A/N: Happy New Year. A few days late but still relevant.

"As far as we can tell, they've either discovered teleportation or have a geass user. Given how this war started I vote the latter. With Lisbon in their hands we've retreated to Santarem, Evora, and are using Elvas as our stronghold and final line of defense, but we are currently at a standstill in Evora." Even with her seemingly flawless features, Lelouch could see the stress of war getting to his elder sister. That and they are having a conference late into the night, that he could not blame her tired state. He was feeling rather worn out too.

"A teleportation geass? That would be helpful, but I doubt anyone brainwashed by the Order would turn to our side," Lelouch sat up and stared intently at the laptop before him, "Just what we need, a powerful geass, and knight of round." He looked over the details of Cornelia's battle in Portugal. It was still an ongoing battle, and it was part of their plan to remove all Britannian forces from Europia.

With Cornelia and Warwick's leadership, they managed to push the Britannian forces into Portugal, then the most recent battle was in the city of Lisbon. It was expected to be a victory, but as Cornelia is currently informing him, it was their loss due to the appearance of a new geass user and a knight of round.

The knight of round was not unexpected given the severity of this war, but Lelouch believed the Emperor specifically sent the Knight of Nine in an attempt to appeal to Cornelia. Nonette Enneagram and Cornelia were old friends, so maybe the Emperor sent her to convince Cornelia to rejoin Britannia.

Now that was the most outlandish of ideas in Lelouch's mind given the emperor's lack of sentimental emotions, or any emotions for that matter. The most plausible reason of sending Nonette would be to evoke hesitation in Cornelia which would in turn give Nonette and the Britannian forces the upper hand.

Lelouch doubted such an attempt would work on Cornelia, but one can never be too careful, "With this sudden turn in events, I'll have to finish up my visit here in India sooner than expected."

Cornelia's face turned slightly sour after hearing his response, "Is this your way to kindly express your distrust in my abilities? I thought you said you will not be the leading force in this war."

Lelouch sighed as he realized what she meant, "Do not misunderstand, this operation is yours and yours alone. The sole reason I will go is for the geass user. After I deal with them, I will head to the Middle Eastern Federation to secure the next Thought Elevator since Xingke and Kallen recently reclaimed Iran."

Cornelia nodded in understanding, "Then that's it for this meeting. I'll inform you if anything drastic happens."

"Also inform me if anything happens with the Lancelot's new energy wings. Rakshata, Cecile, and Lloyd want to know any issues before they begin to mass produce them. They already have the Guren's ready, but want to be sure the technology does not have any potential errors before integrating it." The former prince explained.

"Very well." Cornelia agreed before ending the video call. As soon as the call ended, Lelouch leaned back, and released a sigh of tired relief. This was the third call of the night, and shorter than the last since it only lasted around an hour and a half unlike the UFN conference which spanned nearly four hours.

Ohgi was the second person to call him, and reported on any happenings in Japan, now formally known as the United States of Japan. After its liberation a few months ago, the name Area 11 was disbanded, it gained a new name, and its government was reformed into a democracy with a constitution. As for who was given the task to "rule" Japan, the council that consists of the members of the Kyoto House along with Ohgi and General Katase decided to leave it open due to the world's current state, they've decided to delay the election until after the war, but that did not stop them from beginning Japan's rebirth.

Euphemia li Britannia, now known as Euphemia Lamperouge after denouncing her claim to the throne, was given an honorary place on the Japanese council. She asked for this positions herself, so she could be a voice for the few Britannians who sympathized with the Japanese and all others who were oppressed with Britannia. Chief among these sympathizers was Ruben K. Ashford who acted as a voice of reason for his fellow countrymen who were unsure of which side to be on. The numbers were low, but there were some Britannians who joined the side of liberty against dictatorship.

This group of Britannians were greatly outnumbered in Japan by the number of Britannian loyalists which lead to several protests, and riots soon after Japan's liberation. These riots eventually ended peacefully with the aid of Euphemia, and most Britannians who were still loyal to their country and its ideologies quickly left the country, and returned to their estates back in the homeland.

Of course this left a lot of land and homes vacant in Japan, but this did not last long. It was mid-September when hundreds of thousands of Japanese who escaped eight years ago, returned to the land they once called home. This mass immigration came as a shock, but was quickly welcomed by the new council of Japan. Most of the immigrating Japanese were from the Europian ghettos which were dissolved after Europia joined the UFN.

The call from Ohgi was mainly to inform Lelouch on the progress of giving the returning Japanese a new life. It was a great obstacle but they were pushing through. General Katase also proposed they form a new Japan Self-Defense Force which as soon as it was announced gained public support, and thousands of recruits. In only three months Japan gained a stable defense with knightmares being supplied by China. Ashford Academy also opened up its doors to the entering Japanese which garnered support from the government. Overall great progress was made in Japan, and it seemed to only increase with the battles won throughout the world.

Lelouch sat comfortably for a few minutes thinking over the past few months, before standing, "No use in waiting, C.C. and I should leave for Portugal in the morning." He walked out of the living room, and into an adjacent room where C.C. slept calmly with Cheese-kun wrapped warmly in her hands. When he opened the door, light flooded the dark sleeping quarters garnering a groan from the sleeping immortal.

"Can't you be quieter…?" She grumbled before pulling the sheets over her head.

A small smile appeared on Lelouch's face as he quickly went to change into more comfortable clothes, "Your listlessness knows no bounds." He commented teasingly as he made his way to the other side of the bed.

C.C. mumbled something inaudible before shifting slighting, "That reminds me, your phone was ringing nonstop a few moments ago."

Lelouch stopped from slipping under the sheets, and quickly turned to the nightstand. He silently searched for the phone in complete darkness, and found it after a few seconds. His cellphone was meant for the most important calls, and usually involves people who knew he was Lelouch Lamperouge, "Why did you wait until now to tell me?" He stated as he flipped open his phone.

C.C. groaned again, "I was very comfortable, and you were busy with your important conferences."

Lelouch went through his phone noticing the missed calls, "Four missed calls from Sayoko? For her to call so late at night…something happened." Lelouch went to call the maid, but noticed the time she called him. He then realized why there were so many calls, and sighed tiredly, "Of course…today is January 1st , the new year. Nunnally probably wanted to wish me a happy new year, and even stayed up later due to the time difference. Great now I feel like an asshole."

"After knowing you for nearly two years, you are still a master of stating the obvious." C.C. commented.

"And you still seem to only speak when it befits you." Lelouch retorted.

"I will be honest, I never expected you to celebrate the New Year. That is something I will never understand, celebrating the coming of a new year, especially with you humans. I expect you to dread the new year since it pushes you closer to death, and is filled with the unknown." C.C. explained.

"I never was keen on the giant parties, and counting the seconds on New Year's Eve, but given who I go to school with, I was unwillingly pulled into it. Nunnally also enjoyed celebrating; she believed each year brought great possibility, and it was a sort of rebirth. Unlike you, who years are nothing but passing moments, we mortals take each one as a challenge sorts. A challenge to better ourselves, to resolve everything that wronged us in the past. We only have so many years ahead of us, so we try to make the best of them." Lelouch found himself growing nostalgic which was strange for someone like him.

"Strange time to be philosophical, but who am I to judge? My time stopped centuries ago, so I cannot relate to your traditions. You mention you were pulled into the chaos of New Year's Eve by the student council, knowing that president I am sure it was amusing." C.C. said.

"As much as you talk about not understanding or caring, you seem to be very curious." Lelouch pointed amount teasingly.

C.C. turned away from him burying herself further in the blankets, "I have no idea what you mean…"

Lelouch only snorted in chuckled in response as he joined the woman in the bed, "Then I apologize for the next minute, because it seems I've grown rather nostalgic, so humor me won't you?" Lelouch slipped under the sheets, and faced the ceiling, "Milly's ideas only escalate every year, but I remember back in 2016 on New Year's Eve, she really outdid herself. There was a huge festival, vendors, games, all of that. It was sane until two hours before midnight when Milly announced a competition." Lelouch's nostalgic reminiscence halted momentarily as he thought of that night.

"The competition involved dressing up as chickens to then chase chickens," The image of himself and the other council members in chicken costumes brought a smile to Lelouch's face "Of course, being Milly, there had to be a reward. The reward was getting the "New Year Kiss" from Milly. It goes without saying several male students jumped at the chance, and I reluctantly participated after Rivalz begged me for help." Lelouch's tale was interrupted by the soft giggling coming from C.C.

"That would be a sight to behold, but why chickens? That seems like an odd choice." C.C. asked.

"2017 was the year of the rooster in the Chinese zodiac, and Milly found out. Once that girl grabs onto something she holds onto with an iron grip. I remember that day so vividly yet it feels like it was decades ago…" Although he spoke with a feigned exasperated tone, Lelouch couldn't help but get lost in his memories, "I just realized Milly graduated this year…back in June. Whenever I return, I'm sure she'll give me a mouth full for not being there."

"It was your own fault, you refused to visit them when we liberated Japan." C.C. reminded.

Lelouch sighed once again, "My reasons were justified. We still do not know if every Britannian who chose to stay in Japan is trustworthy, so I had to be cautious. As much as I'd like to praise my ambiguity and secrecy, it would not take a genius to notice how my return coincides with Zero's."

"Yet you risked everything to visit Nunnally." C.C. remarked slyly.

Lelouch was rendered silent as his reasoning was destroyed, "That was different. Sayoko and I planned the meeting with the upmost caution, and we considered every possibility. We understood Tokyo was unsafe, so we decided to meet in Karuizawa, vehicles can be tracked so they took the train, and I flew there. I planned several escapes if we were suddenly ambushed, and since it was only the three of us, it was much easier to be discreet."

"I was only joking, so there is no need to defend yourself like a criminal caught red handed." C.C. stated.

"You witch…I don't know why I constantly play into your hands. You'd think I would learn after knowing you for this long. Anyway I've talked too much, I should get at least a few hours of sleep before we leave in the morning." Lelouch said nonchalantly before shifting to find a comfortable position.

Another groan from C.C. stopped him, "I thought we were staying in India for a few more days."

"Plan changed after Cornelia reported on a new geass user in Portugal. Apparently they are what caused the loss in Lisbon." Lelouch explained.

"You're insisting on being the so called "messiah" who rids the world of geass." C.C.'s tone was slightly condescending, underlined with a hint of anger. This change in tone did not go unnoticed by Lelouch, and this was not the first time C.C. seemed to show disdain for his goal.

"I am no messiah. I am nothing, but a brother who wishes to grant his sister's wish. To create a perfect wo—"

"Yeah, yeah, "every evil must be vanquished", I've heard this many times, no need to repeat yourself." C.C. basically snapped as Lelouch went on. If it was not pitch black within the room, C.C. would see Lelouch's very confused face staring at her form.

"Normally I would take this as you being grumpy due to your interrupted sleep, but this is not the first time you've grown angry with me. Why the change of heart? You agreed with me, back when you found me after the incident with Mao, yet now the mere mention of me eliminating geass gains your ire." Lelouch sill lay on the bed, but was now turned towards C.C.

"I never remember agreeing, I just said I'd accompany you as part of our contract. Your ambition is still lunacy, but nothing I say will cure your insanity, so I don't waste my breath." C.C. replied.

"Insanity? If you think I'll end up like Mao you're wrong. I've trained with this power, and know how to control it. It will not take hold of me like Mao's." Lelouch clarified.

Now it was C.C. who released a sigh, "That is not the point you fool…Now sleep or leave. I'm done with this useless chatter."

Lelouch went to retort, but felt it would only worsen the situation, so he shifted his body to face away from C.C. Lelouch pondered on what made the woman next to him so angry, but he could not think of the reason behind it. This pondering kept him awake for an unknown amount of time, and eventually he slowly started to drift off to sleep.

As his mind was transitioning into the realm of dreams, a flash of images and voices appeared.

"You are still a code bearer…" Followed by a bubbly gargle, then followed by a flash of red.

"All which remains is Zero, the sole emperor of the world."

He then jolted awake, but was stopped from sitting up by the sleeping woman who unconsciously attached herself to him. He realized he was breathing rapidly, possibly hyperventilating, and quickly worked to stabilize his breathing. After a few seconds it returned to normal, allowing Lelouch to take a few breaths to calm himself.

He could feel himself sweating, and the extra warmth brought by the body leaning against him did not help, but it seemed like C.C. did not wake up, so he didn't want to risk waking her.

"Damn…" He whispered out loud, "I thought I rid myself of those nightmares months ago…maybe I'm stressed?" The nightmare was a recurring one. He had many nightmares, and in time they all faded, but this one was an exception. It did not happen every night, nowadays it was very scarce, but when it did happen, it felt realer than usual. It was probably his argument with C.C. that triggered it, but he wondered why…

Then it hit him, harder than anything else, "How could I be so oblivious?" He spoke to himself.

He understood why C.C. grew sour when he spoke of destroying geass, especially when he spoke with such distaste towards the supernatural ability. He placed his hand on C.C.'s sleeping head, "You were alone for so long, so now when you've found some companionship, you are afraid you'll lose it yet are too stubborn to admit it." He whispered with complete sincerity and kindness, "You call me a fool, but you are a bigger fool than I. You are a fool to think after everything, I would betray you. I could never turn against my closest ally, my dearest witch." Honestly he expected her to reply, probably a snarky comment about how he was an idiot to trust her, or how she was merely passing time, but she was still sleeping peacefully.

"I guess I'll apologize in the morning." Lelouch finished before closing his eyes and drifting into a deep sleep.

When his breathing reached a certain rhythm indicating his slumber, a grateful and joyful smile graced C.C.'s "sleeping" face, "You are such a strange boy…" She whispered before joining him.

The End… (Not really though. Keep reading…if you want. You do you.)

A Few Weeks Later: January 24th, 2019

When he first arrived in Evora a few weeks ago, the Britannian forces did not move from Lisbon, so Cornelia suggested they move forward. They ended up fighting in the small city of Montemor-o-Novo which was in between Evora and Lisbon.

It was unsettling the small amount of enemy troops they fought, not even Nonette was present. Cornelia deduced they were fortifying Lisbon, and having Montemor-o-Novo was a distraction, but they were so wrong.

A knightmare appeared in the skies above. It was golden with red lining, and was similar to the Lancelot in terms of how it functioned. It wielded two MVS, and equipped some sort of device which destroyed knightmares with ease. The greatest surprise was the float system which although obsolete compared to the Lancelot's wings, still gave it an upper hand.

Even with the new knightmare's similar design, the Lancelot was still superior, and Suzaku's skills were unmatched, but the fight ended unexpectedly when the Lancelot suddenly fell out of the sky. Everyone watched in shock as the Lancelot plummeted, but Lelouch's shock was short lived when he saw how the new knightmare went into destroy the Lancelot.

Quickly thinking Zero reached out with his power, and pulled the cockpit away from danger. The new knightmare noticed too late, but still destroyed the Lancelot with his elbow mounted weapon. By saving Suzaku, Zero unknowingly revealed his location which allowed Jeremiah Gottwald to make his move. The forces were retreating to Evora, so Zero went to follow but then his armor fell apart and disappeared, leaving him vulnerable.

He was utterly shocked something which his adversary noticed, garnering an audible, triumphant laugh from the cyborg. When he heard the laughter, he turned to face Jeremiah and was shocked to see the man alive. It was over a year ago when Jeremiah disappeared, assumed dead. He then noticed the strange device on the man's left eye. It was a moment of confusion, but then he saw it; the inverted, blue geass symbol present in Jeremiah's left eye.

After deactivating Lelouch's geass, the former lord wasted no time, and went to attack with a blade erupting from his arm. His attack was stopped by an explosion which erupted into a bloom of smoke. Lelouch used this as his escape, and ran from the scene. He then noticed the Alexanders perched atop the various buildings. W-0 and other reinforces finally arrived giving Lelouch a small sense of relief as they retreated. When he made it to the outskirts of the city, he reactivated his geass and flew to Evora.

When he arrived in Evora, he questioned Suzaku on what happened, and the boy explained how he did not know. According to Suzaku, one second he was going to strike, the next he was in an ejected cockpit, and he had no memory of what happened in between. They were now at a loss since the Lancelot, their main leading force, was destroyed and Zero was somehow compromised.

The calm lasted no more than a handful of hours before the Knight of Nine appeared with more Britannian forces, among them the faux-Lancelot and Jeremiah. Before they arrived Zero contemplated several courses of action, and was at a loss. It was impossible for him to near Jeremiah without being affected by his geass.

There was also the issue of the golden knightmare which was near Jeremiah. Lelouch speculates the pilot's geass is what caused the Lancelot to fall out of the sky, but he was not sure due to Suzaku's lack of memories.

As he walked through the town center he saw the various refugees who were forced out of their homes by the war. He thought nothing of them, but then his eyes landed on a specific man. The male was calmly walking with the hordes of people, a straw hat tilted down to hide his face. Lelouch realized who it was and smiled. It seemed luck was on his side.

When the battle started Jeremiah quickly activated his canceller. Lelouch was hidden near Jeremiah, but it still reached him. It gave him an idea on its range which he determined was over a hundred yards. Jeremiah quickly found Lelouch (not like he was really hiding) thus starting the chase.

Various explosions rang in the distance followed by the sound of gunfire. Lelouch did not hesitate to run through the labyrinth-like streets of Evora. Jeremiah followed him closely, just as Lelouch planned.

"Zero!"

Lelouch ducked into an alley to catch his breath, "Leila, what's wrong?"

The W-0 commander spoke with urgency through his headset, "What happened? Naruse saw you deactivate your armor."

"Oi Zero!" Ryo Sayama's voiced followed, "Where are you? Yukiya saw you haul ass away from the fight."

"Actually it seems he doesn't have his armor anymore." Yukiya joined in.

Lelouch peered over the corner, looking for the angry Jeremiah before bolting out of the ally, "Yukiya saw correctly. My geass was deactivated by Jeremiah."

"How is that possible? Does he have a geass as well?" Leila expressed her disbelief.

"No…I fear it's worse than that. It is possible Britannia managed to reverse engineer geass, which will only be disastrous for us." Lelouch explained as he continued running towards the meeting location.

"That doesn't make any sense!" Ryo shouted, "I thought you said geass was supernatural or some shit. How the hell could they reverse engineer it?"

"Honestly I do not know, but Jeremiah's geass is very different from what I know. The Geass Order's biggest purpose was to investigate geass and its power. When we raided their headquarters, we found out that much, but now that they moved to Britannia we cannot know their progress, but with Jeremiah we can assume the worst." Lelouch finished speaking before he ran into another alley to catch his breath.

"Ryo, Yukiya, rejoin with Ashley, Akito, and I. We are currently fighting the golden knightmare!" Ayano's voice joined causing Lelouch to freeze.

"You three get out of there! Do not engage that knightmare! He's a geass user, so do not engage!" Lelouch shouted.

Akito and Ayano quickly retreated, but Ashley remained, "If you think I'll run like some coward, than you know nothing Zero!" Ashley shouted as his Alexander charged.

"Ashley you idiot get back!" Ayano shouted, but her comrade ignored her.

Akito quickly equipped his rifle and aimed it at the enemy. Both he and Ayano were now several feet away from the two battling knightmare. After a quick trade of blows, the knightmare stepped back to collect themselves, "This asshole isn't half bad!" Ashley shouted happily. Then red rings appeared around his eyes, and he froze.

From Akito's and Ayano's point of view, the Alexander completely froze after it stepped back. Akito didn't hesitate in firing his rifle which halted the golden knightmare's assault. Ayano then maneuvered her Alexander to jump through the air, and smash into the opposing knightmare.

"Ashley! Are you okay?!" Ayano shouted but received no reply.

Within Ashley's cockpit, he sat their unmoving with his features seemingly frozen. After a second the red rings around his pupils faded, and he unfroze, "What the hell?! What just happened?" He asked.

"No time, just get moving!" Ayano replied as she followed Akito in a retreat. Ashley sat confused momentarily before following his friends.

"Zero, I think their geass lets them freeze people, and it seems to only work within a certain range." Akito spoke in a calm and quiet voice despite the current situation.

Lelouch heard this, and found it reasonable. It made sense with what he's seen, and what has happened, "Than it's a good idea I separated them…I have favor to ask of W-0. I need you to distract that knightmare until I tell you otherwise. Keep your distance, and use long ranged attacks to avoid their geass. I need to deal with Jeremiah and his geass canceller before I deal with that knightmare."

"Why don't you just tear it apart now?" Ashley commented.

"It is clear those two were sent to deal with me. One removes my impenetrable armor, the other freezes me long enough to kill me, perfect plan. Even if I were to charge that knightmare, I'll be frozen before I damage it. My powers will not reach it if I am far away, so there isn't really anything I could do."

"It's possible to fly over it, since it is keeping to the ground due to our artillery and anti-air." Akito suggested.

"I could, but Jeremiah is already trailing behind me. If I were to fly over his head, I would be vulnerable to his geass which would then send to my death. I know this is a lot to ask, but I promise to dispose of Jeremiah quickly."

"This will work, but they cannot keep it up forever." Leila added.

"I know, but they do not need much time. My plan will soon be executed." Lelouch said as he arrived at his destination. He activated his geass, allowing the armor to surround him before turning the corner.

Waiting there was a blonde male teenager about his age who dressed as a civilian, and who leaned against the building's wall. He faced the armored figure, his green eyes unknowingly meeting Lelouch's. "You took your time, Zero."

Jeremiah followed Zero closely, but lost sight of him for a few minutes. He realized how Zero ran towards the eastern part of the city away from the fighting which was mainly in the west and northern part. A big portion of the fighting was ariybd the Knight of Nine and Cornelia who were currently clashing. His thinking stopped when he turned the corner to find Zero running down the street.

It slightly baffled him that Zero was a teenager but he didn't really care who was behind the mask. Zero was his enemy, and he would loyally follow his orders in Lady Marianne's honor.

Jeremiah chased Zero into another narrow alley which then ended at a fence. Zero looked around for a way out, but found nothing, so he turned to face Jeremiah, "So you are Zero. Honestly I am unimpressed." Jeremiah stopped walking a few feet away.

Lelouch stared at him angrily with his violet eyes narrowing, "Would you prefer I get into my armor? It would be pointless since you can deactivate it at any time. That's a very unique geass, did V.V. give it to you?"

Jeremiah smiled confidently, "Trying to gain information? Even when facing death you waste your breath." A blade extended from Jeremiah's forearm.

Lelouch eyed the blade curiously, "You were given prosthetics? No…you were completely rebuilt. You're more machine than man now. What an idiot to allow V.V. and that order experiment on you."

Jeremiah eyed the boy cautiously. Something was not right, "At this point you are only stalling, aren't you?"

Lelouch's serious expression changed when he smiled, "You couldn't be more right."

Jeremiah readied himself, believing a knightmare or Europian forces were going to ambush him, but then a powerful weight forced him to the ground. He was pushed to his knees before the weight increased, and he was forced to lay face down, "What is this…" He grunted in pain.

He used all his cybernetic strength to push himself up, but the weight was too much. He struggled to look at the boy in front of him due to his face being pressed against the pavement.

"You fool…your geass is useless against me." Jeremiah's left eye opened revealing the inverted geass symbol. The weight then disappeared allowing Jeremiah to push himself up. His limbs shook violently, and he felt liquid dripping down his face. He faced Zero again, snarling like a beast, but was left flabbergasted when he saw who stood there. The raven haired boy was gone replaced by a blonde civilian.

"Who are you?! Where is Zero?!" Jeremiah shouted. He attempted to stand, but his left leg gave out on him forcing him to kneel. Then the weight returned and he his face kissed the concrete again. He fought again, but it only caused severe pain.

"Jeremiah Gottwald, to think you are still alive after so long." Zero spoke causing Jeremiah to tense. The cyborg went to activate his geass canceller, but Zero quickly sent him flying out of the alley and across the street. Jeremiah smashed through a white brick wall and landed in a garden courtyard. Jeremiah struggled to stand, and could barely kneel

Back at the alley's entrance Zero turned to the blonde behind him, "Thank you Oz. I apologize for bringing you into this."

"I just repaid you for saving Euliya and I back in Hungary, and I am not in this. I already told you I am not a part of this war." Oz expressed.

Zero nodded, "And I respect that, but still thank you for doing this. I hope you and Euliya the best, and maybe after this war is over we can meet for a celebration."

Oz turned to leave, a smile adorning his features, "I hope that means you'll win this war. I don't want my future children to live in a war torn Europia."

Lelouch smiled too, "I'll try not to disappoint." With that Orpheus too off to regroup with the refugees being moved to Elvas.

Zero shook his head, "He would be a great ally." Thinking back when he first met the two lovers.

He met Orpheus Zevon, and his lover Euliya a year ago in Hungary. He and C.C. were on their way to first meet Leila, but sidetracked when C.C. sensed a very faint sign of geass. This small signal was enough for Lelouch to investigate, and they ended up in a small, uncharted town. When they first confronted Orpheus he acted defensively, believing them to be agents from the Geass Order who came to kill him.

After they explained who they were, and why Lelouch wished to know the full extent of Orpheus' geass history, the blonde accepted reluctantly. Orpheus and his lover, Euliya, explained their involvement with the order and how they were taken there as young children and against their will. Then how they escaped, and how they travelled for months before settling in the small village.

Lelouch believed there story, and asked Orpheus and Euliya to swear to never use their Geass again. The two easily agreed, and Lelouch decided to leave them be, demeaning them peaceful and honest. From what Orpheus explained, his geass was very unique and very dangerous. Absolute Transformation, a geass which allows Orpheus to take the appearance of anyone he chose, down to the very mannerisms.

Though it was greatly flawed by its 5 minute duration, and with its one hour resting period after every usage. Even then with that ability Orpheus and Euliya could live a much better life, but they insisted they were happy as they were, so who was Lelouch to try and convince them?

He and C.C. were a good ways away from the village, but then they noticed the smoke rising in the distance, and Lelouch rushed to the village leaving C.C. to watch the cart. Four Sutherlands burned down the village, and killed the rest of the villagers, but he arrived in time to save Orpheus and Euliya who were hiding in an old cellar. He assumed the small group of Sutherlands were more of a splinter-cell like group sent in to covertly kill the escaped geass users.

Orpheus and Euliya were extremely grateful, and Orpheus even more so to the point of insisting some sort of repayment. All Lelouch asked for was a favor; favor which was saved for another time. He also reassured Orpheus that it would not involve fighting, after noticing his uncertain expression.

They salvaged what they could, and took a wagon once belonging to a now dead villager before setting off. Orpheus and Euliya remained away from the big cities, and constantly moved out of fear of being found again. Eventually they ended up in Portugal before the war, and coincidently were part of the refugees leaving Evora.

Zero looked toward the fallen wall, and made his way over to it.

Jeremiah finally noticed the leaking oil and blood coming off him, showing him how truly injured he was. He then heard a crunching noise come from the fallen wall he crashed through, and quickly activated his canceller.

He watched Zero's armor disappear leaving the casually dressed teenager he was chasing without protection, "You are foolish Zero, to face me without your geass." Jeremiah finally stood, but tumbled when he tried to step forward.

He kept himself from falling down by stabbing his arm blade into the ground for support. He looked down and saw his right lower leg crumbled to scraps. He faced Zero again who still stood a few feet away; at this rate he won't reach Zero on time.

"Now that I know more about your geass, I feel foolish for running. It really isn't all that threatening, when I distance myself from your partner in that golden knightmare. I will commend your plan, it was well thought out, but not executed correctly. I feel you allowed your vengeance get the best of you."

Jeremiah looked at him incredulously, "Vengeance? This has nothing to do with vengeance." The injured cyborg took a shaky step forward which made Lelouch tense slightly.

"If not vengeance then what? Loyalty? Then tell me what made you so loyal to V.V. and the Emperor? Is it because they gave you geass." Lelouch was speaking with such a condescending tone that only worked to make Jeremiah angrier.

"I have my reasons. I have my resolve to see this through…tell me Zero…why do hold such hatred for Britannia and the Emperor?" Jeremiah took another step before launching himself at Lelouch, ready to lung his blade through the boy, "Why have you turned against your country!" He shouted as his blade collided with Lelouch's armored forearm. Lelouch managed to barely beat the cyborg's enhanced speed, and grew angry as his adversary pressed down on his arm.

Before Jeremiah activated his geass canceller, Lelouch sent him crashing into the opposing building a split second before Jeremiah's canceller took effect. He stood tall and faced the injured Jeremiah, "As if I could love a country which threw me away!"

Jeremiah raised his head, confused by Lelouch's sudden outburst, "What are you saying?"

"I hate Britannia because I am Lelouch vi Britannia. My father allowed my mother's death, and allowed Nunnally to be paralyzed. It's because of him Nunnally and I lost everything…our mother, our futures! That is why I became Zero…to create a world where my father's tyranny will never take hold! I became Zero to kill my father." Lelouch finished his monologue, but did not expect the relieved laughter to erupt from Jeremiah.

"Of course…it all makes sense. I now understand why you seemed so familiar…you did this for Lady Marianne." Jeremiah supported himself with his arm blade again.

"I'm so sorry, Master Lelouch…I was in Aries Villa, it was my first assignment, yet I failed to protect Lady Marianne. I failed to carry through with my loyalty…forgive me Master Lelouch, I failed in protecting Lady Marianne." Jeremiah was on the verge of tears as he spoke with such passion.

"Jeremiah…then why are following V.V.?" Lelouch asked.

Jeremiah met his eyes, "Due to my failure I grew angry, then when I heard of the death of Lady Marianne's children, I was lost in my own grief…I believed everything I did was in honor of Lady Marianne, but in the end I ended up nearly killing her son. Please Master Lelouch, kill me so I must repent for my dishonorable acts…If I am struck down by you, I will die with no regrets."

Lelouch watched him with uncertainty. Jeremiah seemed to be speaking honestly, if his tears were anything to go by. He had to test Jeremiah's honesty, so he activated his geass. In less than a second his obsidian armor covered him, and his jet black cloak protected him like a sentient barrier. He stopped a few feet away from Jeremiah, close enough to be struck down should Jeremiah activate his canceller. He stood ready for an attack, but nothing came.

Then Jeremiah moved, and Zero tensed, but the cyborg did not attack instead he got down on both knees and lowered his head, "Know Master Lelouch…that I only followed Lady Marianne. I created the Purist Faction believing I could avenge Lady Marianne's children…yet here you stand. I thank you for doing this…"

Zero stared at the broken man with his emotionless mask before raising his hand. Jeremiah closed his eyes believing this to be his end, but after a few seconds nothing came, "This world is very cruel…and humans are very corruptible. True loyalty seems to be a forgotten ideal today, but as I stand here I know that is not completely lost. If you truly wish to repent, then serve me with undying devotion. Prove to me the worth of your steadfast loyalty."

Jeremiah was now looking at Zero with disbelief, but then Lelouch removed the helmet allowing Jeremiah to see Lelouch staring down at him with his eyes glowing crimson, "So Jeremiah Gottwald shall you be my knight?"

Jeremiah bowed his head, "I am unworthy, but I shall faithfully serve you until the second I die."

Lelouch's head was encased by the helmet once again, "Then from this moment forward… you are the Knight of Zero."

THE END...

A/N: Thank you for reading. I know this rather late to be related to New Years, but I got ahead of myself and didn't stop. I know characters might seem OOC, and I apologize. This was originally meant to be New Year fluff piece, but I let the excitement of the new season get to me.