"So, where do we start?" Asked C.C. "Names?"

"That would be a good starting point, but I have other questions I would like answered as well."

The immortal girl had a good idea on what those were. "I thought you might. To answer the first question, I am C.C."

The boy raised an eyebrow. "Really? See-two?"

"Yes."

"…I guess I'll have to work with that. What was that contract you offered me?"

That managed to catch the immortal off guard. "Really? You're not asking how I recovered from a bullet to the head?"

Wordlessly, the prince (her contract had filled her in on some details about him, and whatever she hadn't learned had been filled in by her previous contractor) turned to his floating friend (the immortal witch wasn't sure what to call them yet) and appeared to have a wordless conversation with them. The end result was the boy pulling out a pistol from…somewhere.

"And what is that-"

Before she could finish, Lelouch put the gun to his chin and pulled the trigger.

"-for?!"

The wide eyes and shocked face C.C. had were still present when his body hit the ground. The floating mechanical entity, seemingly unperturbed by his friend's suicide, started counting.

"…one thousand three, one thousand four…"

C.C. couldn't get it - why had her contractor so suddenly committed suicide. Why had his mechanical friend been so indifferent to it. What were they going to say when she told them that their-

"…one thousand nine, one thousand ten."

Finishing his counting, the drone suddenly flew over to the boy's corpse and broke into several pieces, which began to rotate in strange patterns. Soon, they reassembled, releasing a pulse of white smoke that bathed the corpse, which seemed to shift almost imperceptibly.

Then he began to curl his fingers, and moments later he was standing up again and looking her in the eyes.

"Since you asked, I might as well answer: I am…used to the company of death."

"Uh…I see."

XxXxX

When the shock of seeing an immortal with a completely different set of powers from her resurrect himself finally wore off, C.C. decided that she could be a bit more indulging of his curiosity.

"So, this power you gave me, it's called Geass?"

"Yes. I can give it to anyone I make a contract with, though the exact power is random. One person might get the power to read minds, another the ability to summon a Knightmare frame. You got mind control, it seems."

"So I did. I presume that the randomness prevents you from knowing the limitations of my power?"

"Correct. You'll need to find those yourself."

The boy simply nodded at her. "I understand. But what was this about a wish you had?"

"Those like me only form contracts with those who will grant a wish we desire. And no, I am not the only one of my kind to exist."

"I see. Will this wish harm me?"

The emerald haired girl raised an eyebrow. "Not necessarily. Why do you ask?"

"Bad experiences with wishes."

"Oh. Is that something you want to talk about now?"

"No."

"Fair enough. So, where'd you get your power from?"

"Absalom," answered the boy, swiftly pointing a finger at his robotic companion. "He gave me my Light."

"Really? And what exactly is he?"

"I'm a ghost," answered the drone. "Think of me as a robotic space angel that was once part of a robotic space god."

The witch felt her mind grind to a halt. "What?"

"We'll have more time to explain this later," was the Ghost's response. "But first, let me ask a question: were you aware when my Guardian was talking to the man who shot you?"

"…yes."

"So you know who he is?"

"Yes - I've lived long enough to see the succession ceremonies of the Britannian Throne, and I've even met an emperor or two in the past. Before you ask, the current Emperor is not one of my contractors."

"You speak of contractors in plural. Does that mean you can have more than one?"

C.C. looked down after she heard the question. "Yes. I have two other contractors active at the moment, though only one is still in contact with me, and they would like to remain anonymous. As for the other…his life has been detrimental to his sanity."

"I see. I won't press any further."

"Thank you. So, what now?"

"You know who I am."

"Yes, so?"

"Then you know I have a sister."

"Oh. So you want to see her?"

"Yeah. Need to sort some things out."

"Makes sense. So, when do we leave?"

"Now, I guess."

"Then lead the way."

XxXxX

"So," asked Lelouch as he started the truck, beginning the drive toward Ashford, "anything in the news about my sister?"

"Apparently, she went almost catatonic when your death was announced. She spent a few days trying deny it before finally accepting the truth. It looks like she needed some support from another girl to get through her grief, and it still hasn't been fully addressed."

"Is the girl named Shirley Fenette?"

"…Yes. Who is she?"

"A girl on Ashford's swim team. She…really liked me."

"Define liked."

"I'm fairly certain that her being shy around me is the only reason she did say 'I love you' to me.

"Oh…Wait, was she the girl who you remember watching you help that old couple?"

"...Yes. She was."

Guardians normally didn't remember their old lives. But there were some exceptions - Karnstein had been one, remembering that she had once had a wife, but only that said wife had existed, never any exact features. Cayde had been another, though there were questions on whether his family had truly existed or it was something related to all Exos, and even examination of the Deep Stone Crypt had left the Vanguard with no leads there. Lelouch, though, remembered many things - all of them a bit diffuse.

Perhaps now was the chance for Absalom to get everything straight.

"Good to know. Do you know the identities of everyone else you remembered?"

"Most of them. Start asking me and I'll see who I can recall."

"The blind girl you were carrying along with the brown-haired Japanese boy?"

"That was my sister Nunnally, and Suzaku Kururugi - the son of the former prime minister of Japan…Funny - now that I think about it, the teen who attacked us in the truck we found C.C. in looked a lot like how I think Suzaku would look now, if he is still alive."

"Weird. The blue haired boy, blond haired girl, and bespectacled girl you were in meetings with alongside your sister?"

"The blond girl is Milly Ashford, granddaughter of Reuben Ashford and Student Council President of Ashford Academy. And yes, her family paid for the academy. The boy is Rivalz Cardemonde - I guess you could say he was my best friend, and the secretary of the group. The girl with the glasses is Nina Einstein, a member of the science club. I was the Vice President."

"Noted. What about the red haired girl you gave a peach to?"

Lelouch opened his mouth, only to close it with a frown. "I…never got her name."

"Oh. Darn. Okay, last question: who was the old man with the regal attire and curled beard and the woman who looked a lot like you?"

Lelouch froze up upon hearing those descriptions, something Absalom immediately noticed. "Bad memories?"

"Yes. The woman was my mother, Marianne."

"And the man?"

"Emperor Charles zi Britannia, 99th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire…and my father."

"…Guess you didn't have a good childhood?"

Lelouch took advantage of the upcoming stop to glare at his ghost. "Did you read anything about the events leading up to the Invasion of Japan?"

"Not yet," admitted the Ghost.

"Then you will know that following the assassination of Empress Marianne, her children were given over to the prime minister of Japan to be used as political hostages. They were presumed dead after the invasion, ostensibly caused by Japanese politicking, but I'm almost certain it was naked conquest by Britannia."

"What? How did your mom die?!"

"She was assassinated in the Aries Villa in the Britannian capital of Pendragon. Ostensibly it was due to terrorists, but the Aries Villa was one of the last heavily guarded areas in Pendragon. Whoever killed her, they were in the pocket of another member of the royal family."

"Ouch. So how did you get exiled?"

"My father only performed a perfunctory investigation into her death, even though she was supposedly his most favored wife," replied Lelouch. "I confronted him after he closed the investigation and questioned him as to why."

Lelouch took a deep breath. "For daring to demand that he showed more interest in assassination, which left two of his children motherless and one blind and unable to use her legs, and having the gall to forfeit my royal birthright in outrage over his decision, my father declared me to be dead to him and that I would be sent to Japan alongside my sister to be political bargaining chips."

"…Sorry for pulling up a sore spot."

"It's nothing - I am mad, but I think you needed to hear this to understand how things are."

"…Thabk you. So, what happened after that?"

"I went to Japan, was forced to stay in a shed by the the Prime Minister until my sister shamed his son by accident into asking that we receive better accommodations - which also convinced him to stop bullying me and instead become my friend - and then it was mostly just an odd sense of peace until Britannia invaded. I can't remember everything about the fighting in detail, but I had to carry Nunnally through a corpse-filled battlefield at one point."

If Absalom had a mouth, it would be on the floor. "That's awful!"

"I know. I swore to Suzaku that I would destroy Britannia sometime after the fighting ended."

"Obviously, you never did that. So what happened after the fighting ended?"

"The last time I saw Suzaku, he dropped me off at the residence of the Ashford Family - they had been my mother's closest allies, and so had lost their noble titles and accompanying privileges after she died, even though their creation, the Knightmare Frame, had won Britannia the invasion….Funny - even though I probably would have been married off to Milly if I had stayed in Pendragon, I only ever met her after the invasion."

"Does she like you?"

"I'd probably say yes - you know, now that I am looking back at all my memories with a slightly different frame of reference, I'm pretty sure most of the female student body, as well as some of the guys, had or has feelings for me."

"Any cases where that was reciprocated?"

"…Maybe with Shirley. I'll get back to you there."

"Really?" Asked C.C., surprising the duo as she had not expressed any interest in the conversation. "You didn't have anyone you were interested in?"

"Not everyone has romance, companionship, or pleasure on their mind."

"I know. Just surprised."

With that, the immortal witch tuned out of the conversation once again, though not before muttering something about someone's shipping plans being ruined.

"So," asked Absalom,"what do you want to do once you get to Ashford?"

"Tie up all loose ends."

"Explain."

Lelouch closed his eyes for a moment, thankful for the lack of traffic, before answering. "I still want to destroy Britannia - personal vengeance aside, it's too much like the warlords or the Praetorate for me to let them run wild. But facing the Darkness comes first, so for now, I just want to settle things with my friends."

"So, what, stop by at Ashford for a bit, make sure your friends know you're alive, then find some convenient excuse to leave and take…maybe your sister with you, plus a trusted retainer if you still have any?"

"…Pretty much."

"And how do I factor into this?" Asked C.C.

"I see no reason to introduce you to them, unless you want to get involved. As for what happens afterwards? Well, I have people I need to report back to."

"Fair enough. But if I end up on a lab table-"

Lelouch pointed a finger at C.C. "Not. Going. To. Happen. Ok?"

C.C. nodded.

"Do you know how your friends are doing?" Asked Absalom.

"Obviously not, since we only got here a day ago. I'm presuming you found out something important regarding them online?"

"According to what I have gathered from the internet, it looks like they all spent the time since you died - which was about two months ago - they all went through a period of mourning that they are still working through, despite what they might tell everyone else. It looks like Shirley and Nunnally managed to badger a woman named Sayoko into taking them to where you 'died' to try and get some closure over things. They ended up giving her a heart attack when husk of the building collapsed with them still in it, but it looks like they're fine - must have the luck of the…devil, right?"

"That's the right term."

"Knew it. Also, I'm guessing that Sayoko is the retainer you would bring with you?"

"Yes. She's…well, she's the closest thing I had to a mother after my birth mother died. And even after all I've been through, and forgetting most of my memories, I'd still like her and Nunnally by my side."

"Well, you are good with children."

"Thanks. Though I might add that I have a bit of selfishness at play here."

"Let me guess," intoned C.C., "you have friends who might be able to restore the use of her legs and sight?"

"..Maybe."

The immortal witch snickered at his response. "I almost wonder if you had a sister complex before…however you earned your power occurred."

Lelouch shuddered at the remark. "I did not!"

"Guardian?"

"Yes?"

"You might want to wait until after classes end before confronting the student council, if possible."

"Why?"

"Sometime after you died, there was a bombing at the settlement. Apparently, as a form of protest/revenge against the occupation, the residence of the Stadtfeld family was bombed. The best reasoning I can find is that it was the easiest target to hit that was high enough on the social totem pole for the attack to be seen as more than mindless terrorism. The most likely suspects are elements of the Japan Liberation Front, though from the few transmissions that your incompetent half-brother who shares a name with the patriarch of House Bray managed to decrypt indicates that it was just a mindless attack down by splinter elements of the group, and that those involved were all given a verbal flogging over their stupidity. Also, it did injure Lord Stadtfeld's daughter, but given that she has a notoriously weak constitution, people are more surprised that she just got hurt and not killed in the bombing."

"I see. So, how long until we get to Ashford?"

"A few hours. Think that will be enough time to decide on how to handle things?"

"I hope so."

It wouldn't - a few hours later, Lelouch would find himself standing outside the student council's clubhouse, wearing a hastily made attire that appeared scruffy so that people would take his story as to where he had been all these months at face value. He stood mere inches from the door, about to knock but unable to muster the courage to go through with it. Funny - he had been gone a little over six years, transcended death, faced gods, known true defeat, lost valuable friends, stared the Darkness in the eye, and taken the Darkness' power as his own, but just knocking on a door was proving more challenging than all of that.

But eventually, he did knock.

XxXxX

Milly, Rivalz, and Nina all straightened up at the knock. Sayoko, Shirley and Nunnally, however, showed far less reaction.

The former three had decided that enough was enough, and that it was time to act. Using a student council meeting to stage an intervention was a low blow, even for Milly, but with how Nunnally and Shirley both seemed to be having severe issues processing Lelouch's death, which Sayoko did nothing but enable, they didn't have any other choice.

Of course, the two had objected when the intervention had been sprung, claiming that they were (mostly) fine, and that Ariel and Hope were real, they just couldn't show them to the others. Sayoko had, of course, backed them. Much back and forth arguing had followed, until the duo claimed they and their imaginary friends felt something strange coming their way, eventually stating that someone was at the door to the clubhouse. The trio had balked at that.

Then someone knocked.

For a while, no one did anything - both trios were unsure how to respond. Eventually, the stalemate had broken when Shirley walked up to and opened the door. She just barely had to step out of the way before a figure wearing a dark scruffy attire fell forward, landing on the floor in a heap.

"Who is that?!" shouted Rivalz, while Nina cowered behind Milly, assuming the new arrival was an Eleven that had someone snuck into the school - at times, her phobia of them could get absurd.

"Uh…uh…are you okay?" asked a very uncomfortable and concerned Shirley.

"...Nice…to…see you..again…Shirley," said the figure, to the orangette's immense confusion.

"What?"

"How..how's Nunnally doing?"

"Nunna…wait….Lulu?"

Carefully, Shirley rolled the figure - almost certainly a man or boy, given the sound of his voice - onto his back so that she could get a better look at him.

Purple eyes met yellow, and all doubts were washed away.

"...Lelouch?!"

"Big brother?!" squeeked a confused and hopeful Nunnally.

The figure on the group looked toward the blind girl in a wheelchair, and his face was graced with a small smile when he saw her. "Hello, Nunnally. It's good to see you again."

The room seemed to freeze up at that remark, until an even bigger shock happened as eyes that had spent years shut finally opened and began to well up with tears.

"...Big brother…"

As tears finally began to stream forward from her eyes, Nunnally rolled her wheelchair up to Lelouch and leaned forward so that, for the first time in months, she could give her brother a hug. Lelouch's smile only grew at that, and grew even bigger when Shirley and Sayoko joined the hug.

XxXxX

When the hug had finally ended, Lelouch had been escorted to the nearest shower so that he could take off the torn clothing he had been wearing and take a shower for the first time in who knew how long, while also giving time for his friends to ask him what had happened and how he had survived. Of course, the Guardian gave them only half truths, and had mostly cut off discussion by saying that he wasn't ready to talk about it right now. Assuming that he had been through a lot (which was both correct and an enormous understatement), the student council had obliged him. From there, the planned intervention had been abandoned due to now being a moot point, and things had progressed until eventually it was night, with Sayoko putting Nunnally to bed while the rest of the council either went to the dorms or where they lived off campus, leaving Lelouch alone…at least until he invited C.C. inside.

Making sure that all surveillance was offline, Lelouch had ghost summon the portable holoprojector and sent a transmission to the Vanguard.

Against all odds, it worked, and the images of Ikora and Zavala appeared on-screen.

"Ah, Guardian" began Zavala, "it's good to hear from you again. Have you found the lost ghosts?"

"Yes and no - I found them and freed them from a trap, but they have declined to return through the glassway - it seems they wish to search for lightbearers here."

"Could you define 'here'?" asked Ikora. "Where did you find them? Another world?"

"I think this would best be classified as an alternate timeline."

A look of surprise graced the faces of the two vanguard representatives. "So Osiris was correct?" asked Ikora.

Lelouc nodded. "I don't think it was possible for him to have been wrong regarding alternate timelines, but visiting one is still a shock. Especially with the timeline in question."

"How so?" asked Zavala.

Lelouch took a deep breath. "Because this is where I come from."

If Cayde had been alive, he would have loved to see the faces his fellow Vanguard leaders had. Then again, he would have probably made one just like them.

"What?!" questioned the duo simultaneously.

"I don't know how," admitted Lelouch, "but this is where I originate from. Whatever caused me to end up in the Cosmodrome tore me from this timeline about..two months ago locally. It's…weird, but as far as I can tell, it is the truth."

"I see," acknowledged Zavala. "What can you tell us about this timeline?"

"Apparently, a major point of divergence in this timeline was that the ancient British Empire managed to crush the revolt of its American colonies and, following a war in its home continent, chose to recenter its empire in the New World, where it became the Holy Britannian Empire. Less than a decade ago, they perfected Knightmare Frames - think of them as Fallen Brigs, but human designed and piloted by a person, not another machine - and used them to accelerate their various conquests."

"Intriguing," admitted Ikora, "but also disturbing. Do you know anything else about the empire?"

"It is currently headed by its 99th Monarch, Charles zi Britannia, who is a tyrant, a bit of a recluse outside of court…and also my father."

The room was silent for a moment. And then Zavala spoke up.

"WHAT?!"

"Ahem," interrupted a certain witch. "I believe that I could explain things."

Zavala and Ikora shared a glance. "And who might you be?" asked the Warlock Vanguard."

"The name she gave me is C.C.," answered Lelouch. "She calls herself a…code bearer?" he said with uncertainty, which was soon calmed when the immortal nodded. "They have two special powers - near perfect immortality at least to her knowledge, and the ability to give powers to others known as Geass, with those who receive powers from her being deemed her contractors. There is a randomness factor to what powers she gives, though - the one I received is a verbal form of mind control, and I am still trying to work out the details of this power. Without abusing it, of course."

The last line had been in response to concerned looks from the two Vanguard heads, who softened their expressions after hearing his assurance. "Are there any terms that her contractors must obey?"

Lelouch scratched his head nervously. "In exchange for this power, they must help the code bearers achieve their greatest wish."

Ikora and Zavala's gazes hardened once again. "Are we at risk of having another threat like the Ahamkara?"

"I don't even know what those are," intoned C.C., "and don't worry, my wish isn't something that will harm everyone you know."

Zavala and Ikora were not convinced at this. "You may say so, but we have seen what the wish dragons could do. They were hunted down for a reason."

C.C. chuckled upon hearing that remark. "Wish dragons? You hunted down wish dragons? How long ago was that?"

"Relatively recently in the age of the City," was Zavala's answer.

"And how long has the age of the City been?" asked a still bemused C.C.

"Well, I've been here since the city was just a collection of tents, so while I don't have an exact number of years anymore…a few centuries at the least."

Instantly, the smirk fell off of C.C.'s face. "...what?!"

Lelouch raised an eyebrow as one of C.C.'s eyes started to twitch. "Before we get off topic-"

"Guardian?"

"Yes, Absalom?"

"There's someone at your door…make that three people. I don't know who they are, but they seem to have been here for some time. And I am getting a…familiar feeling from them."

Lelouch glanced at his ghost, then at Zavala and Ikora's projected heads, before taking out a sidearm close to his heart and approaching the door to his room. Carefully, he opened the door….

And in fell Nunnally, Shirley, and Sayoko, all three letting out shocked shrieks.

"What the-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

"Agh!" yelped Shirley, "Lulu, we're sorry, it's just that Nunnally and me wanted to talk to you some more and-"

"How long have you been eavesdropping?"

Shirley looked a bit embarrassed. "...Since this conversation started?"

Lelouch groaned, then turned to face Zavala and Ikora. "My apologies. This is Shirley Fenette, one of my classmates, Nunnally Lamperouge, my younger sister, and Sayoko Shinozaki, caretaker to myself and Nunnally."

"Ah. A pleasure to meet you," acknowledged Ikora.

"It's rare for Guardians to find those from their old lives," admitted Zavala. "So while your presence leaves me conflicted, I am happy you have reunited with one you hold dear."

Smiling, Lelouch turned toward the trio in his room. "This is-"

"Commander Zavala, Hero of Six Fronts and the Twilight Gap," interrupted Shirley.

"And Ikora Rey, Champion of the Crucible and Leader of the Hidden," finished Nunnally.

Lelouch and the vanguard leaders froze upon hearing those words. "How did you know that?" asked the former prince.

Nunnally and Shirley shared a glance, before clearing their throats.

"Ariel?"

"Hope?"

As soon as the words were uttered, the duo held out their hands.

Moments later, a ghost materialized in each opened palm.

Silence filled the room once more, until Lelouch decided to break it.

"..What..the.."

XxXxX

AN: Chapter summary: Lelouch talks with an immortal witch, returns to Ashford, decides to explain things to the Vanguard, and finds out he doesn't need to keep some secrets from his sister and the girl that loves him.

So, a few things to get mentioned.

First off, I will probably have more time to update my stories in the next few weeks, but not for any good reason - I was laid off my job and need to find a new one. So, yeah.

Two, I'm changing up the timeline a bit so that while Lelouch returned to CG Earth two months after he vanished, Nunnally revealed that she and Lelouch are/were royalty a month after he was presumed dead.

Now, some other things to handle.

Lelouch shooting himself in front of C.C. was a deliberate powerplay - he wanted to show her that she is not the only immortal in the room, and that he has more powers than she has seen.

The part about the wishes was more a hindsight thing for me, but after all the trouble he had with Riven (which I only really thought about after playing Season of the Wish), Lelouch should probably have been more wary about powers that involve wishes. So I included those bits of dialogue to show that Lelouch is aware he may have made a mistake.

C.C. getting twitchy eyed at Zavala revealing the length of the Age of the City (and by extension his own age) was something I wanted to include from the minute I started the original version of this story - C.C. has spent most of her existence isolating herself from others because she's well aware she will outlive everyone she knows unless she gets her code passed on to another person. So learning that Lelouch knows of people who are as old as or maybe even older than her and that (based upon how many ghosts she saw fleeing the G1) there are a lot of these people is really going to damage her worldview.

Also, while I was looking through the names of Guardians mentioned in the game, one of the ones I noticed in particular was Karnstein, who is mentioned in a set of exotic Warlock gauntlets from Base Game Destiny 2. Karnstein is unique in that she is the only guardian as far as I know who is confirmed to remember her past life, as she remembers having a wife, though not anymore than that. But that was enough for me to decide on modifying a few things, namely giving Lelouch a few memories of his past that weren't mentioned in earlier chapters. These aren't specific things, just things important enough that Lelouch could remember faces and appearances but not names. Once he got his memories back, though, everything came into focus.

Since the memory of the girl with red hair who Lelouch gave a peach to inside something that will make sense unless you read a novel that wasn't released outside of Japan, I'll just tell you all what it was: it was the very first time Lelouch met Kallen. Long story short, Lelouch just went through hell to get peaches for Nunnally (they're her favorite food), one of which rolled up to Kallen, who gave it to him after seeing how he was scowling at her. Suzaku showed up, slaps Lelouch for not thanking Kallen, the two argue until they notice that the bus they were taking is about to leave, and then they run off, but not before Lelouch shoves the peach into Kallen's hand in the most tsundere way imaginable.

Writing Lelouch's thoughts wasn't easy - I wanted to convey the idea that Lelouch's memories are so strong that he still feels a need to destroy Britannia (especially since he's seen or heard of similar entities from the Dark Age or the enemies of mankind) but recognizes that now isn't the time to fight them. Feedback on whether I succeeded would be nice.

Finally, the last part of the chapter, and the reveal at the end - from the get-go, I intended for Shirley and Nunnally to be Guardians. I just waffled over how they would be resurrected, with the only thing I knew for certain being that they wouldn't have dignified ends. Since it's not going to be too much of a surprise, I'll just say it now - the part where Sayoko thought they got crushed by a collapsing building is half-true. They did get crushed, but the death didn't stick.

Also, Kallen getting her house bombed by the JLF CoughKusakabeCough is also probably important.

I need to go to bed now. Read and Review! This is Flameal15k signing off!