A/N: Okay, in case you didn't read the summary, this is a Code Geass AU fic in which Lelouch, rather than Nunnally, was blind and in a wheelchair. Instead of then making Nunnally the main character, however, I plan to have Lelouch receive Geass and become Zero anyway. I think it's an interesting premise. Hopefully, you'll like it too.

Code Geass: Blind Justice

Stage 1: Lelouch's Circumstances

I was nine at the time. I remember tugging on my mother's sleeve, urging her to go faster. Nunnally and I had finished the paintings our tutor had assigned to us, and I wanted her to see mine.

Then, suddenly, there was a noise like thunder, and the stained-glass windows around us exploded inward.

I remember Mother scooping me up and beginning to run. I buried my face in her hair. It smelled like flowers.

Then, she fell, with me still in her arms. I remember feeling wet, and wondering if someone had poured water on us, somehow.

Then I saw the red. It was all around us, trickling down the stairs. It was soaked into Mother's clothes, as well. There were holes in her, too, like the ones in the soldiers in the paintings of battles that hung around the palace.

I was beginning to panic. Mother wasn't moving, and I couldn't feel my legs. I looked up into her eyes, to see if I could get some reassurance from her.

They were still wide open, but there was no life left in them.

I think it was at that point that I began screaming.

The next thing I remember is lying in a hospital bed. Everything around me was dark, but I could feel the sheets against my skin, and hear the beeping of equipment.

I felt the touch of someone's hand. It was Nunnally.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I had been worried that perhaps she had been hurt in the thunder, like Mother.

She clutched my hand as if it was the only thing keeping her from drowning.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

I heard her sniffle softly, and turned my head toward the noise. Then, the inward rush of a deep breath.

"Lelouch, Mother is…" she began softly.

"I know," I said.

"Can you…can you feel your legs at all?" Nunnally asked slowly.

I couldn't. "No," I said.

"Lelouch, when Mother was killed, you were hurt as well," Nunnally said. "The doctors say you won't be able to use your legs anymore."

I didn't want to upset Nunnally, but I couldn't help gasping. I heard a soft sobbing sound.

"Nunnally, are you crying?" I asked.

"Of course I am, can't you see me?" Nunnally asked, emotion clogging her voice.

"No," I said. "Everything's dark. I should probably open my eyes."

Nunnally started crying again. "Lelouch," she said, "your eyes are open."

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Area 11, Eight Years Later

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Rivalz Cardemonde asked me. "Nunnally's not going to be happy."

I laughed. "Nunnally doesn't like it when I gamble, but she appreciates the extra money. I'll tell her you tried to talk me out of it if she finds out."

"Thanks," Rivalz said. "No offense, but your little sister is scary when she's angry."

"You have no idea," I said with a laugh, remembering some of the lectures she'd given me in the past.

Even without being able to see, I knew where we were- speeding through downtown Tokyo in Rivalz's motorbike, with my wheelchair attached to the back with bungee cords. We must have been quite a sight.

Honestly, I don't think Rivalz realized how grateful I was for these outings. Beating nobles at chess wasn't crushing Britannia, but it was all I had, for now.

We pulled up to the location. Rivalz unloaded my wheelchair and helped me into it, then wheeled me into the room.

I couldn't see my opponent's expression of surprise, but I could imagine it.

"A student?" he asked. "In a wheelchair? Is this a joke?" I wanted to knock the pompous tone out of his voice, but I knew that wouldn't really change a thing.

I ignored him. "Rivalz, will you tell me the locations of the pieces?"

Rivalz said the locations aloud. Mentally, I visualized a chessboard, placing the pieces in the locations he gave me.

"You're blind, too?" he laughed. "This is too easy."

"Rivalz, how soon do we need to leave here in order to make our next class?" I asked.

"In a half an hour, if we break some speed limits," Rivalz told me.

"Well, then, drive carefully, Rivalz," I said. "We'll be out of here in a few minutes."

I was true to my word. Minutes later, Rivalz was pushing me out the door.

"That was amazing!" he exclaimed. "I think you set a new record! I wish you could have seen the look on his face."

I smiled at him. "Thanks," I said. "But nobles are tepid opponents, at best. Winning against them is no great triumph."

As Rivalz lifted me back into the sidecar, I heard a familiar voice. It was Clovis, making another one of his speeches. Another terrorist attack had occurred, and, of course, he was attempting to make it into propaganda. He requested a moment of silence, but Rivalz kept moving.

"You aren't observing the moment of silence?" I asked.

"Why bother?" Rivalz answered.

"Why indeed?" I echoed. "After all, no matter what anyone does, the world won't change, anyway."

Rivalz gave me a sideways look, then gunned the motor of his bike, and we sped off.

Suddenly, I felt the bike swerve. "Rivalz!" I exclaimed. "What's happening?"

"There's a truck behind us, and they're driving like mani-" Rivalz broke off, as I felt a sudden impact.

I wasn't in my seat anymore, that much was certain. Wind was rushing past me, faster than it had been when I was in the sidecar.

You've come. My… I heard someone say. It echoed strangely in my mind, and I wondered if I was having some sort of auditory hallucination.

I felt myself smack into something, and then fall, at least a six foot drop. It was times like these where I was almost grateful for the fact that I couldn't feel my legs.

I could hear the sound of a motor, and the floor below me felt like metal. There was something behind me, as well. It felt round.

Suddenly, I heard voices.

"Can't we just use that?" one of them asked, a male voice I'd never heard before.

"If we use it here, it'll be a massacre," a female voice responded. She sounded vaguely familiar, but I wasn't sure why. I heard the rustling of fabric, a small thud, and then the sound of a door slamming.

I felt around on the ground and finally grasped what the female had dropped. It was a walkie-talkie. No one used those anymore. Who were these people?

I got my answer when I heard mechanical clanking and then a high-pitched whirring sound. No one who survived the war could ever fail to recognize those sounds. It was a Knightmare, probably a Glasgow. The army didn't use those anymore. Which mean that whatever sort of vehicle I was in, it belonged to…

"Terrorists," I whispered, clutching the walkie-talkie. Maybe I could use it to bargain with the military. Then again, the military's feelings about the disabled were-unkind, at best. And if I were recognized, it would be a disaster.

The vehicle swerved, slamming me into the round object. I couldn't help but wonder what it was. The terrorists had referred to an "it", calling it capable of causing a massacre. Was that what the round object was?

My contemplation was interrupted by a loud crashing sound. I felt like I was falling, and the force of whatever had happened slammed me into multiple walls. At least now I knew how large the vehicle was, although there had to be more comfortable ways to find out.

When the motion finally stopped, I began feeling around for a way to escape. I felt a rush of cold air from above me. Perhaps there was an opening. I felt around me, and found the round object. Feeling higher, I discovered a ridge that I could use to pull myself up.

Just then, I heard the sound of a door opening. I felt cold air on my back, and heard footsteps. By the sound, I had to guess those were military-issue boots, so it was probably a soldier. I was sure I didn't know any soldiers, but the rhythm of the footsteps sounded familiar, somehow.

"Stop!" the soldier shouted. "If you open that here, people will die! Is that your idea of justice, terrorist?"

Terrorist? And what exactly was I opening? I was just trying to get out of this nightmare.

Then, I felt a foot slam into my chest. I let out an involuntary gasp. The stupid, self-righteous gall of this soldier! Who did he think he was?

"If you want justice, then why not crush Britannia?" I yelled back.

I heard the soldier step back. "Lelouch?" he gasped.

I couldn't help gasping. I hadn't heard that voice say my name for seven years. I could not be mistaken as to its owner. Suzaku Kururugi. My childhood friend-if you could give the name "childhood" to that time seven years ago.

I found my voice. "Suzaku! Why are you a Britannian soldier?"

"Well, why are you trying to open a canister of poison gas in Shinjuku ghetto?" Suzaku asked.

"Shinjuku?" I asked. "Is that where we are? And this is…poison gas?"

That was when I heard a hissing sound.

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A/N: That concludes the first chapter.

Just to clear things up, I am going on the assumption that Nunnally was in the wheelchair because her lower body was paralyzed, rather than because of extensive tissue damage during the attack. It was never really clarified in the series, at least not in any of the episodes I've seen. Also, as far as Lelouch's blindness goes, it's psychosomatic, just like Nunnally's. That is, she was so traumatized by the attack that her mind refused to allow her eyes to open. In Lelouch's case, his mind simply won't accept information from his visual cortex, even though his eyes work perfectly. It's basically the same principle.

Also, about the mentions of Nunnally giving people lectures, she is going to be fairly OOC in this fic, because I imagine being responsible for her older brother would change her considerably. Lelouch's personality will be a little different, too. I normally have character interactions at the end of chapters, but since I've only introduced three of them, that's not going to happen this time. Please leave a review and tell me what you think of this fic. I would like to hear from you!