When Yuuji returned home after spending time with C.C, he didn’t return alone.

  He had messaged Lelouch, Tatsuya, and Satoru about what happeo C.C this m and asked them to meet together in the mansion to discuss their pn with Mao. So, he air-lifted Leloud returo the mansion with him.

  When they arrived, no one had arrived yet. Tatsuya and Satoru had just made their way back to the mansion from the Bight’s base.

  So, while waiting, Yuuji prepared some tea and snacks for himself, Lelouch, and the other two.

  Half an hour ter, Satoru and Tatsuya arrived and they sat together in the living room with a cup of tea and some tea snacks.

  “I saw your message… Did he really appear?”

  Tatsuya asked with a frown, his eyes looking directly at Yuuji. Satoru was simirly ed about the situation, as well as Leloubsp;

  “Yes…”

  Yuuji nodded and began to tell them what had happened from the moment he saw C.d Mao from the windows of his until his return with Leloubsp;

  And after he told his story, silence fell upon the room.

  “Hah… Troublesome work aliles up when you’re busy, huh…?”

  Satoru let out a deep sigh that came from his tired, overworked, saryman soul. But it wasn’t just the veteran saryman who thought that way. Tatsuya also nodded in agreement.

  “Yes… Just as we’re getting busy preparing for the operation…”

  “I know… It’d be nice if we could deal with Mao first. After being agitated like that, I doubt he’ll stay quiet for too long. He might do something to Nunnally, Shirley, or Karen to threaten us a C.C back.”

  Lelouch’s brows furrowed at the thought of his little sister in danger. Especially since he had seen her in danger because of Mao in the anime.

  “We’ll o act quickly… General Katase had been relocated to the Oil Tanker in Port Yokosuka. And elia seemed to be mustering her forces to attack him there.”

  Lelouch had used his [Mind of the World] to know if things would go acc to the “plot” in the anime. And although elia was tetheriween going through with the mission or not until the very end due to their deal ba Narita, she chose to attabsp;

  And if General Katase along with the Japan Liberation Froo fall during this attack like it did in the ahey would have a much harder time pleting their st and final mission in this world…

  “So she refused to abide by our deal in Narita?”

  Lelouch looked down a out a sigh at Tatsuya’s question.

  “...She was flicted until the very end. But her generals vinced her to strike now.”

  “I see…”

  Silence fell once more between the four before Satoru raised a suggestion.

  “Maybe I have my phantoms guard C.unally, and Shirley ahem safe while we go to Port Yokosuka.”

  Tatsuya nodded.

  “That’s a good idea. But it’d be better if we could deal with him now. There’s no guarahat he’ll only target those three. He could target anyone Leloud Yuuji are close with.”

  “That’s true…”

  Yuuji closed his eyes, falling into thought, before opening them once more.

  “I’ll stay with C.C for the time being. If Mao came to them, then I’ll deal with him.”

  Without his geass, Mao was just a regur nky guy with a lot of screws loose. And even if he procured a on like he did in the anime, a simple gun won’t be a threat to him.

  “You guys focus on your preparations for our operation in Port Yokosuka. And… Well, tell Karen and the others I’m busy with something and that I will return for the operation if they ask.”

  Lelouch held his in thought for a moment, before turning towards Yuuji and nodded.

  “...Alright. I’ll leave this matter to you, Yuuji.”

  “Of course.”

  --------------------------------X--------------------------------

  As the days passed and the nights grew long as the Bight’s operation in Port Yokosuka drew near, “Mordred”, the aightmare frame pilot and owner of their most powerful and key unit, “Excalibur”, was absent.

  Needless to say, Ohgi, Tamki, and many members of the Bights questioned his absence, including and especially Karen.

  But Zero simply told them that Mordred would be doing another mission that he wouldn’t tell anyone about.

  She was… upset, to say the least, and she had been in a bad mood ever since. She would sigh one moment, and then punched a crate in frustration with a pout on her fa the .

  The red-haired girl ore no one wao bother these days.

  Meanwhile, Yuuji felt a cold wind blow past his face, and to his surprise, also felt shivers down his spi that moment.

  “Hm…? Are you cold? Should we head back?”

  C.C asked with apparent in her eyes and voice. She was wearing a thick cardigan, long pants, and a cap, so she was fih the cold night winds.

  Him, oher hand, was only in a regur bck colred shirt and long pants.

  He didn’t bring any jacket sihey only pnned on hanging out in her room all day. But, C.ted to go on a walk around Ashford Academy’s courtyard spontaneously after the night fell, so they went.

  But even then, Yuuji shouldn’t be feeling cold from just a little night breeze… His [Divine Physique] should’ve made his body ued by such a small ge in temperature.

  Which was why Yuuji was quite surprised when that little breeze made him shiver.

  “No, I’m fi’s rare to be able to see the academy at this time of night. And the sky is clear today. Let’s enjoy it. We’ve been cooped up in your room eating pizza all day for too long.”

  He shook his head and looked at C.C with a smile. But despite his assurance, C.C didn’t seem entirely vinced.

  She stared at him in silence for a few moments, before letting out a sigh.

  “Alright, suit yourself.”

  They tio walk in silence just like before. But soon, Yuuji noticed her walking closer and closer to him until they’re shoulders were almost toug, and occasionally not even almost.

  Is she… trying to keep me warm by getting closer to me…?

  His eyes wide the realization and looked down on C.C, who was only around his shoulder height.

  A few moments ter, C.ced up and saw his gaze directed at her, and she immediately averted her face away.

  “...”

  Yuuji’s mind short circuited. C.C was ag… extremely cute right now… Normally, she would be aloof and cold, and would only talk whearted the versation.

  But now… S-She was ag so cutely!

  I-Is this really C.C…? C-Could she be an imposter?! There’s no way C.C could be this cute!!!

  “Ow!”

  “....Why did I get the feeling that you’re thinking something rude right now?”

  Yuuji flinched, more so in surprise rather than in pain from the pinch C.C did to his waist. She was furrowing her brows as she stared at him acgly.

  “I-I wasn’t, I swear…”

  “Hm...”

  Her golden eyes tio look at the handsome boy by her side, still clearly unvinced. But fortunately for him, she let it go in the end, and Yuuji mao get off free from the crimes he was guilty of as accused.

  Just then, Yuuji stopped in his tracks and pulled C.C behind him by her arm.

  “Ah-! What are you doi-”

  “Stay behind me.”

  C.C froze when she heard the grim tone in his voice. She followed the dire of his gaze, which was a plete 180 degrees from his normally rexed and g gaze he had, and her eyes widened in shobsp;

  She heard footsteps of boots on grass that didn’t belong to them. And from the veil of darkness, a familiar figure that she met just a few days ago appeared.

  “Ahahaha… I’ve finally found you~”

  A wide, mad grin spread across his face as Mao made his approach. The headphones he would always wear that would py C.C’s loving words to him and help him subdue to incessant noise ing directly into his mind were down to his nestead of his ears.

  And the purple vissses he always had c his eyes were absent, revealing the two bird-shaped marks of geass, madness, and hatred in his eyes.

  “You know… It’s iing how I ’t read your mind… Alexander.”

  Venom spilled down every single one of the words he had spoken to Yuuji with hatred clear in his voice.

  “I even took off my gsses and headphones so that I hear the voiside your pretty head. But even when I’m this close… I still ’t hear it. I wonder why… Ah, perhaps…”

  His eyes narrowed as he gazed directly into Yuuji’s eyes.

  “Did you receive a geass from my C.C that allowed you to block eass?”

  “I have no reason to answer your question.”

  He shrugged as a smirk returo his face.

  “It’s fine. I don’t care either way. After all…”

  Mao reached into his coat and pulled out a glock 17 with a silencer equipped on its muzzle, and aimed it straight at Yuuji.

  “I don’t to get what I want.”

  “Mao!!!”

  C.C tried to move in front of Yuuji, but his arm kept her from doing so. Instead, he moved to cover her even more.

  Although he knew C.C would not die from a gunshot, the pain she felt would still be painful as any other normal human would experience. And he didn’t wao suffer that kind of pain anymore. So, he covered her small body with his since such little thing would not be able to even reach him.

  But C.C didn’t know of his power and yelled at him in a panic.

  “What are you doing?! Do you want to die!”

  “It’s fine, C.C. Don’t worry.”

  “How I not-”

  “Oh, how chivalrous~! You make me sick…”

  “Stop!!!”

  C.C yelled once more as Mao raised his gun slightly to aim at Yuuji’s head. But Yuuji kept his calm a C. ing in front of him.

  “C.e with me and I won’t pull this trigger. It’s going to be okay. Everything will return to how it should be. No one will get hurt.”

  While the tone of his voice was gentle and reassuring, C.C could feel the chilling madness g each of his words.

  She could no longer see any sembnce of the i little boy she knew and cared for in the silver-haired man before her.

  In her silence, Mao tio “persuade” his beloved C.C as he kept his gun trained on the point iween Yujii’s calm eyes.

  “I don’t want to do this either, C.C. But you left me no choice… I don’t want to dirty my hands, but I will if it means you’ll e to me. So please… e back, C.C.”

  “You don’t have to listen to him, C.C”

  “Alex….”

  Mao’s frown deepened when he heard Alex’s words. His eyes widened with rage and his voio longer held any sembnce of gentleness and persuasion.

  “e to me before I shoot him at the t of three! Owo… Thre-”

  “Fine! I’ll e with you!”

  C.C broke away from Yuuji as strongly as she could, shog him. He was ready to lu Mao the moment he was going to shoot. And with his speed, he could reach him and subdue him before he could even pull the trigger.

  But C.C’s voice pierced the silent night right before he could do so.

  C.C looked down to the ground as she began to turn her body towards Yuuji. And then, she looked up.

  C.C rarely showed her emotions on her face. Instead, she showed them with her eyes, and Yuuji loved her various cute emotions that would appear in her beautiful golden eyes.

  But this time, her eyes were cold, devoid of aions that would normally be present. Ahere was a tear that flowed down the er of her eyes.

  “...I ehe time we spent together.”

  The time they’ve spent together… The pizzas they’ve shared… And the versation they’ve had.

  The st few days had been the happiest time she have had for a long time. And she thought this time… it would st a bit longer.

  But of course, life still found its way to rip her away from her happiness, just like it always has.

  “Don’t worry… You’ll be safe… Everyone will be safe this way… I will keep him away from you. Goodbye…”

  C.C turned her face away, uo look at him for another sed.

  If she did… she was afraid that her heart would waver. And she would regret it her entire immortal life if Alexander died because of her.

  A rge, childlike smile spread aao’s face when he heard her decision. Finally… Finally, C.C will return to him!

  But as she was about to walk towards him, Yuuji caught her hand and held it firmly.

  “No… I won’t accept that kind of parting, C.C.”

  “Alexander…”

  He pulled her closer, and with his other hand, he turned her tear-stained face towards him.

  “Stay with me, C.C. You don’t o tear yourself away from happiness. Not anymore. For as long as I’m by your side… I won’t let anything tear you away from your happiness.”

  Tears tio flow as she looked up into his beautiful eyes. She felt the strength she had mustered to make the decision to leave him disappear as if it had never existed.

  She tried to pry away the hand holding her, only to find herself holding onto him even more.

  “What do you wish for, C.C…?”

  She looked down to the ground, her body shaking like a trembling child.

  “An end… Ao this suffering… Ao my abominable life…”

  She had enough… All her life, all she had known was suffering and pain. The pain of having her happiness ripped away from her.

  All she wanted… was to be loved. Was it s for her to wish for such a thing?

  Was she wrong to yearn for happiness, just like everyone else?

  If it was… Then why was she even born…?

  Rather than tinuing a life of suffering… She’d rather find pea the C’s world ond for all…

  “Then I will end it now.”

  She felt a pair of arms around her and pulled her into a warm embrace, causio stiffen and froze in pbsp;

  “C.C…. Your life of misery ends here… From now on, you will live in happiness.”

  “You…”

  Warmth spread across her chest, like a gentle, warm spring breeze that blew away the chilliness of winter.

  And his words, like a heavenly ahat decred the end of her life of suffering, lifted the heavihat had been weighing down her heart and repced the darkness with a brilliant light.

  “Alex…”

  She felt her body lose its strength as she melted into his embrace. But suddenly, a loud voice startled her, causio stiffen once more in his embrace.

  “Y-You… W-What are you doing to my C- Kuh-!!”

  Mao raised his voice. But the moment he was about to pull the trigger, he felt a child ran down his spihat froze his entire body in pce.

  He saw Yuuji’s gre directed at him, and with it, he felt a tremendous pressure pressing down onto him from above, causing his legs to tremble with fear.

  Yuuji released C.C, raised her face up towards him, and wiped her tears with his thumb.

  “You look so ugly with a tear on your eyes…”

  Her eyes widened for a moment at his ued remark. But in the moment, she pinched his waist with narrowed eyes and pouted lips.

  “Is this the time to say that…?”

  Yuuji let out a small chuckle and smiled at her cute pout.

  “You’re right. Let’s deal with him first.”

  “...He has a gun.”

  C.C ched her hands onto his shirt and pulled, trying to stop him from going. But Yuuji held her hands, and removed them softly.

  “Don’t worry.”

  He let go of her. And in a blink of an eye, his figure disappeared and reappeared in front of Mao.

  “WHAT TH-! AARGHH!”

  A burst of pain hit Mao’s hand, causing him to let go of the gun. Then, he felt an arm around his ned legs ed around his torso and arms from the back, preventing him from moving.

  “Y-YOU BIT-! URRGHH!!”

  “Stay down or I’ll snap your neck.”

  “HAH! LIKE HELL YOU WILL! YOU DON’T HAVE THE GUTS FOR THAT!”

  “Oh really?”

  Mao immediately felt a chill down his spine when he felt Alexander slowly tighten his hold around his neck. Air began to stop flowing into his lungs as his eyesight slowly became blurred.

  Maled as much as he could, filing his arms and legs around to try and free himself from Alexander’s hold.

  But nothing… Instead of a human, he felt as if he was held by steel beams ed around him.

  But suddenly, he felt the hold around his neck loosen, allowing him to finally gasp for air.

  “Well, I won’t kill you. After all, it’s not my pce to do that.”

  Yuuji looked forward, and Mao instinctively followed his gaze. And in that moment, his eyes widened in surprise when he saw C.C pig up the gun he had dropped and walked towards him.

  She kneeled down beside him and Yuuji loosened his hold on Mao when he felt his body rexing in C.C’s presence.

  “C-C.C… Y-You’ve finally e to your senses… You’ve finally e bae.”

  He said with a geone of happiness and relief in his voice. His eyes sparkled in happiness as a wide grin spread across his face.

  “No, Mao… It’s time to end this…”

  “Huh…? What do you mean…?”

  Mao froze and the smile left his expression when C.C looked at him with sad eyes.

  “I did love you, Mao… You were a pure, i, and bright child… And I did regret ever giving you yeass.”

  A bad premonition began to sink into his heart, and he began struggling once more, trying to hold onto C.C with his one broken hand.

  “No, it’s okay, C.C! I use this geass properly now! We just go to a quiet pce, just the two of us, and live happily ever after!”

  She shook her head.

  “I’m sorry. I ’t do that.”

  “Eh…? Why…?”

  She pced the silenced pistol on his neck.

  “I would’ve said to wait for me in the C’s world, but… Maybe you shouldn't.”

  She gnced up at Yuuji for a moment before looking back down at Mao.

  “Because… I don’t think I’ll be visiting that pce soon.”

  “Ah-”

  C.C pressed the trigger. The geass in Mao’s eyes finally disappeared.

  And in that moment… She finally closed one of the chapters in her misery-filled past with her own hands.

  VergsX