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Prologue

Resurrection

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'That mask's heavier than it appears' the immortal witch said. 'You have to be prepared to bear the weight of the world when you wear it.'

'I know.' Her accomplice sighed. 'I wish there was a way I could wear it without placing a share of that burden on so many shoulders.'

C.C. smiled. 'We could just run away.'

'You could' Lelouch agreed, also smiling.

'I bet you would make me run away if you thought it was to your advantage.'

'I don't take suckers' bets.'

She chuckled. 'I knew I should never have trusted the word of a pathologic liar.'

'The mask they call Zero is a device to let me lie, after all. Were you expecting something else?'

'Are you supposed to be lying when you're not masquerading as Zero?'

Lelouch's smile became sad. 'I didn't lie' he said quietly, his eyes on the mask in her hands.

'No, not to me' C.C. said, and she smiled. She closed the distance between her and her accomplice. 'Are you ready?' she asked him gently.

He sighed. 'As much as I will ever be.' Lelouch straightened. He took the mask from her hands and stared into it. His expression shifted to become one of cold resolution.

C.C. felt a pang as she realized it was the same expression he had worn when he'd first told Suzaku he intended to die. 'Someone is going to regret he's forced Zero to come back' she said.

'Right he will.'

Lelouch put the mask on his face. He and C.C. listened to the familiar sound of the rear flap sliding into position. It had been more than a year since they'd last heard that sound.

He drew a deep breath, and looked into the mirror.

'Welcome back, Zero.'

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A/N: Dear readers, welcome! Yes, you've just stumbled upon another of those "Code Geass: R3" fan fics! Hopefully this one will be worth your while!

Since this is an introduction, we'll do the usual disclaimer here rather than at the top: I don't own any of the material in this story, and the only profit I seek to make is the knowledge some people enjoy reading it.

This fic is AU for a number of reasons, one of them being Lelouch still breathing, obviously! You will discover the other reasons this is AU as the story goes on, but since this fic is named after Lelouch I'll hint at one of them: our dear boy made an omission, and as is often the case when geniuses make mistakes, he screwed royally. That peace of Lelouch's might very well end up to be short-lived. The relationships at the beginning of this story are those at the time of the Code Geass: R2 finale. They might of course change as the story develops: who knows the surprises life holds in store? ;)

This story has been divided in turns, attempting to reflect the Code Geass format. Those turns themselves will be cut in four parts, I don't fancy walls of text ;) I am afraid this story will be updated on a very irregular schedule (my own schedule being rather hectic), but when I start posting a Turn it means most of the material within is ready or almost ready. I'm not above making the occasionnal revision either.

Enjoy! - LB