Hello, readers of all kinds!

My name is Hejin57. I've been writing fanfiction for over a year now, with my best fics being a series of Suzumiya Haruhi stories that are still going strong! I had recently finished Code Geass in it's entirety, and I just had an urge to write something relating to it. So, I thought of a story in my head, taking place after the end of R2, and here it is!

But before you read this, I would just like to warn you of some things. One, there are a lot of spoilers in this upcoming story, so I do not suggest you read it if you haven't finished the series yet. Trust me when I say it's well worth the watch. Two, I will point out now that, yes, this revolves around Lelouch, so if you're a fan of him staying dead, then you probably won't like reading this. On a final note, I just want to point out that writing this story is going to be a big challenge for me, considering I'm not completely used to the universe yet, so any and all reviews, whether they're criticism or praise, are greatly appreciated. Also, I warn you that I will have at least one OC in this story, although they will never actually take precedence over the main characters, nor will I be pairing them up with any of them either.

And that's about all I have to say. This story will be chock full of drama, suspense, action and of course, romance. I won't be revealing much on that, as you should read yourself and find out. So, I hope you enjoy this story of mine. I certainly loved the series, so I'm going to try my best to capture it's essence in this piece of fan-fiction.

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What does life truly mean to human beings?

That remains to be a mystery of this world, like so many things. There are a multitude of answers to this question, but many of them do not suffice. Life is something that many humans take for granted. As a whole, the human race has still yet to realize the kind of impact one life can have on so many others. Some lives can even have an impact on the entire world.

Lelouch Lamperouge was once such example. At one time, he was but one human, with a great desire to bring down that which wronged him, that being the former superpower known as the Holy Empire of Britannia. He was given the gift of Geass, the power of kings, in which he could obtain absolute obedience over any individual. With this ability, Lelouch engineered the fall of Britannia, but in doing so, lost much that was dear to him. At the end of his journey, he planned his own demise, leaving the world united against him, and on a road to mutual peace.

But what was the price of his sacrifice? What was his true punishment? It was not simply death. Death would be an easy escape. No, Lelouch suffered a fate far worse than death. Unlike many humans, he did not intend to simply throw his life away as punishment for his sins. No, he had engineered his own suffering; one which he planned to undergo for the rest of his eternal existence…

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Hejin57 presents....

~~~~Code Geass: Lelouch of the Cipher~~~~

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Turn 01: The Blank Prince

Peaceful skies were something that had been a rarity in Japan. When Britannia had first invaded, the skies had been filled with roves of warships brandishing the Britannian flag. Back then, there was little to look forward to beyond a continued life at the hands of the Empire. Back then, the Japanese people were nothing but inferior Elevens.

Now, there was nothing but clouds and the sun populating the sky over Japan. The taint of war had passed, and these days, the world moved towards a peace that had once thought to be impossible. Lelouch vi Britannia, the former tyrannical ruler of the world, had been slain by the masked hero Zero, and this freed the world from Lelouch's iron grip.

Underneath this vast blue sky, far into the Japanese countryside and some miles from any bustling city or town, a young man lay in a the midst of a wheat field, staring up above through his violet eyes. His black hair waved in a noticeable breeze, although a majority of it was covered underneath a tan hat that blocked out most of the sun's rays. Fall had come, and with it, there was much work to do in preparation for the approaching winter months.

Lelouch sighed to himself, but couldn't help but smile. He had the chance to relax right now, but it wouldn't be long until C.C found him and started complaining about how lazy he was being. But for now, life had remained relatively carefree.

When he could, Lelouch enjoyed being out here in the serene calm of this large wheat field, because it gave him time to think, and time to assess his life. For as long as he could remember, C.C had been his childhood friend, and he had spent the majority of his days living off this land with her by his side. She was someone indispensable to him, always by his side, and always brightening up his days.

But although his life had been so free of strife, Lelouch had always had strange, but prevalent feelings of doubt. There were times when he felt insignificant. Some things about him were a mystery even to himself. He could not recall his last name, his previous memories of a life without C.C, and so many other things that he believed to be important to him. He only knew of this life, and though he usually tried to not think about it, he had wished multiple times for something more.

Lelouch closed his eyes, not wanting to think too much, and wondered how much sleep he could get before C.C found him.

"Am I waking you? I hope you didn't think you could just wander away that easily." A voice said from above. Lelouch could have compared its likeness to an angel if he didn't know better.

Lelouch smiled to himself, knowing full well that he had been found out much faster than last time. He opened his eyes, only to see C.C looking down at him, her brilliant green hair color accentuated by the sunlight.

"Ah, sorry. I meant to go check on all our wheat, and I guess I-"

"You guess you got distracted? I've heard it before, Lelouch. I hope you realize that our other crops aren't going to water themselves." C.C said with a playful tone in her voice. Lelouch already guessed what was going to happen next, and he couldn't help but be slightly disappointed at not being able to get some extra shut-eye.

"Alright. You win. I'll go and take care of it."

Lelouch stood up, and took off his hat, revealing the full head of pitch black hair underneath. He put on another smile, and walked past C.C silently, with all intent to take care of the things he had been putting off for the majority of the day.

Meanwhile, as the green-haired C.C watched him walk off into the distance of the field, her smile disappeared, and she began to wonder just what kind of suffering this man intended to put himself through. She knew the man who he really was, even though he himself did not. Nevertheless, this is what Lelouch had wanted for himself. This had become his atonement for his sins.

"You are a bold man, Lelouch…" C.C said quietly, before his figure disappeared through the stalks of the vast wheat field.

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"Talking to you again really does bring back memories."

Milly Ashford laughed from hearing this. Of all people, she never expected Kallen Kozuki to be this sentimental. But then again, it wasn't hard for her to figure out what kind of person Kallen really was, especially after the multitude of events that had occurred in the past year.

"What? I'm serious!" Kallen protested, confused to why Milly would think something like that was funny. The two of them were currently sitting in a spacious café, not all that far from Ashford Academy. It was around the afternoon, and Kallen had managed to find the time after school to meet up with Milly, whom she hadn't seen for quite awhile.

"I'm just surprised, is all. I never thought you were that attached to the past. Anyway, how have you been? I want to hear everything!" Milly asked in a giddy voice as she sipped on her coffee.

"Everything's been…good. We all miss you at the Academy…well…there are a lot of people we miss…" Kallen replied, her voice getting a little lower as she looked down at the hot cup of coffee before her. She thought back on all the people who suffered their demise during this past war. There were many, but she could remember them all. However, one of them stuck out the most in her mind, and in her cup of coffee, she almost thought she saw the clear reflection of Lelouch Lamperouge.

"We all have to move forward, Kallen. It seems to me like the world really is changing for the better this time. You've seen what Britannia is like now under Empress Nunnally. Every day, more and more of Japan is being rebuilt. I don't think this country's ever had more help than Britannia is giving it now."

Kallen looked up at Milly, who offered the red-haired girl a sincere smile. Milly was very right. Although the war had been long and painful, and many lives had been lost, they all did have to eventually move on. Kallen had been able to do it most of the time for the last few months, but nevertheless, memories of Lelouch were the hardest to get out of her mind.

"You're…you're right." Kallen said, looking up and smiling back at Milly. She took a long drink from her cup of coffee, feeling a little better from it. Meanwhile, Milly was smiling devilishly, and she moved just a little too close over the table, catching Kallen off-guard.

"So tell me…who's your new love?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Kallen asked sheepishly, trying to hide the blush on her face.

"I'm not stupid, Kallen. You've got the lover's vibe coming off of you, and I want to know who the lucky guy is!"

Milly was smiling wide, and for Kallen, it seemed like there wasn't much she could say to escape Milly's question.

"It's nothing."

Kallen took another sip from her coffee, and Milly leaned back in her chair, obviously dissatisfied. She didn't believe Kallen one bit, but she had hoped that the girl would at least give her some sort of clue so she could figure it out herself.

"And in case you're wondering, Rivalz talks about you the most out of all of us. Gino got really annoyed about it the other day because he wouldn't stop…"

"He does?" Milly asked, with sudden curiosity and excitement in her voice. Kallen looked back at her with a sly expression, and Milly unexpectedly blushed, much to Kallen's delight.

"I mean…that's nice."

Kallen almost had the urge to laugh, but she held it in. By now, it was obvious that Milly had probably wanted some attention from Rivalz for awhile. Kallen initially wondered why she never actually tried to go after the guy, but when she thought about it, she assumed Milly just wanted to be the one who was pursued. Either way, it was still funny to watch Milly become flustered for even a moment.

"I think I need to run. I've got to be somewhere for work, so I'm sorry to leave on short notice." Milly said as she got up from her seat, the blush slowly fading from her cheeks.

"It was nice seeing you." Kallen said as she stood up as well. It wasn't so inconvenient that Milly was leaving, since Kallen was supposed to be home for dinner soon anyway.

"It was nice seeing you too, Kallen. Don't forget to tell me about your trials of love when we meet again!" Milly exclaimed as she headed for the exit to the café, winking at Kallen before she went through the door.

Kallen waved as she watched Milly leave, and before she knew it, her mind was on the same topic it had been on for the last few months. Milly had been very right when she mentioned something about Kallen having a new love. Unfortunately, that new love was currently deceased, and it wasn't really that new at all.

She sighed. Her thoughts had been very conflicted recently, mostly over Lelouch's actions leading up to the peace that had finally come over this world. It was a terrible price for him to pay, but he paid it nonetheless.

Sometimes, Kallen just wished Lelouch had found an easier way to end all this violence and war. A way where he could still be with them in the Academy…

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"This is unacceptable! Who in this damned world decided to have that crippled orphan become Empress?!?" a tall, bearded Britannian noble shouted among his colleagues, outrage written all over his face.

He was one of the many noble gathered in a private estate, which lay far within the untouched parts of the Britannian countryside. The owner of this estate had stepped out for a moment, but even still, he had taken the time to gather any of Britannia's former nobles, as long as any of them were interested in the possibility of re-gaining their status and power.

"Schneizel supports Zero, and because of that, I've lost most of my family's wealth!"

"He's a traitor to the Britannian Empire! That has been established. What needs to be done is for us to retake our Holy Empire that Zero destroyed!"

"And how do you suppose we do that? With the Empress now in power, we have lost all credibility. Look at us, meeting in secret and plotting to overthrow her and gain control over the world. We are no greater than that insect Zero!"

"I would certainly rather be in this position than still be under the control of that madman Lelouch. At least we don't have to worry about him any longer, thanks to that Orange bastard."

For the last few hours, these various former nobles of Britannia had been bickering over their current trouble concerning Zero and the new Empress Nunnally. When Empress Nunnally came into power, she pardoned many of the Britannian nobles who had expressed open hate and prejudice against those not of Britannian blood, but at the same time, she effectively exiled them from the Britannian Empire. These nobles lost most of their wealth, status and political power in the process. And so, they were nothing less than enraged as a whole over Empress Nunnally's decision.

"You people can't stop fighting amongst each other for even a few seconds, can you? You're like vultures fighting over a carcass. I personally find it pathetic." A voice stated from the other side of the large hall that the nobles were currently situated in. It was a male voice, and it sounded almost majestic, but devious at the same time.

The nobles turned, and they all looked to see a figure approaching. He was a tall male, with chestnut brown hair that was about shoulder-length. He wore a stark white uniform with various Britannian emblems designed on it, which contrasted against his tan skin and hazel-green eyes. He had what looked like a rapier sheathed on his left hip, along with a pistol on his right. His features were comparable to that of a classical sculpture. He was easily one to make an entrance, and the nobles around him had nothing to say for the first few seconds of his entrance.

"Speechless, are we? I'm sorry for not providing you with a more proper introduction. Alexi Stratton, at your service." The man said, oddly smiling as he bowed to the various nobles present. Many of them were wearing suspicious looks, and Alexi could even see some whispering to one another like children sharing a secret.

"I hope you have a good reason for gathering us all here." One of the nobles said, poison in his tone.

"That I do."

Alexi took a seat in the only chair available, and put a relaxed look on his face. He began to speak, his voice sounding confident.

"I've gathered you here because I'd like to propose something to you…disgraced people. I understand you all want your power back, along with the wealth and status you've enjoyed as one of the many nobles of the former Holy Empire. I seek a goal similar to yours, and after much thought, I have figured out the best way to achieve all our goals and take back our Holy Empire as well."

The nobles seemed to be listening intently now, perhaps more because the sound of the man's voice was almost inspiring in a strange way.

"We've seen what Zero is capable of. He formed his own personal army with the Order of the Black Knights, nearly destroying Britannia over a year ago. His plan was a bold one, and I must say it…inspired me quite a bit." Alexi stated, laughing a little at the end of his sentence.

"What are you getting at?"

Alexi narrowed his eyes, and spoke calmly as he unveiled his thoughts.

"I propose we learn from Zero's first triumph. I would like to form what I have called …The Order of the White Knights."

Many of the nobles gasped at Alexi's words, and almost immediately, he could feel the sense the auras of distrust around many of them.

"Are you mad?!? Not only do you expect us to imitate that fool, but you expect us to become terrorists as well?"

The voices of dissent were clear among these Britannian nobles, not much to Alexi's surprise. Nevertheless, he continued to speak.

"I expect you to do what is necessary to take back our beloved empire, but you seem to misunderstand me. The White Knights I intend to lead are no allies of this so-called "justice". No, they are something entirely different. They intend to take everything this world has to offer by force, from the cursed Area 11, to the entirety of the Britannian Empire itself. We will become not the allies of this world's people, but predators. That is the natural order, is it not? Survival of the fittest dictates the way this world works, and the Order of the White Knights will exemplify that."

For a few moments, the many nobles remained silent, unable to say much in response to Alexi's explanation. Many of them were wary of his plan. He was considering that they be reduced to the level of the despicable Elevens, and most of the nobles present had trouble coming to terms with such a concept. Nevertheless, the more they thought it over, the more the possibility of them being able to re-gain their losses appealed to them.

Finally, one of them spoke up, albeit with a nervous tone of voice.

"What…do you ask that we do?"

Alexi smiled, and as the nobles watched, one of his eyes began to radically change color. It turned from a hazel-green to a glowing maroon color, and where his pupil used to be, the symbol of Geass could be seen instead, flashing brightly.

"Oh, quite a bit, my friends…"