"I'm going into that world they call Fusion… Lelouch has finally—"

…

"No, I don't need that card. You seem to forget that I've been alive a lot longer than you have; I can take care of myself."

…

"There's no need to let them meet so soon. The boy is still just a child, or have you forgotten that as well?"

…

"Hmm. I suppose you make a point. Very well, I'll bring him with me."

Chapter 1: Above the Surface

The cylinder which he had somehow stepped through would not respond, as all of the computers were off. He had no idea how to operate the machinery, and his brother was nowhere to be found. Reizo was… stuck.

He took a few deep breaths, racking his brain to come up with a solution to this problem. It made no sense for a machine to be able to teleport him of all things, though there had been a lot of code on the screen of one of the computers attached to it, some of which looked like the kind used for Real Solid Vision. Was that what it did? Evoke a strong enough reaction from the Real Solid Vision system to transport the user… to wherever here was? Alternatively, it simply knocked him out, and someone brought him here. Though why would they do that and not tie him up?

…Either way, he needed to find out where he was, and he certainly could not do that by sitting in this lab all day. The exit was, thankfully, unlocked. But the building it was within confused him; it appeared to be some sort of castle. No people walked the halls or stood guard, though, and most of the other rooms would not open for him while he could not see inside.

(Why did that fact make him feel right at home?)

Reizo sighed as he rounded another corner. No people meant no answers which meant even longer before he found his way back to his home.

"Frustrated? My, that's not like you at all, Lelouch."

(Lelouch.)

He spun around, eyes wide as his head throbbed. He caught a flash of green in the corner of his vision, but other than that there was no indication of anyone having been there. Reizo frowned as he let his hand fall from the side of his head; people could not just disappear like that. …Then again, he had randomly appeared in this castle simply because of a card.

(Lelouch Lamperouge… Lelouch vi Britannia… Zero…)

"That's right, you certainly are different from him," that same voice said. A female tone, and somewhat mocking. And then he saw her, standing behind him now. The flash of green must have been her hair, for it was a certain lime-green color and… strangely long. Her amber eyes looked at him with sly interest. Whatever she was wearing—along with her arms—were hidden underneath a high-collared black cape of some sort.

"Who are you?!" Reizo demanded, the headache back tenfold. Just like during his Duel with that girl Kaiya two years ago. Was there some sort of connection between the two?

(C.C.)

The woman stared back at him. "Why don't you tell me? I'm sure you remember something, Lelouch. You certainly remember more than almost everyone else."

Everyone… else…? What was that supposed to mean? "I have no idea what you're talking about, miss, and my name isn't 'Lelouch'." Except now that he'd spoken, that name felt so familiar on his tongue.

"I suppose that's technically correct," she nodded a little. "Then, should I call you Reizo?"

…And the strange woman knew his actual name when he still did not know hers. Unless that "See-two" that popped in his head was her name for some bizarre reason, but who would have a name like that? He crossed his arms and shot her a glare. "I'd prefer it if you didn't call me anything. I still have no idea who you are and I—huh?"

The woman vanished. Not a sound, nor a flash of light. It was like she was never there in the first place. Instead, farther down the hall, he could see two people running towards him—a girl he'd never seen before with purple-and-blue hair tied up with a large orange bow, wearing some sort of red outfit with stars on it; and the other person, his brother Reiji.

A million questions ran through his head—how did you get here, where is here, who is this girl, why are you running away from something—but all Reizo managed to voice was, "Reiji?"

Reiji stopped, if only for a second, and adjusted his glasses while saying, "We have to hurry; I'll explain later."

The dark-haired boy scowled. He hated running, and it didn't look like there was anyone chasing them. Though he did not want to argue, and at least Reiji would give him some answers. Said running continued throughout several hallways and a tunnel before the girl suddenly stopped, shouting at them.

"You aren't from here, are you? Where is your boat?!"

"Boat?" The brothers shared a look.

Quietly, Reizo said, "We don't know where we are or how we got here."

"But then—tch," she only glared at them for a moment before looking for something. A way to get off the island? "Neither of you will be any help, then. I just want to get off the island and find my own futu—"

"Your future is here, Selena."

A chill ran up Reizo's spine as his pulse quickened. Though it had been nearly seven years, there was no mistaking that voice. One that he hadn't cared to hear again, but still enough to cause him fear and even more questions arose in his mind. He turned slower than he ever had before, trying to deny who the voice belonged to. But it was impossible; here, wearing a purple suit that looked oddly like a military uniform, a red cape over his shoulders; here, with some strange metal fixture on the left side of his head; here was Akaba Leo, his father. With four men standing behind him, all wearing the same blue uniform complete with a strange sort of mask.

"Selena," Leo said, completely ignoring the fact that both of his children were standing right in front of him, "I know your abilities more than anyone else."

"Then why do you keep me locked up on this island?!" she shouted back.

"It is not the time yet."

"Then when? When you destroy Xyz? Or Synchro?"

"Destroy…?" Reiji mumbled.

Father wants to… destroy Xyz and Synchro? How does that even work—and what about Fusion? Reizo balled his hands into fists. "Hold on a second! What do you mean by—"

"Akaba Leo intends to unite the Four Dimensions by launching a war against the other three, or something to that effect," a new voice interrupted. It was the green-haired woman from earlier, back just as quickly as she had disappeared. She looked thoughtfully at Leo before adding, "That sounds remarkably similar to what Charles wanted to do. What a strange coincidence."

Charles?

Thu-dump.

(Charles zi Britannia. My father.)

Wait, what? What was with his thoughts this time? This went beyond thinking he had a younger sister… Why did he think this "Charles" was his father? How did he even know that name in the first place when he was sure he never met this woman before. (Except he wasn't so sure anymore.)

("Now, once our marks of Geass become one, the old world will cease and the new world will spring forth.")

"Ngh!" Reizo's knees collapsed underneath himself as he squeezed his eyes shut, trying to cope with yet another headache. He really was getting sick of them, and wished so much that they would stop. And then the pain was no longer just in his head but his eyes as well, burning like… like…

(A single line. Bright reddish-pink and glowing. A bird with its wings spread. Geass.)

The last thing he saw before he fainted was the woman, her hand stretched out as though she wanted him to take her hand.

Well, this certainly was not how I expected this to go.

Though, there wasn't much to expect. Before Lelouch had chosen to renounce his own Code—(all for the Zero Requiem)—she had no idea that those who stained their hands with the Power of the Kings were reborn in a new world upon their deaths. A chance to live a normal life, she supposed. This was new territory for her—and just thinking about that made the frown on her face disappear.

Reizo—(the resemblance to Lelouch made it clear who he was)—was unconscious. Once again, remembering things from his past life must have been too much for his mind to handle. His brother from the Standard Dimension was trying to shake him awake.

And that's exactly why I didn't want to bring that card with me. Lelouch…

"Oh, please. This was hardly my fault."

"Really now?" C.C. chuckled a little, the eyes of everyone else on the pier directed towards her. "Well, whose fault this is doesn't matter right now. Akaba Leo, I assume you don't want your sons in this dimension? I can take them back to Standard for you."

The man narrowed his eyes at her, frowning. Then he gestured at two of the underlings closest to him. "You two, come with me. Selena must be returned to her room. The rest of you, capture that woman," he ordered.

"No! I won't sit around here anymore!" the purple-haired girl shouted, running back into the castle. Her pursuers followed suit, though Leo looked at his two sons one last time before doing so.

The remaining six young men dressed in the colors of the Obelisk Force quickly surrounded the green-haired woman, and she couldn't help but smirk. Even with their Duel Disks' Real Solid Vision, there was no way they would be able to capture her.

"They have no idea what they're getting into, do they?" Lelouch asked.

"I don't believe they do," she replied. The smirk still on her face, she pressed the button on the tablet attached to her wrist, throwing off the cape as she revealed that the tablet was none other than a Duel Disk. "This is how you people settle things, is it not?" What a strange world—or rather, strange Dimension. A card game to settle things… nothing like a large-scale war.

"You think you can stand up to six of us?" one of them asked as they all laughed.

"You must really be crazy."

The last one, the shortest of the bunch, grinned. "Shall we begin the hunting game?"

Oh, they really don't know what they're up against. If I was someone else, I probably would feel sorry for them.

"Duel!"

Obelisk Force Member (x6): 4000 Life Points. C.C.: 4000 Life Points

"If this is a hunting game, then I suppose the prey takes the first move?" C.C. looked at her hand, and she couldn't have asked for a better one in her first real challenge (Dueling against him in C's World really didn't count). A.S.E.E.C. Special Unit, Knightmare Frame - Burai, Knightmare Frame - Shinkiro, Refrain, and The Master. "I Set two cards face-down," she began, sliding Refrain and A.S.E.E.C. Special Unit into the tablet, "and then I Summon Knightmare Frame - Burai in Defense Mode. Turn end."

Knightmare Frame - Burai: EARTH Machine-Type / Level 4 / 1500 ATK / 1600 DEF

A bipedal grey robot appeared in front of her, arms crossed in front of itself. It still held on to several rifles, and the antipersonnel machine gun looked ready to shoot. Hmm. Just seeing this again brings back memories…

Each of their turns takes painstakingly long, and they're all quite boring with nearly the same play every turn. There were only a few variations in what happened each turn: the third and sixth of the members to go were able to Summon Ancient Gear Triple Bite Hound Dog (1800 ATK / 1000 DEF), when the others only had Ancient Gear Double Bite Hound Dog (1400 ATK / 1000 DEF), and only the first member had Ancient Armageddon Gear active. Whatever face-down cards they had could also be a variable.

Though, the fact that they all use the same cards made it quite easy to put a stop to them. After the first one Summoned Ancient Gear Hound Dog (1000 ATK / 1000 DEF) and used its effect to deal her 600 damage before he Fusion Summoned, she proceeded to activate Refrain against the second Obelisk Force member who tried to do the same. The Burai had to be tributed, but it was now impossible for any of them to activate that effect again.

And leaving her own field open was offset by the fact that no one could attack on their first turn.

"Tch…! So you survived the first round of the hunt, but that won't happen again! Turn end!" the sixth member declared angrily.

C.C.'s Life Points: 3400

"Are you sure about that?" C.C. asked, smiling. She drew her card—Blaze Luminous—but the card she needed to win was already in her hand, thanks to her opponents' own folly. "When my Life Points are lower than my opponents and I control no monsters, I can Special Summon Knightmare Frame - Shinkiro from my hand!"

Knightmare Frame - Shinkiro: DARK Machine-Type / Level 8 / 2600 ATK / 4000 DEF

Unlike the previous robot, this one was much skinnier, a sleek black-and-gold model with a dark-red attachment on the back. It looked like a backpack with four blades sticking out, but actually granted the machine the ability to float. It also had actual feet instead of wheels, said feet each having eight toes. The machine rose into the air, arms stretched wide, and a barrier of hexagonal pink light surrounded it.

"The effect of Double Bite Hound Dog activates! Your monster gains 1 Gear Acid Counter, and when it battles it is automatically destroyed!" the first Obelisk Force said.

"While this card is in Defense Mode, it cannot be destroyed… I'll have to remedy that restriction! I activate the Equip Spell Blaze Luminous, equipping it to Knightmare Frame - Shinkiro. Now, it cannot be destroyed by battle or by card effects during the Battle Phase."

Underneath the pink light, a green barrier appeared as well.

"At this moment, I enter the Battle Phase, and another of Shinkiro's effects activates!" C.C. declared, pointing at her monster. The pink barrier disappeared, and a compartment in its chest opened up, a green prism inside of it. "At the start of the Battle Phase, the Shinkiro is forced into Attack Mode, and its ATK and DEF swap until the End Phase."

Knightmare Frame - Shinkiro: 2600 → 4000 ATK / 4000 → 2600 DEF

They all took a step back, their grins dropping to slight horror. The one who controlled Ancient Armageddon Gear looked the most horrified, and he stuttered, "B-But… you can only defeat one of us!"

"Oh, really? Knightmare Frame - Shinkiro has the ability to attack all monsters my opponent controls once each. And it looks like its ATK is just enough to end this Duel, thanks to your own Spell Card."

"Hmph. These fools are pathetic. Nothing like facing Schneizel or the Black Knights, eh C.C.?"

"You're right about that," C.C. said. "Now, go! Knightmare Frame - Shinkiro, attack their monsters!"

The prism in the machine's chest shot out, hovering in the air for a moment. Then a beam of light shot out of the compartment it had just been inside, and upon impact with the prism, it scattered towards each opposing monster. They really didn't stand a chance. The resulting explosion, coupled with their own card effect, sent them flying.

Obelisk Force Members' (1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th) Life Points: 4000 - 2600 (Battle Damage) → 1400 - 1400 (Effect of Ancient Gear Armaggeddon) → 0

Obelisk Force members' (3rd and 6th) Life Points: 4000 - 2200 (Battle Damage) → 1800 - 1800 (Effect of Ancient Gear Armaggeddon) → 0

With those annoyances out of the way, C.C. walked towards Reizo and his brother. The former was still unconscious, and the latter watched her warily. The immortal stopped, crossing her arms and returning the look. "Do you not wish to go home?" she asked.

"I…" Reiji shot a glance at the castle behind him, no doubt contemplating his father. "I do want to go home. I just don't know what's going on… Ngh… Reizo, can't you wake up already?"

The boy seemed so fragile, unconscious like that. Innocent even. Though he remembered the most out of those who had been reborn, it was still obvious that this boy was not entirely the same as Lelouch vi Britannia. There really was no good choice about what she was going to do about this…

"Very well then. I will tell you everything I know about the Four Dimensions and your father's plan… and I can also make your brother's headaches stop, though that part will be completely up to him," C.C. said.

"Y-You know what causes his headaches?"

"Yes. They are memories—memories that are his and yet are not at the same time—memories that flood his head when he sees or hears a certain… trigger, I suppose." She looked down at the boy. "We shouldn't stay here. Your father's forces will soon swarm this area, and I know a place where we can talk uninterrupted. Shall we go there, then?"

Akaba Reiji stared at those C.C. had just defeated, some of them starting to stir. "Yes. We should go there."

"Very well then…"

"I propose a contract."

A/N: No, you didn't misread anything. C.C. was talking to Lelouch and she was also using cards that explicitly were things from Code Geass. There will be an explanation for this eventually, just not at the moment. She won't be the only one doing this, though.

Also, I'm sorry for not detailing every turn of the Duel, but can you blame me? The Obelisk Force all have the same Deck and they all seem to have really good topdecking skills.

Thanks to the six people who reviewed the previous chapter! I hope you—and others—review again!

Cards in this chapter:

A.S.E.E.C. Special Unit

Normal Trap

Effect: [Unknown]

Knightmare Frame - Burai

EARTH Machine/Effect

Level 4

Effect: During the Battle Phase: Increase this card's ATK by 100 for each "Knightmare Frame" monster on the field.

1500 ATK

1500 DEF

Knightmare Frame - Shinkiro

DARK Machine/Effect

Level 8

Effect: Cannot be Normal Summoned/Set, unless you control a face-up "Zero, Man of Miracles". If you control no monsters while your Life Points are lower than your opponent's: You can Special Summon this card (from your hand). This card can attack all monsters your opponent controls once each. At the start of the Battle Phase, if this card is in face-up Defense Position: Change this card to Attack Position, and swap its ATK/DEF until the End Phase. Cannot be destroyed while in face-up Defense Position.

2600 ATK

4000 DEF

Refrain

Counter Trap

Effect: Activate when your opponent activates a monster effect while you control at least 1 face-up "Knightmare Frame" monster. Tribute 1 monster; negate the activation of that monster's effect. That effect cannot be activated again during this Duel.

The Master

Normal Trap

Effect: [Unknown]

Blaze Luminous

Equip Spell

Effect: Equip only to a "Knightmare Frame" monster. Once per turn: The equipped monster cannot be destroyed.

(I don't own Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion or Yu-Gi-Oh! Arc-V.)

The truth of the reason Reizo exists comes to light, and he doesn't want to accept it. For who could accept the painful truth that their entire existence was a lie?
Next time: The Truth of C