Your Past, My Future

Chapter 10

a/n Some of you have shown concern that this story may be dead. I can only respond with the following quote by H.P. Lovecraft.

"That is not dead which can eternal lie, yet with strange eons even death may die."

Kyoshiro Todoh, Todoh of Miracles, was the only man to have won a battle against the Britannian Empire during the war. But the war was not over, and the Japanese people had a new man of miracles. Zero remembered him well. He admired much about the Japanese, and Todoh emulated their every ideal. And now, the first miracle man with the Four Holy Swords, awaited him.

Zero opened the door and entered the room alone, not wanting to insult his guests by bringing a body guard. Of course, if the guests knew what Zero knew, they would try to kill him on the spot.

They would fail, but it would be inconvenient nonetheless.

"Kyoshiro Todoh," he said. "It is truly an honor. How may I assist you?"

"Zero," he replied curtly. "Are you aware of the recent events concerning the JLF?"

"Yes." The leaders of the Japanese Liberation Front were recently assassinated. Even if the assassins were not under control of his own Geass, he would have been alerted in other ways. "Many former members of the Liberation Front have decided to honor the memory of their leaders by continuing their fight within my ranks. Is that why you have come?"

Todoh narrowed his eyes suspiciously and focused on Zero's hands. Zero's mask covered up any facial expression, but body language…he resisted the urge to hide his hands inside his cape, and instead held them up for closer scrutiny.

"The JLF has been fighting against Britannian tyranny for years, Zero. You have been leading the Black Knights for weeks. Shall I fight with you? Become a Black Knight? First I would know your intentions with my country."

"The JLF fought unsuccessfully for so many years, not because they lacked courage or will, but because they sought to do the impossible. They tried to champion a broken people, win with the support of the masses that had long since become content with less than freedom. I will…make them discontent."

"Do you really think it will be that simple?"

"The Japanese people never lacked the strength to defeat the forces stationed here, only the will. After their courage is redeemed, they will finish the fight the Britannians started seven years ago."

"The Britannian Empire will never allow that," Todoh said. "Even if they have to summon their forces from every corner of the earth, no matter what the cost in life or capital, they will never let my people live free."

Zero smiled behind his mask, then laughed openly. "I seldom meet a man with your perception Todoh. If we win here, the other seventeen areas under Britannian rule will gain hope for freedom of their own, and Britannia will be seen as weak to her enemies. Most of my men see only the here and now. They don't understand that victory here means the defeat of the greatest empire in the world. But you do. And if you understand that much, why have you kept fighting all these years?"

"Because I would rather die than live without pride! My people deserve more than to live as outcasts in their own land, they deserve more than what they've been given. I don't know if we can win, but I do know that we can fight."

"Well, then I suppose that makes us very different people, Todoh, because I know we can fight and win," Zero said. "And I have a fairly good idea how. Join me in my organization, and I will show you an empire lying in ruins."

WWW

"Well, that was boring," Mao muttered as they walked into Zero's office.

Oh?

"Yeah. When those five new-age samurais got here, you know what they were thinking? Let's join the Black Knights. And when they left? It was exactly the same. But then again, that wasn't why you wanted me listening in, was it? So go on, ask me what they were really after."

What?

"I'm sorry, did you say something? I really can't hear you."

"What?"

Mao grinned, as though the ability to cause Zero that minor inconvenience was noteworthy. "They're split down the middle. Two of them think you're responsible for killing the leaders of the Jolly Leap Frogs and that the heroes of justice thing is just you trying to, uh, hold on, I wrote this part down. Right, it's just you trying to 'glut yourself on the hopes and dreams of the Japanese people.' Nice. Two of the others think you're their best chance at fighting Britannia, and Todoh wants to find out more before he gets fancy on you with his sword."

What do they know about C.C. and Jeremiah?

"But yeah, unless you've got anything else, I'll go check on our royal prisoner."

"Do they know about C.C. and Jeremiah?" Zero said aloud.

"Ah, now that's where things get a little tricky," Mao replied. "Yes. Yes they do. However, Todoh wasn't sure from the Orange thing if the guy was really a double agent for you, and got the Just Like Friends to not kill him until they knew for sure. Also, while they think you may have sent assassins after their leaders, they don't know that we were the ones who raided their boat and freed their prisoners. That was pretty fun, by the way. We should do it again some time."

"I see." As long as the Britannian Empire continued to serve as a scapegoat, Todoh would have no reason to suspect anything. If they looked for a secret chain of command, incriminating paperwork, well, there wasn't any. Only four people knew about what happened, Zero, Mao, C.C., and Orange. "C.C.?" he asked, calling her phone. "Could you step into my office for a minute?"

Mao suddenly started laughing. "And you're not even doing it deliberately, are you?"

Zero stopped. "Doing what deliberately?"

"Pretending to be human!"

"Fascinating. I'll let you know when you start making sense again."

Mao laughed and leaned against a wall. "You know that's not what I meant."

"Then by all means, Mao, enlighten me."

"I mean that you're made out of wood and black paint, and try to carve out everyone out of something besides flesh to make your crip sis smile," he said. "But you know what the funny thing is? If she knew what you were doing for her, she'd kill you herself. And if anyone else knew, they'd kill you both."

Mao yelped and pulled out a gun. That was what alerted Lelouch that he had already pulled out his. "Do not threaten my sister, Mao!" he ordered. "If you ever want to live to see another day, remember this. I killed you once when you threatened her, and if I have to kill you again to keep Nunnally safe, I will!"

"Okay, okay! Yikes, that was…pretty cool actually. Thought to action in nothing flat. I didn't know you could do that." The two of them stood there, pointing guns at each other. "So, uh, if I say I'm sorry, will you put your gun down?"

"After you."

"Just to be fair, you did pull out yours first."

"You can read my mind," Lelouch said. "You know that you're too valuable to kill needlessly."

"And I know that you don't really care right now. Come one, Lelouch, old buddy old pal, if you put your gun away, I promise I won't shoot you." Mao grinned. "I would not lie to you."

"Of course, I'm going to trust a psychopath with a gun, and while I'm toying with death, I'll go play chicken on the railroad tracks."

"Out of all the times to stop being predictable, you had to pick the time when you have a gun!"

"Then don't provoke me when I have a gun!"

"This whole thing is just you overreacting, you know. You are, in one word, overprotective. In two words you're trigger happy. You know what this is? It's your guilt. I'm an expert on this sort of thing. You just feel guilty about before when that poor little girl died in your war."

"Shut up, Mao, just shut up!"

"You're not the boss of me! I'm wearing sunglasses!"

Neither one of them would have gotten away alive had the door not opened. C.C. looked at them and sighed.

"Hey, beautiful!" Mao called. "Really, there is no situation that you being here can't make better!"

"Honestly," she said, "I can't leave you alone for ten minutes, can I?" She stood between them. "Now give me your guns. You too, Lelouch. And if either of you shoots me, I will become very cross."

Mao left the room unarmed. "You know, Lelouch," C.C. said, "just because your father controls the Geass directorate, it doesn't mean you can start your own."

"I know. Rolo was easier to control. He'd do anything I told him to, even when I was trying to kill him. Mao, on the other hand…but I knew there would be some risk when I invited him."

"I've been keeping an eye on him. He'll stay as long as staying is more entertaining than having all of you killed, and he seems fairly entertained. Was this what you wanted to talk to me about?"

"No," Zero said, sitting down. "Todoh and the Four Holy Swordsmen have joined us, and they suspect that I have been involved with the fall of the JLF. I believe that they will cooperate unless they find conclusive evidence, and the only people who know otherwise are you, Mao, and Orange."

"Is that it?"

"No. I need a set of contacts that can block my Geass. In my other timeline, I lost control of it a few weeks from now, and I don't want to take any chances."

"I see. I saw Euphemia on the news the other day. She seemed very…nice."

"She is nice. She died nice, covered in the blood of the people she had loved and slaughtered."

"Do you still blame yourself for that?"

"I did kill her, but no, I don't. I used my Geass on her on accident, and when I killed her she was no longer herself, so I don't feel guilty. It's odd. The only thing that does bother me is that I made a promise to her, and I broke it. All these people follow me because of the promises I give them. They put their hope in me, but I have yet to fulfill that hope."

"A leader is a dealer in hope," C.C. said.

"What?"

"That was something Napoleon once said. He was a lot like you, actually."

Zero smiled. In all the history of the world, there was only one Napoleon, only one who had successfully driven the Britannians out of their own land. "Did you have a contract with him?"

"No. His wife wouldn't have allowed it. I did have a contract with the man sent to kill him, though."

After driving the Britannians out, Napoleon was subsequently poisoned.

WWW

Lelouch sat alone in his office, working through the logistics of his organization. People were made of problems, and if they were to accomplish anything, he would have to solve them. He tried not to plan a way to kill Mao, not when he might be nearby. Instead Lelouch focused on the suggested organization chart Diethard had given him. Diethard was…not loyal, so to speak, but predictable, and that was close enough.

True, he had betrayed Zero in the end, but so had nearly everyone.

Rats and sinking ships, he thought. Just don't sink and you'll be fine. Lelouch turned over the page and skimmed through the invasion plan. Most of the skirmishes that the Black Knights had been a part of since Narita were just to keep momentum, but this, this could change everything. He jotted down a few notes to accommodate the involvement of Todoh and his men.

His phone rang.

"Hey Suzaku."

"L-lelouch?" Not Suzaku. She had his cellphone, but… "Lelouch? Is that really you?"

"Euphie." He'd been expecting this conversation, he'd planned for it. And yet, somehow, he wasn't ready. "Hey. I see Suzaku delivered the message."

"He told me you were alive," she said. "Oh, Lelouch, I don't believe this!"

"What, that I'm alive or that we're talking to each other?"

"I surprised that you've never tried to contact me before!" she cried. "I thought you were dead!" She stopped. "I probably shouldn't have said that last part out loud."

"Are you outside?"

"Yeah."

"People will assume I'm someone you've failed to have assassinated. You're the viceroy now; viceroys deal with this sort of thing all the time."

"Are you trying to be funny or cynical?"

Lelouch chuckled slightly. "You know, we should get together sometime. Nunnally would love to see you again."

"She can see again? I thought that after the…"

"Metaphorically."

"Oh."

"But if it's not too much short notice, could you come over tomorrow night work for you?"

"Well, sure, I think so, but I don't know where you live."

"You're using Suzaku's phone. Is he with you?"

"Uh-huh, he's right here pretending that he's not listening—no, that's okay, Suzaku, I don't mind."

"He knows where I live, he'll show you. You'll need an escort anyway, preferably someone who won't tell the world that I'm alive, which I'd rather keep underground for the time being."

"Yes, but it's not that simple. I can't just tell my security to leave me alone for an hour so I can reunite with my long lost brother, and if I try to give them the slip again, they might catch up with me when I'm with you, and then they'll think you're trying to kidnap me or something, and that would be even worse."

"Oh, Euphemia, how are you ever going to be a politician without learning to weave a web of lies at a moment's notice?"

"What?"

"Let's see, have you picked out a knight yet?" Lelouch asked, as if he didn't already know.

"No, that's one of the things I have to work on right now."

"So say you're doing an interview."

"I'm interviewing you to be my knight?"

"No, Suzaku. You're just doing it where I live."

"And no one will think that's…odd?"

"Of course not," Lelouch lied.

"Alright," Euphemia said. "So, I guess I'll see you then?"

"Of course," he said. You could be the most valuable piece in the game. And I have promises to keep.

WWW

Kallen saw Lelouch at school the next day, fortunately. She hadn't seen him since he walked off with Zero, and she wasn't entirely sure he'd still be alive. After what Mao had said, well, he was full of crap, and Kallen knew Lelouch wasn't dangerous, but that didn't mean that Zero was going to take chances.

"So, what did you think?" On a bench in the park in broad daylight wasn't the most secure spot to discuss an illegal organization accused of terrorism, but it wasn't very crowded and she kept her voice down.

"About last night?"

"No, about math class. Yes, last night. I didn't see you since you left with the big guy himself."

"We talked," Lelouch said calmly. "I got the feeling that having you vouch for me meant a lot, and he wanted to know where to put me. Eventually he decided that I may have some aptitude as a strategist, and sent me to sector seven to see how things go."

"Wait, he said that about you?"

"Yes."

"But—he—you know who he is, right? He's like the king of strategy. He regularly goes against twenty to one odds and comes out without a casualty. If he says that you'd make a good strategist, that's huge!"

"I, uh, play chess sometimes," he said weakly.

"Okay, good. Work with that. Between you and me, I'm pretty sure he does too."

Lelouch leaned back in the bench and stared at the sky thoughtfully. "So, why do you follow him?"

"Because he wins, why else?"

"Is that it? Britannia hasn't lost a war in over two hundred years. You don't follow them."

"I know. But Zero's different," Kallen said. "He's different from anyone, actually. Did I ever tell you what I was doing before the Black Knights? I was a terrorist. I know people call the Black Knights terrorists, but they're not. Back then, we were all about collateral damage. Explosives? Toxic gas? It didn't matter what we used. I was angry, angry at Britannia for all they did, for all they took. I wanted to get back at them, and if some civilians got killed, well, they deserved it anyway. Then I would go to school, smile and laugh with everyone like the filthy hypocrite I was."

"Then Zero came, and he changed everything. Yes, he won battles, but the battles he won were worth fighting. He brought the war to the people who deserved it. He changed us from killers with explosives to something we don't have to be ashamed of, and he's going to change the world. Just watch, Lelouch. He's going to change everything."

WWW

a/n Sometimes I think that choosing where to break the chapter is the hardest part, apart from, you know, actually writing it. I'll probably regret this later, but you've been waiting long enough already. Remember those good old days when I would get a chapter out every other week? Yeah, that may never happen again. School, life, work, food, there's always things to distract me. But to all you people who haven't given up on me, this is for you. I hope to wrap this up in another two chapters.

By the way, in the Code Geass history, Napoleon managed to conquer England, which drove the Britannians to the American continent. I've been reading some Napoleon quotes, and they seem to fit Lelouch a lot. Physically unimpressive, strategic genius, chess motifs, fought against Brits. He was actually called the Petite General (with a French accent) for his army's size instead of his own, and Lelouch was often outnumbered. I thought about going back and heading my chapters with his quotes, but that seemed like too much work.