I own nothing…

Tokyo, Imperial Crown Colony of Japan…

It was the culmination of a life's ambition, a perfectly scripted play, carried out to perfection in a fashion that would make Shakespeare weak at the knees.

There was no pain, unsurprising really, as the blade piercing through his chest had been thrust through expertly, severing both muscle and bone in a single fluid movement, rendering him numb from the chest down.

He could hear the shock from the crowd, despite the eerie silence that had fallen over them all. He almost wished he could see their faces, looking on in awe as the Demon Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia, who had attempted to conquer the world by taking the EU hostage, was silenced by the renegade Zero, the masked revolutionary that had stirred the nation of Japan against the empire.

Only the captive members of the rebellion, the former Black Knights, looked on in confusion, though he suspected that several had a dawning understanding of what was going on. They, after all, knew his true identity, that HE was in fact Zero, and had 'used' them to pave his path to the throne.

All a lie, all a means to an end, to ensure that the world no longer deteriorated into a never-ending cycle of hatred and bloodshed, where people like his beloved sister would no longer live in fear.

'Nunnally…' he wondered, even as he spoke with Suzaku, his closest friend, and now his executioner, bloody fingertips trailing against the mask he himself had once worn, which shielded the Japanese Knight's face, a smile on his face as he bestowed his last instructions on the teen, even as he stumbled away.

He never felt the pain as he fell, his back hitting the walkway, leaving a bloody smear across the Britannian flag displayed there. He slid all the way, under the watchful eyes of the world, coming to a rest at the foot of the pagoda, broken, bloody, an oppressor dethroned before the oppressed.

A shadow moved in the corner of his waning vision, Nunnally, his precious little sister, the one that had first denounced him as a demon, now looking on in disbelief as he lay there, a smile on his face. 'It's over…Nunnally…' he wanted to tell her, but he couldn't even turn his eyes to look at her, no more than he could draw air into his ruptured lungs, nor move his leaden arms and legs.

"Big Brother, I love you!"

Those words, four simple words that, to the dying Emperor, carried with them a greater power than if God himself had spoken them. His lips parted, eyes turning upwards into the growing light, a smile on his lips as he tightened numb fingers around her own "I know…" he whispered, smiling all the while, even as the light gradually faded "I…destroyed world… and created…anew…"

And with that, Lelouch vi Britannia, 99th emperor of Britannia, passed away, his eyes shutting beneath the shining sun of his homeland.

Just before the monarch's eyes closed though, a brief image, a vaguely bird-shaped crest, shone red against his amethyst eyes…

East Forest, Fiore…

The young boy, barely fifteen of age, slowly opened his eyes as he noticed a lone person enshrouded in a large crimson cloak that barely brushed the ground below walking towards him from the other end of the road.

A female, he soon discovered after a moment of observation as they both drew closer. A fairly tall woman whose face was framed by long bangs on both sides, the rest of her pink hair tied on the back of her head in a bun held together by two large golden pins decorated with crescent-shaped edges. His eyes lingered on her for a moment, noting the odd colour of her hair, a hue not often seen in one's lifetime.

She moved with calm confident strides, pace unhurried even under his watchful gaze which she acknowledged with an equally sharp glance and a small distasteful curl of lips. Even normal humans would have known there was something different about her, the fact that it was rare to see a woman her age walking alone inside a deserted forest being the least of them.

But her age was what captured her mind first— it was rare to find somebody who looked so old amongst his caretakers. With their limited ability to alter their appearance and with enough vanity to use it, it was rare to find somebody that did not look young in his home as if they were in the prime of their lives instead of hundreds or even thousands of years old.

This woman however was old, and she looked it. The fingers that peaked out of her rather long sleeves were wrinkled and deceptively frail, though he was certain that they held enough strength in them to bend even the strongest of steel. Crow's feet extended from the corners of her carmine eyes, set on a grandmotherly face.

Just as a certain wizard he was somewhat acquainted with, she flaunted her age instead of concealing it, donning it as it were a cloak that he wore with pride. As if her advanced years were a sign of power rather than frailty.

He had not expected to find anyone here, in such a remote location that was certainly far from society. He frowned for a second, wondering if the woman had lost her way just as he had or if she had ventured this far into the forest for a purpose. His thoughts only lasted for a moment though before a mischievous smirk appeared on his face. She looks elegant.

Maybe it had something to do with the fact that most people he knew in this world almost always remained collected and calm, but he had a weakness for serene people. Men or women, he had a penchant for observing people who appeared to be graceful and composed.

A dark urge suddenly rose inside of him, and for a moment he almost wished to play around and see if he could crack this old woman's persona.

But in hindsight, that was a bad idea. It would have certainly been amusing to see her stern face scrunched up in annoyance but then again, bothering strangers was not something he wished to be known for. First impressions were important from what he had been told.

He should probably try small talk first.

"Have you lost your way, boy?"

Gah?!

It was unfortunate that she spoke first, almost startling him in the process.

Her voice was stern, almost as if she had read his wayward thoughts and left no room for any wayward arguments, but he could tell that her sharp tone did not reflect her actual thoughts which were almost certainly distinct. But then again, her tone did not actually matter— it was not as if he was planning to fight her or anything.

He languidly waved at the old woman and moved closer, ignoring the way her frown deepened at his approach.

"Greetings!" His pink lips twitched at corners, as he approached her in long elegant strides which somehow appeared natural despite his short legs. "What is your name?"

"Huh?"

The older woman was apparently surprised by his sudden approach and the abrupt change in conversation as he seamlessly took over the reins she previously held, she was the one being questioned now and she found herself unable to answer even as he came to a stop before her. She was probably confused by how strangely this boy was acting, anyone in her place would have been if they suddenly found themselves being questioned.

Seeing that the old woman was unwilling to answer, he simply moved his head to the side and simply observed her. Now that he was closer, he could properly judge how much taller the other woman was compared to him. Needlessly to say, he was not amused- one of the demerits of turning into a kid once again which he had no choice but to tolerate.

"I was taught that it is only proper to introduce yourself first before asking a stranger strange questions." He flashed the older woman a small but devious smirk. "But I do not particularly mind this either, I can simply give you a nickname myself if you do not wish to inform me of your correct address."

"What?" At first, the older woman seemed taken aback by the directness of this young boy, and it took her almost a moment or so to register the fact that she was about to be bestowed a new nickname. "N-No need for that."

She coughed, instantly regaining her composure, "My name is Porlyusica. Just Porlyusica"

"Porlyusica," He repeated to himself, expression thoughtful as he allowed his tongue to roll for a bit. "That's a strange name."

Her eye twitched at that.

He noticed it rather quickly, any movement which broke her stern mask which he assumed had been set in stone was rather obvious to his sharp amethyst eyes which could make even his caretakers wary, he was astoundingly perceptive even on the worst of his days. He bowed his head, knowing he had overstepped his bounds. "Oh, my apologies for the rudeness."

Porlyusica's eyes softened at his sheepish apology, it was hard to get angry at such a young boy after all— especially when the boy had such an endearing face, a canvas of dashing beauty framed by lustrous raven locks which neatly covered a single amethyst eye.

"Young boy," She quietly gazed at him for a moment or so, before she once again asked her original question. "Why are you headed towards Mt. Hakobe? That place is dangerous, especially during this time of the year when Vulcans are in heat."

He knew of Vulcans- large, anthropomorphic monsters which resembled primates that were known for assaulting reckless humans who ventured too deep into the depths of nature. They were strong enough to pulverize boulders whole and fast enough to outpace trains, minacious to any unfortunate human not versed in magic. Mating season only made them even more dangerous, heat deluded what diminutive reasoning they had. To them, humans, both male and female, were soft and tender. Encountering a Vulcan was usually considered unfortunate, but encountering one in the heat was downright tragic.

He had not been aware that the mountain Vulcans of Mt. Hakobe were in heat. It was information he could have lived without. Nonetheless, he was indeed impressed by the fact that she had been able to discern his nearest destination with so diminutive information.

But he was not going to tell the old woman what his objective was. There were some things he would rather keep to himself even if inconsequential, an odd fixation of his.

Porlyusica noticed his hesitation and sighed in exasperation, more than used to strange stubbornness of troublesome youngsters.

"Just promise that you'll be careful." She relented after a moment, having neither the time nor the patience to dissuade this young boy.

He raised a brow in response. He found her concern amusing, misplaced though it was. But he decided to humour her nonetheless, genuine worry was a rare luxury he rarely ever got a chance to enjoy- it was a miracle he had even reached this far, considering who his caretaker was. He was aware that her concern could break lesser men. Perhaps, that was precisely why Porlyusica's genuine concern made him grateful, actually touched.

"All right then, I would be careful" He nodded after a moment, staring into her eyes resolutely. A resolve shining inside them that could destroy worlds.

"Tsk!" Porlyusica's eyes narrowed- staring into his own for a moment before she nodded sharply, apparently content with what she had seen. "See to it that you are."

He nodded in acknowledgement, and his resolute face instantly turned languid once again. All traces of solemnity gone as his features abruptly relaxed. A canvas of elegance, that could set hearts apart which returned so quickly that she almost wondered if it was even real, those eyes...

"By the way, Porlyusica-san." He called out, his clear voice dragging her from her thoughts. "Can you give me the directions to Magnolia?"

She paused, glancing back at him with her sharp crimson eyes. A small part of her wished to resume her search for that magical hers which only grew around these parts, but it was strangely hard to refuse his amethyst eyes which sparkled eagerly, just as stars in the night did.

"Just reach Mt. Hakobe and head down north towards the largest river you see." She finally relented.

"Thanks." He softly spoke, courteously bowing in thanks to which she raised a brow in surprise. It felt strange to see someone his age being so gracious, Porlyusica was more used to the unruly youngsters she repeatedly saw. It felt almost refreshing.

"Hmph! Just be careful."

She had given warnings whether the boy would follow them was no concern of hers, it was about time for her to be on her way anyways- the rare Hakobe Glaze which had just now bloomed would not collect itself and she was not the only one searching for them. It was not rare to see mighty mages scurrying around these parts nowadays, searching for plants more precious than gold. She did most definitely not appreciate the competition.

"By the way, I forgot to introduce yourself." He acknowledged her warning with a simple nod before he spoke.

Porlyusica paused, beckoning him to continue even as she whispered something about bothersome humans under her breath.

She could not understand how she had almost overlooked the fact that this boy had not yet introduced himself, which was strange considering she herself had been chided for her introduction, or its absence thereof, just some time ago.

"My name is Lelouch." The boy smirked, introducing himself with a theatrical flourish that looked perfectly natural.

"Lelouch vi Belserion"

Unknown dimension, Alvarez

Colours. Everything around her was a myriad of colours stretching as far as the eye could see, twisting and spinning like a kaleidoscope for all of eternity. For almost all, this magical plane would have been overwhelming and smothering, lethal as the potent concentrations of Ethernano inside this space between worlds threatened to crush any fool who dared intrude. For most, this space was a death sentence. For Irene, this place was a workshop.

The beautiful woman seemed to float in the middle of this space, seemingly standing on nothing, as her long red hair cascaded down her back. Cloaked in risqué ceremonial robes used by witches, the woman's chocolate eyes stared at the void where only one other presence should have been with a strange combination of apathy and annoyance. Her ears seemed to twitch as she tsked in exasperation, the sound seemingly radiating throughout the void.

Emptiness was not what she had expected to be greeted with when she entered this plane. To think that he would actually rebel and leave her. Frowning, Irene felt the energy inside her begin to seep out beneath her feet in a wave of destruction that almost threatened to destroy all that stood before her, but suddenly she stopped. The energy slowly began to recede she turned to her right, her chocolate eyes instantly catching onto the faint trail of energy floating through the plane. With a thought, she drifted over and carefully ran a hand through it, only to nearly dissipate it entirely. Her eyes travelled upward, to where the trail began to extend outward.

Her interest peaked and she began to follow it, flying beside the trail of energy as it twisted and winded throughout the dimension. Flying past seemingly every note of note, Irene continued to follow the stream of energy until it stopped directly in front of the crossroads between her palace, her workshop, and her treasury. The energy trail had faded at the last moment and which place the energy trail had travelled into was impossible to tell.

Yet the fading energy trail was not what she was focused upon. Hovering without direction, in the middle of the void was a simple puppet, a chibi figurine fashioned with a cute round face adorned by amethyst eyes alongside lustrous black hair with a single crimson streak. It was winking at her with its lips curved in a smile.

She frowned, her annoyance somewhat waning, as she stared at the innocent figurine before her. Reaching down, she gently picked it up, her moments almost tender as her fingertips brushed against its soft texture.

"I will find you soon…" And with that, she turned around and reached out a hand in order to enter the realm she originally came from. Disappearing in an instant, there was an eerie silence radiating throughout the plane.

Okay, so this is my casual Fairy Tail crossover- this was abrupt but I was reading the 100-year quest and suddenly had the urge to write this. Originally, this was supposed to be an OC fanfic but I decided to make this a Code Geass crossover, because why not? Fairy Tail has too few Code Geass crossovers. The intro is unoriginal, I know.

He's obviously related to Irene, but how though?

Thanks for reading.