Hey everybody! So, here's the deal. I've got a BUNCH of ideas for Code Geass fanfics, but NO time to write them. I've decided to publish the first chapter of 3 stories wondering around in my head and see how you guys respond to figure out how to proceed. If you like this story and want me to continue it in the near future, please follow, Favorite, or at least leave a review. It you think I need to hang this up for a while and focus on other stories, don't do anything. If you are interested in adopting this story or being a co-author so I'm not doing all the work, please PM me. Here's the catch: I only plan on focusing on one of the three fics I'm putting up today if I'm going at it alone. If you want more info on this or the other stories I am planning, check out my profile under the "Code Geass" part of "Future Stories."

Also, additional notes on this story: It is dark. Very, very dark. I think I'll even be including some self-harm or contemplation of suicide. Just warning you right now. It it isn't your cup of tea, don't be afraid to not follow, Favorite, or review.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass.


Chapter 1: The Mysterious Woman

When Naoto Kouzuki was a child, he was innocent, as all children are. Part of what was nicknamed the "Phoenix Generation" for being born just after the devastation of the Demon Emperor, he grew up in a time of celebration and prosperity and only knew the horror and devastation of war through the stories of heroes and survivors. He knew nothing of Demons, cruel emperors, or social injustices. His world wasn't perfect, but it was better than the one his mother had grown up in.

Yes, Naoto was innocent as a child. But even before he was born, it was understood that he wouldn't remain that way. His own blood was weighed with a thousand sins that could never be repented for. It was the day that he realized this fact that he was no longer able to consider himself a child anymore. It was also the day he ceased to be innocent.


Naoto, his best friend Clovis, and Clovis's little sister Yuki were walking home from school. They were talking and joking like they always do. They took the same route home they always did, which took them by the old Shinjuku memorial. As usual, they decided to take a break and view the historic spot. When they came up to the memorial, Yuki spoke up.

"Do you think it's true that Mommy and Daddy fought at Shinjuku?" she asked.

"Of course!" Clovis replied. "Haven't they told us a thousand times already? Shinjuku was the first time Zero appeared, and contacted Daddy and Naoto's mom and Uncle Tamaki and their friends to tell them how to win against the Britanians. It was the beginning of the Black Knights! Mom fought too, but on the Britannian side."

"Seriously, Yuki. You ask that question every day. What, are you hoping that you will get a different answer?" Naoto teased.

"That's mean, Naoto." Yuki pouted.

"Well, he's just telling it how it is," Clovis countered, turning back to read some of the engravings. "Hey, Naoto, can I ask you a question?"

"You just did."

"You know what I mean," Clovis frowned at his best friend then turned back to the memorial. "Do you think the Zero who fought at Shinjuku is the same man who is the Empress's bodyguard?"

Naoto thought about it. "Honestly, I doubt it. With the mask, nobody actually knows who he is or why he has the ideals he does. Zero suddenly disappeared during the black rebellion and was not seen or heard of for an entire year, and then he was announced dead after the dropping of F.L.E.I.A., but showed up a few months later to assassinate the Demon Emperor. I have no doubt that at least one of those disappearances was due to the fact that the original Zero was killed."

"However," he continued, "I think that it doesn't really matter who Zero really is. The most important thing about Zero is what he symbolizes, and the fact that we don't know who he actually is makes him more capable of being that symbol. Without a face or history, each person can imagine Zero as someone exactly like him. When he supports the person they are secretly rooting for or does something they have always wanted to do, they can think 'he is just like me' and let him become their personal symbol." Naoto smirked, imagining how some of the adults would react if they could hear him now. Everyone knew that Naoto was a genius and has a tendency of stunning teachers twice his age with the occasional profound statement. "Since Zero is no one person, he could be anybody and everybody."

A mysterious voice chuckled. "I wonder what he would think of your interpretation."

Naoto turned, trying to find the source of the strange comment. The only person he could see other than his friends was a mysterious green-haired woman. She was clad in a white costume that reminded Naoto of old prison garb. She was standing quite a way off, staring at the memorial like it brought back pleasant memories, clutching an old plush cheese-kun doll.

Clovis shouted over to her. "Hey Lady! What're you talking about? Who's he?"

The girl frowned at the three teens. "It's none of you business, kid."

Naoto got angry. He always hated it when people brushed him off just because he was young. He certainly didn't want to take it from this woman who looked about the same age as he was. "I'll have you know, Clovis and I are 17, and Yuki is 15. We aren't exactly ignorant children. Besides, you aren't that old either."

The woman scoffed. "Don't take everything you see for granted. Where you see peace and contentment, a secret war could be brewing. Where you see evil, kindness and love could be hidden away. Where you see a young woman, a centuries-old witch could be standing in her place."

"Wait, you're a witch?" Yuki asked.

The woman ignored her, choosing instead to stare at Naoto. "Where you see a normal boy, an uncrowned prince may be hidden away." She then turned and walked away, muttering to herself. "He certainly seems a little interesting. Maybe even interesting enough to wake him up. She won't be happy if I make a contract, and he will be even more pissed…"

"Hey!" Naoto called out after her. "Don't walk away suddenly like that! What were you talking about? Tell me!" But it was no use; she had already walked out of hearing distance and was turning into a dark alley.

"Well that was… strange." Clovis grumbled.

"You said it," Yuki agreed.

"Any idea who she was?" Clovis asked.

"Nope," Naoto replied. He sighed and started walking back to the main road. "Come on guys, we should start heading home."

The other two silently agreed and all three continued walking. Before long they were talking and joking just like before, the strange green-haired witch all but forgotten.

Close to the top of crumbling building, a cloaked figure dressed all in black observed the three teens as they continued their ignorant, innocent lives. Actually, he was only observing one of them. When he heard footsteps coming his way, he quickly stepped into the shadows and disappeared.

The green-haired witch stopped at the top of the stairwell. She scanned the room until her eyes fell on the cloaked figure, almost completely obscured by darkness. She walked up to him a poked his side. "So, this is where you've been hiding."

The figure glared at the woman, but said nothing.

She continued, unmoved by his lack of response. "Don't tell me you haven't been watching him, I know you have. Seriously, you should just go up to the boy and interact with him. I don't mean like actually introduce yourself, just something simple like hold a door for him or pick up something he dropped. This silent brooding and watching from a distance doesn't suit you."

The figure grit his teeth in anger. "I am not going to burden the boy with my presence. I am unworthy of walking in the light with him."

The witch rolled her eyes. "Honestly, you're a thousand years too young to be thinking like that. I understand you're mad that your 'master plan' unraveled, but it was unlikely that everything would stay peaceful forever anyway. That's just how humans are. At least you still have your reason to live."

The cloaked figure stood up and started to leave the building. "Leave me be, witch."

"You know I can't, warlock." When the witch realized that the warlock was actually going to leave, she gave him a request. "While you're out, could you get some pizza?"

"You can get it yourself."

The witch glared. "You're going to regret that."


Remember, Please Review, Follow and Favorite if you want me to continue this story. You also might want to check out the other two fics that are in this competition, Code Geass: Naoto of the Revenge and The Demon Prince.