The Demon and the Red Moon

Disclaimer: Code Geass is not owned by me and this is a non-profit work of fiction. Please support the official release of Season 1. FUCK SEASON 2 WITH A RUSTY SPORK.

Hello guys, so sorry for the wait. Definite writers block happened and both my og laptop and the cheap back up died badly. Cats were involved. no one wins. I do want to hear from you guys how the overarching Mao arc might take place, please lemme know in your reviews. If you wanna contribute go ahead and start your theories with #NOTTHEFIRST so I can get to them easily.

No real reviews i want to answer except Islamy96, thanks for spotting that because I totally didn't. The rest of you thanks for the reviews, please keep it up.

Warning: Flashbacks aplenty here.

Destruction of the Resistance

Cornelia awoke in a hospital bed, groggy. She began to look around and felt her head throbbing. Her room was empty save a few chairs in the corner. She inhaled the anti-septic cleanliness as she began to sit up, ignoring the pain.

"Where the hell am I?" she asked the void. Where was Zero?

A red-haired nurse entered the room and saw Cornelia sitting up.

"Do you need help ma'am?" the nurse asked as she crossed the room in a few bounds. "You hit your head pretty hard."

"How?" Cornelia demanded, forcefully. The nurse adjusted the bed so Cornelia could sit at least partially upright with fewer difficulties. Cornelia finally gave in to the horrible throbbing and rubbed her forehead with a weighty groan.

"Would you like a pain reliever?" Cornelia sighed in the affirmative. A small paper cup was offered to her and she shot back the pills with eagerness.

"My Princess!" Guilford exclaimed, striding quickly to the bed. The sound made Cornelia's head ache again and she gave in to another groan. "My apologies. My princess I should have never left your side."

"What happened during the battle?"

.0

The landslide had dragged away nearly half of the Britannian Knightmares and all the infantry in its path. And as soon as the landslide had abated another wave of black Knightmare Frames had followed it down, engaging the vanguard of the Britannia Forces.

In the mobile headquarters Euphemia watched the tragedy. She couldn't comprehend the magnitude of the act. The destruction wasn't even limited to the mountain. The mud had even flooded the town below.

"Princess Cornelia's been isolated by the landslide, she's completely exposed." Cornelia absorbed the words without knowing what to do.

"Are there any units we can send in to support Cornelia?" Euphemia asked desperately. She looked around the tactical display. "This unit, the Purebloods?"

"The Purebloods? They're disgraced. They have that Orange character. Such an unreliable soldier can't be counted on." Euphemia couldn't believe her ears. "Send in the G1, we'll cover Cornelia's retreat."

"No! We have a field hospital here, if the headquarters move they'll be defenseless. Contact Jeremiah Gottwald," Euphemia ordered emphatically.

0.0.0

"She trusted Gottwald with my life?" Cornelia asked, disgusted.

"The Pure-bloods did ultimately help us," Guilford conceded, frowning.

"Very well," Cornelia moaned, sighing. "What became of Gottwald?" Guilford frowned, averting his eyes. Cornelia raised an eyebrow at her knight.

"Killed?" Guilford winced briefly at the question.

"We're not sure," Guilford admitted. "One of the pure-bloods believed that he ejected, but we've yet to find him. He was assaulted by the same red Knightmare that attacked you."'

"You're implying that I lost to one Knightmare." Cornelia frowned as her hazy memory began to return on its own.

.0

Cornelia had moved to this trench to establish a rally point from which to redouble the Britannian assault. However she had stopped her knightmare at the sight of the enemy before her.

The black knightmare resembled a Glasglow, thought slightly modified. Its face plate had been bedecked with a set of golden horns a minor red coloration. The machine was just as at ease as Cornelia's Knightmare.

'We meet again, Cornelia,' came the synthesized voice.

"Zero," Cornelia acknowledged, keeping her contempt from affecting her voice. "Very brave of you to face me alone. How very theatrical," she mocked him now. "For a piece of eleven filth."

'I'm not an eleven,' Zero corrected. 'And,' he continued, his knightmare raising its empty hand, 'I'm not alone, either.' A black Knightmare rose on either side of Cornelia, standing atop the sides of the massive trench. Cornelia eyed them then focused her eyes back on Zero.

"It seems I was wrong, you're not very brave at all," Cornelia added mockingly.

'Why fight you one on one when I know I would lose? Is every enemy you face that stupid?' Zero asked. 'If they are I begin to wonder about how skilled you really are.'

"Shall we see?" Cornelia replied, grinning at finally getting the chance to skewer the object of her revenge.

'Indeed we will see,' Zero continued, 'but I'm not your opponent.'

"Clearly you don't understand the situation!" Cornelia roared, charging, lance raised. Zero sidestepped the lance in his black Knightmare, and Cornelia quickly turned her Knightmare, drawing back her lance. "At this range I can't miss."

'Q-1, engage,' Zero ordered softly.

A red flash dropped between Cornelia and Zero, throwing up an explosion of dust as it landed. Cornelia's lance continued to thrust toward the black Knightmare at the center. Cornelia felt her reins shake in her hand as a red arm knocked the golden weapon from her mount's hands. Cornelia gave a startled yelp as she and her Gloucester were knocked backwards by something.

Cornelia paused to look up as the dust settled, revealing a new Red Knightmare.

'Let's settle this Cornelia,' Zero offered smugly, 'in the manner of the Ancient Greek Kings. Your best warrior against mine.' Cornelia ground her teeth angrily at Zero's overconfidence. Vermin. 'And afterwards I would like to ask you some questions.'

"I'll personally see you shot in a firing line,' Cornelia swore, her voice a hiss, 'after I run through that shoddy piece of junk you call a Knightmare." She glanced over and saw where her lance had landed. She could easily make it.

"Come and try!" replied a young girl's voice. "I'll turn that purple trash-can into slag!" The Knightmare raised its silver gauntleted hand.

"Guilford, continue to press the attack on the JLF," Cornelia ordered into the radio. "I'll join you in a few minutes."

"Milady, I would join you, but we're pinned down by the Black Knights and some new units that arrived from outside the battle."

'It seems General Tohdoh has joined us,' Zero noted. 'Your army is being destroyed as we speak.' Cornelia gave a shout and charged for her lance. The red Knightmare merely turned its head to watch her as she drew the lance from the ground.

"Get back Zero!" Cornelia ordered, blood thirst edging her voice. "You won't be getting a quick death on the battlefield. Only the execution stand is good enough for you." Zero slowly obliged, rolling away.

'By all means,' Zero said softly. 'Capture Cornelia slowly.'

Cornelia charged with a shout, thrusting forward with her spear. Her crimson opponent caught the lance in its metal hand as easily as catching a twig on the wind. Cornelia was jerked forward in her cockpit as her Gloucester stopped, held back in its tracks.

"What?" Cornelia breathed, stunned. The sound of whooshing air accompanied sudden waves of visible heat held in the Knightmare's red hand, and the golden lance quickly expanded like a hot balloon. The Knightmare quickly backed off and the lance literally blew up in Cornelia's Knightmare's hands.

Cornelia quickly raised her assault rifle and fired. The red unit merely raised its hand again and the bullets exploded harmlessly against the waves of radiation. Before Cornelia could react it charged again, drawing a knife with two blades and stabbed the assault rifle and ripped it from the Gloucester's hands and punched away Cornelia again.

"I won't be so easily defeated by the likes of you!" She raged at the machine and fired her last remaining slash harkens. The Knightmare simply caught them both in its silver hand and cut the lines of both with its golden knife.

Cornelia was completely disarmed now. She couldn't believe it. Her, the second princess of Britannia, beaten by an eleven with not a drop of noble blood in her. Secretly Cornelia had always thought she could one day lose a duel, but always to an extra-ordinary man of a savage warrior nobility. But by a girl...

"HOW?" Cornelia demanded, her voice sounding broken.

'I accept your unconditional surrender,' Zero answered smoothly. Shame and rage welled up in Cornelia at the very words. She narrowed her eyes at the red unit before her.

"I never surrender," Cornelia declared proudly. "This battle will only end when I'm dead or you are." She charged again, preparing to swing her last good hand at the red Knightmare. She was beaten against the wall of the trench in a few quick moves, both her arms severed at the shoulder.

'You should accept your fate with dignity,' Zero recommended.

"Good bye, Euphie," Cornelia said into her radio. She readied herself to ram her enemy.

"Cornelia! Help is coming!"

"Zero, the white Knightmare! Gah-" Zero turned to see a Burai explode and the white Knightmare jumped over the wall and land in the trench with Zero and the Guren.

0.0.0

C felt the change through her ethereal senses. Her friend's voice rang in her mind like a hundred tiny bells.

"At last," she breathed, "the end of the beginning. Now the true game for eternity is being played." She pulled a wild flower from near where she sat. She studied the imperfections, absorbing their beauty. "I wonder which path Lelouch will take."

0.0.0 (Rapidly changing POVs here with no scene changes.)

Kallen spun to face the white machine as it lunged towards her Guren, sword drawn. She blocked its first attack and two machines paused to face each other. Kallen felt something click home. As if the Guren couldn't exist if this unit didn't also.

Lelouch didn't feel the same in his command Burai.

"This machine again?" he angrily demanded into the open air. "Q-1, destroy that unit! It's interfered in our plans for the last time!"

"Roger!" Kallen replied. Ohgi opened fire from atop the trench and forced the white machine to block with its shields, backing away to avoid getting hit by Kallen. Kallen lunged to close the distance, lighting up her Radiant Wave Surger. She eyed the ammo count and cursed softly. Only two rounds after this.

Suzaku blocked the waves of energy, his green glass shield clashing with the red aura violently. Suzaku heard minor alarms going off. The shield wasn't keeping out all of the damage from the red Knightmare's hand weapon. Suzaku broke away and swung the mvs at the enemy.

Kallen caught the sword blade in her fork knife and twisted. The sword spun from the white knight's hand. It raised its rifle at point blank. Kallen rushed to block the muzzle with her silver gauntlet just in time for the rifle to fire into the hand. The round detonated inside the barrel of the rifle. Both Knightmares looked down at the rifle and back to each other.

The two exploded apart again and the knight drew its final sword, swinging. The red lotus answered by thrusting with its fork knife, the two blades locking in the middle.

Lelouch couldn't fathom. The two were too closely matched. Kallen couldn't take out the white knight. He glanced at the purple Knightmare sitting in the dirt nearby. I can at least take Cornelia, he told himself. He moved toward Cornelia with his rifle raised.

"Zero get back!" Kallen's shout drew his attention back to see the Knight charging around the Guren for him. The Guren caught the white machine about the neck with is bare metal gauntlet, and the two machines grappled again, until the knight broke free. Heading straight for Lelouch.

"No!" Kallen shouted. Zero turned and tried to run away from the white Knightmare. Kallen chased after both of them.

Ohgi was suddenly driven off by assault rifle fire. He looked up to see Cornelia's guard approaching. He was alone. He had no choice but to run now. For the life of him, he never thought why they didn't chase him.

"This bastard ruins my plans over and over," he raged to himself. His Burai lurched underneath him and fell over, spinning to where Lelouch was starting at the Burai's severed leg. His auto-eject activated, throwing him face first into his cockpit's screen. The only thing that hurt worse was the landing.

"Crap," Kallen said as she saw her energy level. "I'm running on an empty energy filler!" She screamed as the Guren died beneath her, forcing her arms straight as the machine fell on its face and rolled on its side. The cockpit opened with a pneumatic hiss and she spilled onto her back, gasping. Then rolled onto her hands and knees and threw up at the sudden landing. She groaned as she rose and ran after Zero on foot.

Suzaku pulled the Lancelot to a stop as Zero crawled from his ejected cockpit. He had only a sword in his machine's hands. But he could still capture Zero. He blinked when he saw green hair. The girl from the trailer was walking straight at the Lancelot.

"Don't even think of killing him. He cannot die yet!" the girl called. Suzaku blinked at the lack of concern in her voice. It was more like the girl was stating fact.

Kallen paused as she saw C touch the white machine's leg with her single bare hand. What the hell was she doing?

'Are you using Geass on him?' Lelouch asked, eying the suddenly frozen machine.

"Get out of here. I can't hold him forever." Lelouch blinked at the idea.

'Don't be foolish. I can't have you captured either,' Lelouch reminded, touching her shoulder.

"NO!"

C.C.C.

Where the hell was he? His surroundings had been replaced by a small village. Pre-Renaissance architecture, mostly thatch roofs on top of simple stone and mortar buildings. But the only thing that was in color was a tiny human being crawling on the ground. Lelouch walked towards the figure. Lelouch couldn't tell if it was a he or she but he saw malnutrition. He decided it was a girl, judging by the long hair that was a very light blonde, edging towards pink somehow at the ends.

The ghostly form of a nun passed through Lelouch towards the girl and leaned down, offering a hand. The girl took the hand.

"You seem to have a reason for living," the nun said, her voice echoing in Lelouch's mind. "If you promise to grant my one wish, I can give you power. If you accept this contract, then you accept it's conditions." Lelouch recoiled, recognizing the words. Geass. The nun was giving the girl Geass.

"Yes, Please." the girl begged weakly.

"What is your name, my dear?"

The girl said her name, and Lelouch felt the world shift.

Now standing before a large stone church. Villagers were screaming at the building, brandishing sharp tools and burning torches. Lelouch gasped behind his helmet as he saw two adult men drag out a naked girl who was bleeding from her ribs. A girl with green hair. A loud voice called out the name again. Lelouch looked over to see a large post with a number of wooden bundles and oak oil drums around a post.

"You are hereby accused of witchcraft." Lelouch's eyes widened. Geass.

"What the hell was your Geass?" he asked aloud. No one could hear him.

C was quickly tied to the post and several torches thrown at the pile. The people ran away from the flames to observe from a distance. C began to scream.

"Stop it!" Lelouch shouted. He ran forward to help, the flames not touching him. He grabbed C's arm to untie her and her screams stopped. He looked into her face.

"You're not supposed to be in here," she declared calmly, disturbing Lelouch. Lelouch fell backwards scream-

C.C.C.

-Screaming as Kallen tackled him as the Lancelot was suddenly engaged by a JLF Burai. A rogue machine gun round hit C in the chest and sent her flying into Kallen and Lelouch. Lelouch got to his feet and began to pull her over his shoulder. Kallen quickly helped him and they ran from the skirmish.

"Ohgi, have our forces retreat to the third Rally Point. It's a draw."

0.0.0

"She's over five-hundred years old," Lelouch finally said. Kallen looked up from wringing C's bloody outfit in a small pool in their hiding cave. Kallen looked over her shoulder at C, naked beneath Lelouch's cape, her wound healing unnaturally fast.

"How?" Kallen asked, disbelieving. Lelouch glanced at C and back to Kallen.

"I don't know yet," Lelouch declared, kneeling by Kallen. "It sounds foolish, but that girl might be the most important thing in the world today." Kallen set the wet clothes aside and looked up into Lelouch's face from her sitting position.

"I couldn't beat the white Knightmare," Kallen noted, glumly. Lelouch looked back into her eyes.

"I couldn't capture Cornelia," Lelouch noted, glumly. He adjusted to sitting cross-legged on the cave floor.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry I killed Clovis before you could ask him about your mother," Kallen said, sincerely. Lelouch raised an eyebrow at her, frowning.

"No you're not."

"You're right, I'm not," Kallen admitted, smiling. Lelouch smirked and gave an amused snort.

"He probably didn't know anything," Lelouch admitted. "And to be honest, if Cornelia knew anything, she probably would've told me when I was younger."

"Really?" Kallen asked, surprised. Lelouch paused.

"No." C eyed Lelouch from the corner of her eye, seeing the pair's backs to her. Lelouch blinked at a thought.

"You know I understand enough to want to help you avenge your mom," Kallen admitted finally. "But why were you really doing this?" Lelouch met Kallen's eyes again.

"Nunnally," Lelouch said simply. "If I can create a world where Nunnally can find lasting happiness I don't really care what happens to me."

"She could find happiness in this world," Kallen noted meaningfully.

"She's living a lie that she's a normal girl in a high-school. In four years, she'll be in the real world. As Britannia runs things, that world is overflowing with suffering. And I can't change the fact that she can't walk, and she'll never open her eyes." Lelouch frowned as despair rolled inside him.

"My dad could help. There are procedures, and we have money."

"I have seven-hundred and fifty thousand crowns spread across the world in banks," Lelouch noted with a straight face. Kallen's eyes shot wide, jaw dropping.

"WHAT?!"

"What, you think I play chess with nobles for my health?"

"What are you doing in a school like Ashford then?!" Kallen demanded.

"It's safe, free, and I get to speak with people my own age," Lelouch explained quickly. "Mostly it's savings for a rainy day."

"How bad is a rainy day in your mind?" Kallen asked, exasperated.

"My father is the most powerful man in the world and I would light him on fire if he were drowning in the ocean." The prince set his helmet in his lap, sighing. "Rivalz only arranges the chess for pocket money. He's probably set for life with his trust fund. I take 90% of all winnings. I consulted plenty of doctors. Read plenty of papers. There's not much that can be done for Nunnally and keep her safe." Lelouch looked into the pool of water and sighed again.

"I've felt powerless plenty of times, but before I got this Geass, I was really hopeless," Lelouch admitted. "I'm not important. I'm just another clever boy. I can be replaced. Nunnally..." he trailed off.

"She's special," Kallen finished, understanding. Silence fell into the cave. A drop sounded like thunder as it landed.

"You've been listening to most of that, haven't you?" Lelouch asked loudly.

"How could I possibly sleep with all this talking going on?" C asked from behind Lelouch and Kallen.

"I saw you getting burned alive," Lelouch declared. "I want answers."

"You won't get them today, and certainly not for seven hundred thousand crowns." Lelouch frowned even more deeply, irritated.

"You have a bad habit of eaves dropping," Lelouch declared. He added her name. Kallen blinked at the name, glancing at C. "But," he added. "Thank you. For saving my life. I won't say it again...so... Thank you." Kallen winced and stood, walking towards the entrance of the cave.

"Can you show your appreciation?" C asked tenderly. Lelouch raised an eyebrow, intrigued. Kallen stiffened, pausing. "Can you say it again? As if you cherished it with all you heart?" Lelouch understood quickly. He mentally prepared himself.

C was smiling as he said the name. Kallen felt jealously light up her insides.

"That was terrible," C said, still smiling. "It was cold. And you said it oddly."

"Are all women this picky?" Lelouch retorted coldly.

"This is why I prefer C," the witch sighed, standing.

"And why were you naked when they burned you?" Lelouch added, unsettled. Kallen spun round, angry.

"What the hell did you see?!"

"Long story," C declared. "And you're not ready to hear it," she told Lelouch.