223Chapter 1: A Reward From God.
Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass. The thing I own is my imagination and I intend to use it to its full potential.
AN:(11/9/2014) This is my first fanfiction and English isn't my native language. If you like this story and want me to improve, feel free to criticize me.
(Update 4/3/2015) : Time has passed. My writing style has improved with 5 months worth of experience. But this is still my first story and English is still not my native language. I am a guy who hated literature at high school, but I figured it wasn't a reason to try to write what I wanted to write. If you feel the same way, and if you have an idea in your head, then I encourage you to write it down. If you want to plagiarize me, then do it. To write this story I've taken my inspiration from countless things and I don't have any scruples about it.
This story is a classic Time-Travel fic. A Peggy Sue. It is probably the 20th Code Geass fanfiction that involves time-travel but, oh well, I don't really care since I enjoyed (and still enjoy) writing it.
In my story, Lelouch will have a main goal: to do whatever it takes to create a World where he would be able to live a peaceful life. It's more than trying a better alternative for World peace, because I don't have the pretention to find a better solution than the Zero Requiem (Which is why I've written that far, I guess), but it is about trying to prove that there is a way to create a better World without turning an altruistic person into an universally-hated monster.
In this story, Lelouch will still be a badass manipulative bastard, simply because that's what I really like in this character :D
So, the pairing is KallenxLelouchxC.C, because why freaking not?
In fact, LelouchxKallen is a really cool pairing to write and LelouchxC.C is … well … a necessity for the story. It is because C.C loves Lelouch that the entire plot happened. But I won't say more, please enjoy the reading of my story! :D
Lelouch vi Britannia, 99th Emperor of Britannia and master of the world was presiding an execution. Those people were Black Knights, Knights of the Round, members of the Imperial family, and former representatives of the United Federation of Nations. Compared to Lelouch, they were the weaker ones, the ones who lost the war, so it was natural that they would be the ones to be executed instead of him. That was the Britannian way of thinking, and it was the very thing that Lelouch had planned to execute on this day. Sadly, he would be nothing more than a collateral damage.
'I'm sitting in my throne, watching the people who opposed what I've become going to their execution.' Lelouch thought with melancholy. 'In the end, the people know that they were the ones who deserved to rule the World. And this is why I'm doing this: I can't rule the World anymore. We can't impose anything; that's the lesson humanity will learn after my death. I've decided to die today, and with that, I'll grant the wish of everyone in this planet, me included.'
"What's this!?" Jeremiah Gottwald shouted. The Captain of Lelouch's Royal Guard seemed to have noticed something odd. But nothing odd was happening, it was only the work of Justice.
Zero appeared on scene, like if he was sent by God. In two months, the people began to give up on their will to rebel. The Damocles and the fact that Lelouch managed to defeat the Black Knights restrained them to attempt anything. Lelouch was ruling through fear. The thing they didn't know was that they had nothing to fear anymore.
"Don't shoot; I'll take care of this interloper!" Jeremiah exclaimed while going in contact with Zero.
Zero was now jumping over Jeremiah's shoulder.
'It all comes to this, isn't it?' Lelouch thought with resignation. 'Nunnally hates me because I became a murderer. Kallen hates me because I turned into a monster. I wanted to avenge mother, but instead I killed her. I am a member of the Britannian Imperial family, and I posses the power to mind-control the people who meet my gaze: those were the only reasons the Black Knights betrayed me. But were they wrong?'
Zero climbed up on the mobile throne, walked up the stairs and drew his sword.
Lelouch pulled up his gun and shouted "You impudent fool!"
But Zero quickly disarmed him and pointed his sword on Lelouch's chest. Lelouch couldn't help but smirk. At least his deepest wish would be granted. In order to move forward, the people needed an example not to follow. Now that every person on earth hated him for conquering the world, the cycle of hatred would restart to Zero. The people wouldn't want to yearn for power anymore; they would yearn for happiness. With the help of Suzaku acting as Zero and Schneizel mind-slaved into serving him, the people would be led into a lasting peace.
It was his Legacy.
Lelouch looked at the prisoners, and for an instant he gained the selfish desire to be one of them. No, he didn't want to be Zero, he wanted to be one of those people who realized that all of their problems just disappeared.
He would smile, be happy, and cheer Zero for his saving action.
But the prisoners weren't happy.
Some of them even had tears in their eyes, like Kallen, Tamaki and Kaguya. Nunnally was watching the scene with absolute despair in her eyes. Even Ohgi, who was the one who chose to betray him after the second battle of Tokyo, was terribly upset.
Why? He was the most hated person on earth, why were they so upset about him dying?
Lelouch didn't understand. But Zero's sword snapped his thoughts as it pierced the Demon's chest. Strangely, Lelouch felt no pain. Just relief.
He looked at Suzaku; surely he was happy about killing him, right? Suzaku always wanted to kill Lelouch ever since he killed Euphie, and he never told him the truth about the Geass he cast on her. Lelouch wanted Suzaku to think that he slain the person who was truly responsible for Euphie's murder, so his friend could also move forward to the future. It was just another of his countless lies.
But Lelouch heard Suzaku crying.
And then he understood.
No matter how much he tried, Lelouch could never be a demon. He could never be seen as something else than a human being. Right here, right now, to the eyes of the people who loved him, he was nothing but a dying Lelouch.
Then, he put his bloodied right hand into Zero's mask and said slowly. "This is also a punishment for you." He gathered a lot of strength to smile. "You will live on, always wearing that mask serving as a knight for justice and truth. 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. Until the end..."
Lelouch began to lose balance.
"This Geass, I do solemnly accept" Suzaku replied tearfully.
Lelouch was now falling down the stairs. He would die looking to his sister's eyes, just like he planned. It was the last selfish desire Lelouch allowed to himself.
Nunnally approached his dying corpse. "Big brother?" She asked with genuine concern, as if they were at home and Lelouch had nothing but a bad fever.
Somehow, his sister's voice seemed to bring him an intense heat in Lelouch's heart.
He took all the strength he had to look at her. Then, her sister touched her hand, and somehow she knew.
Nunnally talked slowly. "You mean… everything you've done, until now?"
He always hid at least one part of its personality to everyone, especially to Nunnally. He never showed her his hatred towards Britannia and later on his true ambitions for the World. But now, it didn't matter anymore. He was dying.
Lelouch wanted to tell her everything but he simply said "Yes, I've destroyed the world, and created a new …"
Lelouch didn't have the strength to speak anymore. His life was now leaving his body. He closed his eyes.
He heard his sister shouting "You can't leave me! No, you can't!"
And for the first time he started to feel regrets. It was a weird sensation: to want to erase the mistakes he had done, to look back to the past and desperately praying for changing it. Lelouch had always looked to the future; it was how he managed to move forward after Euphemia and Shirley's death. But at this precise moment, Lelouch didn't care about his principles.
"Oh, big brother, I love you."
These words were giving an infinite strength to Lelouch. Thanks to her sister's declaration, he had now an irresistible desire to live. He started to dream about him gaining a new chance at life, where he could do nothing but live a peaceful life with the people he loved. Right now, he wanted to tell them all he had on his heart, to Kallen that he loved her, to Suzaku that he didn't meant to kill Euphie, to the Order that they weren't just some pawns in his game, to Nunnally that he didn't stop caring about her happiness…
Then he began to pray. 'In Order to Finally live a Peaceful life, What should I do?' and a loud distant voice seemed to have heard him.
'You are asking the good question, Lelouch vi Britannia.'
This voice seemed to come from both nowhere and everywhere.
"What?! Who's speaking to me?!" Surprisingly, Lelouch managed to shout. He opened his eyes; he was floating. He saw clouds, a yellow sky and Jupiter in the back. It was the same sight as in the Sword of Akasha. It was the World of C.
"Are you the Gods?" He asked with a tone that betrayed some confusion. "Are you the collective unconsciousness?"
'Indeed we are.' God replied. 'We have heard a pray in the human's World, and we want to reply to it positively.'
To say that Lelouch was surprised was a euphemism. "Really? But why me, of all people?"
'In many years of existence, the World we've created has been torn apart because of the dark side of human nature. You, Lelouch vi Britannia, are the only one who managed to create what the people expected us to create. Peace. This is why we want to Reward you.'
Lelouch widened his eyes. "Reward me? But I'm a monster! I've killed millions of people!"
'So have we.' The Gods replied. 'Because of our inaction, we have left so many innocents into a fate they didn't deserve. But we are not judge, we are only creators. You said it yourself; imposing our good intentions will do more evil than good. You, who were destined to be a ruler, have willingly abandoned the power you possessed. As a reward for your actions, we will offer you a second chance at life.'
Lelouch tilted his head. "A second chance?"
'We will send you back in time, the moment you gained your Geass. And, since it is a contract, we will give you a second power.'
Lelouch nodded slowly. God's proposition was unbelievable.
'Going back in time, where it all started, is that a good thing or not?' It was a risky move, sure he could repair some mistakes but he could also make others, and to erase the Requiem, just like that… But there were no guarantee the World would remain at peace after Suzaku, Schneizel and Nunnally's death. And it was a contract from God itself, the collective unconsciousness who proposed him to go back in time. With this contract, he could continue to live on; he could try to finally live a peaceful life…
"What are the conditions?" Lelouch asked.
'Only one: you will value your life more than your ambitions. Why? You will find the answer by yourself.'
After a moment of hesitation, Lelouch finally nodded. "Fine, I accept your contract!"
And for a second, everything went dark.
Lelouch opened his eyes. He was in an abandoned warehouse, surely in the Shinjuku Ghetto. C.C was lying at his feet, and she probably gave him his Geass a second before, in this timeline. Clovis' royal goons were there too, with the Captain still pointing a gun at him. Dozens of Japanese body were on the ground.
It was exactly like last time. The time where he gained power.
More importantly, it seemed real.
Lelouch chuckled. He could feel his life force again, giving him a heady feeling of confidence. He felt like he was strong.
Stronger as when he ruled the World.
Because he had now the power to do everything he truly wanted.
"I have a question for you." He said with a smirk. "If strength is all that matters in this World, then the strongest being is imposing his law?"
The Captain replied smugly. "Of course, Britannia is imposing its absolute law!"
Lelouch's smirk widened. "You are indeed correct gentlemen. But what if someone was stronger than Britannia? What if this person, or rather this monster, had the potential to destroy this other monster that was Britannia? Would he impose his law simply because he's the strongest? Truth is … he is wise enough to understand that he can't impose anything. The only thing he will impose on the World is the destruction of a tyrannical system!"
Lelouch activated the power in his left eye. His Geass stopped from being fully-active. It was like the power of Geass accepted Lelouch's dominance over it.
"That is why I, Lelouch vi Britannia, 99th Britannian Emperor and former Master of Earth commands you, all of you, DIE!"
"Hahaha! Happily your Majesty!" The guards replied with an unhealthy smirk on their face. Then they shot themselves.
Lelouch began to laugh like a madman. He was really back in time, back when everything started, and with knowledge of the future he could play the World into his hands, again.
There were so many routes, so many possibilities that appeared in front of him.
It was like he was, for the second time of his life, master of his destiny.
But for now, Lelouch had to wear the mask of an average human.
As expected, Villetta's Sutherland was coming into the warehouse.
'Right on time as always, Coach Villetta' Lelouch mused. 'You have always been a thorn in my side, but not this time…'
Villetta had turned Shirley against Lelouch. She had turned the Black Knights against Zero. It was only because Lelouch had been negligent.
"Why is there a Brittanian student in a place like this?" She asked.
He raised his hands and spoke with his best aristocratic voice. "My name is Harry Spencer, my father's a Duke. My ID card is in my breast pocket. If you could grant me protection, my father would be very pleased"
Like last time, Lelouch would turn the soldiers' steady desire for promotion against them. Especially with Villetta; she was still looking for nothing but noble titles like a good little Britannian.
The female purist Knightmare pilot opened her cockpit and descended.
"Keep your hands up in the air; I'll take out your ID myself!" She said with an authoritarian tone while pointing her gun at Lelouch.
Lelouch chuckled. "I don't think so."
He activated his Geass for the second time. "Villetta Nu, you shall become my slave."
After everything he had been through, Lelouch felt no remorse in completely enslaving people. Especially not towards Villetta. Last time he made the mistake to let her walk away without knowing all the subtleties of his Geass. This time, however, Lelouch would do no such thing.
Villetta bowed at her new master. "Of course master, what shall I do?"
Lelouch walked in direction of his new slave, a smug look on his face.
"Firstly, give me your Sutherland." He ordered. "Secondly, you will help me install this green haired girl to the Sutherland's cockpit."
"As you wish, Master." She replied with a monotone voice. "The password is XG2IG2D4." Villetta gave him the key, and then carried C.C into the cockpit without even blinking.
After that, Villetta descended and bowed again to Lelouch. "What are your next orders, master?"
He chuckled. Before convincing Jeremiah to join his cause Lelouch could profit of a valuable spy on the Britannian ranks. But he had to be subtle in giving her orders.
"Give me your number." He ordered. "Once I disappear of your sight, you will act like your usual self but do not mention me or our encounter to anyone by any means. When I call you or when you call me, make sure no one is listening. If I call you and you can't respond without compromising yourself, call me back as soon as you can."
Lelouch figured he could send mind-controlled spies in the enemy side when he ordered them to act like their usual self. Then, no one in their entourage would suspect anything.
Villetta nodded and gave him her phone number.
Then, as an ultimate show of humiliation, Lelouch stroke her chin softly. "That's a very good slave we have here, right Villetta-chan?"
She nodded with an innocent smile. "Of course, Master. My life is devoted to you and only you."
Lelouch entered the Sutherland and laughed.
"Oh, it's good to be back."
When Lelouch was waiting for the good moment to strike, he began to think about his plans for the future.
"I should profit of my future knowledge." He said to himself. "So it means I will have to keep very little change from the original timeline, at least before having enough fire power at my disposal. Future gave me so many opportunities to do what I want now. I guess my main priority will be to build an important army before showing that I am a real threat." He frowned. "I need more trained soldiers, better equipment and a solid plan to exploit this potential that is my knowledge of the future."
Lelouch took a deep breath. 'And I need to protect Nunnally. With Sayoko, I don't have much to fear but it'll be better if she understood everything about the situation. I have a second Geass, but God didn't tell me anything about it. I'm sure he wants me to discover my new power by itself. Let's see… Geass is about granting people's deepest wish, so the more logical possibility would be that I have now the power to restore people's memories.' He grinned. 'It would be awesome if it were the case. I could use it on people like Jeremiah, Suzaku, and even …'
Lelouch turned on the radio. It was the time for Q-1 to make her appearance.
"The west entrance." He said, like if he expected her to obey the order. "Use the tracks to move to the west entrance!"
"Who's this? How do you know this code?!" Kallen asked.
"It matters little now." Lelouch retorted with a calm but authoritarian tone. "However, if you want to score a victory against them, you will have no choice but to trust me."
And the war between Japan and Britannia started again.
Clovis' forces were obliterated. Lelouch used the same tactics as last time: the IFF signal of the terrorists' Sutherlands were deactivated, but not Lelouch's. Clovis' forces contained a hundred skilled pilots and Lelouch's forces contained thirteen low-trained resistant fighters. But Clovis was blind and Lelouch wasn't. Last time, it was more than enough for Lelouch to quickly gain the upper-hand. Clovis might have been way less smart than Lelouch, he was also too much overconfident and so sure about his abilities.
This time, Lelouch was prepared and took place next to the G-1, ready to eject.
Behind him, C.C was waking up.
She stretched her arms. "Did I miss something? Hey Lelouch, I'm not supposed to be on a Knightmare cockpit."
Lelouch grinned. However he wasn't sure about her being sent back in time with him. So, in order to be sure about it, he decided to say: "I don't know why the snow is white, but …"
C.C smiled. "…But you think white snow is pretty. You like it, right?"
They stared at each other without saying a word.
"I'm glad you're back." She finally said.
Lelouch sighed out of relief. He was sure now; she was back in time with him. Was that because of her code? In this case has V.V gone back in time as well?
"We're back in time." He said simply. "That's cool, isn't it?"
C.C nodded slowly. "Yes. That's cool. Isn't Suzaku supposed to appear now?"
"Yup." Lelouch turned on the radio and said. "To all forces, reinforcements are coming. Hide the Sutherlands if you can, we'll probably need them later. I'm going to do whatever it takes to make Clovis order a ceasefire. Don't do anything foolish with the Knightmares. I'll contact you soon for further operations."
"Fine" It was Ohgi's voice. "But I'd like to know who you are."
Lelouch said with a mysterious tone "You may call me … Zero." And then he ejected near the command center.
"Playing hide and seek with Suzaku, aren't we?" C.C asked, amused.
Lelouch stared at her and said. "I think it would be a good thing to show him that his methods don't have a bit of efficiency."
He opened the cockpit.
"C.C, stay hidden, it's you they're looking for. I'll take care of Clovis." Lelouch said while 'persuading' a foot soldier to give him his uniform.
"Okay" She replied with a bored tone "See you at home then."
They were both alone in the command center. The whole staff officers and General Bartley had been 'dismissed' and were leaving the G1. Now Lelouch vi Britannia was in the shadows, threatening his half-brother with a gun.
"Order the cease fire!" He shouted. "Let the elevens go unharmed, quick!"
'It is really an eventful day', Private Suzaku Kururugi thought. First he was assigned to find a truck containing poison gas. Suzaku, or rather Private 404 as they called him, was the one to find it, but instead he found his childhood friend Lelouch. And the capsule didn't contain poison gas but a green-haired young girl. Then Suzaku gets himself shot by his superior because he is an altruist person by nature, and didn't want his friend to die because Lelouch was innocent. But Suzaku survived thanks to his father's watch. 'Oh the irony.' Then Suzaku woke up and a mad scientist told him that he would be piloting a prototype Knightmare Frame because 'Clovis is awful at leading cannon fodders'. The Knightmare - Z01 Lancelot- was a wonderful piece of technology, with luminous shields, an incredible speed but … Suzaku found there were no enemies in sight. Strange, it was said in the briefing that the terrorists have had stolen a dozen Sutherlands. He tried to find Lelouch and the girl but he heard prince Clovis's announcement.
"Attention all forces. Cease fire at once! I Clovis, third prince of Britannia and royal viceroy of Area Eleven, here by command you, all forces are ordered to cease fire at once. You also cease destruction of any buildings or property. All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, shall be treated equally and without prejudice. In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are here by ordered, cease fire at once. I shall allow no further fighting."
In the G-1, the Third Prince of the Empire was wondering when someone would come and execute this interloper. It wasn't like he was scared, he … yes, he was scared, but was good at hiding it.
"Are you satisfied?" Clovis asked with a bored tone.
"Well done, your Highness." The terrorist in soldier uniform said with a mocking tone.
"And what shall we do now? Sing a few lively ballads, or perhaps a nice game of chess?" The Viceroy asked with sarcasm.
Lelouch removed his helmet and walked slowly to Clovis.
He stepped out of the shadows "It will hardly be a challenge for me, considering today's battle. It's been a while brother, how do you do?"
Clovis's expression was priceless. "Lelouch!" He exclaimed with astonishment. "B-But how?"
"Yes, it is indeed me, Lelouch vi Britannia, 11th prince of the Empire." He said. "I'm the one and only."
"But I thought ..." Clovis began.
"That I was dead?" Lelouch interrupted his foolish little brother. "Yeah, me too. It's strange how life can turn sometimes…"
Lelouch's mind seemed to be elsewhere for a second.
"How about you prove yourself useful?" He said suddenly before activating his Geass. "I want to know who has the complete authority over the Knightmare factories and warehouses of the entire Area. Tell me where to find the minister of defense!"
The optical signal generated by the addition of both his Geass and his command entered Clovis' brain through his eyes. Then, the signal entered the third Prince's Area 11 of Brodmann and changed the flow of his decisions.
Hypnotized, Clovis replied with a monotone voice. "I have the authority, along with Bartley and the minister of Defense, Lord Darius Cornwell. Right now you can find him at his house. He lives at Charleston Avenue, 15th in East Tokyo Settlement."
'With my Geass, it can be easy to steal Knightmares if I control the person with enough authority. I will fight Cornelia, and maybe Schneizel soon. I need to be more prepared. But it can't be without risks if I steal weaponry while Cornelia is here, and it might blow Jeremiah's potential future cover if I steal them when he's control the military. So I will have to act today, while Area 11's chain of commands is in shambles. Bartley is off limits; I just used my Geass on him and he has a 'special mission' to complete. The Minister of Defense is a good choice. He's at his home, probably because Clovis didn't want him to look at the Code-R incident too closely, and the administration will probably take their time to announce him that the Viceroy is dead. It's odd; the name Cornwell reminds me of something…'
Lelouch deactivated his Geass. "Thank you, brother. That's all I wanted to hear."
Clovis retook his composure, completely unaware that he lost a few moments worth of memories. "I'm overjoyed, Lelouch!" He exclaimed, and then said the exact same words as in the first timeline. "They say you died once Japan was brought into the fold. What a blessing to have you back, we should depart for the Homeland immediately!" He really looked overjoyed, despite having a gun pointed to his face.
Lelouch chuckled. "Brother, you are definitely lacking common sense."
Clovis tilted his head. "Really?"
"If I wanted to come back I would've done it years ago." Lelouch said coldly.
He approached his pistol to Clovis's forehead. "You, however will depart for the Homeland, but alone, in a wooden box."
Clovis suddenly began to lose his joy face. He looked pale and livid. "No, wait, you can't kill me, we're brothers!" He shouted desperately, willing to trade his life for his dignity.
Lelouch chuckled. "And now we're brothers!? Your little royal guard tried to execute me a few moments ago. I'm sorry; brother, but I can hardly trust you." 'It's more fun than last time' Lelouch mused darkly. 'Now that I know the future, I can profit of these kinds of shorts but enjoyable moments in my life.'
"I will make them executed! I promise!" Clovis shouted, as a last resort.
"Too late, they're already dead. Just like these countless innocents you just killed because of your foolishness." Lelouch just said that out of curiosity: he wanted to test his half-brother's ideologies when he was being put into the verge of death.
"But they're only Elevens, you don't really care about their fate?" Clovis asked, fully persuaded that his brother felt the same way.
Lelouch sighed. 'How Suzaku can believe Britannia could change on the inside without killing a few people, I have no idea.'
"I mean, no one cares about them…"
But Clovis didn't stop his sentence. Lelouch just made a bullet hole in his royal forehead.
It wasn't like Lelouch hated Clovis, and somehow a part of him wanted to save him from a tragic fate, but Clovis needed to die. Lelouch wasn't prepared to fight the unknown with so little firepower at his disposal.
"Sorry, brother." Lelouch said aloud. "But the script is the script."
AN : And here we go! Hoped you liked the rewriting of this chapter. More will come, eventually. I will surely upgrade the two or three following chapters, without adding nor removing anything from the plot.
