Author Notes: This is a Code Geass, Metal Gear, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and Gate: Thus the JSDF Fought There crossover.
Song: I'll believe/ALTIMA [Music Box] (Anime "Shakugan no Shana III -FINAL-" ED)
POV: Lelouch vi Britannia.
...He woke up.
"...!"
Lelouch vi Britannia finds himself breathing heavily. Sitting up straight from his bed, with casual, disheveled clothing. He would slowly get up from the bed and start walking around, peering beyond the window. There, he sees the familiar garden and the Ashford Academy school buildings that overlay the area.
He had returned!
It was no dream. He had come back, from his own death. Impossible, would be the term that could surmise the situation. But the man had already seen and experienced a few impossibilities. Memories would slowly rush back to him, memories of the pain and suffering, and the loss of the people he held dear. A shot, piercing the innocent and pure princess, undeserving a bloody moniker. Of a friend who had inadvertently killed millions, with the use of a weapon crafted by another. Of a woman, so utterly forgiving, and loving him even to the very end.
And that smile that the woman, an orange-haired and emerald eyes. She smiled, even if he did took her father away from her, even if he took her memories away, she somehow always comes back to her.
And that smile... would make him leak a few tears.
Never again... He softly muttered in his thoughts. I won't let her die... Not this time...
"Lelouch-sama?"
A Japanese voice spoke. He glances around, hearing a knocking on the door. A familiar voice, who would open the door, wearing a maid outfit, with simple black hair reaching her neck. It was Sayoko Shinozaki, his loyal maid. And she looked a little worried.
"Lelouch-sama? What's wrong?" She walks towards him, wondering what was wrong.
"...N-No," Lelouch would wipe his tears a little. "I only simply had a dream, that is all."
"Oh..." Sayoko muttered softly, looking concerned. "I see. But, nevertheless, breakfast is ready. I have already prepared the uniforms that are to be worn."
"Hmm, thank you, Sayoko," Lelouch nodded. Thank you for staying by my and Nunnally's side. He left that thought unfinished.
There were things that Lelouch needed to do. And he had no doubt that his other allies would not be far behind, if based on what that person had indicated to them. There is something that is coming. A darkness, one that would threaten his world, and the people he held dear. And he needs to be ready for that. There would be challenges before even that. He would need to unify all of the nations of his world. Easier said than done.
Fixing himself properly, taking a bath, and wearing the familiar black uniform of Ashford. Having looked at the mirror, his eyes would materialize a reddish glow and familiar bird-like symbol. Geass. The accursed power that he had from before, was still with him. Though, it's of a different kind, cut off and separate. That person had said something of rerouting his Geass into another source of power. Something that involved him to connect with this strange, cosmic force that permeates existence.
But, Lelouch would surmise, he cannot always rely too much on this power. He now knows what could happen if one tried to flaunt over this power, without any sense of responsibility. Blood was still on his hands, even if that time period had been reversed upon his arrival. He would have to bear the memories of that dark, misfortunate timeline for the rest of his days.
So be it. Lelouch thought. I will continue to bear these sins, and walk forward with no regrets.
And, walking a bit further, he would find himself face to face with the one person he left behind. The girl who cried for his death, when the realization settled in. He gave his life, not for honor, nor for his own ego, but for her, and the peace that she loved so dearly.
"...Big brother?" The closed, beautiful young woman, the future empress of the empire worthy of the name, Nunnally vi Britannia, spoke. Seated in the familiar wheelchair, she turned towards him, with an inquisitive, concerned tone. Despite not being capable of seeing him, she could sense him in some capacity.
Lelouch turned solemn, and walked slowly towards the little sister that he loved. She was one of the two women that he grew to care for, immensely and truthfully. One of them. The other... He wondered just how he would have to face her again.
"Yes, what is it, Nunnally," Lelouch spoke gently, kneeling down and gently taking her hands.
"Are you alright?" Nunnally prodded.
"Yes, I'm fine, why?" Lelouch asked.
"Because..." Nunnally's eyebrows knitted. "You seem to be sad."
"Ah, well," Lelouch would clarify. "As I told Sayoko earlier, I just had a bad dream, that is all." He would say, glancing at Sayoko, who was right behind him.
"Is it...Is it because of mother?" Nunnally asked.
Lelouch could not help but make a darkened face for a little bit.
His mother?
As if that title is deserving of that woman. She, the very cause of his own misfortunes and that of his sister, followed the whims of a madman who wanted the entire world to fall into nothing but a deluded sense of paradise. Selfish, to the core. But... he's no better. After all, Zero Requiem was his selfish desire, after all. Though, he was no mass murderer of the human race, despite granting himself the title of "Enemy of the World".
"...That's right," Lelouch would lie. He cannot tell Nunnally of what he knows. "But it's alright, it was only a dream, nothing more. Now," He smiled a little. "We should probably start eating breakfast. The school would start soon."
"Okay," Nunnally nodded, if a little hesitant. She cannot help but worry for her brother after all.
Checking the dates, Lelouch would discover that he had gone back to about one month before... before everything that happened.
One month?
Awfully convenient, and yet not. On the bright side, there would be plenty of opportunities to hone his more physical stats. His mind would simply not be enough this time, not against the darkness that he and his allies would face. When it comes to marital prowess, Sayoko would be the first option when it comes to be trained by a good instructor. He would have to ask her at some point.
Right now, he wasn't in the classroom. Of course, that would not be much of a problem. He has a notorious reputation for skipping classes from time to time after all. That would not be suspicious at all. Not to mention, if its grades that are a problem, he can simply increase it to a satisfying conclusion while also making himself less of a stand out to avoid suspicion.
It was now the late afternoon. Looking at his phone, he would simply try to catch up with current (past) events, waiting inside the larger-than-life, student council room.
The most obvious place is the safest bet. He thought.
Everything was exactly as Lelouch remembered. His brother, Clovis la Britannia, was still the Viceroy of Area 11 (Japan). The various resistance groups have yet to fully be unified. Scattered, divided, leaderless. As the battle of Narita hasn't happened yet, Kyoshiro Tohdoh, the so-called Miracle Worker, hasn't been captured and imprisoned. The massacre at the Shinjuku Ghetto had yet to take place.
Where to start from here? And that's also taking into account the timing of his other allies. Where would they be? That person wasn't really specific as to how they were to meet each other once they found themselves back at a certain point in their timeline. He hated to follow such vagueness, but there was nothing to be done about it. Being in the past right now is nothing short of a miraculous endeavor already.
The first order of business he supposes is to find a way to make Clovis dance to his tune. He has about one month to ensure that nobody in Shinjuku dies this time. If he kills Clovis like last time, he'd just bring Cornelia and Euphemia here. In some ways, it's both good (because of the influence Euphemia could have on Suzaku) and bad (because of the few times Cornelia almost succeeded in bringing him in). He's weighing options and lesser evils at this point, but...
...He refuses for there to be any more bloodshed of innocent people. That would no longer be the way he would do things. That man, the one who had committed those deeds, is already long dead. He would let the past die, and be reborn anew. Once again, he would start from Zero.
Ah, there you are. You are quite an easy find.
An echoing thought came through his mind. It was a man's voice, not too old, but not too young either. It made Lelouch attentive, and yet... he didn't seem surprised. He even recognized the voice, or rather, the way that the voice would talk, including speech patterns and mannerisms.
I was honestly wondering how we were to somehow meet once again, in light of these inexplicable circumstances. He thought, narrowing his violet eyes.
That is something I had wondered about as well from time to time. But, it is rather fortunate that I could sense and communicate with you through the Force, even if you're currently a few kilometers away from my current location. The voice spoke grimly.
A few kilometers away? Where are you, exactly? Lelouch thought.
From what he understood, this man had certain abilities if you will, much more varied and less riskier than Geass. He calls it the Force, the source of all living things in the universe, and it was the same source that his Geass had been reconnected to. Lelouch had to admit that it was an intriguing concept, and wondered just how this Force could be taken into account in relation to his situation.
Somewhere around the ghettos of this...Area 11 as you would call it. The voice answered sadly. It's something of a familiarity, seeing all of the peoples living here.
Right, Lelouch thought sympathetically, I recall that you have seen your fair share of ruins and discrimination in that galactic conflict that you and your kind had been fighting.
Three whole years of it in the original outcome, unfortunately for my liking, the voice thought grimly. I would presume at least that among the three of us, I'm the first to arrive. For the past three years, I've been doing some... fixing, if you will, in more subtle ways than most. I cannot interfere too much in the outcome of several battles and events in the Clone Wars, but I can at least influence events to some degree, more than enough that some people I know are alive instead of being dead. However, it would seem that history abhors some changes regardless. Even if the changes seem small, there would be larger ramifications. There would even be new battles happening, new planets that weren't a part of the war that had become a battlefield, and the war itself became a little worse off than how I'd remember.
Right now, the conflict is well within its fifth year. Yes, that's how long the Clone Wars are lasting this time. On that point, I've managed to pick up the Force signature that would lead to your world, and after immersing myself in meditation, I can sense the subtle convergence of my galaxy with yours. Most of the Jedi with the exception of Master Yoda...and probably Master Fay, I reckon, wouldn't be able to sense it perfectly as much as I do, at least for now. Among the Sith, however... there is one...
Yes... him... Lelouch grimly thought. They were speaking of the man behind the conflict, who had manipulated both sides into fighting each other. In the end, it was all a ploy, to strike when the least expects it.
Is he still going to be a problem? Lelouch asked.
For now, no. The voice reassured him. However, it's only a matter of time before he would become a problem, for all of us. I have done my best for the last five years to cloak my true intentions and keep vigilance, but ever since... a few certain incidents or so early in the war, he's been keeping an eye on me. Well, at least that was before I managed to come to your planet after following the Force's guidance, slipping through the cracks that led me to Earth. I've temporarily made myself into an unofficial deserter. No doubt the Republic and the Jedi Order would try to look for me, but I made sure to cover my tracks, though I knew that this would only be temporary. If the convergence is complete, they'll find me eventually.
And the Clone Wars could inevitably come to Earth as a result. Lelouch grimly. Though I suppose this is better than the alternative. Have you brought anybody else with you when you came here?
About a few clones and ships, and seven star destroyers, the latter of which is currently parked on your world's moon. The voice answered.
Have you made contact with Big Boss yet? Lelouch asked.
Not yet actually. I and my men had just recently landed here. I did say that I was in the ghettos, and currently scouting a bit of the area along with two of my men. As for Big Boss, I'm not sure how he would even come here. That person never really mentions any specifics of how and when we are to arrive in our designated spots. The voice answered.
Lelouch sighed while placing an elbow on the table and rubbing the right side of his forehead. Well, that figures. Alright, I suppose this would be the end of our conversation for the time being. If you find anything noteworthy, let me know immediately, and if you find Big Boss, tell him that once we've all reunited, we will all need to discuss our next course of action.
I agree. May the Force be with you, old friend. The voice spoke for the last time.
Then things became quiet, leaving Lelouch to his thoughts. Then, he would hear a sound coming from the door. He looks and sees...
"Oh, there you are," The blond-haired Milly Ashford spoke with a happy smirk. "What did I tell you, Shirley?" She glances at a young woman with orange hair. "I told you not to worry."
"..."
His violet eyes would zero in on the young woman besides Milly. Orange hair, emerald eyes, wearing the familiar yellow-coated uniform with a dark green necktie. And... wait, why was her eyes dilating? And her mouth was forming a slight smile, but it seemed a little pale. Why does it almost seem like she was about to cry? Whatever the case, the woman seemed to manage to create a smile that was wonderful... and heartbreaking.
"Ah, Lulu," That voice, which echoed in his ears, was testing his resolve a little. He cannot blow his cover so soon. "You're here." She would say, with a smile. At least before... "I'm... I'm glad..."
"...Shirley?" He stood up, noticing her eyes leaking a few tears and trembling lips.
"I'm sorry, umm...I'll just, go..."
The woman, Shirley Fennette, would suddenly get away. Milly called out to Shirley, but Lelouch was already quick to his feet. "Milly, leave Shirley to me," He would say to Milly before he left the student council room, with Milly looking confused and concerned about what had just happened. Thoughts were running on Lelouch's mind. What was happening here? What kind of reaction was that? That was not a normal reaction that Lelouch would have expected, at least relating to the past.
Could there be...? Is there a possibility that...?
It was a hypothetical, but Lelouch could be considering it. Shirley...was just like him, in what sense, he could not tell. How else could one explain that kind of reaction? The normal reaction for her would be to scold him per usual for skipping classes. He clearly remembers that. They were...some of the more endearing moments that he had with Shirley. It may seem like it was nothing more than one woman just busting through him like nobody's business, but his moments with Shirley, long before dawning the mask of Zero, were something he would cherish more than anything.
He had to know what was going on here, but he could feel his breath overtaking him a bit. Damn it, he thought, I'm already spent. This is why he proposed earlier to try to train with Sayoko. To become a more efficient commander on the battlefield, intelligence was not enough this time. He needed to improve physically. If he couldn't even handle a simple form of running, he would be done for.
"...Shirley!" He would try to say as he raised his hand, in-between his panting. "Wait!"
With all of the muster of his voice, he tried to call out to her. Fortunately, even with the tiredness that came from his voice, Shirley stopped and looked back towards Lelouch, who was placing his left hand on the side of the wall. They were in a deserted corridor. There were no students around, as they all left home. However, Lelouch wouldn't risk revealing himself, or Shirley for that matter, in a public place. There were probably some cameras laying around the place after all. He needed to have this conversation with Shirley. He can't keep this on hold. He has to address this, before this becomes a problem.
The last time I kept Shirley away, she died in my arms. He thought darkly. I won't let that happen again.
With his panting breath, he would try to walk towards her, whose tears were continuously flowing. No sooner had he walked with at least five or ten steps did Shirley ran towards him, supporting his body. His eyes took a good look on her emerald ones, that seemed to recognize him in a different sense.
Is...Is she the same as me? I need to know. I can't just let this be left for later. He thought.
"...No matter how many times I'm reborn," He would say, making her gasp in shock.
These were familiar words to him, uttered just before Shirley died. Lelouch can recall every single thing that Shirley spoke, in perfect detail. He knew her like the back of his mind. He knew every single detail, of how she died. If there was one thing he truly didn't forgive Rolo with, it was him shooting Shirley, who did nothing wrong. Her life had seemingly always been a series of misfortunes that never seemed to catch any breaks.
How much more would she need to suffer? He thought, beratingly at himself. She deserved far better.
Pushing her out of harm's way only killed her off. Erasing her memories only made her regain those at some point, by circumstances beyond his control. And that was when he realized, the only real way for him to protect her was to let her in.
Screw destiny, if there is such a thing. He thought with a resolve of steel. Shirley will not die this time. Not on my watch.
"...Once we find a good place to talk in private," Lelouch spoke firmly. There was no smile, only the expression of a man who had lost so much. "Can you tell me about that?"
At that very moment, Shirley, amidst her tears, made a very loving smile. While supporting his body, she was also embracing it.
At most, if anyone ever saw them like this, they'd just think that this was simply a mere love confession waiting to happen. But this was far more than that, Lelouch would think. It was a lot of catching up, with a very important person, the one who became the catalyst that would eventually initiate his future plan to rid the world of the Geass Order, and to finally establish world peace.
This woman, a very dedicated, forgiving woman. It is very, very rare to find someone like her.
"Hmm," Shirley nodded. "I'll tell you, as much as you want."
Lelouch couldn't help but make a genuine smile on his face. "Then, I am honored, for a fair lady to accept my offer."
Then, they would take a walk together. Lelouch would bring one hand to Shirley's back, and the latter would embrace the former.
POV: Milly Ashford.
Milly Ashford, with arms crossed, could not help but smile as she hid herself away, listening to the two people who clearly seemed to care for each other.
"Well, I suppose that I didn't need to keep pushing more. They both already made the first move. Good for them," She spoke softly.
Though, a part of her couldn't really deny that she was saddened. Because she... did have feelings for Lelouch as well. How that started was not something that came in just one night. It was years of familiarity. The Ashford Family in fact did have connections with the royal family, at least before everything changed for the former. She already knew Lelouch at some point. Once upon a time, in another life, she would have gotten engaged with him. Of course, it would be due to the Ashford's gaining some benefits and notoriety. But Milly never cared about those.
It was not because Lelouch vi Britannia was some prince, though he is that. It was not because of his intelligence behind the façade of a person who seemingly gets low grades in school. It was definitely not because of the seemingly arrogant behavior at times. Rather, it was because, despite everything, including flaws, Lelouch vi Britannia, as a person, genuinely cares. Even after all of these years, he still cared for his sister, Nunnally, even with all of the challenges that came with his life.
Let it be said that Lelouch vi Britannia's life isn't an easy one, despite how casual Lelouch makes it look.
There was also the fact that Lelouch hated the way Britannia does things. He hated the injustice around him, but he knew that there was nothing he could do about it. It was just simply how the world works. There's no denying that. But Milly Ashford hated it, and Lelouch did too. That was one of the many things they agreed with.
Milly would walk towards the window and see the late afternoon sunset, and was reflecting on the past, up to now.
Whatever the case, she considers this her loss. It was her fault anyway for not being more aggressive enough in trying to get Lelouch. It is because she loves him that she would be the one who would support his relationship with Shirley. Both of them are her close friends. That's what she, the most perfect and pretty student council president, would do.
"...Or maybe I'm just trying to be too kind," She muttered softly, with a smile that never leaves her.
POV: Obi-Wan Kenobi.
"Sir, you may want to see this."
One of the armored troopers, who wore white armor with a T-slant-shaped visor, with orange color markings and specialized gear, with orange attachable binoculars, would speak to him, turning on a hologram that was detailing what appeared to be a few large bases located somewhere in the ocean.
"Looks like the scout droids found out what you were looking for, sir."
"Excellent work, Cody," Obi-Wan Kenobi, a man with auburn hair, covered by a brown hood, and blue eyes, wearing white monk clothing and brown robes, nodded. "I suppose we should start by paying a visit to another old friend. Once we regroup there, I'll make contact with Lelouch again, before we begin our current discussions regarding the threat that we all need to pay attention to."
"...The Yuuzhan Vong," Cody grimly said. "That's what you said before, sir."
"Yes, that is unfortunately correct," Obi-Wan affirmed grimly while looking at the sunset that was coming down from the ghetto.
It's only been five years. Obi-Wan thought. And they still haven't arrived, though it's only a matter of time. Sidious may have control over both factions in the war as a bid to create his Empire, but quite ironically, the Empire that I had seen up to my death was but also a means to an end, in preparation for the darkness that is soon to arrive. These five years, despite how it prolonged the Clone Wars a lot more, made more rapid advancements in technology. The first X-Wing series was now fully operational, and so would the equivalent of this timeline's ISDs.
War seems to make technological progress advance rapidly.
And, I had a thought.
Even the seemingly lesser forms of technology, when innovated, gain a new momentum.
So what if... one were to create something new from this?
What would Lelouch call this, from what he recalled?
Metal Gear Gunframe.
"With respect, sir," Cody spoke grimly. "I still have questions regarding the decision to keep General Skywalker in the dark and not notify him of where we currently are."
"Oh," Obi-Wan smiled a little. "Anakin would probably chew me with a list of worries. But, that's fine. It happens many times before."
"Though, again, those times did not involve dragging in the entire 7th Sky Corps out of the Clone Wars just for a personal mission off the books," Cody could only look bewilderingly at how his general was merely taking this in stride.
"Master Yoda knows at least," Obi-Wan grimly stated. "And that would have to be good enough for the Jedi Council and for Anakin right now. Our work here is much more important. This is what I've been preparing all of you for, Cody. For you, and all of us and the next generations after, to be able to see tomorrow, if there will be a tomorrow."
OP Song: Sins of The Father · Donna Burke · Ludvig Forssell · Akihiro Honda