I own neither Code Geass nor Highschool DxD

Lelouch opened his eyes to the sound of the morning call. Sharp shadows cast by the curtains that framed the window started to fade at the onset of daylight and the warm sunlight slipped through the small gaps in between, streaks of yellow creeping its way toward the wild and unkempt bundle of black.

He turned his body heavily as the light brushed against his eyes. His bed sank under his weight, tempting him with whispers of comfort. Yet he groaned as his mind refused to rest, the draining comfort finally convincing him to untangle himself from the blankets. He got up quietly a moment later, demurely blinking his long lashes before glancing around and carefully taking note of his surroundings without moving from his position. Gently his hand rose to his chest, desperately grasping for something before it froze and fell down once again.

Lelouch closed his eyes in sorrow. He was breathing.

Why am I here?

He suddenly lurched forward as bile rose to his throat, forcing him to clench his eyes shut as disgust and revulsion stabbed through his heart. Memories flashed through his mind as he remembered all that had happened— The Zero Requiem, Suzaku, Nunnally, and then finally that voice…

A strange energy moved inside of him, warming his insides with waves of power even as waves of despair washed over him. It coursed through his veins, igniting every single cell in his body in agony as his heart clenched painfully. He strangely recognised everything, yet could not remember why at the same time—that single moment of disorientation soon ended as he felt his fists tighten at his side, eyes wide as a thousand emotions cursed through his mind.

His pink lips tilted into a mirthless, hollow smile as realised that he had escaped his punishment once again, finally understanding the pain which had been torturing Suzaku for almost seven years. He was not supposed to be here, he was meant to die…

And yet…

The former emperor blinked once again, pushing away all those unneeded emotions to the darkest corner of his mind whose shadow had always remained underneath his thoughts before he slowly raised his thin body despite the tightness of the pristine white sheets that were tucking him in.

He caught the scent of a faint flowery sweetness as something feathery brushed against his stomach and glanced down at the weight against his legs that was keeping him in place. Long strands of blonde hair spread out along the bedsheets, like molten gold pouring everywhere, as a girl's head lay on his legs.

A woman who appeared to be around his age or younger, who had pulled over one of the chairs placed at the corner of what could only be a hospital room beside his bed and had long since fallen asleep, if the thin drop of drool leaking from the corners of her mouth indicated anything.

For a moment he simply observed her, recognising her gentle face from the echoing memories of the last moment he remembered before the realms of morpheus had claimed him. She was breathtaking, more gorgeous than any of the women he had seen by far which was saying something. Her cute features were unnaturally pleasant to look at, innocent in a way that could not be described using words alone. The emperor hesitated for a moment as his eyes moved downward, before realizing that her voluptuous body was not very innocent at all.

Reluctantly averting his eyes, Lelouch looked down at himself. He was wearing a think green hospital gown that someone must have changed him into when he was unconscious and had multiple tubes sticking out of his right arm, each injecting an unknown substance into his bloodstream.

His hand gently brushed over his chest once again, mournfully understanding that there were no traces of the wound that should have put an end to his grand requiem.

The very next thought that sprang to his mind was as reluctant acceptance as a distant part of him noted that he might have been kept sedated for longer than he was entirely comfortable with. "For how long have I been kept here?"

Sharp amethyst eyes observed everything he could see even as his thoughts raced at unimaginable speeds— the girl lying across his legs was fast asleep but his focus was more on the two shadows of what could only be guards, walking back and forth outside, heads turning inside each time they passed by.

Lelouch kept his face blank, his amethyst eyes as he focused on what appeared to be some sort of feathered appendage on the backs of their shadows. "These beings have wings…"

Lelouch blinked before a hand came up to rub the bridge of his nose, a soft sigh slowly escaping him. So, thevoicehad spoken the truth…

He really was in a completely new world, alone and helpless without a single ally in sight except for the blond girl who had most probably chosen to just heal him at a whim. His fists clenched tightly at his sides before Lelouch sighed and allowed his body to slowly relax, knowing that frustration would lead him nowhere.

The emperor closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pushing aside the growing unease inside his mind and he let out a sigh of exhaustion he did not know he was holding in. He moved in his place, wanting to stand despite the numbness of his legs but was stopped by the slow moan that reached his ears. He glanced down to see the woman tenderly rousing from her sleep as she slowly blinked, revealing a pair of majestic emerald eyes.

This time Lelouch's small jerk of surprise did not go unnoticed, catching the eyes of the woman who was in the mist of waking up and had been wiping the small amounts of drool from the corner of her lust lips using her sleeve. Glancing up to meet his amethyst eyes, her face brightened up like the morning sun. "Thank God, you're finally awake."

Lelouch simply moved his head to the side. "What?"

He honestly had no idea what the girl had just said despite her melodic voice, which tinkled as chimes in the wind.

The language she was speaking sounded musical and perhaps more nuanced than his own native language, which was rather harsh in comparison. Nevertheless, from her body language, Lelouch could tell that had probably been worried for his safety and she was happy to see him awaken, a gesture that only caused his heart to clench mournfully when he sensed the open concern in her done.

Why would she worry about him?

Meanwhile, the woman seemed to have mirrored his gesture and had moved her own head in confusion as well. "I don't know what language you've spoken, it seems to be some sort of Latin dialect yet I cannot recognise it. Angels of Heaven can understand all languages of man but I can't understand you, this seems so odd. Moreover…"

She gently chewed on her lower lip in thought, a thousand emotions she could neither recognize nor understand coursing through her heart as she tapped her fingers against her leg in a reminiscent tune that only she knew of, which even Lelouch had to accept made a rather cute sight. "Why do you feel so nostalgic? Why does my heart clench when I look upon you?"

"Tell me, stranger…" Gabriel spoke as she moved closer to him and looked over his injured body, green eyes shining with a complex mixture of curiosity and concern and asked, "Have we met before?"

Lelouch could only stare back at her in confusion, vaguely aware from her body language that the woman had asked him a question from her tone but not really understanding what she meant. The archangel in question only moved closer when he gave no response, making him lean backwards uncomfortably as her haunting gaze bore into the very depths of his soul.

Lelouch looked away and pushed the beautiful angel back as gently as he could to create some distance between them, much to the confusion of Gabriel who could not understand the concept of personal space. The emperor sighed at her confused look— if they could not understand each other then perhaps he should try using universal signs that the other might understand. Slowly so as to not surprise her with any sudden motions, Lelouch slowly pointed at the voluptuous angel before giving an exaggerated shrug.

Emerald green eyes widened as Gabriel finally understood his intent before she clapped her hands together in excitement, a suddenly energetic motion that surprised Lelouch but nonetheless brought a smile to his face because of her excitement. "That's a great idea! My name is Gabriel!"

Lelouch only raised a brow in confusion, he could understand that she had just given him an introduction but he had never heard a name quite like that before. He looked at the blond angel and slowly repeated after her, "Ge-bru-e-ru?"

The woman shook her head negatively, placing one hand on her chest as she leaned forward and peered at him. "Gabriel."

"Ga-bu-ri-e-ru?"Lelouch once again leaned back to create some distance between them and tried pronouncing her name once again, this time trying to break up the sounds.

The angel could not help but let out a giggle. She seemed to have found his butchery of her name oddly amusing as she shook her head in mirth before repeating once again, emphasising the sounds slowly this time "Gabriel."

Lelouch frowned and tried a final time, concentrating as he tried to combine some of the more difficult sounds and mimic the way her sound had escaped her mouth previously. "Gabriel."The happy smile he received in response confirmed his success, he had always been a quick learner.

"Lelouch" Lelouch then introduced himself, pointing a slender finger at his chest as he did so.

"Lelouch. Sounds strange, hmm…" Gabriel perfectly repeated on the first try, placing a hand on her chin in thought before sneaking a glance at him and laughing in mirth when she saw the flash of annoyance that had appeared on the raven-haired teenager's face when she had perfectly pronounced his name on the very first attempt.

The two sat in comfortable silence for a minute before Lelouch decided to ask a question that had been playing at the back of his mind for some time, it was something he just had to know, "Why did you save me?"

He just could not understand why had she even bothered. Why had she even decided to intervene?

As far as he could tell, she was someone of importance and helping him brought her no advantage other than a burden that would have gnawed at her precious time— saving a stranger out of nothing but unrequited kindness seemed a fickle excuse to his ears. She could have left him all alone, she should have left him alone.

Lelouch would have been fine with it, he would have even been happy had she decided to leave him be— death did not seem as daunting to him as it once used to. It was meant to be his punishment, it was what demons deserved.

He would even have done the deed himself if not for the deal he had made. Perhaps he could have taken this second chance as a blessing, if not for the fact that it so clearly was a curse— the actualisation of his wish for his sister; meaningless in a world without her. The fulfilment of his dreams of a peaceful world; senseless without the companions he'd dreamed it for. In this new world he was nothing, had nothing

Gabriel was not sure what his words meant but she understood the emotion underlying his tone all too well. Glancing out his window, she let out a small sigh. "It was the right thing to do. I could not allow such a tragedy to occur right in front of me without raising a hand to help, it goes against everything that Father has taught me."

Lelouch remained quiet but his eyes had widened in surprise and he could not help but stare at the woman before in slight amazement. Somehow, he knew exactly what her words meant just due to the sheer depth of the emotion that he saw reflected in her gentle eyes and understood she had just said something astounding.

Such empathy was rare in his world and somehow Gabriel's kindness had reminded him of his sisters— of Euphie and Nunnally….

Shaking his head in abject disbelief, Lelouch winced at the shiver of agony that coursed through his body when he leaned on his side.

"Be careful, your body remains injured despite everything. It would take time to heal," The archangel chided him with a stern look on her face that did not seem to belong on her face. "The doctors were amazed at how quickly you recovered but you have to be more careful, stay safe."

Lelouch forced himself to smile at her concern. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," Gabriel responded with a small smile, somehow perfectly understanding what he meant. Standing up from her chair, she glanced around the room before her eyes landed on a small package by the doorway.

A moment later, she had spread the contents on the bed, a set of plain blue robes that looked to be around Lelouch's size. "My brother sent these over, he's about the same size as you," Gabriel explained, raising a pair of underpants to Lelouch's eyes which got her another stare from the raven-haired boy.

Carefully removing his covers to avoid disrupting any of the medical equipment around him, Lelouch carefully got to his feet. His legs buckled for a moment under his weight and he had to balance himself, unused to physical exertion because of the treatment. This episode though was enough to draw another glance of concern from the angelic woman who had been nothing but kind to him. "Can you stand?"

"I think I would be fine by myself."The woman pouted when Lelouch waved away her concerns but sighed in acceptance. She handed the clothes over to the former emperor before gesturing to the bathroom down the hallway. "Please get changed, my brothers want to meet you."

The two walked side by side, forming an unusual but extremely alluring pair that garnered the eyes of every person around them as they passed by. To an extent, he had expected the noticeable attention he was receiving and really though, they were not even trying to hide their curiosity. What he had not expected was quite so much of it.

Lelouch could not tell what exactly they were saying but he knew from the subtle looks sent his way and the eyes that followed him as he walked through their golden city beside Gabriel that the gaze of almost every person around him was focused on him.

None of them were drenched in palpable hatred or object revolution, most were simply curious instead. Lelouch was not used to receiving such stares…

Amythest eyes glanced at the woman beside him who had been walking almost imperceivably closer to his side when she had finally noticed the strange looks he was receiving, almost as if to protect him. The gesture was moving though he noted that more than a quarter of the gazes were focused on her instead, full of adoration and pride.

People cheerfully waved and called out her name as she walked by them, something which amazed him to no end. Gabriel seemed to be extremely popular here, and her bright and sunny disposition was so infectious that even his sullen mood improved as he walked by her side.

A pair of small girls ran up to the two of them and the innocent smiles on their faces were so radiant that Lelouch could not help but look away, knowing that he had wiped more than a thousand such smiles.

They talked excitedly with Gabriel before glancing at him awkwardly, as if unsure of who he was before gasping in amazement when the angel introduced him to the two. The short twinkle of laughter that his theatrical bow of acknowledgement had earned remained on Lelouch's mind as they continued onwards and slowly approached the meeting place.

"Is this how the people look at the ruler they adore?"

The thought was not foreign to him— it had been a constant companion through the last months of his requiem. Even now, it remained at the back of his mind and refused to let go as he was taken to a majestic palace made of gold and then guided down a decorated hallway as he wondered what exactly could have happened had he chosen to walk another path.

He imagined how his own people would have looked at him then and wondered if they would have graced him with happy smiles of admiration on their faces rather than revulsion had he not decided to bear the hatred of his previous world? Lelouch once again pushed away his quickly darkening thoughts to a corner of his mind, knowing that there was no point in regret. He had done what was required of him and there was no going back for him. For the sake of Nunnally and her gentle world…

The golden glow of the evening sun shined through the tall windows on his side, making everything shine more brightly in a myriad of colours that reached every end of the empty hallway they were walking through. It was astoundingly quiet and the sound of rhythmic footsteps echoed throughout the palace.

Gabriel stopped before the heavy golden door, her eyes closed for a moment as she placed a hand against the jewelled handle. The thought of the room beyond was cold and for a moment, the Seraph hesitated.

But a simple glance to her side cleared her of all doubts as she saw Lelouch simply glancing ahead as if in deep thought, without even a single hint of anticipation on his face. If Lelouch who had been brought here to be judged before the Seraphim was not intimidated— if he who had every right to be scared was not even bothered by the imposing presence of these doors then what excuse could she give as a Seraph to falter for even a second.

She drew courage from that look of complete serenity on her companion's face and with a thunderclap, Gabriel felt her pristine white wings unfold behind with more authority than ever before, and her golden hair blaze with an undying flame.

The two stepped into the meeting room together, the holy radiance inside threatening to wash them away if they were to falter for even a second. They stood strong and proud, unfazed by the four seraphs seated before them with varying expressions on their faces.

A voice broke through the silence of the moment and although he could not know for sure, Lelouch had a feeling he understood exactly what words were spoken to him.

"Welcome stranger, we all have been waiting for you."

It took everything he had to keep every single one of the barely trained instincts that his lean body had painstakingly developed launched into overdrive due to the murderous intent which bore down on his shoulders as soon as he took a step inside the golden hall. Every muscle in his body screamed at him to submit...

It was overbearing and would have driven him to his knees in an instant and had he been an ordinary man, it would have thrown him to his knees and forced him to grovel.

But Lelouch vi Britannia did not even blink, his cold amethyst eyes stared defiantly back at the four angels seated languidly on their thrones. He stood alone in the center of the Michael's, facing the legendary seraphim whose suspicion and derision he could feel and hear through their subtle glances and their murmured whispers. In his mind, Lelouch understood perfectly what he was to these angels— a threat in the making who had entered their dominion through means known.

Raphael who had been glaring down at them from his high throne leaned forward from the other side of the vast chamber and a single brow rose in derision as he glared down at him with cold eyes. The emerald haired Seraph pointed at Lelouch with a finger, "Why is this stranger not in restraints when we have no idea of his intentions?"

An exasperated sigh escaped the mouth of the raven-haired angel at that. "Because he is not a prisoner, Raphael. We are here to hear his testimony, not incarcerate him without reason." Metatron retorted, fixing his glasses with one hand and silencing the indignant Raphael through words alone.

"Raphael is not wrong for once. This thing Gabriel that has brought into our halls is dangerous…" Uriel intervened, his mouth twisting in a small scowl and the cold temperament of the red-haired Seraph coming through as he stared at the newcomer with barely concealed caution, "Not only was he able to survive a violent atmospheric entry but he somehow also penetrated all our defences and crashed straight into the Seventh of Heaven with naught but a scratch."

"More strangely, his aura seems to resonate with my own. It feels uncomfortable…" Uriel's cerulean eyes flashed as some Seraphs nodded in agreement whereas the others frowned. "We cannot decide casually on this."

Gabriel glanced over at her new friend, emerald eyes shining with concern as she could muster no rebuke for her brother's words. The former emperor remained unnaturally quiet for his part— his haunting amethyst eyes switching every few seconds or so as he tried to make sense of what they were all speaking about and judging by how he was staring back at Raphael and Uriel with hard amethyst eyes, Gabriel instantly knew that he had understood most of what her brothers had declared just from the tone of their voices.

She then turned towards Michael who was watching the scene carefully with his perpetually sad eyes. He had been quiet all along, speaking not a word in their defence.

"Gabriel."

The unnaturally soothing voice of Metatron forced both Gabriel and Lelouch to turn towards the Seraph whose gentle eyes glowed with a sense of security which simply forced her to relax. A small smile appeared on her face as her brother walked forward with a grand purpose in each of his steps, hoping that someone would finally show the magnanimity and sympathy that the Heavenly Host was once famous for.

But her brother's next words crushed any hopes she previously had. "Although you seem to have grown comfortable in the stranger's conniving presence, this boy remains an intruder who somehow barged into Heaven through means unknown to us. He is neither an angel nor a deceased—" Metatron began with a comforting smile, hoping his sister would finally see reason as the haze over his face wavered for a moment.

"He's about to be if he keeps glaring at me in this manner," Raphael interjected, forcing his brother to pause as he and Lelouch maintained sharp eye contact for a long moment. He instantly snapped his mouth shut as his older brother shot him a furious glare, his voice laced with an authoritative warning that he was more than acquainted with.

"Raphael, be quiet." Metatron snapped and the muscular Seraph in question swallowed, his mouth closing once again as he lowered his head— he knew better than to provoke Metatron over something this trivial.

"As I was saying, this outsider is neither an angel nor a deceased. He is merely an unknown being who breached our defences through means unknown and poses a threat to the sanctity of Heaven which we all much acknowledge." Metatron turned to Gabriel and finished his previous sentence with a gentle smile plastered on his hazy face, his sweet tone almost luring her into acceptance. "It is for the best that he is restrained and put under observation, for the security of Heaven if nothing else."

No, Gabriel shook her head— there was something wrong here. There was something in his endlessly blue eyes today that was making Gabriel uneasy for the first time in centuries. She would not fall for her older brother's words, Lelouch was not her enemy.

Catching herself, Gabriel shook her head and took a step back away from Metatron and her brothers around him, almost all of whom seemed to have been swayed by the Seraph's words. "No, please wait—"

Metatron took a step forward and suddenly appeared right beside his sister, reaching out to grab Gabriel and take her away from this stranger who had bewitched her. But the archangel paused when suddenly he found his wrist caught in an extremely weak grip.

The archangel's glowing blue eyes travelled up the length of the thin arm holding him in place until he found himself staring directly into the amethyst eyes of Lelouch which were staring at him with an authority that could only be found on principal gods and kings of legends. The demon emperor's voice was cold, "Do not touch her."

"Restrain him!" Uriel stood up from his throne at the other corner of the room and ordered as if he had been waiting for this very opportunity, his voice booming across the golden hall which stood over the seventh heaven.

The subtle presence of radiance over the room seemed to have moved the moment he had moved between Metatron and Gabriel and stopped the archangel from touching her. Lelouch was not sure who began shouting or what exactly was being spoken but he understood what was about to happen from the sudden surge of bloodlust directed at him.

It took only a fraction of a second for most of the Seraphim to spring to their feet and release their heavenly wings which glowed with enough power to overturn mountains and burn seas. The room grew brighter as four spears shining with holy energy blazed into existence, each pointed and directed straight at Lelouch.

The unknown energy that had been coursing through his body since his awakening seemed to automatically surge in response to the murderous intent directed at him but Lelouch was not fazed for even a single second, he knew what was about to happen and was prepared for what was about to come.

Raphael sneered at the outsider who dared to touch his older brother even as his muscles tensed under his robes, an obvious tell action that made Gabriel's emerald eyes widen in alarm. The Seraph's hand clenched the spear of brightness constructed by his power and just as he was about to release it, her voice cut in between.

"Please! Leave him alone!" cried the blonde archangel as she stepped in between her friend and her brothers, who all glared down as if she had been driven insane by a single outsider.

Even Lelouch who was prepared to defend himself, looked at her in genuine astonishment. This was not something that he could have anticipated…

A stranger choosing to stand by his side over her brothers, over her own blood for his sake— the gesture would have been heartening, had chains of regret not taken its place. The demon emperor who betrayed all those he had once loved now being protected by a stranger who had not known him for more than a single day.

"Gabriel! Stand down!" Uriel sharply barked, and it was obvious by his tone that the words were not a request but the order could not move Gabriel, if anything she grew even more determined instead.

"Lelouch here does not wish to harm us, any of us— he does not know our world, our situation, or even our language. He is innocent and must be judged fairly." Gabriel spoke, and every single eye was on the female angel as stood before the leaders of heaven with a conviction that would have made heroes of old green with envy. "We cannot say we are God's children and follow his teachings if we are going to act out of fear every single time there is a difficult choice."

Strong and inspiring her speech might be, but it was obvious that words alone could not move for all of them. She was completely right— each angel in the room remembered enough of justice to acknowledge that their actions were in the wrong this time. It was indeed unfair of them to act in such a way, to let fear rule their actions and to see injustice through just for a threat that might never come to pass.

But then again what choice did they have? As much as they hated to admit it, Heaven was not what it used to be. The Kingdom of God which once ruled over the world was a mere shade of itself, the might of its armada faded every year and its numbers waned with each passing day—mortals who once prostrated beneath the shade of their banner now questioned the once absolute authority of Heaven and demons who trembled in fright by the mere mention of name now undermined their honour each day without consequence.

The faction of Heaven was dying a slow death, poisoned by the slow stagnation of peace rather than the cruelty of war and though Gabriel's ideals were not wrong, the Seraphs who could understand the shadow that was slowly covering the remnants of their once glorious kingdom were not convinced.

Her words only reminded them of the honour they had lost, they reminded them of the unbearable insults they had to tolerate. Their frowns only grew as they bore witness to Gabriel's pleas and instead of placating them, her words only served to remind them of their desolate state and fanned their growing anger.

If this was not the right time to be careful then when would it be? Would they only act when the enemy comes knocking on their door? How could they let an outsider who had breached the gates of heaven go unpunished just of kindness and mercy?

Yes, their actions might be unjust but there were times when such measures had to be undertaken for the sake greater good, for they all knew that mere ideals could not change the world.

"You were always the kindest of us, Gabriel," Raphael whispered, lowering his head even as all the eyes in the room turned towards him. He knew all too well that what he was about to do was wrong— wrong but necessary.

His muscles tensed in anticipation and his blazing red eyes hardened with resolution as he raised the spear of brightness he held in his hand. He knew his actions were sinful but some injustices had to be tolerated for the sake of their father's dream, "I apologize but what I'm about to do is for the sake of the greater good, for Heaven."

Gabriel's eyes grew wide in fear and before she could even speak, Raphael threw the radiant spear in his hand straight at Lelouch. It soared through the air, turning into a beam of gold which rushed towards the former with enough strength to tear apart entire mountains from the face of the earth.

"NO…!" Gabriel could do nothing but scream in equal parts anger and equal parts despair as the beam of gold rushed towards Lelouch— an innocent who had not harmed anyone, a boy who could not even understand them, a powerless human whose only fault was being at the wrong place at the wrong time.

A friend that she could not protect, once again...

But then a miracle unfolded right at the heart of Heaven…

Somehow, the strange energy that was moving inside Lelouch reacted, just as theVoicehad promised it would— It surged forward, moving forth at speeds beyond comprehension and enveloping his entire being in a blanket of comfort.

Power bore down upon every single occupant of the Great Hall as the entirety of heaven thickened with energy, bringing with it the smell of fresh ozone that they all recognised— gravity increased manifold as the knees of each Seraph buckled in the face of overwhelming might.

At that moment, every single occupant of the room felt it at the same time— it was something archaic, ancient, and terrifying. It was the opening of a door that had been locked for years and as if struck by a bolt of lightning, every single Seraph in the room was engulfed by a flash of gold that cascaded over the room and washed over them with the force of a tidal wave that erased the holy weapons in their hands and left behind empty fists and wide eyes.

In a blink of an eye almost every angel in the Hall, from the previously furious Raphael above to the now tearful Gabriel fell silent before dropping down to their knees. They did do so but were forced to by the sheer power that bore down on them at that moment, their feet no longer able to support their weight.

It was crushing, so powerful that it felt as if the hand of an almighty giant was pushing down on their shoulders— without even raising a finger or speaking a word, Emperor Lelouch vi Britannia reminded all who stood before him of his might.

The sealed power that surged out of him dwarfed everyone in the room, making them feel minute in comparison. It was enough to bring them down to their hands and knees and cause them to shiver in fright— and as he gazed at the angels before him with apathy, his eyes flashed crimson red and somethinginhumaneflickered behind them, a design resembling a majestic crane taking flight that shone with untold might.

The moment ended just as abruptly as it had begun as the weight bearing down on them vanished into nothingness without leaving a single trace behind.

Slowly, tentatively...

The seraphs rose to their feet as they all slowly started to understand exactly what just happened— confusion and hope were etched upon each of their perplexed faces as they all recognised the energy that had brought them down to their knees…

But could it really be true?

After all the disappointments flung their way, after all the pain that they had to endure, could they really start tohopeagain after all this time?

Not a single Seraph gathered inside the Great Hall could maintain up their masks of apathy, the facades they had put on for decades on end finally cracked as they all quivered with untold sorrow and hopeful desire— melancholy and hope tugged at their hearts and mournful tears glazed their eyes as they stared at the former emperor with a thousand emotions surging inside of them. The sheer intensity of their feelings almost overwhelmed them, washing away the walls of composure they had entrenched themselves with.

The cover of strength that they had not removed in centuries was finally beginning to crack— all because of an outsider's presence which was almost it was identical to their…

"Father!" Gabriel cried as she instantly turned to Lelouch and launched herself at the slender boy barely eighteen years of age who could barely react in time. The emperor tentatively caught her and could not help but think how much simpler it would have been if he'd never woken up after the blade pierced his chest and his hands twitched in a moment of weakness as she leaned into his chest.

"So small and beautiful," the emperor could do nothing as he was hugged tenderly by the most gorgeous woman he had ever seen and the only thought that stuck was rather absurd and somewhat uncharacteristic of him as he let the archangel hold him tightly, almost as if afraid that he would vanish in a moment and never return. Her small body quivered as she laughed in disbelieving humour which threatened to escalate into the hysterics of a madman

"I knew! I knew that you would not just leave us!" She wept, her face almost glowing in happiness even as she sobbed tears of untold happiness. Her golden hair whipped from side to side, brushing against the taller boy's face as the scent of a faint flowery sweetness graced his nose. "I prayed for you every day, Father!"

She buried her face further and further into his chest with each of her cries, wiping tears into his clothes as she wrapped her arms around him even more tightly than before.

He hesitated for a moment before he tentatively wrapped his arms around her in a gentle embrace and her cries stopped as soon as he did so—the hands that had been clutching his clothes tightly now relaxing for a moment and her laboured breaths slowing as his hands reflexively stroked the small of her back in soothing motions, to convey that everything was all right. It was an action that he was used to, having comforted Nunnally many times in the past during those rare moments of sadness.

Lelouch looked past the strands of golden hair that were tickling his nose and saw every archangel in the room looking at him with reverence shining in their eyes.

And then Metatron knelt, eyes shining with tears and shoulders shaking with emotion as he bowed his head in respect despite his dishevelled eyes. Raphael followed after him, his knees crashing upon the marble floor below him with a loud clang as tears flew down his glowing red eyes and he too bowed his head in reverence.

Then knelt Uriel followed by Michael— hope and love gleaming inside their eyes as they all knelt as one and bowed their heads. The nostalgic reverence surging inside their hearts almost dazed them, few were the moments in which they were struck frozen by emotion and it almost overwhelmed them.

"Father…" Michael sadly whispered as tears ran down in his emerald eyes and he took a hesitant step forward and lowered his head reverently, his body quivering with emotions.

The leader of Heaven had bled for this moment, he had worked so hard just in hopes of his return. He had protected the Kingdom of God at its most vulnerable even as its radiance turned monochrome in absence of a true ruler and had guarded the Throne of Heaven for decades knowing all too well that he was not God.

He was Michael, a Seraph of the Heavenly Host.

But he would never be God.

Constantly powering the Heavenly System every waking moment was no easy task and to answer each prayer in place of his father was exhausting, even for a short time. But he had no choice, many sleepless nights were spent for the sake of heaven and the cost his kingdom had demanded had almost broken him.

But the once eternal days of misery were finally gone, they could allow themselves to hope once again. They could dream once more for they now knew that Father had not abandoned them…

Lelouch glanced at the angels before him. He quietly watched the untold emotions gleaming inside their eyes with a blank look on his face, a strange emotion that he could neither understand nor identify surging in his chest.

And then strength drained out of him as quickly as it had come, his body suddenly buckled as if the weight of the world had been put onto his shoulders and he lurched forward as exhaustion and agony fell upon his body in a way that he had experienced only once before when the celebratory cheers for his death had rung all around him even as the red blade was pulled out of his chest.

He was suddenly stripped of all powers as the ever-present weight in the back of his mind had faded entirely. It would have been liberating, had overwhelming weakness not had taken its place. His bones were as heavy lead, and he could barely move anything. His vision turned hazy...

He could hardly make anything out, but all he knew was that he had suddenly fallen into a pair of warm cushions which bounced comfortably when he leaned into them even as everything around him suddenly glowed as brightly as the sun itself.

Were they stars? He could not tell— it took everything he had to even open his eyes, even more to focus on those stars beyond his reach. But his eyes hurt when he tried and he was forced to close them again. They were so annoying, he just wanted them to go away so that he could sleep...

His thoughts were jumbled and suddenly he could not even remember how he'd come to this place as his mind stretched into several untold angles. His head hurt, but he could not even raise his hands to touch it. The sudden surge weakness took him by surprise, but he could not do anything about it.

The emperor reached out in search of water, but he could not see any blue around him. A myriad of colours danced around Lelouch, but he could not care less...

All he wanted to do was sleep…

AN:

Through the help of my dear readers and by my own research, I discovered that I had indeed messed up the DxD timeline. So I have once again retconned the date of Lelouch's arrival. He appears a few decades before canon rather than several centuries. A comfortable middle ground which I hope can satisfy everyone.

Well here it is, the second chapter. Thanks alot for reading this.