Disclaimer: I don't own any franchise that is used in this story nor do I make any profit from it whatsoever.

I hope you enjoy this next chapter.

Chapter 10: A Demon's Revelations

Lelouch blinked as he found himself standing nude in a vast, white emptiness. "I know this place." He mumbled, his voice echoing around him. He recognized this realm, he had been here before, with C.C. Suddenly, the whiteness melted away in streaks of rainbow light and he suddenly found himself staring at a body dressed in nothing floating in a realm that was incomprehensible to mortals. "Is that… me?" He asked softly, watching as his corpse floated lifelessly in the odd, colorful realm in front of that terrifying girl. He narrowed his eyes. "Wait, I recognize this place." He had once had a dream about it, back when he had been suffering from a number of different dreams he couldn't clearly recall.

"Welcome to my memories." The voice of the one who dragged him here resonated from every direction. Though, for some reason, it didn't feel like even the concept of direction mattered in this realm. A figure appeared beside him to observe the memory. The figure, both the one in the memory and the one beside him, appeared in the form of the terrifying girl whose power appeared endless, and both were as naked as he was in the present and past.

"Why do you look like that and why are we naked?" He asked the girl next to him, who stared up at him with a confused expression.

"I have chosen to take this form, which is why I appear like this in my mind. If I had a different form outside I would look different in here as well. And as for the lack of clothing, why should I care about the decidedly human norm of modesty within my own mind?" The terrifying girl responded simply. Her voice was less all-encompassing as she limited her speech to her mental avatar.

That… actually made some sense. He'd had some experience being in other minds, someone's avatar always appeared as they saw themselves at that time. A shapeshifter probably had the same logic behind it. And as for the clothing nonissue, well he had been naked in C.C.'s mind when he fled to try and rescue Nunnally during the first Black Rebellion.

'I wonder, does it have to do with self-acceptance?' He thought, wondering about why he occasionally had clothing on inside someone else's mind, but didn't at other times. Clothing, within the mind, was purely symbolic. Perhaps not having any within one's own mind signified they accepted who and what they truly were, regardless of the masks they wore in life. Ignoring his musings on the nature of acceptance of the soul, Lelouch turned to observe what the dark-haired girl was revealing to him.

The girl in the vision was poking him in the cheek with her knees pulled up to her chest, as if she were seeing if he would awaken. It was odd, seeing such a childlike action from a being whose power he couldn't fathom. Eventually, the vision version of Lelouch began to stir, his eyes opening to reveal a cloudy violet. The Lelouch observing narrowed his eyes as his past counterpart began moving his mouth, no words coming out. "I should have been dead, how did you revive me?" He asked the girl who was staring out at the same scene he was. There was no way he should have been able to survive his wound. Or the cremation that followed. Odd magical realm or not.

"I did not." The girl stated firmly beside him as the version of her within the memory began to speak.

"So, you've finally awakened." The voice of the memory rang out everywhere around Lelouch as he observed with widened eyes.

"Wait, if you didn't revive me, how…" Lelouch's statement drifted off as his eyes began to widen in horror. "Code." He whispered as despair began to flood his heart. "How?!" He screamed hysterically as the memory paused, the attention of the girl beside him being fully turned to him. He looked to his side to stare down into her grey eyes. "How, why, do I have that cursed power?! What are you?!" He screamed, power surging around him as he lost control over his emotions and fully faced the girl before him.

Suddenly, his power was forced into submission so fast Lelouch felt numb. His power, his Wrath, the rabid dog that personified his powers in his mind, was cowering as he stared at the monster standing before him in the form of a little girl. Energy blacker than the deepest void, darker than the darkest night, nothingness given form, infinite in its span, exploded from the girl. Her hair whipped about in the nonexistent wind her power was creating, revealing her oddly pointed ears, as she cowed him into submission.

"I am Ophis." Her voice rang out without moving her mouth, the power still pouring out of her small body in a pillar that reached for eternity. "I am the Dragon of Infinity, the Ouroboros Dragon of Eternity, the Infinite Dragon God who rules uncontested over my home, the Dimensional Gap." Without warning, everything stopped as the girl suddenly sat down with her knees pulled to her chest and pouted. She was dragging her finger in circles with a cloud of depression hanging over her head. "Or at least that's how it was before he showed up." Her voice spoke the word "he" with such venom Lelouch half-expected her to literally spit poison, but the pout she had on her face kind of ruined the effect.

Numb to everything at this point, Lelouch sat down in front of the little girl who looked so pitiful despite her apparently infinite powers. "Why don't we start over at the beginning?" He suggested as he crossed his legs and placed his hands in his lap to protect his modesty. Ophis' eyes looked up at his despondently. When she nodded, her chin still resting on her knees, he asked his first question. "How did you know about my existence?" He recalled she had called him by a title whispered in fear around his world.

The Demon Emperor, it was not a title the world called him to his face, but he was well aware that was what people whispered under their breath. All while shouting, "Emperor for Justice" for everyone to hear so that they could avoid suffering from his wrath.

Ophis stared at him, her grey eyes still despondent as she answered. "As ruler of the Dimensional Gap I can observe other worlds." Her voice was soft as she spoke of her home. "When I saw a man by the name of Charles zi Britannia creating a weapon in my world I began paying attention in the hopes that I could use it against him." Once again, she spoke of her mortal enemy with hatred. "He was trying to kill the God of Humanity, the Collective of the conscious and unconscious minds of all humans everywhere, living or dead. If he succeeded, or looked like he was about to succeed, I was going to steal it and kill Great Red." Here, her eyes developed a spark of joy and a disturbingly cute smile graced her face at the thought of cold blooded murder. "But you stopped him." Ophis' eyes shined with interest and hunger as she looked at him. "You, who claimed to be a man of miracles, broke the law all Gods know to be true." Her despondent appearance changed as she laid her legs down to cross them like how he was sitting. Ophis had a look on her face as she expanded on her previous statement. "You used a power that held the ultimate concept of Command, greater than that held by even Gods, and drew a lot of attention when you ordered the God of Humanity to obey your wish." Ophis' eyes were shining with a dark sort of joy that wasn't reflected on her face, which still held that innocent smile.

'Was my Geass really that powerful?' Lelouch thought to himself, disturbed by the hungry look he could see in Ophis' eyes as she spoke of his power. "That doesn't explain why I ended up in your world after my death." He spoke, noticing she had limited her answer to how she knew about him. It looked like she would only answer his question directly, though she would at least go into some detail as she answered. This odd girl with infinite power was rather straightforward and selfish, from he what he could discern. His mind was recovering from the shock he had undergone, but he still felt numb as he tried to comprehend everything.

All of this talk of his Geass being stronger than a God's will and Gods observing him after he stopped his father's plan was starting to feel overwhelming.

"When you left the World of C as those in your world called that part of my realm, I watched you." Ophis admitted, the hunger in her eyes growing. "I watched as your powers of Command grew even more powerful as time went on and eagerly awaited the day I could speak with you personally." Her eyes flickered to her feet as she flexed her toes, the cloud of depression returning over her head. "But I couldn't enter your world, so I had to wait until you returned to mine." She looked up at him, her grey eyes staring at him with a haunted look. "I've only had one other time when I was unable to claim what I desired immediately and having to wait again, it was miserable." Her tone was dead, as if she had learned the true nature of suffering during her wait for him to return.

Lelouch resisted the urge to snicker at how spoiled she sounded so he raised an eyebrow instead. "It was only a few months after I stopped my father that I ended up dying, surely it wasn't that long." Suddenly, he found himself on his back and the girl was sitting on his stomach as she throttled him, her small hands wrapped around his throat much tighter than would have been possible for another girl her size.

"It was the second most infuriating experience of my life." Her tone was still soft as she stared down at him, her eyes blank. "I am the Dragon God, Ophis. I take what I want, when I want, and allow no one to stand in my way." Her tone was beyond terrifying and Lelouch shivered, still staring up in the eyes of the naked girl who was sitting on his stomach as she choked him. Her power was beyond imagination, he needed to tread far more carefully when dealing with this being than he ever had before. Her small hands left his throat and Lelouch found himself breathing normally, oxygen not existing within Ophis' mind. The only thing her choking had done was cause him pain as his mind was tricked into thinking it couldn't breathe. His heart was imaginary in here, but he swore he could feel it hammering against his ribcage.

"Please get off me." Lelouch requested softly, and the Dragon girl complied. Reset to their earlier positions, though one was far more cautious than before, they continued their conversation. "How did I arrive there, in the Dimensional Gap?" He thought that was what Ophis had called her home. "My body was supposed to be burned after my death." Numb as he was emotionally, he still felt a flash of despair.

"After you died, killed by whoever wore your mask, and you were burned I stole your ashes and brought them into my world." Ophis answered, a small smile on her face. "I used my power to reconstruct your body as best I could, but." The smile flickered for a moment. "You were still dead and I got upset." Needless to say, that was when she poked him.

"Please continue your memory then." He asked, his voice empty of feeling. He didn't know what to think, perhaps observing the memory could give him some insight as to what he wanted to do next. Or what he even could do.

The memory reformed in front of them as they sat beside one another, observing the past. As Lelouch watched Ophis poke his cheek again, prompting his cloudy eyes to open, he had a question. "How am I watching you from this perspective, when your body is over there?" He asked softly, ignoring the sound of Ophis' words echoing around them as she spoke in the memory.

"The Dimensional Gap is my home, I can see everything that's inside of it, including myself." Ophis' soft voice sounded next to him.

That must make for some odd memories Lelouch mused, but who was he to question the ruler of the void between worlds.

Lelouch felt memories flickering at the back of his own mind as he watched Ophis' recollection occur. "I think I remember this." He murmured as he watched his past self try to move in the odd realm he found himself in. He remembered a sense of fear, feeling as if he was trapped inside of his own body, before it was relieved by something. He couldn't recall what, but as he watched the memory he learned what he had forgotten.

The Ophis in the memory spoke. "Don't forget your power, young Demon Emperor." And a distant roar echoed far from the odd pair of Dragon and Emperor. The Dragon girl in the memory placed her hand on his chest, over a Geass shaped scar on the center of his chest. Similar to what she had done to drag him into her mind, Ophis placed her hand over the scar and it glowed so dark Lelouch wondered how he was able to see it. A soundless scream burst from the Lelouch in the memory as a circle with the symbol for Infinity in the center was grafted over the scar that symbolized the Code he carried inside his soul, a perfect circle encapsulating it at its highest and lowest points.

"What did you do to me?!" Lelouch heard his voice ring out in terror within the memory as he clutched at his chest, hand over the scar and concealing it from his sight.

"You now bear my gift, allowing you to survive in my realm unburdened." Ophis' explanation in the memory echoed around him and Ophis as they observed the memory play out. "In exchange, I want something from you." Before she could request her wish, the largest creature Lelouch had ever seen in his life suddenly appeared. With fangs the size of skyscrapers, scales as red as blood, and golden eyes that looked down on everything in existence, Lelouch got his first glimpse of the legendary Dragon known as Great Red.

The only reason he didn't scream was because he found himself utterly frozen by sheer terror.

Ophis frowned and blasted her memory with a blast of energy that rang out like cannon fire. "Great Red." She growled viciously with a cute pout.

Lelouch felt himself unfreeze once the visage of the most terrifying creature he had ever seen was blasted away along with the memory, leaving himself and Ophis alone in her inner world that bore a great resemblance to the Dimensional Gap but wasn't. "What… What was that thing?" His raw voice whispered, terrified of the enormous Dragon. His body wouldn't stop trembling.

"That was Great Red." Ophis stared sideways away from him, the cloud of depression returning. "He's the Dragon who stole my home from me and he won't leave me alone." Her face burrowed into her knees out of frustration. "I tried everything I could do to make him leave, but I can't kill him and I can't force him to leave." Turning slightly, she looked at Lelouch out of the corner of her eye. "That's how I lost you, actually. I tried to force Great Red into a portal and you fell into it, I've been looking for you ever since." Her voice was pitiful.

'It was… a mistake.' Lelouch thought incredulously, as his fearful trembling from earlier slowly began to subside. He had thought he was sent to another world as a punishment, but it was just a mistake made by a God who wanted to use his power force another God to leave her home. It was a mistake, not a punishment and he hadn't been paying the price for his crimes at all. He felt his self-loathing begin to overwhelm his mind before he sealed it off. 'I can't deal with this right now, I have to be patient.' Having a breakdown in the mind of the Dragon God was not ideal. He needed to be strong, he could figure out what he needed to do later.

The world began to fade as Lelouch asked one final question. "What do you think I could do to that thing that you haven't already done?" He asked, his voice reflecting his mental fatigue.

He found himself somewhere in the forest when he came to, the Dragon girl who had dragged him into this world sitting on his lap, thankfully they were both clothed this time. Though she was still dressed oddly and he was still wearing his boxers. She was staring up at him as she held her hand over the scar that signified his complete and utter failure. "I wanted you to use your power to make Great Red go away." Her voice was childish as she spoke her desire, but the undercurrent in her tone revealed her true nature as a Dragon with power beyond understanding. "You can do that, right?" She asked, twisted hope and hunger shining in her greedy eyes.

Lelouch spoke, unintentionally crushing Ophis' dreams. "No, after obtaining the Code, Geass is sealed away. Forever. Whatever gift you gave me merely replicated its functions, not its power." He now knew why his eyes shined with the infinity symbol enclosed by a circle whenever he used it, despite the coloring remaining the same as the original. It wasn't the same power as before, it was a replica.

Ophis frowned childishly. "That's not fair! I created that gift for you while I was waiting for you to return to my world so you could help me." Her eyes fell as she stared at the scar on his chest. "I reconstructed your body and gave you a gift based on one of the strongest Sacred Gears I knew of so that, when you could finally help me, you would be able to stand up against Great Red and return my world to blissful silence." Why had she failed to replicate his power of Geass? Did it have something to do with this Code he had mentioned twice now?

Lelouch resisted the urge to retort that life wasn't fair in response to Ophis' complaining. This Dragon girl could kill him in a heartbeat or make him suffer unimaginable pain if she couldn't kill him. He took a moment to digest her words before speaking up. "Just what exactly did you give me as a gift?" He asked carefully, wary of angering the Dragon God sitting on his lap. He was feeling more fear than he ever had before.

In response, Ophis grabbed his right hand and held it in front of her. As she brushed her fingers over the back of his hand, his gauntlet appeared in response to her touch. And she frowned. "You still haven't awakened your full power, but considering you only awakened it a little while ago I'm surprised at how much it's grown." The armor had snaked its way up to halfway up his bicep. The fingers were sharp claws, and the armor was in segmented plates all the way up the arm. The dark gem on the back of his hand held Ophis' attention as she brushed her finger over the orb. "You've absorbed a lot of power from your victims." She said with a smile that didn't match the context of her words.

Lelouch allowed his hand to remain limp while the oddly dressed Dragon fussed with his gauntlet. "What do you mean, absorbed?" He asked. This was a rare opportunity to learn about the powers he had been using since he became a Devil.

Ophis looked up at his eyes, still caressing his gauntlet like an artist playing with her prized work. "I am the Dragon who rules the void between all worlds that have ever existed and will ever exist, the power I gifted you with may have been based on a Sacred Gear from this world, but I enhanced it by giving it properties of my powers because I know of no one other than I who can stand against Great Red." She spat the name with a hiss. "All must one day be consumed by the void. Humans, civilizations, even dimensions must one day collapse. Your power, though not a Sacred Gear, is connected to the power that birthed me because I felt it was only right that my ally have access to the capabilities of the Void. When you kill your target, you are able to consume their power. But you still have a way to go before you are able to claim all of their power."

So, it appeared that every time he killed an enemy he absorbed some of their power. Lelouch recalled some instances of when he observed his gem consuming the blood of his targets. 'So, that's what it was doing.' The gem absorbed the blood of his target and stored power away until it was needed to increase his reserves. Which would then permanently increase the reservoir of energy at his disposal once the energy was converted into his own power.

"What is the Code?" Ophis asked, tilting her head to the side, drawing Lelouch from his musings. She let his arm go and his dark gauntlet faded. "And why does it prevent you from being able to make Great Red go away?" Feeling a little uncomfortable, she shifted her position on Lelouch's lap. Sitting with her back to his chest, she looked up at him as she waited for his answer. 'I don't see the appeal.' Ophis thought, wondering why the Nekoshou she had seen a few days ago liked this. When Lelouch's hand was raised and he placed it on her head, Ophis felt her eyes widen. And when she felt him start to comb his fingers through her long hair, she closed her eyes in bliss. 'Oh… oh my.' No one had ever treated her like this before. 'This is nice.' No one had ever touched her unless it was in a fight or they wanted some of her power.

Come to think of it, Lelouch was also the first person she had actually had a full conversation with about her problems without being asked for more power. If she could get him to join her he would definitely be her favorite.

Once Ophis shifted into the position Koneko often sat in when she was on his lap, Lelouch instinctually began petting her on the head. 'What am I doing?!' He froze as he realized he was treating the Dragon God like his friend. He moved his hand before he answered Ophis' question, placing it by his side despite his hand twitching as it instinctually wanted to continue.

Koneko had trained him a little too well it seemed.

"There were two powers in my world that were supernatural in nature." Lelouch began to answer, feeling nervous about how the Dragon on his lap would react to his answer. "Code and Geass. The wielders of Geass are contracted to Code Bearers and they obtain a unique power as a result of the contract. What you saw me use in the World of C was my Geass, but if you didn't revive me after you reconstructed my body then that means I somehow inherited a Code from my world and that means my Geass is forever inaccessible to me. Immortality has replaced my Geass." Though, the fact that he had a lesser version of his Geass as a result of Ophis reconstructing his body from the ashes was intriguing. Regardless of the fact that she was attempting to reconstruct his body with his Geass still intact, it was clearly a fundamental law that those who have Codes cannot also wield Geass, which was why his replica power required he have greater magical energy than his target if he wanted to force them to obey rather than forcing them to obey regardless of who they were.

It was a limitation that prevented it from being a true recreation of his Geass.

"But what about the power you said I replicated?" She asked with a pout that developed when he stopped petting her head. She grabbed his hand and put it back on her head, silently encouraging him to continue. "Can't that make Great Red go away?" She asked as she closed her eyes, Lelouch's fingers scratching their way slowly through her long hair.

When Ophis put his hand back on her head, Lelouch treaded carefully before answering her childishly phrased question. "This power replicates the functions of my Geass, but I need more magical power than my target in order for the effects to take hold." He doubted he would ever have more power than Great Red and so his new power would likely never be able to "make Great Red go away" as Ophis wanted.

"If you join me, I can train you." Ophis offered, pouting once her offer prompted Lelouch to stop petting her. "I'll live forever, I just want to make Great Red go away so I can have my home back." She whispered her offer as she turned her head up to stare into Lelouch's eyes. "I want to return to the silence of the world I was born in, I just want my peaceful silence back." That was all she wanted. Well, that and Great Red's head.

"Join you?" Lelouch's tired voice asked, yawning as he saw the sun begin to rise over the horizon, illuminating the petite form of the Dragon God who sat on his lap when she responded.

Ophis told Lelouch about the Khaos Brigade and Lelouch had to resist the urge to laugh. A group that brought members from all factions together to accomplish a goal none could accomplish on their own? If Ophis' target were a nation rather than a Dragon then she basically would have just recreated the Black Knights and he suddenly found it very amusing that it was the Dragon girl on his lap who was the one who dragged him into this world.

"I can't join you yet." Lelouch answered Ophis once she finished describing her group to him. "If you can give me a little time to think it over, I will seriously consider your offer." Her offer to give him training in his powers was a tempting reason to join right now, but Lelouch wanted to avoid becoming a terrorist again until he gave it some serious thought.

Ophis pouted, but acquiesced to his request. "Fine, you have until the end of the next human world month." She wanted him now, but if he was always trying to escape he would never help her achieve her dream of a world of silence with Great Red's severed head serving as a reminder of her wonderful victory.

The time she gave him should be more than enough for him to think things through. With that, the Dragon who ruled the Dimensional Gap reluctantly rose from Lelouch's lap and vanished in a swirling magic circle. "Stay alive." She ordered before she vanished, missing Lelouch's despairing chuckle.

Tears of despair slipped out of Lelouch's violet eyes as he stared at the rising sun. "I can't die even if I wanted to." He mumbled, scratching at the scar that he finally recognized as bearing a resemblance to C.C.'s scar beneath her left breast, with the only alteration being the one Ophis had made, overlaying it with her own sigil, when she gave him his powers.

This must have been how C.C. felt, wanting to die and having that right denied by the power of the Code's curse of true immortality.

Rias had observed Lelouch who had been acting oddly the past few days while she stood across from him in the forest surrounding her family's villa. It was Friday, almost the end of the first week of training and Lelouch had begun acting odd on Monday. He hadn't smirked, quipped, or even reacted to Akeno's teasing during training, simply absorbing all of their lessons with a dedicated ruthlessness she hadn't expected from her Knight. Whether it was combat magic training with Akeno or learning how to use communication and teleportation circles from her, he worked on everything virtually emotionless in his actions, but efficient in his studying.

That had been Monday.

Tuesday, he had been training with Kiba. A mix of swordplay training and racing to work on being able to attack while on the run, something that Lelouch would normally complain about considering he was still forbidden from using his magic to augment his physical capabilities. But he didn't say a word. Kiba had confided in her after the training that Lelouch hadn't said a single word during the training except inquire when they were done. Once Kiba said when they were done, he remained mute for the entire training session. And the focus he showed was… intense. Kiba had admitted he would have been impressed if Lelouch hadn't been acting so oddly.

He was taking training seriously, far more seriously than he ever had before and that sent up some red flags for everyone who knew him and how little effort he tended to put into things.

On Wednesday, Koneko reported the same thing. Every technique and attack Lelouch used was brutally efficient and he fought through wounds that had previously incapacitated him. If she didn't know that her Rook and other Knight were more than capable of sensing when Lelouch was about to use magic to augment himself, she would have thought he was cheating again. Regardless, Lelouch had become colder and more reckless in his training so she decided to see for herself how he was acting by setting up a spar.

She had set up a plan for Lelouch to work with Issei and Asia yesterday and it hadn't gone well. At all. Issei tried to engage in a little banter with Lelouch, who was having none of it. When she signaled the start of the spar, he began brutally dismantling Issei and Asia to such a degree that the pair still twitched whenever they saw him. Issei lasted long enough for only two boosts before he was knocked out and Lelouch just took one look at Asia and she started to cry.

Somehow, that had gotten through to him and she had seen the first emotion on his face since the week started.

Disgust.

Rias focused on personally training Lelouch today, allowing Akeno to work on Issei and Asia so that the pair didn't have their hearts crushed again. While her Queen repaired her Pawn and Bishop's feelings, she ordered her first Knight and Rook to spar as she handled Lelouch. She needed to get to the bottom of whatever was driving him to act so cold to everyone. And to do that she was going to fight him.

Standing across from her Knight dressed in her school uniform, Rias observed his countenance.

Her Knight was standing across from her, hands in the pockets of a long-sleeved black jacket that had a split tail that went to his knees. It was unzipped, revealing his dark blue tank top and black jeans held up by a silver belt and a pair of ankle high black boots. His face was blank and his eyes were ice cold as he stared her down.

"I don't know what's wrong with you this week, but I'm going to find out if I have to beat you down until you're exhausted." Rias declared as she allowed her power to elevate beyond her base levels. Dark red energy began coalescing around her body and the ground shook before her.

Lelouch's response was to remove his jacket and throw it behind him, leaving him in just his tank top. "You're welcome to try." Was his retort as he allowed his gauntlet to form and his power to flare like hers. It was probably the tenth statement he made to anyone in her Peerage all week.

Rias stared with narrowed eyes at the gauntlet, it was halfway up his bicep now. She hadn't realized before, but it was growing in power rather quickly. Still though, it wasn't a Sacred Gear. With a blast of crimson energy towards Lelouch, she started the battle.

As she had expected, he sped off to his left, right arm raised to shield himself from the debris as her blast hit the ground and trees around him while he circled her. Quickly, he managed to get behind her and she flared her wings, allowing her to dodge his strike at her back by taking flight. She flipped in the air and sent her leg out in a low kick aimed at his head as she rose into the air. He ducked and she flapped her wings to gain a little distance in the air, blasting power from her hands as she retreated higher and further away into the air. Lelouch, clearly not willing to remain so he could be hit or shield himself, flared his own wings and weaved his way through her spell orbs to head straight at her.

It was reckless and stupid, something he never would have done the week before.

With his speed, he managed to catch up to her rather quickly and she summoned a shield to block his punch. When the gauntlet made contact with her shield, darkness began spreading from the point of contact and she smirked. Rias allowed her wings to vanish and, as gravity yanked her down, aimed her attacks up towards Lelouch who was still committed to breaking her shield. He tried to pull back, but he got hit by a few of the orbs and smoke erupted as he was hit. She knew that wouldn't be enough to take him out, so she strained her senses to prepare for a counterattack and sped away to gain a little bit more distance. When Lelouch burst forth from the smoke, his tank top half shredded, and charged down towards Rias on the ground, she was prepared.

With a snap of her fingers, a magic circle appeared far beneath Lelouch on the ground, where she had originally been standing, and a pillar of power burst out of it. Her Knight was consumed and she quickly deactivated her trap to make sure he wasn't seriously hurt. His form was smoking, but thankfully his clothes were mostly intact. Nothing her new spell couldn't fix, but she was more concerned about the dark burns she could see on his feet, legs, chest, and arms.

He hadn't reacted, even though she was sure that last hit had been painful.

Lelouch collapsed out of the sky, a smoking wreck, and Rias flew forward with her wings, catching him with a grunt. "You've gotta stop stealing Koneko's sweets." She joked, signaling the end of the spar. Lelouch's body was twitching sporadically and Rias frowned. He hadn't said a word. "I'm going to set you down now, and we are going to have a nice, long talk about why you've been so cold to everyone this week. Am I understood?" She carefully laid her Knight down on the grass that hadn't been scorched by her attacks and placed his head in her lap.

When she placed her hand on his shoulder and began healing him, he finally made a sound. "Fine." He spat, finally showing a reaction as he winced in pain when she touched him. "What do you want to know?" Lelouch stared up at her, a defeated look in his eyes. Ever since Lelouch had learned the truth from Ophis, he had been thinking about his past, both in this world and his original one.

Everyone in Rias' Peerage, even Issei, was a good, kind hearted individual at their core.

And he was nothing like them and so he didn't deserve any of them.

He was a monster who had killed millions of innocent people solely to engender the hatred of the world and he needed to be punished for his sins.

He had done terrible things as Demon Emperor and, when he arrived in this world, he had thought it was a well thought out punishment designed by a God for the sake of ensuring that he never got to enjoy the peace he brought about or even know if he succeeded. So, he figured he would make the most of his punishment and try to live a peaceful life. Becoming friendly acquaintances with Koneko and Kiba had been an accident, but he hadn't minded their company. Becoming a Devil was something unexpected, but after he had been killed by the Fallen Angel, what he thought was supposed to have been a death arranged for him by a God to punish him further, he decided to again just go with the flow and make the most of it. He had seen no need to punish himself when his very life was being manipulated by a God intent on ensuring he was punished for his sins in his previous life.

Finding out that every single thing that had happened to him had been because of Ophis' greed in desiring him to use his power and a mistake she made that resulted in him arriving in this world, that it hadn't been part of some grander design to punish him, drove him over the edge.

He had thought that, merely by existing in this world, he was atoning for his sins in the previous one. It was anything but that. By enjoying his life here, he was spitting on the sacrifices everyone had made to bring peace to the world through his death. And to top it all off, he was unable to die and he couldn't correct the oversight without cursing somebody else with the power of immortality after he gave them a Geass and they killed him once it became sufficiently evolved.

Geass may be like a wish, but it had also caused far too much chaos in his world for him to be willing to allow it in this one. Code was more than enough, even if he wished he didn't have to bear that particular curse.

So, Lelouch brought it upon himself to try and find out the appropriate ways to atone for his crimes against humanity back in his world. He needed to face judgement.

He began the process of cutting everyone out of his life, giving everyone the cold shoulder in response and working hard to hurt himself and them as much as possible during training to drive them away from him. But seeing Asia cry had made him recall Nunnally's tears at his death and he felt his heart tremble before he squashed the emotion inside of him with his self-disgust.

He deserved to have her hate him, he deserved to have everyone despise him even if he was on their side.

"Why have you been acting so cold to everyone Lelouch?" Rias asked softly, beginning to heal his burns. Asia would still be too scared to approach him so it was up to her for the moment. "Everything was fine over the weekend, why have you been pushing everyone away?"

Lelouch sighed, allowing the healing magic to wash over him before he replied. "I remembered something." Technically it was true, he did recall a little bit when Ophis showed him her memory. "You once asked why I chose to claim the Sin of Wrath?" Lelouch eyed her for a moment before she signaled for him to continue with a nod. He closed his eyes. "I hate the world." He admitted with a whisper. "The world will always reject monsters like me, and so better I reject the world first." He spoke, remembering Suzaku's words on Kamine Island as his identity was revealed to his best friend and worst enemy. "My very existence is a mistake. I don't deserve to have friends, I don't deserve kindness or compassion." Staring up at Rias seriously, an empty grin came across his face.

"I'm not kidding when I call myself a monster."

Rias stared down at the Knight who had been acting so recklessly all week. "You are such an idiot." She cupped his cheek to forestall any retort. "You are my precious Black Knight." Rias spoke fondly. "I don't care about what your life was before you became part of my Peerage, my family, but I do think you have been acting very stupid these past few days." Returning to her healing spells, she continued. "You are amazing, your intelligence is greater than almost anyone I know, your learning curve as a Devil is ridiculous, and, despite your best efforts, I can tell you have a heart buried deep inside of you just yearning to breathe again." She paused for a moment to allow her words to sink in before she continued. "I don't know why you sealed away your heart or why you seem so intent on causing pain to yourself and others, but all of us, Issei, Kiba, Asia, Akeno, Koneko, and myself, we all care about you. Not because we have to, but because we want to."

"I killed my little sister." Lelouch admitted, Rias' teeth clicked shut at that statement. He would regret Euphie's death every day of his life. He spoke, tears dripped out of his eyes as he remembered the look of pure confusion on her face as she collapsed after he shot her. He would never be able to forget that look. "I betrayed the only family I ever loved, my closest friends, and everyone I ever cared about. And I've done so much worse, what else can I be but a monster?" He asked, expecting Rias to attempt to kill him or disown him or some such thing.

What he didn't expect was for Rias to lift him up from his prone position after she finished healing him and hold him close with her chin resting on his shoulder.

"I still care about you, Lelouch." Rias said honestly. "I don't care about your past, I trust you. I have faith in you." She held him close, her arms squeezing the unresponsive Lelouch tighter. "When Kiba begged for me to save your life, I didn't know what I was getting into, I only had a Rook and a Knight Piece remaining, but because he was so adamant that you deserved to live I chose to bring you back as my Knight." She leaned back, holding onto Lelouch's shoulders as she tried to look him in the eye. He was looking to the side, avoiding her eyes. She cupped his cheek tenderly. "You're hurt, and you've been hurt for a long time, but that doesn't mean you don't deserve to live in happiness." She kissed him on the forehead in a motherly way, intending to try and give him some comfort.

Lelouch smiled blankly, feeling hollow at Rias' words and her sign of affection. "You should have just let me die, I deserve nothing less." And now that was forever beyond him.

Rias looked at him with a sad smile. "I don't know, members of the Gremory Family are notorious for being rather greedy." She said with amusement in her eye. "I may not have known what I was getting into, but now that you're my Black Knight I don't plan on letting you go without a fight."

A hollow chuckle escaped Lelouch's lips. Agree to disagree, he figured. "Fine." He conceded, feeling tired. "You win, I'll try to loosen up." He lied. Lelouch didn't plan to stop trying to atone for what he did, but he would stop trying to drag Rias and her Peerage down with him.

"That's the Lelouch I know." Rias said with a grin. When Lelouch turned and stood to retrieve his jacket, a breeze blew some of his hair away from the back of his neck. Her grin shrunk as she caught sight of an odd symbol. "Huh, where did you get that tattoo?" She asked, drawing a reaction from Lelouch.

"What tattoo?" Lelouch asked as he applied the clothing repair spell Rias had developed and taught every member of her Peerage a day or two ago. His shoes and pants were repaired before he directed his attention to his dark tank top. Lelouch had never gotten a tattoo in his life.

"It's on the back of your neck." Rias explained as Lelouch picked up his coat and swung it over his shoulders. "It kind of reminded me of a bird."

Lelouch paused as he stood in the shade as he slipped his arms into his sleeves, his eyes widening unbeknownst to Rias. 'So, that's where the mark was.' He thought to himself, resisting the urge to chuckle. The mark of the Code was on the back of his neck while the scar from the wound that he had received upon his first death was on his chest. He would literally be bearing the curse of immortality on his back and heart. "Bird huh, probably just a birthmark. I can't exactly see back there after all." Lelouch walked into the forest as the sun finally finished setting, deciding to take a walk rather than teleport back to the villa. "I'll meet you all back at the villa, I would like a little fresh air so I'll take the long way."

"Alright, I'll let you collect yourself, but I expect you to apologize to everyone when you get back." Rias ordered sternly with a smile, allowing her magic circle to return her to her villa in a flash of crimson magic.

Lelouch laughed brokenly once he was all alone in the dark forest. It would take far more than words from Rias or her friends to convince him that he could be forgiven. All that she had managed to convince him to do was leave them out of his decision to seek justice for all those who died by his hands.

It was late at night by the time Lelouch returned to his room at the villa and when he did he found someone waiting for him. Koneko was curled up outside of his door, her features revealed as they always were when she was asleep. Her black panties were visible because her plain white oversized t-shirt was riding up on her side, but Lelouch was more concerned at the fact that she was asleep outside his door. His steps were quiet and Koneko was apparently in a deep sleep as she didn't wake when he knelt by her side. A hollow smile graced his face as he shook her shoulder. "Hey, wake up." He whispered softly. "There's no way this is comfortable." His voice was quiet, but it managed to rouse the Nekoshou from her sleep.

Koneko yawned cutely before she rubbed her eye with the back of her hand. "Lelouch." A happy grin came across her face before it fell. "Are-are you still mad?" She asked, her ears drooping despondently. Her eyes avoided his as she stared at the floor. "When you didn't come back for dinner I got worried. I came to see if you had gotten back after everyone else went to bed, but when you weren't here I decided to wait." Koneko's explanation was rushed, as if she were afraid of angering him. "Please don't be mad." She put her hands on her head and curled in on herself, like she was trying to protect herself in case he decided to hit her.

'I've been too cruel.' Lelouch thought to himself, observing Koneko's shivering form. "I'm not mad at you." He promised, gently pressing his hand down on her head. She twitched in fear, much like how she did when he first touched her, before she began to relax into his petting. "I'm sorry for dragging everyone into my own problems." All he did was cause pain to everyone around him. He would need to make sure that everyone didn't get dragged into his problems in the future. A yawn escaped his lips, drawing one from Koneko as well. As he rose, she did as well, her oversized shirt covering her down to mid-thigh. Before he entered his room after opening the door, she tugged at his jacket carefully. "What is it?" He asked softly, watching as her tail remained slumped and her ears remained pressed to her head.

"Can we please talk?" The Nekoshou asked softly, staring up at him with a beseeching look. "I promise I won't bother you." Her eyes shined with a cautious hope, nervous about his response.

Lelouch looked at the hopeful girl before him and sighed. "I didn't plan on going to bed for a bit anyway." He lied, turning to enter his room. "We can talk as long as you like." It was the least he could do considering how much he had hurt her the past few days.

The only one who needed to suffer was himself, Rias and her Peerage didn't need to be collateral damage.

He walked in and shut the door after Koneko walked in after him. Lelouch removed his jacket and tossed it on his dresser before he kicked his shoes off so he could remove his socks. Left in his pants and tank top he removed his pants to put on a pair of shorts, leaving his tank top on. Turning after he changed, Lelouch saw Koneko staring at him with a blush by his bed. Sighing, he knew what she wanted. He set himself up by leaning his pillows up at his headboard and laid back against them. "Come on." He said, gesturing to his lap. "I know it's been a few days." He grunted as Koneko practically teleported to his lap, forcing his hand to the top of her head as she leaned into his chest.

The Nekoshou purred as she felt Lelouch begin to pet her for the first time in what felt like forever. She rubbed her cheek into his chest and sighed in contentment. "I've missed this." She admitted softly. "I've missed you." The fifteen-year-old Devil whispered into his chest as she inhaled his scent.

Try as he might, Lelouch couldn't stop himself from enjoying what had become routine either. A soft smile stretched across his lips as he dragged his nails on the Nekoshou's scalp and neck. "I've missed this too, Shirone." He admitted quietly, enjoying the purrs she released as he slowly advanced his nails down the back of her neck before returning to her hair. "I'm sorry for hurting you." He repeated softly.

"Do you hate us?" Shirone's voice was marked with sadness as she asked her question.

Lelouch shook his head. "It's not you I hate." He whispered softly, holding Shirone close to comfort her after how he acted. "All of you have been nothing but kind to me." The problem was he didn't think he deserved it.

"How do you feel about us all?" The petite Nekoshou asked, her heart beating nervously as she waited for his answer. What she really wanted to ask was how Lelouch felt about her, but she didn't want to make him suspicious.

Lelouch chuckled as he continued to pet Shirone. "Kiba is the kind of brother I would have been proud to have, his intelligence and skill are impressive and I can tell he's a good guy. Issei, while perverted, is a good person at heart. You just need to dig down deep to see it." Lelouch paused as he snickered. "Really, really deep." Shirone giggled into his chest before groaning as his nails slowly scratched down her back. "Rias is… kind, but I think she allows her emotions to rule her a little too much. Asia honestly reminds me of Nunnally a little bit. Akeno is scary, but I can handle her." Akeno's lightning had nothing on Cornelia's resourcefulness and skills in a Knightmare. If Schneizel was the brother he always feared, Cornelia was the sister. "You, Shirone, are the one I'm probably closest to." Lelouch buried his nose into her hair and sighed. "You're the only one that I have revealed my true name to, you're the one who offered me a home when I had none, and you offered me patience and kindness when I was trying to open up about my past." Lelouch held Shirone close as he hugged her. "Words cannot describe how thankful I am that you didn't push me on that. It's… not a fun thing for me to discuss."

That was an understatement.

"What about you? What do you think about yourself?" Shirone asked softly as she relished being held so close to her crush. Her tail was swaying and her ears were perked up happily while they spoke. She was happy Lelouch considered her a close friend, but she was afraid to ask for more.

Lelouch just held Shirone close as he answered. "I hate myself. I'm a monster." He whispered, Shirone tensing in his arms before she hugged him.

'He's… not lying.' Shirone blinked away tears as she learned what Lelouch truly thought of himself. His heart held no sign of a lie. "I won't ask you why you feel that way, I'm sure you wouldn't tell me or I suspect I already have some idea." He had killed his sister after his power had gone out of control in the past before, maybe that was why. "I just want you to know that I don't think you're a monster." She whispered, pulling back slightly so she could stare back at him. Feeling a spark of courage enter her heart, she stood up on her knees and kissed his cheek. "You're my best friend, Lelouch vi Britannia." She whispered his true name softly as she blushed, her eyes staring hopefully into his violet.

"Shirone." Lelouch murmured, staring at her blushing face. A hollow grin split his lips. "I don't deserve the kindness you have given me." He whispered, his eyes shifting to his side to avoid looking into the amber eyes that reminded him of C.C. He didn't want to be reminded of her right now.

He didn't want to be reminded of the only woman, the only person, who chose to stand beside him through everything. Every crime, every tragedy, every loss.

Every betrayal.

C.C. had remained by his side even after he betrayed her and broke his promise. She had chosen to remain his confidante and his beloved accomplice even to the bitter end.

Snuggling back into his chest, feeling hot under her collar, Shirone allowed a playful grin to split her face as her tail twitched in time with her ears. "That's fifty percent your decision, the rest of that decision belongs to me." She said with a blush. "And I say you're more than worth it." The fifteen-year-old Nekoshou stared up at her friend as she remained snuggled into his chest. She stared at his lips, she really wanted to kiss him right now.

But she was still too afraid of his potential reaction. She didn't want to ruin their friendship.

A large yawn escaped Lelouch's lips as he finally began to succumb to his fatigue. "If there is nothing else you want to talk about, I would like to try and get some sleep tonight." Once again, he was feeling emotionally drained. This little three week training trip was going to send him to therapy at this rate.

"C-Can I stay with you tonight?" Shirone asked, her voice softly pleading. "I would like to sleep with you tonight." A blush flared on her face as she realized how that sounded. "I mean, actually sleep." She hoped Lelouch didn't get the wrong idea.

Even if it wasn't exactly wrong.

Lelouch was feeling too tired to argue, he just shifted until Shirone was sitting beside him and adjusted his pillows so that she could lay down on one without having to share with him. "Here," he yawned. Lelouch felt his eyelids become heavy. "Do what you want." He plopped himself down on his side and allowed the darkness that had been encroaching on his vision to consume his mind.

Shirone stared at her friend as he collapsed on his side and passed out completely, soft snores escaping his lips signaling he really was in a deep sleep. Holding her hand close to her lips, she bit her finger in contemplation. 'No, I can't do that to him. He wouldn't do that to me.' The Nekoshou shook the idea of kissing his sleeping lips from her mind. It would be too creepy, kissing someone in their sleep. Instead she chose to lay on her side, staring at Lelouch's peaceful face until dreams claimed her.

A small smile was on her face as she fell asleep beside her friend.

Lelouch has a huge guilt complex, I just want to make that clear right now.

In the past it was more subdued because he thought he was atoning for his crimes merely by existing in this new world. Learning it was a mistake that brought him here pushed him over the edge and now he is trying to find a way to set himself up in a position to face judgment that he inadvertently avoided by getting dragged into another world and accidentally becoming immortal.

One of his underlying creeds was "The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed." and learning that he had violated one of his core beliefs so utterly really didn't help matters when it comes to his overall sanity.

As it is right now, the only thing he has decided to do is to not drag Rias and her Peerage down with him once he finally comes up with a way to face the judgment he feels he deserves. Beyond that, his self-hatred will color a number of his interpersonal relationships now.

Also, it has come to my attention that I have gotten the noble family rank for the Gremory Family wrong, I've been calling the head a Marquis, rather than the Duke that he is. The reason for this is I was originally going off of the anime and Rias declares herself the daughter of the Marquis of Gremory when she's dramatically introducing herself to Issei and that's what I went with.

Certain corrections have been made, my apologies for the error.

I have a new story up, a crossover between Code Geass and Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There. I'm just playing around with that story for now, but feel free to check it out.

Also, I will be studying to take the LSAT again in September so that I can try and get a better score to get into the law school I want which means that I will be busy studying and so I may not be able to update again until late September or early October. I will do my best to make it an update with multiple chapters though, that much I can promise.

Please review if you enjoyed the new chapter.

Happy 4th of July to my fellow Americans! Stay safe and enjoy the holiday of explosives, preferably in that order.

King Draconias Over and Out.