Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re-Try

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass.

Author Notes: This is a request from nahte123456. She wanted a time travel story that has one small difference from the ones around the site. And this is it. Since this is my first time writing a time travel fic, it is a bit OOC for now. Once I get into the flow of writing, the chapters will get better. Please read and review!

Chapter 1: World of C

It was a bright day. There was a layer of peace and tranquility over Pendragon. People went about with their daily business. It had been nearly a month since the Demon Emperor had died and the relief was still present. The Imperial Palace stood majestically under the sun.

Suza- No, Zero marched down the long hallway with evenly placed steps towards Her highnesses office. It had only been a week since she had officially taken over the throne and there were already several reforms in place. She worked all day, signing documents, meeting with other leaders; she barely took a break. But Zero knew- and he was the only one who did- that every night when she retreated to her bed chambers, she cried bitterly.

He knew it because he himself often leaned against the door of her room- taking solace in her sobs and letting out a few tears of his own.

He had thought that Lelouch's death would bring him peace. But he had been wrong. Like always. Instead of relief, he just felt a dull throb in his chest as he added another person he cared about to the list of people who he had lost to death. Lelouch was his best friend- his brother in all but blood. Despite everything Suzaku Kururugi had done, Lelouch had always forgiven him.

Zero stood in front of the Empress Office and stared at the heavy wooden door. He knew what he would see in there. His hand felt heavy as he lifted it up to knock.

"Come in."

As he entered, his eyes took in the sight of Nunnally vi Britannia, 100th Empress of the Holy Empire of Britannia sitting on her mechanical wheelchair behind her desk, signing some documents.

His guess had been right.

"Zero" Her voice was soft yet held a kind of monotony in it that hadn't been present before. It stabbed Suzaku. Zero merely executed a half bow in courtesy. "Your Highness"

He silently stood beside her.

"I have to address the people today right?" She asked her voice trembling bit.

Zero paused for a moment before replying, "Yes, Your Highness."

Zero noticed the way her fingers tightened over the pen that she was holding. He knew that she had started to unconsciously resent the people for what had happened to Lelouch. She had subconsciously blamed them for her brother's death.

(Suzaku would've never noticed these things. But Zero did)

"I think it's time to go Your Highness." He said instead, as he clutched the hands of her wheelchair.

It was time to go and face the people Lelouch had died for.

The crowd was astounding. They had all come to hear what the new empress had to say. The stadium they were in was one of the biggest in Pendragon. It reminded Suzaku a bit of the stadium where the disastrous SAZ massacre had taken place. There were only a few guards other than him and Nunnally present on the stage. Nunnally had herself specifically demanded that no Knightmare frames be kept towards the front of the stage. Zero had not protested.

(Because he knew that she was trying her hardest to uphold the peace that Lelouch's death had bought)

"People of Britannia." Immediately a hush fell over the stadium. "Britannia has always been known as one of the most ruthless nations to ever exist. A nation that always looks down at the weak, a nation who doesn't care about the suffering of people. And that was what Britannia was. A cold ruthless nation. A nation hungry for power. From the Emperors who founded Britannia to the Dem- the 99th Emperor, they neither cared about the will nor the freedom of the people."

Despite her small frame and the fact that she was sitting on a wheel chair, she held her head high with confidence as she addressed the people. Her voice didn't waver and Suzaku knew that wherever Lelouch was, he would be proud of his little sister. Zero noticed the way she had broken off in the middle of calling her predecessor the Demon Emperor.

"But it's time for Britannia to change. Britannia will no longer be known for its ways of warfare. Britannia will rise up and change. Changes have already started to take place. Britannia is now an UFN member and has given up all its military power. The land conquered by Britannia bas been returned back to its people. Britannia will never again descend back to those ages of dwarfism and war. Britannia will stand strong with other nations rather than above them."

She looked around once. "And with this I would like to conclude."

The people gathered were all silent. Zero spotted camera's rolling from the ends of the stadium and knew that the Black Knights in Japan would also be viewing this programme. But things never went that smoothly.

"Why should we believe you?" The man wouldn't even have been heard in the crowd if he hadn't been near the stage. Suzaku narrowed his eyes at him.

"Excuse me?" Nunnally asked.

"You are his sister aren't you? The sister of the Demon Emperor." Another man beside the first man spoke up. "He was the most ruthless Emperor of them all. He even called himself the Emperor of the world. And you are a direct relative of him." The implication in his tone and words were clear. There was a light mummer of agreement from the crowd.

Zero considered stepping in to diffuse the situation. After all, he was the one who killed Lelouch in the first place. People would tend to believe him more than-

"He was my brother. I don't deny that. But just because he was... Wrong doesn't mean that everyone related to him was like that" Despite her calm voice and the blank look on her face, Zero noticed the way her hands had turned white from gripping the wheelchair too hard.

"What about Princess Euphemia?" the First man shouted. "She massacred millions of people without even blinking an eyelash. She promised tem a better future and then killed them brutally." The crowd had started to get agitated.

Zero saw the panic beginning to take over Nunnally. Her eyes were wide as her hands shook lightly. He had to step in.

"I am sorry Princess but there is no way we can believe you. It's better if you go to the same place that your Demon brother has gone to! Hell!" The first man reached into his pockets. "This is for my wife and children." Suzaku didn't think when he saw a gun in the man's hand. He saw the guard's from behind rush towards them but he knew that they would be too late.

Time seemed to pass in slow motion as he fought the Geass on him to reach Nunnally in time. Despite his Geass being active and bombarding his mind with instructions to get away, he fought against it and stood in front of Nunnally facing her.

And then he felt it. Pain. As bullets rained upon his back and tore through his flesh, he shielded Nunnally completely using his cloak to hide her from other. He was dimly aware of the guards trying to restrain the crowd that had gone wild and the sound of Knightmare frames trying to maneuver through the panicked crowd to reach them.

"Su- Suzaku?" He noticed the shock and tears in her eyes as she extended a trembling hand to touch his mask.

He felt his lips curve up into a bitter smile. It looked like he wouldn't be able to keep his promise to Lelouch after all. He wouldn't be able to protect Nunnally anymore.

"Nunnally... Stay safe. Be good. Take care of your people." He whispered as tears stared to fall from her eyes. He could hear all the commotion and chaos around him and he knew that the guard had started to round up the people but his attention was completely focused on the tiny fragile girl in front of him.

"Please don't go! Don't lave me! Please! You are the only one I have left after Lelouch. Please... "Nunnally's desperate sobs cut through Suzaku's hart but there was nothing we could do about it. His 'Live' Geass flickered weakly in his eyes but he knew that he would've able to hold on for much longer. He stumbled and fell forward; half his weight on Nunnally's wheelchair.

"I'm sorry Nunna-" He took a shuddering breath before coughing up blood. But he kept talking. "I will tell Lelouch hoe much you miss him when I reach hell."

Now tears had started to flow freely from her eyes. "No, no don't talk like that. You and Lelouch... You both deserve to be in heaven... Please." She put her hands on his as he clutched her wheelchair for support. He mused in some corner of his mind a how awkward it might have looked. Zero hunched over the Empress wheelchair and his clock hid her from view.

"Please don't cry for me. I don't deserve your tears." Nunnally shook her head at that. "I don't think..." He trailed off. He felt his vision start to blur.

"Zero-sama!" A high pitched voice shouted and he felt himself pulled away from Nunnally.

The guards had arrived. But he knew that it was too late. He had already started to drift off. Black and white. Light and dark.

The last thing he remembers is hearing Nunnally scream, "Zero!"

He knew he was in hell when he saw the place he ended up in.

Lelouch laughed. He knew it. He knew that he would end up in hell. Maybe everyone's interpretation of hell was different. While most of them thought of hell as fire and heat, he thought it of a place where everything had started.

The World of C.

So it was fitting that he would end up here after his death.

And dead he was. A death from the hands of his best friends, the only one he trusted to take care of Nunnally. The thought of is sister bought a rueful smile on his face. Her dream was fulfilled. He had created a peaceful world for her to live in.

"Lelouch vi Britannia. You are back." Lelouch merely grinned the booming voice.

"Oh yes, I missed being here." A hint of sarcasm despite the grin could be heard.

"I'm glad to hear that." And Lelouch raised an eyebrow at the amusement that emanated from the voice of 'God'.

"You saved me."

"I saved humanity." Lelouch corrected. He idly noted that he was in his Zero's outfit minus the cloak and mask.

"Regardless of what you meant to save, you have performed a great service to me."

"Is there a reason I'm here?" Lelouch asked, a bit unnerved by the voice echoing around him.

"Of course. There is a reason for everything I do. Humans sometimes do not understand them though."

"Well, I'm no longer human am I?" Lelouch shot back dryly.

"I thought you would like to meet an old friend." Now the voice sounded strangely smug. For some reason, it reminded Lelouch of Milly when she concocted another of her usual schemes that would only cause trouble for him.

"Do you mean CC?" Lelouch asked. As far as he knew, CC was the only one with the knowledge of the world of C and a means to enter it.

"No, I said an old friend." Lelouch didn't miss the emphasis on old.

"What the hell….?" Pivoting on his heel, Lelouch frowned as he heard Suzaku's voice. His frown changed into a scowl when he saw Suzaku standing in his Knight of Zero uniform.

"What are you doing here?" He should've been with Nunnally, protecting her. As he spoke, Suzaku, who had been looking around trying to figure out where he was, turned towards him in surprise.

"Lelouch?" The disbelief in Suzaku's voice was clear. "How are you…?" Suzaku blinked and Lelouch could nearly hear the gears in Suzaku's head turning. "Ohh…. I must be dead." The tone which he had used was casual and it took a moment for Lelouch to digest the information.

"Died? What do you mean by dead?" He demanded advancing towards Suzaku. Suzaku couldn't be dead. He couldn't die. Lelouch had made sure of that. He was sure that his 'Live' Geass would still be working after he died and he had given explicit instructions to Jeremiah that whatever happened not to use his Geass canceller on Suzaku. But he knew that the possibility that he was wrong that the Geass had died with him. At the same time, Suzaku was physically fit freak of nature. Lelouch had himself seen Suzaku dodge a machine gun with only 3 seconds time lapse.

Suzaku just blinked some more before opening his mouth to speak. But Lelouch was not done yet. "How can you be so- so irresponsible? I left you to take are of Nunnally ad be the symbol of peace. Do you know what will happen if people think that you- no, Zero is dead? There will be another uprising and all that we've worked so hard for will be of no use. And Nunnally. What about her? She is all alone and there is no one to take care of her if there is another unrest-"

"Wait!" Suzaku held his hand up to stop Lelouch's rant. Lelouch merely glared at Suzaku.

"There are still people out there to take care of Nunnally. I do think the Black Knights would allow another war to start. As far as Zero goes, people will just assume that it is another of his disappearing acts." Suzaku sighed. "I didn't die on purpose you know."

"Oh really?" The dry biting sarcasm was apparent in Lelouch's tone.

It was Suzaku's turn to glare at Lelouch. "I promised you that I would take care of Nunnally and the peace you created. That was what I was doing. I couldn't let Nunnally die. It was either Nunnally or me." Suzaku kept the scowl on his face.

"You died saving Nunnally?" Lelouch asked sounding a bit mollified.

"Well, yes. Even if you do have a problem with it there is nothing you can do because we both are dead." Suzaku looked around at the familiar place. "How and why did we end up here?"

Before Lelouch could reply, the voice spoke up. "Since everyone needed has arrived, I can proceed."

"Proceed with what?" Lelouch felt his guard go up. He knew that the world of C contained a lot more power that anyone else on the living world and he didn't know if it was good or bad thing.

"With my entertainment." At this Lelouch glanced at Suzaku. Suzaku looked as perplexed as Lelouch felt.

'Entertainment?"

"What if I was to give you both another chance?"

"Another chance at what?" Suzaku broke in. Lelouch kept silent.

"Another chance at life. To correct your wrongs. To save people you couldn't save in the previous life."

Lelouch felt a punch in his gut. He remembered all the things that had gone wrong and everything he went through to bring his sister the peaceful world she had always dreamed of. And he had achieved it.

"I wouldn't take it." Lelouch saw Suzaku turn to stare at him in surprise but ignored him.

"Why is that?"

"The world is perfect now. People have the peace it requires and his sister. I have achieved whatever I wanted."

"So you are satisfied?" Lelouch hesitated. The truth was no, he was not satisfied. There were things he regretted, things he would love to set right. But doing that might alter the future and make it worse. And he didn't think he would be able to g0 through everything he had gone through once more. So he nodded.

At Lelouch's nod, the voice asked, "What about you Suzaku Kururugi? Are you satisfied with how things have turned out?"

Lelouch was sure that Suzaku would agree with him. Suzaku had suffered equally if not more to what Lelouch had gone through. Suzaku had always wished for death. But at the silence from his companion, Lelouch frowned and looked at him. Suzaku had an odd thoughtful look on his face.

"No , I'm not." Lelouch stared at Suzaku in shock. With his head tilted upwards, Suzaku addressed the voice. "Yes, people are happy now. The world is peaceful but there are certain people who aren't happy. They are the ones who deserve peace and happiness above all but after everything that has happened, I don't think they ever will be."

"What are you saying Suzaku? Wasn't it your wish to die? If you are thinking about going into the past just for meeting Euphie again…." Lelouch trailed off.

Suzaku lowered his head to meet Lelouch's eyes.

"Yes, it was my wish to die. I thought I deserved death. Even now I do- but that wouldn't be a punishment would it? It would be a blessing. Staying alive without the people I care about is a punishment." Suzaku took a deep breath. "I want to change things Lelouch. Not for me. I don't think I deserve it. But for Euphie, Shirley, the student council, Nunnally, the black knights and even you." Suzaku looked hopefully at Lelouch. "If we don't deserve to live maybe we can at least save all the people who deserve a second chance at life."

Lelouch, who had been ready to start another rant, stayed silent. What Suzaku said had started to click in his mind. He didn't deserve a second chance. But his friends and family did. All the people who had died for him in vain deserved to have another chance at life. Even if he did die this time too, he wanted to do it without any regrets.

"Fine." Lelouch scowled at the stunned expression on Suzaku's face. "Don't look like that. I'm not doing it for myself. I have some regrets too you know."

Suzaku grinned lightly. "Whatever you say Lelouch."

"So you accept my offer?"

Sharing a glance with Suzaku, Lelouch smirked. "Yes, we do. We are ready to live our life once more…."

"Very well! You both will be sent back in time, to the place where everything started. But remember, no one except both of you will remember what has happened. But I guess it doesn't matter anymore, after all the moment you start making changed in our past the future will automatically be altered. Now go!"

And the World of C faded away.

Author Notes: You would've noticed the way I used both Suzaku and Zero's name separately. It is done on purpose. Please review your suggestions.