Chapter 10: Lelouch and the Magic Council

(A/N: Hey guys! Natsu is taking a break from his job now; and I don't really blame him. Tsumibito just destroyed the entire capital city of Fiore. So for now, I'll do the author's notes by myself.

Now I assume everyone likes Kishi, and may be wondering whether Lelouch and she will become a couple. *Troll face* Tee-hee-hee. Maybe. Although some of the other girls in Fairy Tail during the time skip get attractive later on. So maybe a harem?

Maybe not. I don't think I can write all of that crazy stuff. I like to stick to one couple. I don't like two or more girls equally in any harem, so if I did try writing it, I'll just piss all of you off because one girl will get more screen time than another. So sorry everyone, but Lelouch won't get a harem in my fic. I forbid it.

Meanwhile, enjoy this new chapter. Also, try listening to the Fairy Tail OST once in a while to enhance your experience. It is how I'm writing these latest chapters.)

I do not own Code Geass or Fairy Tail. Draconichero Okayed my title. (Bear with me here: this will be the only chapter you'll see in the next few weeks. I only have time right now to get this to you all. So enjoy while it lasts.)

First-person, Lelouch Lamperouge

One week, three days, fourteen hours, sixteen minutes.

That's how long it's been since the Kingdom of Fiore was obliterated by Tsumibito's Baram Alliance. The day before that, the masked man Zero announced that he will take down the Baram Alliance and the Magic Council; to begin a new age in the country. These men are me, as much as I am them.

Or so they tell me.

Zero and Tsumibito are masks that I have (apparently) created before my arrival in Magnolia. The questioning of how that happened is not important. My main concern is stopping them before chaos spreads to the entire continent.

So I am making plans for an alliance with the Magic Council.

Kishi and I have been travelling since the Kingdom was destroyed, and we've been trying to get back to Magnolia. My first priority is to get Kishi to Fairy Tail.

We've discussed this during our travels, and I've convinced her that Fairy Tail will be safe once I make an alliance with the Council, and that she'll do just fine on her own. I haven't told her about my involvement with Heaven Wolf Island. However; I have told her that she has to keep my membership of Fairy Tail a secret. When she asked me why, I answered that I'm supposed to be someone else, and seeing my face now will confuse them. When she asked who I was supposed to be, I said I can't tell her. Which is correct. Telling her I used to be Mystogan will eventually lead to me having to reveal my job that Mavis entrusted me to fulfil. Telling Kishi isn't a good idea.

I hope Fairy Tail is still there in Magnolia. I really do. Because right now, Kishi is homeless. Who else will take her in? Obviously, no other guild I can think of will be very helpful.

Thankfully, my concerns have been dealt with.

Kishi and I are in Magnolia Station. Luckily the trains still run despite what happened in the Kingdom. Kishi and I head over to the exit of the train.

"That sure took a while," Kishi says to me as she steps off the train before me, and stretches her arms and legs.

I step off as well. "Well at least it didn't take as long as I thought," I say to her. "Okay. We should head for the guild. I know my way around."

Kishi nods. "Alright."

We exit the station and enter the streets of the town. There are people still around, going into shops, buying food, chatting with one another. Nothing much has changed from when I first walked around the place.

"What do you think?" I ask Kishi, who looks quite fascinated.

"It's so lively," she responds. "I've never been to Magnolia before."

"The guild isn't too far from here. I'll take you there now if you'd like."

"I think we should rest up somewhere first. Can we do that?" Kishi looks at me.

"I promise you this; there's a place where Fairy Tail members can live. It's called Fairy Hills, which is kind of like an apartment building for guild members. After you join, I can take you there so you can rest. How's that?"

Kishi thinks about it for a minute. She answers, "Alright then. I guess you do need to hasten your plan for that alliance."

"That's right. I'm glad you understand." We start walking around the town looking for Fairy Tail.

We go across Strawberry Street. As we walk along the edge, close enough so we can slip if we're not careful into the river, a group of men rowing a boat call out to us, "Hey, you two! That's dangerous!"

"Yeah! A nice girl named Lucy used to do what you're doing! But she's been missing! So watch out!"

To the last comment, I flinch.

Kishi notices. "What's wrong, Lelouch?"

We walk in front of an apartment. "I-It's nothing," I lie.

"Stop lying and say it," Kishi demands. "You don't have to hide everything."

Fine. "Those men said 'Lucy'. I know her. She was a wizard at Fairy Tail."

"Was? Where is she now?" Kishi asks me.

"I heard she went to Heaven Wolf Island."

Kishi stops walking. After a couple of steps, I notice and turn around. I don't know what to say to her, so I stay where I am in silence.

Kishi looks guilty. She's avoiding eye-contact with me altogether. "I see… I'm sorry I brought it up. Forget I asked."

After I find the right words to say, I tell her, "It's alright. I've gotten over it enough so it doesn't trouble me every day."

"But I-!"

"I said, it's fine," I interrupt sternly. Realising I've been hard on her just now; I turn around and try to not look back. "Sorry." I start walking. "Let's keep going."

Kishi quickly follows.

We finally arrive at my home.

Fairy Tail looks no different now than before I left for Heaven Wolf Island, except for this uneasy feeling I'm getting. It makes sense; the core members of Fairy Tail have been missing for a few weeks now, and they wouldn't have found anything. Of course they'd be feeling depressed. I doubt they will for a long time.

Kishi and I walk over to the front door. "Are you ready to join my family, Kishi?" I ask.

Kishi remains silent for a moment. She looks at me, and I can tell from her face that she's nervous. "I'm ready."

"Well then, I'll make sure you see the guild Master." Whoever it is now.

Kishi nods and looks at the door.

I push the door open to unlock a new world for my friend.

Little did I know about the guild's change in my absence.

All of the members of Fairy Tail who didn't go to the island are here, but… They're wearing… Uniforms. Black ones, to be specific; with gray lining.

My whole world is going dark. As dark as Zero's mask, as dark as Tsumibito's ambition (whatever that is).

I figure out at this moment that the former case has taken over the guild.

I clearly show on my face a look of shock, disappointment, and anger. Zero…! How dare you! So those people who surrounded me on the Ikaruga, they were… I remain speechless.

Kishi notices. "Are you okay, Lelouch?"

What do I do? I can't show my face here, and I can't let Kishi stay with the enemy and risk getting hurt. Damn it… Damn it! DAMN-!

"Lelouch!" Kishi raises her voice a tiny bit. "What's wrong?"

Snapping out of my thoughts, I turn to face Kishi; not bothering to hide my concerned look on my face. "We have to go."

Kishi looks confused. "What? I don't understand."

"Look closely at what they're wearing." I motion my hand to the Fairy Tail members. "They're the core members of the Black Knights."

Kishi gasps.

"I can't let you join them like this…" I turn around and exit the guild. "This isn't what I planned to happen…!" I run.

"Ah! Lelouch, wait!" Kishi calls out.

Just when my luck couldn't get any worse, my fellow guild members heard Kishi call my name, and they recognise the name as the person who confronted Zero. Kishi catches up to me, but then again, so do the others; who are, at the moment, screaming at me to stop. Seeing Kishi at my side, I grab her hand and-

Am unable to 'step' as Zero somehow gets in front of me faster than I can blink. I stop running. "Zero…!"

"It's good to see you, Lelouch Lamperouge," Zero says with glee. "And who is the lovely lady with you at the moment?"

Like hell I'm answering that! "What the hell did you do to my guild?" I yell with fury.

"Your guild?" Zero sounds confused.

Just my luck. I slipped up. I stand still, unable to figure out what to do.

"Hey you!" I recognise the voice as Macao, one of the oldest members of the guild. I know this because when I was Mystogan, I took the time to recognise all of Fairy Tail's members. It's a good thing, too. Otherwise I'd be pretty lost as to who's talking. "What makes you think our guild is yours? Well?"

Before I can answer, someone (I don't know who) blasts my back with Fire Magic, incinerating the clothing on my spinal area. The guild members behind me gasp in shock. They can clearly see the Fairy Tail mark on my back. Great. Just like that; my cover is blown.

Zero disappears and I turn my head around. He's now in front of the members of Fairy Tail… No. They're no longer Fairy Tail. They're Zero's Black Knights. "Oh? I didn't expect this!"

I scowl.

Zero continues. "It looks like Lelouch Lamperouge is a member of Fairy Tail."

All of the Black Knights look on in disbelief.

Kishi holds my arm. "Lelouch, are you…?"

Damn it. It looks like I have no choice. Sorry guys… I stop scowling and smirk. "That's right. I am a member of Fairy Tail. Black Knights; say hello to Mystogan!" I turn to face them. "I have escaped Heaven Wolf Island intact."

I let the last sentence sink in, intensifying the shock in the Black Knights' eyes, as well as surprising Kishi.

Before I continue, Zero asks me, "But how is it that you escaped? Acnologia destroyed the island completely. No-one has been found yet."

I have the perfect lie, but even I don't like it. I laugh, surprising Zero and his subordinates. "So you don't see it, Zero? What a shame. I guess I have to tell you." I take a few steps forward, and hold my left hand up like I'm holding a cocktail glass. "I summoned Acnologia. Before he destroyed Heaven Wolf Island, I made him mount me on top to escape."

Zero gasps along with his Knights. He didn't expect that one from me. "But how…?"

I hear Kishi gasp as well. "Lelouch…"

"That's crap!" Macao yells. "Mystogan would never do that to his guild members! You're lying, you bastard!"

The other guild members mumble and nod in agreement.

"Macao: calm down," Zero orders. "Have any of you seen Mystogan before this event?"

They stay silent.

"You should know your subordinates better, Zero," I mock. "Mystogan never revealed his face. Until now, anyway." I grin a little wider, feeling like Tsumibito for a second, before I shun the thought and force it out of my head. "You see, I planned on betraying the guild from the start. You were all deceived by me. And now that the core members of Fairy Tail are dead, none of you will become strong enough to stop me from disbanding you." I laugh like Tsumibito. I guess he really is a part of me. Especially since I laugh and smirk just like he does.

The Black Knights can no longer contain themselves, and they try to rush me.

With deep, masked regret, I raise my hands, engulf them in cutting-edge magic, and 'step' through the entire group, cutting through all of their uniforms enough to scare them. The move is called 'Black Judgement'. With a combination of another move called 'Angel Knife' and the 'Angel Step'; I can cut through targets faster than they can react, like a sword. I 'step' back to where Kishi is. "Follow my lead," I whisper in her ear.

Kishi pauses, but says, "Alright."

"Sorry Zero," I say to him while holding Kishi to my chest. "But this girl is under my control."

Zero sounds surprised. "You mean you…?"

Good, so he knows what Geass is as well; his reaction confirmed one of my suspicions. That saves me the trouble of revealing it to the Black Knights. "That's right." I smile while bringing my chin down to look sadistic. "Now then… I wish to speak to you alone, Zero. And I want your Black Knights to not hurt my puppet."

Zero laughs. "You're a fool, Lelouch. What makes you think you're in a position to demand something from-?"

Before I let him finish his sentence, I 'step' behind him, bring his arm around his back (using magic to increase the strength of the hold) and hold a 'knife' under his throat. "How about now?" I turn him around to face the large group, who are still shocked.

"L-Lelouch…! You-!" Zero mutters in shock.

"If none of you follow my demands when I get back, I will gladly kill you all!" I stop Zero from talking. "So make sure you stay where you are. You got it?" You're doing alright, Lelouch. Just a little longer and it won't be as hard. Stay strong… Stay strong…

The Black Knights start to move a little, until I see a few heads nod. Good enough. "See you all in a couple of minutes," I say before I 'step' with Zero in hand to the back of the Fairy Tail guild, facing the ocean. I let go of him. As he steps forward and turns to face me, I use 'Restrict' on him, holding him in place. "You will answer my questions, Zero." I loosen the grip around his voice box.

"You're quite powerful, Lelouch. Too bad you're not very fit," he says through small breaths.

"Shut up! You will only talk when I say you can. What did you hope to gain through recruiting the Black Knights?"

"Interesting. Don't you consider them members of Fairy Tail?"

Being careful with my words, I answer, "Not with what you did to them. They're not the guild that they used to be."

"Don't tell me you have a soft spot for the guild you planned to manipulate?"

I do, but you will never know that. "Not at all; you reformed them into your pawns, so I say they're beyond recognition of what I thought was the strongest guild in Fiore. Tell me, Zero. What's your goal with the Black Knights?"

"My goal?" Zero ponders. "I need an army to combat Tsumibito. Since Fairy Tail was in a state of depression before I became the Master, I found them easy enough to approach."

"What did you say to convince them to not only join you, but even make you their Master?" I ask.

"I said that they would not have to worry about taking care of the guild without a Master, and they voted me in for the spot," Zero tells me.

"You're hiding something from me. Spill it."

Zero chuckles. "You're very perceptive, aren't-!"

Before he finishes his sentence, I place the hold on Zero's voice box again. "Stop fooling around and answer my damn question," I say coolly, so he knows I mean business.

After regaining his voice, Zero says, "I convinced them that I knew what happened to their friends on Heaven Wolf Island, and that I would tell them what happened to their friends if they helped me fight the Baram Alliance. Satisfied?"

You deceitful bastard. How could you do that to them? "Much better," I answer, still hiding my true emotions. "Next question. Who are you under the mask? Are you really me, or are you someone else?"

Zero pauses. Then he says, "Why don't you take it off and find out?" he dares.

Gladly. I walk up to him and reach for his mask. Placing my hands on it, I see the back of the mask contract. I lift it up-

And drop the mask onto the ground. I stare in horror and disbelief. "N-No way…!" Zero has no head. The neck is emitting a black smoke. How the hell is this possible?

"Surprised?" The mask says to me from the ground. "This is who I really am. I'm a symbol, Lelouch."

"A symbol…?"

"The man behind the mask isn't what defines him, but rather his actions are what define him. That's similar to something you said quite a long while ago. For all the times you wore my mask, you were wearing the symbol of hope and peace. Your actions are what created me. That is why I am you, Lelouch. I'm a manifestation of your personal philosophies."

I don't say anything. I'm too shocked to speak.

"Do you understand now? As Zero, it is my obligation to destroy the greater of two evils with the lesser. That is why I plan to eliminate Tsumibito and the Magic Council. They are the greater evil. I am the lesser. When we first met, I asked you to join me because that's what I do. I recruit people to fight against corruption. I rally the people, Lelouch."

I see. I get it now. But… "You can't change the world, Zero. You won't succeed."

"You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty. That's another thing you used to say."

"!" I remain speechless.

"It's sad, really. You really don't remember anything. But how is it that we, Tsumibito and I, do?" Zero inquires.

After regaining some composure, I demand, "You will tell me what you know. Everything."

"Alright then," says Zero, which surprises me. "But can you put on my mask for me? My hands are kind of stuck." He chuckles.

Ignoring the clearly intended joke, I pick up the mask and put it on his…head. "Before you tell me what you know; why is it that you're being so cooperative?"

"I'll be honest with you; I still hope that you will join me," Zero answers with the same tone he usually has. "You and I can make a good team. We can defeat Tsumibito together. We can lead Fiore into a time of peace! I'll ask you again, Lelouch Lamperouge. Will you join me; join Fairy Tail?"

I pause to consider my choices. I can join Zero and take down Tsumibito and the one group with a larger chance of winning if I form an alliance with them; or… Or I can…

"Zero."

"Hmm?"

"I thought I told you when we first met; two kings cannot lead a single army. However; I agree with what you said before. A man's actions define him. The world won't change with clean hands. I would choose to use evil to destroy the greater evil. But…"

"But?" Zero repeats.

"I don't need to work with you to follow through with my goals." Releasing my hold on Zero, 'stepping' into the air with wings spread, and aiming a right–handed 'sphere' at him, I finish my last words addressed to the masked man. "I hereby declare war with you and Tsumibito, Zero! In the name of true peace; I will stop the both of you!" And change Fairy Tail to the way it was. I fire a beam of my magic at Zero, destroying the spot he was standing on and creating a small crater.

I sense Zero coming from behind me (thanks to my magic heightening my senses), and I turn around to see what kind of magic Zero uses to keep himself in the air. I 'step' back to get a clear view.

Zero is holding himself up with a sort of mechanical float system. It's dark red in colour, but the six ends of it are glowing green. Zero's forearms are black and gold and his wrists appear to be thicker than they should be. His hands are silver with gold fingers. He's wearing a black, mechanical muscle suit over everything except the cape.

"You made a big mistake, Lelouch," Zero says with a frustrated tone in his voice. "Fine. If you want to challenge me, then go ahead. Thinking you would join your other half in arms was naïve of me. But I won't hold back on you or Tsumibito. I will change this world with my own hands!" Zero vanishes and appears behind me. "And you are in the way."

I try turning around, but Zero blasts me with a dark red, electrical ball; coming from the devices on his wrists. I crash into the Fairy Tail building and end up in the main hall. Debris is everywhere. Dust is settling in the air. I struggle to get up. My back is killing me. But at least the pain isn't as bad as Tsumibito's strike on my collarbone back on Heaven Wolf Island.

Getting up on my feet, I try to see through the mess in the sky. Damn! How fast is this bastard?

"Looking for me?"

Instead of turning around to face Zero, I 'step' out of his sight.

"What?" Zero gasps.

Reappearing behind him, I charge a 'sphere' and aim for his back.

He turns around in time and blocks my hand as I drive it forward… With his own hand!

"!" I-Impossible! How is he so strong? My magic starts to cackle.

Zero crushes my magic with his hand. The force is so strong that it creates a shockwave that destroys all of the tables and chairs, and it blows Zero and me apart. Zero crashes into the counter, and I break down the door.

Will I ever have a day where I don't break down a door? I'm surprised I manage to think that through all of this chaos.

The Black Knights start to run over to the guild. Before they possibly trample me, I 'step' out of their line of sight and appear before Kishi. I collapse onto my knees-

And Kishi catches me. "Lelouch! Are you okay?"

"Just a scratch," I answer; not sounding hurt. Who am I kidding? I'm a mess. I should work on my fitness level.

"Let's get out of here," Kishi says to me. "This isn't the Fairy Tail I've grown to admire. They should be ashamed of themselves."

"Kishi… I… I'm sorry that I haven't told you the truth… About myself, and-."

"The questions can come later. Right now, we need to go." Kishi picks me up on my feet, grabs my hand, and we start to run.

Today's the last day I will ever set foot in Magnolia until the Black Knights have disbanded.

Three weeks, five days, four hours, twenty-seven minutes.

During our travels, Kishi and I…

Stopped near a lake that's surrounded by trees.

"Alright Lelouch, tell me," Kishi turned to face me. "What do you know about Heaven Wolf Island?"

I pause. "Very well then. I promised you that I would tell you later. I guess that's now." I closed my eyes and sighed. "I'm not from this world."

Kishi flinched. "What?"

"In fact, I don't know where I'm from. I can't remember."

"But what was that about being Mystogan? Wasn't he one of the strongest wizards in Fairy Tail?"

"He was. But Mystogan wasn't from here as well. He comes from the parallel world, Edolas. He left me with the responsibility of playing his role in his absence."

"But doesn't Mystogan use staves? What happened to them?"

"They were destroyed by the former leader of the Eight Kin of Purgatory, Tsumibito. When Grimoire Heart attacked, I was left immobile and unable to fight, until I awoke my own magic power."

"Black Angel Magic…"

"That's right. I only got it because I overcame what I once did in my past. But I don't remember any of it."

"Tell me," Kishi asked sincerely. "What happened after Grimoire Heart retreated?"

I found it hard to tell Kishi. Pain was felt in my heart. But I managed to find the words. "Acnologia came and almost killed us."

"So you didn't summon Acnologia after all. But what do you mean by 'almost'?"

"The first guild Master of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillion, turned the rest of the guild members into magic energy to save them from Acnologia's attack." I felt like crying.

Kishi paused and looked down. "And how long will it be until they turn back to normal?"

"I don't know," I said truthfully. "But I… I really…" I fell to my knees and held my head low, tears forming in my eyes. "I wanted to save my family. They're all I had in this world…" The tears fell. The pain of remembering what happened to my friends was too much.

Kishi hugged me and I felt her shaking, like she was crying too. "It's okay, Lelouch. We have each other right now, don't we?"

"Kishi I…" I broke down into sobs. "What do I do now…? How can I recruit… …the Magic Council by myself? What if they all… …attack me? I'm not strong enough to take them on myself!" I cried harder.

"It's okay Lelouch," Kishi comforted through a strained voice, holding back tears. "I will help you get through this. I don't hate you for keeping all this from me; you're my friend and I want to help no matter what!" Kishi started sobbing too. "So please… Don't doubt yourself, okay?"

I gripped Kishi's shirt at the back, trying to control myself. "T-Th-Thank… Thank you… Kishi…"

We cried for what felt like several hours.

That was two weeks ago.

After exploring Fiore for such a long time, we see something that's not too far from our location.

"Hey Lelouch," says Kishi. "Is that a cave?" She points at the spot.

"Yeah, it is. We should try setting up camp there for the night."

"Right."

We walk over to the cave-

And are captured in a magic circle under our feet. The circle glows green.

"Look out!" I grab Kishi and leap to the left, to escape the explosion the circle set off. A mine…

"Impressive," a male's voice calls out. "It looks like you found us." A man comes out of the cave.

No way… That's-! "Doranbolt!" I exclaim.

Doranbolt looks confused. "How do you know my name?"

"Lelouch; who is this person?" Kishi asks me as we get up from the ground.

"Doranbolt was a spy from the Magic Council that planned on disbanding Fairy Tail during the Heaven Wolf Island incident," I explain as I let go of her.

Doranbolt is surprised. "How do you know so much about me? Who the hell are you?"

Right; I forgot that he doesn't know who I am. I turn my back around to show Doranbolt that I'm a member of Fairy Tail. "My name is Lelouch Lamperouge, and I'm a self-proclaimed exile of Fairy Tail." I turn back around to face my former 'apprentice'. "You knew me as 'Mystogan'."

"!" Doranbolt takes a step back. "You…! How are you here? Mystogan was on-!"

"Heaven Wolf Island. Yes, I was. But I got off it."

Doranbolt scowls. "But how?"

"I will tell you and the Magic Council under the condition you allow me to have an audience with everyone who's still with you."

"Why?"

"Because the Baram Alliance and the Black Knights will eliminate you completely without my help! Don't you get it? You are all at war with very powerful forces. Without my help, you won't even exist anymore." I scowl.

"Doranbolt, why are you taking so long out here?" Another person emerges from the cave. His hair is tied back, and he's wearing glasses.

"Lahar…" Doranbolt turns around and looks in surprise. "Why did you come too?"

"I was sent here to pick you up, because you were taking so long to deal with the problem." Lahar looks at me. "And who are you?"

"Lelouch Lamperouge; self-proclaimed exile of Fairy Tail. I was on Heaven Wolf Island when Acnologia attacked."

"!" Lahar reacts the same way to Doranbolt. "How are you still alive?"

"If I can hold an audience with the main members of the Magic Council, then I will explain everything to you," I say to Lahar.

Lahar pauses to consider my proposal. "Fine," he answers. "Come with us." He turns around and walks into the cave. Doranbolt follows.

"Let's go, Kishi," I say as I head towards the cave.

"Got it." Kishi follows suit.

The cave leads us to a secret location that no-one knows about. When we exit the cave, we enter a room full of candles (which light up the whole area), with a table in the centre, and a few seats. In the seat at the back is an elderly man wearing armour.

"Doranbolt, Lahar," the old man sitting in the chair says. "Why did you bring outsiders into our hideout?"

"Chairman Doma, I promise you that this is for good reason," says Lahar. "This man survived Acnologia's attack on Heaven Wolf Island."

"What?" Chairman Doma leans back in his chair in shock. "Impossible! We've been investigating what happened for weeks, and now this man claims to be a survivor?"

"Chairman Doma…" I step forward. "I need to speak with all of the core members of the Magic Council. It's important."

"Get out of my sight, boy!" Doma snaps back. "I'm not buying your lies!"

Something's not right here. "Lahar."

"Yes?"

"Why are the members of the Magic Council here and not at Headquarters?"

Lahar stays silent for a moment. "We were attacked."

"By the Baram Alliance?"

"Yeah, how did you know? The Council never revealed to the public that we were attacked."

"Because the Black Knights are located in Magnolia." Damn it, I really don't want to do this. But I have no choice; otherwise I won't gain the Council's trust. "Their members are wizards from Fairy Tail."

"What?" Doranbolt blurts out in disbelief. "You can't be serious!"

"I am. I was going to take Ms. Barasono over there to get her to be a member. After all, the Baram Alliance burnt down the capital. But there were complications. We ran into Zero."

"Young man!" The Chairman yells at me. "I demand you to leave immediately, or else I will call the army and have you executed!"

Looking at Doma, I activate my Geass. "You will follow all of my orders until further notice."

Doma screams and holds his head as my Geass takes control. "ARRGH, NO! I MUST FOLLOW… MASTER TSUMIBITO'S ORDERS!"

Everyone in the room (I assume) takes a step back and gasp.

I knew it. Tsumibito used his Geass on the Chairman when he had the chance to make sure I don't form an alliance with the Council. Very clever, but I could still see through it.

Doma stops screaming and sits back down in his chair, with a clear stoic face. "I understand."

"You bastard…!" Doranbolt comes up to me and grabs me by the front of my clothing. His face scares me a little. "What the hell did you do to the Chairman!"

"I released him from the enemy's hold. I was doing you all a favour," I say in a calm tone.

"How do you know he was under the enemy's control in the first place, huh?" Doranbolt gets into my face.

"Are you deaf?" I insult while raising my voice. "Did you hear a single word coming out of the Chairman's mouth? He screamed at the top of his lungs saying it." I scowl, showing that Doranbolt is pressing my buttons. "Unless you're under Tsumibito's control as well."

"Say that again!" Doranbolt raises his fist and tries to punch my head in.

Raising my right hand quickly, I form a 'sphere' and blast it into his stomach, sending him flying into the walls of the cave. He's unconscious from the blow to his head. "Lahar, does Doranbolt usually act this way?"

"LELOUCH, LOOK OUT!" Kishi screams at the top of her lungs.

I turn around and suddenly Lahar holds a knife in front of him and-

STAB!

"LELOUUUUUUUUUUCH!"

Lahar stares at me with a blank look in his eyes. A very blank look. And I feel… A pain somewhere. But where is it? And why did Lahar's eyes suddenly roll back?

I look down at my hands. One of them won't move. I look at my left shoulder, and I see the knife stuck in it. Blood is pouring out and staining my clothes. I look at my right hand.

I don't feel scared at all. I don't feel regret.

My right hand has gone through Lahar's chest and to the other side. I feel the magic power pulsing around the outside of my fingers. Blood is spewing out of Lahar from the mouth and his chest.

I just sent a 'knife' through his heart. I defended myself.

I pull my hand out of Lahar's chest and he falls to his knees. He leans over to the left side, and collapses.

I look up at Kishi plainly. "Kishi… Are you…?" I stop talking.

Kishi is looking at me with fear in her eyes. Not just any ordinary fear, either. She's looking at me with true fear. She holds her quivering hands up to her mouth, still not believing what she saw. Is she frightened because I almost died? Is she frightened because Lahar died?

Or is it because I killed him that she is scared?

Kishi starts to break down. She falls to her knees and starts to scream a little.

I walk up to her in a non-threatening way. "Kishi, it's alright. I'm fine."

Still screaming.

SLAP!

I used my wings and slapped her backhandedly, scratching her face by accident. "Calm down!" I order her.

Kishi picks her head up and looks at me blankly. "Lelouch…?"

Dismissing my wings, I kneel in front of her, ignoring the pain in my left shoulder. "Everything's going to be alright, Kishi. I'm alive. I was defending myself."

"Lelouch I…"

"Stop talking. Go to a chair and calm down. You can talk to me after you compose yourself, alright? Nod if you understand."

She nods and goes over to a chair.

Kishi… I am so sorry you had to see that. You never should've been here in the first place. You were meant to be at Fairy Tail and be protected, and loved by other people. Damn it… I'm so sorry… Masking my concern for Kishi, I stand up and look at my left shoulder. I need to do something about this wound. "Doma," I say to the Chairman.

"Yes?"

"Do you have a medical kit around here? I'm injured and I need to stop the bleeding somehow."

"I'm afraid not," the Chairman tells me.

Looks like I'll have to improvise then. "Come over here now."

"At once, sir." Doma gets out of his seat and walks around the table to get to me. I walk over to Lahar's body and take off his cape with my right hand. "Rip off my coat, Doma. I can't reach my back right now. And make sure to be careful with the knifed area."

"Yes," the Chairman replies and rips my coat off from the collar, carefully taking it off the section that is stuck from the knife. He drops it and it falls to my feet.

This was a good coat too. I sit down and face Doma. "Now I need you to do two things for me. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"I'm going to bite down on this cape while you pull out the knife from my shoulder. That's your first step. Your second step is to stop the bleeding from both sides of my shoulder. To do that, you need to put pressure on the wound from both sides. When I ask you to move your hand, I'm going to tear this cape up so I can wrap it around the stab wound. If you understand, then repeat my orders." I start to feel a little dizzy. Oh shit; not good.

"Pull the knife out of your shoulder when you bite down on the cape, and keep the wound from bleeding while you try to wrap it up."

"G-Good." The dizziness starts to kick in a little more. "And also; if I fall unconscious and I haven't finished cutting up the cape, then I need you to cut the cape with the knife and wrap it around my shoulder."

"I understand," the Chairman replies.

"Alright… Let's get going." I bite down on the cape and nod to Doma for him to pull the knife out of my shoulder. He kneels down and grabs the handle. Here we go.

Doma starts to pull the knife out of my shoulder.

"!" I screech with the cape in my pain is completely unbearable. The steel rubbing against the muscle in my shoulder… Ugh. I feel like throwing up.

Thankfully, the pain doesn't last long. The knife is now in Doma's hand. I take the cape out of my mouth. "Give me the knife and cover the wound," I order Doma, and he complies.

Holding the cape under my sandals, I hold the knife in front of me and cut through the blue cape. My vision blurs slightly more. Damn it… I got to hurry up.

Finished cutting the cape up, I drop the knife and grab the piece of cloth. "Now wrap this around the wound." My mind temporarily goes blank.

"Right," Doma says as he grabs the cloth and ties it around my shoulder.

My vision drops significantly. "Doma…" I call out. Did I call out? I couldn't tell.

"Yes, sir?" Doma's words feel like they're coming from a mile away.

"Dress the wound regularly. And… If something happens, protect Kishi…"

I fall over on my right side.

I open my eyes and look around. All I see is white. A person is standing in front of me. It's a male. He has brown hair and green eyes, and he's wearing the full Zero clad, minus the helmet. I know who this is.

"Lelouch," he calls out. "It's me, Suzaku."

"Suzaku…" I repeat the name in my head.

"Listen. C's World sent me here in my sleep. I need to speak to you."

"You do?" I look at him strangely. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong, it's just…" Suzaku drifts off.

"Hmm?"

"I just want to talk to you. I've been feeling the need to for a while. Being Zero is harder than you made it to be."

We laugh.

"So how's Nunnally?" I ask him. "Is she doing well?"

"With my help and everyone else in Britannia who Nunnally asks for assistance for something made the job for her much easier. She's doing well."

"I see." I smile. "Good for her."

We stay silent for a moment.

"Nunnally misses you, you know?" Suzaku breaks the silence.

"I imagine she would. But I don't want her to keep missing me. The Zero Requiem was designed to make people look towards the future. I want her to live her life the way she wants to. I can't help her anymore."

"She understands that. But it still hurts her. After all, you were her only full sibling."

I close my eyes and nod. "How is everyone else?"

"Kallen went back to school and is doing well. Ohgi and Viletta are married. The Student Council are doing okay without you, and C.C. is… Well; none of us know. We haven't seen her since you died."

"That's just like her," I say, reminiscing. "Always so independent when she puts her mind to it."

Suzaku smiles. "You seem to be doing alright. So where are you exactly? I understand that C's World sent you somewhere."

"It's a long story," I say to my friend. "I'm-."

The world shakes around me and I see Suzaku drifting away.

"W-What the-?"

"We're waking up," Suzaku says to me. "It looks like I'll have to talk to you the next time you're asleep." Suzaku smiles again. "See you soon, Lelouch…" He fades.

"Suzaku, wait!" I run towards him. "Don't go just yet!" I start to fade. And then I-

...slowly open my eyes and see a girl with glasses hovering over me. "Lelou…" Her voice is quiet. "…louch…"

I can hardly hear her. My eyes sharpen and I can see her worried face completely.

"Lelouch… Are you…?"

My hearing finally sharpens. "K-Kishi…? Is that…?"

"Oh thank goodness!" Kishi sighs in relief. "You're awake!"

"Did I…fall asleep?" I ask her.

"You were unconscious for a few hours," Kishi tells me. "But I took care of you while Doma waited for you to tell him what to do."

"I see." I blink and say to her, "So you saw me put him under my control? I forgot you were there."

"You don't have to tell me unless it's important. I won't ask you anything about it. You can tell me when you're ready. Okay?" Kishi gives off a sincere smile.

I sit up slowly and look at my left shoulder. The cloth is fresh. The blood has stopped flowing out. "Okay," I say to her offhandedly.

"Just one question," Kishi says.

"Yes?" I look at her.

"Who's Suzaku?"

I pause. "Suzaku…? What do you mean? I don't know anyone named 'Suzaku'."

"You were talking in your sleep, and you said that name quite a few times. You seriously don't remember that?"

"I don't remember any of the dreams I have. At least since I got here," I answer truthfully.

"… I see." Kishi slowly comes towards me and rests her head on my right collarbone. "It's okay. I can tell you're not lying."

"Kishi…" I slowly raise my right arm pat her head with my hand. I turn my head around and look at Lahar. There's a sheet over his face. "Hold on. Did you…?"

"I gave him peace. I think deep down he was at least a morally good person," says Kishi.

My guess is that Tsumibito used his Geass on the entire Magic Council; maybe even Doranbolt. But I can't be certain with him. "I see. I'm sorry you had to see that earlier."

"Well…" Kishi stops talking for a second. "I'm sure I'll move on eventually. And if I don't, then you can use that strange power of yours to force me to-."

"No," I say with a serious tone in my voice. I lift her head up so I can look into her eyes. "I will never do that to you. This power of mine is a curse. I do not want to use it on you. You deserve better than that, Kishi. So please… Don't say that again."

She laughs sweetly. "I knew you'd say that. I just wanted to hear you say it…" She leans forward and…

...kisses me on the lips.

End of Chapter 10

(A/N: Aaaaaaaand there you have it!

I considered having Lelouch and the Magic Council join forces, but the story flow prevented me from doing so. So basically, I lied to you all. My bad!

Natsu will come back soon, fans. Don't worry. But on a side note…

What do you think of Lelouch's power? Is it too Mary Sue-ish, or is it okay because he's weak and he doesn't know how many spells are true? I want people to tell me so I can modify the story a bit.

Look forward to the next chapter. If you have any questions, I will answer them without revealing too much. And I hope I don't bore you with my hiatus.)