Chapter 8: First Contact: Part 1

11 August 2017 a.t.b., 1255 hours

En route to Shinjuku, Area 11

This-

A building passed under Shirou. The wind whistled in his ears. His vision was blurred, a mélange of urban landscapes-

Is-

A column of tanks moved backwards, their turrets strangely aimed behind them. Several men with guns ran, slipping backwards-

Insanity.

Shirou closed his eyes, reminding himself that all he was doing was hanging on for dear life. Saber was leaping towards Shinjuku, and insisted that Shirou hang on to her.

A spark travelled through his fingers, passing through his body. By reflex, his eyes opened.

Saber's body was illuminated by a white light. Though all Shirou could see of her was the back of her head and uniform, he could feel something changing. Everything seemed to slow in that instant, the glow intensifying until it became electric, blinding and brilliant. A sphere of light expanded from Saber, engulfing Shirou's vision. The light left no mark on his eyes, but he still blinked in disbelief.

Saber had returned to her armored wear. Gone were any vestiges of normalcy, of the peace that Shirou had experienced blissfully and unrecognized. Saber was dressed for war.

And they accelerated. The air spun, then ripped as Saber left the sound barrier. Clutching tighter, Shirou winced as the wind stung at his skin, his body pressed against Saber's backplate shell.

His vision could only focus on one point, directly in front of him. A ruined building flashed before his eyes, and then his gut wrenched, inertia dragging him as Saber altered her direction vector, straight to-

Oh God. I really don't want to die.

She slammed into the ground. Shirou gasped, his chest pressed onto the armor. The concrete rippled. The impact deformed the ground, the waves of earth shattering through the broken concrete. They radiated from Saber's feet, causing dust to flare off of the walls as the complex next to them shook.

Shirou let go of Saber. His body was, thankfully, still intact. He shakily stood, holding his knees and panting.

"I trust that you are alright, Shirou?" Saber's voice carried a note of amusement, even as she was checking her armor. She stepped in front of him, turning her head to look at him behind her. Satisfied that he was alright, she bent over, inspecting the condition of her shinguard.

Shirou nodded his head. When no response came, he looked up, and flushed. He quickly looked away. She's so small, even from behind- Damn it. Not in that sense-

When Saber stood again, Shirou spoke. "Yeah, I'm alright. That was-"

The echo of screams came from inside the complex. Saber and Shirou became instantly alert.

"What do we do, Shirou?"

Why did I come here with Saber? She's prepared for a fight. Did I come here to fight as well? All I want to do is protect the innocent. Not only that, but to prevent anyone from dying. What if we're shot at? What if they're hurt? What if Saber's hurt?

Maybe I did come here to fight-

No.

What do we do?

Shirou gritted his teeth. "We save lives."

They ran through the doors of the grey, dimly lit building, to find Elevens lined up against the wall, soldiers with guns raised against the Elevens.

"There will always be some that cannot be saved. It is impossible to save everyone. If I have to lose five hundred to earn one thousand, I will abandon one hundred and save the lives of nine hundred.

"That is the most efficient method.

"That is the ideal."

Kiritsugu once said that. Of course I was mad.

I was … really, really mad.

Because I knew that without being told. Because I myself was saved like that.

I don't even need to be told something as obvious as that.

But still …

I believed that someone would be a superhero if they saved everyone even though they think like that.
It may be an idealistic thought or an impossible pipe dream, but a superhero is someone who tries to save everyone in spite of that.

And yet-

The fear in the room struck Shirou. The faces before the guns bore the weight of Britannia's sins, twisted in terror or stretched in the release of tears. His stomach turned. He knew that something terrible would happen.

"Saber!-"

Saber could only take a single step. The air crackled, humming with the charging of electromagnetic rails, indicating the transition from cold to active.

Round after hypersonic round the soldiers fired into the Elevens. Tears and blood few. The carnage was absolute, bodies bursting, prana leaking from the bodies as some still clung to life.

A soldier emptied his clip, and began to draw another one. He loaded his gun, opening his mouth with the click to shout some military catchphrase.

The quiet report of his heart bursting silenced him forever. He looked down, and saw a stretched diamond hole in the middle of his chest. Which couldn't be right, since he felt something foreign still inside of him. The outline of it blurred as if the air was moving around it, blood spurting into the air regularly, then sporadically as his heart died.

His gun was forcefully removed from his hand, and then his life ended as the blade swiftly pulled upwards through his spine, through his head.

"You-" Shirou choked on his voice. Something dark inside of him erupted, an impossibly intense hatred. It was a hatred that he had never truly felt before, only brushed against when he was bullied in Ashford. It was a hate directed against those that tormented the innocent. His heart was pounding, his senses all rebelling against this change in his perspective.

He was never this passionate about justice, until now. Every time he thought about being a hero of justice, he saw an idealized vision, a clouded mirror of a crude facsimile that he wished to be true. A fragment, a sliver of the truth, of All the World's Evil touched him.

In that moment, a massive evil begat a seed of evil.

Somewhere, the Grail smiled.

The sheath interred in him shivered. There was something new, repulsive to it embedded inside of its host now.

His index finger tightened. He was so close. Those soldiers killed. They deserved justice. They deserved to die.

Am I to judge?

Who else would see justice rightfully distributed, retribution dealt righteously?

What- What are these words?

But he's right.

Both moral and mechanical resistance were overwhelmed in that instant.

Shirou pulled the trigger.

The sharp crack of the rifle alerted the remaining soldiers too late. Their crimes were paid back in full, paid back in metal, blood, and prana.

Shirou ignored their jerking, their flailing movements. He didn't see red or black in rage. He saw every single detail of the dead and dying, of both the perpetrators and the victims.

Only when the gun ran dry did he feel nothing.

No, that's not right. It's not that I don't feel anything. I do feel something. I have to.

But I can't describe it.

Justice?

This- this can't be what justice feels like.

I feel sick.

He staggered over to the garbage can.

"Shirou!" He is only a child. Why did he not leave the fighting to me? Saber ran over to Shirou's side, watching helplessly as he heaved and retched.

Shirou wiped the side of his mouth. "I'm- I'm alright, Saber." No, I'm not. But I can't let Saber down by being weak. "We have to keep going."

She watched her Master in concern, before determining that he was able to carry himself. He should not fight. That is my responsibility. "I agree, Shirou, but you should leave the fighting to me. That is my duty."

"No."

"What?" Is this happening again? There is a difference between deceiving patrols and fighting battle-ready men. What is he thinking? Saber's demeanor reflected her thoughts, her jaw set and hard.

"We're in this together. I know that I'm inexperienced. But I will not just stand by-" While a girl fights for me? She won't accept that. "-while I am capable of helping others. If I have to fight, I will. Don't expect me to hide behind you, Saber."

She sighed. "Foolish that your decision may be, I cannot argue with its valor." Suddenly, she looked at him straight in the eyes. "Very well. Who is our enemy, Shirou?"

Shirou hesitated at that. "I- That's not-" He paused again, closing his eyes, trying to sort out his thoughts. He felt that dark fragment, the piece of himself that surprised him when he saw evil truly appear. He found his answer there. "Both resisters and Britannians have hurt innocents in the past. We protect the innocent. That's our goal."

Saber nodded her head once. "I understand."

Shirou looked outside of the window, trying to keep his mind off of the dead. No matter how much he tried, he could still see them. He could see their faces, the fear that both Japanese and Britannians had as they realized that they were going to die. One face particularly stood out. It was that of a young girl, tears streaming down her face. She was silent throughout the ordeal, even as her face burst into a gout of blood and the bones shattering outward and the hair clumped with the fragments of flesh and-

Just stop. You have to worry about what's next.

The distant rumble of treads grinding asphalt and the rant of muzzles drew his attention southwards.

"Saber."

She nodded again.

They landed on the top floor. This time, Saber took the precaution of landing gently.

Shirou scanned the battlefield with the scope of the rifle he took. Three tanks had just arrived, reinforcing a formidable deployment of four heavy weapons squadrons. Strangely, a knightmare was also present, its Factsphere sensors wide open.

I suppose it's there to help find targets. It's clumsy here, but knightmares are still pretty useful for the Britannians. Saber will have an easy time against it. The tanks are going to be tough, but …

He put those thoughts aside and turned to the other side of the street.

All that was left were a few people with two guns to share between them. Looking closer, Shirou-

His heart jumped. Again, his stomach churned.

The tanks charged, roaring mixed with the rattle of shattered concrete. Screams of anguish joined in as the resistance were crushed, blood spattering across the ground.

"Saber, we have to help the resistance."

"Shirou, before we enter the fray-"

"What is it?"

"How do we know who is in the right? Simply because there is a weaker opponent does not mean that they are the ones we should help."

Shirou contemplated these words. Saber's right. For all I know, these Britannian soldiers could be under different orders. There are some Britannian soldiers who are- who are better than others. Still-

He gritted his teeth, clenched his fists, but he saw her point. "Saber, we'll go somewhere else. For now, we have to help the innocent. Thank you."

Saber looked puzzled. "Why are you thanking me?"

"For keeping me on the right track."

She smiled. Even in this world fraught with violence, Shirou can still hold on to his morals. As of yet, our enemy is not clearly defined. It would be easy to charge in, even- even after all that we've seen. I do not know what has become of Britannia, but I still hold hope for it.

"Saber." That hope is dimming, is it not?

What-

The smile instantly disappeared. Saber 's eyes widened in surprise. What was that? I thought I killed that side of me-

"Saber?" Worry creased Shirou's brow. "We have to go."

She cleared her mind of all of her concerns. "Then we depart now."

Once again, they were in the air. Shirou was becoming accustomed to this sort of flight, and he was able to search the ground for those who needed help.

He found then soon enough.

The screams were all he needed.

"Saber! There's a group coming up-"

His words were taken from him as Saber slammed into a wall, launching off and propelling herself to the ground.

They landed between the fleeing, unarmed residents and the advancing infantry and tanks. Their impact caused both to shudder, slabs of concrete throwing soldiers off-balance and turning tanks to lean on their treads.

They stood, enshrouded by the newly risen dust, shadowy outlines under the building's own shade. To both sides, they looked like fallen angels that were sent from the heavens. For even with their earthly contamination, a divine luminosity emanated from them. One was bent low, his weapon held close to him. His body was wound taut, ready to attack.

The other was simply majestic. She held her head high, her body upright. She looked like she wore a dress, but with the dust and darkness, who could say? The light seemed to come from her, with little gold particles vibrating softly in a gradient. Her left arm was outstretched, fingers curled into a fist, save for one which was pointed at the Britannians.

With all the authority of a king, a strong, clear voice rang out.

"Prepare yourself."

Saber swept forward. Her dress and armor flattened against her figure, the crack of fractured air pressing them to her body. She drew her sword behind her, both hands wrapped around the grip.

It was all so familiar to her. The classic stroke upwards, the warmth of her gauntlets only felt when she clenched her grip, the wind in her hands becoming ferocious. This was her power, her only true assurance of her worth.

In one moment, there was a leader of a squadron, about to issue commands to his men. In the next, she reaved him in two, the Invisible Air cutting through without any resistance.

She turned the swing around, the blade's position rotating around her arms' axis, and cut sideways. His men fell. Or rather, their upper bodies fell, their torso and legs remaining upright.

Continuing on with her momentum, she twisted her sword into a thrust position, and amplified her Invisible Air. Her Servant-enhanced senses blurred, an indication of the sheer force of the wind aura that she unleashed. The moment the tip of her sword touched the tank, the metal slab warped in a spiral, a clean hole expanding around her weapon.

She pushed her sword forward. The blade, sparking with prana, touched the ammo stores.

The detonation was contained before Saber, her Invisible Air directing the blast towards the other tank. It was a display of brilliant orange, gutted flesh, and shorn metal. The cries of despair from the tank were its final report, the pure energy from the redirection obliterating the last tank and squadrons.

It was over before anyone could fire a shot.

Saber collected herself. In all, she did not use that much prana. More conflicts would, though, require her body to be replenished from Shirou.

She checked up on him, running over to his position next to a group of children.

Shirou turned to Saber. "We-we did it, Saber. We saved them." He tried to smile, but it was forced.

She recognized all of the signs of shock. "Shirou, you should rest."

"No, no. I can't do that. I have to- I have- they need-" His eyes looked wildly, his breathing heavy.

"Take a breath, Shirou. One minute of breathing will not hurt anyone."

"But the more I can do, the faster I can stop- I can stop everyone. I can convince both Japanese and Britannians to stop fighting. That way-" And here, Shirou's anguish finally appeared. "-That way, I don't have to hear the voices. I don't have to see their faces anymore. I can save- save everyone."

His hands were clenched into fists. "Why did I have to kill? They needed their lives, more than I do."

He looked directly at Saber. "And- and you. I should be fighting, not you. I shouldn't have dragged you into this. It isn't right."

Shirou calmed himself down, voicing the questions that tormented him for so long. "Where's the justice here? Where did it go? Kiritsugu, why is it impossible?"

"Shirou!"

Shirou nearly jumped backwards. Saber had grabbed his shoulder with her left gauntleted mitt, the solid metal guard around her last three fingers pressing firmly on the muscle. Her eyes were unguarded, full of concern and worry.

"You are too kind for this, and you value your life too little. However, we are in this until the end of this day. You just saved the most innocent lives possible. If you think you can save them by yourself, then do so." Saber's eye's returned to their guarded, unreadable state. "You have to come to your own realization that your desire to protect everyone in completely contradictory. In this place, the battle lines are drawn. I cannot serve someone who cannot fight and kill."

"Saber, that can't be right. Everyone deserves to live." I know that it's naive and unreasonable, but it's the only way I can find worth in myself. That's my-

"Not everyone." Saber looked down, trembling.

"Saber? What- Who can judge-"

"This is not the time or place, but I will explain this to you." She looked back once again to Shirou. Her eyes were still guarded, but a crack of vulnerability was present, in the form of a slight liquid haze about her eyes. "I was in a position where I had to make the exact same choices that you are facing now. I was young, I was foolish. I found this to be true: pursuing the illusion of universal salvation will only lead you to despair. The only success can be found in acting as the judge of others, and acting on that." She tightened her fists. "I ultimately failed as a judge, because I was not strong enough to hear the will of the people.

"This is the choice I had to make. This is the choice I have to force you to make now. Will you be stuck between your ideals, or will you choose a side to call your own?"

Shirou had to look away from Saber's intense gaze. As he did, his eyes fell upon the children, crying and hugging each other.

I have to protect them. That much is true, since they can't protect themselves.

In order to do so, I have to fight. I have to be prepared to kill, even if it means depriving another child of their father. Because-

Because there isn't anyone else to take those actions. There aren't any superheroes. There are only heroes.

Heroes have to make the tough decisions that nobody will face.

That doesn't mean I should stop my attempts to save everyone.

But there are some who I need to save more than others.

"Saber, you're right. But I won't stop trying to protect everyone."

"Did you not hear what I-"

"Don't get me wrong, I understand what you mean." Shirou crossed his arms and sighed. "When it comes down to the fight, I'll kill if I have to. Some people do need to die if they're going to kill. But my ideal is to have everyone safe, no matter their crimes. I know it sounds contradictory. I can't really explain it. But I will defend as many as possible."

He sighed again. This would be the toughest part. "And- Well, I'll accept any help I can get. Just- don't put yourself into anything where you'll definitely be hurt, alright? Let me try to protect you."

It was Saber's turn to sigh, this time in light exasperation, but also relief. "I will admit, you are capable enough to protect me in certain situations. Very well. That is acceptable." She turned to the children, who had calmed down enough to realize that they were safe, for the time being. "Where do we take them?"

"I have a friend in Fuyuki who can take care of them. Now-"

Perhaps it was Saber and Shirou's error to be discussing morality on a battlefield. Even so, there was little they could do about the two Sutherlands investigating the disappearance of two tanks and three infantry squadrons.

"Enemy forces ahead." The pilot, a sergeant Lazarus Jenkins, shook his head. He found the use of knightmares distasteful against the underequipped resistance-

He widened his eyes.

The HUDs were still not the best in rendering images, but he could swear that the enemy forces were extraordinarily young.

He decided to take caution.

"This is your only warning. Surrender now, and you will be tried as citizens of the-"

"Sarge, they're fleeing!"

"Give them warning shots, corporal."

The corporal complied, the compensators straining against the heavy recoil of the rifle's first shot.

The round impacted directly on the Elevens' position, throwing up a cloud of debris and dust.

"Dammit, corporal! I said warning shot!"

The corporal fiddled with his controls. "The servo slipped, sarge! I need a moment to recalibrate!"

"Bloody hell." Knightmares, even the newest generation Sutherlands, were notorious for servo slippage. No matter how fine the devicer, knightmares were still fraught with mechanical errors. There were too many elements of freedom to fully correct a knightmare's quirks without becoming cost-prohibitive.

"Well, corporal, I will be writing you up in a report-"

"Sarge, I'm getting strange interference on my HUD."

The sergeant looked forwards. There was a cloud of intense static haze covering the Elevens' pervious position, flickering and impenetrable. He narrowed his eyes.

"Use your Factspheres."

The faces of both Sutherlands opened up, revealing shimmering orbs with a tiny red eye in the center. They scanned the area, but-

"Argh!"

Sparks flew off of the corporal's factsphere. Dents and filaments quickly appeared on the delicate orb's circuitry. The knightmare staggered back, the corporal screaming. The feedback from the hits screeched, causing Jenkins to wince. It was only even more painful for the corporal, his eardrums shattered, blood streaming from-

One round, fired from the bottom of the clip of the comparatively diminutive rifle in the hands of an Eleven resistance member, streaked its way into the red eye of the Factsphere, the most delicate part of it. The Factsphere overloaded, streaming smoke from the fried circuits. With the massive input signal from the sphere's destruction, the knightmare's data feed could only give one output.

Complete shutdown and ejection, complemented by a speaker-shattering feedback response.

The knightmare staggered, then toppled, a felled giant.

Jenkins lost the corporal's feed as the corporal blasted away in his pod. This was bad. Very bad.

"Damn." He began to open fire with his assault rifle, its heavy rounds rocking the knightmare to and fro. The bullets disappeared into the haze, and then-

They slammed into the walls and ground, the haze extending its coverage, tossing the bullets in directions away from the supposed point of impact.

How is this happening? Only Sakuradite Disturbers could cause that disturbance, but to deflect-

Jenkins pulled up a line to command, continuing his suppressive fire.

"This is Sergeant Jenkins! Corporal Crowe is down! Requesting heavy fire support and reinforcements!"

"Sergeant Jenkins, this is command. What is your situation?"

He made sure that the haze was still there. "I am patching my feed in, command. I think they have a Sakuradite Disturber, with some sort of protective field!"

"Command receiving feed- What? You can't take the channel, sir-"

"Aaah, a Disturber? And shielding, too? An interesting haze you have here, sergeant. Considering it's impossible to shield-"

"Who is this?" Jenkins checked his ammo count. Thank goodness he took a drum mag. He had expended roughly thirty bullets, using a heavy load bolt to slow the rate of fire. Anything higher under sustained automatic fire would burn out the rails.

"This is Lloyd Asplund, under Viceroy Cornelia's command. She just came in from the Middle Eastern campaign. Would you like to speak with her?"

"Viceroy?- Look, I need backup now!"

The voice sounded smug. "Well, Viceroy. May I send out my darling?"

A faint, but unmistakable voice spoke, tinged with annoyance. "Just go. This mess of an operation would be unacceptable with my unit."

"Your backup will be here in a minute, Sergeant-"

Jenkins barely managed to dodge the haze. When his clip ran out, he immediately cut the channel. The haze remained still for a moment, then- it moved. It left an afterimage on his HUD, and flew towards his frame.

His Landspinners had revved, and maneuvered his knightmare away from the haze.

He began reloading, strafing the positions that the haze was moments before with his antipersonnel coaxial gun.

And promptly collapsed, the HUD flashing the loss of its leg.

Moments before, Saber was forced to remain in a defensive position to protect the children, her Invisible Air whipping and deflecting the bullets from the giant. What she couldn't deflect, she cut with heavy, double-handed strokes.

She was impressed by Shirou's shots. He managed to take down one of those giants.

Now, it was her turn to strike.

Her blade quickly found its way through the right leg, even as it tried to evade her movement. She just leapt up, using her blade's infinitely keen edge to cut throughout the knightmare. Her momentum carried her through the torso, through the chest, and up to the head. She slashed sideways, beheading the goliath.

Private Suzaku Kururugi twisted the controls of his knightmare, boosting it into full throttle with the push of the joystick's primary and only button. Along with the shift of the joystick forward as well. Somehow, in ways he didn't really understand, the button did everything from boosting to firing weapons to jumping to engaging in close combat. Tohsaka said something about a prana interface with a gem, but it didn't really matter right now.

What mattered was taking out the threat in West Shinjuku.

He already dispatched a number of hijacked knightmares from a supply train, but he was forced to disengage. Lloyd said that there was some sort of shield and Disturber, and that the Lancelot was the only unit that could stand up to a full Disturber.

The Lancelot … Suzaku was surprised that he had taken to piloting so quickly. He only needed a few hours to become proficient with it. It was beautiful when he first saw it, a tall, gleaming white knight- a knightmare. The elements of gold and green, along with its elegant figure, was simply the most wondrous thing Suzaku ever seen. And what it was capable of- It would definitely help him fulfill his goals.

He smoothly turned the corner.

And saw a blur- no, some sort of static- move up a knightmare. It lingered at the head, and then disappeared, the head falling-

I was too late.

The pod was trying to eject, but it was damaged. The thrusters kept firing. The frame surrounding the cockpit glowed red, heating up the center.

Suddenly, the frame exploded, the blast surrounding the pod for a moment before engulfing it. The blast originated at the core. Which was strange, since according to his superiors-

There's no way the Yggdrasil core drive would explode. It's supposed to absorb energy and turn it into mechanical energy.

The pilot-

Suddenly, Suzaku was filled with anger. I was supposed to protect him. I'm going to stop this fighting the right way.

He pressed the joystick button.

I will stop the Elevens from fighting. I will secure peace, and that means destroying whatever weapon the Elevens are using now.

Saber turned her head, to see a white giant charging rapidly, chewing up the ground with the spheres on its legs. Its energy and power were enough to cause her to take caution.

She pushed off of the knightmare's head, escaping the explosion.

This will be different. I will buy time for you, Shirou. And God willing, I will destroy all our adversaries.

Saber landed, kicking off with a shockwave, shattering the air and creating a flare of light.

"For Promised Victory."

AN: Oh snap, Saber vs. Lancelot. That's in the chapter after the next. Lelouch and C.C. are going to wage their own brand of war in the next chapter.

Odds are, there will be an edit soon, revision and corrections and all.

Hoo boy. I hate replying outside of a private message, but for this, I need some wide input. You guys can reply to this with further reviews, suggestions, and private messages. This was posted before, but I felt it most appropriate to put this in this chapter.

First, reviews.

HeavyValor. You are an idiot, a twat, and a prick.

Lycosyncer. There is going to be a lot of Saber/Lelouch/Zero conflict. Saber is going to deeply change Lelouch's considerations of his war. There also will be Shirou/Lelouch/Zero conflicts. Lelouch's intelligence and vindictiveness and Shirou's own unique brand of obstinacy will develop both of their characters drastically. Shirou is NOT Suzaku. And Lelouch will have to face that, even though both are morally the same side of the coin. As for Saber vs. Britannia, Saber is a combination of an ideal chivalrous Anglo-Saxon Christian knight, and the ruler of the original Celts who fought against Rome. The clash between the past and the present, along with Saber's wish, will shake Britannia to the Root (of Akasha, maybe? We'll see).

ThePhilosopherKing. I am impressed. So impressed that I included your character. And I thank you. I am touched by your complements (despite your lackluster review) and your recommendation (which was astounding. I highly recommend anyone who appreciates this fic to add your input here, under crossovers: http:/ / pmwiki / FanficRecs/ CodeGeass). Thank you.

MisterSP. This is a repeat of what I said in a PM before, but I'd like to let others see it. Am I to be offended at being called ignorance? Heh. Well, you made several decent points, so I'll let that pass. Quite frankly, your point about Saber's possible bloodline relationships with the crown was one I struggled with. Arturia left no heirs, according to the Type-Moon lore. She killed Mordred when he tried to take the throne (though did not hold any animosity towards him), and Mordred was Arturia's only possible descendant. For simplicity's sake, I'll keep to the Type-Moon canon and have someone distantly related imposed on the throne.

And my deepest apologies about Saber's line. The line was originally supposed to read "Indeed, if a certain knight had his honor, I might have been able to retain my kingdom." Though Saber truly loved Lancelot as a brother and knight, she does have a bit of snark as well. In the Fourth War, she forgave Lancelot, so the snark is not entirely out of place. The line in the story was an older version taken from my scraps and ideas. So a cookie to you, MisterSP, for catching that. Or whatever fangled reward people on fanfiction . net give. Grats.

reality deviant. 1. I toyed with the idea that Saber would take the crown, but it cannot be. To do that would be to go against everything that Shirou will teach Saber. Besides, that's WAY too happy an ending for a crossover between Code Geass and Fate/Stay Night. It's a possible Good End, but definitely not the True End.

2. Oh, yes. The Japanese have mages. As you will see in the next chapter.

3. I REFUSE TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SAKURA. SHE DOESN'T DO ANYTHING. MY GOODNESS, I DID NOT SEE A SPOILER. DID YOU SEE A SPOILER?

Monsieur Twinkles, KizaruBoss1. Thank you. I wanted to set up the personalities of every character, opening up interactions between the two universes. Knowing that I succeeded means so much to me.

all other reviewers. Thank you. I appreciate your comments, your praise. If you guys see ANY issues whatsoever, please don't be afraid to comment.

Now, to address updates:

CHAPTERS 1-4 ARE COMPLETELY EDITED. CHAPTERS 5-7 WILL BE EDITED LATER. AFTERMATH FILES ARE TO BE ADDED LATER.

Chapters 8-10 (or rather, First Contact Parts 1-3) will be completed along these two weeks.

Chapter 9 will be offically up in about a week.

LAST THING. You guys will see a Kayeri Brant III (and a Nakashima Hajime) floating around. He's a character created by a good friend and a beta, Mr. Sparkles. If you'd like to create an original character, please send a PM detailing this character.

The RULES for creating a character:

1. You MUST post a review that is at least 500 characters and has CHARACTER written on it (the CHARACTER is so that I'll know you qualify). Or I'll just TROLOLOLOL all over you. Give me something, and I'll give you something. Fair's fair.

2. No Servants. No Masters. I already have those planned out to a scientific fact. Don't ask me how.

3. Keep it sensible. No whores, no zombies, no clones, no evil twins. Keep it original, too.

4. NO. FREAKING. MARY/MARTY/GARY SUES. I do not want Edward Cullen sparkling in here and sweeping Arcueid off her feet. She'll eat him.

5. Describe the character in detail. His role is the most important part. Then personality and qualities. Then appearance. More would be great.

6. Keep the character different from the rest of the characters already in Code Geass and Fate/Stay Night. I do not want a Rin Tohsaka clone. One is terrifying enough, thank you.

7. Do not make him/her plot centric. I'll integrate the character into the plot.

8. Understand that I'll do the best that I can to keep the character relevant and alive. Sometimes, that's hard. Sometimes, I can't keep the character in a chapter, and I'll have to put him/her in another.

9. THERE IS A CAP TO HOW MANY CHARACTERS I CAN HAVE. I AM TENTATIVELY LIMITING IT TO 10. MORE MAY BE POSSIBLE. A chapter update and a review will appear telling when this limit is reached.

10. One review, one character. Multiple reviews will not entitle you for multiple characters.

11. Read rule #1.

12. You do not talk about the fight club.

Thank you so much for all of your time and input. I love all of the reviews you've given me, and you've all given me the drive to hammer out this story. Enjoy.

Read and Review. It means the world to me.