Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass

AN: And here we go, my take on post-R2.

Peace Through Hatred

Part 1

xXx

The first thing he felt upon regaining consciousness was pain

Sharp, Blinding, Overwhelming Pain.

Pain radiating throughout his entire body, eclipsing all other senses.

"I wish I could say that the first time is the most painful, but it's really not."

A voice.

"In fact, a sword to the chest is comparatively pleasant. Compared to being burned alive, anyway.

A voice he shouldn't be hearing. A voice that he should never have heard again.

"Still, I don't really remember what my first time was like."

His eyes snapped open, revealing an all-too-familiar green-haired figure. leaning casually against a wall, staring at him.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Lelouch." C.C. said.

Eyes alight with utter bewilderment, Lelouch scanned his environment. He was lying in a small, white-sheeted bed, dressed in a set of flannel nightclothes. The room was a small, plainly-decorated one, with only the bed, a tasteful mahogany table and a small window breaking up the monotonous grey wallpaper. The blinds were drawn, but Lelouch could see hints of the night sky peeking through the small gaps. C.C. was leaning casually up against a wall, dressed in the strange straightjacket-like clothes he had first found her in, eyes staring at him intently. A cool breeze slipped in under the blinds, tickling at his skin and making him shiver involuntarily.

Lelouch's, hands reaching for the spot where Suzuku's sword had pierced his body. Where there had once been a gaping wound there was only smooth, unblemished skin.

His personal survival had never been a part of his plans. His death was the primary condition that had to met for the Zero Requiem to work. A peaceful world could not exist while Lelouch vi Britannia still drew breath. If anyone learnt that he had survived, all the blood, sacrifice and death would be for nothing. Suzaku would be labelled a fraud, and Nunally's tentative authority over Brittania would shatter into dust in the wind. The world would be dragged back into the cycle of hatred.

Lelouch looked up at C.C., brow furrowed, "What did you do?"

The witch raised an eyebrow, "I didn't do anything, Lelouch. Your survival is a consequence of your own actions."

"Don't play dumb with me, C.C. Why am I alive?" Lelouch growled.

C.C.'s lips quirked, "You say that like it's a bad thing."

"It is." Lelouch got to his feet, an unsteady sway in his step. The teenager moved past C.C., staggering out into the narrow wooden hallway. His eyes alighted on the small kitchen, and he walked through the open door on the opposite side of the hallway. C.C. followed, a bemused look on her face.

Lelouch picked up one of the large kitchen knives sitting on the bench, "Who else knows about this?"

The witch raised her eyebrow once again, "Just you and me. Why, are you planning to stab me?"

Lelouch shook his head, "Take care of the body."

Before C.C. could respond, the former emperor drove the knife deep into his own chest, the same place that Suzuku had stabbed him earlier. Blood spurted out of the wound, splattering across the wooden floor. Lelouch slumped to his knees, vision starting to go black at the edges.

The last thing he saw before he fell into blissful unconsciousness was C.C. kneeling down next to him. Far from being alarmed, she just shook her head sadly,

"That's not going to work, Lelouch. Believe me, I've tried."

Darkness.

The next time that Lelouch woke up, once more in the same bed. As before, was no trace of the wound in his chest. Unlike before, however, the pain was absent. C.C. was sitting near his legs, face impassive.

"Really Lelouch, acting so recklessly without even knowing the details of your situation? How unlike you." She said.

Lelouch fixed her with a glare, "C.C., I need to die. Surely you realize that. You can't keep saving me."

"I told you before, I'm not the one saving you." She replied simply.

"Then what is?" He demanded.

"You can't figure that out yourself, boy? I would think that it would be obvious to someone of your intellect. Or have I simply misjudged you all along?" She asked, a slightly mocking tone entering her voice.

"I don't have times for games, witch." Lelouch replied.

The woman sighed. "Fine. You're alive because you killed Charles."

"...What?"

"You remember, of course, what happened to Charles when he killed V. V.?" C.C. asked, flicking her emerald hair.

Lelouch nodded. His father had taken the code of his twin brother, losing his Geass and becoming... becoming...

Immortal.

"You were the one responsible for your father's death. You've inherited his code."

Lelouch couldn't speak, eyes widening. Immortal. He, the most hated man in history, the one whose death was supposed to bring in a new era of peace, was immortal.

"You're lucky I've got such good eyes." C.C. continued. "I noticed the sigil appear on your forehead as you died. If I hadn't removed your body in the confusion, the whole world would probably know by now."

Lelouch's eyes narrowed, "Why did you help me, C.C.? I'm not a Geass user, I can't kill you anymore."

The witch's eyes glittered, "Why? Perhaps I was afraid that if they discovered the truth about you, my secrets could be revealed as well. Maybe I'm hoping that you'll use that wonderful brain of yours to figure out a way to put an end to us both. And perhaps... perhaps I simply enjoy your company. Who knows?"

"Feh. I should know better than to expect a straight answer out of you." Lelouch replied. The former emperor kicked the covers off himself and swung his legs over the bed, feeling the cold floor chill his bare feet.

"And what do you plan on doing now?" C.C. queried.

The teen began unbuttoning his nightshirt. "Now? I keep trying until I succeed."

C.C. laughed, more that a touch of bitterness permeating her voice. "What? At killing yourself? Do you know how many years I've had to test that out, Lelouch? Hundreds. I've been shot, bludgeoned, guillotined, burnt alive, poisoned, crushed and blown into pieces. I once threw myself into a volcano, boy. It was six months before it spat me out, and all that time I was constantly reforming. Believe me, conventional methods like the ones you're imagining aren't going to work."

Lelouch continued to change, "Perhaps you've missed something. And don't you think it's time you stopped calling me boy?"

The woman smirked at him, "Stop acting like a child then. There is nothing you can do, do you understand? You're just going to have to live with it, unless you want to go around making Geass contracts with people."

"Geass has brought more than enough harm to this world." Lelouch replied instantly.

"Well then, it seems like you have three choices. You can spend the next few years trying to kill yourself and putting yourself through unimaginable pain, like I did. You can turn yourself into the authorities, and have everything you know tortured out of you. Or..."

C.C. grinned, "Live."

Lelouch stared blankly at her, then smirked. "You're lecturing me on living? When the reason you gave me Geass in the first place was because you wanted to die? You've become quite the hypocrite, witch."

C.C. let herself fall onto the now-vacant bed. "Well, it's been a very eventful couple of years. Who's to say that my outlook hasn't changed a little?"

Lelouch rubbed his forehead. "Well, what would you suggest?" He asked tiredly.

C.C. smiled, "This world doesn't need you anymore. I can't believe I'm saying something so corny, but ever since Marianne died you've spent your whole life living for others. It's time to retire, Lelouch."

"You make it sound like I'm a saint. I'm a devil, remember?" Lelouch interjected, a hint of the playful teasing that used to be the hallmark of their interactions invading his voice.

The witch grinned back at him. "Try living for yourself for once, devil."

xXx

(Four years later - Tennant Creek, Australia)

"In breaking news today, tensions have mounted further between the United States of China and the United States of Japan. Earlier today, a small aerial skirmish took place over the Tsushima basin, with around a half-dozen casualties on each side. Details are still sketchy, but each side is claiming that the other is the aggressor. We have political commentator Rob Vandermere in the studio. Thanks for coming in, Rob."

"My pleasure, Kylie."

"So, Rob, what do you make of this incident?"

"Well, in my opinion there's no question which side was behind the attack. The United States of China have been testing the waters for a while now, and they've decided it's time to strike. Their leader is a warmonger, plain and simple. Ever since Xiao took over from that Xingke, it's been nothing but trouble."

"So, what, you think Minister Xiao is the driving force behind this?"

"We can't blame China for everything. The economic downturn that hit Japan around four months ago has resulted in a swing of public support towards the more extreme ends of political ideology, on both sides of the political spectrum. The head of far-right National Japanese Workers' Party, Naoki Fumiya, is of particular concern, considering his ultra-conservative, almost jingoistic stance on foreign policy. Minister Xiao is the major agitator, though; the man is an a war-hawk and a die-hard nationalist. It's a real pity that Minister Xingke had to step down for health reasons, that guy was possibly the best Prime Minister China's ever had. I mean, there have only been two of them so far, but still."

"Ahahaha, fair enough. So, in your opinion, how is this going to play out? Is Britannia going to get involved?"

"Ah, well, that's the thing. Xiao is going to declare war on Japan, no question about it. But Britannia can't afford to get involved in either side. The memories of the old reign of Britannia are too fresh in the world's memory for Britannia to be stepping in and acting as the world's policeman. Diplomatically Britannia wields a lot of clout, as we saw from that Franko-Polish fiasco last year, but militarily? Empress Nunally's hands are tied on this one."

"And the Black Knights? Can Zero do anything?"

"There have been too many changes to the United Federation's original charter, Kylie. Think about it. Countries get to have control and maintain own militaries now. Zero has had to make concession after concession just to keep the Federation together. If the Black Knights intercede on the side of China or Japan, the whole Federation could get ripped apart. Hell, this conflict could split apart the Knights themselves. We'll just have to hope that a peaceful resolution can be achieved."

"Thank you for your time, Dr Vandermere."

"Always a pleasure to come on."

"Now, on to sports..."

The TV screen went dark. Lelouch let the remote fall to the ground and looked to C.C. The witch met his gaze.

"Well, you tried your best!" She chirped.

"Stop sounding so happy!" He groaned. "My death was supposed to prevent this!"

"Ah, well, it was fun while it lasted." The witch sighed. "And it's such a nice day, too!"

She gestured towards the window, where streams of sunlight were blazing through the glass, lighting up the small house where the two had made their home.

Rather surprisingly, it had been fun. After C.C. had convinced Lelouch that suicide wasn't a viable option, the two had decided to travel as far away from Britannia and Japan as possible. Due to Lelouch's rather widespread infamy, he had been forced to wear a mask, like the one Sayoko used while impersonating him. Eventually, the two had settled on the neutral country Australia, their travel funded by one of Lelouch's reserve bank accounts.

They had eventually settled down in the Northern Territory town of Tennant Creek, purchasing a small house just on the outskirts of 3,000-people strong town. With enough money to support them for several centuries, neither felt any need to work and for the first time since his mother died, Lelouch found himself with free time.

The apathetic, emotionally-secluded witch and the ruthless, charismatic manipulator discovered that they actually got on extremely well together. Both were extremely intelligent, and quite good company when they weren't plotting or pursuing hidden agendas. Rather than mere accomplices, the two became friends, which worked wonders for their personalities. C.C. became less distant, the ever-present loneliness and jadedness that had plagued her being replaced by a continuously-growing happiness. Lelouch, while he did miss Nunally, found that he could relax and let his guard down, allowing much of his coldness and arrogance to drain away. Which was lucky, because C.C. made a habit of trying to sneak native animals into his bedroom while he was asleep, and he had once woken up to find himself curled around a large, male wombat.

While the two were never overly interested in socializing with the locals, they did (with Lelouch disguised) occasionally frequent the bars of Tennant Creek. Both were quickly accepted into the fold, although Lelouch was careful never to get drunk, lest he let something unfortunate slip. Lelouch and C.C. both took up the piano, too, and would compete to see who could learn music the fastest. A recital of Tommy Joel's Piano Man always made sure they could get a free drink at The Grey Kangaroo Tavern, not that either of them needed it.

In short, the two were happier than they had been for a long, long time. And as they lived their simple lives, the world kept on moving forward. Nunally proved to be an excellent ruler, and Suzaku proved to be a highly capable diplomat, solving international problems left right and center. While not as strategically brilliant as Lelouch had been, Suzaku at least partially made up for it with his unwavering dedication and unbridled passion.

And yet... The Zero Requiem had not been a complete success. As time faded, so did the memories of Lelouch. The unity that came from having a universal foe started to fade, and more and more people began questioning the legitimacy of Zero's chancellorship. No longer happy at being ruled by a faceless man, public campaigns had been cropping up to have Zero remove his mask. While these had no real power as of yet, they were still a worry.

And now this. Feng Xiao, a single warmonger threatening all that Lelouch, Suzaku and Nunally had built. Threatening to destroy his sister's kinder, gentler world.

"Cera, what should I do?"

Lelouch had also began referring to C.C. by her real name.

His fellow immortal smiled at him. "Well, if it were up to me, we'd stay here and start learning Beethoven's Seventh. I think you've already made up your mind though, haven't you, Lelouch vi Brittania?"

Lelouch chuckled, "You really do know me too well these days, don't you?"

He got up off the cushy, beige sofa, a rueful grin on his face.

"Get your stuff ready. We've got a long journey ahead of us.."

xXx

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