VERY IMPORTANT NOTICE: Please, do NOT put spoilers for High School DxD in the reviews. I don't care if you talk about Code Geass (since it starts at the end of that storyline) but DO NOT, under any circumstances, talk about anything in High School DxD that hasn't happened yet in-story - if Lelouch hasn't learned or figured it out yet, don't say anything. It's a very simple rule. There might be readers that don't know anything about DxD, after all.

AGAIN: NO DxD SPOILERS. PERIOD. Got it?

Clause 1: From the New World

Lelouch smirked as the cavalcade proceeded down the street surrounded by eerie silence. Everything is following my plan perfectly, he thought. Normally, such a procession would be accompanied by the cheering of the crowds; however, the nature of this moment was anything but normal. Lelouch had finally succeeded in his goal of unifying the world under the yoke of Britannian rule - and in doing so had drawn the ire and hatred of every living citizen thanks to his brutal and downright despotic rule. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to think that every known living person hated the demonic Emperor, with only a single exception.

But that exception was nowhere to be found in this ride down the street, because accompanying Emperor Lelouch was every major player in the rebellion against him; from his seat atop the largest car, Lelouch could see Ohgi, Tamaki, Anya, Gino... His oh-so-dear brother Schneizel had been chained to a stake facing the crowd with Lelouch's faithful Knight Jeremiah Gottwald watching over him and so Lelouch couldn't see his face; but regardless, he stared at the back of the stake with the same amount of apparent satisfaction as he had when looking at the rest. And then his gaze drifted downward, to the base of his rolling throne, and his breath caught in his throat for a split second. Nunnally... His beautiful little sister; the reason he had fought so hard and sacrificed so much. I will keep my promise, little sister. A brand new world for the one person he loved, a world without violence or hatred; a world free of the evils of the Britannian empire.

Oh, the prisoners chained up on the cavalcade were not the only ones locked away; Lloyd Asplund and Rakshata Chawla, the two engineers responsible for the majority of the technological advancements, and their various assistants had all been locked up in a prison together. Lelouch knew that Lloyd and Rakshata had radically different views on almost every subject and so had amused himself by putting them in adjoining cages and imagining the various arguments they had over the smallest of subjects.

Out of the corner of his eye he glanced at the tall buildings where he knew several members of the resistance had been hiding out; he had deliberately let them be so that they could watch this moment from some of the best seats in the house. Cruel, yes, but what else would he have done? One of the 'resistance' members was his own sister, Cornelia, or so he assumed. She had disappeared from the hospital where he had been keeping an eye on her surreptitiously and gone to ground once she was healed to the point where she could move without risking further injury.

Then a splash of dark color on the horizon caught his eye and he focused on the figure in the distance. The cavalcade shuddered to a halt, one of the Knightmare frames acting as a guard shouting, "What is that?" The crowd's murmurs, muted before, rose in volume as they all stared at the tall dark figure that had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. Lelouch smirked. So you come at last... Zero.

Best put on the show. Lelouch widened his eyes and gripped the seat of his throne in apparent shock as the various prisoners of war shouted in surprise and confusion. "That's him?" he heard Kallen say in shock. "But Lelouch is over there!" He watched her out of the corner of his eyes and felt a small thrill of pleasure run through him when her eyes widened in comprehension. Kallen, you always were smart, he thought in satisfaction. "Is that it? Is that what Lelouch and Suzaku had to do?"

Suddenly Zero moved, throwing back his cape to reveal a sheathed sword on his hip. The Knightmare frames opened fire, but Zero dodged past the bullets effortlessly, easily showing far more athletic skill than Lelouch ever had in his life. Once he reached the Knightmare frames Zero easily climbed and hopped over the lead frame, moving into the midst of the procession. When the Knightmare frame turned to continue firing, Jeremiah moved. "Cease fire!" Jeremiah shouted, his arm-mounted sword blade extending. "I'll take care of this interloper!" His voice was mechanically enhanced by the cybernetic modifications he had undergone, allowing every person in the watching crowd to hear him. The former Margrave leapt from his podium and dashed toward Zero; however, the masked man simply jumped over Jeremiah's simple attack. When Jeremiah stopped to stare at the figure in amazement, Zero used him as a springboard to make further progress. Lelouch knew that Jeremiah hadn't actually tried; nobody that had been part of his mother's elite guard would ever let an enemy evade him that easily.

After a series of jumps, Zero landed in front of Lelouch. "Impudent fool!" Lelouch snarled, drawing the pistol holstered by his heart; in the blink of an eye, Zero had drawn his sheathed sword and knocked the pistol away. Zero drew back and poised, the gleaming blade aimed directly at Lelouch's heart. In response, Lelouch just smirked.

He smirked because he remembered... "Suzaku," he had said in that empty and silent throne room, "you have to kill me. You must promise." For that was the reason he had labored so hard and so long to draw the world's hatred to himself, going so far as to use Geass on his own beloved sister; to give the people one common enemy that, when removed, would result in peace.

"You're going through with this?" Suzaku had asked. "No matter what?"

Lelouch had been standing there, draped in the white and gold of royalty. "As planned, the hatred of the entire world is upon me. And now, the only thing that remains is to get rid of me and break the cycle of hatred." He had handed Suzaku the mask of his former identity, the mask of Zero; a mask created to oppose the colors of royalty through its black and dark blue colors. "The legend of Zero isn't dead. It lives within the hearts of the Black Knights." He had known what he was asking Suzaku to do, for it had been their plan all along - the Zero Requiem. "Schneizel will serve Zero also." That had been his command to his brother - to 'obey Zero', not Lelouch. "With this, the world will gather not for an exchange of force, but for an exchange of open dialogue around one table. Mankind will be able to move forward together into the future."

Suzaku had taken the mask and stared at it for a long time. "And that..."

"Yes..." Lelouch had breathed.

"...is the Zero Requiem." Suzaku's words floated through Lelouch's mind as Zero thrust forward, the point of the sword seeking the heart of the Demon Emperor unerringly. "We both realized it back in C's World. We knew how humanity was longing for the future."

Lelouch had laughed at that. "Hey, Suzaku," he had asked, almost like he had back in the days when they were friends and not conspirators in regicide. "Geass's power's similar to a wish, don't you think?" Suzaku had frowned, confused, and Lelouch had just smiled. "It's a request for someone to give you the power to achieve what you can't on your own."

"A wish? No..."

"Yes." Lelouch's voice had been firm. "And I'm going to grant a wish called Geass to all the people everywhere. For the future of the entire world."

He hadn't seen C.C. that morning, Lelouch suddenly realized as he watched the sword point thrust toward his chest. The witch had said goodbye the night before, and for some reason Lelouch could have sworn he'd seen tears in her eyes. "The only ones who should kill..." he had told her...

"...are the ones who are ready to be killed." He finished the phrase to himself and smirked at Zero. Oh, everybody else in the crowd was shouting in shock, and he could see several of the prisoners turning away. Suzaku, you're going to be a hero now... To play the scene properly, Lelouch forced himself to flinch away backwards, to appear as if he was trying to avoid the blade. The messiah who rid the world of Lelouch vi Britannia. The enemy of the world.

As Zero.

And then the blade slid through his chest, and Lelouch knew it was a deadly blow even as he gasped in shock and pain. "Lelouch..." he heard Suzaku say through the mask, and he could tell his friend's voice was thick with tears.

"The punishment for what you have done shall be this, then," Lelouch whispered quietly, for Suzaku's ears only. "You will live on, always wearing that mask, serving as a knight for justice and truth." Lelouch slumped forward, clutching at his chest where he could feel the cloth being soaked by his own blood. His fingers stained, he reached up and touched the mask. "You will no longer live your life as Suzaku Kururugi. You shall sacrifice the ordinary pleasures of your life for the benefit of the world." He had to hurry; he could feel his life draining with every frail heartbeat. "For eternity."

"This Geass," Suzaku said, "I do solemnly accept."

Suzaku - no, Zero - straightened up and pulled his blade out of Lelouch's chest; no longer having that as a support, Lelouch toppled forward, sliding limply down the ramp and leaving a trail of blood behind until he finally slid a crumpled heap in front of Nunnally. "Lelouch?" she asked, leaning toward him. "Are you?" But Lelouch could not answer, and when she touched his hand she realized something important. "You mean," she breathed in realization, "everything you've done until now..." She took her brother's hand in hers and brought it to her face, heedless of the dark blood coating his fingers. "Oh big brother, I love you," she sobbed.

"Yes..." Lelouch murmured. "I... I destroyed the world... and created... a new..." And that was the last of his strength; as his head slumped and his eyes closed, he heard Nunnally scream something, but he couldn't understand what it was. But it was something important, something about another of her wishes...

And he opened his eyes again. "Well," he said, looking around. "This certainly is unexpected." Because his surroundings were very familiar to him; he had been here before. "And why exactly am I in C's World?"

"If I had to hazard a guess, Lelouch," a familiar voice said dryly from behind him, "it's because you're dead."

The voice - so often infuriating, and at the same time so often soothing - just made him smile. "C.C." he said, identifying the speaker without turning around. "Is this your doing? The fulfillment of our contract?" If that's the case, Lelouch suddenly realized, I'll be resurrected. And then what will happen? What will come of Nunnally's dream? That was something to be avoided at all costs, but Lelouch couldn't stop his resurrection if it came to that.

"No," C.C. replied, and Lelouch's shoulders slumped almost imperceptibly with relief. "No, I think I can enjoy my time on this planet for a little while longer."

Lelouch frowned. "If you're not the one who brought me here, then who did?" he demanded, turning to look at the self-styled witch. It response, the green-haired girl just shrugged, her eyes hiding everything from him. "C.C." Lelouch began carefully, "I know when you're lying." Not that he really did; rather, he was just hoping she'd finally answer one of his questions directly.

A small glimmer of a smile crept onto her face, and Lelouch knew he had guessed correctly. "I'm merely a messenger," she said calmly. "The Gods are the ones that have brought you here."

"And what would they want with me?" Lelouch asked calmly, even as his mind was racing. Could it be Geass? No, I've already used it on the Gods. It's possible they've determined my punishment for my crimes against humanity.

C.C. just smiled and hugged the orange stuffed toy she had earned from buying so much pizza. "Nothing like that, Lelouch," she said almost tauntingly. "The Gods merely owe you a debt, for your services to them." This is about Ragnarok, Lelouch realized suddenly. C.C.'s smile became a smirk. "That did take a bit, Lelouch. Losing your touch?"

"Not in the slightest," Lelouch replied, even though he couldn't remember a time when he had actually won an argument against the immortal witch. "I merely expected my deeds to counterbalance the favor to come out at neutral."

C.C. shook her head and approached him. "No, my dear Lelouch," she said, handing him the Cheese-Kun plush. He took it unthinkingly and held it as C.C. smirked at him. "Do you remember what I said about the fate of anyone that accepted the power of kings?" she asked suddenly.

"Geass is the power of kings that would condemn me to a life of solitude," Lelouch replied, remembering their first conversation.

"Maybe..." C.C. smiled and, standing on her tip-toes, kissed his cheek. "Maybe that's not quite correct after all, Lelouch." Lelouch felt his consciousness fading and a strange sensation of falling. "Enjoy your second chance," he heard C.C. say. "And try to stay out of trouble."

And then everything was white.

Lelouch groaned and shifted slightly. He opened one eye cautiously to find himself staring at a plain white ceiling with lights. Covered by some sort of plastic, he determined, and closed his eyes again. I'm not in a tomb of some sort... A rhythmic beeping finally filtered into his conscious awareness and he froze. A hospital? Not Britannian... He felt a moment of panic. Did the Zero Requiem... No, I was dead. Lelouch distinctly remembered the moment when his heart stopped beating and his life was snuffed out – a somewhat uncomfortable recollection, to say the least. And then the memories of his conversation with C.C. flooded back to his mind and he frowned. A second chance... What was that witch talking about?

A door opened and he froze; he heard the beeping of the heart monitor speed up and he forced himself to stay calm. "Are you awake?" someone - a female, probably a nurse - asked him, and Lelouch stiffened when he realized she was speaking in Japanese.

"Where am I?" he croaked in the same language, eyes still shut.

"You're in a hospital," the nurse replied, and Lelouch could hear a slight bit of concern in her voice. "Do you remember anything?"

Do I remember anything? Lelouch could almost laugh at the absurd question. He remembered everything; how his mother had been killed, how he had been shipped off to Japan and left to die like so much trash, and how he accepted C.C.'s contract in order to gain the power to destroy Britannia. "Some things," he said finally. I'd rather not reveal all of my secrets just yet.

"Can you open your eyes?"

This time, Lelouch did smirk slightly. "I can." I just am choosing not to - not until I know how Geass has affected my sight. "Is there a mirror so I can see my face?"

The nurse probably had received stranger questions than that. "I'll be right back," she said.

Once Lelouch heard the door close, he opened his eyes and looked around. Fairly low-tech, he mused. The equipment is definitely a technological regression. His gaze roved over every inch of the room, searching for any hidden cameras or bugs that would give away a facade. Eventually, he couldn't find anything and was satisfied, so turned to physical examination. Everything seems to be functioning acceptably, he thought after carefully moving to avoid any pain. And there's no hole in my chest, so I suppose this is better than how I was previously.

He heard the door start to open, so he quickly closed his eyes. "I found a small handmirror," the nurse said. Lelouch extended his hand palm up, and the nurse placed a small square object. The mirror, presumably.

"Could you wait outside?" Lelouch asked carefully. If Geass is active, I don't want her knowing about it. Given the Black Knights' reaction to the existence of Geass, Lelouch was understandably paranoid. When the door closed again and he couldn't feel the presence of anyone else in the room - living with Nunnally had led to him picking up a few tips and tricks for the blind - Lelouch carefully opened his eyes and, staring at the mirror, examined his face. I've lost some age, Lelouch determined, looking carefully at his appearance. If I had to guess, it would be a year or so, back to when I first got Geass. That would put me at seventeen. And now for the real test... He carefully touched at his eye, checking to see if he had his contacts; they were still in, and he removed them with practiced ease. There was no need for a flourish, not when he didn't need to draw attention to his eye. Staring at the mirror, he couldn't see any change. Is it... He carefully called up the power of Geass, the power he had before he had lost control, and it answered, a faint sigil appearing in his left eye. After letting the power fade, Lelouch smirked and replaced the contacts. It seems I still have the power of the kings, he mused. I will have to perform some tests later. But not now; I'd rather not risk losing control. "I'm finished", he called out, and the nurse entered again.

This was his first look at her and his eyes widened in shock that was swiftly hidden. You should have expected that, he berated himself while putting on a smile and handing back the mirror with thanks. She was speaking Japanese, so why shouldn't she be Japanese? Even still, he refused to consider them numbers. But why would a Japanese person be treating a Britannian? "Is everything alright, young man?" the nurse asked.

Lelouch shook himself and hid his thoughts with ease. "Everything's fine," he answered the nurse. "Thank you for retrieving the mirror." He frowned then. "Do you know why I am in here?"

The nurse consulted something at the end of his bed, and when Lelouch managed to catch a glimpse of it he realized it was some sort medical chart. "You were brought in a few days ago," she said. "According to the chart, it was some sort of accident." I do suppose a sword through the heart could be considered an accident, if you looked at it in the correct light. "You'll be somewhat weak, but nothing's broken."

"That's good," Lelouch said absently. "Out of curiosity," he asked, "what was the last action of the Britannian Empire?"

He knew he had made a mistake when the woman gave him a look that very clearly stated 'What are you talking about?' "I don't know anything about a Britannian Empire," the nurse said.

What? "...Do you have a newspaper?" Lelouch asked finally.

After doing some thorough reading, Lelouch had come to a definite conclusion. This isn't my world. That was the only conclusion supported by the data. There was nothing about the Holy Britannian Empire in the newspaper, and in a territory held by that same Empire that was unthinkable; furthermore, the date wasn't in terms of A.T.B, which told him he wasn't in a place held by the Empire. If that's true... He felt a strange thrill run through him. I don't have to worry about hiding my identity. There was a heaviness in his chest as he finally allowed himself to realize that he was alone in this strange world, however, and not even the knowledge that he didn't have to hide anymore could lessen the weight of his sudden grief.

But after a moment of feeling sorry for himself, he straightened up. Nunnally wouldn't want that. But there was nothing for him to do but grin and bear. He smirked slightly, remembering C.C.'s parting words. Enjoy my second chance? Might as well.

Lelouch had managed to get hold of several history books, and was spending several hours a day during his recovery reading through them, trying to find out exactly where things had gone differently. He noticed several things; the first thing he found was that Napolean had apparently lost his revolution at some point, although the biggest change that he found was that America had succeeded in seceding from the British empire due to the lack of the Britannian line. As far as Lelouch could discover, the Britannian line had never actually existed. Furthermore, the world was counting the years in A.D.; Lelouch gave up trying to understand exactly when that started. From what I can guess, it's the birth date of some religious figure, or something like that.

After he finished with those books, he moved on to the basic culture of the world he found himself in. Anything is better than actually listening to those fools, he told himself. Boring as the research may be, actually paying attention to what Child Care Services was saying –where had they been when Nunnally and I were stranded in Japan – would have been far more tedious. "Lelouch," the lady finally said with a sigh of exasperation, "are you listening to me?"

Lelouch put away his book and calmly stared at the woman. "I have no need for your assistance," he said. "While I am unable to prove residency or anything of the sort, I am most definitely self-sufficient and can take care of myself." I wish she'd just go away and leave me by myself. "I don't want to waste your time," he said. "The thing you can do that would help me the most would be to explain just how I can live alone." Unfortunately, the lady didn't accept his request for independence, which resulted in Lelouch being shuffled off into an orphanage of some sort.

It took some doing, but he eventually managed to get himself emancipated; it was harder to than he expected, especially because he didn't have Milly's grandfather to help him. Nevertheless, he finally managed to get himself legally declared an emancipated minor - it helped that he could claim that his parents were dead and that he had no relatives. He had settled into his new apartment quickly enough; it wasn't as luxurious as his apartment on the campus of Ashford Academy, but it was the best he could do with what little resources he had.

He avoided using Geass as much as possible; the one time he used it was on the street in a crowd when he approached a businessman in a nice suit. The businessman seemed like he was going to ignore Lelouch - after all, Lelouch was dressed in a brown leather jacket and dark muscle shirt, the clothes he had always worn on his gambling trips. "Excuse me, sir?" Lelouch called out.

"Yes?" the businessman said, sighing at the delay. "How can I help you?"

Lelouch just smirked and, with a sweeping gesture, removed the contact lens in his left eye. "I would like you to hand over some of the money in your wallet. Enough for me to rent a cheap apartment and buy food," Lelouch demanded, the hypnotic power of his eye lacing through his voice. From controlling kings to begging for food, Lelouch thought with a well-hidden sigh.

The businessman stiffened as the power of Geass took control of his body; the subtle red ring surrounding his pupils told Lelouch that his power was still very effective, even in this new world. "Let's see," the man said, taking out his wallet, "this should be enough." He handed Lelouch a large wad of bills and put his wallet away. The red ring faded away and the businessman blinked, looking at Lelouch. "Well?"

Lelouch just smiled and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I had you confused for someone else. I'm very sorry." His Japanese had been slightly rusty, but his long hours practicing with Suzaku had come back to him eventually and he was once again fluent in the language.

The apartment he rented with the money was fairly small, but Lelouch didn't need much space; because the kindly elderly lady that was renting the apartment gave him a discount, he had extra money for expenses. I have to pay her back eventually, Lelouch decided. He wasn't sure if his motivation was actual gratitude, or just simple pride, but he didn't want to have that debt hanging over his head. After he finished his grocery shopping, he stopped by a phone store and picked up one of the cheaper models. Well, hopefully I won't have to command an army with this, he thought with a chuckle while staring at the small red mobile.

Lelouch sighed as he stood up from the table where he had just finished breakfast and crossed over to the closet on the other side of his bedroom. C.C.'s Cheese-Kun was sitting on the nightstand, propped up against the wall; he grinned slightly when he saw his second and only other reminder of the previous life he had lived. But then he turned back to the closet and looked at the uniform hanging on the handle and sighed again. From Emperor to schoolboy, he mused as he changed into the school uniform from his sleeping clothes. It was similar to his previous uniform in color only; if Lelouch were to be honest with himself, he preferred this uniform. The blazer and shirt was easier to slip out of than the high-collared uniform of Ashford Academy. Just another way I'm leaving my own life behind. But damned if I'm going to wear that tie. The black tie around the collar was just asking for someone to use it to drag him around by the neck, and he refused to be subjected to that humility. I might not be a prince any more, but I can still have some pride.

He had enrolled at the nearest school, Kuoh Academy, under the name 'Lelouch Lamperouge' - the same pseudonym that had served him for so long in Area Eleven and the name he used on the paperwork - and that was where he was headed that day. Glancing at the contents of his wallet, Lelouch grimaced. I'm almost out of money again. It had been a month and change since he started his school career again, and his money was starting to run out. I should find another opponent. Or perhaps I can take another chunk out of my previous opponent's account.

He arrived a week or two into the school year, transferring into a random class with an empty seat. It seemed that regardless of the world he was in, women were a constant; the second he had taken a seat, several girls had already decided they were going to swoon over him and had spent whatever free time they had trying to figure out his preferences. Lelouch answered their questions to the best of his ability, politely and truthfully when he could and calmly evading the question when it strayed to a subject he didn't want to discuss. Usually, that had to do with what his life was like before coming to Japan – the school had plenty of transfer students, including a third-year from Scandinavia, so Lelouch's weak claim to be from Britain was largely uncontested - or if he had any family members. Several of the boys in the class had come over to greet him as well, but Lelouch noticed three in the back that seemed actively hostile towards him. When Lelouch caught them glaring at him, he had stood up and walked over. He heard one of the girls whispering about him going to talk to 'Weasel Boy' or something like that, but ignored it. "Excuse me," he said, stopping in front of them.

"Yeah? Whaddya want?" one of them replied. Lelouch studied him carefully. Brown hair, brown eyes. Typical physical build for a highschool student. With a small twinge of irritation, Lelouch realized that technically, the boy was in better physical shape than he was, which was somewhat galling to the former prince. Athletics were never my forte.

Lelouch grinned at them. "I couldn't help but notice your stares, and wondered how I'd offended."

"Your face offends me," the talker replied sullenly, looking out of the window.

Lelouch chuckled and extended a hand, causing one of the girls to gasp. "Lelouch Lamperouge. I'm sorry, but I can't really help how I look."

The boy shook his hand reluctantly. "Issei Hyoudou." That was it, and his two friends – one with glasses and black hair, the other with a shaved head – didn't seem to be in the conversing mood. Lelouch knew that he would just be pushing his luck if he continue talking, so he made his excuses and went back to his seat.

A week after that, he used Issei to find a quiet and out-of-the-way gambling parlor; he had been surprised that Issei knew about something illegal, since nothing about the boy shouted 'rebel' or 'criminal', but his surprise had been abated when he realized the front half of the store acted as a strip club. Apparently, Issei and his friends frequented the joint - illegally, naturally - and he had accidentally stumbled into a game of poker going on in the back room by accident when he went to go to the bathroom. Lelouch asked Issei to take him there during class times; they successfully made their way out of the campus without being spotted and down to the town where the gambling parlor had been hidden. Lelouch just boldly waltzed in, carrying a small attache case that he had brought with him to school, Issei nervously following him; when the gamblers saw him, they stood up, hands in their breast pockets. "Greetings, gentlemen," Lelouch said to them calmly, as if he wasn't in any danger. "Would any of you like to gamble?"

The boss - Lelouch had picked him out the second he walked in the door through old habit - raised his hand, calling off the guards. Lelouch smirked slightly at that gesture of either respect or arrogance. Nobody intelligent would trust someone who just walked in and offered a wager. Lelouch knew he'd be able to win whatever gamble the man made. "And what game would you like to play, boy?" the man asked.

Lelouch just smirked and opened his attache case on the table. "How about chess?"

The man had been placed in checkmate in nine minutes. Lelouch walked out with the case carrying his portable chessboard in one hand, counting his new roll of bills with the other. Issei hadn't stopped talking about it the rest of the way back to the academy. Once they were back on campus, Lelouch turned to Issei. "Make yourself scarce," he told the brown-haired boy. "I have a feeling our absence was definitely noted." Issei had just nodded and disappeared somewhere, running off into the forest that filled part of the campus.

Lelouch had just finished putting his bills away when he was accosted by the vice-president of the student council, Tsubaki Shinra. "The president would like to speak with you," she informed Lelouch.

Lelouch mockingly made a courtly bow, one of the more informal ones he had learned as a child, back when he was still a prince of Britannia. "Then please, Miss Shinra, lead the way." When he entered the student council room, Sona Shitori was sitting at her desk, ready and prepared for a lecture. "And to what do I owe the pleasure, Madame President?" Lelouch had asked. Madame President? he asked himself after the words came out of his mouth. Whereon Earth did that come from? But he knew why he had said that; having been the Vice-President of the Student Council back in Ashford, some responses were ingrained in him.

Sona nodded, apparently satisfied with Lelouch's desire to get down to business. "You were seen leaving campus," she told him. "With a certain Issei Hyoudou."

Lelouch laughed. "Oh, is that it?" He gave her a shameless grin, calling on his natural charisma to help him. "I requested Issei's assistance in leaving campus to explore the town. I haven't been out much, yet, so I wanted to explore the town."

Sona's eyes narrowed. "And this couldn't wait until after classes had finished for the day?"

Lelouch shook his head. "With all due respect, Madame President, I know the material we covered today." At least math still works the same way in this crazy world, even if the history is bizarre. "And even still, I asked someone to take notes for me. I assure you, nothing was left to chance."

Sona's gaze shifted from Lelouch's face to the case he carried in his left hand. "What are you carrying?"

Lelouch placed the case on a nearby table and opened it, showing the contents. "A portable chess board. I enjoy the game, and was hoping someone here would know how to play." A strange gaze went between Tsubaki and Sona, and Lelouch didn't miss it. "Do you happen to play, President?"

A small smirk slipped onto Sona's face at that question. "I dabble." A predatory gleam in her eyes. "Would you care to make a small wager on the outcome of a game?"

Lelouch froze for a second, fearing that Sona had discovered his (highly illegal) gambling, and was going to turn him in. "What would be the stakes?"

Sona smiled, and for some reason the look reminded Lelouch very strongly of Milly when she had something up her sleeve. The last time he had seen that was when Milly announced the goal of the hat game he had been forced to play. I think I would still have nightmares about that if there weren't far worse things in my subconscious. "If you win, I will drop this matter."

"And if you win?"

Another predatory smile. "You will assist my Student Council in filing paperwork. There is quite a bit of work to do, and Saji has requested some help." Sona's eyes were cold. "We've had some trouble balancing the budget."

The simplicity of the request surprised Lelouch to the point of laughter. "Is that all?" he chuckled. I remember doing that for Milly and the others. "Very well, I accept your wager."

The game started fairly simply, both sides feeling out the strategies of the other. Lelouch took a brief lead when he managed to capture one of Sona's bishops, but that lead was quickly lost when he foolishly left his knight open to be snatched up by one of her rooks. Eventually, the game came to a head; both sides were about equal, and Lelouch was surprised at Sona's skill. She's on par with me, he realized suddenly. But not as good as Schneizel. Then again, nobody was. Lelouch studied the options the board in front of him provided and chose eventually to move his King forward. Sona raised an eyebrow at the moment. "A strange move." It was the first thing either of them had said all game.

"If a king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?" The familiar phrase had rolled off Lelouch's tongue before he could stop himself; and the words had a strange effect. There was a sudden stillness in the air, as if the entire student council was waiting for something.

Suddenly, Sona laughed, a clear sound, and the stillness was gone as if it had never existed. "Interesting. Very interesting." She moved her knight. "Check."

A smirk graced Lelouch's lips as he moved a rook forward to capture the knight, revealing the trap that he had been setting up since he had castled on the kingside. "Checkmate." Schneizel has always been the only person I couldn't beat.

There was a small scuffle as one of the other student council members - Lelouch hadn't had the chance to learn all of their names, since most of them weren't in his class - dropped a file she had been carrying, while Tsubaki gasped in shock. Sona just stared at the board silently, eyes wide, before calmly mastering her expression and looking back at Lelouch. "Very well," she said finally. "You have won the game and our wager. This matter shall be dropped."

Lelouch nodded courteously, a smile still tugging at his lips. "I enjoyed our game," he said, and meant it. It has been a while since I've had a challenge. "I hope you will accept a challenge in the future."

"With similar stakes?" There had been a definite edge of steel in Sona's voice; whatever had shocked her about her loss had already disappeared and she was back in control.

Lelouch laughed. "We shall see." He definitely had enjoyed himself, far more than he had ever since he had woken up in that hospital.

As he turned to leave, Sona called out one last time. "And Lelouch?" He glanced over his shoulder to see her watching him carefully. "Issei Hyoudou isn't as good a student as you seem to be. Please leave him out of your truancy in the future."

Lelouch smiled. "Yes, Madame President."

But unfortunately for Lelouch, that had been a month ago, and his winnings were about to run out. Food cost more than he expected, and paying for rent and utilities used up most of what was left. Lelouch chuckled as he grabbed his traveling chess case along with his school bag. Time to play another game. He had usually looked forward to playing against the nobility – they had always been so arrogant and then paid up once I defeated them. With only one exception...But after Lelouch had calmly moved over to a priceless vase and tilted it slightly, shifting the center of gravity over to thin air, the noble had paid him extra. I think he was going to have apoplexy, Lelouch mused, and laughed, the sound filling the air.

"What's got you so happy?" A familiar voice demanded. Lelouch looked down and to the right to see Issei and his cohorts resting on the grassy hill.

"Issei," he greeted calmly. "Good morning." He chuckled. "I was just remembering something that happened back where I used to live."

Lelouch was going to continue talking when a trio of girls walked up. "Er, hi, Lelouch," the girl in the lead said awkwardly. "What are you doing?"

Lelouch smiled at the girl. "Well, at the moment, I was walking to class," he replied with a small grin. "How can I help you ladies?"

"We were wondering..." one of the girls said. "W-would you like to come sing karaoke with us later today?"

Lelouch frowned. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said, "but I'm busy today." Busy beating fools at their own game. "But thank you very much for inviting me. I'm still new around here, and need to get to know people better." Honestly, none of these people interest me. I'm bored. The only person that had managed to catch his interest was Sona, and that was solely because she was a skilled and intelligent chess player.

"Aw, that sucks," the girls chorused.

Shrugging regretfully, Lelouch made his way into school and took his seat. The ideal time for sneaking out would be after lunch, Lelouch mused. Any earlier, and I risk missing important material during class; any later and it's possible I won't be able to make it back before classes start again. I'd rather not have Sona bother me again, although... He smiled slightly. Although playing chess against her might not be such a bad idea. It would keep me from getting bored, at least.

"I see you have your chess set with you again today," a voice said, breaking his concentration.

Lelouch looked up, startled, to see Sona standing there, Tsubaki flanking her. "Madame President," he said. "To what do I owe this honor?"

Sona smiled then, but it wasn't very warm. "I do hope that today will not be another repeat of the events of the last time you had your chessboard with you."

Lelouch gave her an equally mirthless grin. "I give you my word, Madame President, Issei will not miss class on my account." When her eyes gleamed, Lelouch smirked. "That is what you asked last time we had a conversation like this, correct?"

Sona sighed. "If you would be so kind, I would appreciate your help in the student council room over lunchtime." Lelouch stiffened and the president smirked slightly. "You did say you'd be happy to help balance the budget, didn't you?"

Lelouch kept the pleasant grin on his face, but he was irritated underneath the mask. "I believe there was something more to that statement, however," he replied. "Something about beating me in a game of chess?" He smirked when Sona jerked back slightly, reminded of her loss. The warning bell for class rang, and Sona's eyes flicked over at the door. "It wouldn't do for the president of the student council to be late for class, now would it?"

"Lelouch." Sona's voice was firm, a command to be at the student council room at lunchtime.

He sighed; there wasn't much he could do if the President gave him a direct order. An irony, given my own particular... talents. "I'll be at the room for lunch, Madame President."

"Excellent." And with that, Sona turned and left.

Tsubaki started to follow her, but stopped before turning back to Lelouch. "She's usually not this direct," she said. "You shook her when you won the chess game. Sona is very proud of her talents in that field." There's something she's not telling me, but no matter. I'll find out sooner or later. "I hope you don't think badly of her for giving you orders."

Lelouch just shook his head. "It's no big deal." The only ones who kill should be the ones prepared to be killed... "I suppose it applies for orders as well," he murmured.

"Pardon?"

Lelouch looked at Tsubaki and shook his head. "I apologize. Just thinking out loud." Satisfied, Tsubaki left and Lelouch slumped in his seat. So much for managing to sneak out during lunch... At lunchtime, true to his word, Lelouch made his way to the student council room and entered.

"Lelouch," Sona said, clearly enjoying herself. "So glad you could join us."

Lelouch shrugged. "I was invited – it would be rude to turn down the invitation." He placed his store-bought sandwich beside a girl with long brown hair tied back in two braids. "Do you mind if I sit here, Miss...er..."

"Reya Kusaka," the girl replied. "Please, call me Reya."

Lelouch smiled. "Thank you, Reya." He sat down and started eating his sandwich carefully, being sure to avoid spilling any on himself. He wasn't a prince any more, but that didn't mean he would let his manners slip in public.

After he was finished, Sona waved a hand and a boy with blond hair placed a stack of papers on the table in front of Lelouch. "These are what we use to balance the budget," he said.

Lelouch glanced at the boy. He's probably Saji, if I'm remembering what Sona said correctly. "Thank you. This shouldn't take too much time." Hopefully I can be done before lunch ends; I have a free period next, so that might still give me enough time to run out and win a quick game. Lelouch devoted himself to the task of balancing the budget as quickly as possible, putting all of his focus into doing the task correctly and without wasting any time. Fifteen minutes later, he wrote out the last bit of information needed and collected the papers scattered in front of him. "Here you are, Madame President," he said, handing her the stack.

Sona glanced at him. "You can't possibly be finished this quickly."

"I assure you, it's complete. I've had plenty of practice."

Sona looked at him over her glasses, accepting the stack of papers and beginning to flip through it. "Ah, yes, at your Ashford Academy?" She made a contemplative sound. "Strange how there's no record of it existing anywhere I could find."

Lelouch frowned then. "It's very far away. I'd be surprised if you did find any information." His lips compressed into a thin line. "I believe I'm more interested in the fact you did a background check on me."

Sona glanced at him again as she finished flipping through the pages. "You caught my interest," she said as a manner of explaining.

"What did you expect to find?" Lelouch asked, his voice dark. "Did you expect to find some hidden secret of my past? To learn that I was a prince, or that I received special powers through a contract with a witch?"

He noticed the strange chill in the air again, as if the entire student council had collectively tensed, but ignored it to focus on Sona. "I found nothing beyond what you filled out in your emancipation papers," Sona replied. At her words, the chill dissipated again, and Lelouch nodded, satisfied. "And thank you for your hard work today," she said, almost absently.

Lelouch sighed, getting his temper back under control.I came close to saying things I couldn't take back. "You're welcome," he said as pleasantly as possible – which for him, was very pleasant indeed. Even a step away from losing his temper, Lelouch could still sound like the most pleasant person in the world. A necessary survival trait in the backstabbing court of Britannia.

When he glanced at the time upon leaving the student council room, he sighed at the realization that he was going to miss his only chance to visit the gambling parlor during school hours. No matter, he decided. I'm certain there will be plenty of fools to take money from even if I wait until classes have ended. For the rest of the day, Lelouch suffered through material he had already learned, although his mind was elsewhere. If Sona can't find any information on me, she's bound to get suspicious, he realized. Everyone leaves a paper trail. But what can I do about it? There's essentially nothing I can do to stop her from getting suspicious. Although, she will sound strange if she claims I suddenly appeared in this world out of nowhere; in all likelihood, she will merely confront me about falsifying details. That could get me in trouble, though, and leads me back to square one. Lelouch sighed; he hated feeling trapped.

When classes finally let out, he made his way off of the campus quickly and followed the path he had used previously to enter the bar. When he was accosted by two bouncers, he smiled coldly at them. "I have some acquaintances in the back room," he said, and that was enough for the bouncers to leave him alone. It does pay to have connections. Although, previously my connections were heavily armed and a witch, so I suppose some two-bit gangster is a step down the list. Some part of him did miss his old world and his place in it, despite the pain and suffering he had experienced. Once again Lelouch strode into the room unconcerned about the way the men in suits leapt up from their gambling tables and grasped for their concealed weapons. "Hello again," he said calmly to the room at large.

"It's that kid again," one of the men in suits muttered. All at once there was a small release of tension in the room. Lelouch would have laughed at the way the men just seemed to accept him as something not unlike he considered Tamaki – an irritating pest, but one that couldn't be removed. So, best to get used to my presence, hm? Maybe having contacts in the criminal underworld isn't such a bad thing.

"Back for another game?" the boss said almost ruefully. "I'm afraid I won't be able to oblige you in chess, this time."

Lelouch just smiled. "No matter. I'm more than willing to play whatever game you would like. Poker, perhaps."

"You play?" the man asked, almost shocked.

"I picked it up a while back," Lelouch answered. "And I have some small amount of cash to buy in with."

The man studied him, then laughed. "Well, why not? I like your gambling spirit, kid." Oh, good. Approval from the mafia. "Hey, anyone else want in on this?" With what Lelouch was able to front for his buy-in, the total pot ran to just under 80,000 yen; not much, but enough for Lelouch to pay his bills and buy food for another month. I really should look into finding a better method of gambling.

Not that he was doing anything even related to gambling; for the first few hands, all he did was watch the others and learn their patterns. He won a hand by getting a good deal, but that was just luck and didn't factor into his strategy at all. Once he knew the tells of the other two men, however, he set to work with a vengeance. Lelouch had learned the game from watching the Black Knights play at one point; he had never participated – the great Zero would be above such games of chance – but he got a book from Milly's private library on card games and gambling and taught himself how to count cards. He was very subtle at it, as well, and when he had tried it once against Kallen she had never caught on to how he suddenly cleaned her out.

And that was the outcome of Lelouch's game against the other three gamblers as well, leaving him with a very nice wad of bills. "Hey, kid," the boss said, as Lelouch was preparing to leave. "What should we call you?"

Lelouch smirked then. "Call me L.L."

"El-two?" one of the other gamblers repeated. "Weird pseudonym, kid."

Lelouch just shrugged and kept his small smirk. "A friend of mine used one similar." He walked over to the door that led to the rest of the club, then turned around. "Ah, how about another game tomorrow?" he offered, almost off-handedly.

"And lose again?" the boss asked with a laugh. "I doubt it, kid."

"What if I made you an offer?"

The man froze. "What kind of offer?" Got him.

"Four-fold," Lelouch replied, knowing the man was hooked and that it was a matter of reeling him in. "If I win, I quadruple my winnings from today's game. And if you win, I owe you that much."

"Hm..." the man steepled his fingers in thought.

Lelouch smiled. "I won't ask you to make a decision right now. I'm certain you have to ask your superiors to allow the game." He hadn't missed the man's pin on the lapel of his suit, nor how the rest of the men had the same pin on different areas of their own suit. He had read about that in one of the old books on Japanese culture still available in Area Eleven. "But as I'm certain they will agree, please contact me at this number with the time and place." He handed the man a blank white card; the only thing to break up the solid color was his new phone number on it in a large black font.

Lelouch turned to leave when the boss called out, "Hey, kid." Lelouch turned around curiously to see the man offering his hand to shake. "I'm Kozuki." Kozuki?!

Lelouch shook the offered hand carefully. "Pardon my rudeness, sir, but do you have a daughter, by any chance?"

Kozuki blinked, shocked, and then laughed. "Why, want to win a wife from me too? Might be a faster way to get my fortune." He shook his head, still chuckling. "No, I'm afraid certain family issues have prevented me from having a kid."

Lelouch didn't miss the way he emphasized family, but his main focus was on the fact that Kallen didn't exist in this world. It was just a coincidence, he told himself. But the fact still remained that, for a brief second, he felt like he was within a grasp of his old life; no matter how much he had suffered, he still missed his old world. Is this homesickness? Lelouch had never experienced the feeling before, and it was, he determined, decidedly uncomfortable.

As he exited the gambling parlor, he stopped by a chain store that was hauntingly familiar. Pizza? Lelouch thought to himself with a chuckle. Might as well. He had never really enjoyed the greasy food before, but decided to give it a try because he was starving and because C.C. seemed to enjoy it so greatly. After trying a slice of pepperoni pizza – and burning the roof of his mouth, causing a small but potent burst of profanity – Lelouch decided that it smelled far better than it tasted and that he was better off purchasing some other manner of quick food if he ever wanted something without preparing it himself.

The next day was a day without classes, so Lelouch took the opportunity to sleep in. When he woke up, staring at him almost accusingly was that Cheese-Kun plushy C.C. had adored. "And what is your problem?" he snapped, glaring at the silent face. I have no idea why she loved that thing so much. Regardless, it was still important to the green-haired witch, and so Lelouch once again kept his temper and didn't throw the worn plushy away. What to do today... Ah, that's right. I'm about to walk willingly into a gamble where losing means I owe what is probably the local branch of Yakuza about 240,000 yen, while I can barely afford to feed myself. Lelouch laughed, the sinister sound filling the small apartment. It must be a good thing that I never gamble, then. Lelouch was confident he'd win the poker game; after all, he was able to count cards, as well as read people very well. And, if it came to it, he could always use Geass to force his opponents to lose. Not that it will ever come to that.

He was busy walking around town to get his finger on the pulse of the society when his phone finally rang. He glanced at it – I don't know the number, although that's hardly surprising – and answered. "Yes?"

"Is this L.L.?"

"Speaking." The voice on the phone wasn't Kozuki's, but it was one of the men that had been present when the challenge was issued. "And?"

There was a brief chuckle on the other end. "2:00, the regular place. Be there with the money."

"Have I ever failed to pay up before? I will be there, with the money in hand." The point is moot; I've never needed to pay up before. There was click on the other end of the line and Lelouch closed his phone. "Well, this is going to be interesting."

He still had some time to kill, so he wandered around town, just drinking in the atmosphere. The perfect world for Nunnally, and she's not here to share it with me. Lelouch's face twisted into a grimace. Is this their idea of a joke? A cruel prank? What's the point of having this perfect world without Nunnally to share it with? Everything he had done was for a world just like this, and when he finally was rewarded, it was spoiled by its very nature. A familiar voice caught his attention, and he looked over to see Issei talking animatedly to a girl. By the way they're acting, they're on a date. Lelouch chuckled. The girl turned slightly to look at Issei, and Lelouch picked out her violet eyes; a unique enough shade that even from that distance Lelouch knew he wasn't mistaken. How strange.

Eventually, 2:00 rolled around and Lelouch entered the strip club. Those same two bouncers stepped forward, but stopped when Lelouch looked at them. "I'm L.L.," he said calmly, and the two backed off immediately. What well-trained dogs, Lelouch thought with a small smirk. He made his way into the back room and entered calmly, taking in the situation at a glance. It was emptier than usual; the usual clientele had likely been forced out, Lelouch knew, for this special game. "Greetings, gentlemen," Lelouch said, looking at the six assembled men in suits. One was Kozuki, and three of the others had a definite 'bodyguard' aura to how they stood; Lelouch knew exactly how that felt, having had several guards. The other two, then, had to be the other players for this relatively high-stakes game.

"This is the kid?" one of the men asked Kozuki incredulously. "He looks like a student."

Lelouch smirked. "I am a student," he interrupted smoothly. "But everyone needs to eat, correct? I find this a much faster and easier method of gathering money to feed myself."

The man who had said something snorted. "You don't belong here, kid. This is the real world, and only the strong survive here."

Just like Britannia. Lelouch felt his lips spread into a mocking smirk. "Will it be the student who is consumed by the adult world, or will it perhaps be the other way around?" He despised adults who thought that their strength meant they would be the victor, that their strength meant they could do what they wanted.

Kozuki cleared his throat. "L.L., do you have the money?" In response, Lelouch held up the small roll of bills he had earned the day before and nodded. "Well, we'd better get started." He laughed nervously.

Lelouch sat down, carefully studying the others. He already knew Kozuki's habits, but it would still be important to pay attention. In a stressful situation, things change. Already, he could feel the beads of sweat prickling at his back, and longed for his expressionless Zero mask. That mask allowed him to hide his face from everyone, to show a calm and collected face to the world even when he was deep in the throes of rage.

First, the man on the left. He glanced at his watch when he sat down, before looking around and gesturing for the pack of cards. He must be in a hurry, so he'll play aggressively, either winning the game quickly or bankrupting at the same speed. With him he'll probably always bet high, so I need to watch for any patterns in his movements. The man scratched at the back of his neck and Lelouch knew what to look for – some sort of absent move such as scratching himself, or looking at his watch. Something small and repetitive.

Kozuki was seated across from Lelouch, so his attention turned to the man on the right. He's confident, but that's good. I can use that confidence against him. He'll probably bluff the first few bad hands, confident in his skills as a card player. I need to use those hands as a way to measure his movements; he seems too calm to make any overt gestures, so his tell has to be something else. He was the only other person in the room without a pin, which told Lelouch that he was just a rich bystander that liked playing cards.

As the challenged, Kozuki dealt the first hand; the game started, and Lelouch knew just from looking at his cards that he would most likely have to fold the hand. Unless he got extremely lucky, there was no chance a four of clubs and seven of diamonds would amount to anything useful. The man on his left glanced at his cards and then reached over and grabbed a few chips. "Betting 750." Lelouch had expected him to be aggressive, and he didn't disappoint.

"Call." Kozuki's answer was the same, but Lelouch knew by watching him that his hand was just as terrible as his own. Kozuki had bit his lip slightly while considering his move, and Lelouch had noticed it.

"Call." The man on the right answered far too quickly, and Lelouch knew he had decided to call regardless of what had happened. He's either got a good hand or knows what he's doing.

It was Lelouch's turn; he knew what he was going to do. "Raise to 4000." He calmly placed his own chips in, their value of 1000 yen. The one on the left will call, Kozuki will fold, and the one on the right... That was why he had raised. Lelouch wanted to see the reaction of the final player, the one he hadn't read.

The other players moved according to his puppet strings, the first man calling the 1000 and Kozuki folding. Now, friend, what will you do? The man studied the pot, and then glanced at Lelouch. A small smirk went across his lips and he shrugged. "Fold." Damn him. Anything other than that would have given Lelouch something to work with, but the man had just folded instead, making it very clear he was folding only because he wasn't going to give Lelouch anything to work with.

Lelouch dealt the flop and felt his insides clench. Nothing. The only thing Lelouch had was the 10-high from the flop. Damn, double damn, and triple damn. I hate relying on luck. But it was just between him and the player on the left; true to Lelouch's expectations, the man raised by another 1500, betting very aggressively. "Fold," Lelouch said eventually. He didn't want to risk it, and the player hadn't given him a sign that he was bluffing.

But the stage has been set, and now the real fun can begin. The dealer button rotated and the cards were dealt; Lelouch had a better chance of winning the round. A queen-high was nothing to scoff at, especially since Lelouch watched the others react. Kozuki had another weak hand, and when the aggressive player glanced at his watch Lelouch knew he had a weak hand as well. That just leaves the other one... Kozuki went first, calling the large blind at 500, but Lelouch knew that was just a vain hope that his bet would cover up his weak hand. The confident player called, and Lelouch called the small blind, bringing the pot to 2000. The aggressive player raised to 3000, and the cycle went again; Kozuki folded, rather than risk losing more, and the confident player called the raise. Lelouch decided to risk it and called as well, bringing the pot's total to 4000. The flop just increased his chances of winning, with a King and Ace face up; he also had a pair with his low card, a five.

The confident man called again, as did Lelouch and the aggressive player, leading into the fourth street. When the card was revealed to be a Queen, Lelouch knew he had a good hand and was ready to run with it. The confident man raised to 7500 with a smile, while Lelouch studied him. He still hadn't shown any signs of bluffing, and Lelouch had no idea what to expect. Regardless, he called the raise, as did the third player. The river card was another five, leaving Lelouch with a full house; when the confident man only called, Lelouch knew he had him. He raised cautiously, trying to draw out the other player; his subtle goading worked, the third man choosing to raise the pot to 17000. The pot was almost a quarter of Lelouch's starting value, and he felt confident in this hand. When he and the third man called, the betting was over with the pot valued at 23000 yen.

The aggressive man only had the three of a kind from the community cards, easily losing; but Lelouch was shocked to see that the confident man had nothing either. Lelouch was quietly furious with himself; he had fallen for the man's ploy, showing how he bet when he had a good hand while the other man gave nothing away. Damn him...

The aggressive man was the first out, as Lelouch had expected; his playing style was brutal, with no real subtlety to it - he would always raise if he had a good or terrible hand, calling if his hand was mediocre. Kozuki was the second to be knocked out of the game, when he made a foolish bet trying to scare off Lelouch and ended up losing to the confident player's three of a kind. Finally, it was just the two titans left in the game; Lelouch wasn't winning, but he wasn't doing poorly either. However, when it was just the two players, Lelouch's ability to count the cards came to the forefront - without the others interfering with the counts, he could predict exactly what hand he was going to have. He managed to gain the upper hand just barely when he won a hand through his Jack kicker; when the next round began, he knew that this would be the last round.

The other player was the dealer, so Lelouch had to pay the small blind. By that point, the blinds had been increased to 4000 and 8000 respectively, forcing the players to fight harder and harder. But Lelouch had a plan. "Call," he said, without even looking at his cards. He did his best to put on a 'nervous' act, fidgeting slightly and sneaking glances at the door behind him. He was rewarded for his efforts when one of the bodyguards subtly shifted towards the door, blocking the escape route.

The other man's eyes widened slightly before he rapped a knuckle on the table. "Check." The fold was exactly what Lelouch had expected: a Queen of Diamonds, a 10 of Spades, and a 10 of Diamonds.

Lelouch chuckled nervously and swallowed. "A-all in," he said, his voice cracking slightly under the strain.

When the other man's eyes gleamed with a predatory light, Lelouch knew he had him hooked. "All in," the man said, adding his chips to the pile. The two players flipped their cards over, and Lelouch looked at the man's cards. Two Queens meant he had a three of a kind at the least, with the possibility of a four of a kind. The fourth street was the fourth Queen, and the man grinned with a smug smirk; the only hand that could beat a four of a kind was some sort of straight, and with the cards on the table the possibility of that was very slim indeed. Lelouch just kept as calm as he could, still not even looking at his cards.

And the river card was the Ace of Diamonds. The room went quiet.

Lelouch's chuckle broke the sudden silence. "I believe that I win," he said, pushing forward his two cards, the Jack of Diamonds and King of Diamonds.

"Holy hell," one of the enforcers murmured. Lelouch noticed one of them reaching surreptitiously for whatever weapon was hidden in their breast pocket, and casually moved his hand toward his eye in the event that Geass became necessary.

Fortunately for everyone involved, however, the confident man just stared at the cards for a second before bursting into laughter. "You had me, kid," he said. "Hook, line, and sinker." He shook his head ruefully. "Impressive."

The aggressive man snapped his fingers and one of the enforcers came forward, carrying a briefcase full of fresh crisp bills. "240,000, as promised," he said. Lelouch just accepted the briefcase without counting the contents; he knew that the pride of the Japanese wouldn't let them do anything other than honor their debts.

"Thank you very much, gentlemen," he said, standing up.

"L.L.," Kozuki began, and Lelouch shifted to look at him. "You're welcome here any time." He grinned. "But we're playing chess from now on."

Lelouch laughed. "It's a deal."

His first stop was to return home and place the briefcase full of money on the table. After that, he took some of the money and went out to buy groceries for his celebratory dinner; his victory left him in such a good mood that when a woman handing out fliers gave one to him, he just accepted politely and moved on his way without even bothering to look at what the flier said. What shall I have for dinner? The sun was just setting, and his stomach was making its complaints very clear. He wasn't starving by any stretch of the imagination, but he had gotten used to a routine of eating at certain times and his third meal of the day was somewhat late. The slice of pizza had held him for a bit, but it wasn't enough to actually sate his appetite. Perhaps some sort of steak. It would be expensive, but Lelouch had some money to burn.

Suddenly, the world shifted. That was the only way Lelouch could describe it; it was as if everyone else in the world just went somewhere else, leaving Lelouch alone in the streets. Geass?! he thought wildly. It can't be. He was the only person with Geass in the world; C.C. and other immortals shouldn't exist in this world, as far as he was aware. Carefully, Lelouch removed the contact from his left eye and looked around, trying to determine what exactly had shifted.

"Ooooh," someone giggled, and Lelouch whirled around to see a man standing there, dressed in a long black coat that reminded Lelouch strangely of the uniform he wore back in Ashford Academy. Underneath that he had on another coat of some sort, this one white; dangling on his chest was a cross. So, possibly some sort of priest by his pendant. It was a snap judgment, but Lelouch had nothing else to go on. The man himself was taller than Lelouch, with white hair and red eyes. "So you're the target, huhhh?" He tilted his head sideways and stuck out his tongue, and Lelouch took a step back. I hate dealing with insanity. At least, he corrected himself, when I don't know how they work. "Aw, but you're just a little kid." The man sighed melodramatically. "Here I'd hoped it was a devil! I wanted to cut a shitty devil up, slice them into teeny tiny bits!" Joy. He's a violent psychopath.

Lelouch took another step back. "Who are you?"

"Me?" The man's eyes widened. "I'm Freed Sellzen, exorcist extraordinaire!" He rummaged around in his coat and pulled out a very large handgun – probably closer to a shotgun than a pistol. "And you're going to die. Please? Pretty please? With sprinkles and a cherry on top?"

Lelouch chuckled uneasily. "And if I'd prefer not to die?"

Freed's face fell. "Oh, that would be just terrible. I'd have to kill you when you didn't want to die and I'd just feel so bad!" Lelouch felt a chill run down his spine. "Would you, could you, please let me kill you?"

He's going to kill me. It was a certainty at that point to Lelouch, the only outcome to which all of the moves led. The only thing that he could do was stall for time. In a well-practiced and flamboyant move he drew his contact off, calling on the power of Geass to make the man do his bidding. "Don't move!" He didn't know who had sent Freed or why, but if he could get away without killing the exorcist there was a far higher likelihood of the man not sending another killer after him. If I had forced him to kill himself, his employer would have just sent another assassin after me. By being able to escape, it's possible whoever hired Freed will decided I'm too large a bite to consume.

"Like hell I will!" Freed snarled, but when he tried to take a step forward a red ring appeared around his eye and he froze in place. "Huh? What's this?" He giggled again. "So you do have some tricks up your sleeve. How amazing! Oh, this is making me feel all tingly!"

Grimacing, Lelouch backed away quickly but carefully. Even without being able to move, he still has a ranged weapon. If I turn my back, I won't be able to dodge. Lelouch moved over to the left, keeping his eyes on Freed the whole time. It's possible he has some sort of contingency for being immobilized, so I'd rather not take my eyes off of him. When he reached the entrance to an alleyway, he turned and bolted, running as fast as he could. Once the attacker is immobilized, put as much distance between yourself and them, he mentally repeated his old instructors. Jeremiah had insisted on giving Lelouch a basic run-down in how to handle assassins. Orange, your lessons might just end up saving my life.

When he couldn't run any further, Lelouch stumbled out of the alleyways, panting for breath and clutching at his side. "I... hate... running..." he gasped. He looked around to see that the world had been restored to how it should have been, with people walking back and forth, talking to their friends and going about their business. No crazed exorcist trying to kill him or feeling like the world had been shifted halfway to a parallel dimension.

And then the world shifted again. Again?! Lelouch stumbled forward and looked around, almost unsurprised to see Freed standing in the middle of the street, gun at the ready. "Hi there," he sang. What? But my Geass command... Lelouch's eyes widened. Any commands given while we're in whatever that strange pocket dimension end when it does. Then by that logic... "I've had to look everywhere for you! But now that I've got you, I can finally kill you and dance around in your blood!" Lelouch grimaced, and Freed cooed in delight. "Oh, that face! I love seeing that face on devils, but it's just fine seeing it on you too!" He threw himself forward. "Now die!" he screamed with a cackle, drawing out some sort of baton. Definitely a melee weapon, though with that short range? Freed flicked some sort of switch and a beam of light shot out, extending the length of the weapon to almost twice its original length. Ah.

Lelouch stumbled back slightly and threw himself to the side, dodging Freed's first thrust. I can't let him get another shot. It's a long shot, but... From where he was sprawled on the ground, Lelouch used an extravagant gesture to catch Freed's eye and removed his contact, drawing on the power of Geass once again. "I command you to -"

"Well, well, what do we have here?" At the voice, Lelouch froze, letting the power fall dormant again. He recognized that voice; he looked over in surprise to see Sona standing there, flanked by Tsubaki and another member of the student council he didn't know the name of.

Tsubaki sighed, adjusting her glasses. "It appears to be Lelouch, face to face with an exorcist currently trying to kill him."

Sona nodded. "Interesting."

"Devils!" Freed cried, his face a picture of ecstasy. "Oh, goody! My day just got so much better!" He whipped his head back and forth between Lelouch and the three student council members. "Who should I kill first? Should it be you?" he asked, staring at Lelouch. "Or the devils? Oh, I just don't know!" He grinned, his tongue sticking out, before giggling and lunging at Lelouch. "You know what they say. Business before pleasure! Or in this case, business is pleasure!"

"Tomoe, now!" Sona barked. "Tsubaki, prepare transfer for one human."

Tomoe – the third girl, Lelouch realized – moved at the order, crossing the distance between her original position and Lelouch almost instantly, and managed to put herself between Lelouch and Freed before the exorcist could complete his strike in time to block his attack with a katana. "Too slow," she taunted the crazed man. Lelouch took the brief reprieve to replace his contact, but didn't miss how Sona's gaze immediately snapped to him the second he did so.

"Ready, Sona," Tsubaki said, and Lelouch glanced at her to see her standing over a fairly complicated circle filled with all sorts of arcane markings and sigils. "Lelouch, come over here."

Lelouch scrambled over, remembering what Sona had said. If this gets me out of here and away from personal danger, then I am by all means a proponent of this idea. And then he slowed, down, remembering something. My command was interrupted before, so I still have Geass... He turned to the fight between Freed and Tomoe, ignoring Tsubaki's surprised shout and Sona's snapped order. "Freed!" he shouted, removing the contact again. "Answer my question! Why are you trying to kill me?"

"Because it's fun!" Freed crowed, blocking a slash from Tomoe and making a strike of his own, a horizontal slash that forced her to jump back or risk getting hit by the glowing beam of light. "And I guess because Azazel asked me really politely to go kill somebody." Lelouch didn't miss the sudden hiss as Sona and Tsubaki sucked in air. It seems Azazel is a powerful player in this world. "But he was so nice, I couldn't even say no when he told me it was just this boy."

Lelouch nodded, satisfied, and moved back to stand next to Tsubaki after replacing his contact lens. "When it's convenient, Tomoe," Sona said with a sigh.

"Okay!" the girl chirped. Parrying another blow, she kicked out with her front foot and nailed Freed right in the gut. He doubled over and Tomoe raced back, her form blurring slightly around the edges in a sight Lelouch had come to associate with the high speeds a Knightmare Frame could achieve. How does this one girl match their speeds? She sheathed her sword and flashed a smile at Sona. "All buckled up and hands inside the ride, President." She's starting to remind me of Milly.

"Tsubaki?"

"On it," the vice-president replied. She closed her eyes and started chanting; the circle below their feet starting glowing a blue light.

The last thing Lelouch saw before the light engulfed his vision entirely was Freed reaching forward, crying, "No fair! I wanted to kill you!"

When the light cleared, the four students were standing in a fairly familiar place; when Lelouch gathered his bearings again, he realized they were in the student council room. After he blinked in brief surprise, he moved over and took a seat calmly, facing the student council. "Well?" he asked after a period of silence. "Would you like to explain exactly what a group of devils is doing attending high school?"

Oh holy crap I'm stepping super far outside my SAO comfort zone and this is a scary place and, uh... Hi, reader, I didn't see you come in, welcome.

If this looks familiar at all to some of you (don't worry if it doesn't) that's because I'm reposting this story - the initial version of this was taken down when I realized I was dissatisfied with it and I wouldn't have enough time to work on it. Things have settled down a little bit, so I guess this is starting back up.

Basics of this story:

1) Italics is thoughts, BOLD is Geass at work.

2) Third-person limited, sticking almost exclusively to Lelouch's shoulder.

3) I have next to no practice writing any of these characters and hopefully that'll make me stretch a little bit. Oh god why did I think this was a good idea.

4) I personally have seen all of Code Geass and watched the animated adaptations of HSDxD. If you have a problem with the latter, whine and moan but it won't change anything; I'm watching it rather than reading it. Tough.

5) No seriously why did I think this would be a good idea in the slightest.

IMPORTANT! THIS NEXT BIT IS IMPORTANT!

Ahem. Please note, this is more a 'Oh fuck me writer's block has attacked' story, so it won't be getting much love. It'll be updated if and/or when I finish a chapter, which may or may not be for a while - basically, it's at the bottom of my priorities list, which are (in descending order) my friends, staying sane, work/school, my other stories, this.

Thanks for sitting through this, and I hope you enjoy; please review and tell me what you liked, what you didn't like. Not that I'll be paying much attention, mind, but constructive criticism (that is, criticism that explains itself, rather than just 'Nah brah your Lelouch sucks' or 'too much tell not enough show'. Preferred would be something along the lines of explaining what you feel is wrong with my portrayal of Lelouch and the parts that I've told not shown, respectively) is always useful.

Important update as of 10/17/2015: This story is now a one-shot. I might continue it at a later time, but for right now I'm content to let it sit where it is. Feel free to use anything from this in a story of your own, so long as you at least mention where you got it.

My reasons for doing so: I've been rewatching Code Geass, and probably my favorite part of the show is Lelouch scheming and plotting to defeat an enemy larger than he is, all in order to make a better world for his sister. Now, we run into a few problems here - first off, Nunally isn't in this world, so there goes most if not all of Lelouch's motivation. This world doesn't have the Brittanian Empire either, so that's pretty much his entire motivation shot already. Next off, there really isn't an enemy larger than Lelouch is. Yes, there are enemies with more power, but Geass is absolute, and the big guys typically work solo. One order and boom, there goes the entire enemy forces. If I had to say, the Khaos Brigade is probably the closest thing to a real army he'd face, and even then he wouldn't need to plot or scheme anything.

This was a small experiment; while I'm satisfied with where it is right now, trying to force it to be a full story would just ruin it. Verdict of the experiment: writing crossovers isn't terrible, but make sure that the elements you're crossing over make sense. Good to know - and in the other crossover I'm actually planning, we shouldn't run into that problem.

Sorry to anyone who wanted more! (he said, knowing that this could probably be written better by someone else)