The first thing I noticed beyond the all-encompassing void, was a voice, calling my name; no, not my name, but the name that this body had before I merged with it. After, I began to feel ground under my back, and slightly scratchy clothes on my body. I opened my eyes and saw a teenager with dark hair and violet eyes.
Lelouch vi Britannia. Or, Lelouch Lamperouge, as most people know him. One of the most famous characters in all of anime, and I was able to see him with my own eyes. I stared at him for a brief moment before realizing that I should let the Rivalz part of me to 'take the reigns' so to speak, at least until I figured out what's going on.
"Lelouch?" I groaned out, clutching the back of my head as I sat up, "What happened? Did I trip or something?"
He ignored my question, instead opting to put three fingers in front of my and ask how many he was holding up. He had this serious look in his eyes that I've seen several times in the show, which vanished just as quick as it appeared, being replaced with a relieved look as I correctly answered his question without much trouble.
"Yeah," he said, he relief in his voice was palpable. He really cared for his friends, even at this point, huh? "You stepped on a rock and fell of the edge of the sidewalk. You were out for a couple seconds. You missed Prince Clovis's address to the nation," he said the last part with what Rivalz might say disinterest, but what I know was anger and frustration. He really harbored ill will to the royal family, huh?
"Oh, that sucks," I said as casually as I could. An act not too difficult as I had the skills that Rivalz had in addition to my own, few they were. I was still getting used to the extra set of memories I possessed, causing me to be a bit disoriented. "What was the speech about, then?" I said in an attempt to learn a bit about where, or when, I was in the story.
"Just that the terrorism being done is bad. Truly, riveting stuff. Because I was focusing on you, that's all I managed to gather."
Right, Clovis had just given a speech. That meant he was still alive and that Lelouch hadn't killed him yet. Which also meant no geass, which meant-
Geass. The power of the king. The power that gave Lelouch his Absolute Obedience ability.
Could this get any more complicated? I have to live in the world of Code Geass, through one of its worst time periods, and as Rivalz Cardemonde, at that. I suppose it could be worse, I could be brought to the world of Berserk or Attack on Titan. But seriously? Code Geass? As the golden retriever of the friend group?
Whatever, if I'm silent for any longer I'm sure Lelouch will notice something's up, if he hasn't already. I looked around and noticed that despite the fact the we were in the middle of the street, no one seemed to look our way; still seemingly paying attention to Clovis's speech. That's my in.
"You ignored the prince's speech for me, Lelouch?" I asked attempting to feign confusion before I let a smile cross my face and gratefully said, "Thanks, man! I owe you one for not ignoring your personal chauffeur!"
This seemed to amuse Lelouch, as he simply smiled and said, "Worrying about the people who died is far less important than making sure no one else does; the dead can't be brought back, the injured can."
The Rivalz part of my mind wanted desperately to respond to that. I briefly wondered if I should let it, keeping suspicion off my back before deciding, yes, that is the best option for now. I can decide what I want my role in this story to be when I'm at a less eventful place. If I remembered correctly, this was the day that the first episode takes place during, so let's make sure that the most important step Lelouch takes still is taken in this world.
"Dang! That's kinda dark, buddy," I said as I began walking to where I – no, Rivalz parked his bike. Having two sets of memories was pretty disorientating, I'm learning. Thankfully, Lelouch either didn't notice or didn't care about my inner turmoil as he spoke.
"It's all about self satisfaction," he began almost mournfully, "Doesn't matter how hard you try, you can't do it. There's no way you can change the world," he ended his sentence with a look back to where Clovis was still on screen, holding an arm over his chest.
Before I could think anymore, however, he turned to me and asked, "Are you sure you're well enough to drive? I've noticed you've been a bit out of it. I could do so if you're not feeling well; it was quite the fall."
Crap; he noticed that I wasn't acting quite how Rivalz normally was. And we're on a time limit here! If I don't get Lelouch to where the resistance have C.C., then the entirety of the series will be different, and most of my knowledge will be useless.
Acting as calm as my emotions would allow, I responded, "Thanks for the offer, but I'm fine! Besides! It's the least I could do after you were so worried about me; keep the stress of driving off of you!"
Lelouch looked skeptical, but eventually relented and rode in the passenger seat.
Let's hope that we still run into Kallen, at this rate.
She felt it.
She could feel the strange sensation rippling throughout the world even with her dulled mind and the constant movement around her. It was one of the most odd feelings she's experienced in her centuries of living. The only thing that compared was when she received the Code from...
She couldn't pinpoint exactly where this strange feeling was coming from, but she could tell it was relatively close. It even felt like she was getting closer to it, but she thought that might just be the drugs still in her system.
'Thanks, Clovis,' she thought her first coherent thoughts in some time before she began to feel what she was sure was the son of Marianne.
And like that, all curiosity of what the unknown variable was was put to the side in exchange for focusing on her friend's child.
I had to drive a bit slower than I would've liked – which was still a bit over the limit – because of the lingering disorientation I felt. Of course I get brought to this world right when the action starts! Not that the whole of Area – Japan wasn't one big war zone with how many acts of terrorism there have been since it was taken over, but still! I couldn't even get a second to think things through, huh?
Well, whatever. I'm here now, might as well make the most of it. And the first step to that is making sure that Lelouch gets his geass; make sure that my knowledge of the series stays relevant for as long as possible; and that no one dies. Hopefully, I'll be able to make some bigger splashes the longer I stay here.
How did I get here, anyway? Did a geass bring me here? I wouldn't be surprised; Marianne's basically did the same to her, allowing her to possess that one girl, at least, if not others. Maybe I was brought here thanks to the World of C directly? Man, I'm regretting not watching any other Code Geass media than Rebellion and Re;surrection. I get the feeling I'd know more about the World of C if I did.
I was pulled from my musings by Lelouch who said, "Rivalz, you're being quiet; are you sure that you're alright?"
"Uh, yeah, Lelouch, I'm fine," I replied hastily. It's going to hit me that I'm speaking to Lelouch freaking Lamperouge one of these days, and at the worst time, I just know it. But until then, I'm going to be as casual as possible around him. In an attempt to explain my silence, I said, "I'm just wondering why you usually start your games by moving the king."
"If the king doesn't lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?" he said one of the most iconic lines in the show as if it were habit, all with a pensive look on his face.
I had known the answer, but hearing it for myself still caused me to turn toward him and gasp slightly. It was very different hearing the man himself say that line than just knowing that he said it.
Evidently, I was staring for too long, as Lelouch turned and was about to ask something, but was interrupted by a truck's horn coming from behind us. Oh, good, I'm right on time.
It was only a couple of feet behind us and was clearly not looking to slow down. Now, I don't know about you, but I wasn't looking to die in a car accident for a second time. I sped up as much as I could, but it still wasn't enough for the vehicle, as it turned sharply into a closed off lane, running over and through various signs and traffic cones.
Good news: it had managed to stop! Bad news: it hit a wall sideways. The impact had picked up a lot of dust, obscuring the truck from view.
… Was it just me or was this not the same place this happened in canon?
I subconsciously slowed down till we reached a stop and both me any Lelouch looked at the site of the crash. "That, uh, wasn't our fault, was it?" I asked timidly, not fully recovering from almost getting run over.
"I don't think so," Lelouch responded, a bit startled. I heard him gasp as he started moving to get a better view of the wreck.
The memories I got from Rivalz told me to check the bike for damages, and since I was fairly confident I knew what that crash was, I checked it out. Sure enough, I found the power line to be cut. Man, having two sets of skills is definitely going to come in handy. Or they would if I actually made something of my life.
"Rivalz, come check this out," Lelouch called out, no small amount of confusion in his voice. As I made my way over to him, I heard several other bystanders all mutter about how horrible of a crash this was, and that someone should help. No one was doing anything other than watching, however, even the guy who offered the idea to help. Lelouch noticed this too and muttered, "All those idiots..," before running over to help, himself.
Well, I'm glad that things are turning out the same, even if in a slightly different place. At the very least, I can guarantee Lelouch starting the path that he took in canon. But, the sooner I act, the bigger impact I can make on this world. I can tell that this is the only moment I'll get before the main conflict starts to decide what I want my purpose here to be.
"I don't know what I want to do."
For a brief moment, that was the only thing that went through my head.
Until I remembered what I promised myself in that void, echoing through my mind almost like a mantra: "Live a better life."
I almost barked out my laughter, but I kept it in. Whatever brought me here has a sense of humor; usually in stories, it takes several chapters or episodes for a character to have a decisive moment like this.
But this isn't a story, is it? It's reality.
I promised myself to live a better life, and in this world that means making sure everyone else does as well: make sure Shirley's dad doesn't die; make sure Euphemia doesn't get affected by Lelouch's geass, at least in the same way; and ultimately, create an alternative to the Zero Requiem plan.
I guess this was the purpose I was given for this world. Time to make sure I achieve that goal.
I immediately made my way back to the bike, and opened the compartment with the cut power line. I might not have much experience with electronics, but I believe that I just have to connect the wires together to get it to work.
As I heard the truck start to back up, I went to check Lelouch's seat. I remembered that there was a bag of school supplies; including a bag of pencils, a couple of tissues, and about a third of the cash Lelouch won earlier today.
I immediately took a couple tissues and grabbed a pencil, moving over to where the cut wire was. After many more seconds than I would've liked, I managed to jury-rig the wires to connect using the pencil for support, and tied the tissues around them. It'll have to do.
I looked over and saw that the truck had already pulled quite a bit ahead of where they were, and were gaining speed fast. Not waiting a second more, I tried to turn on the ignition.
…
Success! It seems to be holding well enough. Let's go then. Now, if I remember correctly, this first battle takes place at the Shinjuku ghetto. Let's hope I can get there faster than the Britannian army does.
I revved the bike a bit, and started driving, making sure I went a different path than the truck.
Let's go to where Zero was born.
Lelouch was terrified.
He didn't show it, but he was feeling utter terror.
Why, you ask? Well, let's recount the events that have occurred within the last 10 minutes.
First, one of his best friends had hit his head with no insignificant amount of force, obviously dazing him. If Lelouch was being honest, he was worried than Rivalz might have something wrong with his head. Rivalz was acting odd, and was even trying to hide it; that fact was in and of itself, worrying.
But everything that happened after on was occupying his attention much more than that fact.
Second, he was seeing and hearing hallucinations of... someone, talking to him. He could only assume the reasons for why this was happening, and none of them were particularly good. He hoped it's just from the stress of seeing his friend hurt. But again, this was hardly at the forefront of his mind at this point.
Third, he was in the back of a truck, which was apparently being driven by actual terrorists. They had a Glasgow and what Lelouch only assumed was a bomb the size of a small car. And he had no way out. And would likely be considered a terrorist himself if the military found him at the scene of the crime, if not worse.
Fantastic.
Fourth, he had no cell reception to even call anyone. He already accepted that there was a chance he would never see Nunnally again, nor any of the other student council members, but he wouldn't even be able to say goodbye if he did die. He could only hope that his friends would be able to take care of his sister when he was gone.
And finally, he was head to the ghetto where, even if he did manage to escape, he would be treated with suspicion at best, and outright hostility and violence at worst by the Japanese there.
All of these things combined to make Lelouch himself fear for what was coming next.
All of Rivalz's odd behavior seemed so distant now. Lelouch just wanted to be able to meet with him again, and not worry about is dazed nature.
All of these thoughts were brought to a halt as Lelouch felt the truck lurch and tilt slightly, and assumed the the vehicle got into an accident.
'It would take a miracle for me to get out of this,' he thought, not knowing that a miracle was exactly what he was going to get.
I took a similar path to the truck until they deployed their Glasgow. Knowing that Kallen was in there, I was tempted stay and watch. But no, I was going to Shinjuku and I wasn't going to be sidetracked. I took a side road and went as fast as I could without getting in trouble.
But now that I thought about it, what was I going to do once I get there? Am I going to help Lelouch and the others go against Clovis? No way; I want to live a better life, not die one.
So then, what are my options? I could infiltrate Clovis's base of operation, but I don't think I'd get anything from doing so. I could try to find Jeremiah and let him know that Lelouch is still alive, but there's no reason to believe me and even if he did, whose to say Lelouch would believe him?
Then I remembered. C.C. got shot trying to keep Lelouch from dying right before she gave him his geass. I don't know how long she'll be unconscious for, but if I manage to save her, I could have a potential ally. Granted, she could also kick my butt if she so much as thought I was a pervert or trying to manipulate her, but it was the most calculated risk I could take. Worst case scenario, she realizes that me and Lelouch have the same uniform and follows me back to Ashford, possibly meeting him earlier.
So my goal has gone from Shinjuku ghetto, to one specific warehouse in it, and that's if I'm remembering correctly.
This wasn't going to be easy, was it?
C.C. was finally able to think clearly, but wasn't fully conscious. She was able to hear what was happening around her, but she couldn't move or see anything. It was like she was in a coma. One that would heal itself in a couple of minutes, if not seconds, yes, but a coma all the same.
She could make out voices and their meanings, but not the exact words or the people who said them. She could tell than Marianne's son was one of the people among them, she had seen him along with someone else for a brief moment.
She heard someone be ordered to "execute the terrorist," before someone responded saying that he was a civilian that got caught in this.
She decided that preserving her strength would be the best option, only using it when either she felt back to normal enough, or the situation was dire; whichever came first.
She was able to open her eyes for a brief moment, able to see a face down body in a pool of blood. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the person leading the soldiers was the one responsible. She only hoped that Marianne's son – she vaguely remembered someone call him Lelouch – was alive by the time she was well enough to form a contract.
She couldn't pay enough attention to her other surroundings to notice that odd feeling manage to pass her; but in her defense, she did have an exploding truck occupying most of her senses.
You know, I forgot that Clovis ordered this place to be eradicated. How did I find out then, you ask? That's simple. I saw a Knightmare Frame shooting a nice couple.
There was a way around this, I found. I stayed huddled up inside a garbage can – yuck – for several minutes after abandoning the bike. I had the keys, and I doubt anyone who lives here has enough mechanical knowledge to hot-wire it. It didn't help that my DIY wire fixing had come undone shortly after I entered the ghetto. Oh, well. At least I managed to put the license plate in the bag with me.
After I checked the outside for Knightmares and saw that the coast was clear, I got out, and made my way for where the warehouse was. I was able to narrow it down a bit farther when I remembered that it was nearby, if not on top of, an underground pathway.
I was going to go further, but then I saw them: the group that Lelouch first used his geass on. I could never forget that hat and beard the leader had. They were heading to the building a couple blocks in front of me. I could barely hear them over the constant explosions and gunshots coming from further in the city.
"Report," the leader with the funny hat said in a firm voice. "We found only Elevens here, sir," another one responded.
The captain, presumably, didn't look to happy at that. Granted, I couldn't hear if he said anything. He might have breathed a sigh of relief! But probably not, if my memory of this encounter is correct. If it is, then Lelouch is going to be revealed in about 3...
"Your sure of it? That exit comes out here?" the leader asked, nonplussed.
2...
"Yes, sir," a random soldier replied, "It matches up with our map of the old city." Oh hey, the same map I looked up! Thank goodness the equivalent of google exists here, at least for geography.
Oh, they just shot a crying child! Didn't remember that one, oops! Well, can't say I disagree with your decision to kill these guys, Lelouch. But still...
1...
Silence.
And then I heard the sound of a phone ringing. Thankfully, it wasn't mine, but it did remind me to put mine on silent, which I promptly did.
Immediately, the army soldiers took up places around the staircase Lelouch was hiding in, took C.C., and took the opportunity to beat him with the pummel of their gun.
"What an appropriate location for a terrorist to meet his end," the captain – I think, not that it'll matter in few moments – said with mirth to his voice. Why are all the high-ranking Britannian military forces more sadistic than most anime villains?
Lelouch, leaning on the back wall and winded from the previous blow, seethed and spoke up saying, "You scum...!"
Seemingly ignoring the comment, the captain continued, "Still, you did well for a student, but that's to be expected. You're a Britannian," Ah. There's Britannian racism that I know and hate! Or, feel weirdly about thanks to Rivalz's memories. Let's hope that I get used to this two sets of memories situation sooner rather than later.
"Unfortunately, my clever young friend," I was pulled from my musings thanks to the captain saying that as he pulled up his pistol – or what I assumed was one. I never was knowledgeable about guns – "you have no future!"
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, I heard a shrill, desperate voice cry out, saying, "He mustn't die!" And with future knowledge, I finally get why she's so scared about Lelouch's death.
I saw C.C. run in front of the bullet, blocking the hit Lelouch would have taken. It hit her forehead straight on, her hair parting to reveal a symbol of a red bird on it.
"You shot her!" Lelouch cried out.
…
… Alright, I get that you're in shock Lelouch, but seriously?
The captain kept going on about how he was going to make an excuse that C.C. was dead, but I was hardly paying attention to him. I was much more focused on Lelouch and C.C. This was one of the most iconic scenes in the anime. As it was now, Lelouch simply had this look of utter terror on his face; a face that Rivalz had never seen before.
And then C.C. grabbed Lelouch's arm.
And in the very next moment, she wasn't. If I blinked I would've missed it.
I suddenly realized that I had this dumb grin on my face. I feel like witnessing this scene in person warrants that kind of reaction.
"Say," Lelouch started as he stood up, hand covering his left eye, "how should a Britannian who detests his own country live his life?"
"Are you some kind of radical?" the captain said slightly amused, not knowing what was about to happen. But even from my vantage point, I could tell that he was put off by Lelouch's body language.
"What's wrong?" Lelouch asked rhetorically, with no small amount of smugness in his voice, "Why not shoot? Your opponent is just a schoolboy. Or have you finally realized? The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed." He punctuated the last sentence by uncovering his eye, revealing a red bird symbol somehow on his eye.
I think I actually squealed at this, but I'm not sure. I was too focused on making sure that I wouldn't be affected by Lelouch's geass, so I turned my head around and closed my eyes.
The captain said something, but the only thing my ears could hear in that moment was Lelouch's next words, with an underlining anger in his voice.
"I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command you. Now, all of you, die!"
In an instant, I heard almost hysterical laughter, followed by a overly eager "Happily, your highness!" and muffled gunshots.
I couldn't help but smirk
'Welcome, Zero,' I thought, 'to a world where you won't have to die.'
AN
First of all, thank you all for ready through my story! This is my first venture into the world of fanfiction and I'm starting with quite the in depth series; so I apologize if things are a bit cluttered.
I will admit that I don't particularly have much of a vision for where this fic ends up, only the direction I want to take it. However, if this story gets big enough, I will put more thought into how I want it to end. I will also try to make uploads more consistent. The prologue was initial going to be part of this chapter, but I thought it would be better for pacing if they were separate.
For anyone expecting an overpowered protagonist, sorry to disappoint. This is much more just a 'what if Rivalz was important to the story' fic than much anything else. Yes, SI-Rivalz has knowledge of the future; no, he this doesn't mean that he will remember everything that happens over the series, just the big stuff and a few memorable details.
I do eventually plan on SI-Rivalz to gain a geass, but I have utterly no idea as to what it could be. I'd like to ask you guys for ideas, and I'll choose one I like the best.
ALSO, no harems. Not for SI-Rivalz, at least. Depending on what occurs throughout the story, Lelouch might end with one, but that's a big 'if'. There might be some pairings through the story, but for the most part, romances will be as they were in canon (or as close as they can be).
I think that's everything I have to say! So once again, thank you for reading!
Hope you have a good day!
