Chapter 2: Return to Zero

Lelouch's eyes shot open as he righted himself up, taking a deep breath and grabbing his stomach. No wound. No cut. The quick motion sent his hat off his head and it fell down with the sound of shattering glass as the red sphere in the middle of it broke apart. People took a curious glance towards him, but didn't react otherwise, and the man who had called out to him was looking rather worried.

"I'm… alive," Lelouch muttered. He was alive. Again. Again.

The man who had died twice returned twice from death. There was no way Lia had just survived that attack and healed them both, only to drag him off back where he started. Lelouch grimaced, the phantom pain of the wound still fresh.

"Uh, you sure look alive," Kadomon said. "Though you might wanna lie down somewhere if you're feeling unwell."

"Yes, yes," Lelouch muttered. "Thank you, sir."

Lelouch stood up, his knees weak. Had he been a bit less attentive, he might have missed it, but it was clear what had happened simply by grabbing his hat off the ground. The two gems hung from the side like they did before the robbery. The people outside, the cat eared person next to the side street, speaking with a horned person in the exact same spot, the position of the sun.

"Sir?" Lelouch turned to Kadomon. "Have I been here before? I think I got lost."

The man blinked, before crossing his arms and getting that exaggerated 'thinking' look on his face again.

"Never seen you before, kid," he said after a few seconds. "Pretty sure I'd recognize an outfit like yours."

"I see," Lelouch said, successfully keeping himself from frowning at the older man. "I apologize for the inconvenience."

"Sure, sure," Kadomon said. "Just don't go dying in front of my shop, can't afford to have that kind publicity."

"I understand," Lelouch said, an uneasy chuckle leaving his throat. He was back to the point where he arrived in this strange world. Even though he lost his Geass, it was unlikely that this had to do with the Code, considering that the clock moved backwards as well.

He could test it, of course. Kill himself and see if he wakes up again, but Lelouch didn't want to test that hypothetical new power of his until he could be sure.

For all he knew, it might have been a one-off thing. If things happened like the Zero Requiem, he should be staring at the people of a different world right now.

The only correct course of action from this point on was to avoid doing what he did before.

But Lelouch wasn't a fan of standing aside. He also wasn't someone who foolishly charged ahead into an unknown situation. Instead, Lelouch would walk the most reasonable course of action. The one where he had the most to gain.

And saving the life of a young woman and Puck might earn him a magic teacher. Taking off the gems from the hat, he hid them inside his robes just in case and bowed to the shopkeeper.

"Thank you for your concern, sir," he said. He felt hungry, but he didn't really want to have a longer conversation than necessary for the man to just offer him two apples again, and Lelouch could see he didn't earn the same trust as before. "I will be going."

"See ya," Kadomon waved him off. Lelouch didn't know where to begin his search, but he didn't have to. Instead, he took one of the gems out of his pocket and walked away from the red building. Holding the gem in his hands, Lelouch took step after step forward.

As fast as the yellow blur was, it was something visible, so it could get caught. It didn't take very long for him to catch a glance of Lia, hiding her features under the hood, and a girl that jumped her from the roof.

Grabbing something from Lia, the girl glanced towards him, and became a blur. She was like the wind.

But Lelouch saw her coming. Letting go of the gem in feigned shock, he spread his arms and stepped forward the moment she grabbed it, catching her.

She didn't seem to notice, and when Lia rushed towards them, the blonde girl's progress was halted as Lelouch lifted her off the ground.

"Got you," Lelouch said. The blonde girl finally noticed that she had been caught, her legs kicking the air under her as if she could walk on it, and struggled against him.

"Hold on you thief!" Lia shouted. Ice appeared in the air, small pillars with sharp tips that could rend flesh from bone. Despite his knowledge of the half-elf's status as mage, it was an impressive display.

And Lelouch couldn't help but shiver at the idea of using a power like this. Something so malleable. Something so impressive.

"Let me go!" the young girl shouted. "Stranger danger! STRANGER DANGER!"

Lelouch looked towards Lia as people in the street began to run away from the display of magic.

"I could let you go," Lelouch said. "But then you would have to deal with that mage over there."

The girl glared at him, her arms on her sides before glaring towards Lia.

Instead of just resigning to her fate, the blonde grabbed something from behind her back. Pain shot up in his legs, and a glance down revealed two daggers stabbed into him. Grunting in pain as he let go, Lelouch barely managed to keep himself standing.

The girl tried to run, but Lia had sealed off any escape route.

"Give it back!" Lia shouted. "And I won't hurt you!"

"As if!" the young girl shouted, her daggers stained in Lelouch's blood as she turned around, ready to fight. One of the ice pillars flew towards the blonde, and the young girl dodged. More appeared, faster, in an attempt to prevent the girl from catching her breath.

This young girl was so fast, she could probably outrun Suzaku. Becoming a blur to dodge the next volley, Lelouch tried to follow the fight, and failed.

"Puck," Lia said. The young girl was right in the half-elf's face, a dagger aimed at the young woman's chest. A shield appeared, blocking the dagger and forcing the blonde to jump back.

Puck raised his hands, and two spears of ice appeared, rushing towards the blonde girl. Towards Lelouch.

He was unable to dodge, the pain in his legs too much, and when the young thief dodged, he was struck.

The pillars of ice broke. The thief escaped. Lelouch fell onto his back, gasping in pain as the spears stayed stuck his chest and kept him in an uncomfortable twisted position when the tips got stuck in the ground.

"Lia-" he heard Puck's voice. A blue glow appeared in front of him.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, so sorry, I'm so sorry-"

"You have to warn me before you summon me-"

"This isn't time for a lesson, Puck! I killed someone-"

Lelouch felt weak. Again. He couldn't breathe, and only darkness was filling his vision. For someone who had survived years of war, for someone to took over the world, only to die this quickly?

Thrice in succession?

---

"Oi, you having a stroke?"

Lelouch grimaced, opening his eyes to stare at Kadomon.

"Yes," Lelouch said, standing up. "I apologize for the inconvenience, thank you for your concern, sir."

Kadomon waved him off, shrugging.

"Eh, it's alright," he said. "Can't have anyone dying in front of my shop. What'd the people say?"

"Of course," Lelouch said, schooling his features. Once was strange, the new world confused him. Twice could have still been a chance, maybe the way he died, maybe the person who killed him.

But three times? He was pretty sure now, especially considering the fact that he woke up here again.

He had a Divine Blessing, it seemed. A twisted grin made itself visible on his face, and he hid it behind a hand, staring down. A power like this could be awfully useful. Something that made victory an inevitability. Lelouch felt strangely happy. Even the pain in his chest couldn't take that away.

He could afford to be reckless. Something he could never do before was now possible, and Lelouch could test and make mistakes as often as he wanted. He could ask questions as favors and make it so he never asked them.

But if he always returned back to this spot, surviving the day might actually end up becoming a bother. He would have to repeat his performance again and again…

Or perhaps, he just had to do it long enough to learn magic, before avoiding the trip back into the past by staying away from Lia and the thief.

But now, he had the advantage. Hiding the gems inside his robes, Lelouch made sure to avoid being a target.

Lelouch moved towards the red building, ignoring the noblewoman and made his way to the ghetto as quickly as possible. If he could find out the identity of the murderer, he would have an ace up his sleeve. He could even look for an actual knight if necessary.

Of course, he wasn't very fast, and the yellow blur appeared not long after he reached the edge of the ghetto. She once again stole something from him, this time his hat, the kleptomaniac little girl apparently too busy taking something rather than worrying what it might be worth.

Lelouch didn't bother saying anything, instead, he follow the yellow blur with his eyes and watched as the girl moved somewhere away from the building he had been pointed towards earlier.

Rather than bothering with her, though, he approached the building instead.

Knocking on the door, a gruff voice from the other side echoed loudly. "Password?"

"Brutus sent me here to negotiate," Lelouch said. The voice on the other side hummed, and after a few seconds, a dark skinned hulk of an old man opened the door. He was bald and without beard, yet had long eyebrows which hung down at the sides of his face, braided. A swirl-shaped tattoo sat above his left eye.

A vest without anything under it revealed a very muscled and hairy body. This was a man who could crush him in one hand.

"Hello," Lelouch said. The old man scowled at the look of his outfit before relaxing slightly, letting him in.

"Brutus, hm?" the large man asked, sitting down at a table. "Must've offered him quite something. So, what do you want?"

"I saw a young girl stealing something today," Lelouch said, sitting down across the old man. "I'm interested in this item, and I know that this place is for negotiation about buying the goods."

"You're well informed about our ghetto for a foreigner," the old man said. "I'm Rom, I keep order here. Don't give me a reason to be unhappy."

"Of course." Lelouch smiled at Rom, crossing his arms. "How do you know I'm a foreigner?"

"When you grow as old as me," Rom said. "You meet many people, sell many goods. I've never seen something like your outfit before, so you must be from outside."

"I see," Lelouch said. "Yes, I'm not from around here. Please, call me Zero."

"Strange name," Rom said, grunting. Lelouch was sure the old man knew that he didn't give his real name. "But alright. You want some of Felt's goods, I can talk to her for the negotiation. But you should know that she got a great offer for the item, which means you'll have to surpass that."

So her name was Felt.

"I see," Lelouch said, grabbing into his robes. Taking the two gems out, he put them on the table. "I'm afraid that I don't have any money on my person, and these gems are the only things I can offer. Could I inquire just how it compares to the offer she received?"

"I'm sorry to tell you kid, but while those gems are worth quite some gold, they don't compare to ten pieces of sacred gold," Rom said. Lelouch blinked.

"Sacred gold?" he asked. Rom nodded.

"Sacred gold has twice the value of normal gold, fifty can buy you a plot of land and pay for the labor to have a house built on it," Rom explained. Lelouch frowned, his eyebrows furrowing. That was one course of action gone. The least he could do now was gather information.

"What was the item she stole anyway?" Lelouch asked. "It looked very interesting, a badge of some kind?"

"You wanted to buy it but don't even know what it is?" Rom asked.

"What can I say?" Lelouch shrugged. "I love shiny things. And when she held it, it shone very brightly."

"Hmmm, I'm not sure what exactly it is, I just know she got the job and was very excited about the pay," Rom said. "If you have nothing else to offer, I'm afraid I have to ask you to leave."

"Of course," Lelouch said, disappointed by the events. Someone was bleeding here the first time before he got killed. The murderer was a woman, which means that Rom and Felt weren't actually the true problem. "I would wish to give you a word of warning, however. The woman that Felt had struck a deal with is not going to follow up on her offer. She will kill you."

That made Rom react. Lelouch, for the first time, could be reckless, and recklessness meant that he could throw suggestions and information at people simply to see how they'd react.

"You know it's a woman, then?" Rom asked. "I think you might have to explain a bit more."

"Of course," Lelouch said, smiling. "You see, this isn't the first time I've been here. Due to some strange magic, I'm able to- hrk-"

His teeth snapped shut, and he bit his tongue. Lelouch keeled over the table, grabbing his chest. It was like two hands holding onto his heart and ready to crush it at any minute. The pain was unbearable.

"Hey, you alright?" Rom asked. "Want a drink or something? Can't really have people dying around here, this is an honest business."

Lelouch relaxed as the pain subsided, the hands letting go.

"I…" Lelouch gasped out. "Can't seem to tell you how I know. I apologize."

"If you can't tell me, I can't trust you," Rom stated simply.

"Then, could I ask to stay here for the deal?" Lelouch asked. Rom's nostrils flared, and he glared at the younger man. "I'm weak, as you can see, all I wish is to meet the woman. If I just lied, then nothing will happen, right?"

"Keh, might as well," Rom said, scoffing at Lelouch. "Try something, and I'll crush you under my heel."

A threat spoken out of concern, not hostility. It was something Lelouch himself was very familiar with. Felt and the old man were close.

"Of course," Lelouch agreed.

A few minutes later, someone knocked on the door. Rom stood. "Password?"

"Go ahead, old man!" came Felt's voice from outside.

"Large Rat," Rom said.

"Poison," Felt said loudly.

"White Whale."

"Fish Hook."

"Our revered dragon."

"Just screw it!" Felt shouted. Rom nodded, opening the door and letting the little girl that led to Lelouch's latest death in. "Who's that, old man Rom?"

"Someone who wanted to negotiate with you," Rom said. "Not enough to beat that offer you got, though."

"Ohh, that's too bad," Felt said, grinning widely. "What is he doing here then?"

"I'm feeling rather unwell," Lelouch said. "I'm waiting until I feel better before making my way home."

Rom glanced at him, but didn't say anything more. When she sat down across him, Lelouch took a good look at her. She was dressed rather provocatively. Her blonde hair was done up in a short ponytail, with a braid over her head, and all that remained open hanging towards her chin.

Ripped pants and a short vest showed off a lot of skin, at least wearing something over her chest that still kept her stomach exposed. The entire outfit was accented by an incredibly long red scarf around her neck which hung down to her ankles.

The daggers she had with her were on her hip, hidden behind her. She was dangerous. Everything here seemed to be. In a world of magic, even those who can't use it seem to have their own advantages. Maybe it was one of those racial blessings that Lia was talking about.

"What did you offer?" Felt asked, sitting across Lelouch with her legs wide.

"Two gems I have," Lelouch said. "I'm afraid you stole my hat, so I couldn't have offered it to you as well."

"Ah!" she pointed at Lelouch, making a loud noise. "It's you!"

"Yes," Lelouch said dryly. "Me. You can keep the hat, I'm not a fan of it anyway."

"Yeah, I thought i could sell that red stone in it, but it just shattered when I grabbed it," she said, not sounding apologetic. "So you can have it back."

"No, really, keep it," Lelouch said. "It's worth nothing to me."

"Why did you wear it then?"

Lelouch grinned. "I was at an event and had to be dressed fancy. Not something I do very often."

Being dressed as Zero wasn't being fancy after all. There's nothing more humble than a cape and a mask.

"Right, right," she said. "Could you piss off while I talk with my customer, then? I told her to be here after the sun sets, so she should be here soon."

"How crude." Lelouch shook his head, standing up. "I won't get between you and your customer. I'm just here to rest a while."

"Sure, and if you try something, old man Rom will take care of you," Felt said, grinning. Lelouch's stomach churned at the thought. He knew she wasn't lying. Moving towards where Rom was sitting, near a table that was sitting in the corner, Lelouch leaned against the wall.

Then someone knocked on the door.

"Ah!" Felt shouted. "I think that's her."

The young girl rushed towards the door, as Rom stared at him.

"You lied to her," Rom said.

"You did as well," Lelouch said.

"I'm suspicious of everyone," he said. "At least I can keep an eye on you if you stay here. Don't make me regret it."

"I would never betray the trust that someone has invested in me," Lelouch lied. "Please, allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Lelouch Lamperouge."

"That doesn't sound like any noble family I've heard of," Rom said.

"Of course not," Lelouch said. "I'm not a noble, after all."

"Good riddance," Rom muttered.

"There she is," Felt shouted, walking in. Taking a seat at the table that Lelouch and Rom had been sitting at earlier, someone entered through the door.

The woman who stepped in looked more out of place than Lelouch. Where Lelouch was dressed in a 'fancy' way, holding himself like a noble, this woman had the presence he lacked... it was like an electricity in the air.

Her raven hair hugged her face and curled towards the end. Her dark purple eyes were fixated on him as she stepped towards the table.

The woman's dark dress was cut just right to reveal her long legs, and a flower the color of her eyes sat on the side of her head, woven into her hair. The mantle she wore around it had a long collar with purple fur.

"There's a disgusting smell," she commented, her eyes still focused on him. Lelouch felt his heartbeat quicken. The woman was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman he had ever met - yet he felt sick just looking at her. He idly wondered if this is what people under his Geass felt.

The heels, the legs. The voice.

This was his murderer.

This woman could kill him in a second.

"I apologize," Lelouch commented, keeping the worry out of his voice. And the disgust. Lelouch wanted to throw up at the unnaturalness that the woman spread throughout the room. "I have not taken a shower in a while."

The woman's eyes narrowed, her nostrils flaring. What was it about his scent? She hadn't mentioned anything in that direction before.

"Ignoring that fart over there," Felt said before the woman could say anything else. "You have the money?"

"Of course," the beauty said, taking a bag of coins from… somewhere. He didn't really see where in the dress she could have hidden it. Pushing the bag of coins halfway over the table, she nodded at Felt.

The young girl grinned, taking the emblem from inside her pocket. The design was strange, a stone in the middle of it shining brightly as Felt held it towards the woman, reading to grab the gold.

"Ah," the woman said, grabbing Felt's wrist. "You are one as well…"

"Huh?" Felt asked. Lelouch blinked. Was that where the deal went wrong? The woman chuckled, and Rom moved towards them. "What do you mean?"

"Don't you know what this emblem is?" the woman asked, a sadistic grin splitting her face. "It's there to reveal those of royal lineage, if the stone shines, you are a candidate-"

"What the fuck are you talking-"

Lelouch stood swiftly, information, finally. "Rom! Don't!"

Rom grabbed the woman and tried to pull her away from Felt. It proved to be a mistake. The moment he pulled, his arm fell off. Rom grunted in pain, grabbing the stump where his arm was earlier. Felt freed herself, grabbing her dagger and almost stabbing through the beauty's arm.

Lelouch didn't hesitate, he made a rush for the door, even though he couldn't die, so to speak, his body had other plans, and hit the flight response repeatedly. Before he could touch the door, one of Felt's knives hit his hand, pinning him to the door.

He turned his head, staring towards the table where Felt was lying, her head rolling off onto the ground as a pool of blood formed.

"My, my," she said. "What a despicable thing… an Archbishop… here of all places?"

Lelouch panicked. He tried to remove the knife from his hand, but was unable to as the woman walked forward, strange knives in her hands, drenched in blood.

"I'm not with them," Lelouch tried.

"You aren't?" she asked. "Then why do you smell like the Witch, I wonder…"

She misunderstood him, it seemed. While he meant Rom and Felt, she seemed to have drawn her own conclusion to what group he belonged to.

"I wonder," she said, shivering. "Ohhh, I wonder, I wonder…"

She was right in front of him, her hand on his face, tracing his features with a finger as the stench of blood filled his nose from the knife she held towards his nose. The woman all but moaned as she continued.

"I wonder what your guts look like, Archbishop!" she shouted in glee. "Are they black? Are they red?"

She stabbed him in the side. He was unable to resist, unable to run away. He was unable to fight back.

"You… monster," Lelouch gasped out. The most beautiful monster he had ever seen.

"Thank you," she whispered in his ear, drawing a line under his stomach with her knife. He screamed as the pain became too much. Looking down, he stared at the blood that left his body. "How beautiful…"

She grabbed his organs through the wound she inflicted, and Lelouch lurched forward, throwing up blood and stomach acid onto her before passing out.

And once again, he returned to zero.

This time, though, he knew a lot more.

Lia and Felt were candidates to become queens. People that could help him a lot if they were on his side.

"Oi, you having a stroke there?"

Lelouch grinned. Kadomon gave him a wary glance.