Author's note: Well, I managed to get ALL, that's right, ALL of my ideas together for this story, and I already have the epilogue for this book written. Now, all I have to do is fill in the rest of it!

So anyways, I decided to upload this chapter a bit early due to the fact that Spring Break has started for me as of today (HELLLLL YESSSSS), and I will be going to the East coast/Midwest to visit college campuses. Since my laptop died a few weeks back, I have no way of uploading a new chapter.

A few things before you start reading. Any text that is formatted like this: "[ words ]" shows the use of Lelouch's Geass. Yes, I know that they will seem OOC, but I think that it's better this way :D

So, all that aside, I hope you'll enjoy the newest chapter of my Code Geass fan fiction, Colors of my Soul.

Please take the time to review or send me a PM with suggestions or comments. I actually DO take the time to read them, and I'm always happy to get feedback!

Until Next Time!

~TabiNoTochuu

Book I:

Chapter 2 – Return of a Demon

I opened my eyes to pure darkness. With a groan, I sat up to take a look at my surroundings. Or rather, I should say I tried to sit up and look around. My head only made it up six inches before it painfully slammed into something padded, yet hard. I laid back with a grunt and rubbed the sore spot on my forehead. "How can something be soft, yet so damn solid at the same time? Speaking of that, where in the world am I?"

I reached out blindly and felt padding not six inches from my arms and feet. Then, the realization of where I was hit me like a fully loaded knightmare. A coffin. I smacked myself repeatedly. How could I forget such a thing? To the world, Lelouch Vi Britannia was officially dead, killed by the icon known as Zero. "... they put me in a coffin. I hope that they didn't bury me in a grave. I might be immortal, but I don't want to find out what happens if I don't eat for a few weeks..." I pushed against the extremely solid sides of the coffin. "... or a few months."

I sighed as I began to grope around, hoping to find a latch or opening by chance. After a great deal of searching, my hand finally closed around something that wasn't padding. The small latch turned with a click, and to me, it was the sweetest sound in the world. I cautiously pushed up on the lid and opened the coffin. Now... if there was someone here, this would look authentic as a horror movie.

I sat in the dim light of the room and took a good look around me. From what I could see, there seemed to be dozens of other bodies in the room with me. Upon closer inspection of the inscription on the coffin next to me, I gathered that I had been buried in the Britannia royal family's mausoleum. I stood up in my coffin and jumped down to the ground below. However, my sense of distance had been widely distorted by my time in the coffin, and I landed clumsily on the floor fifteen feet below. "Ouch... Why the hell would they put a coffin up so damn high?"

Then, my eyes snapped open. "Oh damn... C.C.! She probably still thinks I'm dead!" I limped around the floor in an attempt to think straight. "How am I going to let her know I'm alive?"

I limped over to the door of the mausoleum as quickly as I could. From what I could tell, there wasn't any sort of movement or other activity outside. Cautiously, I opened the door and stepped out into a damp stone hallway. Around halfway down the hall, there was an audible popping noise from my ankle, followed by the blissful disappearance of the pain from my once-sprained ankle. "... that'll come in handy someday..."

I walked for around another hundred feet or so before another door appeared in front of me. This one was larger and made out of iron. I put my ear to a crack in the door and was startled to hear voices outside. Who could be messing around here? There couldn't be guards for a mausoleum... right? But then again, this IS the Britannian royal mausoleum, so I guess its only natural.

Slowly, the voices faded away into the distance, and I carefully opened the door. Naturally, at the first movement, it squeaked loudly. I cursed silently to myself and crouched down, prepared to run if need be. Luckily, the people from before didn't seem to hear the door and saved me from attempting to put my stamina to the test.

Now, the largest obstacle stood before me as I finally made it out of the mausoleum complex. I stood on the roof of the building and looked out at my surroundings, or lack of. The building was completely surrounded by water, and it was obvious the only way in or out was by boat or plane. Clearly, those two options were out of my reach. The "dead" emperor of Brittania couldn't just get on a random boat and expect the captain to sail him away from this place. I sighed. "What I would do to have the power of Geass right now..."

I began to paw through my pockets in hopes that I would find something, anything that might be of use to me in this situation. My hand closed around a piece of paper that was in my shirt pocket. My eyes widened as I recognized the handwriting of a certain green-haired witch. I quickly ripped open the note and began to read.

My eyes skimmed over the words on the paper, and I took in every little detail, from the words she used to the places where her tears had marred the ink on the paper. A lump formed in my throat as I read what was supposed to be her last message to me. I crumpled the note in my hand and stood up. My eyes burned with a new fire of determination. I will find her. I refuse to leave her alone.

I turned to run back into the building and bumped into the security guard that had snuck up on me while I was up here reading. Oh shi-

He grabbed my arm and pulled out his pistol, which he leveled at me. "Who are you? How did you get here?"

In desperation, I stared into his eyes and attempted to force my will upon him. "[Let me go, now!]" Right after, I realized that such a command would not work without the help of my Geass.

To my surprise, the man's eyes dulled over as the crimson ring of Geass appeared around his irises, and he quickly let go of my arm. "Yes, sir!" He saluted smartly and moved off to the side.

Confused, I walked toward him. "Sir, is there something you need?"

Well... Might as well try. I stared into his eyes again. "[Find me a boat that can get me off this island.]"

The guard saluted again and led me down the stairs from the roof. I followed him with more than a little confusion fogging my mind. What does this mean? Could my Geass still be active? I shook my head. Impossible. A code bearer cannot use the Geass. This I know for a fact, since C.C. was unable to use her Geass after she received her code.

But still, the proof was in front of me. I had forced another's will to my own, just as easily as I had when I still possessed the Geass. What's more, my Geass's power seemed to have increased, as I was able to Geass the guard more than once. The guard's voice brought me back to my senses. "Sir? This way, please."

I followed him through a doorway and into a secluded, hidden harbor that was carved into the natural rock the mausoleum rested upon. He showed me a small but powerful motorboat, and handed me a set of keys. "Is there anything else you need, sir?"

I looked over at him, and my eyes fell upon the pistol at his side. "[Yes. Please hand me your firearm, as well as any extra ammunition you may have.]"

He nodded and passed the pistol and holster over to me. While I strapped it to my own belt, the guard pulled out several spare magazines and handed them to me. I carefully placed them into my pocket and turned to leave. "[Oh, one more thing. You will forget that you helped me today, and you will return to whatever it was you were doing before you met me.]"

The man nodded and collapsed onto the floor in a heap. Light snoring reached my ears as his chest rose and fell in a rhythmic beat. I shook my head in amazement. Unbelievable... The guy just goes right back to sleep. I jumped into the small boat and turned the key in the ignition. A low hum echoed through the otherwise silent chamber as the engine started. I cautiously maneuvered the boat to the mouth of the harbor and I looked out at the wide expanse of the sea. From the instrument readings on the control board in front of me, I could tell that the mainland was only a few miles away and would only take ten or so minutes to reach. I took a deep breath of the fresh ocean air and gunned the engine. Suddenly, the moment I exited the harbor, a blaring siren began to wail.

My radio crackled to life with chatter from what sounded like the other guards at the complex. Why do they have to be so damn efficient? I cursed and pushed the boat to its limits, but to no avail. A few seconds later, the sea whipped up around me as bullets buzzed past my boat. I felt it shudder as it sustained several hits, but it kept going nonetheless. However, right before I could reach the mainland, a round punctured the fuel tank of the vessel. I had a brief second of warning before my ship exploded underneath my feet. I was flung into the ocean and I promptly fell unconscious as a sliver of metal tore through my chest.

-oOo-oOo-oOo-

Ashford Academy

C.C. walked around the old room that she had stayed in during her contract with Lelouch. Her heart panged at the sight of the familiar surroundings. She carefully set her suitcase down on the floor before she flung herself onto the bed. Her eyes filled with tears as she hugged the pillow to her chest. The room even smelled the same.

Everything there reminded her of him, yet she couldn't bear to stay away. She had originally planned to stay just long enough to pick up some clothes, but past memories kept her from leaving. "Lelouch... Why did you have to leave me?"

She slowly got up from the bed and looked out of the window to the students who were just beginning to leave the campus. The setting sun shone in her eyes as she looked out at the sea not far away. From this distance, she could barely make out the silhouette of the building where her one true love was buried in.

She flopped back down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. "Why did I have to fall in love with him of all people? Why couldn't I have fallen in love with someone who wouldn't leave me?" She sighed as tears leaked out of her eyes. "... I know that it was destined to be. Don't console me."

C.C. got up and walked over to the closet. From inside, she began to pull out the various clothes that she had acquired in her time with Lelouch. As she pulled out the straightjacket she had worn during her captivity in Britannia, a small envelope fell out of its folds. She picked it up, and her heartbeat quickened as she recognized his handwriting. To: C.C. From: Lelouch Vi Britannia

She quickly slit open the envelope to find only a card inside. She frowned in confusion. Why would he leave a card in her clothes? Even though it was addressed to her, she couldn't understand his reasoning. She turned the card over and dropped it the moment she saw the front of it. Her face was pale with shock, and her breathing quickened, abnormally loud in the quiet room.

The front of the card was colorfully decorated and bore two words in various block letters. Happy Birthday.

Her hands trembled as she picked up the card and opened it.

C.C. If you are reading this, I will already have passed on to the next world. I can't apologize for what I have done, but I hope that you will find it in your heart to forgive me for doing such a thing to you. This was the only way for me to create the perfect world, not only for Nunally, but for you as well. As for the card, I heard you talking in your sleep a few days ago, and I found out that your birthday would fall a few days after Zero Requiem. I'm sorry that I won't be there in person to celebrate it with you, but just remember. I am your warlock. If you ever need me, call me, and I'll be there.

Happy Birthday, witch.

~Lelouch Vi Britannia

She stared at the card for several moments. Then, her composure cracked as the floodgates behind her eyes snapped open. Tears flowed unrestrained from her eyes as she laughed to herself. The forced laughter finally turned into bitter crying as she hugged the card to herself. "Oh, Lelouch... I need you now..." She directed her gaze out the window toward the mausoleum once more. "But... you won't come back to me, will you?"

-oOo-oOo-oOo-

My eyes opened and I sat up with a groan. My head throbbed with every movement, and there was a stinging pain in my chest from where, presumably, the shrapnel had cut me. But, from what I could see, my wounds had all healed while I was asleep, or rather, unconscious. "Crap..." My shirt was stained bright red from my blood.

"Great. Now what? I have no way of getting new clothes, and I certainly can't walk into any civilized place with a shirt soaked in blood... Not to mention the fact that any sane sales clerk would have a heart attack when the 'ghost' of the previous emperor of Britannia comes to buy a shirt..." A building in the distance caught my attention. Ashford Academy... I might be able to steal a uniform there...

I made up my mind and walked toward the school, careful to avoid any official roads.

-45 minutes later-

I stood in front of the gates to the school and caught my breath. I hadn't realized just how far away Ashford really was until I reached the first hill... and then the second one... I eventually lost count at around seven. I cautiously peeked around the corner to make sure no students were in the courtyard before I ran, or more precisely, hobbled, over to the student council building.

I walked through the familiar halls and rooms, remembering each with a smile on my face. Then, I arrived at the door to my old apartment, where I had spent years hiding in plain sight with Nunally. I took a deep breath and walked through the doorway. My eyes took in every single detail the modest dining room had to offer, and a small smile rose unbidden to my lips. The memories I had of this place were warm and comforting.

A sudden sound from the adjacent room caught my attention. It sounded like it came from my old bedroom. My breathing quickened as I pulled out the pistol from my belt and checked to make sure it was ready to fire. Damn... I didn't think I would have to use this so early on in my escape. I took a deep breath and jumped around the corner. I pointed my pistol at the other person in the room. "Who are you, and what do you want?"

The woman, judging by the long hair, jumped in surprise. There was something definitely familiar about her, but I couldn't tell exactly who she was due to the angle at which the sun shone through the window. All I could see was a silouetted figure near the window. A small card fell from her hands as she fell to her knees. Despite everything, I could not help but feel concerned for the mysterious woman. "Um... I'm sorry I pulled a gun on you... I can't see your face due to the light, so naturally, I assumed that you were someone that I'd rather not have in my room."

I walked over to the woman who trembled on the floor. When I got within arm's length of her, she suddenly whirled and knocked me to the floor. I didn't even have time to retaliate before she had my arms pinned above my head. Her strength and speed surprised me and caught me off-guard. I could do nothing but curse my carelessness as I struggled to free myself from underneath her. "What the hell?"

Then, she pressed her lips against mine. My eyes opened wide in shock, and I looked up into the warm but tear-filled eyes of my immortal witch. Her grip on my wrists loosened momentarily, which allowed me to pull free and throw the gun off to the side before I flung my arms around her. "C.C.!"

She laughed through her tears and eagerly squeezed my body tight. "Lelouch! I don't believe it! You answered me! You came back!"

"...? What do you mean?"

She held up the birthday card I had written her, the last thing I had done before my supposed death. "You said that you'd come to me if I ever needed you. Well, I no longer have any doubts. You really did come back to me." She sat up and wiped her eyes. "Lelouch... How did this happen?"

"Truthfully, I'm not sure myself. All I remember is a bright room, as well as a man named Abraham. However, I do know for a face that my father's code has something to do with my revival." I leaned in and pressed my forehead against hers. "But, what matters most to me is the fact that I'm with you again."

She placed a tender kiss upon my lips and smiled at me. "Well, well. It seems like you've become more competent when it comes to saying the right things at the right time." C.C. leaned in and placed her mouth next to my ear. "But, that's just one of the things I love about you."

I buried my face in her silky green hair and closed my eyes. This was where I truly belonged; with my immortal witch. My soul felt at ease when I was near her. "Well, Lelouch? Aren't you going to say your piece now?"

I smirked. "I love how you always smell like pepperoni pizza."

Needless to say, my response was far from satisfactory as my pained laughter rang out through the room from the onslaught of tickling and poking from a very irate witch.

Chapter 2 - Return of a Demon