Hey!

…I just want to warn you all that this story'll probably be a bit experimental… Just a heads up. This may be a good or bad thing, I'm not quite sure. Good, hopefully.

Chapter 2

Lelouch shook his head. "There is no way in hell that I am giving you geass."

Anya took a step forward. "Then I'll die like Jeremiah. He told me that whoever killed him can use it."

Lelouch took a step back, still shaking his head. "I never asked you to die for me, Anya. You can have a peaceful life here."

Anya took another step. "I owe Jeremiah my life, and I intend to find the ones who took his." Anya spoke with a calmness that made clear she was committed.

Lelouch took another step back. "Even so, you don't need geass. You can pilot a knightmare, and I can manufacture Geass Cancelers if we need them."

Anya pressed on. "My knightmare was destroyed, and we don't have the resources to make cancelers yet. Right now, you're neither Zero nor Emperor Lelouch. Without Geass, we're powerless."

Lelouch took a final step back, pressing his back against the wall. "Even so, geass is a tool of pure evil-"

"And who," Anya cut in, "was the one who said that, when faced with a force too evil to take down by just means, he would become evil in order to defeat the greater evil?" She stared, eyes emotionless, cutting directly into Lelouch.

Lelouch instinctively covered his left eye. "This shouldn't have happened! All of Charles' geass users were killed!"

"How can you be so sure?"

Lelouch didn't immediately respond. He slowly opened his mouth but was interrupted by a small TV set in the corner of the room.

"Breaking News! Just yesterday, a number of pro-Lelouch terrorists shot upon innocent civilians in a Japanese cemetery. Furthermore, authorities have reported that one of the terrorists bears a striking resemblance to the deceased Demon Emperor Lelouch."

Lelouch stumbled over to the TV monitor. What's Suzaku doing? He should have never made this public!

"Although Zero has assured us that the Demon Emperor was quietly cremated as planned, the people of Japan are urged to report any sightings of this Lelouch look-alike."

Then a familiar black mask appeared on screen. "It deeply saddens me," Zero declared, "that there still remain soldiers who feel obligated to support the deceased Demon Emperor. In an attempt to rebuild that dictatorship, a man bearing a striking resemblance to the Demon Emperor has ascended to the head of this terrorist organization."

Then the masked leader raised his arms. "However, there is no cause for alarm. Just as I struck down the Demon Emperor, so too will this terrorist leader be brought to justice. No force of evil can topple the might of our unified world!"

Suzaku's hunting for me? Lelouch shook his head. This isn't right.

This isn't right.

Kallen slid towards Zero as he walked away from the podium. "Zero, we need to talk."

Zero acted as if he hadn't heard. Instead, he motioned with his hand to blond man waiting by the wall. Kallen frowned. "Who's he, Zero?"

The man walked closer and saluted. "Captain Jake Lanier of the Zero Squad, reporting sir."

"Captain?" Kallen stared at Zero. "Last time I checked, I was captain of the Zero Squad."

"You were the captain, Kallen." Zero said, "Now you've been honorably discharged to continue your education in Japan."

"I don't recall being informed of this." Kallen rubbed a threatening headache.. "No, that's not the important thing. What's this about a Lelouch look-alike?"

For perhaps the first time, Zero let out an audible sigh. "It's not your concern. The issue will be dealt with shortly."

He's betrayed me again! Lelouch rested his head on his hand. Somehow, he's working with those geass users. Lelouch thought about the man he'd met in the cemetery. He'd said something, right before they opened fire… "The target's immunity to geass is confirmed. Eliminate and retrieve the body." This means they knew that I might have the Code, and they wanted it.

In addition, it should have been impossible for them to find out where I was, since my Imperial Guards were bound under geass to never give up in an interrogation... Unless they have command-based geass users like me.

Lelouch suddenly stood back up. "Anya, where's C.C.?"

"Before he left to get you, Jeremiah said that Suzaku would take care of her."

Lelouch felt a headache coming. "This shouldn't be happening… This shouldn't be happening…" He turned back to Anya. "Anya, pack any weapons you have. We're leaving."

I never thought I'd be here again. Aloud, C.C. noted, "I must admit, Charles, I didn't expect you to think this far in advance." The green-haired witch was back in C's World, arms bound and wrapped tightly behind her back.

A soft voice spoke from behind. "I don't think it would be entirely fair if Charles took all the credit."

C.C. turned her face towards an old friend. "I guess I should have known that killing your puppets couldn't be that easy, V.V."

V.V. smiled. "Times have changed since you were director, C.C. While you and your boy managed to destroy the Directorate's base, there are countless agents of the Directorate spread throughout the world. You killed our child soldiers, but you somehow forgot about the trained geass users."

C.C. frowned. "And it was going all so smoothly... Until this man decided to flip sides. Again." She glared at the Japanese man at her side. "You fooled us for a long time, Suzaku."

The man was silent, but C.C. could see the red rings around his pupils. For the first time in a while, C.C. felt rage boiling up.

Anya stopped the farm truck just behind the wooden docks. The sun had just set, leaving only the lights of the various docked boats. "This isn't a good idea, Lelouch."

Lelouch ignored Anya. "We don't have any choice. Come."

The two, hidden in black cloaks, walked down the pier to a small fishing boat. Three men sat in the cockpit of the boat. Without saying a word, Lelouch jumped aboard, Anya close behind.

Before the three could say anything, Lelouch shot them all with a silenced handgun. He made his way to the controls, muttering apologies as he passed the bodies.

In just a few moments, Anya and Lelouch were on their way out of the docks. The boat cut cleanly through the calm waters, and once the pier was out of sight, they dumped the bodies.

A long while later, the boat pulled into a small landing stage tucked into the woody parts of Kamine Island. Despite her short stature, Anya was able to deftly pull the boat close and tied it up securely.

Lelouch passed by a manmade mound overlooking the sea. Rest well, Rolo. Lelouch checked the ammunition in his gun and then led Anya towards the center of the island.

The two walked slowly through the foliage, hands by their holsters. Although there was no one in sight, Lelouch avoided a direct path to his destination, instead climbing the hill that topped the island's ruins. Thanks to a large hole made years before, he could peer down from the top of the hill to the dismantled Thought Elevator below.

At least, the formerly dismantled Thought Elevator. Roughly 30 men silently moved around the ruins below, carrying boxes of scientific equipment. One man, apparently the overseer, had an unmistakable purple robe.

The Geass Directorate.

Lelouch bit his lip. Suzaku, why did you side with them? Then he felt a gun barrel rest against the back of his head.

"Don't move, Lelouch vi Britannia."

Nunnally sighed. As the new Empress of Britannia, the Homeland had called her back to deal with a number of administrative duties. Taking a break of the stack of papers on her desk, she rolled her wheelchair to the window behind her.

Her "palace" was the former mansion of a deceased Duke Winbolt. Beyond it lay the devastated remains of Pendragon. The setting sun cast a depressing gloom across the few buildings that remained. Despite months of dedicated reconstruction, the semicircular wound in the capital city lay painfully visible. It would take years, if not decades, to fully rebuild the fallen capital.

The city she'd destroyed. Just like my brother, I carry sins above me wherever I go.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door. The voice of a friend brought a slight smile to the Empress. "Empress Nunnally?"

"Kallen?" Nunnally wheeled herself back around to her desk. "Come in."

The red-haired girl was still in her Black Knights uniform. "You summoned me, Your Highness?"

Nunnally smiled a bit brighter. "Please, don't be so formal, Kallen. Take a seat."

Kallen smiled in response. "Thanks, Nunnally."

"I called you here because I am worried about Zero's announcement earlier today."

Kallen raised a brow. "You heard it? I was under the impression that it was mainly broadcasted to Japan."

Nunnally sighed. "Well, I just returned from Japan this morning. I had been visiting Lelouch's cemetery."

"His cemetery?" Kallen's eyes widened slightly. "You don't mean…" Suddenly, Kallen noticed Nunnally's smile seemed a bit forced and a bit tired.

The Empress sighed. "What if I told you that Lelouch wasn't dead?"

Kallen found herself unable to respond. "Wha-?"

"I don't fully understand it, but I think I know someone who can explain." Nunnally gestured at the stack of papers on her desk. "My hands are tied, but Sayoko said that you've just been discharged. I'd like you to make a visit for me when you return to Japan. A friend of mine there runs an orange farm."

At that moment, the butt of a rifle shoved Lelouch onto the ground. The man in purple robes pulled back his hood, revealing a pale, elderly face. "You've given us quite a bit of trouble, 'Demon Emperor' Lelouch."

Lelouch tried to sit up, but he was knocked over as Anya fell on top of him. "Why are you doing this? Your director, V.V., is dead. Your emperor, Charles, is dead. What's left-!" A bullet in the knee interrupted him, causing him to bend over in pain.

"Death is meaningless for the Ragnorak Junction." The old man continued. "Once the Collective Unconsciousness is destroyed, V.V. will rise once again to lead us to greatness."

"I destroyed the Ragnorak Junction. Give up this pointless-!" This time a bullet landed in his shoulder. He screamed in pain.

"Such a rude man." The overseer raised his handgun to Lelouch's head. "We only need you for your Code, so it's fine if I keep you in perpetual death. Unless you comply, that's what you'll receive. It doesn't matter how many times you come back to life; I'll shoot you through the head again each time."

Lelouch willed himself not to cry, both in pain and in fury at his helplessness. If only I still had my geass, instead of this stupid Code!

The overseer seemed to take Lelouch's silence as compliance, so he turned his gun at Anya, who was sitting upright. "Anya Alstreim, former Knight of Six. It's a pity that you had to align yourself with this man. In another world, you could have continued to serve Charles as a Knight of the Round. However, we cannot leave any witnesses." The man began to squeeze the trigger of his gun.

No, this isn't happening! Lelouch thought frantically. First Jeremiah, then Anya? I can't let them die… and I can't let them complete Ragnorak!

The immortal scrambled with his arms, despite the throbbing he still felt from the bullet wounds. He ignored the disabling pain and pushed himself up, in front of Anya.

"Stop!"

His cry was useless; the overseer had pulled the trigger, and now a single bullet, originally aimed at Anya, lodged itself in Lelouch's skull. The raven-haired emperor felt nothing, not even a twinge of pain. He simply fell over at Anya's feet.

Then a peculiar thing happened. Instead of simply dying, Lelouch fell into a conscious darkness. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel Anya kneel behind him, looking down on Lelouch's cooling body. He reached out and discovered that he could still move his limbs. However, as his body cooled, his strength rapidly faded.

Damn it, damn it, God damn it all! Lelouch threw up one arm, grabbing Anya by the hand.

At that moment, his dark world filled with a cool whiteness. He was floating around some unseen current, and he could see Anya standing just a little distance away. He could feel her confusion, although her dull eyes betrayed no emotion. Something told Lelouch that Anya couldn't see him.

Willing himself nearer, he moved through nothingness to grasp Anya by the top of her head. "Anya Alstreim, do you desire power? The power to live?"

Words simply starting flowing from Lelouch's mouth, and he recalled hearing similar words long ago.

"I propose a deal. Accept this contract, and you accept its conditions. While living in the world of humans, you will live unlike any other. A different Providence, a different time, a different life. The power of the king will condemn you to a life of solitude. Are you prepared for this?"

"In exchange for this power,…" here Lelouch made a slight change in the contract as he remembered it, "you will swear to fight by my side, rooting out evil where it exists. That is my one wish you must make come true."

Then he heard Anya respond. "I accept the contract."

As soon as Anya fell silent, the white, fluid world within which Lelouch floated disappeared, and this time Lelouch's vision truly faded to darkness.

When Lelouch came to, the first thing he saw was a bright orange blur. Rubbing his eyes, that blur became a campfire with fish cooking above it.

"So you really do come back to life."

Lelouch turned to see Anya biting a fish on a stick. They were back in the woods of Kamine Island, though now night had officially fallen. Lelouch sat up and examined himself.

His knee, shoulder, and forehead all felt fine. Still, the memory was fresh enough in his mind to make him wince as he checked. Once he seemed fine, Anya passed him a fish.

"So…" Anya sighed. Lelouch noted that was perhaps the first time he had seen her without that bored, emotionless mask on. "What do we do now, Lelouch?"

Lelouch stared at Anya. "Before anything, I want to warn you: the more you use that geass, the stronger it will get. At some point, you probably won't be able to turn it off on command. Make sure that you never let it overpower your sanity."

"Alright." Anya took another bite. "Sounds simple enough."

"It might seem simple, but your geass is a serious danger. Don't let it control you." Lelouch stared at her for a bit longer before beginning to eat his own fish. He would need strength for the days ahead.

I have never once considered LelouchxAnya to be a pairing. I just want to make that clear. I may have started considering it due to writing this fanfic,… but it's just generally not something I have thought of before. I cannot confirm nor deny any possible pairings at this point.

Btw, I've already got a list of possible geasses that will come into play for this fanfic, but feel free to let me know if you have any geass ideas that would be cool to add. There are a number of possible ways this story develops, and at least a few of those "routes" involve a large number of geass users.