A/N - Welcome to the first instalment of my new Geass fic, inspired by several other fanfictions dotted around the community. It focuses on the idea that Lelouch instates himself as emperor, and attempts to achieve his goals without the Requiem, based largely on the fact that several of his closest family and friends have either stayed or come back to him. Primarily, the titular pink princess that everyone has on their body pillows. However, this is in not meant to be a fix-fic, and will derail itself one way or another. Prepare for a nice bucket of politics, war, espionage, confusing marriages and clashing emotions, as our favourite Emperor attempts to bring about Nunnally's world, and share it with those he loves.

Warning, this will be a PSEUDO-HAREM, with politics playing a nice part on who Lelouch shares his name with.

Buckle up, cause it's gonna be a long trip...

His Lilac Queen: Part 0 - Due Divergence, Due Reward

Chapter 1

-My Witch, My Warlock-

'If something lives in plain sight, none shall notice its existence. Remove it, and everyone shall mourn it's passing. The human mind only comprehends change, which is why life is always celebrated after its conclusion. Should that which is removed become real once more, it's reincarnation will be cherished like never before.' - Aenarion Calidor

And with that, Lelouch brought his gaze upon the sky, and upon the planet that hovered above them.

"I beseech the Collective Subconscious, do not halt the flow of time, do not stop that which is in motion." And with one final look towards those he once consider his family, he uttered the words that sealed their existence.

"And destroy those who would stand against it."

With a shuddering lurch, the rising column that represented the Sword of Akasha begun to dissipate, falling back down into the void from which it came. However, tThe entropy was not limited to the pillar, as its creators began to share its fate.

"Impudent brat!" roared the Emperor, even as his body began to dissolve. "Don't you see you've done! All your mother and I's life's work! This would have brought peace, a world without lies!" Noticing the horrific rate of his decay, Charles lunged at Lelouch, but before he could reach his son, finally dissipated into nothingness. Marianne didn't move, merely frowning melancholically at him, showing her endless disapproval, yet accepting her fate. But such meagre theatrics had no effect on the now-orphaned Lelouch, as his respect for her had long died, and so he glared right back, watching on in icy indifference as she disappeared for good.

With that threat finally dead, Lelouch collapsed upon the 'floor' of C's World, catching his breath, his body ultimately catching up to his mind. Rest. He needed rest, along with closure. So exhausted was he that he forgot the knight watching on in shock, nor did he notice the padded footsteps of his witch, as she walked up behind him and draped herself over his kneeling form.

"Suzaku, would you wait outside?" The Japanese knight was dragged from his stupor by the witch's request. He was meant to be finally confronting Lelouch, not being ordered out like a little lapdog. But then again, that's all he really was, wasn't it? He never had much say in his life, just a little pawn, moved and manipulated by those around him. In fact, Lelouch was one of the few who probably still saw him as a person...but that meant nothing. His role in Euphie's death outweighs any attachment they once shared.

And he was just seconds from voicing that when C.C continued. "There is only one exit from here, and we have no desire to run away. There is something that needs resolving, and it would be better if you did not bear witness." What did that mean? Was someone going to die? No matter, he had been waiting for 7 months, he could wait another hour.

"Very well, you have fifteen minutes."

"Forty, and no bargaining." The knight reluctantly nodded and departed, flashing out of C's World and into the material plane. A thick silence blanketed the two, now left alone in the blue dimension, as both attempted to quell their racing minds.

Silenced reigned for what seemed like hours, as the two wordlessly voiced their feelings. The quiet was eventually broken by the immortal, who by now had crawled into her warlock's lap, her face buried in his sternum, muffling her words, and in turn, the fragility of her voice. "So, where to we head now? You have what you desired, so do you plan to help me in turn, or do we part ways?

Silence. Suffocating, smothering, blanketing silence. Something began to constrict in her chest, emotions kept long repressed, fears left to fester for the better part of an aeon. It couldn't be happening again. Not again, she would not be cast aside again.

Lelouch didn't answer, his eyes downcast, concealed by his raven bangs. C.C continued, determined to find her answer. "Will you go back on your contract, against what you promised? Or am I still of use to you?" Her voice was getting consistently weaker as she spoke, each unanswered question compounding insecurities kept buried since the beginning of her contract.

Never before had her walls even fractured, so why did it feel like they were about to collapse. Why did this boy's silence bother her so much? Was he going to leave as well? She could take that, right? She could take being abandoned again, like she had over, and over, and over. Why did his silence...hurt?

"Am I just an asset to you, another of your many pawns." Lelouch didn't even move, even as her fingers softly tightened around his ribs. The verdette knew she was ranting, but continued anyway, for once, just happy to vent. "Is my power still useful to you? Do you need more code-users? My advice, my console, my presence, anything?" Her voice finally broke, the dam bursting at last. For once, she thought she had found someone like her. Alone and jaded, she had lost all reason to live, but was forced through centuries of gruelling existence. Decades of being nothing, of meaningless life.

Of loneliness.

But this boy, he had reignited that spark, kept under so many layers of snow. He had melted down her ice, found that fire kept hidden so deep. Treated her like a person, like a friend. Like she was special. And after so many years of isolation, she felt...happy. Sure, he was a brat, naive, arrogant, a workaholic, paranoid as hell, frequently treated her like a tool, and was as romantically adept as a depowered Knightmare Frame, but she could see past that...sometimes.

How many times had she jokingly invited him into bed, secretly wishing he'd accept, eager to feel his warmth? How many days had she waited in his room, awaiting his return, just to enjoy his presence? How many nights had she secretly cried herself to sleep after his disappearance, afraid she'd never see him again? She had to mean something to him, she was the only one who stayed with him from the beginning, never to doubt him. She was...she was...

"Am I important to you?" And with that, the tear finally fell. Slowly, weakly falling down one cheek, mingling with her scattered hair, before passing into his. Lelouch still said nothing, not reacting in the slightest.

...

...

...

"Cera..."

'Bastard'. And just like that she that, she knew she had lost. She couldn't leave if she wanted to, not when he said her name in that tender he had perfected. Not when he stared at her with those violet eyes, expressing concern she didn't know existed. "You mean far more that you could ever imagine."

"I bet you say that to all the girls." she retorted, but oh how her heart fluttered to new heights. She rarely dreamed, as most nights were filled with nightmares, but the few she had almost always featured that line somewhere or other.

"Like someone of my calibre would settle for anyone less." And there it was, that trademark arrogance, naturally he couldn't just let her have her moment. But if he didn't, it just wouldn't be...him. It was a part of the package, one that she would begrudgingly accept.

"I'm guessing 'His Highness' would like some reward for his dashing escapades?" He looked up into her eyes, and whispered the words she had been waiting to hear.

"Cera...you're all I could ever need."

…

…

…

"Pfffft hahaha hahaha!" C.C fell right off her perch on his lap, their tangled hair forcing him to fall over her with a pained yelp. His limbs becoming entangled in her splayed form, her incessant giggles sending soothing vibrations through his chest. "That was...heh heh...god...heh heh...that...pfft...how corny." Her amusement shone from her eyes, the golden irises basking him with waves of contentedness. "Please tell me you were joking."

"Only slightly," he replied, his anxiety easing as he noticed her tension fading, before adopting a faraway look. "It's funny how you only notice things after they almost slip away."

"I know, I've felt it so many times, more than you could ever imagine."

"And it will never happen again, not if I can do anything about it." They stared into each other, as the two attempted to identify what is was they felt inside, what they dared dream for the two of them.

*Clap, clap, clap.*

"How touching." Both their eyes snapped out of their content haze, locking with red irises, past the white hair that partially obscured them from sight. The albino smirked playfully at the couple as he appeared before them, his eyes broadcasting his amusement towards their antics. "Though it would look even better if we switched places, Lulu"

"Mao? How are you here-...wait no, foolish question, pseudo-afterlife." Lelouch's head was filled with flashes, the snow-haired man's face forcing him to relive one of his most painful memories. "What do you want." It was impossible to hide the snarl from his voice, venom leaking from his lips, from every word. "I thought you'd be too busy to rotting in hell to pester me, or did the devil hand his job over to you."

"Close, but not quite." Mao's smirked, but then his smile widened, becoming slightly more genuine. "I'm the new avatar of C's World." C.C's eyes widened slightly, before softly smiling back at the Chinese man. It was a welcomed change to see him happy, and far too overdue for her tastes. Apparently, his new position gave him a higher sense of purpose, relieving years worth of insanity-causing pain from his psyche.

Lelouch still wasn't following, caught off guard by the man's apparent lack of anger, especially as he was in the arms of 'his C.C'. "I...I believe I need an explanation."

"My Geass makes it possible to comprehend the thoughts and desires of anyone I chose, and apparently that extends to the Collective Conscious," he explained, not bothering to hide the smug tone. "So, seeing as I can hear the demands of God, I was chosen to be their middleman."

"I...I see."

"No you don't, but it doesn't matter. As much as I love shitting around with you, I have business." Mao's posture suddenly straightened, losing the obnoxiously relaxed slouch he usually spouted. "Lelouch vi Britannia, if not for you, the universe as we know it would have ceased to exist. Only due to the work and sacrifices you made was the Sword of Akasha destroyed, and as such, we, the Collective Conscious, wish to offer a gift to show our gratitude.'

"I need no reward for doing the right thing." the prince said, his voice filled with absolute certainty. "It's been my dream for over a decade to kill that bastard, it's all the gift I could ever want."

"Perhaps you don't, but your service to the Collective Conscious, to the universe in general, demands our gratitude." Mao's tones began to morph, slowly adopting the ethereal resonance distinctive to the Collective Conscious. "The Dimensional Supervisor is also in your debt, and hopes to make your acquaintance soon."

"A Dimensional Supervisor?" he asked. "I was not aware such a thing existed, nor was required."

"Mao was only adopted as a speaker after his death." The Chinese man's voice had completely faded, now it was a genderless boom, thousands of speakers seeming to intermingle into a single voice. "D.S was, and always will be our official figurehead."

"...I hope I can fulfil its expectations of me."

"Without a doubt. But if you will not accept a gift from us, would you be so inclined to accept one from her?"

'Her?' It has a gender? "Perhaps…" he began, unsure how to continue.

"Then on behalf of the Dimensional Supervisor, and in turn the Collective Conscious as a whole, we thank you, Lelouch vi Britannia!" The booming proclamation reverberated through the spiritual realm, drawing Lelouch and C.C in its resonance. As the din settled down, Mao apparently had regained control over his body, a rare, swan smile gracing his lips. With an almost wistful gaze, he uttered words Lelouch thought impossible.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

There was a violent flash of light behind Lelouch, throwing him off his feet onto the cave floor, the luminous 'walls' of C's World being replaced by the grey stone of the Kamine Thought Elevator. Dazed and blinded by the sudden strobing flare, as well as the forced exit from the otherworldly plane, Lelouch took a second to recuperate, his eyes adjusting to the dimmer ambience of the subterranean passage. His clothing had changed, replaced with a nondescript black shirt and purple coat, both emblazoned in the icon of Geass. C.C had appeared almost on top of him, though she rolled off almost immediately, obviously more used to the abrupt shift between dimensions. He slowly stood, casting his gaze to his witch, and noticed her wide eyes, staring back at him-...no, not at him. Behind him, through him. He slowly turned, afraid of what could shock the otherwise unflappable immortal, and saw…

...saw...

"...Euphie?"

A/N - Give me feedback, please, I live off that stuff. Also, any complaints about characters or personalities should remain constructive, or you can go shove them so far up your...

Anyway, C.C is someone who was never given real attention as a human being before, and Lelouch is the only one to treat her like a woman, rather than a tool. Marianne lulled her into a fake sense of security before betraying her, Mao is insane and Charles...well, yeah. Stands to reason that she would want to stay with him, rather than just watch from the sidelines.

Mao makes perfect sense as a spokesperson if D.S is out, I mean, he can read minds. The Collective is just multiple minds, so it stands to reason that he can read them. Therefore, they would use him.

D.S is a real character though she never really was detailed. As is many other characters that will be added. Along with my OCs, or course.

That's all from me, so I'll see you next time.