CluClu

"You are not alone. We are partners. If you are a witch, then I will become a warlock."

- Lelouch to C.C.

CluClu is the het ship between Lelouch vi Britannia and C.C. from the Code Geass fandom.

Canon
Lelouch and C.C. are accomplices in Lelouch’s efforts to destroy the Britannian Empire. At first the two simply use each other as a means to achieve their own goals but throughout the events of the Rebellion, they grow to care and mutually support each other, forming a much more profound bond.

First Season: R1
In The Day a New Demon was Born Lelouch encounters C.C. for the first time when investigating the wreckage of a vechicle driven by resistance operatives after hearing her voice. There he unveils a giant capsule with what was informed to be filled with deadly poison, only to reveal a mysterious girl restrained inside. Upon being released, the two are then cornered by the military in an attempt to escape. Lelouch is about to be executed for discovering C.C. but she exclaims not to kill him and that he mustn’t die, shielding him from a bullet and saving his life. Desperate about his impending death, Lelouch is suddenly grabbed by C.C. where she proposes a contract that would allow him to live and endows him with Geass, the power of kings, in exchange for granting her wish. Lelouch accepts the terms and C.C. smiles to herself on the ground, supposedly dying.

However, C.C. suddenly reappears alive and well at his residence in The Princess and the Witch, to Lelouch's shock. He promptly drags her away to his bedroom to interrogate her, learning of her immortality and more about his Geass ability. Lelouch then inquires where she will go with the military out searching for her. In response C.C. strips down and climbs under the bedcovers, deciding to stay as the safest option, despite Lelouch's objections. Later on it is shown that the two share his bed regardless. From this point on she passively oversees Lelouch's missions as Zero, only interfering to keep him alive in order to fulfil their contract. It is also where C.C. begins obsessively ordering pizza with presumably his details without permission and even wearing his clothes.

Upon hearing of Cornelia's intention to launch an assault on the Saitama Ghetto, unbeknownst to him it was a provocation to lure him out, Lelouch plans to confront her. C.C. warns him but is unable to deter him, proceeding to hold him at gunpoint and casually threatening to immobilise him if necessary. Knowing he's only useful to her alive, the two engage in a stand-off as Lelouch turns his own gun on himself, vowing he would rather die than return to the old life he lived, as until he met C.C. he was nothing but a powerless corpse. When Lelouch is cornered by Cornelia, C.C. suddenly makes an appearence donning his Zero outfit, providing a distraction to the Britannian Army while Lelouch flees. Meeting in the underground sewers, Lelouch asks why she decided to rescue him and C.C. repeats that she can't have him die so early before fulfilling his part of the bargain. As she openly mocks him, Lelouch resolves to build an army and a nation that cannot fall to Britannia.

In Guren Dances, Lelouch browses through several files of potential candidates to the newly formed Black Knights while C.C. notes how wonderful it is that the amount of people interested in joining up keeps growing. Lelouch reasons that it’s because Elevens generally despise terrorism and that people always love a hero, especially a knight, meanwhile C.C. teases those are hardly words a true knight would say. When they reach Narita, Lelouch unexpectedly finds C.C. outside and goes to talk with her, where she tells him she’s there to protect him. She’s also curious as to why he decided to keep his first name but changed his family name to “Lamperouge”, suggesting that he’s sentimental and can’t move on from the past. Lelouch counters by questioning her use of the name “C.C.” as it’s not human and C.C. suddenly turns to him, asking if he knows why snow is white. When he doesn’t respond, she claims that snow is white because it’s forgotten what colour it’s supposed to be. After failing to capture Cornelia and being forced to eject from his Knightmare, Lelouch is confronted by Suzaku; both still unaware of the other's identity, but is saved again by C.C. as she makes contact with the Lancelot, creating another diversion. Refusing to leave her behind he brings a hand to her shoulder, simultaneously peering into her memories as well as Suzaku’s shock images, resulting in the latter to break down and wound C.C. in the process.

Lelouch quickly retreats with C.C. inside a cave to attend to her, ruminating with the idea of analysing a sample of her blood, when she inadvertently murmurs her real name, surprising him. A bloody handkerchief is then seen falling into the water, Lelouch allegedly abandoning the thought of running tests as C.C. regains consciousness. He reveals to know her true name and thanks her for saving him, not only then but back when she gave him Geass, moving C.C. to tears as no one had ever genuinely thanked her before. Overcome with emotion, she asks him to show his gratitude by repeating her name again like it was something he treasured in his heart, only the result is disappointing. When Kallen arrives after being contacted by Lelouch, she meets C.C. for the first time and asks who she is, to which he tells her that she is a very important friend of his. Before they depart, Lelouch finally responds to C.C. that while he does not know why snow is white, he still thinks it’s beautiful.

When one of the casualties of their battle at Narita was Shirley's father, Lelouch is riddled with guilt, causing C.C. to become incredulous. While in his room, she accuses him of being soft and ill-prepared for the path of bloodshed. Furious as she continues to provoke him, Lelouch pins her to the bed. C.C. however, reaffirms that he has no right to lose his nerve now and tells him not to disappoint her. The appearence of another user named Mao driven mad by his Geass puts an initial strain on their relationship as Lelouch is shown the lengths C.C. will go to fulfil her wish, while C.C. is cautious of the growing attachment Lelouch has for her. Mao's character is depicted to be a dark reflection of Lelouch and serves to foreshadow the consequences of frequently using his Geass and as well as the developing relationship between him and C.C. While reluctantly working together to track him down in Cheering Mao, Lelouch is contacted by Mao and blackmails C.C. into leaving Lelouch by threatening to reveal his identity. Hurt by her decision, Lelouch states she knows too much about him and attempts to use Geass on her, ordering her to stay by his side only for it to be proved ineffective.

Arriving at the deserted amusement park, Clovisland, as their meeting location, Mao incapacitates her before pulling out a chainsaw to make her more "compact" for their travels, only to be interrupted by Lelouch. He proceeds to antagonise Mao by preying on his jealousy, insinuating an intimate relationship with C.C. and that he knows her true name, leading to Mao attacking the monitor in a fit of rage and being surrounded by police officers under the influence of Geass. After shooting him down, the police escort Lelouch and C.C. away to a rooftop where Lelouch promises to her that he won't be consumed by Geass like Mao was, that he will conquer its power while also fulfilling the contract he failed to. In turn, C.C. cautiously asks if he's saying this out of comfort, pity or obsession. Lelouch replies that it is a new contract from him to her and C.C. accepts by shaking his hand.

Overtime C.C. takes on a more material role of Lelouch’s advisor and becomes a person he’s comfortable being vulnerable around, confiding in her with his doubts and concerns. She also officially becomes part of the Black Knights, taking more of an active role in their operations. Uncertain of her position but seeing them work closely together, alludes to her title as "Zero's Mistress" - which neither party seems to be bothered by. When Lelouch steals the Gawain from Schneizel - the duo’s most infamous Knightmare Frame in battle - C.C. is appointed the co-pilot while Lelouch operates the weapons.

Another turning point in their relationship follows the aftermath of the Special Administrated Zone massacre. In At Least With Sorrow, Lelouch returns to C.C. and grieves over his actions, revealing that he thought his power had weakened when Euphemia resisted his influence initially. Trembling while reflecting on his sister’s death, C.C. comforts him with an embrace and promises to stay with him to the very end.

Entering the final phase of the Black Rebellion, the two engage in battle using the Gawain and finally defeat Cornelia. During Lelouch’s interrogation, C.C. senses something and urges him to get back inside the unit, informing him of Nunally’s kidnapping. At first he passes it off as an untimely joke but she insists they head to Kamine Island to rescue her. They eventually arrive at the island and activate a trap, where Lelouch experiences visions of C.C.’s gruesome deaths throughout history; including burning at the stake, the iron maiden, guillotine, World War I, the Hundred Years' War, and the French Revolution, horrifying him. C.C. affirms them as her memories, and continues that she has forgotten ever being human at all as everything vanishes into an endless flow of time, leaving her all alone. However, Lelouch reassures her that she has him, and that if she is a witch, then he’ll become a warlock. They’re suddenly intercepted by their pursuer Jeremiah and C.C. decides to handle him on her own, imploring Lelouch to prevail in overcoming his past. Caught up in her emotions, C.C. kisses him goodbye, much to his shock and drops him back onto the island.

They share one last exchange with Lelouch telling her not to die despite her inability to. In an attempt to buy him time, she sacrifices herself with a tearful smile as she muses about humans overcoming trials through the slightest glimmer of hope, because they all seek happiness. Driving the two ships into the ocean, it is revealed by Yukana (C.C.'s VA) that she was crushed to death by the water pressure and is later reassembled by her Code but the sight was too graphic and was cut out.

Second Season: R2
A year later in The Day A Demon Reawakens, C.C. leads a charge to retrieve Lelouch and restore his memories that were suppressed under the influence of Charles zi Britannia. Confused, Lelouch asks who she is and C.C. replies that she is the only one to know his true self. Before he can join her, she is suddenly shot down by Britannian soldiers and falls into Lelouch’s arms. The seal on his memories is broken when C.C. gains consciousness and kisses him, resuming his identity as Zero. While Lelouch steals another soldier's Sutherland, the two quickly return to their banter as C.C. questions his necessity for theatrics.

Lelouch returns to the Academy temporarily to avoid suspicion and entrusts C.C. to act the part of Zero in his stead in live announcements and attending meetings. It’s also revealed in a flashback she supplied Lelouch with a custom contact lense to conceal the permanent Geass in his eye, warning him it will be useless if his power strengthens further. When captured by Rolo Lamperouge and confirming to Lelouch that he was being used to lure C.C. into the open, he successfully manipulates him into believing he will hand over C.C. in exchange for his life. After saving the Black Knights, Lelouch protects C.C. when Rolo goes into hysterics seeing her right in front of him by exploiting his longing for a loving family, before then snickering to himself about his true intentions for him.

During Knights Of The Round, C.C. nearly jeopardises Lelouch’s ruse and her own safety by appearing once again at the Ashford festival to satiate her pizza obsession. Panicking, Lelouch shoves a bag over C.C.’s head and rendezvous with her, eventually leading them to a giant tomato crate for privacy as C.C. reveals the identity of the person who gave his father Geass. When they are suddenly interrupted, Lelouch in another endeavour to hide C.C. shoves her into the crate and closes the lid, only a scuffle ensues and the cart is taken to the pizza site with C.C. still trapped inside. Lelouch comically gives chase but due to his poor stamina, executes another plan to rescue her. Later on the rooftop before being safely transported away, C.C. reprimands his thickheadedness on the topic of Ohgi and whispers in his ear the truth about Ohgi and Viletta’s relationship, which he then uses to blackmail the latter.

Following the phone call with Nunnally, Lelouch becomes deeply distressed and contacts C.C. in the OSI office while absently fiddling with a black king chess piece. Given the information, C.C. asks if Lelouch will have to fight her which aggravates him, stating that he refuses to let her be a political pawn and reiterating his goal of destroying Britannia. When Lelouch later spirals into a state of depression from the result of being unable to go against his sister, C.C. tells Marianne that she’s indifferent to him relinquishing the identity of Zero as what’s important to her is that he remains alive. Although when he returns to save the Black Knights with newfound resolve, C.C. is shown to be overjoyed, a smile on her face that Kaguya notices and turns away embarrassed as well as later again when Lelouch appears as Zero.

Unable to progress the discussion with Tianzi in When Shen Hu Wins Glory, Lelouch decides to join C.C. who is currently driving the truck they’re stationed in, along with Tamaki sat nearby. She teases that Lelouch talking with someone who doesn’t apply logic is not his forte and he admits it’s difficult to work with. When Tamaki speaks up about a potential financial position, Lelouch rides it off while C.C. is candid to respond by titling him as the “Grand Minister of Entertainment and Partying”.

After a successful ambush against the High Eunuchs and believing to be victorious, Lelouch and C.C. ride an elevator up to the bridge of the Ikaruga together, where she inquires as to how he knew of the planned attack set up for them and whether truth serum was administered to the troops. Lelouch jokingly confirms it, referring to his Geass to which C.C. smirks. After a battle breaks out between the Black Knights, the Eunuchs along with Xingke’s allegiance and the Britannians, C.C. prepares to join the front lines in an Akatsuki when Lelouch stops her, telling her to plan an escape route if they should lose. Instead, she smiles softly and tells him to come up with a solution before it happens.

Returning to Zero’s private quarters with C.C. after prevailing and forming an alliance with Xingke in Power Of Passion, Lelouch informs her of travelling back to Area 11 and the two banter on the topic of the Chinese Federation; C.C. calling him a little devil growing up while he fondly calls her a witch. As if in a domestic routine, C.C. strips off her Black Knights uniform and collapses onto the seats meanwhile Lelouch rearranges her discarded boots and gathers her clothes to hang them in the wardrobe next to his own as they discuss the Geass Order and its location. He then prepares to leave, telling C.C. to notify him of any new information. Back at the Academy when being chastised by Shirley, Lelouch continues to demonstrate his reliance on C.C. even in personal matters as he curses that she would be of great help in resolving the issue as he’s obviously doing something wrong.

Lelouch Of The Re:Surrection
Unable to accept Lelouch’s death after the Zero Requiem, his body is recovered and smuggled to C.C. in order to resurrect him while he regenerates. Resultantly of his incomplete Code, Lelouch is rendered a hollow shell of his former self with childlike temperaments and C.C. begins a year-long journey trying to restore his memories trapped in C’s world. Failing to find an intact Thought Elevator brings C.C. to the Kingdom of Zilkhstan, where the two board up in a hotel before being attacked by assassins led by Qujappat. Reuniting with old allies, they are then accompanied to a temple turned prison, locating the Thought Elevator C.C. has been searching for submerged in water deep underground. Entering C’s world, it is discovered that the souls are frozen in place and the collective consciousness attempts to erase Lelouch completely while C.C. desperately tries to rescue him, shedding a tear. Believing she failed, C.C. begins lamenting how it was a dead end after everything when suddenly Lelouch appears restored to his former self. He lightly reprimands her for putting herself in harm’s way for him again and still possessing his Geass, he saves her and the others by ordering the prison guards to kill themselves. The two are properly reunited when Lelouch extends a hand to her in offering while C.C. welcomes him home.

She resumes her position as Lelouch’s right hand and informs him of their situation, rescuing Suzaku from his torture and restraining him when he begins lashing out at Lelouch upon his request, C.C. stating that it was her selfish desire to bring him back while Lelouch never intended it. After successfully defeating the royal guards, the group escape and travel to a border town occupied by a small contingent of Britannian forces led by Cornelia. C.C. watches as Lelouch begs to join forces with her in order to rescue their sister Nunally and though strongly opposed to it at first due to Lelouch’s history as Zero and perceiving Euphemia’s death as unforgivable, Cornelia is forced to bury her hostility for the sake of her younger sister. C.C. smiles with relief as they form an alliance.

During the nightly celebration, she and Kallen discuss the upcoming battle and what might not come after. C.C. empathises with Kallen’s feelings and encourages her to talk to Lelouch, but instead Kallen counters that she should take her own advice and stop procrastinating, leaving C.C. to ponder.

The following day begins the battle of Gralbahd, the capital of Zilkhstan. Though Lelouch’s strategy succeeds flawlessly, his victory is undone as Princess Shamna uses her Geass to rewind time by six hours with her death, thus allowing her to predict Lelouch’s every move. During the failed attack, Lelouch’s Knightmare is damaged and C.C. urges him to switch over to her unit, the Gekkoei, where the two become co-pilots in the cockpit once again. Eventually feeling cornered from his foiled plan, Lelouch freezes and considers surrendering. However, C.C. talks sense into him as she recalls how she was ready to quit at her lowest point, but continued on because she clung to the belief that she would bring back the Lelouch she knew. Through her words, he regains composure and creates several strategies in order to uncover the suspected Geass user and what power they possess. Lelouch then hands over command to C.C. to carry out each of his strategies until he’s able to narrow down to two possibilities.

Confronting Shamna, Lelouch manages to convince her into believing they possess the same Geass and orders her to sleep, rendering her in an unconscious state between life and death. With the threat of her Geass eliminated, C.C. transports them both using an artificial Thought Elevator to C’s world  to rescue Nunnally. The two then split up where C.C. meets with Shamna while Lelouch searches for his sister. When C.C. returns and discovers Lelouch is still inside, she quickly grows worried for his safety.

In the finale after Nunally is rescued, Lelouch parts ways with everyone and chases after C.C. attempting to sneak away. She makes a light jab at his lack of stamina and Lelouch states he’s coming with her. Surprised, C.C. gives him another chance to reconsider. They have a brief spat over C.C. resurrecting him and then suddenly leaving out of the blue, which ends with Lelouch asking if changing his name to “L.L” suffices for hiding his identity - his own way of proposing marriage to her. Overwhelmed with emotions, C.C. starts crying before smiling sweetly, her true wish and Lelouch’s promise finally fulfilled. While they leave Zilkhstan with a group of refugees, the couple are seen holding hands with Lelouch now carrying C.C.’s luggage. The after credits scene shows the pair travelling to hunt down all the fallen Geass fragments and help those with good intentions and willpower to control the power, while eliminating those who wish to use it for malevolent purposes.

Reload | Yukana - Code Black In Ashford
C.C. Character Song. Set in the Code Black spinoff featuring the clash of bands, the lyrics reflect how C.C. feels for Lelouch.

Reincarnation | Yukana - Lelouch Of The Rebellion
C.C. Character Song. The lyrics reflect C.C.’s grown feelings for Lelouch and his plans regarding the Zero Requiem.

Kono Sekai De (In The World We Live In) | Leo Ireiri - Lelouch Of The Re:Surrection
C.C. Character Song. The lyrics reflect C.C.’s feelings towards Lelouch and her struggles while travelling to restore his mind.

REVIVE | Unione - Lelouch Of The Re:Surrection
Lelouch Character Song. The lyrics reflect Lelouch’s feelings for C.C. and his response to her, as well as towards the rest of the world.

Fanon
An extremely popular and one of the foremost pairings within Code Geass, as a large majority of the fandom support the ship. The main appeal fans find for the pairing is the natural chemistry between the two and the slow progression of their relationship. Many regard the relationship as the slowest but ultimately one of the strongest by the conclusion of the story, as by the end of the original anime series, it is heavily implied that the two harbour romantic feelings for each other. The characters are often seen exchanging quick wit, engaging in playful banter, as well as making snide remarks toward each other, one of the many enjoyable aspects of their relationship in compliment to their balanced dynamic.

As main hero and heroine, the two characters have been featured in a significant amount of official artwork together and have been the subject of a lot of ship tease in bonus materials. This sparked a lot of fan content such as; fanfictions, discussion videos, doujinshi and fanart, including an officially licensed manga Lelouch The Tutor, which is set in an alternate slice of life universe where Lelouch is tasked with looking after C.C. at the request of his mother, later proclaiming himself as her personal tutor.

Upon the latest Re:Surrection movie and Picture Drama’s officially declaring them a couple, the two have only grown to be more of the most iconic and beloved characters of Code Geass, that many fans express excitement for their possible return during the announced ten year project plan.

Fandom
FAN FICTION
 * Lelouch/C.C tag on FanFiction.Net
 * Lelouch/C.C tag on FanFiction.Net

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Trivia

 * In several media, C.C. intentionally makes it appear as though her contract with Lelouch resembles a promise of marriage. Ironically, that comes to pass during the ending scene of Code Geass: Lelouch Of The Re:Surrection, where Lelouch cements his decision to stay with C.C. by proposing to her, asking if he should take “L.L” as his new name before journeying together.
 * In the Lelouch Of The Re:Surrection movie, they hold hands a total of four times.
 * Revealed in bonus material with movie admission released only in Japan, C.C. nearly gave up in despair on ever restoring Lelouch's memories. However, in his sleep, Lelouch said her real name, showing that even in his current state, part of him still remembered her.  This gave her the motivation and resolve to keep going.
 * As it stands, the only character to know C.C.’s real name is Lelouch.
 * During the R2: Stage 24 hangar scene, there was an additional detail in the light novel that mentions C.C. about to put her arm around Lelouch’s nape while he was about to embrace her waist, further indicating the two were about to share a kiss before the attack.
 * According to the screenwriter Okouchi, in the anime Lelouch and C.C. were initially intended to have a romantic plot during the Chinese Federation arc where C.C. is captured by an enemy group called “The Blue Knights” and Lelouch goes to rescue her, however the script was scrapped. It was also mentioned during the live commentary for Transgression around the time where C.C. had amnesia.
 * In The Picture Drama: "Masked Confession Competition", Lelouch mistakenly believes C.C. confessed to being in love with him. While gently turning her down due to his goals to obliterate Britannia, he assures that he wasn’t upset to learn about her feelings and even compliments her. When the person is actually revealed to be his sister Nunnally, Lelouch becomes immediately defensive.
 * In The Audio Drama R2 Episode 5: "C's Mushroom-ed C.C.", which is a non-canon comedy, Charles suddenly appears on a monitor and begins making suggestive comments on Lelouch feeling a certain way about C.C.'s amnisiac state and furthering the implications by bringing up the idea of being a grandfather one day. Lelouch reacts angrily and is about to cut off the connection when Charles reveals a method to return C.C. to normal, which Lelouch decides to follow.
 * They are shown to have complimentary outfits, such as Lelouch’s Zero suit resembling the king chess piece while C.C.’s uniform for the Black Knights resembles the queen chess piece. Additionally when Lelouch ruled as Emperor, C.C. was made her own royal Empress attire although she never wore it.
 * In Code Geass Stage 0.522: Sound Episode 3: "The Song Of The Secret Base", taking place seven years prior to the Rebellion, Lelouch had his first true encounter with C.C. when he was a child. However Lelouch doesn’t seem to recall their meeting.
 * Another comedy audio drama, Code Geass R2 Sound Episode 4: "Lelouch And Impossible Part Time Jobs", Lelouch attempts to hold down a part time job as part of a punishment game, only C.C. keeps turning up at his workplace.
 * According to Code Geass Stage 11.351: Sound Episode 2: "The Girl In The Straightjacket" after the battle of Narita, Lelouch was the one to buy C.C.'s clothes later shown in the series and discovers why C.C continues to wear her Britannian straightjacket.