Author's Note: This is my first attempt at trying to write a fanfiction, so any criticisms and advice would be nice. This takes place a few months after the ending of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 so beware of major spoilers. Main characters will change as the time goes on and flashbacks will also be featured. Original characters will also be heavily featured (I had to make a villain somehow). I don't own Code Geass or any of its characters.

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." - Blaise Pascal

The snow fell silently onto the frosty ground that laid underneath. Even though he saw it so much, it still managed to mesmerize Nicholas. The quiet 'pat, pat' that you could hear if you were to listen close enough, the peacefulness of a ground covered in white. . . Nicholas loved everything to do with snow. He loved watching it for hours on end, not focused on anything except its peacefulness. It set him at ease, something that was nearly impossible to do. It cleared his pestering thoughts, leaving his mind a beautiful blank. This is what death must feel like, Nicholas found himself thinking whenever he reflected over the beauty of the silence. Just a peaceful 'pat, pat,' with no other sound. Nicholas' eyes, which were normally a shade of beautiful blue, now seemed to be pure white, as they reflected the scene Nicholas was watching.

". . . Nicholas, honey, are you okay?" The sweet voice wasn't enough to take him away from his thoughts, from the peace he was at. The small hand that was placed on his shoulder would become enough, though.

"Oh, hey," Nicholas' response was given in a soft voice, only to be followed by a soft chuckle. "I'm sorry. . . I guess I was just lost in my thoughts." Nicholas was now facing the tall, brown haired woman who had her hand on his shoulder. The shade of brown was dark, just like Nicholas'. "I'm sorry, mom."

"It's fine, honey. You just seem to be doing that more and more often lately. Are you sure you're really okay?" The concern that dripped from her voice saddened Nicholas. He knew that his mother was already worried enough, so the fact that she was worrying over him didn't make him feel any better.

"Yes, mom, I'm fine," Nicholas' voice was smooth and seemed genuine.. I hate lying to her, he thought. He wasn't fine at all. And he knew that deep down, this was an evident truth, even to observers such as his mother.. He hadn't been fine for awhile. Not since. . . No, Nicholas' mind said to himself. You'll just cry if you think about it.

"Ok. . ." Liar! blared over and over again in her head, but she knew that this conversation would only lead to more tears. She couldn't stand to see her only child cry anymore. "Dinner's ready."

"Thanks, mom." Still soft and genuine. He was getting too good at lying. And that fact was eating him away on the inside. "I'll be down in a few minutes." With those words, Nicholas' mother wandered off, presumably back downstairs. Nicholas' eyes once again flicked towards the snow. She loved snow. . . the tears fell down his cheeks and onto his desk, their impact causing a barely audible 'pat, pat.'

Nicholas' steps were quiet as he gently walked down the stairs. The shouting voices that came from the corridors that would be reached once he had accomplished his goal were however not as quiet. "What the hell is this?!" 'SMACK!' Again? Nicholas thought with a sigh."5,000 rubles on goddamn food?!" 'SMACK!' Nicholas had now paused in the middle of the staircase, waiting for the commotion and shouting to come to a stop. He hated the loudness of shouting. After waiting for a few minutes only to hear nothing, Nicholas continued his trek down the stairs, only to arrive in the kitchen where he saw his father, a husky and muscular man with black hair and dark blue eyes (which to Nicholas seemed black) and his mother. He could see the redness on his mother's cheek and the tears pouring from her eyes. "Look who decided to grace us with his presence?" Nicholas' father sneared as his lips knit up to form a smirk. It took a lot out of Nicholas to not show any emotion in response. It would just instigate him further, Nicholas thought to himself as he took a seat at the table. A few minutes of pure silence from the family ensued, the only sound that was audible being the sound coming from the small TV in the kitchen that his dad was watching.

"Here you go, honey," the soft and kind voice combined with the pat on the back and the presentation of a beautiful meal was enough to snap Nicholas from his thoughts once again.

"It's good," the husky voice that sat across the table began. "But it's not worth 5,000 rubles." Nicholas braced his ears for another loud 'SMACK!,' but surprisingly, it didn't come.

"I'm sorry," Nicholas' mother responded in a quiet voice before taking a seat at the table. Once again, the room was engulfed by the silence from the humans present. The only sound being the soft sound of chewing from the three and the sound coming from the television. Nicholas looked over to the open spot on his left, only to see it still left unoccupied. It took a lot to not cry. . . Don't cry, Nicholas' subconscious said to himself. It'll just give him more of a reason to make fun of you. And so, Nicholas didn't cry. He only thought of the time when that seat was occupied.

"This is delicious, Mrs. Popov," a bright and cheery voice exclaimed to Nicholas' smiling mother after taking a big bite of the delicious meal that sat in front of her.

"Thanks, dear. I made it just for you," Nicholas' mom looked up from her plate, a giant smile on her face. Nicholas knew how much his mother loved having guests over.

"You didn't have to do that," the cheery voice next to Nicholas once again said before taking another huge bite of her meal. Nicholas couldn't help but stare at the woman next to him in admiration. Her long, red hair sat comfortably on her shoulders, and her bright green eyes reflected the shining sun that was visible if you looked in the window. "What?" The eyes were now turned towards him, looking deep into his.

""N-nothing," Nicholas stammered before looking down at his own plate and taking a bite, his cheeks now a shade of red. He hadn't realized he was staring like he did the first moment he saw her.

"You like what you see?" The voice teased, making Nicholas' cheeks turn a darker red, and his mother giggle from across the table. Instead of responding, Nicholas continued to pick at his food. He'd been with her for three years, and he still didn't know how to act around her. They were, after all, polar opposites.

"You could say that." Nicholas meant his response to be just as teasing as her's, but instead it came out as soft and awkward. He knew that, after another bite, her response would come, and he would be embarrassed even more. He was just glad his dad wasn't here.

"You're cute when you're embarrassed." This didn't help his cheeks return to his original color. Neither did her grabbing his cheeks like his mom did when he was a little kid.

"Stop!" He tried to sound serious, but was now laughing as he tried to pull her hand away from his cheek. This caused both his mother and the voice next to him to laugh. After a few more moments of laughter, she finally let go of his cheek and they both returned to eating their meals.

"Is this a good last meal before leaving, Diana?" Nicholas' mother asked Nicholas' beautiful girlfriend next to him. Good, Nicholas thought. They're talking to each other. . . I won't have to suffer through any more of this embarrassment.

"It's great, Mrs. Popov," Diana's words were matched with the coroners of her lips curving upwards, revealing a beautiful and genuine smile. The same smile that made Nicholas fall in love with her years ago.

"Well, I'm glad. I heard that you'll be working under my husband. I hope he'll treat you like family." Nicholas' face lit up as he heard this. His mother was always so nice. . . he knew that she would have no problem getting her sainthood when she died, he often joked with her.

"If he's half as nice as you are, then I'm sure he'll be a wonderful commanding officer." Not a second later, Diana's lips were once again full of food, although it was the last of what she had on her plate. Looking over at her boyfriend's plate, she could see over half of his meal was still present and screaming her name. No wonder he's so skinny, she thought. Without questioning it first, she dipped her spoon into his food and grabbed a big portion of food before quickly downing it into her mouth.

"Hey!" He playfully screamed, although he knew he wouldn't have been able to eat all his food anyways. "I was gonna' eat that."

"Looks like you won't be anymore," Diana joked, making Nicholas let his lips form into a small frown. Nicholas heard his mother laugh at this, which made his playful frown quickly turn its tune and turn into a smile.

After a couple hours or so of playing around with each other, joking, and exchanging stories, the couple rose from the dinner table to make their way sun had finally decided to go to sleep, and now the moon now shone bright in the sky, reflecting off of the small pond that sat near the small Popov residence. Both Nicholas and Diana laid down in the grass next to each other, their sight focused on the beautiful stars that looked down at them from above. I could live in this silence, next to her, forever, Nicholas thought to himself.

"I'm gonna' miss you," Diana's sad words broke the comfortable silence between the two. She turned her head towards his, and he did the same, causing blue eyes to meet green.

"You shouldn't be gone that long." Nicholas' words were hopeful, which caused Diana's face to light up before turning her gaze back up to the stars.

"I know, but I'll miss these moments. . ." Nicholas could see the moon reflecting off of her eyes, eyes that were now welling up with tears.

"Hey, don't cry," Nicholas answered as he propped himself up on his left arm so he was now looking down at her. her beautiful face, her beautiful summer dress. . . all things he would die for if given the option.

"I wish I could stay in these moments forever, Nicholas. I wish I could be alone with you forever." The tears were now running down her cheeks, causing Nicholas' eyes to become watery as well.

"Why did you sign up anyway? It wouldn't matter if Britannia won. . . all I need is you to be happy." Nicholas was now cradling her hand in his as if she would be in danger of being pulled away by the wind if he let go.

"Nicholas," she began with a sigh as she propped herself up on her right arm so they were once again looking eye-to-eye. "I didn't sign up for us. I signed up for our future kids. . . no, for all future kids. I don't want them to be just numbers. . . I want them to be people. To have rights and have a chance to be happy like we are right now. To love like we d-" Diana was interrupted as she felt Nicholas' lips softly touch hers. In the next moment, the feeling of surprise went away as she eased into the kiss, her lips feeling the warmth of his, tasting the soft skin that was meeting hers. She felt his hands softly latch onto her cheeks, his body pushing hers over so that now he was on top of her. But just as fast as it began, it was over.

"Just fight fast and get back home," Any hint of uncertainty was now gone from his tone, his cheeks dimpling as his lips formed a wide smile. Diana's response was a simple nod as her smile mimicked his. Just like that, Nicholas fell over to his original position, and the two continued to gaze up at the beautiful stars.

". . . Nicholas, honey, are you okay?" His mother's hand was now rested on his wrist as he was jolted back into the harsh world commonly known as "reality."

"Ye-yeah. . . I'm fine. I'm just full." LIAR! was now being repeated in both the minds of mother and son as they were both aware of the sin Nicholas had been committing for months now. Or was it years? Nicholas just couldn't keep track anymore. "Can I go out?" His eyes were still looking down at the empty plate below him. He couldn't look his mother in the eyes and lie again as he was prepared for questions like why?

"Sure." This simple answer surprised Nicholas but he didn't dare inquire further about why he was being let off the hook so easily. He just, without anymore words, quickly got up from his chair and walked out of the house. He continued walking for a few more blocks, or miles (he didn't know) until he had reached the cemetery. His walk didn't stop until he reached her grave.

Upon reaching his destination, Nicholas fell to the ground and the tears started to fall down his cheek like raindrops. He leaned his back against her grave and pulled a small black box from his pocket. The tears continued to fall, only this time they fell upon the box, making a quiet 'pat, pat.'

The rain poured down upon the small house, the sky seeming to cry, but Nicholas couldn't have been in a better mood. He quickly went over to grab and coat and check on the little black box. Upon opening it, Nicholas was able to confirm the fact that the ring was still very much present inside. Don't be nervous, he thought to himself. After pausing for a moment, Nicholas grabbed his phone and made his way out the door, receiving a 'good luck' from his mother on the way out. Punching in his best friend's number, he made his way through the rain to meet his lover.

"Yeah," Nicholas heard over the phone before then hearing a yawn.

"What're you still doing in bed, Hilal?" Nicholas jokingly asked. He already knew how Hilal loved sleeping in, Nicholas would probably be sleeping in too if it wasn't for Diana returning.

"The question you should be asking," Hilal began before taking a quick break to pause, "Is why you're not still in bed."

"I'm gonna' do it today, Hilal. I'm gonna' ask her," Nicholas confidently expressed over the phone as he continued to make his way through the heavy rain to the train station. The quiet 'pat, pat' normal rain brought now being replaced by the same sound but only more frequent and much louder. But not even rain could bring Nicholas down. Not today.

"You sure she hasn't found any sexy army men to replace you?" Hilal joked to his best friend as he walked over to his window to observe the storm.

"Shut up, fatty. She's dating me, not you." Nicholas' words were clearly intended for joking around, and as such both men laughed like they had since the early days of their friendship.

"Are you sure about walking in this rain, man? It's comin' down pretty hard."

"Nothing is stopping me today, buddy. I've been planning this forever. Rain or not, I'm askin' her," Nicholas asked before taking a step in a giant puddle, continuing to make his clothes soggy. Nicholas was too excited to care though. He was finally doing it. And Hilal said he was all talk.

"Good luck. Tell me how it goes."

"Will do." And with those words, Nicholas hung up the phone and began to sprint. He didn't want to be late. He wanted to be the first thing she saw when she stepped off the train.

Once he arrived at the train station, Nicholas was greeted by Diana's parents, who were also awaiting their daughter's return.

"What're you doing here?" Her father asked, only to then look down at Nicholas' hand and see the black box he was holding.

"I'm going to ask your daughter to marry me," Nicholas exclaimed like a giddy schoolgirl, causing her mother to cry and her father to began laughing. Thats when the train pulled into the station and the soldiers began getting off. Both parents and their future son-in-law awaited the arrival of Diana. Unbeknownst to them, she would never arrive.

After all the troops exited the train and Diana was nowhere to be found, the hearts of her parents sank as both began to cry. "Ma-maybe there was a mixup. . . I'll go ask," Nicholas said with an unsure smile before making his way through the crowd to the commanding officer of the squadron. . . his father. "Dad!" He called out, ready to see his father's massive smile and be embraced in a giant hug. Instead, Nicholas would be greeted by a man who was the shell of his father.

"Oh, son. . ." Mr. Popov was now turned towards his son, his expression blank.

"Where's Diana?" Nicholas' question was full of both hope and worry that was apparent to all who were listening.

"I'm sorry s. . . . . . . . . . . " Nicholas stopped listen after 'I'm sorry.' He already knew what news was coming next. he clenched the little black box in his hand as tears began to pour down his cheeks as heavy as the rain. The sky was crying, and now so was he. Nicholas' father looked down at the box and let out a sigh before walking away from his heartbroken son. Also unbeknownst to Nicholas was that on that day, he would realize that he had lost both a lover and a father in the war. The hardest part was giving the news to Diana's parents.

"I'm sorry, Mr and Mr-" his words were interrupted by the sad wailing of the parents. They had already heard enough, just like he had heard enough earlier when he was talking to his father. He looked down at the damp ground, seeing his own, sad reflection stare back up at him. She fought so that the future generations would be free. Now, not even that was going to happen. Worst of all, now he was no longer free. He was a slave to his own emotions. How could he go on living without her? Without the love of his live? Without. . .

Diana, he thought to himself as he finished replaying the memory in his head. The memory of not the day she died, but the day she died for him. He clenched his fist around the box as his tears continued to pour from his eyes. He wish he could've been the one that died, not her. She was better than him in every single way. . . she was the most beautiful human he had ever meant. And now he had to live with his pathetic excuse of a father and a broken woman. Now he had to live alone, with no future in sight. And he had no power to change it, to change the past or the future. His was powerless to the fact that one man can't change the world. Men can do anything, be it rape, murder, saving lives, taking them, and it won't matter. The world keeps moving on without you. Only evil men get the power to change the world. That's why it was so broken now.

'COUGH,' COUGH!' Nicholas looked up from the black box to the direction the violent coughing was coming from. Nothing. Only the snow. He looked back down at the small, fragile object once more. 'COUGH,' 'COUGH!' His eyes darted up again, only this time there wasn't only snow. This time he saw a red man. Or at least that's what he looked like from afar. "Hey!" Nicholas shouted to the men in an attempt to get his attention. 'Pat, pat' was the only sound that he heard as he awaited the red man's response. "Hey!" 'Pat, pat.' "HEY!" 'Pat, pat.'

Nicholas got up this time and brushed the snow off of his pants and his coat before beginning to trudge through the snow to investigate. As he got closer and closer, he could see that the man wasn't red, but had long, red hair, a red beard, and was wearing a red coat. He could also see the red snow that laid in front of him. "Are you okay, sir?" Nicholas asked as he grabbed the man's coat in an attempt to turn the man towards him. What he didn't expect was the sight of nearly red eyes, filled with weird symbols in each. "Who are you?" The man didn't respond, but instead looked to his right, causing Nicholas to do the same. That's when he saw the blonde boy. That's also when he felt the man's body become limp. "Who are you?" Nicholas screamed over to the boy, only to hear no response. "What did you do to this man?"

"He couldn't fulfill the contract." The boy's words were as cold as the snow that fell upon Nicholas' face. Nicholas dropped the man into the snow and began trudging toward the little boy, who didn't appear to be older than 11.

"Where's your parents?" Nicholas asked as he knelt down next to the boy in an attempt to meet him at eye level. His eyes were as yellow as his hair,

"They died decades ago." Once again, his words were cold. "That man over there could've been considered my guardian, but he failed to fulfill the contract." Nicholas raised his eyebrows to visualize how confused he was to the child. "Although you," the boy began before placing his hand on Nicholas' cheek, "might be able to do what he could not." And with the touch, Nicholas fell down the rabbit hole.

As he fell down into a mysterious blue web, Nicholas screamed. He screamed for anyone, his mother, his father. . . Diana. . . the web then broke off and Nicholas saw himself in his most basic form. "What. . . what is this?!" Nicholas demanded of anyone, of whoever was doing this or knew the answers.

"I can give you power, Nicholas," the little blonde boy's voice rang out and echoed throughout the void, his voice now seeming that of a person of omnipotence and not a child.

"The. . . the little boy. . . what is this?!" Nicholas once again demanded, only this time he knew who he was asking. Before he got anymore answers, he once again saw the blue web.

"I'll make you a deal, Nicholas. I can you the power you so yearn for," the boy's voice began as Nicholas saw the image of two worlds and began to get even more confused. He started to shout once more, but it was, as before, to no avail. "But in return, you'll have to do something for me one day. . . you'll have to kill someone who is unkillable for me."

"Wh-what?" Nicholas was no longer demanding anything as he got even more scared. He'd never seen anything like this in his life. . . did he die? Is this what death feels like?

"Agree to this, and you'll be given the power of a king. The power to both change the world and fulfill my request." Back down the blue web he went, only to be interrupted by images of children with a weird symbol on their head and then himself once more, only this time floating in white nothingness. I must be dead, Nicholas thought to himself. That's when he saw her. . . Diana. She was standing in the void with him, holding his hand. Her lips forming the biggest smile, her beautiful teeth facing him. Nicholas began to cry to himself.

"I. . . I agree!" Nicholas shouted as he looked at Diana's smile, her beautiful green eyes, her flowing red hair. In response, all Nicholas heard was a chuckle as he was thrust out of the void and back into reality.

Upon reawakening, Nicholas found that both the blonde boy and the red man were nowhere to be seen. Must've been a dream, Nicholas thought to himself as tears rolled down his cheeks. He'd seen Diana, though. . . only she looked different. . . older.

"It's because I was older, sweetie," a beautiful voice rang out, causing him to sit still in shock. He didn't want to believe what. . . no, who he had heard. But he knew he couldn't resist forever. So he turned his head and saw her. His beautiful lover.

"Diana!" He screamed out of joy as his tears turned to those of happiness. He'd dreamt of this day for so long. Finally, she'd gotten off the train.

Author's Note: This is my second draft of the prologue as I decided to completely change Nicholas and his story as to make him seem more like a person instead of a monster and a clear cut villain. The full story of Nicholas will be given later, but next chapter will feature some known characters. I'm thinking of Nicholas' geass being that he is able to resurrect the dead for an hour. Does that sound like a cool power or should I change it? And should I bring Diana back fully or make her a weird apparition or guiding force? Let me know what you guys thinks. Anyways, hope you enjoyed.