Chapter 1

Code Geass is the intellectual property of Sunrise Studios. No financial profit is made from this story.

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The men and women sat around the table, ornate oak leaves and intricate carving unnoticed to the naked eye carved into the cypress wood of it. They were people of great standing and power, people who wielded vast influence in the media and financial sectors. Each of them masters that had earned the right to the Mantle, through struggle and hardship.

In the new world order that had arisen in the years since the Empress Nunnally had ascended to the throne of Britannia, new nations had formed as the people rebuilt their homes, ruined by years of war and the oppressive rule of old Britannia.

They stood up in unison as the grand master entered. He walked with a confident gait, the grace of centuries of living visible in his indomitable stride. He sat down at the head of the table, noting the presence of all assembled.

"So...it's true then, what's been said?" a woman of Arabic descent asked, tone uneasy. Her name was Rania, a Palestinian woman from the ancient city of three religions. Ancient Jerusalem, the crossroads of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. She was among the first of the masters, easily more than a thousand years of age, though she didn't look older than 30.

"That Lelouche vi Britannia is alive? Absolutely. Were he here I would applaud his cunning but as the case is now, we need to find him first" the grand master spoke easily, face calm and collected, eyes unreadable.

"That means that the Code still exists doesn't it? That the power of Geass still endures?" a large man spoke rapidly. Perhaps too eagerly, for the grand master squarely met his gaze and looked at him intensely, eyes boring into his mind.

"And why would you be so eager to learn more about the Code and the 'Power of Kings', the Geass, Amshel? We're here to observe and to act as we see fit. No more. No less. We observe as we've done for centuries. That is the way of the Diamond Lotus."

"But why else seek him if not for his power?" the man called Amshel asked once more, eager to press his point. He continued. "With it, we can change the world, put ourselves in a position where we may dictate the terms we best see fit. Surely you can see that Alamgir! We have the Mantle. For centuries the Code and the Geass have been beyond our reach but by uniting them with the Mantle, by controlling them, we can create our own utopia. It would be -"

"Enough" Alamgir spoke softly, the force of his voice filling the room. Alamgir considered the options inside his mind. Even after all these centuries there still arose from the council a master whose youth and impetuosity tested his patience. He hadn't learnt, even after a century of life.

Alamgir had walked with legends, in the time of Charlemagne and the Ottoman Empire, his memories stretching even further back still, to times when as a youth he'd sat at the feet of Gautama Buddha himself. To the trek with the prophet Isa, known to the Brittanians and Europeans as Jesus as he walked toward his destiny, the fated crucifixion upon the hill of Golgotha. To times when he'd sat at the feet of Plato himself.

Ageless eyes met Amshel's and he saw a fiery ambition, so unlike the others. The others he'd selected and granted the gift of the Mantle, for as the grand master of the Diamond Lotus it was his charge, to seek and to grant those who could live in the open, forever watching humanity, its follies and triumphs.

The hidden side of history that no one else bothered to follow was theirs to observe and record. In times of great crisis, only then did they act to protect their interests, their agenda, which was none other than humanity's survival. In his long experience, he'd seen many things. And now, in the eyes of the Brittanian he'd made a master, he saw a terrible ambition.

He would watch Amshel for now. Living for so long had forged his patience into a weapon, an accumulated reservoir of experience and memory that granted him knowledge beyond human ken. That he ever, if rarely, acted against rogue masters caused many people to underestimate him abilities. For when he did, with the power of the Mantle, he left no witnesses or survivors.

"Amshel, there is a reason why the three are kept separate. Have you ever heard of the Ulthaj? Of Azaluhaiz the Sleeping? Perhaps I will tell you the tale of the man who taught me all that I knew, who passed onto me the Mantle of the Diamond Lotus. His name isn't important, for he had many names. People knew him as En Sabah Nur, the 'First Light at the Break of Dawn'. It was he who made me grand master in his stead. But it is also a story for another time. For now, even immortal, we must live in the present, and time demands we leave soon. I have a flight to catch and this was meant as a short conference. Now our agenda..."

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As they left the room Rania came up to him, looping her arms through his. He responded, embracing her around the waist. They'd been friends for centuries, occasional lovers for the past decade and confidantes to the other. It was a comfortable intimacy that engendered no discomfort.

"Your nephew is the agent looking for our lost little emperor I take it?" Rania asked wryly, a grin on her face. "How's he doing?"

"He's doing as well as could be expected. It seems that like his mother, he wishes to contribute to the greater good of society."

"He's a doctor?"

"No. He spent a good part of his youth fighting for the Indian Resistance. After they formally became an independent military and joined up with the Black Knights, he decided to leave and pursue his dream."

"And that was?" she asked inquisitively.

"A teacher."

"So he's at Ashford now. Lelouche's old school. But why?" she asked, slightly puzzled.

"Because my dear woman, Kallen Kozuki, the former ace of the Black Knights, is also a teacher there. If you remember, six years ago I was involved in observing them. Quite an interesting dynamic that Lelouche had with all those women around him. A man worthy of being emperor who wasn't corrupted by that power like so many others. VV and CC with their Geass Order maintained the balance while I watched. Both have known me for as long as they have lived and not once did I intervene as they played their games with Charles and Marianne, with all the Geass users before. He is an interesting man and I intend to find him."

"True. But I want to know how he survived? How did you find this out? And why do you wish to find him?"

Alamgir smiled. "Now that is a question for you to find out, and for me to hear your answer. Perhaps over dinner tonight at the Ascott?"

Rania smiled. "Always the charmer like your brother. And yes, I accept the offer of dinner."

Alamgir grinned roguishly. "Great. Because you're the one paying"

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Kallen ran her hands through her hair, utterly irritated as she looked at the marks. Were her students actually that stupid? She'd dropped enough hints about the test yet they hopelessly picked all the wrong answers.

She looked up at the photo of her and her comrades in their uniforms, a small smile coming to her face. She wasn't part of the the Black Knights any longer, for this wasn't a world that needed war. Lelouche's sacrifice had made sure of that, fulfilling the dream he'd had for Nunally. In the end he'd saved everyone but himself.

Like Nunally, his death had him her hard for she hadn't realised the depth of emotions she'd held for him. Only later, as she'd watched Nunally's coronation as Empress of Britannia, with Princess Cornelia, Prince Schneizel and Zero at her side had she realised how much she'd loved him.

For to have hated him as much as she did, for all his betrayals and manipulations, she had to have loved him. Hate wasn't the opposite of love. Apathy was. Had she not loved him, she'd have not cared a single iota as he'd died. Or shed tears for him as she did. As a piece of her heart had disappeared.

But she did. She'd moved on and lived, respecting his sacrifice and memory. As he'd told her, just before Rolo had rescued him; "You must live on." Those whispered words which she'd kept in her heart all these years.

As her eyes wandered across the montage of photos pasted on her desk, a nagging thought scratched at the back of her mind. She had an appointment today. She was supposed to do something...Then it her. With a screech she leapt up and raced for the door, alarming her colleagues in the staff room. She was supposed to pick up her godson from daycare.

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She raced through the halls of Ashford Academy in a panic, taking stairs three at a time as she sprinted to the car park, barely avoiding the students as they rushed from class to class. She'd totally forgotten to pick him up and now she desperately ran, hoping to get a taxi to Shinjuku as fast as possible. David Ohgi, son of Kaname Ohgi, the Prime Minister of Japan and Viletta Nu, a vice-commander of the Black Knights, was her godson.

Needless to say, cute and all of 4 years old, he absolutely adored his godmother, Aunty Kal and she could do no less for the precocious youngster than by picking him up and bringing him ice-skating. The fact of the matter was that being a teacher with a schedule like hers (e.g. being the Teacher-in-Charge of the Swim Team Soccer Club while trying to teach Higher Mathematics and Physics) simply caused her already cluttered mind to overflow. It was rather like a buffer overflow on a Microsoft OS, except it was happening to her mind right now.

In her hurry she slammed into something or more likely someone and sent both of them sprawling. Muttering desperate apologies, she picked up the scattered contents of her handbag and looked up, coming face to face with Navin.

He was the latest addition to the staff, the new history and physical education teacher who'd been charged with whipping the sophomore history class into shape after their rather dismal performance the year before.

He was also a handsome man in his early 20's, just like her. Though for all his looks, his orientation was hotly debated among the other women staffers of Ashford and some of the men. He was handsome in a slightly classical sort of way, eyes a deep chocolate colour with an aquiline nose and skin a light shade of cocoa tan, with lips...

"Kallen, are you okay?" he asked worriedly and suddenly the spell was broken. Kallen shook her head in embarrassment, realising that all the time, she'd been staring at his face. What was his name? Navin. Yes. That was it.

It got even redder as she realised how close their faces were to each others, his soft breath tickling her nose. Rising rapidly, she accidentally head butted him and sent him sprawling once more. Clutching her hands over her mouth, she apologised profusely as she helped him up.

Groaning, he nodded in acceptance. "What's the rush Kallen? You look like you're running from an axe murderer?"

"I'm so sorry Navin. I'm really sorry. But right now I'm in a rush. I'm late to pick up my godson and-"

"I'm actually headed out to buy some lunch. Maybe I can drop you off. Right now getting a taxi is hopeless and with traffic as it is...well, I'll give you a lift there. How about it?" Navin asked, smiling lightly.

"I'm headed to Shinjuku Mall. That's where -"

"I'm heading to get some lunch. Given that you've caused me to fall head over heels for you twice, first by collision then by a head butt, how about you buy me some lunch while you're over there?" he asked cheekily.

Without even considering Kallen accepted as she hurriedly nodded, her frazzled mind not taking in the words while he handed her a motorcycle helmet. Hopping onto the back, she checked the time as he revved up his bike and sped out of Ashford.

It was only later as she went over the conversation, hands firmly gripping the seat of the motorcycle that she gave an inwards groan. She'd just unexpectedly turned the entire episode into a lunch date.

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Lelouche woke up gasping for air, clawing at his blankets, seeking something...anything to save him. The nightmares came to him. Fragments that cut and stabbed at his sleep, ever since that time.

His surroundings were warm, enclosing. Comfortable. It was like a watery womb that enclosed him. Then he began to see the lights, the flashes that overtook him. Memories came to him of being stabbed. He felt the blade as it pierced his skin, cutting through muscle and flesh and bone.

The warm flow of blood as it escaped from the wound could be felt. He felt the blade pierce cleanly through, severing his spine. And then, he fell. He heard vague words, the chants of "Zero!Zero!" echoing in his ears. He heard Nunally's plaintive cries. He smiled.Everything had gone as planned. He felt a warm hand enclose his. Nunally grasping his hand, crying for him.

Memories of a dark place, of a place where he had met those he had killed, had been responsible for. Shirley. Rolo. Marianne. Charles. VV. But then from that peaceful oblivion a vast force had pulled him, a being of light who'd drawn him out of the realm were none were alone, saying only that his destiny lay unfulfilled.

But always, it came back to Nunally's crying. To someone else crying...

"She was crying for me" he whispered before he felt the warm arms embrace him. CC...no, that was not her true name. Her name...

"Lelouche, were you having those nightmares again?" Caramia whispered softly, strands of green hair concealing her face. She began to sing a soft lullaby,a song of her childhood. A song that had been sung to her as a child by her mother, its words soft and lilting. When she had been cursed with her Geass to 'be loved', yet never knowing its the warmth and happiness of true love, deceived at the very end by the only woman she'd ever trusted, she who'd 'gifted' her with their contract. But this song...this song was born of genuine love.

Until she'd met him and her life had irrevocably changed. She had desired to die until he'd made her promise not to do so, at least not until he had made her smile. And make her smile she did. For 700 years she'd wandered the world, forever distanced from those around her, in her heart always seeking to fill the void within.

When she'd met Lelouche, that void had been filled, until she saw his final plan. His plan to die. But by then it was too late to stop him. She'd cried as he fell from his throne, the masked Zero, the Knight of Zero, claiming his place as Nunally's knight, as Lelouche had always planned.

Then he had come to her. Founder of the Diamond Lotus, the one of many names. The one who'd granted Alamgir the Mantle. The first immortal who'd walked the world when humanity was young. He who had crafted the first temples, the master of the Code and the Geass. En Sabah Nur. The man who had witnessed the rise and fall of the Roman Empire, who had taught Plato and Socrates, who had fought side by side with Alexander the Great as his general and counsel, Kratisteros.

And he had come to her as she sat upon the rock, looking out upon the ancient Swiss castle where she'd been born a slave girl, bastard child of a nobleman and a serving maid. And offered her a choice of happiness. At first she had been suspicious but as she listened, a hope she'd thought lost long ago resurfaced in her heart. And he had seen into the well of her heart and smiled, fulfilling her wish unconditionally.

He'd brought back one of the few men she'd ever come to love. Lelouche. Her contractor. Her partner. Her warlock. Her lover.

"If you're a witch..then I'm your warlock. We're accomplices".

And then one day she'd found him, shivering in thin clothes in a field of white flowers, the wind whipping at his body. Distraught and panicked, the man she'd admired for his indomitable will and moral strength, who had paid the ultimate consequence for his ideals had looked at her and broken down, unable to carry on any further.

In the darkness that came she felt the familiar presence and looked to the horizon, seeing a speck on a distant hill. En Sabah Nur.

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She looked at his sleeping face, peaceful once more. He was slowly getting better, able to once more face the world. After she'd found him she'd nursed him back to health, running a small inn in the Swiss Alps near Geneva as the chef and part-time housekeeper. After all, 700 years of life taught one how to survive and gave her plenty of time to learn. With savings of gold she'd hidden away as well as money cunningly invested in a hundred different ways she was able to ensure them a comfortable existence.

She suddenly sat still as she felt the flutter in her womb, the kicks of the child within. She gave a slight smirk. Now that had been a surprise. Those who possessed the Code could give birth and have children, though only once in a decade. For obvious reasons she avoided such a thing happening, not wanting the attachment of a mother to a child, not wanting to have to be separated from it by mortality.

But quite unexpectedly he had dropped in one day, asking for a small drink. Smiling away with a glint in his eyes, he'd left them as she closed up and afterwards, as she and Lelouche had slowly made love, his lips caressing hers, as their skin slid across each others and he released himself in her, she thought nothing of the tingle that ran down her spine, his fingers slowly stroking her soft skin.

But a month later and after several bouts of morning sickness, she'd done a test and found much to her utter shock that she was pregnant. En Sabah Nur it seemed, had a twisted sense of humour. Not that she minded at all. Lelouche on the other hand...had been rendered utterly speechless for at least a full hour, dazedly staring at her the entire time.

Leading their quiet life and maintaining their happiness, Caramia thought nothing of the fact that sometimes, happiness like theirs wasn't meant to last.

A/N: Just a pilot chapter to test response and also to look for beta readers. There will be sexually explicit situations later on so be forewarned. It also deals with mature content with supernatural themes. So if you're an interested beta reader, feel free to sign up.