Authors note

Hello, everyone - Tabby here!

I'm so happy you're reading this I thick I'm about to squeel! Anyway, this isn't the first fanfic I have begun wrighting, it is, however, the first one I have ever published. Hell, it's the first story I've published, period! So I would most certainly appreciate just about any and every review you could send. Flames will not be well liked and only used to fuel my passion for this story!

And speaking about the story - I'm not certain as to how often I will be able to update it, considering I'm doing my first year at the university and they aren't exacly going easy on us. But I'm already working hard on the first chapter and hopefully I will be able to post it in 1-2 weeks.

Then there was the disclaimer of course;

The dialoge in this chapter is basicly taken diractly from the english dubbed version of the anime and none of it belongs to me. Neither does any of the characters or anything else related to Code Geass. The only thing that would possible me mine in this story would be the plot and the occasional OCs popping up when you lest expect them to. Hope that will suffice?

And a small warning;

This story will be a YAOI, a Suzaku/Lelouch just to be clear, and if you don't want to read it, don't. It's not harder than that. I will not be happy about comments on this just because you haven't read the warning, so don't bother sending ones about that. If you do, I'm gonna swear at you in Swedish! Got it?

Good!

Now read, enjoy, be happy and REVIEW!

Prologue

Lelouch could feel the blade of Zero forcing its way in, through and out of his body, and even though he had known it were to happen he could not help but gasp at the sensation it created. It hurt. Oh, God, how it hurt!

There was nothing he had ever felt that could compare to the pain the sword was causing him, and for a fraction of a second he regretted this decision. Yes, he was doing it for the world – for Nunnally – but damn, this had to be hell!

Lelouch gasped again but this time he could no longer take a proper breath as he choked on something welling up in his throat. He choked again and managed to cough up whatever it was that blocked his airways. His mouth filled with something wet carrying the sharp taste of iron. It scared him but there was nothing he could do about it, and just opened his mouth to let the blood flow down his chin to join the rapidly growing stain of red on his robes. The robes that only a moment ago had been the purest white.

A short second later he staggered forward and ended up leaning against his killer. Against Zero.

Against Suzaku.

The emperor could feel the masked man shaking slightly against him, but he knew that he was the only one aware of this temporary display of weakness. And he knew he was the only one to ever be.

He drew a shallow breath and allowed himself to relax slightly against his knight and managed a small, almost invisible, smile. Well done, my knight…

"Le… Lelouch…" came the shaking whisper from the young man who just ran a sword trough the body of his best friend, and Lelouch could almost hear the choked sobs he was trying to repress. It wouldn't do if the world's saviour began crying over a dying tyrant, now would it, Suzaku…?

The dying teen drew another shuddering breath and opened his mouth. He knew he had to say something to Suzaku. He had no idea what, but he'd be damned if he just left this world without even the smallest goodbye. He just had to say whatever came to mind at the moment he were to say it.

So he spoke the last words he knew he would ever tell his childhood friend.

"The punishment for what you've done shall be this then", Lelouch whispered in his ear. "You will live on, always wearing that mask, serving as a knight for justice and truth…"

Another wave of pain wracked his body, and while clutching his chest in pain Lelouch was forced to lean more heavily against the shoulder that was all that supported him, all that stopped him from crumbling to the floor. Then he slowly raised his right hand and put it against the man's masked cheek, softly stroking it without raising his head from where it rested on Suzaku's strong shoulder.

Lelouch was feeling cold but Suzaku was warm – so warm – and with the sharp pain now barely more than a throbbing ache in his chest, he almost felt like he never wanted to move.

He drew a shallow breath before continuing.

"You will no longer live your life as Suzaku Kururugi…"

Another pained intake of air.

"You shall sacrifice the ordinary pleasures of your life for the benefit of the world…"

A small gasp.

"…For eternity…"

Suzaku trembled against him for a short moment before finally answering.

"This Geass… I do solemnly accept."

Good boy…

Lelouch dropped his hand, leaving behind a bloody handprint on Zero's mask, and then let the both them fall to his sides almost completely limp. Suzaku swiftly pulled the sword back in one sweeping move, as if trying to make it as least painful as he could for his friend.

Without the sword or Suzaku to keep him on his feet for any longer, Lelouch slowly stumbled forward before falling and, leaving behind an almost glowing trail of red, sliding down the carriage's float. Down to where his sweet younger sister still sat chained.

Nunnally…

He was now so weak from the blood loss he couldn't even move his head to look at her properly. And with his sight becoming blurry with pain, exhaustion and loss of blood, all he could see were her big lilac eyes staring down at him as if she'd never seen him before.

"Lelouch… Are you…?"

And then she saw it. She saw his small, almost blissful, smile.

She gave a small gasp and carefully, almost as if she were afraid she could break him even more, reached for his blood stained hand.

"You mean… everything you've done, until now…"

Nunnally suddenly grabbed his hand with both of hers and brought it up to her face with a devastated expression painted over it.

"Oh, big brother, I love you!" she almost choked out, as tears began to fall from those beautiful eyes Lelouch hadn't been able to see in all those years the two of them had lived in Japan.

"Yes…" he whispered as he felt her small warm hands squeeze his rapidly cooling one so hard it was almost painful. As if they were trying to keep him grounded. Trying to keep him from leaving her.

"I…"

He drew a small, almost inexistent breath.

"I destroy… the world… and create it… anew…"

As the last word left his lips, Lelouch felt the last of his strength leave him, his eyes beginning to fall shut. And there was nothing he could do to prevent it from happening, no matter how much he would have wished for it to be so.

As he drifted off there was only one thing he could think of as he heard Nunnally's screams for him to open his eyes – to come back – and that was how sorry he were for everything to have to go this far. All Lelouch had wanted was to protect the people he loved, and in a way he had both succeeded, and failed...

I am so sorry, Nunnally.

I'm sorry, everyone.

And please...

...Please forgive me...

...Su… Zaku…

Well, that was that - hope you liked it!

I know it's basicly what happend in the last episode of the anime, but I swear that it's important. If I don't use this it's going to screw up just about everything in my plot, despite the fact that it seems to be disposable. Thre are some hints to some stuff that will come up later in the story, and hopefully it didn't bore you to death completely and you will continue reading this.

Anyway! Go and send me some reviews! That might make me happy and urge me to write more and update faster!

And now I'm going to do to bed and sleep since I seem to be having school tomorrow, and I have to be up at 04.40 in order to make it in time to a class that starts at 10.15! Isn't it just lovely...?

Well, goodnight then!