Author's Note: Heya, this is my first fic, and it's a crossover, because… I wanted to… I like Code Geass, and I like FullMetal Alchemist. I saw a parallel. Well, a very vague parallel, but I still don't see why this isn't crossed over more often. Stranger things have been conceived.

Chapter 1

Lelouch smiled faintly as Suzaku lunged towards him.

It was a nice day. All bright blue and clear sun, everything was in crystal clarity.

His role in this world was almost, almost over.

Zero's cape seemed to flare behind him in slow motion, the screams of the crowd -fear, joy?- becoming strangely muted.

It took no time at all. He saw the cape and the mask and- Lelouch felt no regret as the tip of that sword pierced through his stomach. There was a stunned, heavy silence, and then his world exploded in pain.

Lelouch let out a strangled gasp, not at all fake. He knew it would hurt, but the shock was forcing blood up his throat. Sparks flashed in the corners of his vision, his world fragmented. Lelouch's hand went reflexively to his stomach, and mentally jolted as he felt the reinforced alloy of the sword still there. His hands were slick with something. Blood.

Ah, he thought, forcing himself to move. It wasn't over yet.

With great effort, Lelouch lifted his blood-soaked hand and mumbled out his final orders through a haze of shock.

"You shall no longer live as Kururugi Suzaku…" he remembered speaking, placing his hand on the mask, and feeling it slide off. "Save… Protect… as…" his breath hitched and he felt like he would choke. But he needed to finish. "Zero…" he gasped.

Thank you, he finished in his head. There was a moment of stillness, and then he felt Suzaku lurch, away from him, jerking the sword out, silent pain and regret in the motion.

To the world, Zero had just saved them all. Lelouch staggered forward, as the crowd's volume rapidly resumed from that frozen, crystallized moment.

They were chanting. "ZE-RO, ZE-RO, ZE-RO!"

The Black Knights, staring in shock.

Kallen, straining against her bonds, the look of shock on her face.

Lelouch staggered forward a step, then another, his legs giving out from under him. He could feel his body dying, growing lightheaded, dizzy.

"Brother! Brother!" someone was screaming. Nunnally? Lelouch slowly opened his eyes, trying to focus on hers. It wasn't easy. He was going numb, his eyes glazing over with a kind of grey. But he was done. He had finally completed it. Everything was going to be alright. Nunnally was still crying. Lelouch wanted to tell her, too, what he wanted to do. He wanted to tell her so badly. He opened his mouth to say something, anything, to make her know. Nunnally didn't deserve a lie in the end.

Lelouch was still and pale, lifeblood seeping on the ground, staining Nunally's red rags. It was a miracle that he was still alive. A miracle... He smiled wistfully

"Yes... I will destroy... worlds… and recreate them." Quiet and laughing at his last joke on the world.

He didn't see Nunnally stop and stare, tears streaming down her cheeks from her beautiful, opened eyes. He didn't see Suzaku,Zero, arrogantly display his deed to the world with a sword to the sky and reignite fire in so many hearts as Lelouch himself had once done.

All he saw was white clouds and pleasing blue, remembering happier days, where the his world was not yet at war, and friends could do absolutely anything they believed. He saw laughter and sunflowers and smelled old wood and musky grass and watched the happiest -and remember, said a childish voice, happiness is - days of his life.

Lelouch vi Britannia died magnificently, screams of hate and love ringing in his ears. He was smaller in death then he was in life, each mask stripped away in the whirlwind of his life mission.

Goodbye Nunnally. Don't cry.

He saw the images again. The world of C and the knowledge of contract. The people, the planets, the ever turning gears. The thought elevator, twirling grostequely into the sky. Then, the sigil of geass, glowing red and filling his consciousness until-nothing.

The door slammed open, bouncing off the back wall with a loud bang. The secretary glanced up, grimaced, and turned back to the files opened on her desk.

Edward Elric stormed past. Shaking his head, his brother followed.

"Brother, don't break anything this time!" the childlike voice resonated strangely from the armor.

"This better be good," snapped Ed. Turning right, he barely paused to check if he had the right door. He shoved open the door and swept into the office, ignoring Falman and Feury smirking at him from the corner. "I'm here, alright? What the hell do you want now?"

"Is that anyway to talk to your superior, now?" Mustang said, his chin resting on the back of one gloved hand.

Ed sucked in an angry breath, but before he could say anything, Roy plowed forward, "Well, I'll get straight to the point then." He pushed a folder across his desk to Edward's side. Seeing Edward's face, he added, "That's your briefing. There's been a... disturbance in New Optain, and I would like to remind you that you are indeed under my command despite your infrequent missions." A slow smirk grew on his face. Edward twitched. "Your mission is search and intervene. Don't worry, it's only one short mission. "

There were a few moments of silence. "WHAT? You called me here just for something like that? Go call someone else! I am NOT your- " Another thought occurred to him. "I AM NOT SHORT, DAMMIT!" Alphonse already had Edward's arms in an iron grip as Ed flailed about in fury.

Mustang looked unaffected. "Fullmetal, are you sure you realize the nature of this disturbance?" He raised an eyebrow, sliding the report closer with one finger. "I could assign you something more fitting to your rank if you wish." There was a thin edge to his smile. Edward looked at him sharply.

"What, the higher ups put you up to this?"

"While investigating" Mustang said, ignoring him, "If you found an interesting situation you could find it prudent not to announce your presence to anyone with a higher rank than mine." He gave Edward a sideways glance. "Undercover work, you understand."

Mustang caught? What were the odds? "With the ... investigations, I seem to have caught some attention. They're separating you from me. Just go, and wait until I find some way out of this." Was that what he was saying?

Edward breathed out. "Fine. I get this once, Colonel Bastard!" Edward grabbed the briefing off the desk and turned to walk out the door. "Come on, Al."

"O-okay brother!" said Al, who was looking at Mustang hesitantly. He turned to follow his brother.

The door slammed shut. Roy could almost imagine the flurry of subdued activity behind him as the disappointed Breda handed over money to a smug Havoc or some other nonsense. Did they think he didn't know they betted on Edward's temper?

Roy massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed. Why was it so difficult to deal with the Elric brothers?

As Ed and Al walked out the door, Al said, "But don't we need to find, you know…"

Ed shook his head. When they were a safe distance from anyone and in the hall, he replied, "You heard Mustang, we can't let them know how close we are. Let's just act like we usually do, it's not like we're doing anything illegal." Yet, he added in his mind. He glanced up at Al, smiling a little. "Just wait a little longer…"

.

.

.

:Wait. Was this supposed to happen when you died? Was this hell?:.

They all felt it. All seven of them. How their breath paused for half a second and a shiver went down their spine as somethinghappened. The gate of truth, the one thing that they originated, feared, longed for- had opened.

Father looked up, completely puzzled for the first time in his long life. "What is this?"

Unheard, the guardian of the gate smiled maliciously, with a hard grin and a pulsating, furious, aura.

Even though his eyes were closed, Lelouch could still see it. It was racing closer at an alarming rate. He was hurtling through the world of C, over desolate landscapes, floating platforms, lonely stars and images of cities, straight into the collective unconscious.

.:What was this?:.

.:This was death?:.

"Find it! Find the anomaly!" rasped Father, urgently. This was unexpected. There could be no exceptions, no anomalies. It had be dealt with. Trembling with rage, he called his children to him.

There would be no interferences.

Envy lurched as that strange wave blazed through him again, coughing. He instinctively knew Lust and Gluttony felt the same. The shockwaves only they could sense, a rip connected to the gate- it was an unfamiliar and twisting feeling, something new.

Gluttony pawed at his chest. Was it hunger?

Something was wrong.

"Find it!" he repeated as they sprung to their feet and ran, even as their footsteps faded.

There were small black hands, everywhere, grasping at him. Images were being shoved through his mind, places he'd never seen, things he'd never noticed. Formulas, feelings, incantations, techniques, unknown science, languages.

Pure knowledge was crammed into his brain, making him cry out in shock and pain. His head felt like it was about to explode! This wasn't possible! What was happening?

The last thing he heard was an eerie, unnatural laugh, like an distorted echo of his own.

.

The bright scarlet train raced along the tracks with the usual comforting hum of noise. Ed was staring out the window, head in hand.

Al sat across from him, sitting straight and still and looking for all the world like a suit of armor set down in the compartment. The city of New Optain was just now coming into view. Tall spires first, the infamous statues that- Ed lifted his head, staring in astonishment.

Al had the same reaction. "Brother! What is-"

The array was reacting prematurely? But that was impossible! But the sacrifices weren't ready yet! Father abruptly stood up from his carved throne. How? Why?

New Optain was glowing. It was one of the corners of the giant array Father had arranged, and that was where, admist the rubble of the city that Lelouch vi Britannia landed.