Code Geass and its characters belong to Gorō Taniguchi and Ichirō Ōkouchi.
I only own my OC, Laurel vi Britannia AKA The Red Witch.
Enjoy!
The Red Witch
Chapter 4: The Princess and the Witch
Lelouch and Laurel walked together in a quiet street in Area 11 as they headed back to Ashford Academy.
"Your Geass manifests itself as the "Power of Absolute Obedience which allows you to plant commands within a person's mind upon direct eye contact."Laurel explained. "But your ability can't influence the same individual twice."
"I know I tested on a teacher to know the essays of the next exam."Lelouch commented. "But he didn't remember that he actually told me the essays."
"That's the effect of your Geass."Laurel commented. "You tell someone to do something and then they do it. After that they don't remember."
"So what is your Geass?"Lelouch questioned. "Since you know mine, I have the right to know yours."
"I have the Geass ability to make the body of another person obey my every command regardless of the person's will."Laurel admitted honestly. "I'll show you."
A familiar red bird like symbol appeared in Laurel's left eye as the black haired girl brought her attention on a black grey cat that was strolling by in the street.
"I, Laurel vi Britannia, order you to chase any mouse you see in your sight!"Laurel ordered.
The black grey cat obeyed Laurel and started chasing a mouse that he saw in the bushes.
"See?"Laurel asked and continued walking. "I got the ability."
"Wait a minute."Lelouch demanded. "Did you just say your name is Laurel vi Britannia?"
Laurel stopped walking and let out a sigh before looking at Lelouch.
"Yes."Laurel replied with a nod. "This is going to sound very strange, but I'm not from this time. I come from the future."
"The future?"Lelouch repeated.
"That's right."Laurel agreed and did a curtsy. "I'm your future daughter, Princess Laurel vi Britannia. It's very nice to meet you."
This caused Lelouch to become shocked and back away a bit.
"Y-Your my daughter?!"Lelouch said in shock. "How is that possible?! Your fourteen years old!"
Laurel grinned with a mischievous expression on her face.
"I travelled from the future to help you build a peaceful world for your sister and mostly save you from doing anything disastrous or completely stupid."Laurel declared firmly. "Hopefully, this will clear away the suspicion you have on me."
"That is a comforting choice of words."Lelouch retorted sarcastically. "Does that mean I have to babysit you?"
"No."Laurel answered with a frown. "I'm strong enough to take care of myself. My mum and Aunt Nunnally raised me to be a happy and independent girl. I'm not a spoiled brat."
"That's good."Lelouch commented with a small smirk. "I guess that means it was my idea for you to receive a Geass then?"
Laurel became quiet at Lelouch's last question.
"I can't reveal too much about the future."Laurel stated. "All I can say is I just want to make sure the actions you take won't lead you to an unfortunate path."
"Fair enough."Lelouch answered simply.
Lelouch and Laurel walked into their residence at Ashford Academy and were surprised to be greeted by C.C and Nunnally.
"I'm back."Lelouch declared.
"Welcome home, Lelouch."C.C replied.
"I'm so glad."Nunnally responded. "I was worried."
"Sorry about that, Nunnally."Laurel apologised with a smile. "We didn't mean to worry you."
"That's okay, Laurel."Nunnally remarked gently. "Your both home now. So that's more important."
"I'm assuming you both ate out tonight judging from your appearances."C.C commented as she placed the origami crane she held on the table.
"Thank goodness."Nunnally complemented and looked at Lelouch. "I thought maybe you've gotten caught up in all the uproar caused by that man Zero. I tried calling you but you didn't answer your cellphone. I wanted to tell you Ms. C.C's been waiting as well."
"C.C?"Lelouch asked.
"Your friend goes by such an unusual name, only her initials."Nunnally giggled."I was just wondering, is C.C your girlfriend?"
"Huh?"Lelouch said in confusion.
Laurel covered her mouth to mute her laughter.
"He made a promise about our future together."C.C responded and looked at Lelouch. "Right?"
Lelouch became more confused. "Huh?"
"A future together?"Nunnally said in surprise. "You mean marriage?"
"No! No! That isn't what she was talking about!"Lelouch protested. "It's like a...she's kidding around."
"No, I'm not."C.C answered as she created another crane.
Lelouch heard a quiet snicker coming from Laurel causing him to glare at her, but the black haired girl didn't care.
Nunnally looked down, feeling a bit sad.
"Well, you're certainly doing this sooner than most. But everyone's different, aren't they?"Nunnally asked. "So I suppose it isn't that strange. And if you feel like you're ready for..."
Before Nunnally could finish talking, Lelouch approached the table and grabbed one of the cups to throw it to the ground which caused Nunnally to become startled a little bit.
"Oh, C.C. Look what you've done, you're soaking wet. Come on, let's get you to the bathroom and into a dry change of clothes."Lelouch commented as he began dragging C.C away and looked at Laurel. "Laurel, stay here with Nunnally, and clean this mess up. And she was kidding before. Kidding. Just a dumb joke. That's all."
"Right, I'll clean this mess up."Laurel replied in a bitter tone as she bent down to pick up the pieces of the broken cup and thought. "Very uncool of you to take advantage of your sister's disability like that, Lelouch."
Laurel brought her attention to Nunnally.
"Hey, Nunnally."Laurel said smugly. "You really think that C.C could be Lelouch's girlfriend?"
A slight blush appeared on Nunnally's face.
"I really don't know, but it was the first time that a girl came so late looking for my brother."Nunnally admitted. "So I thought she should be someone important to him."
"So your brother never had a girlfriend?"Laurel asked as she cleaned the floor with a few tissues. "Kind of strange for a guy, who is popular with getting girls attention."
"Yes, my brother is handsome."Nunnally agreed with a shy smile and giggled softly. "But he is clumsy too. He is not the athletic type."
Laurel threw the broken tea cup and the tissues she used in the bin.
"I see."Laurel said and sat down next to Nunnally. "But I notice a tone of sadness when you mentioned marriage, Nunnally. Were you sad to think that C.C could take Lelouch away from you?"
Nunnally can't help but blush at Laurel's words.
"Of course not, it's just that..."Nunnally started and looked down shyly. "It was very fast, I just didn't expect something like that from my brother."
"I wouldn't worry about."Laurel chuckled. "Lelouch doesn't seem to be the type of person ready for marriage, if you ask me."
Laurel poured tea in a empty cup since she didn't drank anything when she was outside with Lelouch.
"Laurel. Maybe when you catch up to Lelouch you could be my big sister."Nunnally insisted.
This caused Laurel's face to become bright red and spat tea from her mouth.
"Whoa! Whoa!"Laurel protested in shock. "I'm flattered by the offer, Nunnally! But I just want to be friends with both you and Lelouch! Nothing else!"
"Oh, okay."Nunnally said with complete surprise.
Was it something she said?
Flashback...
A eight year old Laurel was having tea party with a few noble girls around her age and Empress Nunnally in a garden surrounded by beautiful flowers.
Her black hair was shoulder-length style that was tied in two pigtails by two blue ribbons. She wore a pale blue dress over a white dress shirt with short periwinkle socks and matching blue Mary Jane shoes.
Laurel smiled warmly at her aunt Nunnally, who stroked her head with a sad smile on her face.
The seven year old girl continued her tea party game until she notice Cornelia holding a small red parasol that matched her stylish red dress watching her with a unimpressed expression.
The next scene showed Laurel doing fencing and easily defeating her opponents with the combat skills she was taught by her aunt that idolized her late biological grandmother, Marianne the Flash.
The Next Morning...
Laurel cooked pancakes that were in a perfect golden brown before decorating them with whipped cream, banana slices and chocolate syrup as she remembered the fighting lessons that her Aunt Cornelia taught her in her childhood.
"Good thing that I didn't become like those innocent, naive, fragile and cheerful girls."Laurel thought with a hint of relief. "Otherwise, I would've never learned how to use a gun, a knightmare or even learn to defend myself."
The fourteen year old girl snapped out of her thoughts when she heard Nunnally's voice.
"Mmm!"Nunnally mumbled in delight as she ate a small pancake piece in her mouth. "Wow! Your pancakes are so yummy, Laurel!"
"Thanks."Laurel replied. "I say it is a nice combination of sweet banana, whipped cream and fluffy pancakes to make a great taste."
Laurel picked up a plate of pancakes to bring to Lelouch's room.
When the fourteen year old girl arrived in the room, she saw Lelouch looking for Suzaku on his computer, while C.C simply ate pizza on Lelouch's bed and dressed only in a white shirt.
"Here, Lelouch."Laurel said and showed the plate of pancakes. "I made you breakfast in case your hungry."
"Thank you, Laurel."Lelouch replied and took the plate of pancakes. "That's very thoughtful of you."
Laurel looked at C.C, who was munching on a pizza slice.
"I assume you wouldn't need pancakes to eat, right?"Laurel asked.
"Yes."C.C murmured. "I prefer pizza more."
Laurel nodded and notice magazines on the floor that showed Zero on them before leaving the room.
"Everyone on earth is looking for you."C.C responded. "Because of you the world is going through an upheaval. So, is this it? Is this what you wanted to see?"
"No."Lelouch answered he placed on his uniform shirt. "This uproar's simply a means to an end. The world is destined to descend into a greater chaos."
"What about your future daughter?"C.C asked. "Does she agree with you doing all this?"
"Laurel helped me save Suzaku and said she is willing to help me build a better world for Nunnally."Lelouch exclaimed. "I guess I can trust her with knowing Zero's true identity."
"It's strange."C.C stated. "A girl from the future comes to the past and wants to help her father with his spark of rebellion. It sounds like she is desperate to change something."
Lelouch fell quiet at C.C's words as a sense of concern rose up in his mind while eating his plate of pancakes.
Laurel knew stuff he didn't even know since she was from the future.
But why did she came to the past in the first place?
Suzaku was walking down a sidewalk after he was acquitted of the charges of murdering Prince Clovis placed against him.
"Case No.107 Private Suzaku Kururugi, Area 11 Military Forces."the Judge said. "In the murder of His Highness Prince Clovis you are no longer a suspect and are hereby set free due to lack of evidence."
"What happened?"Suzaku said in confusion. "I'm free."
"Out of the way, please!"
Suzaku looked up and saw a female figure dropping out from the window of the building he past by.
"Look out below!"the girl warned.
The female figure dropped out of the sky and right into Suzaku's arms.
The female figure was a beautiful sixteen year old girl with pink hair that was styled downwards with two buns on each side of her head and bluish violet eyes. She wore a white white shirt that had a green side at the bottom, a long orange skirt, red heels and a red choker around her neck.
"Uh, are you all right?"Suzaku asked.
"I'm sorry."Euphemia apologised. "I wasn't aware you were down here until I had leapt."
"Well, don't worry."Suzaku remarked. "I wasn't expecting a girl to come falling out of the sky and into my arms, either."
"Oh, my..."Euphemia started.
"Huh?"Suzaku said. "Is there something wrong?"
"Yes!"Euphemia replied with a smile. "There is something wrong."
"Huh?"Suzaku repeated.
"The truth is bad guys are chasing me."Euphemia explained. "So considering the circumstances could you help me, please?"
In Ashford Academy...
Laurel sat down in the balcony, checking information on a newspaper about the reports on Zero.
"I should tell Kallen about Zero's identity and Geass first."Laurel thought with a frown. "But I want to avoid any problems that would arise if the others found out about those things on their own."
"Laurel?"
Laurel moved her purple eyes away from the newspaper when she saw Kallen walking up to her.
"Hey, Kallen."Laurel greeted with a smile. "I was just checking at the reports on Zero. He is quite a catch, isn't he?"
"Uh...yes, I guess he is."Kallen said shyly.
"What's the matter?"Laurel asked. "Was it something you wanted to ask me?"
"Yeah, kind of."Kallen replied. "I wanted to ask Lelouch about a phone call that I received a few days ago and find out what the caller ID was. I want to contact that person again."
Laurel took a deep breath before closing the newspaper.
"You mean want to contact Zero, right?"Laurel suggested.
"How do you know that?"Kallen said in surprise.
"I was the short girl with Zero on the train and the one who sat next to you in that fake Clovis car."Laurel admitted. "I am Scarlet."
A stunned look grew on Kallen's face.
"Scarlet?!"Kallen said in shock. "As in the girl in red?"
"Yep."Laurel chuckled.
"If you are Scarlet, then you know who is Zero?"Kallen asked. "Don't you?"
"Yes."Laurel remarked. "The guy that is known as Zero is-"
Suddenly the school bell rang in the school area causing Laurel to frown.
"We need to go to our classes."Laurel sighed and looked at Kallen. "I'll tell you everything another day."
"Fine."Kallen muttered with a frown. "But you better tell me the whole truth."
"I will. I promise."Laurel assured with a smile. "You can trust me."
Kallen notice over the balcony was a female student that was making marks on the wall while under the influence of Lelouch's Geass.
"Why is she-"Kallen started.
"We gotta go now!"Laurel declared happily and took Kallen's hand to drag her out. "Come on!"
"Whoa! Wait a minute!"Kallen protested in surprise. "Class is not that far, you know!"
A Few Hours Later...
"You what?!"
Laurel was harshly pinned against the wall by Lelouch, but she remained calm.
"I want to tell Kallen that you are Zero and about your Geass."Laurel replied. "I have to. Otherwise, she would never trust you in the future."
"I was going to tell her later!"Lelouch snapped. "You didn't have to-"
"Tell her when exactly?!"Laurel shouted in anger. "This is the problem with you, daddy dearest! You are too secretive! You have the Power of the Kings, but you need to think about the people around you! Kallen and her group are not your pawns in a game of chess! You need to care about them just like you care about Nunnally and your friends in the Student Council! If you don't take care of all of them, they will all turn your backs on you when you don't least expected! Think about how your actions will make them feel! Or maybe you couldn't care less if you hurt them in the end?!"
Lelouch fell silent at Laurel's outburst as he removed his hands to stop pinning her against the wall before he quietly left his bedroom.
C.C looked at Laurel.
"What are you exactly trying to do in a timeline, where you don't even exist?"C.C questioned.
"To save my father, Lelouch vi Britannia."Laurel replied. "The future world that I am born in is not that nice."
A few tears started escaping in Laurel's eyes while C.C had a calm look on her face.
"Lelouch succeeds in destroying Britannia and making the world a better place for his sister."Laurel admitted and looked down sadly. "But...he didn't live to see it happen. The dreamer died for his dream. I want to make sure he will be there this time."
"I see."C.C responded quietly. "You want to fix his mistakes that are to come to avoid his downfall."
"Y-Y-Yes."Laurel sobbed and clenched her fists tightly. "I...I want to have a dad in my life."
Suddenly Lelouch returned back to the room and walked up to Laurel to hug her much to her surprise.
"I'm sorry, Laurel."Lelouch apologised with a firm look. "I didn't mean to be insensitive. I want make sure to prepare myself both mentally and physically for my war with Britannia, but I can't do this without you."
A weak but relieved smile grew on Laurel's face as she glanced outside the window, which showed Nunnally spending time with Sayako.
"Thank you, Lelouch."Laurel thanked softly. "That means a lot."
"I don't want to lie to myself, to Nunnally or anyone else."Lelouch stated. "What should I do?"
"There's only one way to atone for your lies."Laurel answered. "Make those lies become the truth and I'll tell you how."
C.C watched Lelouch and Laurel with a curious expression.
The immortal witch was now getting curious on how a father and his future daughter will accomplish their goals and destroy Britannia together at the same time.
Later that Night...
Princess Cornellia scolded Euphemia for getting involved with the 'Orange Skirmish' and being so reckless.
"I heard what you did, Euphemia."Cornelia said. "You shouldn't be so reckless."
"I know, Sister. Forgive me."Euphemia apologised. "But..."
"You will address me as Viceroy here, Sub-Viceroy Euphemia."Cornelia declared. "Because we're sisters we need to follow a stricter protocol."
"Yes, I understand."Euphemia answered.
"Humph."Cornelia said with a smirk and looked at the subordinate. "Now then, give me your report."
The Subordinate raised his hand to cross over his chest.
"Yes, my Lady."the Subordinate responded. "The first order of business is a welcome party we've arranged for your Highness and..."
Cornelia suddenly lifted her long pistol at the man standing on her right causing Euphemia to become surprised.
"Sloppy, senile, corrupt. Where is Zero?"Cornelia demanded with a raged look. "I want the enemy of the Empire caught! Get Zero!"
Next chapter...
Suzaku: Hi, I'm Suzaku Kururugi. It's nice to meet you.
Laurel: Laurel Stark. Nice to meet you.
Suzaku shakes Laurel's hand and Laurel tighten her hand on his hardly.