Disclaimer: I, the writer of this fanfiction, do not, in any shape or form, own Harry Potter or Code Geass. Harry Potter is the property of J. K. Rowling. Code Geass is the property of Ichirō Ōkouchi. The idea and plotline of this fanfiction are my property. No profit is being earned by the writer of this story. I write for my own enjoyment.

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Prologue

How does a legend come to be? There are cases in which the tale is completely fabricated, a patchwork of imagination with not an ounce of truth. There are however, those "stories" that are, or were, entirely true, but became so bloated and exaggerated by the gossip-tongued masses that it became too warped for the reality of it to be recognized. The common-people fill it with exaggerations and things that couldn't possibly be true and slowly the truth becomes twisted, history becomes a bed-time story and the story descends into myth. From there, it's anyone's guess what actually happened.

If I told you of a grand Empire, and an Emperor with many children all fighting for his throne – well, you've probably all heard this kind of fairytale before. It is a classic tale, and it has its' twists and turns as all the rest. In this giant nest of aristocrats there once was a Prince, the Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, who had just lost his mother and was now left with a blind and crippled little sister.

It was because of this girl – this young, now helpless six-year-old – that one of the greatest, most ruthless Emperors of Britannia was birthed.

The 99th Emperor, a glorified boogie-man to children and a demon incarnate to adults; conqueror and liberator; strategic genius and ruthless sovereign; once instigator of a grand rebellion and many, many things more that the world will never know – but what he was most remarkable at was his acting. You could say his entire life was a play, orchestrated and twisted by the strings of fate. Be assured he was a brilliant actor – so brilliant, in fact, that he had managed to fool everyone – even his own little sister, and himself, on occasion. He had a flare for the dramatics, and in that fashion he played out his own death.

The punishment of the Demon Emperor was death. The punishment of the Knight of Zero, his enemy and closest friend and everything in between, was to continue to live.

When the Demon Emperor had fallen, toppled down from his throne and next to his shell-shocked sister, and as Nunally touched her brother, tears of grief bubbling from her eyes – she had seen it. She had seen loyalty and bloodshed, the first battle won and the last battle fraught. She had heard screams and desperate cries – for family members, for friends, for brothers in all but blood calling each other traitor and shouting words in hatred. She had felt the tears, the frustration, and maybe even a tinge of madness, but also hope, happiness in rare, jaded places and perhaps, most shocking of all love. Because, after all, her Brother had done all of this for her. "I destroy worlds... and I create them." and he had been true to his words – because a perfect world was built on the ruins of another, a house on the ruins of it's predecessor, a good life on that of the suffering.

But after seeing these memories, Nunally vi Britannia grew scared. In her grief and fright of all the bloodshed her brother had committed, she ordered all advanced weapons, war machines and everything else that had once been common in the military banned and destroyed. Science labs which worked on manufacturing such monstrosities were shut down and burnt to the ground – and all evidence that such things had even existed was all but erased, and only the memory lingered in those who had seen, used and felt their destructive power. Zero had supported her wholeheartedly.

Years passed, and the world had grown lethargic in its' now peaceful existence – and for a glorious half a century no one had invoked war. Then the 100th Emperess died. It was like a bubble had been popped, like all safety and bliss had vanished – because Nunally had not chosen a successor and all her relatives wanted her throne, her power, her title as Ultimate Ruler.

In their greed, their lust for power, they besmirched her memory, all that she had stood for and the world she had created. Nunally, on her part, had done a brilliant thing by destroying the Knightmare Frames – not one was left in existence! – and any advanced battle ships like Schneizel's Avalon had been. Still, that did not stop the war from braking out.

Zero – the Hero, the Savior, the very Symbol of Peace – was unable to stop any of it, and one day, he had just disappeared. No one knew what happened to him, exactly. Some say he took his own life, because of his grief over the Empress and the remnants of a world destroyed because of human selfishness. Some claim he was assassinated, murdered by the vary people he was sworn to protect. Some think he abandoned them in their time of need. Some ponder that it wouldn't have made much of a difference either way.

The planet dissolved into chaos and suddenly, the common-folk found that they did not want this war that was thrust upon them – to fight one another, to kill their friends, relatives and kinsmen simply because they found themselves in apposing armies – nothing but toy soldiers in the hands of spoiled children.

Revolution spread across the continents like wildfire, war broke out, lives were taken, weapons clashed, new, independent countries were formed, blood soaked the earth like rain – and the world under the 100th Empress became a distant memory in the minds of those old enough to remember those forgotten times.

And after the ash had settled and the blood of the last remaining Royal was spilled, there was nothing left of Britannia but a whisper in folktales and a history forged in the lies of the Demon Emperor.

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"Hello, you have reached the "Indigo Gardens" Real Estate agency, Katharine Silas speaking. How may I help you?"

"Good morning," said the voice on the other side of the phone "this is Jered Humphrey. I'm calling about the house on Terrell Road in Harefield village."

The secretary smiled to herself. "Ah, yes. Do you want me to arrange-"

"I want to buy it." Came the blunt reply.

The woman paused, a bit thrown off, before answering."Uh, alright sir, certainly. I'll arrange a meeting with the current owner of the house and you can do just that."

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"Move it to the right!"

The other man did just that, but that did not sooth the speaker in the least – if anything, he looked even more aggravated. "No, that's left! I said rightSuzaku!"

The other man, Suzaku, sighed in exasperation. "Don't you ever get tired of this?" he asked.

There was a chuckle behind him. "You'd be surprised how fun it is to boss you around, muscle-head."

Suzaku snorted "Oh please, you couldn't lift this thing if your life depended on it."

"Well, that's why you're here, isn't it?" was the snide answer.

Suzaku just shook his head "You're hopeless, Lulu." His exasperation hid the fondness in his tone. Lelouche rolled his eyes behind him.

After a while, and the picture Leluche had grown so fond of that they had lugged it with them over three centuries finally found its' place on the wall, Suzaku finally asked. "So, what made you choose this house?" he said when they had sat down for some tea and coffee (tea for him, coffee for Lelouche).

His companion had looked up, a seemingly innocent look on his face. "What do you mean?"

"I know you well enough to know that you don't do anything at random, Lulu." Suzaku began conversationally, a thoughtful look on his face "I mean, this neighborhood is pretty much in the middle of nowhere, technology is at least a century and a half outdated and you expect me to believe you would pick this place over a scientifically advanced metropolis or something of the like? It just isn't your style."

Lelouch merely shrugged. "I don't know. Guess I was just looking for a little peace and quiet." he said, looking out the window at the streets and two-story houses around them and the forest beyond them. Yes, a quiet life sounded wonderful.

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Lelouch Lamperouge, or Jared Humphrey as he was now more commonly known at this particular point in time, couldn't sleep. It was true that he was still (and probably always would be) an insomniac, that he had committed many crimes that did not allow sleep to come easily to him – but honestly, even he deserved some rest once in a while!

It didn't help that the guy he shared his house with was one of the loudest people he knew.

Now, he'd lived with Kururugi Suzaku for three and a half centuries, and greatly appreciated his company – even if he didn't admit it often and even though Suzaku could annoy the heck out of him at any given time – Suzaku's snoring seemed to be the greatest problem so far. It didn't help the fact that Lelouch was an insomniac – nights planning his revenge and orchestrating the Black Rebellion, and later Zero Requiem, had left their mark. Tonight, however, there was no incessant snoring coming from the next room (and Lelouch still couldn't understand how he could still hear Suzaku through a solid, brick wall).So why, in the name of Britannia, was he unable to sleep?!

It was just one of those nights, he guessed.

Lulu sighed before making his way out of his bedroom, intent on entertaining himself with something now that it was apparent he wouldn't be able to get a wink of sleep - it was already 4:30 AM, the sun would be rising soon. This sucks,he thought bitterly. Lelouch contemplated going downstairs to watch TV, but dismissed the idea – there was nothing interesting to watch at this hour, despite maybe something about crime – but he usually figured out the mystery before the characters even knew what was happening around them. Maybe a book then? No, he'd already read them all. That only left one option – Suzaku. While he was reluctant to wake Suzaku just because hecouldn't sleep, Lelouch was feeling exceptionally grumpy tonight and though he was loath to admit it, he really needed the company. It was sleepless nights like these that reminded him just how alone the two of them truly were.

For three centuriesthey had lived in hiding and semi to complete isolation. It was C.C. fault, he'd decided long ago – because the boorish woman always had something to do with messing up his plans. Lulu hadn't meant to become immortal, but C.C. had tricked him into it, forfeiting her own immortality to him. Suzaku... was completely and utterly his fault. He should have been more careful with his Geass, should have been more specific with his Geass, instead he–

Live!

–cursed his most loyal knight, his once-enemy, his best friend to eternal damnation – because so far, that was what immortality was turning out to be.

Lelouch frowned, pushing those thoughts away – he should know better than to dwell on those things. Looking around the empty hall on the second floor for some kind of distraction, his gaze traveled over the bookshelf, past the door to Suzaku's bedroom, the door to the bathroom, the window-

Then something caught his eye, a flash of light, and he only had a second before that something crashing through the window. Lelouch was thrown back, landing on his side, momentarily stunned. Heat – great, blistering heat filled the room as smoke rose up from the burning carpet – fire. Fire, smoke, someone was trying to burn him alive!

He looked around frantically, before his eyes caught the sight beyond the broken window.

Fire, bright and untamed, covered the streets.

Suzaku chose that moment to open his bedroom door, green eyes wide in alarm. He opened his mouth to say something, but Lelouch knew this reallywasn't the time for small-talk. He grabbed Suzaku by the wrist, yanking him down the stairs. They ran to the front hall, and Lelouch grabbing the phone as he went and hastily dialed the number of the Fire Department. He dimly heard Suzaku's shouted questions as he quickly reported the fire and it's location before the line went dead.

They ran across the front lawn – Suzaku had gone silent by now – they needed to evacuate the people, needed to get somewhere safe until help arrived.

Screams mingled with the crackling of the flames. Fire blazed across the streets of the small village, atop the rooftops and within burning houses, but what really caused alarm bells to go off in Lelouch's head were the unlikely bunch in the middle of it all, waving strange sticks (?) madly that went off like confetti and causing even more chaos. Streaks of green lightning soared between the flames, hitting the screaming people trying to escape. All who were hit fell to the ground, unmoving.

For a fragment of a second, Lelouch froze, taking in the smell of burn wood, flesh and blood and the sight of the bodies sprawled listlessly on the ground. Suzaku, however, sprang into action, guided by years of training, now centuries old. "Move!" the Japanese man yelled, tackling his friend to the ground just as a jet of green light flew above their heads. Suzaku was back on his feet not a second later, yanking Lelouch off the ground.

"Lelouch, what's going on?!"

It was all happening too fast, the turn of events too abrupt for Lelouch to truly comprehend the situation – only one thought was clear his stunned mind: "We need to get away!" Disbelieving eyes turned to stare at him, "But the villagers!" Suzaku protested, looking horrified. Lelouch grit his teeth, trying to make Suzaku understand just how hopeless the situation really was. "You know what will happen if we get caught!" he yelled, a note of desperation entering his voice "Please, Suzaku, I don't want to have to go through that again!"

Lelouch remembered all too well when his "condition" was revealed last. It had happen years ago, when C.C. was still alive. He and Suzaku had somehow gotten involved in a gang fight – he had been piss-ass drunk, back then he had a habit of drinking away his misery – and Suzaku had just manage to drag him out of the bar. He didn't remember much, just being disoriented and in pain. Suzaku had managed to defend them pretty well, but it was twelve against one and the Japanese boy had been subdued quickly enough. Somewhere in the fray, Lelouch had managed to get himself stabbed – but, he was immortal, and that meant he wasn't going to die anytime soon.

When their attackers realized that he wasn't dead, and more importantly that the stab wound was all but gone they had been afraid and curious. They'd dragged him and Suzaku to some abandoned building and beat him, cut him – just to see how quick he would heal.

Then they turned greedy, thinking of how to use him and how much money they could earn if they sold him to some scientific organization or another (or the black market).

Then they turned their abuse on Suzaku, to see if he shared Lelouch's unnatural abilities.

While Suzaku was immortal and his body didn't age, that didn't mean he couldn't be hurt. Suzaku, unlike him, didn't have a ridiculously quick healing rate – and he coulddie from physical injuries, illness, blood-loss, poisoning and all other kinds of death that Lelouch did not like to dwell on.

C.C. and Jeremiah had come to their rescue, and to this day Lelouch wasn't sure how they even knew anything was wrong, but that had been some hours later – hours filled with pain and blood and Suzaku's agonized screams.

Lelouch had sworn to himself that from that day on he would never touch alcohol ever again.

Back in the present, Suzaku's expression grew somber and he gave a slight nod in understanding, his eyes gentle "Okay."

"And where do you think you're going, you pathetic little muggles?" Lelouch tensed, spinning around to see a woman – dressed in all black, covered with a thick cloak – standing a few feet behind them. Lelouch cursed himself. How could he let an enemy get so close? Granted, it had been three centuries since he had to participate in a fight of this magnitude – where had his brilliant, strategic mind gone off to? Was he actually going senile?

The woman's face was harsh, filled with sadistic glee. Her grin was unsettling and there was something not quite sane in her eyes as she advanced. Lelouch tensed even further, ready to fight or flee if need be. "Did you honestly think you could escape me?! Fools!" the woman let lose another jet of light from her stick and Lelouch felt his heart stop when he realized it wasn't headed towards him, but straight for Suzaku. Without thought or hesitation, he threw himself in it's' path.

The light hit him square in the chest – it didn't hurt, not exactly – but he suddenly felt as cold as a grave – before his body went numb and the familiar sensation of his body dying filled his mind.

A couple of seconds later, that felt like an eternity to Lulu, he drew breath, finding himself draped over Suzaku's back.

Suzaku was running, Suzaku was carrying him – which meant they had either managed to escape the crazy woman or were doing so now. Lelouch smiled weakly, feeling tired and drained (his revival had left him thoroughly exhausted) before his eyes slipped closed once again.

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AN: Okay, I know this is terribly clichéd, but somehow that's the way it turned out and I don't have a decent excuse for it. I'll elaborate on the timeline in future chapters, but I'm not giving too much away, since this is just a teaser.

I want to see what people think of this before posting more chapters – if I do decide to continue this, which more or less depends on the interest people put in it – so basically, it's the usual "review and I will update" which I think we're all familiar with.

So, review, please?