Disclaimers: All licensed characters are property of their owners. No copyright infringement is intended by this fanfic, as it is a fanfic. I do own the plot though.

Chapter 1 – A Short Interlude between Life and Death

(Lelouch POV)

Where am I? Was it like this, being dead? I didn't even know if I existed or not right now. I'll just lay down here for a bit…

Ah yes, now I remember what happened. I talked it over with my best friend Suzaku shortly before I conquered not only Britannia, but the entire world.

"Geass is like wishing, right? I'm under the effect of a Geass called the people's wish. For the sake of the world and its future… You must help me. Take up the mantle and mask of Zero, and assassinate the world's most hated enemy… The 99th emperor of Britannia, Lelouch vi Britannia. I have absorbed all the hate of this world. With my death, the hate shall die down with me, and the world will become a peaceful, gentle place. A place that Nunnally can live in peacefully," I had told Suzaku.

Yes, those were the events of Zero Requiem. By becoming an even more tyrannical emperor than my father, Charles vi Britannia, I had effectively channeled the hatred of the world onto my person. And so when Suzaku, under the mask of Zero, killed me in front of the world, all of the world's hatred died along with me. With my death, I was finally able to fulfill Nunnally's wish of a gentle world, a world where the peaceful aftermath of Lelouch vi Britannia's ironfist rule became a symbol of the world's unity. Discrimination lingered no longer, Britannian and non-Britannian alike would join hands in rebuilding the world, a world I had to destroy for it to enter the state of peace.

For Nunnally…

I remembered the last words that I heard from Nunnally before I died. She called out to me,

"Onii-sama!"

She then took my hand and she suddenly stiffened. The she finally gasped,

"No way! Onii-sama! Onii-sama!"

She repeatedly called out to me, and suddenly, everything was no more.

I remembered how she had opened her eyes despite the fact that she was Geassed by that bastard to keep her blind. I decided to open my eyes here as well, but to no avail. They wouldn't open, so I just laid here, peacefully, for a few minutes. Or was it a few hours? For all I know, it could have been a few days, months, years even. I didn't have a sense of time as I lay here in what seemed to be an eternal limbo. Gradually, feeling seeped back into my arms, torso, abdomen, and legs. I tried opening my eyes again and this time, I succeeded. I surveyed myself and my surroundings for a few seconds. I wasn't bothered by the fact that I was naked.

Eh? What am I doing here? I thought this place was sealed off when I destroyed the Thought Elevator, and when Charles and Marianne disappeared.

"You are mistaken, Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia."

I wheeled around at the sound of the voice, which was quite deep, and I called out in response,

"Who's there?"

"It is we, or I, whom you Geassed to destroy your parents, they who abandoned you and your younger sister," came the rumbling reply.

I creased my brow and thought carefully. Ah, this is the collective consciousness more commonly known as 'God' to some. I called out once again and asked, while staring at the heavens,

"Have you come to judge me?"

The reply came,

"Yes, Lelouch vi Britannia, you are to be judged for your actions in your lifetime."

"Will you send me to eternal damnation then?" I asked with a trace of annoyance in my voice.

The voice chuckled and replied,

"Always as cocky as you used to be, Emperor. But no, we will not send you to eternal damnation. However, even if your intentions were noble, your methods to obtain this goal were barbaric and destructive. If you were to be sent anywhere, you would end up with the same fate as your parents."

"What, erasing me from existence? Then so be it," I replied calmly.

"No. I am not doing this because, unlike your father, you did not aim to destroy us with the Sword of Akasha. We acknowledge this, and that is why we will not punish you, even if you did Geass us into erasing your parents from existence. Also, you still have a mission to fulfill."

"And what would that be?" I inquired.

"We cannot tell you, for only you can figure it out yourself. Once you do, we will send someone who will assist you in accomplishing this mission," said the voice.

"I see. One final thing though. Do all dead people appear here?" I asked.

"No. Only those with exceptional willpower and those who have been affected by the Power of Kings can appear here."

"I see. Then, I would like to request the presence of two people: Shirley Fenette and Euphemia li Britannia, if it is possible," I said shortly.

"We will grant this request only after you have remembered the mission you have yet to accomplish, as well as having met up with the person we will send. I shall retire for now," said the voice as it slowly receded into the murky sky of this place.

The place known as the World of C.

"Very well, I accept your terms," I said.

Looks like a lot of work for me. Even after I've died… Will my past never desert me?

I just stood there pondering the last words I heard from Nunnally. What exactly had happened when she held my hand?

And then it hit me: she had been Geassed by our bastard of a father. That could only mean that, when Nunnally touched my hand, she had seen my memories. That means she knew about the plan Suzaku and I had come up with. With that last realization, it seems that all of my previous life's loose ends had been tied up.

Except the mission I was told of, of course. I wonder what on earth I could have possibly…

Forgotten… Eh?

OH SHIT!!!

My contract with C.C.. I had received my Geass from C.C. by virtue of our contract. A contract I could not fulfill before I died.

"Well done Lelouch. You've finally remembered the one thing you failed to do," said a new voice from behind me.

I abruptly turned around and saw a figure obscured in the brown mist that had suddenly descended on this place.

"Who are you?" I called.

"My name is of no importance. However, if you are wondering what to call me, feel free to call me N.T.," replied the voice, whose owner suddenly stepped out of obscurity.

I appraised the man's appearance as he did so. He looked exceedingly ordinary to me, but he was definitely Japanese. Oddly, while I was naked, he was clothed and he was wearing a green blazer that appeared to be a school uniform.

"N.T…. You were sent to assist me, correct?"

"Yes," he replied.

"How can you help me fulfill my contract with C.C.?"

"After your death, C.C. acquired another Geass. She could effectively leap between dimensions under the proper conditions."

I was shocked. Inter-dimensional travel was possible through Geass?

"So you know about Geass… You must be a Geass-user then, a member of the Geass cult. How come you weren't there when we assaulted the place, trying to find V.V.? And why exactly are you helping me?"

"I wasn't there because I was in my home dimension when you assaulted the lair. Also, the current dimension that C.C. is in is in danger due to her just being there. I cannot fully explain the details, but in that dimension there should be an Entity that will be able to fully explain this to you," he replied.

"So you mean to say that C.C. is no longer in the world that I myself had left?"

"That's right. That's because she had no idea how her new Geass worked, and she inadvertently slid, that is to say, traveled to another dimension. Now Lelouch, your mission is to find C.C. and complete the contract you had formed with her."

Shit. Am I really going to have to kill C.C.? No, I don't want to kill any more, unless it's absolutely necessary. Lelouch Lamperouge had already shed so much blood… I didn't want any more on my hands. No matter. C.C. truly wanted to be loved, not killed. Maybe I can give her that…

"Wait a minute," I said. "How can I even go on this mission? I'm dead, aren't I?"

"Lelouch, Lelouch… Dying is merely a crude and painful way of inter-dimension travel. You simply had your best friend Suzaku destroy your physical shell for you, and you soul came here because you had the abilities of Geass," N.T. replied.

"I see. Then, I would like to know what your Geass is."

"My Geass is what gave C.C. the ability to travel between dimensions. I had given her that power when she met me shortly after your death. She wanted out of that world, the world full of peace where… No, I don't think you should know at this point, Lelouch. It will be vital to your mission, this fact, and you must discover it for yourself. Suffice it to say that C.C. was desperate to leave that world when you were gone. And don't even try to Geass me into telling you what it is, because I am immune to it," said N.T.

"Just who are you?" I asked.

"Like I said, you can simply call me N.T.. If you're wondering why I had Jeremiah Gottwald's immunity to Geass, it's because I had… Made a friend who had enough powers to unconsciously protect me from mental intrusions," he replied.

Damn, I can't Geass him into discovering C.C.'s motivation. Maybe it's something that'll present itself to me, given time.

"Alright then. I would like to form a contract with you, so I can embark on this mission."

I walked closer to the Japanese Geass-user and I place my hand on his shoulders.

"What are the terms of your contract?"

"I only have one condition," he said. "Please treat my friends well. That is all."

"I see. Now, show me my destination!" I commanded in the voice that seemed reminiscent of my tyrannical emperor days.

A typical high school building appeared in my mind. A two or three building complex it was, and it was situated at the top of a hill. The male school uniforms were exactly what N.T. was wearing, and the female uniforms were blue-white colored sailor uniforms.

"Lelouch, if you want to go there, focus all of your being on going there, and it shall be done," he said.

"I see. By the way, I need that uniform you're wearing," I replied.

We broke off contact, and I knew that I had already assimilated his Geass. Now I had the Geass of Absolute Obedience and the Geass of Dimensional Hopping. N.T. then removed his clothing and gave it to me.

"Good luck to you on your mission. Don't forget the terms of our contract," he said.

"I shall not. Now, it is time for me to see two people again. Please inform 'God' that I wish to see Shirley Fenette, and Euphemia li Britannia. I wish to speak to them for a short while before I leave," I said.

"Alright then. Good luck Lelouch," he said, as he suddenly disappeared.

And then, out of the mist came two people, clothed in white. Shirley and Euphie.

They both saw me but kept their silence. It seems that I must be the one to break it.

"Hello, Shirley, Euphie."

Shirley was the first one to respond,

"Hey, Lulu."

"Shirley, I'm so sorry for everything that happened," I said.

"It's okay, as long as you were able to achieve what you wanted to. World peace, isn't that right Lulu? The world is at peace now thanks to you," she said.

"Thank you, Shirley, for forgiving me. And as for you, Euphie… I'm so sorry for Geassing you like that. I swear that I did not mean to do it," I said crisply.

"Lelouch. You made me kill a lot of Japanese against my will. But I will forgive you, because the world is finally in peace, and is being watched over by the capable hands of Suzaku. A wise decision, brother," said Euphemia.

"I know, Euphemia. You loved Suzaku as well, more than my brotherly love in the end, but as a woman, right? Then, as penance for my actions, after I accomplish my mission, I will form a contract with you, so that you can be with Suzaku again. I'm sure that traveling back to that dimension can be handwaved as 'a Britannian medical achievement' known as Euphemia's resurrection. But to deter everyone else from wanting to have their dead loved ones 'resurrected,' it will have to be announced that the machine used was destroyed in the process. Tell Suzaku that, and Schneizel will handle the rest."

"Thank you, Lelouch. You have my gratitude," said Euphie as she cracked a smile.

I returned the smile and said,

"I must go on my mission now. I'll be seeing you two, hopefully."

"Good bye Lulu. Goodbye Lelouch," said the two of them.

And then they disappeared.

Now, I must focus on the high school that N.T. had shown to me earlier. There, that's right. Now, to activate the Geass…

(Kyon POV)

"… and that's why this school is extremely stupid!" shouted Haruhi, as she banged her fist on the table.

Asahina-san cowered in terror at Haruhi's rage, and Nagato just continued reading her book in one corner of the clubroom. Then there was the plastered smile of Koizumi, damn him. And Haruhi's just being unreasonable this time.

"Shut up Kyon. And to think I thought that, after one year, I'd be allowed to distribute more flyers for the SOS Brigade wearing that bunny costume," said Haruhi.

How could anyone forget the sight of two students with your figures wearing bunny suits distributing flyers at the school gate? I'd be surprised if there weren't any perverts lying in wait…

Haruhi glared at me and said,

"Damn this, I've got detention for two weeks! Just because of that!"

Earlier, Haruhi had entered the clubroom and she immediately threw me and Koizumi out, saying that she had to change. After a while, she opened the door, and Haruhi-the-bunny-girl greeted my eyes. She then rushed past us carrying flyers, saying she'd be back in an hour.

She was back in half as long, after Okabe-sensei had apprehended her again.

"I wish the Student Council President did something about this. The teachers are suppressing my right to freedom of expression! Didn't they ever ask themselves what democracy meant? Those idiots," ranted Haruhi.

But of course, you don't know that the current Student Council President is just a puppet by Koizumi's Organization to provide you with a proper villain. I do believe he's actually doing a good job at this.

All of us simply listened to her rant some more, and eventually, Asahina-san got around to serving more tea.

"Here you go, S-Suzumiya-san," said Asahina-san timidly.

"Dammit! I wish we had a Student Council President who would fight for a student's rights, for justice, without caring about how he did things, as long as they're done!" said Haruhi as she drained the teacup she was given in one gulp.

A/N: And so begins the Melancholy of Lelouch vi Britannia. Read and review please!