R.R.

Hah! I tricked you! You all thought this would come out later! Nope, that's chapter two! Muah ha ha!

Chapter one: Rebirth.

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It all leads up to this. Months of planning, weeks of agonizing waiting. It all ends now. He felt a uneasy feeling earlier this morning, knowing that today would be the day. But he guessed he should be grateful. How many people know when they're going to die?

But standing here now, Lelouch knew that it would soon be over. The pain and loneliness he felt would soon be gone. It brought a strange sort of peace. In a few minutes it would be done, and there would be nothing to worry about. His part had been played, his role was finished.

At the ripe old age of eighteen, he could finally rest. That's all he wanted to do. Rest.

And so when he saw the mythical figure of his own making standing like a hero of legend on the horizon, he knew the time had come.

The masked vigilante darted up the streets, avoiding strafing gunfire as he swiftly approached the float where Lelouch stood. He jumped atop Jeremiah, who allowed the man to fly past him. And seconds later, he was inches away.

Lelouch played his role to the very end, keeping up the persona he fabricated until his death. "You impudent fool!" He barked, reaching for the gun hidden in his robes. Zero quickly knocked it aside with his sword, and raised it to Lelouch's chest.

Time itself seemed to freeze in place. The stunned looks on everyone's faces. The confusion among those who knew. And in this moment, seconds before the end, Lelouch finally dropped his mask. And he smiled. A real genuine smile. Not the smile of success, nor the devious look he got when a master plot was unfurling. This was the look of happiness. One Lelouch never had the opportunity to show.

The pain was very sudden, and overwhelmed him only a moment, it soon washed away, and he was left with a numb feeling. His heavy eyes strained to stay open as he placed a blood covered hand over the mask his friend wore.

"Your punishment for what you have done shall be this then." He whispered.

"You shall wear that mask and serve as a knight of justice and truth."

He drew a deep ragged breath, struggling against his weak body. "You will no longer live your life as Suzaku Kururugi. You will sacrifice the ordinary pleasures of life for the benefit of the world. For all eternity."

"This Geass, I do solemnly accept."

Suzaku pulled out the sword, and without anything to support him, Lelouch stumbled, and collapsed over the side of the float. He slid down the front of it, a red trail behind him.

He stopped at the bottom, laying near where Nunnally was chained to the float. Tentatively, she approached him, hand out cautiously. "Lelouch, are you..." She grasped his hand, and stopped.

"You mean, all this time..."

Suddenly, she hugged him. "Oh brother, I love you!"

Lelouch smiled. He was vaguely aware of Nunnally, and could hardly hear anything. His vision began to fade as his weary eyes slowly closed.

"Yes." He whispered, so quietly that no one could hear him. "I destroy the world, and create it...anew."

And with that, Lelouch Vi Britannia, eleventh prince of Britannia, and seventeenth in line to the throne, ninety-ninth emperor of the realm, and son of Marianne Vi Britannia, the man of miracles, and the demon emperor.

Died.

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Death was pleasant. Calming, relaxed, and warm even. There was not a care left in the world. And if there was a heaven and hell, he knew there was only one place for him to go. But for now, Lelouch was complacent with this simple nothing. It gave him a chance to rest, and to think. He did a lot of thinking. It was one of the things that kept him sane while he was alive, and it helped that he enjoyed it.

But in that infinite nothing, there was something. That something was small at first, hardly noticeable. Then it got bigger, an inexplicable existence in his haven of nothing. And then-

Lelouch's eyes shot open, and a very audible gasp alerted the person sitting next to him.

"Lelouch!" The startled Suzaku scrambled next to him. "Looks like I was right." He said.

"What do you mean?" Lelouch croaked, his voice dry as he coughed.

"Your forehead, and palm too." Suzaku told Lelouch.

Lelouch looked around until he saw a mirror, and in it, what Suzaku was talking about. He touched his forehead, the same place where the mirror showed the impossible. The Geass sigil. He looked at his palm, and there it was too.

"What...what is this?" Lelouch asked, fearfully.

"This can't be. No, it can't!" He started to cough again, worse this time.

"After everything, this is what happens?!" More coughing.

"Lelouch..." Suzaku grabbed his arm.

"How?" Lelouch began again, bitterness in his voice. "I suppose it makes sense. After all, why do I deserve peace in death? This is the penance I must serve for what I've done. There is no place left for me in the world, and I have been condemned to walk it for eternity."

"Lelouch!" Suzaku shouted at him, shutting Lelouch up. He looked at Suzaku, and at the mask he was holding up to him.

"It's been nearly a month since you died. The world is moving on into a better age. You deserve to be there, to lead them. Nobody could do it better." Suzaku said, offering the mask to him.

Lelouch stared at it, a longing gaze as he remembered just what it was like to be Zero. Nothing was more exciting, made him more alive. But he knew there was only one answer to that offer.

"No. I can't. I no longer belong in this world, I've done my part."

Suzaku withdrew the mask, looking down.

Lelouch sighed. "There is only one option for me."

Suzaku looked up.

"I must disappear."

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The long and dark maze of hallways and corridors allowed Lelouch to adjust to the darkness, so when the bright floodlights turned on he was momentarily blinded. When he could finally see, him and Suzaku were surrounded by machinery and generators, a steady hum started up a few seconds later. And in the center, was the primary feature of the secret underground room. A large metal canister.

"What is this place?" Suzaku asked.

"I had it built once I heard of V.V. In the event that I captured him. It seems that it will now serve another purpose."

Suzaku turned to him. "You don't mean-"

"Yes." Lelouch cut him off. "I don't belong in this world. So I, and this infernal code, shall disappear forever."

He closed his eyes and drew a breath. "C.C. once said that the power of kings would condemn me to a life of solitude. She wasn't talking about Geass, but this curse that would come with it."

Lelouch approached the control panel and pressed a few buttons, and the containment canister opened with a hiss.

"So this is it then." Suzaku said.

"I finally made peace with your deaths he first time but, now I have to say goodbye again."

Lelouch remained silent.

"Just, before you go, I need to tell you something."

He looked up at Suzaku.

"I...I'm sorry."

Lelouch frowned. "What?"

"This whole time, I hated you. I hated what you stood for, what you were doing. I was so focused on my methods I didn't realize what you were really trying to do. This was all for a better world. You may have done it differently, but you and I wanted the same thing. I just wish I saw it sooner. So, that's why I am forgiving you for everything you did."

Lelouch smiled, a sad gesture as he recalled the past year. The most eventful time of his life.

"Goodbye, Suzaku."

"Lelouch!"

He stopped, and turned to see who else had come. Nunnally was there to greet him, a sad look on her face as she approached him with Sayuko to help her.

"Nunnally." Lelouch whispered.

"How could you do this?" Nunnally asked, with a pain in her voice. "You would really just leave just like that? Without telling me anything? I, I can't lose you Lelouch, not again." Tears were streaming down her face as Lelouch knelt down to her level, and put a hand on her face.

"All I ever wanted was to be with you, I never wanted a peaceful world. It doesn't matter if you're not there with me."

"Nunnally. At first, I was foolish. I thought I could change the world for you, so you could be happy. But it wasn't that simple. I was a fool to think I could change everything for my own selfish needs. It took me too long to see, this wasn't about me, or you. But the for the sake of the entire world. How could I jeopardize the peace of the world for my own benefit now?"

He kissed Nunnally on the cheek, a final farewell, and stood up.

"I love you Nunnally. I'm sorry it has to be this way."

"No Lelouch, please!" Nunnally pleaded as he began to walk toward the empty canister.

"I'm dead Nunnally. Just please, move on."

"I don't want to lose you, please don't!"

He stepped in, and the locking mechanism began to close.

"Forget about me."

"Lelouch!"

That was the last thing he heard, the cry of his sister rang out for all eternity. While it only lasted a second, it repeated in his mind forever.

Goodbye. Nunnally.

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After passing through what must have been the tenth identical hallway, she began to question the legitimacy of the message. Each and every path was the same: dark, old and rotting. She wondered if anyone had been down here in a hundred years. Given the condition of this place it seemed unlikely.

But if it was true, it would all be worth it.

Eventually, she finally came to something promising. A heavy metal door sat out of place compared to the old concrete walls of the subways. Even still, it looked to be just as old. The door was locked, and she dug out the key that had been given to her along with the message: "If the peace of the world is ever threatened, open the canister."

That was it, that and vague directions. She wondered what it could possibly be as she descended the dark and foreboding stairs into nothingness.

Was it a weapon of some sort? A carefully detailed plan to set things straight? She had no idea.

Once she got to the bottom of the seemingly endless stairs, she groped around for a light switch, until she found a lever, and pulled it.

Blinding light suddenly flooded the chamber, causing her to shield her eyes. She looked around and saw a bunch of old and decaying machinery. She guessed it had been there for a long time at least. Apparently, her great grandmother knew what was down here, so it had to be pretty old.

And there it was: a massive silver canister. It was about as tall as she was, and covered in a thick layer of dust. She wiped some of it off, looking for a switch or something, she had no idea how to open it.

Suddenly, a loud hiss and a spray of gas that sent the dust flying blinded her once more. She struggled to see what was going on, until the canister opened, and a gust of wind blew it all away.

Silence followed as she gaped at what was in the canister.

It was a boy. He was at least eighteen or so, with long Black hair and slender features. He was wearing a white suit that seemed like a straight jacket of some sort. And on his forehead was a strange, red bird like symbol.

Slowly, he opened his eyes, and stared at her. She sat there a moment herself before remembering what she was doing.

"Um, hello." She said, no response.

"I am Aleina Et Britannia, ninth princess of Britannia." She waited and still nothing. Did he speak English?

"I came because I need your help." She said. This gave a response. He suddenly burst out laughing, a disturbingly maniacal laugh that put Aleina on edge.

"You need, my help?" He asked. "With what, exactly?"

"I, I was told that if world peace was ever threatened, to come here." Aleina told him.

"What? Did the EU invade? Oh, perhaps Britannia invaded Japan!" The boy started to laugh again, the same unsettling laugh.

Aleina was getting frustrated, and her time became more edgy. "My brother, the emperor, is planning to start a war."

He suddenly stopped, and narrowed his eyes. "Is that so?"

"The blueprints for FLEIJA warheads have been locked down for years by the UFN, but he found schematics left behind in secret by Schneizel El Britannia almost a century ago. I think my brother is going to use them to start a war."

The boy suddenly became very serious. "An entire century huh? That's all I got."

"The thing is, nobody else believes me. My brother is the kind of person that everyone likes, and nobody would suspect him to plan a war."

The boy smiled, a devious look that matched his laugh earlier. "Now isn't that something."

He stood, and stepped out of the canister. "Very well, I will help you, under one condition however."

"I'm sure I can grant you anything you wish." Aleina told him. "What is it?"

He grinned. "You'll see she the time is right." He started to walk out of the room. "Come, we have a war to stop."

Aleina started to follow him, but suddenly stopped. "Wait!" She called out. The boy turned to her. "What's your name?" She asked.

"My name?" He said, furrowing his brow. "I am le-no." He grinned again, the same devilish smile.

"Call me R.R."

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