Fuyuki City
Lelouch and Avenger made their way in silence. The forest and German Castle were long behind them as the two made their way towards a quiet place where they could talk without interruption. Soon they found themselves standing on the side of the river and staring at Fuyuki Bridge. Lelouch turned around and noticed an empty sidewalk with a bench not too far away from them.
"Let's stop here," he announced and made his way towards one of them.
Avenger raised an eyebrow. "What about returning home?"
"We weren't followed otherwise you would have informed me already. We need to discuss some stuff, Avenger. And talking in fresh air is a better choice." Lelouch said without turning back. This place was empty and far away from Castle. Avenger decided to comply and sat next to him.
Once again both of them were silent. Avenger occasionally glancing at Lelouch. The Demon Emperor sighed before asking the first important question.
"How much have you seen?" Avenger knew about him being from the Royal family and from glances and stares he received from her during Saber's speech she most certainly knows about Zero Requiem. Considering how much his servant already learned from her dreams might give Lelouch enough to work with. 'Avenger knowing about my past might be dangerous. I need to make sure she doesn't know too much.'
Avenger was silent for a moment, trying to remember how much she had seen. Her face darkened as she said in a low tone. "I saw your death."
Lelouch clenched his fist. "You knew I was an Emperor-"
"And your past in Japan before that." Lelouch raised an eyebrow."You have seen my dreams as well. You know what it is like."
He nodded. "Yes. It is like you are here, reliving a moment, except it is the memory of someone else. But I knew about your identity even before seeing your memories, Oda Nobunaga."
A Japanese daimyō of the Sengoku period. The achievements of Nobunaga, no matter how terrible some of them were, helped to unify Japan at that time. While Britannia made sure to put down Elevens as an inferior race, they did show sympathy to a few Japanese historical figures who were good examples of Britannia Social Darwinism. Oda Nobunaga was one of those people, however, it didn't mean that Britannia allowed the open spread of Japanese culture and history. Cultural genocide was a reliable weapon when dealing with areas and the empire wasn't about to change its policy just for one person. Lelouch was certain that if it wasn't for Ashford Academy's more 'tolerable' stand towards the history of Japan, Oda Nobunaga would have been just another failed reformer.
'And now, Oda Nobunaga is sitting next to me.'
Avenger's lip formed a thin line. "I don't remember permitting you to call me by name so casually… But considering what I know about you, I will make an exception for you. So feel free to show your gratitude." Oda Nobunaga said with a smile.
"Hmm, it wasn't hard to learn your true identity but I decided to keep it a secret." Nobunaga looked curious."You keeping your true name secret didn't hinder our working relationship so far. You didn't want to share your identity and I didn't want to force you without serious reason." Besides, after dealing with someone like C.C, Lelouch has learned that trying to make a woman speak about her secrets when she clearly didn't want to was pointless.
"Oh my, how considerate of you...your majesty." Lelouch made a mistake and reacted with a frown. One glance at his servant was enough to see that she was amused. "I see you don't like being called as such."
"...that part of my life was hardly the most pleasing."
"I see. Well, it was fun one time, no need to ruin it." The redheaded woman said as she turned away and looked at the river before them.
Lelouch, seeing this asked. "You have many questions as well. What do you think about my past?"
She looked at him before with a sigh raising her head and looking at the moon above them. "It wasn't my first dream about you. The first time when I saw your memory I thought it was too absurd. Giant machines fighting in the air and one young man taking over the world. My first thought was that you were a servant who somehow managed to be reincarnated and joined the Grail War." She stopped when Lelouch started to laugh.
"Me as a servant? Heh, I cannot see that," he said with a smirk.
"Really? I have to disagree. Not everyone puts on a mask and starts a revolution that manages to put the entire world in disarray." The woman laughed. "Zero, with that flashy costume of yours and all those speeches and fancy theatrical movements. Not gonna lie, they were spectacular to watch."
"...I was just a person in a mask who just knew what to do at that time. Few people know the truth and none of them will ever tell it." It wasn't hard to imagine how shocking and dangerous it would be if the truth of the Demon Emperor and Zero being the same person came out. Especially with Suzaku wearing the mask it might destroy whatever peace was made after his death. "Compared to heroic spirits like Artoria, Iskandar or Gilgamesh, I'm no one important." Of course, thinking about it more carefully, if Lelouch managed to become a servant, then the assassin class might be a perfect fit for him. Maybe Rider if the Grail let him use his Knightmares as mounts. 'However, she said it wasn't too likely to happen especially now.'
Avenger let out a loud laugh before becoming quiet for a moment after what she did her best to mimic his voice. "I have destroyed the world and created it new. Tell me, master, if that sounds familiar to you." Avenger said with a smug expression.
Lelouch's smirk didn't disappear but he stared at her for a long moment. "So you do know about Zero Requiem," Lelouch said disappointedly. This wasn't good. He knew that it was most likely but a tiny part of Lelouch still hoped that it would be easier.
"You know, Lelouch." Avenger started as she crossed her leg over another. "My life's goal was to unite Japan, destroy the old system and create a new one. So imagine how irritated I must feel to see someone else achieve my dream and waste all of it. And worst of all, I still cannot understand why you did it, all of it. Why waste your own life when you had everything in your hands? When on your word and anything you wanted would be done." Her head came closer to his, her red eyes stared at him intensely. "Why did you kill yourself?"
She was demanding the truth. Lelouch's face didn't show any emotion, only a cold mask. This was what he was hoping to avoid. 'She spent her life trying to unify Japan and rule it. Trying to create a new system and replace one that was too corrupt. We both wanted change, we both did everything to achieve it and we both were betrayed. But Nobunaga died before she managed to see her dream while I died as a result of my own plans...I did what she spent her life trying to achieve but basically killed myself as Zero Requiem demanded.'
In Nobunaga's eyes, she and Lelouch both tried to do the same thing but he was more successful. And to see someone just waste such accomplishment, according to her, was confusing and even vexing. Lelouch could understand and sympathize to some degree with her but he didn't see his death as a waste.