DISCLAIMER: I do not own Code Geass nor any concepts related to Code Geass. All rights, permissions, and characters are reserved and owned by Bandai.

With C.C reverted back to her old self now, what course of action will Lelouch choose to take? With a single stroke, the enemy has revealed the Black Knight's vulnerability! Can they ever find safe refuge?

My take on what happens several years after the end of Code Geass, with the introduction of some new characters I've come up with myself. So it begins…

Code Geass, Lelouch of the Resurrection: The Renewal

Lelouch looked on, at a loss for words at what to do. In front of him cowered a helpless slave girl, whom had been subjected to all the cruelties of the world. He had been through this same situation before, but nothing ever prepared him for the course of action necessary to deal with this. How did you treat somebody whom you were so familiar in an entirely different manner?

"This isn't good." Suzaku said grimly.

Lelouch nodded, unconsciously, in silent approval. This was indeed a rather inconvenient situation, and it was not just because C.C knew much more about Geass and the enemy than the rest of them did. She was perhaps his sole confidant in many things that he would otherwise leave unspoken. Now…

"Please… Please don't hurt me… I'll be good from now on! I won't run away anymore!" C.C stuttered, her arms still held over her face as if expecting a blow. Lelouch decided that not doing anything would not change the situation for the better. They had to leave this place, and fast. Who knew when the enemy would strike again? Or rather, who knew when A.A would return, if his instincts were right?

Lelouch held out a hand to C.C, who flinched and backed away several paces. He sighed.

"I'm not going to hurt you." He affirmed, and gestured for her to take his hand.

C.C continued to look suspiciously at him but after several seconds she saw that he meant no harm. She lowered her arms and placed them upon her lap. Her eye remained fix on Lelouch's outstretched hand. Slowly, and almost reluctantly, she placed one of her hands in his. The moment they touched, skin to skin, C.C's face seemed to register something, though Lelouch was not quite sure what it was. Her shaking had stopped.

"Who.. Who are you?" C.C asked, still fearfully, her eyes now focused on Lelouch's face. Golden eyes looked into deep purple ones, taking in everything. Lelouch smiled gently.

"I am Lelouch." He began. He then gestured to Suzaku who was right beside him. "This is Suzaku."

He then proceeded to help her up from the ground. She got up, unsteady on her feet. Suzaku appeared to be looking in the direction of their camp. Lelouch could see that he was impatient to leave. He knew why too; the atmosphere was getting tenser by the second.

"You are not safe here." Lelouch continued. "Follow me and I'll bring you to a place where nobody can hurt you." He beckoned for C.C to follow them. She continued to look at him, not knowing whether to trust. Yet, something about him was different. He wasn't like any of the other people. He seemed to exude a royal splendor. She gave a small, almost unnoticeable, nod.

"Let's go. Quickly." Lelouch finished.

Rakshata tapped her fingers impatiently on the metal table, periodically interrupting the heavy silence that hung amongst the members of the Black Knights. Everybody looked uneasily at the latest addition to their ranks, except that she wasn't exactly somebody new. Gino, in particular, looked positively terrified.

"Wasn't she dead just now?" Was the thought running through his mind.

C.C was chowing down on pizza slice after pizza slice with great gusto. It gave everyone the impression that she had not eaten for the longest time. The way she gobbled the food down without any sign of restraint was a sight in itself. It was most unlike the usual C.C.

Tohdoh and Chiba looked rather uncomfortable at this new development. Nunnally looked visibly upset and could be seen stealing glances at the nasty tears in C.C's clothes. Kallen was still reeling from the shock and was trying her best to stifle her sobs. Suzaku and Lelouch sat on either side of C.C and neither looked like they knew what to do about the situation before them.

"So… What happened?" Rakshata began, unable to hide the curiosity in her voice. "Looks like a case of multiple personality disorder." The sudden sound of a chair being pushed back echoed from across her.

"Hold on! Somebody tell me what's going on here!" Gino interrupted, standing up and slamming both hands on the table. He pointed a finger at C.C, which caused her to flinch and drop the slice of pizza she was holding on the floor. "I clearly saw her mortally wounded just now! How is she.. How is she..?"

"Alive?" Lelouch completed his sentence for him.

Gino nodded with a gulp, before settling back down in his chair, a look of disbelief etched upon his face.

"We never told some of you, I guess, back in the days. But C.C here, she's an immortal. A witch." Lelouch explained patiently. He then proceeded to take another slice of pizza and force it into C.C's hands, gesturing to her that it was alright and that nobody wanted to hurt her. The startled girl continued munching, though she avoided everyone's gaze.

Gino buried his face in his hands and gave a long sigh. He was clearly muttering to himself and words like "must be dreaming" and "stress" could be heard.

"Geass is a vile magic." Tohdoh commented, his arms now folded across his chest, a look of disapproval on his visage. Chiba looked from Tohdoh to Gino and finally to Lelouch, before putting a hand on her husband's shoulder in support of him.

"A v-vile m-magic that brought L-Lelouch back to us n-nonetheless." Kallen stuttered through her sobs. She rubbed her puffy eyes with the sleeve of her shirt and Sayoko gave her a tissue to which Kallen said a quiet "thanks". Suzaku absent mindedly brought his hand to his eye, but passed the motion off as an excuse to play with his fringe.

Nunnally was fidgeting with her hands. She had to say something but what could she say? She felt like a child amongst the adults.

Silence once again resumed, marred only by Rakshata's continued tapping, Kallen's sobs and C.C's chewing. The sound of a flock of birds taking off could be heard somewhere faraway.

Lelouch was thinking fervently. What a predicament. A myriad of thoughts buzzed in his mind but he was too distracted by the change in C.C's personality to concentrate on any of them. The logical course of action would be to find safety, but where in the world could they go without A.A being able to find them? The best possibility would be somewhere he could have video surveillance of everyone at any time. He needed a concrete base of operations and a lot more manpower but where in the world would he find that? Japan? All the Sakuradite necessary could be found there but it was too predictable. The enemy would obviously expect him to return there ultimately. Yet, Japan seemed logical. It had resources, much needed resources, for they were running out of supplies and it seemed now that nowhere in the world was safe for them to stop and restock. He needed C.C back. She would be able to point him in the right direction. She would be able to…

"Lelouch." Came Nunnally's quiet voice. Yet, it appeared to have a sound impact on everyone, for they all immediately turned their attention to her. She rarely spoke and perhaps could offer some wisdom that the rest of them could not grasp. Her gaze was directed at Lelouch, and he tried his best not to avoid it. A pang of guilt still resided somewhere deep in his heart but he had learned to quell it.

"We could go to the Chinese…" She suggested, almost as if she had read Lelouch's mind. Lelouch was so taken aback by this that he nearly fell off his chair. Of course! The Chinese! How could he have missed that?

"Nunnally! You're a genius!" Lelouch said aloud despite himself. He then proceeded to give a big hug to his sister, following which he stood behind her with a hand on her shoulder.

"Everyone. I've been thinking for quite a while now. Perhaps it's time to tell you everything. Our true enemy perhaps lies not in the Demon Emperor himself, no! Just as the power of Geass, this foul magic that began it all, was bestowed upon me by C.C, the enemy himself probably has the very same power, given to him by another witch!" He explained with enthusiasm, a wild smile on his face.

Everyone appeared to liven up in the fraction of a second. They knew that Lelouch had finally come up with something, thanks to Nunnally's keen input. Kallen had stopped sobbing, Rakshata had lit her pipe. Gino had a determined look on his face now and Suzaku smiled quietly in his seat. Tohdoh and Chiba merely looked at Lelouch blankly and Sayoko had already begun firing up the ship's engines. Nunnally was clearly embarrassed at how her brother had openly praised her in front of everyone and C.C had even stopped eating to listen.

"It's a battle of Geass again clearly." Lelouch continued. "Geass is a force that breeds conflict, for superior beings always try to exert dominance upon those beneath them. However! We are only behind the enemy in one thing, and one thing only. Numbers."

There was a murmur of agreement amongst the members of the Black Knights. Lelouch smiled. He had garnered their attention now. All he had to do was give the orders.

"Well then, as Nunnally has so greatly reminded us, we have an ally in the powerful force of China! So I suggest that the most logical course of action now would be to approach the emperor and seek to join forces against our common enemy! Once we close the gap between their numbers and our own, it will be a mere battle of wits once again. Just the way I like it." Lelouch finished with an air of triumph.

"Funny how the thought never crossed our minds." Suzaku added, a sheepish smile beginning to form. The gloomy atmosphere that permeated the room previously was gone now. They now had a goal and a clear direction in which to venture forth. Lelouch gave Nunnally a gentle nudge and whispered in her ear.

"Thank you Nunnally. I don't know what I'd do without you."

The Demon Emperor looked down upon the world, as he stood on a floor made entirely of glass. The symbol of Geass was stained blood red on the transparent surface. He was in a massive circular hall and huge marble pillars supported a vast ceiling, which had a carving of Geass that mirrored the one on the floor engraved into it. At one end of the hall was a set of large double doors that appeared to be wrought of gold and silver.

The sun had just begun to rise, and it threw everything in the room into stark relief. The Demon Emperor's long shadow splayed out behind him onto the walls of the hall, throwing much of it into semi-darkness. His face was obscured by a black mask, which covered most of his face save for his eyes, which burned fiery red. The mask was hewn into the vague shape of a monstrous skull.

He stood there, resolute, unmoving. Absolute. He appeared to be waiting, or rather, he was expecting something to happen. He did not know what it was, but it would come when it came. There was no sound save for the gentle humming of engines somewhere far off.

"A.A. I know you're there." The Demon Emperor spoke without warning and to nobody in particular. His voice echoed around the room before finally dissipating into silence.

"Ah… You're no fun Serafius." Came a playful woman's voice. A.A materialized out of thin air behind the Demon Emperor, her arms around his waist. He gave a long, tired sigh.

"What's the matter?" A.A asked, concerned, though she looked anything but worried. In fact she looked hungry, and she pressed her body deeply into his back. Moments passed between them.

"A.A… Might I know the reason for your absence last night..?" The Demon Emperor questioned her quietly.

"Ah… You found out..? Aw…" A.A whined mockingly, before wrapping her arms now across his neck. She gave him a kiss on the cheek, though it was shielded by his mask. The Demon Emperor sighed again, though this time he made it seem like he was addressing a badly behaved child.

"A.A… Don't leave my side ever again. Understand?" It wasn't an order, but his voice sounded dangerous. A.A seemed to sense this and the sly smile that had been on her face just a moment ago disappeared, replaced by a rather sorry expression.

"Oh don't be like this Serafius… I was only doing it for you. You see, I merely went to see my dear daughter and give her a heart to heart talk." A.A lamented. She had released the Demon Emperor from her embrace now and moved to face him. "I'd never leave you. Never."

The Demon Emperor's expression was unreadable, thanks to his mask. A.A looked at him, a look of mild worry creeping onto her face. She appeared fearful that he would be angry, that he would reject her. The Demon Emperor reached out a hand to A.A, which she took, shyly and very uncharacteristically.

"Are… Are you angry?" she asked timidly. Nobody could tell if she was merely play-acting or if she was being genuine. Nobody except the Demon Emperor that is.

"Enough of this A.A. I know that you're neither sorry nor would you really care if I were angry or not." He stated matter-of-factly. A.A's face immediately changed, forming a vicious grin.

"Tch. So cold. You'd do better than to treat me this way you know." A.A complained, though she affectionately wrapped her arm around his at the same time. The Demon Emperor sighed yet again.

"I'm tired A.A. Tired. I just wish the rest of the world would stop resisting against me. Do they not know my intention to create a perfect world? Do they not know my noble intentions to stop suffering and poverty?" he mused. A.A nestled his arm between her breasts seductively and whispered into his ear.

"Don't you mind them. Very soon my love, we will have it all to ourselves. The world and everything in it."

The Demon Emperor turned to her and, reaching one hand to his face, removed his mask just slightly so that she could plant a kiss on his lips. He caressed her pale white cheek lovingly and when they broke apart he whispered to her.

"Yes. So long as you always remain by my side..."

The Chinese Federation is what Lelouch has his sights set upon. Yet, victory is far off as the Demon Emperor appears to be putting the final phases of his plans into action! How will things fall into place?

Please review this FanFic! Arigato!