Disclaimer:This is a work of fan fiction using characters and/or scenes from the anime/manga Code Geass. I do not, in anyway, claim ownership over the characters, the world, the story, or any other aspect of it. This story should not be, in any way, considered canon. This story is written strictly for entertainment and not for profit.

Warning: This story will exhibit 'out of character' behavior on various levels. If you don't like seeing your favorite characters act differently, then perhaps this story is not for you. I ask that you give it a chance but consider yourselves warned.

Prologue

September 16, 2009 A.T.B.

"I thought I'd come tell you that mother and Nunnally are dead."

At that very moment, Charles zi Britannia, 98th Emperor of the Holy Empire of Britannia, asked himself a very important question. What was it about his son, Lelouch vi Britannia, 11th Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire and 17th in the line of succession, that had shocked him the most at that very moment?

Was it perhaps the utter lack of respect? The way his son has ignored all manner of proper court decorum? The boy hadn't even bothered to kneel or greet him after his presence was announced. He had just approached him and spoken so directly, so casually, as though he were speaking to an acquaintance or even a subordinate, not even waiting to be addressed and allowed to speak first. As it was, the only thing he had done right was that he had stopped at a proper distance from the throne. That, and he had worn clothing denoting him as a prince of the empire.

Was it the words he said? The death of Marianne vi Britannia, was not news to him. But Nunnally's? This was the first he was hearing of it. Moreover, it shouldn't have been possible. He had been the first and only person outside the hospital to know that she was allowed visitors two nights ago. He had then visited her late that night, well after visiting hours, to determine what she knew of his wife's death. Everyone else was only informed early yesterday morning. Well after his own, 'non-existent' visit.

Unless she had been killed in a way that left people thinking she was still alive up until very recently then he would have been informed the moment someone discovered her death. And as an imperial princess, news like that should have reached him mere minutes after discovery, if not seconds, lest they risk his ire.

Or was it the smile that was completely out of place on the boy's face? By all appearances, the smile was a pleasant one. The kind shown to not only friends and family, but even to strangers if one were the sort of person to do so. But to see it on Lelouch's face? After the death of his mother and, supposedly, his sister less than a week ago? The two people that he, undoubtedly, loved and cherished the most? No, the boy should not have been smiling. Not like that and not at this very moment.

But no, while all three aforementioned facts shocked him, none of them were truly what bothered him.

The lack of respect could be explained by the loss of his loved ones. Nunnally's death, while unexpected, could very well be possible, even if improbable. The smile could have been a front, a way to not show weakness. It was overly done, but Charles supposed it was better than having him come to court a weeping wreck.

No. It wasn't any of that.

It was the sheer sincerity in his tone as he spoke that truly shocked him. That, and the lack of any other emotion.

There wasn't a single hint of grief in the boy's voice. No sadness hidden beneath a strong exterior, no anger waiting to be unleashed, not even fear at the possibility of being the next target.

It was either his son had learned to mask his emotions so perfectly, asides from the overly done smile, that even he could not see through it. Or he had…

"Oh?" he voiced out, loud enough for the entire population of the throne room to hear as he played the part of the disinterested monarch. "Your mother's death is old news. Your sister's, however, is not. Pray tell, how is it that you know of that while I do not? Do you claim to know better than I? Or perhaps those caring for her have lied about her status?"

"Oh?" echoed Lelouch, though his tone was more surprised than anything else. "So she's still alive?" Again, the most disturbing part was the honesty in his tone and his eyes. He truly had believed her to be among the departed. "Well, in that case, it won't be long before she's dead."

Murmurs spread throughout the room as the nobility and royalty in the room quietly conversed, no doubt speculating what his son meant by his words. He didn't need to hear their words to know what they were thinking. Some probably thought that her condition was that serious, that her health was slowly failing. Others, the more ruthless of the bunch, would assume that Lelouch intended to kill her himself, either out of mercy or for personal reasons.

His eyes locked onto a handful of people off to the side. They were the select few who, like him, would realize that something was very wrong. And if they could see the boy's eyes, they would quickly discover what it was that he had seen.

But more than the sincerity that was already present, what bothered Charles so much was the lack of hope in Lelouch's eyes and demeanor. For a boy who loved his family very dearly, the news that his sister was actually alive should have been like the first scrap of food or even a mouthful of water being given to a man who had been lost in the desert, just barely clinging on to life. It should have revitalized him, given him hope that his fortune was changing for the better.

Instead, Lelouch seems to have accepted that his sister was soon to depart from the world of the living. Seemed to be expecting it even.

The question, was why?

"And why is that?" There was no point in avoiding the obvious question. "Is she suffering some malady that only you are aware of? Or do you, again, believe that those caring for her are incompetents that cannot even properly differentiate healthy from the dying?"

"Well," began Lelouch, his tone still casual and conversational, completely unfit for the setting. "When I saw mother that night she was bleeding from many places. She couldn't open her eyes and her voice was tired and weak. After she went quiet, she didn't open her eyes or talk anymore."

"I did not ask about your mother, boy," he demanded sternly, a little surprised that he didn't even flinch in response. "What relevance does this have with your sister's death?"

"Everything of course." Charles could see many of the nobles staring at Lelouch as though he had gone insane. With the way he was behaving, Charles might have even agreed to some extent. "When I visited Nunnally yesterday, she was the same. She couldn't open her eyes even though she wanted to, and she was very tired and fell asleep almost as soon as she woke up."

Had Charles been someone else at that moment – perhaps a commoner – he would have marched up to Lelouch and struck his son up-side the head. Even the nobles seemed to have changed their opinions from 'insane' to 'imbecilic'.

Lelouch carried on with his explanation, blissfully ignorant of how his words were constantly affecting the perceptions of the people around him. "The doctor was making some sort of excuse about why Nunnally couldn't open her eyes. It was stupid of him though. Maybe he thought that he was being kind to me by trying to give me false hope about Nunnally's survival, but I've already seen mother die. Giving me false hope like that was more cruel than kind. Do you think we could-"

"Enough." He did not yell nor did he raise his voice, but the natural volume of his voice along with the way the throne room was designed allowed his words to carry across the entire room. And it was more than enough to put an end to Lelouch's ramblings. "It seems to me that your mother's death has cost you more than you realize. As you are, you are useless to me. Nothing more than a pawn to be disposed of."

He could hear the gasps of surprise from some people in the room, one or two from where the other princes and princesses were standing. And why wouldn't they be surprised? He had all but sentenced Lelouch, one of the imperial princes and his own son, to death in a tone that most people used when talking about inconsequential things.

"But even pawns have their uses," he added, noting that the smile did not fade at all from Lelouch's face, nor did he react to the words. "In three days' time you and your sister will be sent to Japan along with a peace delegation. There, perhaps you will be of some use to me."

"Japan?" The smile faded just a hint, replaced by curiosity. "Isn't that the country of barbarians who eat with sticks and slit open their own bellies?"

'At least his mind hasn't taken complete leave of him,' Charles couldn't help but think. Crude as it may have been, Lelouch's words showed that he still possessed some manner of clarity of thought. Though he had to wonder how long it would last. "Begone now."

"Understood, Your Majesty." Shockingly, Lelouch began following proper decorum, his face becoming impassive in expression and his posture erect. He gave the proper bow at the proper height, held it for the proper amount of time before rising. He turned on his heels and marched towards the door with his head held high like the prince that he was. Nothing at all like the boy who had come in earlier.

Just when he was about to exit, he paused and turned around, looking directly at the Emperor with that same, pleasant smile on his face. "By the way," he called out in a loud voice. "Do you want me to bring back any souvenirs, old man?"

Never before had the nobility in the room seen such blatant disrespect for their monarch by one of his own sons.

Similarly, never before had Charles been more tempted than that moment to pick up his throne and hurl it at someone, namely the aforementioned son.

September 19, 2009 A.T.B.

"It's about time we managed to meet. I was beginning to wonder if I had to make another call to your private line."

Charles gave a sigh at the words of his guest, setting down the pen he was using to sign documents.

"I may be the Emperor, but I would rather not have to deal with rumors as to why I am meeting with you as you are now."

The 'you' he was referring to was a plain-faced young woman in her mid-twenties wearing a casual business suit. Given her occupation as a housekeeper, that was probably one of the most expensive pieces of clothing she owned. Even then, most people would be exceedingly worried about meeting the Emperor himself in such clothing.

But the woman before him was calm, grinning playfully even, despite this. Her braided blonde hair, draped over her left shoulder, shone like a river of gold as the twilight sun shone down upon it through the open window. Slim fingers idly toyed with the braid as though she were sitting at a café with a friend, not in the Emperor's personal study.

The woman gave a distinctly unladylike snort, accompanied by a teasing grin on her lips. "This coming from the man who has ninety-four consorts? Or is it up to ninety-six now? I seem to recall seeing the Mormont twins sharing your bed not too long ago."

Had anyone else been in that room at that moment, they would have been treated to the sight of the Emperor sighing in exasperation. A common enough sight when in the right company, but a rare one otherwise. And unfortunately for Charles zi Britannia, the 'housekeeper' sitting before him was one such person who was privileged enough to see that side of him. Or rather, 'she' was the reason why it had become a common sight while in the company of those closest to him.

"My dear," he groaned, fingers gently rubbing his temples to pre-empt the coming headache. "You know that-"

The door to his office opened without warning, cutting off whatever Charles was about to say. Instead, he took a deep breath, ready to upbraid whoever it was who dared to enter without so much as a knock or a verbal warning, only to see one of the handful of people he truly trusted.

"Bismarck," he said in a calmer tone of voice than he had planned on using. Calm, but still upset. "I trust this is important enough that you would enter without warning."

Bismarck Waldstein, member of the Knights of the Round bearing the title of Knight of One, a middle-aged man with dark, shoulder-length hair and a trimmed goatee. The Knight shut the door behind him and gave a shallow but respectful bow to the Emperor. His visible right eye, the left sewn shut, glanced at the housekeeper sitting in front of the desk and, upon meeting the gaze of her red-rimmed brown eyes, gave a respectful nod before turning back to his liege.

"I just received word from Japan. The peace delegation has landed and met with their Japanese escorts."

The Emperor frowned. This was why his most trusted Knight entered without warning? "I hardly see why y-"

"Without the prince."

The Emperor's mouth snapped shut just as his eyes widened just a fraction, a mix of anger and confusion flashing through his violet eyes. The woman's reaction was much more vocal. "WHAT?! What do you mean?!"

"It is as I said, milady," responded Bismarck. Thankfully, nobody else was present to witness the empire's 'Strongest Knight' address a mere housekeeper with such deep respect. Then again, those who would question his actions were those who were unaware of the woman's identity. "For some inexplicable reason, nobody realized that the prince had gone missing."

"How is that possible?" questioned the woman. "Do you mean to say they left without making sure everybody who was supposed to be on board was present?"

"That is where it gets complicated," the Knight replied with a frown. A similar frown appeared on the woman and the Emperor's faces, the latter gesturing for his Knight to explain. "All the guards on duty saw the prince enter the plane but none saw him exit. In addition, all those present, inside the plane and outside, deny having seen anyone exit the plane."

"The only anomaly they reported was that the prince had entered the on-board toilet shortly before taking-off, claiming that he would proceed to join the Princess Nunnally in the sleeping quarters afterwards to rest. Again, for whatever reason, nobody seemed to realize that he was not there, not even the Princess. Nobody even thought to check on him during the entire flight from Pendragon to Japan."

"I've already deployed men to search for the prince," he added just as the woman opened her mouth, a sharp expression on her face. "With help from multiple canine units, we should-"

For the second time that day, someone interrupted the ongoing events within the office. An urgent knocking came from the door, followed by a hurried voice calling out to the occupants of the room. "Your Majesty, we have urgent news!"

Noting panic in the man's tone, though it was good to hear that he hadn't completely lost his calm, Charles immediately called out, "Enter!"

The door opened even before the echo of the words faded from the air and a soldier rushed in, beads of sweat trailing down his face. He took two steps into the office, standing at attention before the three occupants of the room. "Your Majesty, patrols have reported that the Aries Imperial Villa is on fire. We're currently-"

"WHAT?!" The soldier jumped when the woman, one he didn't recognize as being nobility or royalty, interrupted with a furious yell. Swiftly rising from her seat, the woman marched up to the soldier and grabbed him by the lapels of his uniform and pulled until his face was just inches from hers, brown eyes that seemed to glow red practically burning a hole into him. "How long ago was this?!"

It was a testament to his training and awareness that the man, a mere sergeant judging by the markings on his uniform, did not immediately yell in response to essentially being manhandled by an unknown woman who seemed to be a commoner if her clothing was anything to go by.

Instead, his eyes sought out both Bismarck Waldstein, the Knight of One, and Charles zi Britannia, the Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, and noticed that neither man said anything. The fact that the two most powerful men in the empire did not rebuke the woman for her behavior was more telling than anything either man could have said.

"Th-three m-minutes ago," he responded hurriedly and nervously. Well-trained and aware though he may be, but the fury and anger radiating off the woman was still more than he could handle. "F-five at most. W-we-"

Then he found himself being pushed back, stumbling away as he struggled to remain on his feet. Only his back meeting the wall next to the door stopped him from falling over. But even as he sought to correct himself, the other three people in the room were already in motion.

The Knight of One and the woman were quick to exit, and the soldier couldn't help but wonder just who that woman was and why the news he brought seemed so important to her. Just as he was about to follow, the large figure of the Emperor loomed over him. He barely managed to open his mouth before his brown eyes were met by glowing red eyes, almost similar to the woman's now that he thought about it. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was a strange symbol resembling a bird.

Aries Imperial Villa. Home of the late Empress Marianne vi Britannia and her children, Prince Lelouch vi Britannia and Princess Nunnally vi Britannia.

A beautiful home full of warmth that was reflected in the well-tended gardens and the laughter that echoed throughout its halls, often courtesy of the young princess. The mere sight of the vi Britannia siblings was often enough to warm the hearts of visitors and soften the harsh expressions that were the norm beyond the villa's gates.

It was also a symbol. A symbol of what one could accomplish despite coming from the most humble of upbringings. The Empress Marianne, known by many across the empire as the 'Commoner Empress', had earned her title through her own efforts. Her home had become irrefutable evidence that one can ascend to the very top of the empire from the very bottom if one worked hard enough.

But now…

Now, even after her death, Aries Villa remained a symbol and would forever be a symbol. Not of hope of a better future. No. Certainly not that.

The once beautiful gardens had been reduced to kindling, mere fuel for the fire, while the formerly pristine white walls were now stained black with ash and soot even as the paint bubbled, boiled and melted in the heat. All the while, countless men and women in uniform struggled to put out the blaze that had already consumed most of the premises.

It was to this scene that the Emperor, the Knight of One, and the housekeeper arrived to. Already, it was apparent that nothing could be done to put out the flames. At least, not in time to save the structure. By then, the once beautiful home would be uninhabitable save for those who had nowhere better to go.

But their eyes weren't focused on the burning residence before them. Instead, three pairs of eyes were staring wide-eyed at the black-haired boy standing a short distance away from the front doors. As though sensing their presence, the boy turned around to face them. In response, they froze.

Standing before them, with the burning Aries Villa behind him, was none other than Prince Lelouch vi Britannia, 11th Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire. And on his face was the happiest smile any of them had ever seen.

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY EVERYONE! XD XD XD

I know I gave the impression that it would take longer, but I decided to start writing the story earlier than planned. The planning of the story's major plot points is done as well as a decent portion of the minor and supporting details. As long as the major points are done, I can work on the other details while writing the story.

It just so happened that I finished writing this prologue on Valentine's. Probably not the most romantic gift, but I just think of this as my way of showing my love and appreciation to my followers, reviewers and readers. XD

One important thing I want to mention, as unfortunate as it may be, is that Messiah's Legacy is my main story and will receive the bulk of my focus. As such, this story won't be updated as often. I WILL try to update it at least once a month, but even then I can make no real promises except that I will try.

I can, however, promise two things.

One, I WILL finish the story. It may take a while, but I will.

Two, the first chapter won't take long. A week at most.

After that, I will focus Messiah's Legacy, given that it's quite the massive undertaking (I expect it will easily surpass a hundred chapters before I reach the halfway point). But as I said, I will do my best to give this story a monthly update, perhaps more if I'm especially inspired and motivated.

With that said, please let me know what you all think. I've heard your thoughts on the teaser, now I want to hear what you think of how the story started. I'm sure there are lots of questions so feel free to throw them my way and we'll see if I can answer them without spoiling anything, not unless you specifically ask to be spoiled anyway. XD

Looking forward to hearing your opinions everyone. Until the next chapter then.