Legend of writing format (to understand which is said/thought etc.)
But it wasn't so : narration (Don't think I need to put this one in, but I'll be complete :p)
'What now?' : Thinking
'What do you mean?' : dialogue through the mind
"Really?" : Speaking normally
"Lelouch vi Britannia commands you: Die!" : Highlighted part is said as a command under the use of geass (only used for the initial hypnosis, later commands are written normally)
(Last time I put it in unless there are some changes.)
…
'Back in action I see' echoed a familiar voice in his mind. At first he was a bit caught off guard, not expecting a visit from the Collective Unconscious already. Yet he collected himself quickly, not wanting to be outdone, even if he was technically speaking to what could be most closely referred to as a god.
'Yeah, well, it appears the idiot who gave me this job didn't give me much help on how to proceed. You wouldn't seem to know him do you? Blank… well, everything. Made out of light. Seems to act rather immature for its age. Does that ring any bells?' he retorted sarcastically.
'Heh,' it chuckled 'it appears that becoming immortal gives you some of that lost wittiness back. Well, be sure to hold on to both of them because you're going to need it.'
'How so?' he inquired with a more formal voice, all amusement gone, replaced by the seriousness needed to accomplish his mission.
The being appeared before him once again, accompanied by all of its brightness. 'Even the smallest change can have disastrous consequences, vi Britannia' it cryptically stated, making him work his brain of all the possible changes that could negatively affect him.
Then, it suddenly hit him, 'The soldiers.' Because he had quite a lot more than in the original timeline, the Britannians might have panicked and called for extra reinforcements.
'Outstanding!' the being said gleefully, to which he doubted if he was making fun of him or actually impressed. 'Future me sure did pick the right person, even though it all went wrong for you in the end. I sure am impressed by myself.'
No, never mind, it was just being narcissistic, patting itself on the back. Sighing, Lelouch tried to ask for clarification 'So what about my soldiers? If the Britannian army just called for reinforcements I can deal with that.' He said, confident now that he was immortal while being able to control the power of geass.
'Ah, yes, but are you willing to deal with them?' it asked, waving its hand which made two images appear before him. On the first image, he could see the Black Knights aboard the Ikaruga. Confused by the meaning of this he turned to the second image, eyes widening in surprise.
Said vehicle, that was used by the Black Knights as its mobile headquarters, was hovering above Kamine island, as if searching for something. Or rather, someone.
'Dammit, Schneizel must have notified them about the situation, not because he didn't have spare troops but simply to obstruct me. But why? Isn't he afraid he might disobey Charles' orders?' He tried to figure out what was going through his brothers head, but it seemed as if he was in the Aries Villa all over again, struggling against his brother in a game of chess. The only person he never won against.
'Don't panic just yet. It's an image of the certain future that will soon come to pass. Which means-'
'they are on their way right now, or at least Schneizel already knows what happened here and is about to tell them to come and kill me.' He interjected the being, lost in his own mind while trying to decipher the most likely scenario.
'Yes, yes, I know you're smart and all, but please don't interrupt the being that literally knows what all of humanity is thinking like that, it's counterproductive.' The being said, trying to gain back his attention, while also having a rather irritated tone not so well hidden within its voice.
'Oh, right, sorry, carry on.' he said, coming out of his stupor, waving his hand like he was giving permission.
'You little-, ugh fine,' it said, completely stupefied by the audacity of the now immortal standing before it. 'your brother was just notified by that geass user, the Knight of One, that the emperor is most likely dead. How you may ask? Well, everyone that has geass has a connection to the dimension you find yourself in, however faint it may be. If he focuses hard enough, he would realize two people were just absorbed. And since the Ragnarok connection hasn't been activated yet, putting two and two together isn't that hard, really.' it lectured him.
'But why the Black Knights? Surely my brother would want to eliminate a potential rival with his own forces that he has complete control over. He can't order the Black Knights, they would be unreliable.' he fired off several counterarguments against the state of reality, not realizing how irritated the Collective Unconscious in front of him was becoming by being interrupted again.
'As I said, shut it for a moment and let me explain.' it said brusquely, realizing why future 'it' was glad to finally get rid of him.
'He knows you still have some semblance of belonging to them left, even though they betrayed you. He wants to abuse that by putting you between a rock and a hard place, making you need to choose between killing your former friends, or getting killed.' it explained, once again lecturing him as if he were a child, like in his previous conversation that seemed so long ago yet was technically only a couple hours earlier.
'Heh,' it chuckled at that, seemingly amused by the thoughts of mortals 'imagine his face when he finds out about your code.' it joked. Lelouch was certain that if it had had a mouth, it was definitely smirking.
'Yeah well I'm not exactly keen on showing it off. I already died once, and I can't say it was a pleasurable experience.' Lelouch commented, shuddering at the memory of having a sword ripping through his abdomen.
'Sure, sure, you do you I suppose.' it waved his comment away, disinterested.
'So. Is that all?' he asked, not understanding where to go from here.
'Oh, right.' the Collective Unconscious said, remembering why he was talking to him in the first place. 'I can only talk to you like this if you are in C's World, so although I warned you right now, don't get too comfortable with it. As future me said, I really don't want to repeat what it had to do.'
Lelouch thought about it for a second and could understand what it meant. He was already to careless with randomly changing things, which would result in his knowledge of the future becoming meaningless, and even obstructing him if he wasn't careful, the further he went.
Thinking you know what will happen can narrow one's point of view, making them less able to prepare for unforeseen results.
Although he already expected things would change, as even minute actions such as different hand movements could change a person's train of thought, resulting in a different outcome, he still dreaded the fact his edge over his adversaries to be lost that quickly.
'Thank you. I'll remember it.' he said with genuine gratitude.
'Good,' it said, 'Now go speak with your companions. I'll be sure to watch the drama unfold.'
And gone was the expression of gratitude that had formed on his face, replaced by a frown. 'This isn't some soap opera you know, my existence is as much on the line as your own, and humanity's for that matter.' he said, trying very hard not to curse.
'Yeah, well, might as well enjoy the show. It's not me who has to carry the burden after all.' it said lightheartedly, ignoring the scowl that was being sent its way.
Before he could scold it however, he felt the clock of time resuming, as if nothing had happened. The Collective Unconscious' avatar was gone, not a trace left of its existence.
He looked up at the unmoving form of the being he just spoke to, still with a scowling expression. "Lazy bastard." he muttered, which was only heard by himself and, or at least he hoped, the planet that was hanging overhead.
…
Schneizel el Britannia was quite surprised when he heard from Lord Bismarck that his father is likely to have perished. Although he was the second prince, and Prime Minster, it would be unlikely that his older brother and sister would suddenly keel over and die, leaving him the throne. 'At least without a certain 'encouragement'.' he thought as he almost automatically began laying out plans for rather unfortunate accidents to occur.
Not that he needed to anyway, as the Damocles could shut them up even if they were to object to him taking the throne. At least, when it was fully constructed and operational.
But then he began realizing something odd. How could it be that the man he and his siblings feared since the moment they could form memories, suddenly dies. Just like that.
Bismarck informed him of the different dimension and plans his father had for it after the Knight of One realized his master was dead. 'And since geass is the main factor at play here,' he began hypothesizing while taking in all the facts. "my little brother is likely to have a hand in it. Perhaps even the one who did me such a big favor of eliminating that monster of a man." he said out loud, getting a few curious glances from some of the crew stationed on the control bridge of the Avalon.
They did not comment however. They would like to keep their heads right where they were, thank you very much.
Kanon, who was standing by his side like always, seemed rather perturbed by the traitorous comment, as he whispered, "Perhaps it is not wise to accuse a member of the royal family, whoever it may be, and insult the possibly dead emperor all in one sentence before your soldiers, your highness."
To which Schneizel just waved it off, shrugging as he answered, "A dead man cannot hold anyone accountable, nor can a royal family member as I didn't specify who I was talking about."
Kanon sighed at that, still not over the fact his employer could be so aloof yet still so cunning at the same time, even after working for him for so long.
"Anyway," his assistant tried to redirect the subject so he wouldn't say anything else that could compromise his social status, "what do you plan to do about that rebellion on Kamine island, the place where the emperor was last sighted?"
"Well, as any good son would," Schneizel begun, sarcasm clear for all to hear, "I will need to search for him and confirm his unfortunate demise."
"Shall I order our army to reinforce the Imperial guard then?" Kanon asked, not entirely sure where he was going with this.
"How many soldiers of the Kamine island outpost rebelled?" he asked back, ignoring the question.
"Uhm, about 85% percent. Why? Is there something wrong, your highness?" Now he was even more confused than before.
"That is quite the rebellion, I am not sure if my forces could best them all without some help." He continued, a sly smile on his face.
Schneizel's right hand completely lost what he meant by that comment. Their forces were twice as large as those stationed at Kamine Island, and that's not even speaking of the superior equipment they had procured only recently.
"Perhaps our new friends would like to finish what they started, a peace offering of sorts." And with that statement of his employer it dawned on the Earl of Britannia.
"You want the Black Knights to help you kill Zero?" he whispered in disbelief, hoping no-one else on the bridge heard the absurd suggestion.
"Well, I wouldn't mind if he were to die, but I doubt he will be bested by his own pawns." he whispered back. "But they can catch him off guard at least. I know my brother, I saw him lie to the only one who was willing to stay with him, even if it would cost her her life. He was willing to become the villain in their eyes if it meant they would survive." He clarified, which Kanon tried to add to.
"So he still holds some emotional attachment to them. Making him choose between his own safety and theirs, putting him in a dilemma, making him hesitate. And then, when he is the most vulnerable," the right hand advisor paused.
"is where we come in." Schneizel finished, a smirk that perfectly conveyed his satisfaction adorning his features.
…
"Lelouch." Suzaku said with a stern voice. Lelouch sighed, knowing that no good can come of that. And so, with equal sternness in his eyes, he turned around. Already having put his glove back on.
"What?" he asked, a little curious, but still sounding cold.
"Even though I helped you," Suzaku said as he brought up his sword parallel to his body, "it does not excuse all the crimes you have committed."
"And?" he curtly responded with a single raised eyebrow.
"And you killed Euphy."
"So? Are we comparing kill counts now? Because, let me tell you, there are way more people the Tokyo settlement could house then you'd initially think." he retorted.
"That was because of your geass." the Knight of Seven shot back, slight anger slipping through his mask of calmness.
"Then be sure to call the reaper to bring all those people back, I'm sure they'll be overjoyed to know it was all a big mistake."
They didn't say anything after that, just looking into each other's eyes to see who would be the first to move.
Luckily, C.C. was having none of it. "Boys," she said as if disciplining schoolchildren, "this isn't the time nor the place to start killing each other. We need to figure out what our next course of action is."
Still not breaking eye contact, Lelouch gave an imperceptible nod, "Well Suzaku, you heard the woman."
Only after a few seconds did the Knight of Seven react, lowering his sword once again. It shimmered slightly, as if promising that this wasn't over, and it would be back for blood.
Silence once again became prevalent between the three, no-one wishing to be the first to break its spell. Lelouch however, was on a timetable, so he figured he might as well be the one to do it.
"I will take the Britannian throne," he said, causing the other two to stare at him, wide-eyed. "and I will take over the world."
Silence, as if saying its last goodbyes, came back for only a couple of seconds, until being sent off once again. This time by Suzaku, who was less than pleased.
"You what?" he asked, his voice as low as it could be, the grip on his sword tightening.
"You heard me," Lelouch answered the rhetorical question "I'm certain that if I don't, humanity will find a way to destroy itself. You of all people should realize that the possibility is high Suzaku." he argued, hinting at all that has happened before coming here.
"Is that how you will justify your ambitions? By claiming to do it for the good of the people? You're just like your father." the Honorary Britannian scoffed.
Although it angered him, Lelouch had to keep calm, or this conversation would end with someone dying. He could see C.C. was already on edge.
"I am nothing like him. Yes, I claim to do it for humanity. But not to cover up my ambitions. If you can name someone you are certain of that will be able to conquer the world under a single banner, and won't abuse their power after accomplishing it, I will walk away right now and leave the world to its own devices."
"Humanity does not need to be conquered under a single nation, we could just restore peace and make sure it stays that way." Suzaku argued
"And are you confident in maintaining such a fragile peace, Suzaku? A peace forged between peoples so different and ideologically indoctrinated by their own nations, it would only need a well-placed spark to set it all alight, burning with the greed of those in power as its fuel?"
"We would depose those that are corrupt." the knight responded.
"And how many would you have 'deposed' before the year was over? A hundred? A thousand? Will you even be able to hold them accountable? The citizens, even if you have undeniable evidence, won't take nicely to a bunch of outsiders meddling in their affairs."
"There has to be a way!" Suzaku said, frustrated.
"There is," Lelouch lectured him. "my way."
"But it's evil! If you do, countless will die as a result!" Suzaku shouted, thinking of the horror that a world at war would bring.
"And countless more will die if I don't." Lelouch responded, realizing that this would be the moment deciding if Suzaku would be friend, or foe.
"Do you know what they say, Suzaku?" he asked as if they were not deciding the fate of the world, but about the latest topic over a cup of tea. "They say 'Evil prevails when good men fail to act'."
"Y-yeah" Suzaku answered, much calmer. "Why do you ask?"
"Because what they ought to say is: 'Evil prevails'." his voice was suddenly cold once again, as he took a step forward, closing the distance ever so slightly, putting Suzaku back on edge.
"You might say I'm a monster, an evil that should not exist if the innocent are to ever live safely. But unfortunately for you, and the rest of humanity, I'm a necessary evil." As he took another step closer he kept staring into his friend's eyes, his own burning with determination to see this through till the end of eternity.
Although slightly intimidated, gulping once, Suzaku still held onto the ideals his dead love fought for. Because he knew that without them, he would be nothing but the same monster he had accused Lelouch of being.
"Then I'm afraid that is where it ends for us, Lelouch." he said, facing the person he once called his best friend with the same determination.
And as Lelouch saw this unwavering response, he sighed, his posture relaxing. The pressure he tried to exude fading as if it were never there.
"Indeed, old friend," he said in a voice that was warm yet distant. "indeed."
After saying so, he proceeded to walk away, back to where they entered from.
Surprised, both Suzaku and C.C. followed after him, not sure what was happening.
Lelouch was the first to exit, acting as if he needed the help of C.C., to which she acted along.
She knew he had Charles' code, she just decided it might be best to keep silent about it while in company of others.
After that was Suzaku, and then her, almost directly after.
As they entered the realm of mortals once again and both of them stabilized themselves from the weird feeling of traveling through dimensions-
Two shots rang out.
"Argh-" followed closely after by the slight grunt produced by someone trying to repress their voice, which wanted to scream due to the pain that was coursing through their body.
That person was Suzaku.
His sword touched the ground, still loosely in his hand, but unable to be used. It was caused by a bullet wound in the upper part of his arm, damaging a large part of the nerves and muscles necessary to move it. He was kneeling unstably, only supported by his right leg. The other was shot in the kneecap, gushing out blood, much like his arm.
"I'm sorry, but if you won't stand at my side, you will have to lay down on neutral ground and watch the inevitable." Lelouch said, still holding the handgun he had hidden away in his costume.
C.C. was shocked by this development, but after a millisecond of her body going stiff, going in an automatic response due to the presence of danger, she relaxed and simply walked to Lelouch's side, watching what would happen.
Lelouch, however, didn't mind her and walked towards the bleeding knight.
As he arrived before Suzaku, who looked up to meet his gaze, his eyes full of disbelief and hatred, he said, "Goodbye old friend, may we meet again under better circumstances, but I doubt that will ever be the case."
After which he took the front of his pistol, so that the bottom of the grip was brought forward, the pistol now useable as a blunt weapon, and hit him as hard on the head as he could, knocking him out.
'Let's hope he didn't get any brain damage from that.' he thought as he turned around and unclasped the belts of two to the four corpses, former geass directorate members that followed Charles, who were recently slain by Suzaku.
Turning back to the now unconscious Knight of Seven, he applied the two makeshift tourniquets, making sure he wouldn't bleed out before he became conscious again or was found by the soon arriving enemy forces.
"Why didn't you kill him?" C.C. asked from behind him. "He'll stand against you now, that's for certain." For a moment, an amused glint appeared in her eyes after she realized how she worded it.
"He was already going to, I saw it in his eyes." he replied, ignoring his witch's antics. "And although it would make sure he didn't, I have already killed or indirectly caused too many people I care about to die to add another."
"Fair enough," she said, "what now?"
"Now," exhaustion clear in his voice as he responded, "we deal with the next problem. Specifically, that one." He pointed at the faraway horizon, to which she followed his gaze.
What she lay her eyes upon was an army. One that was assembled from a mix of Imperial guards, new reinforcements of nearby islands, Schneizel's personal forces, and Black Knights. The Ikaruga and Avalon floating side by side, both surrounded by their respective forces.
They were still off the coast of the island, but they would arrive any minute now.
"Well, that sure complicates things."
…
AN:
Thanks for reading. I hope you weren't put off by all the talking, but Code Geass is a show mostly comprised of 50% dialogue, 20% mechs, 20% plot twists, 10% explosions and 100% pizza, so I didn't really have a choice in the matter.
As for the pairing matter, most of you seem to want L/C.C./Kallen, which is alright, just know that I have never written anything that even closely resembles a romantic subplot so, (like I am actually doing now) I'll be largely shooting in the dark here and hope I hit. Cheers.
P.S. Cookie for the beautiful person who can guess which movie I based certain dialogue off of during Lelouch and Suzaku dialogue about evil ;)
Hint: the dialogue in the movie I based mine off of is split in two scenes of the movie, both near the end. Try to remember a time when Nicolas Cage actually tried to act in his movies.
(Unnecessary disclaimer)
"I do not own any of the characters, happenings and other forms of content that are from the Code Geass franchise, which is owned by Sunrise and other Copyright holders. All credit goes to them for the content I am basing this story off of."
Review(s):
CodeGeassFanZero117: Thanks for the suggestions, I might make use of some of them if the story allows for it! Now, about Kallen's mortality… *Searches who Shamna is again* Oh that bitch, yeah I don't know how I'm going to write that yet, sooo *cough* *gently kicks can down the road* *cough* Yup, definitely can't see how that's ever going to be a problem in the foreseeable future.
RedRat8: Yeah, I get where you're coming from, and I definitely hated how, in the show, Kallen was just too indecisive and doubted everything in her life at the mere mention of Lelouch's name.
But I can also understand why she was like that. To love a person who is known to constantly manipulate everyone around him, geass or no, isn't exactly something that is easy to deal with. Also, unlike with C.C., he kept Kallen at arm's length when it came to either of their emotions, never really addressing it head on. So, I am not sure how I am going to handle her character yet, but if she will be in a relationship with Lelouch, it will be quite down the line since there is a lot of character development and- *checks notes* *sigh* 'more' dialogue needed to make it work.
C.C. is much easier to handle as a character, because she has all the factual knowledge of a 700 year old, but the emotional maturity of a teenager. So even though she is still the same as Lelouch (and Kallen) in that regard, she can also be more confident in the way she acts because she has seen some shit.
Anyway, thanks for leaving a review!