Code Geass: Timeless Journey

Key:

" " - Regular Speech

' ' - Unheard Thoughts

" " - Radio Communication

" " - Amplified Speech / External Speakers / Public Address System (PA System)

Disclaimer - Code Geass is owned by Sunrise Inc.

Chapter I: L.L.

When Lelouch first awoke upon his death, he had believed he would have seen the familiar eternal sunset of C's World. What he hadn't planned on seeing, however, was the Winter sky of rural Japan, a fact rendered quite obvious by the looming figure of Mount Fuji in the distance. His thoughts confused and in disarray, it had taken him the better part of an hour before he calmed down and begun to carefully analyze the situation.

It wasn't long before he had begun to piece together what little information he had at his disposal. To begin with, he new it must have been either the month of December or January, considering the thick layer of snow blanketing the ground on which he was standing in. Next, he realized that Japan had yet to be subjugated into Area Eleven, considering the lack of characteristic Sakuradite mines upon Mount Fuji's exterior following the invasion. Finally, he was almost absolutely certain the date was around 2009 A.T.B., though this was acquired from a worn newspaper he seemed to have had in his possession after having emerged from slumber, not to mention the obviously modern city structures designating 'modern' Tokyo doting the horizon.

And so there he found himself, alone, standing in the snow covered landscape, a traveler from the future, wondering how he had arrived here in the first place.

'This is going to take some getting used to…' He thought.

So without further ado, he picked himself up from the cold, frozen ground, and made his way towards the nearest road, hoping to make his way towards warmer sanctuaries.

1 Month Later

V.V. sat upon his overly large chair, starring with great focus upon the reports played down upon his elegant mahogany desk. As leader of the Geass Directorate, it failed under his duty to ratify and scan through all documents and paperwork requiring his approval, a task that left him rather tense by the day's end. Despite his immortality, the slow and mentally painful work could, depending on the days, leave the blond haired boy drained and bothered. After all, paperwork was never fun for anyone, no matter what they might tell you. Even pencil - pushing bureaucrats, whose very jobs essentially involved the worship of administrative paper trails, could become less then pleasant when they were submitted to hours upon hours of signing and stamping various forms and waivers, a simple yet numbing process.

Today, however, was a particularly stimulating one. Eyeing the latest O.S.I. reports in front of him, curtsy of his brother Charles, V.V. was experiencing an emotional whirlwind of smug glee, warranted interest and mediated annoyance.

Approximately three and a half weeks ago, Lelouch vi Britannia, son of his brother and the cur that was Marianne, had apparently vanished off the face of the Earth. A local Japanese O.S.I. agent, whose mission had been to carefully monitor the exiled siblings, had reported in that the elder brother of the exiled duo had simply gone missing during the night, with no traces or reason towards his sudden disappearance.

What caused questions to arise within the immortal's mind was the simple fact as to why the boy would simply vanish, leaving his sister behind. He knew, as far as Charles had informed him at least, that the siblings shared an extremely strong and loyal bond, one of the few things that redeemed their existence in his eyes at least. Therefore, it only caused him to question the sudden disappearing act even further, knowing their was nothing that would have cause the boy to simply abandon Nunnally as if she were nothing.

When he'd informed Charles of this unexpected development, his younger sibling had his intelligence agents pry - into the currently underway Japanese investigation, one supposedly under heavy guard as the proud Nippon government attempted to keep things under wraps, afraid of revealing the fact that it had 'lost' one of its supposed bargaining chips with Britannia. Unfortunately, or fortunately, depending on whom had read the reports, no progress had been made, the utter lack of any physical evidence or plausible reason leaving investigators with virtually nothing to work with. The only interesting fact within the stolen documents was the princess' physiological profile, one which described her as being virtually historical on her brother's completely unnatural departure, leaving her heartbroken and desperate.

What rendered the affair even more striking was the time frame of the event, one which correlated with two others that had caught his attention.

To V.V. right side lied to other meticulously transcript Directorate reports, both on specific individuals.

The first was an oh - so caught after witch, her indifferent facade and green hair clearly designated C.C. in the attached photograph. After several days of painstaking searching, both he and his brother had finally been able to locate the woman following her hasty departure from the Geass Directorate's power structure and Pendragon following Marianne's 'death'. It was a necessary endeavor, one which would guarantee the access to her code when Ragnarök was to be initiated. Having found her, V.V. had had her picked up from her last known location, a Tokyo Pizza - Hut chain restaurant, and brought her to the order's latest base of operations within the Mongolian Desert. The rampant corruption within the Chinese Federation made the location a rather secure one, ensuring little to no interference could occur with their research or operations; nobody would come snooping around the area for some time at least.

Currently he had been holding the witch in one of the hidden city's subject prisons, a nice, white straightjacket as her latest wardrobe, as a reminder of her perceived 'treachery'. She had not been amused, to say the least. Though he would make for her previous accommodations soon enough, with Charles fast approaching war with Japan he wondered if he would keep her here or discreetly transfer her to Code - R, a research project Charles had found Clovis playing about with in recent times. He had told him that he would make the blond artist the new Viceroy follow Japan's conquest, and it would make sense to have C.C. 'accidentally' discovered by him. It was almost a certainty he would imprison the immortal, keeping her in both a convenient location and out of the Directorate's figurative hairs.

The later figure, however, was the one which had drawn a frown upon V.V.'s usually indifferent face. Lately, a lone figure had been caught wandering the Japanese countryside, garbed in traditional Japanese clothing and reportedly carrying a large, aged manuscript in hand. While this was nothing distinctively uncommon considering the country's rather conservative political and cultural outlook, it was said person's appearance and demeanor that had caught the order's attention.

The male, said to be relatively tall and around 17 years of age, had been described as frighteningly intelligent. Not only this, but his physical description, due to a lack of photographic evidence, had been one of the adolescent bearing knew length green hair and deep violet irises, a fact which seemed curious considering the eye color of the recently 'lost' prince and hair color of the captured witch. These set aside, it had been said that the boy usually wary of his surroundings, more than once escaping tailing agents and even managing to wound one, said agent having narrowly escaped due to local police intervention, at which point he had been released through the pulling of several strings and well placed bribes. Even the so - called Japanese honor had its price at the end of the day.

The figure constantly evaded heavily populated areas, save for small towns or villages whenever he required nourishment or entertainment, so far recorded as chess games. One O.S.I. agent on leave, in fact, had challenged the youngster to a game, a free - dinner serving as the wager. Needless to say, the man had been stumped at the swift defeat handed to him, only to then engage in a variety of topics as the victor ate his well - earned lunch. It must be said the agent had once been a grand - master of the game, but also the holder of two separate P.H.D.s from the Royal Pendragon academy, hence the references on intelligence. It had also bee written, as a side note, that the boy held a considerable amount of charisma and will, though such details were of a lesser importance.

Yet what had truly garnered V.V. attention on this subject was the singular description of a Geass sigil upon the boy's forehead, sighted by one of his agents during a trailing mission, the target having leapt from an impressive height, his hair and bangs revealing the distinct bird - like mark as they waved in the air.

The discovery of a new code - bearer had come to a mild shock to both him and Charles, not to mention Marianne, having escaped her faith by supplanting the will of Anya Alstreim, much to his dismay. While the concrete proof of this new immortal had only just been assembled, V.V. had felt it and quickly informed his younger brother, recognizing the feeling emanating from his own code from the time he had first acquired it as a child. In fact, as soon as C.C. had been brought to him he had gone to converse with her on the matter.

1 Week Ago

"V.V." The witch said, voice impassive if but with a hint of annoyance. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"I think we both know what I've come to talk to you about C.C., and its not Ragnarök before you ask." The boy immortal stated, direct and unwavering.

"Ah, yes, that…Though I'm not sure I want to talk about it if I'm honest, after all I haven't been treated very well, in my opinion." A slight smirk of smugness made its way across the youthful woman's face, enjoying the moment.

If V.V. had been annoyed he had not shown it, though his tone of voice left nothing to be joyful of. "If you refuse to cooperate, I could always have you act as a test subject for our scientist. You know how hard it is to come across reliable people whom can survive their…operations, no don't you?"

C.C. face quickly lost its color following the rather blatant threat. The Geass Directorate's experiments were, at least to those aware of its existence, notoriously infamous and painful. Immortal she may be, but pain was an experience she did not wish to experience without rest over days upon end. Schooling her features, the witch responded, "I felt it too, if thats what you're asking. It was a peculiar feeling if I'm honest, this new connection, as if their Code had seemingly appeared on the face of the Earth without warning. But why are you asking me, have your goons failed to find him, or her, yet?" genuine interest seeking into her words.

"Unfortunately no, we haven't, though I do believe we'll have some leads before long. After all, everyone leaves some sort of trace behind, no matter how smart. You serve as a prime example to that testimony C.C."

C.C. frowned at the statement, as well as the amusement in her counterpart's voice, but was at least satisfied with the answer considering everything.

And so V.V., brought out of his temporary musings, continued to read the latest intelligence reports on this new Code Bearer, the gears of his mind working away at his next move. The document stated the boy's latest location at a road - side in near Osaka, near the Southern Japanese coast. He'd been told, rather off - handedly, that it was a rather beautiful location, not that he was going on a holiday really. It was mentioned that said figure, in an uncharacteristic manner so far, considering his knowing awareness of his pursuers, had payed, in advance, for the next three days, breaking the streak of constantly shifting moments brought on by the obvious paranoia.

Armed with such knowledge, V.V. quickly placed the thick packet to his side and activated his intercom.

"Hunter Swanson, please report to my office immediately, along with your lieutenants in you would. Oh, and, as an afterthought, please bring me the prisoner C.C. as well. That will be all."

The message rang out over the hidden city's public announcement system and it wasn't long before Arthur Swanson, one of the leaders of the Geass Order's many and aptly named 'retrieval squadrons', made his and his subordinates presence announced to his door.

"Come in." The muffled voice the everlasting child rang out behind the shut door.

"Colonel Swanson reporting as requested director V.V." The man, aged around his late 20's, stated as he entered the premise. Behind him stood his two lieutenants, both in the same age group, with a still restrained and gagged C.C. held firmly within their arms, a peeved look emanating from her golden yellow eyes.

"Swanson, I have a rather important assignment for you, do you think you and your squadron will be up to the task?" V.V. asked in a rather rhetorical fashion, clearly knowing the answer as if he was clairvoyant.

"I don't see why there would be any problems sir. What kind of mission are we talking about? Elimination, sabotage, fraud?" The man asked, his voice laced with curious anticipation.

"Retrieval." V.V. stated in all simplicity, his eyes having just barely lifted in order to observe C.C.'s reaction. He was not disappointed when he saw an ever so slight widening of the eyes, possibly from surprise that they had apparently finally located their target.

Swanson's lips formed a rather tight grin, a flash of excitement in his eyes.

"What sort of retrieval effort are we talking about? Geass user, politician, diplomat, general…"

"Code Bearer." V.V. stated, his tone expressing a pleased nature.

Those two words seemed to dampen the rooms atmosphere almost instantly, a chill running down both the Colonel 's and Lieutenants' backs. While normal humans and rogue Geass user's were common targets, Code Bearers were a rare find indeed, and more often than not would slip through Hunter's carefully placed nets, to the extreme annoyance of V.V. and the hunter's themselves. Their retrieval was further troubled by their targets inability to die, making them difficult to put down long enough to be properly secured and contained. To date, only one Code Bearer had been successfully apprehended, and said person was firmly in the hands if the Lieutenants lingering behind Swanson's back. And even her retrieval was not truly successful, putting minimal effort in evading capture and almost willingly submitting to her tails.

"Are you telling me that we've successfully tracked down one of them in all this time?" The Colonel asked following several tense moments of silence.

"That is correct Swanson, and I fully expect the man be retrieved. He appears to be a new piece on the board, one we have seemed to have somehow neglected up to this point. His capture is of the highest priority, do you understand?"

The no - nonsense tone and commanding voice instilled no small sense of fear within the leader, sweat now making itself shown upon his forehead. Director V.V. took little setbacks to anger, and those whom had captured his ire often fund themselves within the order's morgue less than a week later, either killed in action or through 'unfortunate accidents',

Swanson, clearing his throat, finally responded, "It will be done my lord."

"For this particular enterprise, however, I will be accompanying you personally. This man has intrigued me and I wish to meet with him, no matter the events that follows, so insure that all necessary accommodations are ready."

Both the Colonel's and his mens' eyes widened at this distinct piece of information. It was extremely rare for the Director to leave the city, and even such occasions were only to meet the Britannian Emperor. The additional news only caused their present levels of anxiety to increase ten - fold, fearful of what may occur should their mission fail to achieve success.

"Now then, C.C. …" V.V. addressed the green haired witch, turning his attention to her form and motioning one of the lieutenants to undo the face covering that currently silenced her, "Are you coming along with us? I'm sure you are just as interested in meeting this man as I am. And, in any case, it will allow you to stretch your legs."

The condescension in the boy's voice irked C.C., yet she kept up her mask of indifference as she spoke, "I suppose so. You aren't wrong in him drawing my attention, and you would be a darling if I could be allowed to walk normally again. Armed escorts never were really a thing for me."

"Very well then." V.V. replied, grabbing the packet of the target's information and handing it to Swanson, "Please insure C.C. is prepped for transport and your men ready for action. I will make my way to the hanger and await your arrival."

"When do we leave my Lord?" Swanson asked.

"You have one hour, I suggest you make your way to the barracks now." And with a tone of finality, V.V., followed closely behind by the rooms four other occupants, made their way outside the Director's office and towards their designated destinations.

Lelouch calmly awaited for his captor's, sitting under a completely deflowered tree, a chess board set up in front of him upon a foldable table, and his aged book in his hand. The weather was cold, snow still littering the barren ground, though the sky was a dark blue, cloud cover virtually non - existent.

It had taken him the better part of a week to understand his new surroundings, let alone the changes to himself. Upon having reached the nearest town, Lelouch had, to his shock, discovered the Geass sigil plastered across his forehead, having taken a shower a few moments earlier, his wet bangs having fallen to the side and exposing it to the mirror he had been looking into. Even so, it did not take him too long to adjust to his newfound immortality, taking such a thing in stride after several minutes of both wonderment and confusion.

Following the unlikely discovery, Lelouch had then set out to acquire the basic necessities he needed to survive and travel across Japan in an inconspicuous manner. Through a few quick games of both chess and shogi, he acquired the necessary amount of Yen's to purchase himself a traditional Japanese Kimono, which he found to be remarkably comfortable, as well as an antique Tokugawa period Samurai sword, having learned a minimal amount of swordplay with both his mother and master Tohdoh in his previous life. He would have honestly preferred a pistol though, seeing as how it involved less physical danger, a point rendered moot considering his immortality though, but pain is never fun, though the ability to acquire firearms in conservatively oriented Japan was very difficult.

It didn't take long for him to realize, however, that he was being tracked, by whom he was unsure. Being a Code Bearer, he could only guess those individuals constantly tailing him were from the Geass Directorate, or possibly the O.S.I., but he couldn't be sure and, in any case, didn't truly want to find out. Being imprisoned until the end of time or experimented on as Clovis had on C.C. was not an experience he wished to live through. Try as he might, however, the apparent loss of his Geass made avoiding the agents akin to the task of avoiding the plague, his sense of paranoia reaching record heights as the unwanted encounters multiplied, despite his best efforts to avoid them and pass under the radar.

He was grateful, however, for the benefits of his Code on certain occasions however, the inability of his body to become tired or remain injured for more than a few minutes having come in handy more than once, allowing the his once underwhelmingly weak constitution to outpace and outrun trained agents. He'd also broken quite a few legs during his escapades, as jumping from multi - story buildings often ended poorly considering his coordination. No matter, his newfound abilities allowed him a far greater amount of autonomy and mental stability, threats of death being of no worry for all he could care.

It was, unfortunately, to his dismay that his pursuers only seemed to increase the amount of resources dedicated to his surveillance and capture, sending but more agents, some he believed to be even Geass users, in an attempt to corner him and drag him off to wherever their leader V.V. deemed worthy.

Though it was not the virtually endless game of cat and mouse that convinced Lelouch to give in and simply turn himself in, but rather the well - being of his sister Nunnally. He had found out that they were in the beginnings of February 2010 A.T.B., signaling that both he and his sister must have been residing at the Kururugi Shrine following their exile. Unsure of the laws dominating over this universe or timeline, Lelouch was unsure whether his existence had meant the end of his younger self or merely meant he existed as his own entity within this world. Always the calculating genius he was, Lelouch had divided to gradually make his way towards his sister from across the Japanese countryside, hoping to reach her, and maybe himself, so as to protect them whenever the invasion would begin. It would only make himself feel more comfortable should he be able to protect them and Suzaku instead of having them fend for themselves as he had, an experience he would never wish upon anyone, save a select few like his father perhaps.

And so there he sat, resting underneath whichever tree he leaned upon might have been, waiting. He'd acquire the leather volume from the same antique shop at which he'd purchased his Katana, a detailed manuscript of world history, minus the Britannian butchering of past events, a subject that delighted him to no end, if all but to pass the time. As he overlooked the horizon for any approaching persons, vehicle or aircraft, Lelouch twirled one of his green haired locks with his left forefinger, a habit he'd picked up from C.C. now considering said hair's length. He'd died it green, both out of convenience as out of melancholy, not wanting him to appear to similar to his younger self, a detail that would have caught V.V.'s immediate attention he believed.

Before long, a single, brown and beige armored truck, appeared upon the winding road which led up towards the inn. Coming to a stop around two dozen meters away, Lelouch spotted a small contingency of eight men, one boy and one woman climb out of the transport, starring at him.

'I feel as if I'm some sort of sideshow at a circus' He though, the ways in which he was being observed giving him such an impression.

Slowly, but surely, Lelouch spotted C.C. approach him, the soldiers and V.V. staying back near the truck or fanning out, creating a sort of perimeter around the two immortals, ensuring his inability to escape. It was funny, really, considering how he had led himself into his very own grave.

'The blond midget arrives.' Lelouch silently snickering at the derogatory name he'd come up with for his dear uncle.

While he mused upon his current situation, Lelouch had failed to notice how C.C. had reached him by this point and made herself comfortable in the empty seat, eying him in interest. especially his hair.

'Let the games begin…'

If C.C. had not let on to how much she actually wanted to meet the new immortal as she had during her earlier conversation with V.V., it was no longer a secret as she made a beeline for the boy. He seemed young, close to, if not exactly, her age, at least in physical appearance, nothing a both soft and gentle smile on his face, as if he was pleased to see her, similar to an old friend creating her after many years past.

Taking a seat upon the empty chair, the boy closed his book and carefully placed it upon the ground, not wanting to damage it, and faced her.

An awkward moment of silence passed between the two, both noticing the spread of the Order's guards slowly encircling them. Finally, having tired of the stifling atmosphere, she began a conversation.

"Hello there." She stated simply, tone bored and impassive.

"Hello C.C." The figure in front of her stated, his voice joyful in nature, "It's been a while."

She was slightly taken aback by the boy's apparent knowledge of her, even if it were by just her monicker, though his follow - up phrase did elicit her curiosity.

"Have we met before?" She asked, midl intrigue lacing her words, "I don't especially recall anybody of your sort. I'd be hard pressed to forget hair like that."

The boy chuckled slightly, amused by her statement, and simply replied, "To be frank, it reminded me of you. Green hair is, after all, rather rare in the world, even amongst the French, pas vrai?"

The apparent sentimentality and switch to her native tongue slightly unnerved the witch, surprise apparent upon the ever so slight opening of her mouth and widening of her eyes. However, centuries of living made one master of the poker - face, and her mild surprise quickly became neutral in appearance.

"You seem to know a lot about me…?" Leaving off the sentence's end so that he may give his name.

However, instead of completing her inquiry, the boy spoke in a calm, almost carefree fashion, telling her, "How about this. In front of you lies a chessboard, set up for a full game with all pieces present. For each piece of mine you capture, I will allow you one question, valid until the game either ends through a checkmate or stalemate. Are you up for the challenge?"

C.C. pondered the offer for several seconds, slightly peeved at the indirect nature of the question, but accede to the figures demands. "Very well then, I accept your offer." She stated.

"Perfect." Her counterpart replied, "White, or black?".

"White will be fine." Her voice somewhat dismissive.

"Very well then." The boy said, rotating the board so that the white pieces could face her, a pleased smile upon his lips.

The game proceeded at a relaxed pace, each player taking their time in planning their moves. While C.C. had decades worth of experience playing the game, not out of interest but mostly from random occurrences throughout her existence, it became quite clear that Lelouch's strategically inclined mind was rapidly bringing the match to a close, though not without loses.

Tack. Pawn claims Pawn.

"What is your name?" C.C. began.

"You may refer to me as L.L. for now, its better for the time being." The figure stated.

Tack. Bishop captures Knight.

"How old are you?" C.C. asked.

"In mental years, 18 I believe." Lelouch responded.

Tack. Pawn takes Pawn.

"Where were you born?" The witch continued.

"Pendragon." He replied.

C.C. arched an eyebrow at this, wondering what the Britannian immortal could be doing in Japan, curious as to how he seemed to have evaded detection up until this time.

Tack. Rook captures Queen.

"Your better than I remember…" The boy said offhandedly, his voice barely louder than a whisper.

"What are you doing here?" She questioned.

At this time the boy remained silent, slowly leaning back into his chair. His eyes stared deeply into her own, a glint of sadness and regret present within them.

"I…" He started, his voice low, mired in anguish, "I…I've come to protect those I hold dear, even if they don't remember…" he finished.

The witch judge the figure in front of her carefully, wary of his change in both tone and body language. He seemed uncomfortable, a sudden shift in his earlier appearance, as if the carefree attitude had been all but a facade to begin with, hiding his realm emotions and feelings behind them.

Before she could voice any more questions, however, Lelouch took hold of his knight and placed it down, gunning for her king.

Tack, the board resounded.

"Check Mate." He said, humble in his victory.

"I can only assume this means an end to this session of questioning." C.C. voice her thoughts out loud.

"Only between us two, and only for the time being." The boy said, his tone gentle and comforting, as if he was attempting to prevent her from feeling hurt for her pride, one which was almost non - existent in her belief.

'What an interesting boy…'

As the game ended, Lelouch noticed how both V.V. and his men had come considerably closer to the duo, with none farther away form the table then but a meter. V.V. then steps forward first, calmly looking the new Code Bearer up and down, sizing him up. He'd been intrigued in how the witch and warlock had interacted, similar to that of old friends from the later. The shift in mood during their conversation had also caught his fancy, a detail he would have to go deeper and depth at a latter time. For now, however, he had decided it was time to move on.

"Seeing as how you've appeared to have had finished your game, I would ask you to come with us now." It was not an offer, but more of an order judging by the child's tone.

"Ahhh, the blond midget, I almost forgot about you!" Lelouch said, his voice condescending and humorous in every aspect of the words.

V.V. visibly flinched at the insult, a reaction that elicited a half - muffled giggle from C.C. as she placed her hand in front of her mouth, unable to restrain herself from the shoe hilarity of Charle's younger brother's ire.

Coming from behind, Swanson slammed Lelouch's head down upon the board, scattering the pieces upon the ground. "You shall not speak of Director V.V. in such a manner, insolent cad!" He growled, killing intent apparent.

"OOOHHH, the scary soldier. I'm surprised Vincent only thought of bringing you along for the ride. I half - expected someone like Rolo to come along for all the trouble I seemed to be causing." Lelouch's voice did not waver, mockery and smugness heavily impeded in his phrase.

The mentioning of both his birth name and top assassin brought V.V.'s patience to its limit, wanting to silence the man for all the annoyance he brought him. "Tranquilize him and restrain him, we are returning to the order, understood?"

Swanson noted his head, accompanied by the customary, "Yes, my Lord." and proceeded to shackle Lelouch's feet and hands. It was quickly followed by a tranquilizer injection, the syringe and solution having been handed to him by one of his Lieutenants. Soon enough, the boy's limp form was hauled upon the Colonels shoulder, similar to a rucksack, and placed within the vehicle, at which point the men and remaining immortals loaded into the transport and drove away.