask him so many things though, the man whom she had inherited so many interests her mother cared nothing for. Hell, she had no idea why they had such a 'precious' chess set when her mother wouldn't even play with her. She always said she didn't know how, that there was only one person who could teach her. Something she always regretted refusing.

He was right in front of her, and yet he was beyond her reach. An offhand appraisal from him had genuinely sent her heart soaring, there was so much she could learn from him! The man who conquered the world, who threw nations into chaos with but a single voice. Something she had always aspired to be, someone like that. The Black Knights. Not those two faced traitors her mother detested so much, but the ones built upon the name of what they were meant to be. Of course it was rather impossible to inherit something from someone who would ever actually die, but she still felt it her responsibility, her birthright, to at least lead them beside her. Her mother had brought the Black Knights across the entire world, removing threats and mending cracks in the fragile peace she herself maintained. Britannia might like to believe it was their efforts that held the world together, but in truth it was much more her doing.

Nora had a father who challenged the greatest power to ever exist, ushering in a new era for the entire world; and a mother who held that era together for a whole century. And what was she in comparison? She certainly had quite a legacy to live up to.

And boy was she starting off strong.

The man in front of her remained unmoving. And she sighed in defeat. What could she do, if the man who conquered the world was nothing to Z.Z.?

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Vivian Weinberg took another cautious step through what might have once been a trail. Every inch was a battle against overgrown bushes and other plants however. What they were supposed to find here wasn't in need of a hiding place, that much was for certain. She wiped her gloved hand across her forehead. The heat wasn't helping either.

"Ryan, have you found anything on your end?" She asked the other knight over her headset, who was scouring she other side of the island.

"Nothing yet ma'am. The island appears completely uninhabited." Came his response.

"Nothing from up here either." Alex added from his temporary Vincent frame. "You'd think there would be something you could see."

"Maybe it was an airship after all." Enna suggested.

"Well, we shouldn't rule it out just yet." Vivian admitted before getting slapped in the face by a large leaf. "God why is it so damn hot he-" she couldn't finish, losing her footing and tumbling down the side of a small cliff. She landed in bush with a light crash, groaning at the sudden pain.

"Lady Weinberg! Are you alright?!" All her companions simultaneously voiced their worries in her ringing ears.

"I'm fine." She growled, soundly frustrated as she pulled a twig from her hair. "Wait a minute..."

As she became aware of her surroundings, she quickly realized it wasn't a cliff she fell over, but rather the mouth of a cave. "Maybe the entire thing is underground?" She muttered to herself, hobbling her way toward the cave entrance. It opened up to a rather large empty space, and she shone a light across the various plant life threatening to overtake the cave floor. She walked further back, until the walls closed around her, and she came to face something that certainly wasn't natural.

Pillars, carved walls, and stone steps leading to a giant door. It was cracked, a large chunk of it seemed to be only recently repaired. But she could still easily make out the markings carved into it, and the symbol emblazoned in the center.

Even still, the stone door didn't appear to actually have anything behind it. Was this what they were looking for? It was more than nothing, and definitely abnormal. But the more she investigated her discovery, the more anticlimactic it appeared. There was no secret lever or button, and no way to continue beyond the door. The cracks seemed to only reveal more stone behind them.

Vivian sighed in defeat, slumping against the stone door. She just hoped the others found something more interesting.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Lelouch stared dumbly at the person before him. His eyes had lost the determined fire they always seemed to have in their last few days. In its place, perhaps he found a sense of truth about the world even Lelouch had yet to glimpse.

"Suzaku." He breathed, hardly able to say much anything else.

"I love what you did with your hair, by the way." The young man before him said offhandedly as he crossed the infinite white to face him.

"That's what you have to say?" He laughed a little, finding a foothold in this impossible conversation. "You haven't changed in the slightest you know."

"Yes well, this is how the collective unconscious has chosen that I am perceived by you." The phantom Suzaku explained to him. "You know, thanks to your geass I actually lived to be quite old. I only finally kicked the bucket about twenty years ago. I hung up the fancy cape a long time earlier, when I felt the world no longer needed the miracle worker watching over them. But that didn't stop me from keeping my own eye open." He smiled, contrary to the pained features that crossed Lelouch's face.

"Suzaku...I-" he tried to say something before he was cut off.

"Don't apologize." Suzaku interrupted, perfectly aware of what his friend was going to say. "You served your sentence, and I served mine. We did some pretty messed up things, and we paid the price for it. Either way, I don't regret the life I lived. I felt proud, at some point, for being able to carry on Zero's legacy-your legacy, Lelouch. You were always more aware of the path you had to take, the things you needed to accomplish. I thought I had my own ideals, my own path, but I was really was a fool. I'm sorry that I never got to say this in life but...I was wrong." He gave another smile, more pained this time.

"I really thought I could change Britannia myself, from the inside. But I refused to see the fatal flaw with that way of thinking. Britannia wouldn't change no matter what I did, because I was not Britannia. No matter how much power I got, no matter who's neck I stepped on to get an inch closer, I could not reach the height I needed to make those changes. Because the world in reality was not the hierarchy we pretended it was. I had no control over the lives of those below me. The only one who had any say was the emperor himself. As a prince you knew that right from the start. And as your friend, a witness to what happened to you I should have too." Suzaku sighed, shaking his head just slightly. "All the while I preached condemnation for your line of thinking. I called your methods inexcusable because you simply did whatever it took to get what you wanted, what ultimately everyone wanted in the end. I said 'you should use the system to get what you want,' remember? As if the system would allow someone to completely erase its purpose. The best part was though, while talking you down I commited the very same atrocities in the name of my progress. Selling out your people, your best friend is the 'right way?' You were right. I was a fool."

"I don't think I was right either Suzaku, not completely." Lelouch finally spoke up, surprising his old friend with his words. "I was an angry, vengeful kid who saw only the path that satisfied my bloodlust. I kept justifying my actions by substituting my motives with Nunnally, and pretending like I had some noble cause. It really was a game for me, trying to see how much damage I could inflict on those who wronged me. As an added bonus maybe I could build a better world for Nunnally? The further down I went the more often it became an afterthought. I had to keep pushing thoughts like my humanity aside, telling myself that what I was doing was right. If I didn't, I don't know how I could have lived with myself, knowing I was the one who killed Euphy. God, I could never make up for what I did to her."

"She doesn't blame you, Lelouch." Suzaku suddenly said. "She knows it wasn't your fault."

"That doesn't change the fact that I should have known, I should have been prepared. I was so stupid to say that, and she paid the price for it." Lelouch continued, ignoring Suzaku's attempt at comfort.

"She really was better than the both of us. She had a pure vision of what the world could be, much more than what we could see." Suzaku instead chose a different approach. "I've had a very long time to think about that, after all. For a long time I blamed you for causing all the pain and suffering the world went through, disguising my own anger at losing her. I guess we didn't deserve the kind and gentle change Euphy desired. It was your fierce anger we got instead. Who knows what might have happened had she survived all that. But I've stopped worrying about what could have been, and I've started looking to what can be. You said it yourself didn't you? Humanity looks toward the future, ever striving for a better life ahead of them. Sometimes we look back, wondering what might have been. And sometimes we get lost, in that world of once was. But the ones who keep moving forward are the ones who build that future. You tore down the world so engrossed in the past, building that future in the process. You passed the torch on to me, and to Nunnally to ensure the world kept down that path. Now it's time the torch is returned to you. I don't believe it was a mistake you obtained that code. It's your duty to see this world moves on, and your right to forge it. You, who destroys worlds, and creates them anew."

The last time he smiled it was filled with confidence. Suzaku placed a hand on Lelouch's shoulder, and nodded. "Go on, my friend. There are people who still need you. You can't be wasting time talking with ghosts."

The dream faded, and Suzaku's form gone in the light. He could feel he weight of his body once more, and the sounds of the world around him. As his eyes struggled to break through the blanket of sleep, he heard one final message.

"And be sure to take care of my great grandkid for me, alright?"

This time Lelouch smiled, even if only in his mind. "Of course."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Isaac grit his teeth in frustration after returning from another failed attack. Ever since he discovered the 'Akuma's' illusion trick, they suddenly started playing a lot more defensively. Isaac quickly realized that he couldn't make dedicated strikes, knowing full well they likely were far from target. On top of that, his opponent would make swift counterattacks from an unseen angle. It took all he had just to minimize the damage, relying not on what he could see, but what he could feel. Even still, the sun was starting to set, and this battle was getting nowhere. The damage done to the city below had only steadily increased, and Z.Z. already wiped out any interference. It was clear this was only going to end with one of them a smoldering heap on the street. Except that wouldn't be happening any time soon, at this rate.

"Who are you?" He demanded. "What are you doing working with Z.Z.?!"

He heard what sounded like a scoff from his enemy. "What are you saying? Don't you know who it is you're working with?! The millions of people he's killed?!"

That surprised him. He supposed it made sense they would know who R.R. was, seeing Z.Z. did and all. And sure, he knew all about the demon emperor and how evil he was. Except now he had a new outlook on that, after seeing just what came out of such acts. "It was all for a just cause I'm sure your friend didn't bother to mention." He defended. "Those sacrifices were necessary to build the future, if they hadn't then the wars of the past would never have come to an end!" And he believed it. Sure he may not have lived those events one hundred years ago, but he heard stories. His family who lived at the time were right in the thick of it. He knew just how bad it was, and how good they had it now.

"So it's okay to just throw away lives like it's nothing?! What if you had to die to see that came true? What then?!" The pilot threw at him, switching to a frontal assault out of their verbal anger.

Isaac took the blow head on with his shields, engaging in a power struggle as he faced down the frame's sleek black claws. "Then so be it." He thought of Annie, everything he had already lost. He refused to let that be in vain. "Nothing comes without a price, and I'll gladly pay anything!"

"You idiot!" His opponent screamed at Isaac, shocking him. "Can't you see he's just using you?! R.R. won't make any of this go away, he's just making it worse!"

The Akuma attempted to bring its foot around into Isaac's head, but he backed away, distancing himself from the vicious knightmare. "Z.Z. is only trying to end all this conflict! Without anyone suffering!"

"Is this not what you call suffering?!" Isaac countered, gesturing to the detestation around them. "How is he any more righteous?"

Their was hesitation on his foe's end, and Isaac quickly seized to attempt landing a blow. The Akuma quickly brought its arms up to defend, resulting in another deadlock. "There is no righteousness is killing." They finally said. "All I want is to end it. Why can't you just see that's what we want?"

Isaac frowned, before quickly giving in to anger. "How am I supposed to agree with someone who murdered my sister?!" He slammed down on the smaller frame with all he had, sending it careening into a building.

After a few moments, the Akuma slowly pulled itself back up, making no attempt to retaliate. "Is that the reason then? Why you refuse to see the truth?"

The oddly calm voice only put Isaac further on edge. Instead of an attack, he heard a hissing of the cockpit being opened. The pilot finally revealed them self. The blood quickly drained from his face, looking upon someone he never thought he would see again.

"Then allow me to erase any doubts from your mind. My stupid brother."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I kind of feel like Isaac lacks much character, much to my dismay. I tried to at least give him a stance or his own ideals based off of what has happened to him recently. But I wish I had further expounded upon how he reached that conclusion. I've always wanted to add more stuff to previous chapters, little things like that, so maybe I finally will someday.