Hey!

For the people who know me as the author of Fate's Curse, Prince of Masks, etc...

I'm really sorry. I haven't posted anything in what feels like forever. For that whole time, I felt riddled with guilt in that I haven't been able to continue my CG fanfics like I would like, but I was unable to do so due to some major problems that popped up in real life. I know I can't expect much since I left for so long, but I would like to try and come back and start updating once more. I'd like to extend a big THANK YOU to the people who PM'd and bugged me about updating. I hate and love you guys, as you all made me just guilty enough to try and pick this writing back up again.

I consider this my warm-up fanfic to test whether I'm actually able to come back to writing this stuff! This fanfic should be a lot shorter than any of the other fanfics I've put out. Once I pound this one out, I hope to go back and revamp my old "published" fanfics and hopefully continue them until their planned conclusions (READ AS: THOSE FICS ARE NOT YET DEAD! :D).

That being said, I'm going to give this fanfic my best! This fanfic came out of some ideas I have toyed with for far too long.

Chapter 1

In an ornate throne room, Suzaku kneeled before Emperor Charles. Double doors closed behind him, taking with them his former friend Lelouch. The disgraced prince was unconscious, as his mind had resisted the changes Emperor Charles had commanded.

Charles zi Britannia stroked his chin. "Tell me, Mr. Kururugi… Why has the son of Japan's last Prime Minister turned in Japan's best chance for freedom?"

Suzaku stared at the ground by his feet. "Zero's 'freedom' is not the kind I wish for my kin. Area 11 must regrow through cooperation with Britannia in order to hope for stability."

"I see. You seem far more mature than your age would indicate." Charles' voice rumbled with authority. "However, did you think that I wouldn't realize your ties with Lelouch?"

Suzaku blinked. "Your Majesty?"

"Don't try to fool me, boy. I know you were childhood friends, so I also know that you wouldn't hand over Lelouch without good reason." Charles sat back in his throne. "Tell me, why didn't you kill Zero on the spot?"

Suzaku stared at the ground. "Because I wanted a prize for my catch."

Charles smiled. "And you shall have it, but first, I need to be sure that you don't decide to have a change of heart." He gestured towards the door on his left. "Outside of those doors you will meet one of my men. He will ensure that you receive your reward, as well as confirm your loyalty."

Confirm my loyalty? Bowing, Suzaku silently complied. He walked out of a pair of double doors, coming face to face with a man in purple robes.

The stranger's left eye was marked with a red bird.

Roughly two years after that night, a wooden coffin lay in the center of a marble room. The room was pitch-black, except for a pair of flashlights.

Two frail arms reached over and tried to push open the coffin. After a few mild grunts of exertion, Nunnally sat back in her wheelchair.

"I'm sorry Sayoko, but could you perhaps..." As she spoke, the maid pushed open the coffin. In the dim light, Nunnally could see Sayoko freeze at whatever lay inside.

Rather, whoever lay inside.

Nunnally turned so that her chair rested against the tomb and craned her neck over. "Lelouch?"

Inside the coffin, the Demon Emperor lay calmly on his side. It looks almost like he's sleeping. Nunnally thought. "Lelouch? Can you hear me?"

Off to the side, Sayoko whispered, "Lady Nunnally, it's only been a week. Even if he is… immortal as Lord Jeremiah suspects, he might not be in good condition."

Nunnally hesitated. "That may be so, but we need to move Lelouch's body before anybody else finds out. The people wouldn't let him get a proper burial, so he may be cremated as early as tomorrow."

Then the Empress heard a familiar voice. "Is that so? I suppose it is only right that a warlock dies by burning."

Nunnally turned her attention to the coffin, where Lelouch, eyes still closed, had begun to slowly stretch, coming to life. "Wait, that voice..." Then he opened his eyes. His calm face was replaced by surprise. "Nunnally? What are you doing he-" His words were halted by a tight hug.

After a few moments of stunned silence, Lelouch raised his arms to envelope his beloved sister. He had no idea what was happening, but right now, he had his sister.

His hug was interrupted as a side door to the small room opened. "Your Majesty!"

Lelouch recognized that voice. "Jeremiah?" He quickly turned from Nunnally, then bent over in a wince of pain. He hadn't noticed as he woke, but his chest was throbbing slightly.

Jeremiah saw his liege in pain and flew over. Kneeling down, he looked at the ground. "Is everything alright, Your Majesty?"

Lelouch smiled. "Unless something's gone horrible wrong, I've got a feeling that you shouldn't be calling me 'your majesty'."

Jeremiah smiled in return. "I apologize, Lelouch. To me, you will always be my lord."

Lelouch sighed at that. Looking around, he took in the dark room. "Well, it certainly seems like I'm not in Hell, so I'm assuming that somehow I'm still alive." He turned to Nunnally. "How did you know?"

His sister looked at Sayoko, who in turn smiled at Lord Jeremiah. "I could not be sure, my lord." Jeremiah said, his gaze slightly higher now. "However, I thought that perhaps Charles' death would have granted you the Code."

"I suppose that's the most likely explanation at the moment." Lelouch nodded. "It's interesting that the thought never crossed C.C.'s mind."

"Well, the forced elimination of a soul from the World of C is certainly an unprecedented event, so no one really knows what happened for sure." Jeremiah smiled. "Please recall, my lord, that I used to work for the Geass Directorate, so I have observed V.V.'s immortality for quite some time."

At the mention of the Geass Directorate, Lelouch glanced at Nunnally. She noticed. "Lelouch, I already know about it. From when you… were dying."

And I still don't know how you learned everything while I died. Lelouch shook his head, clearing his mind. "Whatever the case, I need to find a place where I can live outside of the public's eye. Although I didn't quite expect it, it seems like the Demon Emperor didn't quite die as planned."

Nunnally immediately grabbed his arm. "Please, don't go Lelouch."

Lelouch smiled almost bitterly. "As much as I'd like to stay, the Demon Emperor that everybody knows has died, killed at the hands of the hero Zero. It would complicate the narrative if the dictator were to be found alive and well after a clearly fatal wound."

"Stop calling yourself a demon, Lelouch!" Tears were starting bead faintly. "Everyone knows you really aren't."

Lelouch smiled, resting a hand on his sister's delicate face. "Try telling the Black Knights that."

"You have to try!" Nunnally protested. "Why don't you do that thing you did to me? Show everybody the truth, if they don't listen to words."

Lelouch thought about that. Somehow, in his "dying" moments, Lelouch had told Nunnally everything, simply through touch. He turned to Jeremiah. "This might sound strange, Jeremiah, but I have a question. While you worked for them, have you ever heard of V.V. physically touching his victims to cause strange reactions? Like, for instance, instilling visions through touch?" Now that I think about it, C.C. did something similar to incapacitate others.

Jeremiah pondered the sudden question. "It has happened, though nobody in the Directorate talks much about it. V.V. would just touch a rebellious subject, and then the target would suddenly collapse." He glanced first at Nunnally, then Lelouch. "Have you experienced anything like this, my lord?"

Lelouch nodded. "Perhaps, but I'm not sure how much control I have over it." He silently filed that line of thought for further study later. "At any rate, I've got too much to lose and too little to gain in redeeming my image, Nunnally. Jeremiah, do you have any idea on how I can get out of here quietly?"

Sayoko was the one to answer. "I brought two cloaks. If you both wear them, you can masquerade as Nunnally's guards on the way out. I believe Lord Jeremiah has made arrangements from there."

The green-haired knight nodded. "I requested that a few of our former Imperial Guards meet us at the gate outside the compound. You'll be traveling under covert escort to an orange farm that Anya and I have prepared."

"Excellent." Lelouch shakily stood up, noting that his chest's throbbing had almost disappeared. "Let's head out."

It had begun to drizzle outside. A white fog blurred the cemetery headstones, masking them as distant silhouettes. The foursome made their way through a silent graveyard.

Lelouch held up an umbrella for Nunnally. "Seems Suzaku did a good job of hiding my body."

His sister nodded. "We made sure that nobody knew where it was. A lot of people wanted to make sure you didn't get a proper burial." She frowned slightly.

"Well, it seems I'll be granting their wish."

All too quickly, they reached the entrance gate. A black car was waiting. Nunnally grasped her brother's hand. "I'll come to see you whenever I can, Brother."

Lelouch ran his other hand over Nunnally's face. "I'll be waiting."

Sayoko stepped into the driver's seat. "Please take care, Master Lelouch."

Lelouch nodded, waving. I'm no one's master now, Sayoko.

The car slowly faded away in the rain. A moment later, a group of 12 people approached from across the street.

Lelouch hadn't noticed them at all. "I don't recall asking for an army as an escort. It's not going to be easy to pass unnoticed with 12 bodyguards."

Jeremiah seemed confused as well. "I apologize, my lord. I specifically requested only three guards..." He swept his cloak back, revealing two handguns. He unclasped the holster for one. "Please take one, my lord."

Lelouch slowly did so, pulling back the safety. The strangers had just finished crossing the street. "Identify yourselves."

At first, there was no response. Perhaps the rain muffled my voice. Then he realized that the strangers were carrying guns in plain sight. He raised his gun slightly in response, shouting this time, "Identify yourselves!"

The one in the center pulled back his hood. "I am Captain Jake Lanier, of Lord Zero's Zero Squad!"

Lelouch lowered his gun. "Welcome, comrade. I must admit that I didn't expect such a large escort." Jake Lanier? I don't recall assigning him… Suzaku must have added him to the unit.

"Lord Zero predicted that there might be some complications." Mr. Lanier continued.

Jeremiah scowled. "I don't recall informing Lord Zero of this."

In response, the captain raised a hand to wipe rain off his face. When he took his hands away, both eyes were red. "You are trapped in a box of pain, needles digging into every part of your being. You are slipping into a painful death."

It couldn't be… Before Lelouch could react, he heard Jeremiah scream briefly in pain. Then Lelouch saw Jeremiah's blue geass canceller activate.

"The target's immunity to geass has been confirmed. Eliminate and retrieve the body."

Lanier's men raised their guns, shouting, "For the Emperor!"

Lelouch didn't have time to react. A flurry of bullets flew towards him, just barely blocked by an orange outline.

"Back, my lord!" Jeremiah's metal parts served as cover while the two sprinted back into the cemetery.

Lelouch cursed. "Is there another exit?"

Jeremiah prepared his gun. "The other end is blocked off by a river. The rest of the cemetery is surrounded by open road!" He then swung an arm around the gate edge to return fire.

Lelouch heard screeching tires in the street beyond. Jeremiah came back into cover. "There are about 20 new enemy reinforcements, my lord!"

Who are these people? Lelouch shook his head. First we need to leave, but we can't wildly run around with bullets flying.

Time seemed to slow as Lelouch mentally considered the cemetery grounds. Most of the "walls" were simply gates, meaning that he would be shot down the moment he tried to pass over… Alternatively, he could make for the river, but the current downpour would likely make it a dangerous exit, without considering the chances of being shot while crossing the entire cemetery.

Well, if I'm truly immortal that shouldn't be a major issue, but I'm sure that there's a limit to the number of bullets that Jeremiah can take… Lelouch sighed.

"Jeremiah, we need to leave by the river. It's our only chance of getting out of here alive!"

"Understood!" Jeremiah nodded. "I'll cover you from behind."

Lelouch almost slipped on the wet pavement as he began to sprint away. Jeremiah followed suite, firing back into the rain as he went.

The rain had begun to fall harder, limiting visibility. While this meant that it would be harder for the enemy to aim, it also made it much harder for Lelouch to be sure that he went the right way.

It wasn't long before Lelouch began to pant. He bit his lip. Sometimes I wish I had Suzaku's stamina. Just as he thought that, the man tripped over a low gravestone into the mud. Before he could react, Jeremiah picked Lelouch back up, blocking any incoming fire with his body.

Lelouch glanced back and couldn't see anybody following. I hope that's a good sign. The sound of gunfire, although still present, had died down considerably.

With Jeremiah's occasional assistance, the two made it to the river without serious visible injury. However, as Lelouch had suspected, the heavy rain had greatly increased the currents. It was moving far too swiftly for anyone to even think of swimming across.

"We have no choice but to hope we lose them here!"

Jeremiah grimly nodded. Behind him Lelouch saw the silhouettes of at least 10 armed men. Taking a deep breath, he jumped.

Cold water hit him like a stinging slap to the face. He'd underestimated the currents, which immediately flipped him upside down. The water crushed the air out of his lungs.

He was barely able to surface for a new breath before a bullet punctured his shoulder. He opened his mouth to scream in pain, only to have it filled with water.

Although his instincts screamed at him to stay down, he almost immediately had to come back up for air. For the second that he was up, his eyes were too wet to see a thing. Everything was black.

Then the current threw him back down, and this time he couldn't get his head back up. He pushed and pushed at the water around him, but he couldn't right himself. No matter how hard he struggled, Lelouch couldn't come up for air.

His arms quickly lost what little strength they had. Then he felt himself grabbed by two tight fists. He could feel metal scrap against his body, and he thought dimly, Jeremiah?

Then he fell into true darkness.

Lelouch woke with a start. He was lying in a bed. He sat up and looked around. He was in what appeared to be an attic, with no one around. That's a good sign.

He raised a hand to his head. "Was that all a real bad dream?"

Then he saw that his shoulder was bandaged. "It seems like the bullet wound was real." Rolling his shoulders, Lelouch realized he felt no pain. Clawing at the bandages revealed a perfectly clean shoulder. There wasn't a single sign of damage.

Once again, he looked around the attic room. There was a staircase by the foot of his bed leading down. It doesn't seem like I'm in a holding cell.

Some clothes were neatly folded on a chair next to his bed. He changed into them and walked down the wooden stairs. He stepped into a normal-enough hallway. He walked to the end, where he could peer out a shuttered window.

The sun was high in the sky. All he could see were rows upon rows of orange trees. He was on a farm… an orange farm?

Taking a step back, he realized that the door to his right was open. Inside he saw a familiar figure seated.

"Anya?"

The young knight turned. She looked at him with eyes feigning calmness. "You're up? It only took you a day to regain your health… Lucky…"

Lelouch stepped inside, where he saw Jeremiah lying on a bed.

Well, it looked like Jeremiah, except that most of his face and body was wrapped in bandages. Only his metallic eye showed beyond the covers, and it was shut. "Jeremiah!" Lelouch rushed to his subordinate's side. "Can you hear me?"

To his relief, the eye opened. "My lord," a voice creaked from under the bandages, "are you alright?"

Lelouch shakily smiled. "I should be asking you that, Jeremiah."

Jeremiah sighed. "You would make a kind emperor, Prince Lelouch." A pained laugh escaped the wounded man.

Anya stepped in. "You shouldn't talk, Jeremiah. You're still not-"

Jeremiah jerkily shook his head. "Lord Lelouch, you need to know something." The knight's voice faded slightly.

Lelouch stepped closer. "What is it, Jeremiah?"

"While I was being… rebuilt… by the Geass Directorate, I learned a bit about their history. You see, the Directorate wasn't originally focused on the Ragnorak Junction."

"The Directorate was built a little over two thousand years ago, following the formation of the Holy Britannian Empire. At the time, geass users were trained en masse to fend off Caesar's invasion of the British Isles. Although it helped us beat a much more technologically advanced invading force, Britannia was left with many geass users vying for supremacy. The first emperor of Britannia established the Geass Directorate as a unit of trusted geass users who worked to eliminate unauthorized use of geass. Under their just rule, the Britannian Empire prospered."

Lelouch ran a hand through his hair. "So you're saying the Geass Directorate used to be a sort of… geass police?"

Jeremiah took a deep breath. "Yes… If I may suggest, my lord…" Jeremiah's words became fainter and slower, "You should look to do something similar."

Lelouch froze. He could barely control the anger in his voice. "Are you saying that I should rebuild the Geass Directorate? After all the trouble we went through destroying it?"

Jeremiah closed his eyes once more. "I know, my lord… I know..." He opened his eye again. "But… the enemy clearly has geass users,… whoever they are."

Lelouch made a fist. "Which should be impossible, since we wiped out the Directorate! I was the last geass user left standing..."

Jeremiah didn't respond. Instead, Lelouch began to hear a series of hisses from Jeremiah's eyepiece. The side of the metal implant opened to reveal a small flash drive. "My lord, this contains all the data you should need to reconstruct an anti-geass device. At the moment, we don't have the resources to produce them, but I need to make sure you at least have the basic designs before I..."

Lelouch shook his head. "What are you talking about, Jeremiah? You're making it sound like this is the end."

Jeremiah's eye remained shut. The knight was silent.

Lelouch shook his head once more, this time grabbing Jeremiah's arm. "Open your eyes this instant! That's an order!"

Jeremiah's eye remained shut. Lelouch pounded a fist on the bed.

"God damn it, Jeremiah! I command you to reopen your eyes!"

"I hated the Demon Emperor." Anya stated emotionlessly.

Lelouch turned to Anya. "Then does that mean you intend to turn me in?" At the moment, Lelouch felt spent. He'd lost the one man who trusted him unconditionally.

Anya shook her head. "But you aren't the Demon Emperor. You're Lelouch Lamperouge. Jeremiah told me everything."

Lelouch smiled slightly. "Thanks, Anya." He turned to leave the room.

"Give me it."

Lelouch paused. "What was that, Anya?"

The former Knight of Britannia gave Lelouch an empty stare. "Give it to me."

"Give you what?" I don't exactly have a lot to give.

"Geass." Anya said calmly. "Give me geass."

I don't have much left to say other than that I beg for forgiveness. It's been a long time since I've done work like this, so I don't even know what level I'm at now. Please let me use this fanfic as a blank slate, off which I hope to grow and become a better writer.

I can honestly say that I've got no idea what to expect from this fanfic. I think I've got an interesting backup storyline I can use, but I think I want to try and experiment with the plot of this fanfic before I finish it up.