There were four doors.

Was there always four doors?

No… no there wasn’t.

The ever changing infinite Inn rooms were getting old now actually.

L.L. clicked his tongue as he took his time to decide. He’s been straight across but there’s no telling if he’ll end up in the same place. Backtracking to this fast time room had been a fluke at best.

L.L. moved and opened the door to his right.

The room gave way to another. It was mostly empty. A filler room to act as a seamless transition to another level of hell. It was fine.

The brunette closed the door behind him as he picked his poison, entering the room and crossing it to open the next door.

Another room.

Within a room.

Within a room.

Within a room?

The walls were lined with mirrors, he finally realized as he stared at his own rough appearance. He’s been awake for days, he thinks. It’s hard to tell when nearly all the clocks had a wildly different time depending on the threshold he crossed. The bags under his eyes said all that needed to be said.

L.L. turned to go back and try another door–

The door was gone.

“For hell’s sake!”

He screamed, his fingers twitching and balling into fists as his felt fatigue shattered another brain cell. He had to be committed now. Sure. Fine. Whatever!

It was endurance. Something he had very little of physically but this place only pushed and pushed and chased him down in some instances. He reached a hand out to touch the mirror to find that it was a free space to walk further into the room. Without much of a choice, he walked cautiously. There was no need to rush. There was nothing in here to really–

“Big brother.”

He froze. He blinked once. Twice. He rubbed at his eyes before his hands were taken and gently pulled from his face.

“R…Rolo?”

The young boy stood before him. Shiny and reflective and yet, his hands touched him. L.L. hands trembled as he touched back, reaching up to cup his little brother’s face. The skin didn’t give way. Cold and hard like marble.

Like the dead.

“You look tired, big brother.” His voice was soft, and soothing. He was so cold where their hands met.

“This place is driving me insane,” L.L. mutters as he starts to lose feeling in his fingers, and yet still couldn’t will himself to pull away.

“You can rest here. With me. I’ll keep you safe, big brother. You know that.” Rolo spoke and pulled him along. Deeper into the weaving mirrors and doubling lights and shadows. Keeping his eyes on Rolo kept him from feeling sick.

L.L. knew painfully well that Rolo would keep him safe. His memories were fabricated, rewritten, and the bitterness clouded even the happier memories he could’ve had with Rolo. He was so… angry with him. So hurt– so…

Those cold fingers lifted to wipe away his fallen tears. When did he start to cry? He can’t even feel his face anymore. L.L. was tired.

“I can’t.” He says softly. His voice was getting caught in his throat, stifled and scratchy.

“Why won’t you?”

“You know why.”

Being led on by a ghost whos’ arm stuck itself out of the mirror to comfort him made him hesitate. It would make anyone hesitate.

“I’m not dead.”

Rolo opened his mouth and his own voice answered him.

“Not yet.”

L.L. saw Rolo’s darkened expression before he realized what was happening. Rolo grabbed him with a strength that he didn’t possess in life and pulled him clear through the mirror right as a solid piece of metal shattered the mirror he had been standing in front of. The moment it exploded in glass, L.L. was expelled on the other side and out of whatever weird mirror world he had only peeked through. The sensation was not unlike diving into arctic water and breaching free on the other side.

Julius Kingsley stood on the other side of the mirrors, glaring not at L.L. but at Rolo who stood between them.

“Well, well, if it isn’t the defected cur,” Julius sneered as he wrapped both hands around his weapon, “Step aside. I’ll make you pay the moment I’m finished with him.”

“Lelouch, run!” Rolo roared as the lights above flickered before exploding into sparks, drowning the room into darkness. The mirrors reflected the darkness and nothing more. It made traveling through based entirely on sound.

If one could concentrate through the immediate rage that Julius Kingsley fell into. Glass shattered once, twice, thrice– and all of which sounded closer with every break. L.L.heart beat faster and faster, maybe he’ll die of a heart attack before Julius could ever properly get his hands on him. The thought brought a little bit of comfort even if it was a bitter pill.

“All you do is run! You run and allow every soul who ever gave a damn about you take the bullet meant for you,” Julius screamed, “There’s always a white knight that comes to your damn rescue and every time you spit on their kindness.”

The scream was strangled for a moment before laughter replaced the sound. Laughter that bounced off the empty void of mirrors and shattered pieces on the ground. Maddening laughter that laid white hot irons against the base of L.L.’s spine. Fear gripped him and his limbs as he scrambled to get away. He ran into the mirrors desperately, nails catching on nothing on the slick surfaces.

Julius continued.

“Why even run? Why prolong this? Just lay down, Lelouch.” The words managed to roll out calmly despite the laughter that threatened to spill over.

“I know you’re tired. I am too. Tired of letting you get away with everything you have ever done. Tired of letting you pretend that you’re fine with everything you’ve done. I’m sick of it.”

The glass right beside L.L.’s head shatters, nearly blinding him as the shards pelt his face. L.L.’s shoulders were gripped and he was dragged into another mirror before the weapon collided into his head.

He was moving in the darkness, quickly. Rolo gripped his wrist, dragging him through the walls of mirrors in his world. The world shattered one path at a time as Julius made a path of his own, going straight through. There was a light at the end of this darkness.

A door.

An exit.

The path shattered abruptly, catching L.L. midrun and nearly breaking his ankle as he stumbled and fell over himself.

“All you do is run!” Julius roared as he planted his foot onto L.L.’s chest, forcing him back down to the floor.

“Worse than a roach. Worse than something that should’ve stayed dead. You run from your memories. You run from the people who hurt you the most. You run from me.”

His hell dug further into the other man’s chest, squeezing out a wheeze from his lungs.

“Do you have anything to say for yourself? If not, then use your dying breath to call for another miracle–!!” The jagged piece of metal was held overhead ready to swing downward.

The blow never came.

Rolo's hands gripped Julius’ face as he struggled from the dead boy’s hold. He thrashed as he was pulled through the reflection, as if collapsing into a pool of water. L.L. grabbed at his chest as he stood on shaking legs.

In the darkness, he couldn’t make out Rolo himself, but he saw Julius. Saw as he fought against a phantom.

His life was plagued by phantoms. Dead and living and… Julius. He couldn’t run forever. He couldn’t. He was tired.

Rolo was yelling to him. Shouting.

For once, L.L. ignored him.

“You’re right, Julius.”

L.L. grits his teeth.

“I’m tired of running but most importantly, I’m tired of you.”

The scuffling paused, just long enough for the double to press his hand to the glass, “Kill yourself if you’re so tired. I’ll take over rightfully–”

“I can’t do that either. I’m the most selfish man on this planet. In this world. The people who love me are even more selfish than I am.” They found a way to bring him back from the dead after all.

Julius huffed, turning and pressing his hand over Rolo’s face. He was trapped, they both realized it now.

“So what? You’ll kill me? With your bare hands?”

“No.”

They stared at each other for a few moments.

“I can do it for you, big brother,” Rolo supplies.

“I’ll just come back.” Julius counters.

“Then I’ll accept you.”

Disbelief filtered over mirrored features as both hands pressed against the glass.

“You’ll accept me? You’re not just accepting me. It’ll be every sin you ever failed to take accountability for. Every emotion that you bottled away. Every piece of anger you’ve buried–”

“I accept it all. Like you said before. I’m tired.”

It was clear, in that moment, they both were.

“Rolo. You can let him go.”

“Are you sure, Lelouch?”

“I’m sure. I won’t be able to leave here until something changes. I have to be the one to change. I’ll change as many times as it takes.”

Rolo frowned, he could tell that much, but the surface where Julius’ hands pressed against the mirror rippled. Almost reluctantly was the man released from the mirror.

They stared at each other once more.

L.L. wanted to avoid it. Even now, he wants to turn tail and run. His back was against the door. His hand outstretched.

Julius stared. His expression was unreadable. He was still angry. L.L. could tell. Maybe it would be something that never truly goes away. And that would be fine too.

Julius took the hand into his own.

“I’m only giving you one chance.”

L.L. sighed, “I only need one.”

The hand in his own warmed, knocking off the chill Rolo had left. The nightmare before him began to fade. A shimmer of light radiated on the edge Julius’s form before a bright flash blinded L.L..

His senses were shot, leaving only the sensation of falling through the ground.

“I’ll see you soon, big brother,” Rolo voice calls after him.

L.L. blinked his eyes open and with the new stream of light came a second set of memories from that hellish place.