Power of the Kings: Round Two

Rejecting the Ragnarök

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I stare up at the ceiling as I lie on the couch. C.C.'s cheese plushie on my stomach as I have my arms wrapped around it. She ran off sometime ago, determined to save Lelouch, and I just let her go. There's really nothing I can do anymore. Everything is out of my hands, so all I can do is sulk alone in the room I used to share with Lelouch.

It wasn't that long ago that Kallen came to take Lelouch, and his identity was revealed to everyone. He stood in front of the Black Knights and lied right to their faces. I don't blame him. At this point, lying is better than telling the truth. The less people that know the truth, the less they can hurt him. Zero has now been declared dead to the world. They've also revealed that Infinity has sustained life-threatening injuries at a previous battle. In a sense, I've been grounded.

I don't feel like I'm in trouble, though. All the Black Knights knew my true identity, and I didn't keep any secrets from them. Lelouch was the only one that kept secrets from all of us. Still, I was the closest to Zero from the start, and I knew his identity almost from the very beginning. It was the only secret I had to keep, but it wasn't my secret to tell even if I wanted to. Lelouch was the only who could reveal his identity. Still, I can understand if the others are frustrated or mad at me. At this point, I don't think there is anything I can do to help.

The door hisses open, and I don't even move to see who has entered. I don't care who sees me like this. Even if it is just a low ranked Black Knight bringing me food. I've lost the will to keep fighting back against all the despair.

"Are you going to keep sulking there? Or would you like to get out and fight?" C.C. says, but her voice doesn't sound like the scared slave girl anymore.

"C.C.?" I sit up, looking over at the girl staring over at me with her arms crossed. "Am I dreaming? Why are you acting like yourself again?"

"This isn't a dream, and an old friend of mine broke me out of the realm that I had trapped myself in. I came back to grab that," she points to the plushie, "and you. Are you coming or not?"

"Hold on, I have a few questions. Why the hell did our connection break? Did you do that on purpose?"

"I did," she nods. "It was for your own good. You deserve to be free of me. You don't have to keep trying to show me that you've mastered the gift I have given you. I can see that. My contract with you was never for you to kill me so I could move on from this eternal life. You're the only person I've made a different contract with."

"And what was it?"

"To have you be my true friend. The connection we had grew as we grew closer, but I knew that one day I would have to separate us. I never knew that I would hurt you that much, but now you can live without any fear of not fulfilling our contract. Your life is fully in your hands now."

"But I still want to be your friend. I still want to be able to spend time with you. You've been the one person in my life that can listen to everything that goes on in my mind. I can't lose you, C.C. Not after knowing that I am going to lose..." I feel the name lodge in my throat, and then I jump to my feet. "Where are we going?"

"To Kamine Island. That is where Charles has gone, and where my friend needs us to be."

"Then let's go," I toss the plushie over to her. "It is better than sulking in this room until they deem me healed to address the world."

"Good," she turns and leads the way out of the room. "I know that I haven't kept much from you, but this person who came is someone I gave Geass to many years ago. She knows you because I've told her about you, so don't be alarmed when she is happy to see you. We'll take her Knightmare to Kamine Island."