This fic was inspired by META2012' 'Code Azur: Lelouch of the Fleet'. That fic was one that I have found recently, only for it to end on a cliffhanger with no continuation. However, I did get inspired by it, and couldn't get the very idea of this unique crossover between Code Geass and Azur Lane, so here I am with my own take on Lelouch entering the world of Azur Lane.
I will state from the get go that I will not be doing the same overall story beats as 'Code Azur', because a) that's plagiarism and as someone who did History in University, it would be an insult not only to META2012 and his fans but also to myself and my fans, and b) I want it to be a different take.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or Azur Lane.
Also to note, I am Australian so I will be using a lot of Australian spelling for many words. Aka, expect to see a lot of 'u's and replacement of 'z's with 's's.
"Hello" - Speech
'Hello' - Thought/Mental Communication
"Hello" - Radio/phone/walkie talkie
"Hello" - Speaker
Chapter 1: Woven into a new Adventure
"Everything is in order. The experiment will commence shortly."
"Just remember, do not harm him. We're not here to kill him…"
"You do realise where we are sending him. There is always a high chance of his demise."
"...I know. But still…"
"I can assure you I will not harm him during his 'recruitment'. But after that, his fate is in his own hands. That is what we agreed on. Understood?"
"...Understood."
"Very well. We will begin shortly. I shall personally oversee this."
July 2016 a.t.b., Tokyo Settlement, Area Eleven
"Sayoko, does this one look nice enough to have in my room?"
Lelouch vi Britannia, or as he was known by for the past seven years as Lelouch Lamperouge, looked away from the vase he was holding, having been scrutinising it to see if it could fit the plants he was buying, even as he noticed how it had a reflection where he could make out the details of his black top and red sleeveless vest, and towards his younger sister, Nunnally, dressed in a pink dress. She was reaching from her wheelchair to the bottom of the shelf and touching a smooth plant in a pot, a smile on her face even as her eyes remained shut, never having opened for years. Behind her was Sayoko Shinozaki, their personal maid wearing her maid outfit, who had volunteered herself to drive Nunnally around in her wheelchair, looking at the plant herself at Nunnally's prompt.
"It is very flattering, Mistress Nunnally," Sayoko answered.
Lelouch smiled as he saw the two interacting. Despite Nunnally being a Britannian, and Sayoko being Japanese, a peoples that is currently under the iron boot of Britannia, they view each other as family, which Lelouch shares as well. Sayoko has been a welcome presence in their lives.
"Do you want to buy it, Nunnally?" Lelouch asked, putting down the vase as he interjected himself into the conversation.
"Yes please, big brother," Nunnally replied joyously.
Lelouch walked over. "Alright, I'll add it to the cart," he said, glancing at the price tag of 23 pounds. He reached down to grab it, but before his hands reached it, Nunnally beat him to it, picking it up with both hands.
"I can hold this one," she said warmly. "It feels nice to hold."
Her closed eyes moved to his general direction and her face morphed into a slight pleading expression. Slight it may have been, but that expression was one of the most powerful weapons currently in use in the world, and Lelouch, despite his immense willpower, could not entertain the notion of resisting it. No one with even a sliver of a heart could.
"Alright," he agreed, backing off. "I'll let you give it to the lady at the registers."
Nunnally's bright smile seemed to fill the entire world as she carefully placed it on her lap, holding it gently. She began to converse again with Sayoko as Leloich smiled slightly. However, his smile faded as he looked out the window of the garden centre they were currently in, his gaze towards the metropolitan area in the Tokyo Settlement of Area Eleven of the Holy Britannian Empire, formerly known as Japan.
While externally, his expression and body language portrayed his usual 'ice prince' persona that all of the other students back at Ashford Academy loved to call his usual attitude, internally he was seething at the sight. Not at the actual aesthetic of the buildings, but at what the Settlement represented: Both how it was the personification of his hated father's belief in social darwinism and Britannian supremacy over all others, and how there was no trace of the original buildings, environment and aesthetics of the now conquered Japanese, rechristened derogatorily as "Elevens". Admittedly, his hatred was focused more on the former representation than the latter.
He still remembered clearly that day over seven years ago, in the Spring of 2009, when his mother, Marianne vi Britannia, one of the 108 empress consorts of Charles zi Britannia, his father and 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire, was assassinated in their home of the Aries Viella, with Nunnally, only five years old at the time, being severely injured and crippled by the assassins, only saved by their Mother shielding her with her own body. The next day, after spending as much time as he could with Nunnally, who was in intensive care, in the hospital, he confronted his father, only to find that his father didn't care one bit. He even exiled both Lelouch and Nunnally to the then neutral State of Japan as "bargaining chips."
After over a year in exile, spending their time in the care of Japanese Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi's family and forming a friendship with Genbu's son, Suzaku, both vi Britannia siblings were caught up in the Britannian invasion of Japan. Within the opening day of the invasion, a Britannian Special Operations team infiltrated the shrine they were residing in with orders to kill them. The Spec Ops team failed only thanks to the efforts and sacrifices of the Japanese guards, but it only cemented the idea in Lelouch's head that the assassination of his mother was an inside job and his father was involved in some way, if not directly responsible.
After the Japanese surrender a month later and the establishment of Area Eleven, Lelouch and Nunnally had split from Suzaku, in order to keep him safe in case there were more attempts to kill off the vi Britannia line for good. With very little options left for them, the two siblings sought out refuge from the Ashford Family, a noble family ally of their late mother, who had gone in decline after her passing, and the heiress Milly had been a close friend of Lelouch's back in Pendragon. Thankfully, the Ashfords took them in and agreed to keep their existence a secret.
All that happened when he was just nine and ten years old. Now Lelouch was sixteen years old, at the very start of high school. Taking up the name of Lelouch Lamperouge, both he and Nunnally have stayed at the Ashfords ever since, now students at the Ashford Family's latest endeavour: Ashford Academy. No one but Milly, Reuben Ashford (Milly's grandfather and Principal of Ashford Academy), Milly's parents and Sayoko know of their true identities, and Lelouch hoped to keep it that way for a long time.
Ding Ding!
"Afternoon!" A very familiar voice called out from the doorway of the small garden centre, as if summoned by Lelouch thinking about her.
"Oh, hi Milly," Nunnally responded. "How are you today?"
"I'm well, thank you, Nunnally," Milly Ashford, the blonde-haired she-devil of Ashford Academy said. "Is Lelouch here with you by any chance?"
"He's to the side near the back of the isle," Sayoko said.
Lelouch blinked as he suddenly realised how deep in thought he had been, not even noticing how Nunnally and Sayoko had moved away while still in the Flower store. And greeting them from the door was Milly, the blonde in casual clothes just like they were.
"Thank you Sayoko," Milly said, before turning back to Nunnally, "that's a nice plant you're holding. Are you getting that?"
"I am," Nunnally said proudly.
Milly nodded, a smile gracing her face. However, when she spotted Lelouch, that smile turned slightly mischievous, causing Lelouch to internally groan as he was inevitably going to be caught up in something.
"Ah there you are," she called out to him, waving. "No rest for the wicked today I'm afraid."
Lelouch sighed before slowly walking to her. "Is it another errand?" he asked.
"I wouldn't say 'errand'," Milly faux innocently said, "rather just a simple delivery at one of Grandfather's suppliers."
Milly handed him a sealed envelope. As Lelouch took it, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her. "A letter, really?"
"Yes, a letter," Milly insisted. However she looked around, seeing that the registers were occupied, and lowered her voice "This is a contract that grandfather is using to gain some influence over the tooling industry here in Area Eleven, just so that in the worst case scenario, we won't be able to be exiled again without considerable setbacks."
Lelouch paused in thought before nodding. Who was he to get in the way of preparation and making himself indispensable for safety? "Alright, I can see your argument for it. But why me, and not you? You're here aren't you, when last I checked you were organising the next school festival back at the Academy."
"Because I'm here to meet another supplier to renegotiate a deal on maintaining the school's plumbing system," Milly informed him. "We don't want a repeat of the torrent fiasco." She shivered at the thought of it. "Back on topic, the supplier specifically requested an Ashford to come in person." She then frowned. "That was a strange message, as he's never requested that before…"
"Interesting," Lelouch murmured, storing that in the back of his mind. "So you've conscripted me to take the letter instead."
"I 'volunteered' you," Milly corrected, smiling.
"Of course you did," he deadpanned at her, but decided to help out. "Alright, consider it done."
"I can always count on you, Lelouch," Milly said cheerfully. She brought out her phone and texted something. After she had sent it, Lelouch felt his phone vibrate and looked at it, seeing a map and coordinates. "The supplier is only a couple of blocks away from here, so you can easily walk there."
As Lelouch noted the coordinates, Milly sighed, doing a quick stretch. "Well, I'll have to go now. My meeting is in ten minutes and I want to be there slightly early."
"Alright, I'll see you later then," Lelouch farewelled.
"Bye Lelouch," she said before raising her voice, "Bye Nunnally! Bye Sayoko!"
After the two said their own goodbyes, Milly left. But since he wanted to get his errand over and done with, Lelouch decided to leave now as well.
"I won't be long," he told Nunnally, handing Sayoko some money to pay for the plants then giving Nunnally a kiss on her forehead, causing her to giggle.
"Pinkie promise?" Nunnally asked half-jokingly, raising her pinky.
Lelouch chuckled before wrapping his pinky around hers. "Pinky promise."
With that, he left the garden centre, intent on finishing his errand, unaware that it would be the last time he would see Nunnally for a long time.
Following the directions Milly had given him, Lelouch found the supplier's building in less than fifteen minutes. It was a large warehouse, seemingly in need of some redecorating to make it look more appealing. While the large shutter doors were closed, he did find some signs directing him to the side of the building, in an alleyway, where the entrance apparently was. He was met with a single door with a doorbell and an intercom.
Pressing the doorbell, he waited a couple of minutes for a response. Then he pressed it again. And again. After testing the door to see if it was unlocked, which it wasn't, he pressed the doorbell at least another five times, each time he was met with nothing.
With a sigh of weariness, Lelouch pressed the intercom button.
"Hello, I'm here as a representative of…" Lelouch began.
"Welcome," a distorted male voice came from the intercom, surprising Lelouch at how fast the response was. "Please enter. A representative will meet you soon."
The door suddenly unlocked with a click, opening with a very small gap. Lelouch blinked, as he waited for both a verbal response on the intercom or for the door to open up fully and reveal the representative that the intercom spoke of. He was only slightly concerned when none of those options occurred.
However the door was unlocked by someone just now, as if inviting Lelouch in. A sense of unease started to emerge in his gut, yet he ignored it. If anything did happen, Milly knew the address so hopefully nothing bad would happen. Still, just in case, he sent Milly a quick text explaining the situation.
Before he even put away his phone, he got a very, very quick response back, saying everything should be fine. His eyes narrowed slightly upon reading. The reply didn't have anything wrong with it, but it seemed to be missing Milly's touch. He could chalk it up to Milly letting someone else use her phone, but his growing sense of suspicion, and what Milly had commented on earlier, caused him to disagree with that possibility.
'Something's up,' he thought to himself, 'but I know Milly and Reuben would probably be disappointed if I don't deliver this letter. I'll just leave it somewhere visible then return back to Nunnally, and tell Milly later to inform the supplier where I left the letter.'
With his next course of action decided upon, Lelouch pushed open the door slowly, peeking inside. He was met with a large open area, filled with various machinery, darkened due to the lights all being turned off, except one that was shining at a doorway to what Lelouch suspected was the main office. To his left was an elevated platform, with stairs leading to it. As he brought his attention to the doorway, he couldn't spot any table or any other structure he could place the letter on.
Deciding to go to the office, since the light was on, Lelouch opened the door fully and stepped inside.
"Hello?" He called out, hearing his voice echo across the walls.
Hearing no response, he decided to walk in, double checking for a table and was disappointed to find nothing. So he was forced to go straight to the office. As he went to do so, he heard a creak come from behind him. He spun around, finding nothing except his growing unease. Thankfully the entrance was still open, and he could always run to it if needed.
"Nothing to worry about," he muttered, more for reassurance than anything else, although his well-trained paranoia was starting to act up.
Lelouch turned back around, took a step towards the office, and halted again as he caught something in his peripheral vision. After he took a closer look, he couldn't find anything yet again. After quickly swivelling his head in both directions and seeing nothing, he decided to quicken his pace. He reached the office door, saw that it was unlocked. Yet from under the door, he could make out faint traces of sunlight. Despite that, there was a stench coming from the other side, a very familiar stench… He started moving to grab the handle to open it when…
"You will not like what you will find in there," a young, yet unemotional female voice came from behind Lelouch.
Lelouch jumped from fright and shock. He spun around and spotted a young girl, sitting on the stairs leading to the platform. She was cast in shadows, making her features slightly obscure, but there was enough there for Lelouch to make out a few details that stood out to him.
The first thing that Lelouch took notice of was her eyes: bright blue that seemed to be luminescent in the dark, piercing right through it like a dagger to the heart, unnerving him at the same time. The next detail was her white skin, as in more so than someone diagnosed with Albinism, completely white with no pigmentation. Her hair, in a bob cut, matched her skin, with the sole exception of one large strand of hair on her right that matched her eye colour. Her clothes were a white dress with the straps made up of bows connected to the main dress by a white flower petal each. She also had a very large black collar, with a flower petal shaped cross on the front.
Her sudden appearance caused alarm bells to ring out in his head. Someone who looked like that should have stood out and been noticed instantly by him, yet he only saw her now. Lelouch was certain that she hadn't been there before, but he had looked only a few seconds ago, not nearly enough time to get there from anywhere out of view, and without making noise as well.
His heart beating faster, Lelouch decided to communicate, due to his curiosity being inflamed by what she had said, and her appearance.
"Hello," he greeted with a smile, trying to hide his slight anxiety. "Are you the representative sent to meet me?"
He was met with silence from the girl. Lelouch's smile faded as the seconds crawled by. He decided to try again. "Hi, my name is Lelouch Lamperouge. I'm here from Ashford Academy, here to deliver a letter." He showed her the letter in his hand. "Just wondering, what did you mean earlier?" He asked, "and are you a member of this workplace?"
"Was I not clear?" She tilted her head, ignoring his second question. "You will not like what is in there."
"Can you tell me what is in there?" Lelouch asked, slowly stepping backwards, away from the office and the girl, towards the entrance.
"The manager and the owner of this business," the girl replied bluntly, much to Lelouch's surprise. He stopped in his tracks for a moment as he contemplated her answer.
"Well, I need to deliver this letter to them so…" Lelouch faltered as his mind suddenly connected the dots. The emptiness, the lack of any reactions to his arrival and this conversation and finally this girl's answer. He felt his stomach plummet as his voice lowered in dread. "They're dead, aren't they?"
The strange girl nodded. "Correct," she answered in her monotone voice.
"... How long have they been dead for?" he asked, voice even lower than before.
"Two hours, fifteen minutes and thirty three seconds," the girl said, straightening her head again.
"Were you here when they died?"
"I was," she nodded again.
As soon as he saw her head move, Lelouch, normally one to fight but his lack of any weapons or other options ruled that out, sprinted for the exit. He may have one of the worst physical states, if not the worst, in Ashford due to his lack of exercise, but adrenaline and the sudden push for survival were excellent for driving the body to push past its limits.
Unfortunately, before he could reach it, the door slammed shut. Lelouch couldn't react in time before he collided with it. He groaned in pain from the impact, but didn't dwell on it, reaching for the handle, only to find it jammed and locked.
"Dammit!" he shouted, pulling out his phone, only to cry out in pain as it suddenly started fizzling out, sparks flying out of it as it imploded on itself. He instinctively dropped the phone, holding his hand.
"Correct and efficient response time," he heard the girl comment in her unemotional voice. He looked back behind him, glaring at her upon seeing that she hadn't moved from her spot, her glowing eyes now with a more sinister connotation than before. "But futile."
Lelouch looked around, desperate to find another way out. Soon enough, some inspiration hit him as he looked back at the office doorway, or rather what was coming out from under it.
'The office,' he thought to himself. 'There's sunlight coming from there. That means there must be a window I can use to get out.'
However, there was a very big catch. The girl, her unwavering gaze following him, was closer to the office than he was presently. But there was no alternative. He took a deep breath. 'I have to risk it.'
So he sprinted back to the office, using his momentum to push the door open using his shoulder, despite his lack of strength. However, as soon as he stepped inside, he skidded to a halt, his eyes wide in shock and horror with a sudden urge to gag. Suddenly he understood why that stench was so familiar.
Inside the office were two bodies, one slumped in his chair, as if he was killed while working, the other lying on a desk under a window, the very one Lelouch had aimed to find, an expression of fear forever etched onto the face of the corpse. What both bodies shared was a massive hole that encompassed almost their entire chest area, with the body at the window missing his arm due to this. There was also blood and small chunks of flesh everywhere.
While the existence of both corpses, as well as how both looked to have been shot by something at least the size of a Knightmare rifle, did horrify Lelouch, his main concern and the thing that truly horrified him the most was the window itself; the edges fused shut by what appeared to be plasma.
"I did inform you that you would not like what was in there," Lelouch heard the girl say back in the workshop area, Lelouch certain that if she wasn't as unemotional as ever, she would be taunting him.
Still Lelouch didn't give up. He started rummaging through the office, looking for anything he could use to break the glass window. He found a small rock, but it wasn't strong enough to break it with one hit. Still, he could improvise. He took a step back, analysing the general dimensions of the window before he climbed onto the desk under it, pushing the corpse away and started to hammer the rock into the window at a certain spot, hoping to use a potential weak spot to break the window.
"An interesting solution to your predicament," the girl continued to note, with Lelouch trying to ignore her, "Your intelligence and actions match with our intel, Lelouch vi Britannia."
Lelouch froze mid-motion, his eyes widening as his world suddenly ended by hearing his true name come out of the girl's mouth. In his shock, he dropped the rock, however he didn't notice as he was too busy trying not to freak out.
"How do you know my name?" he asked, his voice low.
"I know many things about you, Lelouch," the girl (who had presumably murdered the two corpses in the room) replied, somehow hearing him. "Lelouch vi Britannia was born on 5th December 1999, the first child between Emperor Charles zi Britannia and Marianne vi Britannia, formerly known as Marianne Lamperouge."
Lelouch found himself shaking in fear. That last statement about his mother's maiden name was not covered in official history. It was so obscure he doubted the internet had it in any easily found state. It was the main reason he chose to keep his Mother's maiden name as his and Nunnally's disguise, while also honouring their Mother. And this girl had just spoken it like it was common knowledge. However, the girl wasn't even close to being done.
"In Pendragon, you and Nunnally, your younger sister by five years, were often viewed by many of your siblings as lesser due to Marianne's origins in the lower classes of Britannia," the girl continued, almost inaudible footsteps telling him she was moving. "However, some siblings did treat you with respect and love, namely Cornelia and Euphemia li Britannia, the latter only one year younger than you, inviting you over for sleepovers and dates. You also enjoyed a friendship with a young Millicent Ashford, in an attempt to solicit a future marriage between the two of you."
"That all changed when Marianne was assassinated in the Aries Viella. In the process, Nunnally vi Britannia was crippled, losing her legs, while her eyes can not open again due to the trauma she suffered. The day after, you confronted Charles in the throne room, where after he labelled the assassination as 'old news', you forfeited your right to the throne. In response Charles declared you 'dead', and had you and Nunnally exiled to Japan."
"...Stop it…"
"During your exile in Japan, you stayed with Prime Minister Genbu Kururugi and his family until the invasion of Japan where you were almost killed by your own country. In the aftermath of the surrender, to Suzaku Kururugi, you vowed to obliterate Britannia."
"I said stop…"
"Since then you have stayed with the Ashford Family, taking up the name of Lelouch Lamperouge. Currently you are the vice-president of the Student Council, serving under Millicent Ashford and forming friendships with Shirley Fenette and Rivalz Cardemonde. However, you cannot truly connect with any of them, even if you tried, as to you, you are just a walking corpse, dead forever due to the words of your Father, only driven by Nunnally and revenge."
"I SAID SHUT UP!" Lelouch snapped. He twisted on the spot, glaring at the doorway, even though the Girl wasn't there. "You know NOTHING about who I am!"
Even as he said that denial in anger, the rational part of his mind was on overdrive trying to process how this girl knew that much about him, even his personal feelings. He forced himself to calm down, he couldn't afford to get distracted by anger. But unfortunately his pride decided to come out of hiding and present itself.
"But if you feel like you do," he taunted, "then tell me, do you know who killed Mother?!"
"I do."
And Lelouch's pride disappeared in a flash, his emotions turning numb as he processed her answer. This girl… She knows who killed Mother?! SHE KNOWS!
"...Were you involved?" he asked, his voice low, seemingly calm yet a boiling flood of anger was quickly building up inside him. Depending on her answer, his goal to flee would be overridden by an urge to kill. "Are you here to finish the job?"
"Negative," the girl replied, causing Lelouch's anger to cease growing. "I have never been associated with the individual responsible, nor was I involved in the murder."
"Then who did it!" He shouted.
"That is unimportant for the foreseeable future," came the emotionless reply. That snapped the last of his patience with this emotionless golem of a girl!
"THE HELL IT IS!" Lelouch shouted. "That person killed my Mother, crippled my SISTER and ruined her life! AND WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME THAT THEY ARE NOT IMPORTANT!?"
With that declaration, Lelouch grabbed the rock and resumed his escape plan, smashing it into the window a couple more times, earning some cracks. He grinned in a feral manner as he raised the rock for one last strike.
Yet it was not to be.
"Who am I?" The girl repeated as Lelouch felt something wrap around his waist.
He looked down and saw a blue metal cable like tentacle with a black end that seemed to plug into machinery as it coiled around him. He didn't even have time to register what the girl said before he was yanked backwards off the desk, losing his grip on the rock. Lelouch was promptly dragged out of the office, his efforts to grab onto anything to prevent this proving futile, as within seconds he was past the doorway, out of the office and back into the main warehouse area.
Lelouch felt more of the metal tentacles wrap around him, securing both his legs, his left arm and neck, though thankfully the tentacle around his neck wasn't tight enough to cause him breathing issues. As he began to try to free himself from the grip of the tentacles, they lifted him off the ground, suspending him a metre off the floor.
As he twisted and turned to break free, he was flipped around to find himself face to face with the girl, who was now standing on the stairs she had been sitting on just moments before. A light now shone on her, revealing that she was the source of the tentacles, all coming from the back of her hair, at the base where her collar was in the rear. Her eyes were glowing like actual lights, despite looking organic.
"You can designate me as Dreamweaver," she introduced herself finally, her eyes settling on his own eyes.
"... You're not human," Lelouch noted, trying to act nonchalant despite his fearful expression only seconds before.
"Correct," Dreamweaver confirmed. "What I am is unimportant currently. However, the possibility of you discovering what I am is approximately 65-35 odds, given your intellect and access to data provided in our current exchange."
'The lack of emotions,' Lelouch thought to himself, 'the way she speaks occasionally using machine and computer terminology, the use of logic and the way she easily destroyed my phone. It all points to one conclusion.'
"Why are you dragging this out?" he said out loud. "A machine such as yourself, no matter how unique or organic you are, should be efficient, right?"
Lelouch was expecting this to expedite his own demise from this Dreamweaver. 'I'm sorry, Nunnally… I can't keep my promise…'
"...Probability has increased to 87-13 odds," Dreamweaver noted, "a reasonable deduction, regarding my status as an organic machine, however critically incomplete. In contrast, your implied accusation of my goal being your termination is… incorrect."
Lelouch's eyes widened in surprise before quickly narrowing again. "Then I fail to see the purpose in this 'show' of yours, other than scaring me to death. If you aren't going to kill me, then why am I here?"
Instead of answering, Dreamweaver's eyes began to glow even brighter, as suddenly what seemed like thousands of blue lights began appearing around her, all coming together as she started to float before a bright flash blinded Lelouch. Blinking rapidly to restore his sight, Lelouch then found Dreamweaver now sitting in a black hovering mechanical throne, a large blue translucent cover that looked like the head of a jellyfish that bobbed in the air like it was actually alive, connected by a stem to the back of the throne, tentacles flowing down from the jellyfish structure, and the bottom of the throne, along with cables. To the side of the throne were two turrets, each with three barrels.
"That 'show' was a demonstration," Dreamweaver said before one of the barrels on the left turret started to whine, charging up a shot.
Lelouch's eyes widened and he instinctively covered himself with it when the barrel fired two shots, racing past him and hitting several containers to the far side of the warehouse. The containers exploded on impact, which set off a chain reaction as whatever was inside the containers suddenly exploded again, sending flaming debris everywhere. Uncovering his face, Lelouch could only watch in horrified fascination as parts of the building caught on fire, quickly forming a blaze that began to spread.
"...to ensure your compliance," Dreamweaver finished.
Lelouch turned back to face Dreamweaver, and regretted it, as the bright lights shining on her now from the flames made her a very sinister sight, as much as he hated to admit it. Dreamweaver had now forever cemented herself as a source of fear inside Lelouch now. Still, he fought past the fear, still resolved to resist and get out of this FUBAR situation, somehow.
"Letting the both of us burn alive, huh," he snarked. "That's quite contrary to what you said before, unless you lied."
"Your suspicion and lack of trust is understandable," Dreamweaver allowed, "born from your experiences in your life, having been thrown away by your own family." Lelouch couldn't help but wince from that statement, knowing that it was correct, and hit him right in the heart. "However, it is unfounded here." She leaned her head forward. "I will not let you burn alive, not when your existence is still required." She brought Lelouch closer. "What this achieves is covering our tracks, and ensuring you are viewed as deceased by everyone here."
"What?!" Lelouch cried out in shock, immediately thinking of Nunnally and how she would react.
Dreamweaver nodded, bringing out a white doll and holding it with both hands. "Your absence would be noticed in all calculated outcomes. This path ensures that your sister will remain hidden from Britannia, allowing her to live her life." Seeing the look on Lelouch's face, Dreamweaver continued. "Nunnally vi Britannia, while crippled and a pacifist, is not mentally weak. She will not fall apart completely from your 'demise'."
"That doesn't mean I want to cause her any kind of pain at all!" Lelouch countered, snarling. "And what do you mean about my absence?"
"Exactly that," she said, "your absence from this world."
Dreamweaver then turned the throne around and started hovering up to the platform, taking Lelouch with her. Lelouch didn't resist that much, since the platform was by now the safest part of the warehouse, not engulfed by flames in the raging inferno. As they moved, she began to explain.
"There is a location that is currently under threat. You will be an Extraneous Variable in an experiment, to see if this place can be saved," she gave him a glance, "by you."
"By me?" Lelouch questioned. "What can I do? Besides, why should I be a part of this experiment of saving a place I don't know, where no one I know and care about is affected and one where I have no stake in?"
"Because it will give you the experience you need to achieve your greatest desires," Dreamweaver answered, "both to create a better world that Nunnally would be proud of, and to destroy Britannia." Seeing Lelouch's expression, Dreamweaver elaborated. "I have already spoken of your desires, Lelouch vi Britannia, and how they drive you. It is only logical that they would lead to such outcomes of the very empire that betrayed you being destroyed, and an equal, fair and happy world being made in Nunnally's name."
As they arrived on the platform, Dreamweaver clasped the doll with a tighter grip as she looked down on it. "The latter especially, for she remains your highest priority, something that has been consistent since before your exile. However, even now you already plan on how to achieve the former, your rebellion all but certain, however distant it is."
She looked back at Lelouch, whose full attention was now on her, his attempts to escape on hold. "This location that I will send you to is broken, however it is less hostile to individuals similar to Nunnally. If you succeed in your task of saving it, you will be free to transform it into a world fit for Nunnally." She brought him closer. "There is also an additionally high chance that the residents in the location, depending on how and if you succeed, will offer their assistance in destroying Britannia and making this world a better one. That is one thing I can offer you if you choose to join this experiment."
Lelouch let her words sink in. Everything she said about him was true, even though some of it he hasn't told anyone. And what she was offering already was… tempting if he was honest with himself, and apparently she wasn't done with the offers. To make a better world for Nunnally was always his drive, and this Dreamweaver was offering it to him, though only if he succeeded in saving a place she was avoiding describing. Speaking of which…
"What are the chances of me succeeding if I do allow myself to enter this experiment?" Lelouch asked.
"28.7%" Dreamweaver answered bluntly. "That is the default probability, and is subject to constant changes due to shifting variables, such as your actions, relationships and others, including ones outside your control."
Lelouch narrowed his eyes again. On the one hand he did appreciate that, even if the number she said was low, she apparently was being honest to him. Telling him a statistic that went counter to convincing him was enough to make him consider that she was telling the truth. On the other hand, that was a very worrying statistic, really making him reluctant to join the experiment, if he had a choice that is, since he was sure that Dreamweaver was going to get him to join, whether he wanted to or not.
"Why tell me if the number is so low?" Lelouch asked. "I did ask, but wouldn't it be more beneficial to you if you just lied to me?"
"You are correct, in the short term," Dreamweaver acknowledged, "but lying to you would increase the long term risks of your cooperation in the experiment, whether through willfully disrupting it as a means of defying me, or failing through your inflated arrogance and pride."
"Excuse me?!"
"However, there are two more conditions I offer in exchange for willingly entering this experiment," Dreamweaver continued, ignoring his outburst, "the first is that, regardless of whether you succeed, or if you fail and die… I will cure Nunnally of her crippled condition, allowing her to see and walk again."
That statement destroyed whatever resistance Lelouch still had in him. Cure Nunnally? Modern Britannian medical technology, the best in the world, couldn't fix her, leaving it forever as a pipedream. Yet Dreamweaver here was claiming that she could. If she was telling the truth… no matter what, Nunnally would benefit, regardless of whether he died or not. She would be able to reclaim what those bastards had taken from her! Yet it could all be a lie, something to manipulate him. If so, it was a very, very effective way of doing so. But he couldn't fall for her lies.
"I see you have doubts," Dreamweaver noticed, seeing the look on his face. "Understandable, considering what I offer is something you've long thought impossible. Yet…" she gestured to herself, "isn't my existence here something you would have considered impossible? In addition I have been truthful to you while conversing. There are things I am keeping from you, holding back details, I will freely admit. But never have I lied, and all I say about Nunnally is the truth. I will cure her, no catches, no tradeoffs for her and/or your friends."
"... and the next condition?" Lelouch asked, his voice low.
"I will tell you everything about your Mother's assassination," Dreamweaver said, dropping another bombshell on Lelouch, whose eyes widened, "from what has been kept from you, the reasoning behind it, all the data pertaining to Marianne and Charles relationship, and most importantly to you, the identity behind the assassination."
Lelouch looked down, his eyes covered by shadows and his hair. He remained that way for a moment, ignoring everything around him. Yet his choice was made, the conclusion inevitable. A chance for Nunnally to recover, and to avenge his Mother? He could not refuse.
So with that, he looked up, eyes now burning with newfound purpose and drive, unknowingly dispelling the very death his Father had claimed he was. "I accept your terms for entering this experiment!"
"Excellent," Dreamweaver said, the ghost of a smile appearing on her face being the first example of emotion Lelouch had seen on her, before she started taking him towards the edge of the platform.
"A couple of questions first, if you will." Lelouch said. "Is there a time limit for me achieving success?"
"Not initially," Dreamweaver answered. "However certain variables or external factors may introduce the need for one. If one needs to be implemented, I shall inform you of what it is and when it starts."
"Good to know," Lelouch said. At least he wasn't entirely being left on his own. "My second question is how are we going to reach this location, when all of the exits of this building are either now engulfed in flames, or have been razed by said flames, all now unreachable?"
"Correction: You are going," Dreamweaver said as they reached the edge, moving Lelouch with the tentacles until he was suspended off the edge. "I will be at a different location, observing you at all times."
"Uh, what are you doing?" Lelouch asked nervously as his feet dangled above the fiery pit of burning metal.
His question was answered when a horizontal swirling mass of energy appeared below him, expanding into a vortex with a very large hole into nothingness.
"To weave a dream, or make a nightmare, I leave the task to you," Dreamweaver told him cryptically. "Good luck, Lelouch vi Britannia."
With that, she released Lelouch from her tentacle grip all at once, and he fell into the vortex, crying out in shock. The last thing he saw was Dreamweaver watching him fall, as another vortex, a smaller vertical one, formed behind her, before he fell into the nothingness.
The nothingness only lasted barely even a few seconds before Lelouch felt himself falling out of the vortex, into the air until…
Splash!
Lelouch spluttered under the surface of the water, having just landed in what seemed to be a very large body of water, most likely in an ocean. He reorientated himself as quickly as he could, not an easy feat when you're all confused and frazzled from being TELEPORTED by a portal. Thankfully, he managed to do so in a record time for him, and started swimming to the surface, having already lost too much air from his arrival. He hadn't sunk that far down, allowing him barely enough time to resurface, gasping for air as soon as he broke through the water.
After blinking to get the water out of his eyes, Lelouch looked up, seeing the vortex he just fell from above his head. He glared at it with all the spite he had, but it soon vanished as the vortex closed up and disappeared, revealing a bright sun in the blue sky. A normally peaceful sight that was broken by two planes flying past him in the sky.
Barely having time to register that both planes were similar to war planes constructed in the late 30s and early 40s, Lelouch was caught off guard by several explosions going off in quick succession. After snapping his head back down to level, lowering his gaze in the process, Lelouch was astounded to find himself marooned in the middle of a naval battle. While the different warships presently fighting were constantly moving, Lelouch could easily discern a battle line of two sides.
On one side to his left were made up of naval vessels of various classifications, the majority of which were either Destroyers or Light Cruisers, with a couple of Battleships and Carriers. The designs of these vessels seemed to of similar design to Britannian warships built during the first half of the 20th Century. It would have made him think he had been sent back in time, if it wasn't for the opposing side of the battle having a completely different aesthetic.
To his right were warships of a vastly different design. Instead these warships were very futuristic; the very unorthodox hulls, the black surface with orange lights and how they looked so much more advanced than modern Britannian warships. Lelouch couldn't even make out the classifications of these advanced warships.
The 'older' ships seemed to be taking a lot more casualties, with Lelouch witnessing several getting sunk, and the amount of debris and burning hulks were of their type, but the futuristic ships have taken casualties too, and there seemed to be more being sunk now. While the 'older' vessels didn't seem to be able to do much against the futuristic ships for the most part, there seemed to be very small ships hidden amongst the fleet that Lelouch couldn't see from where he was, that were running around, firing at the futuristic ships and getting consistent kills.
All that however was a distraction from the real issue in Lelouch's mind currently; how he was barely managing to keep himself from sinking under the water, and he didn't want to get caught up in this battle if he could help it. Surveilling the area as best he could, considering he had to keep some attention to keeping afloat, Lelouch spotted what could be a landmass, most likely an Island, behind him. It was a fair distance away, and Lelouch wasn't sure he could make it with his current strength, but it was still his best bet.
So he began to swim. However, as he swam closer to the landmass, he could make out fighting happening there as well. Except there were no ships there. Instead, he could make out the outlines of… people fighting, much closer to him than the island. He decided he must be hallucinating, his mind too worn out after all of this craziness today, so he continued on. Then he quickly saw something move close to his side. He turned to look, finding what seemed to be a human lady with very pale skin, white hair done up in a feral punk style ponytail/mohawk and yellow eyes, wearing a headset, a very revealing swimsuit that looked like armour, and to top it all off, was riding a metal prawn like creature that was swimming in the water, its colouring and texture very similar to the futuristic ships.
Lelouch blinked at the absurd sight. He would have straight out denied that it was real, if it wasn't for his encounter with Dreamweaver beforehand, and this lady was giving off a similar feeling to Dreamweaver.
Turns out that today, fate seemed to have it out for him because the lady spotted him. In an instance, she and the prawn dived under the waves at unreasonable speed, startling Lelouch. He looked down into the water, spotting her swimming up to him, just as she burst out of the water, grabbing his throat, then pulling him under the water with her.
Lelouch tried to break free, but the lady's grip was inhumanly strong. Already he was struggling to breath as the Lady continued to drown him, while her mechanical shrimp chomped its jaw at him. He used one hand to push against her head but she didn't budge, her glowing yellow eyes looking unwaveringly at him, reminding him again of Dreamweaver, except here he could see a sinister nature within this Lady, which was soon confirmed by the sadistic grin that formed on her face.
'Is this it?!' Lelouch thought as the edges of his vision started to darken. 'Is this where I die?... No, I refuse!' He fought even harder to break free. 'I will see Nunnally again!'
His increased ferocity only seemed to amuse the Lady, as it wasn't having any effect on her. It seemed Lelouch was not going to survive her until something hit the lady hard, causing her to be thrown to the side, letting go of Lelouch in the process. Lelouch, without any hesitation, swam back to the surface, only to look back and see the Lady recover, seemingly unhurt, shooting a torpedo at something on the surface just above him.
It missed him, but caused him to flail about, already on the edge of falling unconscious. Thankfully he was close to the surface, allowing him to be grabbed again, this time by a different individual who pulled him out of the water.
Lelouch spluttered and coughed, getting as much water as he could out of his mouth as he was held above the water. His vision hadn't recovered yet so he couldn't properly see who had saved him, only a very blurred sight of them.
"Oh dear, he took a lot of water in!" He heard a polite female voice from the person, aimed at someone else before her voice became more clear as she talked directly to him, "It's ok, you're alright now."
Lelouch rubbed his eyes, finally getting his vision back. Blinking, he pulled back slightly from the hold, taking a look at the woman who was still holding him up, and gasped at what he saw.
She was a woman with long white hair tied into two plaits down the sides of her hair, bright goldish yellow eyes that showed kindness and concern, and big breasts, wearing a unique maid's frilled black uniform/dress with a black showgirl skirt with fishnets, high heels and a maid headdress. Yet the thing about her that Lelouch gasped at were the five double barrel gun turrets connected to what looked like two naval warship hull pieces coming out of her back, as well as what looked to be two torpedo launchers coming out from either side under her large maid skirt. There was also the fact that she was standing on the very water like it was a solid surface.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" The woman asked.
"Uh…" Lelouch answered intelligently, his mind stuck on her turrets.
Boom!
An explosion hit the water nearby. The woman instinctively used herself to cover Lelouch from it, but didn't get hit. Instead she looked back at the perpetrator, another strange lady, this one looking similar to the first one, except there was no prawn; she had her long hair running down her back, she had an eyepiece for her right eye and there were six arms with large cannons coming from her back. All six were now aimed at the two of them. Lelouch also noted that she too was standing on the water
The maid cursed under her breath. She looked back at Lelouch. "Don't worry, I'm going to get you out if this," she assured him before suddenly the mohawk lady leapt from the waves, her shrimp aimed at biting the maid's head off.
The maid fired her cannons at the shrimp, sending it flying back with an explosion. Lelouch then realised that she must have been one of those 'ships' that he had seen destroy several of the futuristic ships. Miraculously, when Lelouch spied where they had been sent to, the lady, despite being in the blast radius and should have been blown up, just had burn marks and some scratches, nothing more. The lady quickly got back up, and glared at the maid.
The Maid glared back, before putting her hand to her ear. "This is HMS Hermione, requesting assistance. I've found the one from the portal, but am cornered by a Peace Breaker and at least one Lurker."
'HMS Hermione?' Lelouch thought to himself, 'like the name of a warship? Where the hell did Dreamweaver send me? And what is a Peace Breaker and Lurker?' he looked back at the two ladies they were facing off. 'Did Hermione mean these two?'
While considering this whole situation, Lelouch spotted something in the water coming at them from behind Hermione. His eyes widened as he saw a lady identical to the teeth to the Mohawk one, with her own mechanical shrimp.
"Behind you!" he called out, causing Hermione to spin around in shock, just as the shrimp fired a torpedo from its mouth.
Hermione, still holding Lelouch, moved to the left, skating on the water like it was an ice-ring. She dodged the torpedo and returned fire with her guns, though this mohawk lady submerged herself to dodge.
"Another Lurker just engaged!" Hermione called out, hand on ear again, as if talking on a radio, which Lelouch assumed she was.
The second 'Lurker' re-emerged from the water while the first one started its own attack of torpedoes. At the same time, the lady with six cannons, which Lelouch assumed was the 'Peace Breaker' that Hermione was talking about, started charging her cannons at them.
However, suddenly three carrier planes flew by, dropping bombs on the Peace Breaker, distracting her enough for a volley of battleship shells to come down upon her from behind. The first Lurker looked back in surprise, only to have a Javelin impact her directly in her face.
While both… Lelouch didn't know what to call them… were disoriented, three more women skated to him and Hermione, firing their own cannons at the stunned 'women'. Lelouch noted that just like Hermione, these women looked much more human and friendly.
The one in front was a teenage girl with light purple hair and blue eyes, wearing a white blouse with a unique blue hoodie tied up around her neck and a pleated purple skirt. She had only two turrets and a large torpedo launcher. She actually sped to the Lurker and retrieved the Javelin, before launching a torpedo right at her, getting a point blank hit on the prawn.
The next woman that came was another maid. This one was another young woman with a tall stature and a fair complexion, a slender frame, large breasts, waist-length white hair with a french braid tied behind her head and purple-coloured eyes. She wears a blue sleeveless maid dress with frilly shoulders and bottoms, a white crop top, a blue buttoned waist-corset and a white frilled lace-trimmed apron wrapped around her waist with a long anchored themed-garter dangling on each sides, white frilled arm gloves underneath a metal gauntlet, white stockings, black ribboned pumps and a maid headdress on top of her head. Her turrets were triple barrelled, two on each side, with two much smaller turrets on the top of her gauntlets, while on her back was like a funnel.
The last one was a regal woman with long, blonde hair, red eyes and big breasts, wearing a red fur trim cape, red jacket with epaulettes and sleeve rank for captains, medals, a double-breasted white shirt, white pleated skirt, black thigh highs with garter straps, black knee boots, blue hair ribbon, and had a sabre in a scabbard on her right. She had three large turrets, all of them Quad-barrelled, and some smaller turrets, though no torpedo launchers like the others. She also had a funnel and mast piece similar to the second maid.
The maid and the teenage girl engaged the First Lurker, causing her to fall back, while the regal woman pulled out her sword and slashed at the Peace Breaker, managing to cut her across the face. She dodged the punch, backed away then used her cannons directly at the chest of the Peace Breaker, a full barrage from all three main cannons. The close range ensured that the Peace Breaker couldn't dodge and had her body engulfed in an explosion then smoke.
The regal woman let out a war cry and swung her sword again, only for a hand to emerge from the smoke and catch the sword. The smoke dissipated, revealing the Peace Breaker, while now quite burnt, wounded, yet still standing, seemingly unfazed.. The Peace Breaker fired her own cannons at the regal woman, who was sent back from the hits. Her turrets and machine parts took the brunt of the attack, now visibly damaged, her uniform got slightly torn, and she was covered in bruises, but she wasn't out of the fight, her face unwavering against the physically stronger opponent.
Then another bombing run by several planes attacked the Peace Breaker, giving the regal lady enough of an opportunity to dodge another volley from the Peace Breaker. She disengaged from the fight after two naval warships began engaging it.
Spotting Lelouch and Hermione, she skated to them across the water, while the maid and teenager regrouped with them too.
"Is he the one who fell out of the portal?" She asked Hermione, her posh Britannian accent standing out.
"He is," Hermione confirmed, nodding. "But he doesn't look like a Siren, nor do I think he has anything to do with them. When I found him, he was being drowned by the Lurker Javelin just hit."
"That isn't something a Lurker would do to an ally," the purple eyed maid said. "Besides, all of the Sirens so far have been female, like us. I doubt that they would make a male Siren only to drop him in front of us from one of their portals."
"Agreed," the regal woman said, before turning to Lelouch. "Sorry for the lack of greetings so far," she said apologetically, "but unfortunately, the situation hasn't allowed me the chance to provide one."
"I understand," Lelouch said, "I do thank you for not trying to kill me, or capture me with tentacles as well," he added slightly sarcastically.
"Hm, I can see why you would thank us," the regal woman jovially said, before saluting him by sending her fist to her chest. "HMS King George V, of the King George V Class Battleship, head of the Royal Knights, at your service…" She paused. "Pardon my rudeness, but I haven't asked for your name."
"Lelouch Lamperouge," Lelouch offered. "Just one question for you. What the hell is that!" He shouted, pointing at the Peace Breaker that had just finished destroying the two warships distracting it.
"Shit!," King George V said, upon seeing that. "I thought the mass produced ships would last a minute longer." She sighed before bringing her sword out, her expression becoming determined. "But the fight goes on," she pointed at the Peace Breaker, which had finished destroying the two vessels, "that is a Siren. That's all I can answer right now." She turned to Hermione and the other maid. "Belfast, Hermione, get Mr Lamperouge to safety on that Island, now!"
"Of course, ma'am," the purple eyed maid, now revealed to be called Belfast, replied, before turning to both Hermione and Lelouch. "I'll escort you there while you carry him."
"Right away," Hermione agreed. With that, they started sailing towards the Island, with Hermione still carrying Lelouch as Belfast skated next to them, firing at a couple of the futuristic ships in their way, with Belfast taking them down easily. They quickly arrived, coming onto the shore, with Hermione putting Lelouch down on the sand.
"Now we should be safe for now," she told him.
"Are you part of the Britannian Military by any chance?" he asked Hermione, probing about where he was.
"Britannian Military?" Hermione replied, confused. "Unless you mean the Royal British Military, then yes, but I haven't heard anyone call us 'Britannian' before."
Lelouch blinked. "Wait, as in the British Isles, conquered by Napoleon after the French Revolution…"
"What?!" Hermione's expression was one of shock and almost insult. "We were never conquered by Napoleon!"
"Never… oh…" Lelouch's eyes widened as an idea came to his mind about what was happening. "Did George Washington's rebellion fail here? Is Japan still around, or has it been conquered and transformed into Area Eleven?"
The two women looked at each other with confused expressions, as if Lelouch was talking complete nonsense. Though it seemed Belfast seemed to be reaching a similar conclusion to what Lelouch was thinking.
"The American War of Independence succeeded," she informed Lelouch. "And yes, Japan is the head nation of the Sakura Empire, and is free, though currently our enemy." She frowned in thought before asking "What year do you think it is now?"
Lelouch hesitated before answering "2017 a.t.b."
Belfast, upon hearing his answer, nodded, her expression shifting to sympathy. "2024 c.e." She answered herself, causing Lelouch to gasp in shock.
"...Alternate world," Hermione mused, having caught up and verbally stated the conclusion all of them had arrived at by now.
Lelouch let that phrase repeat itself in his head. He suddenly felt his vision spin around, as if his mind was unable to deal with the revelation at this moment. He started shaking as a realisation that Nunnally was back home while he was in another world, where he couldn't help her.
Lelouch fell to his knees, covering his face as everything that has happened today just hit him all at once, the reality setting in. Now what he had seen, these 'Sirens', the ladies here having names like that of warships, with turrets, all made sense with the explanation of being in an alternate world. And he had no way back, as part of an experiment to save this world.
Hermione and Belfast looked at him with sympathy and concern. Hermione went up to him, hand reaching to his shoulder when she suddenly pulled back upon hearing Lelouch begin to laugh hysterically.
Belfast, initially thought he had lost it, also went to comfort him, but stopped just like Hermione as Lelouch's hand lowered enough to show his eyes, causing the both of them to take an involuntary step back at seeing the burning ferocity, drive and most shocking of all, joy, in them.
Lelouch finally realised that he had been growing soft, barely even using his talent to beat Nobles with at best mediocre talent, at gambling in chess matches. But here, here was a true threat, something that couldn't be beaten like a normal adversary, to try his intellectual might against. Now, this was a challenge, and Lelouch couldn't be happier.
'To save this world,' he thought to himself. 'That's what you want me to do, isn't it, Dreamweaver? To save this world from these Sirens?'
Lelouch's hand fell away, revealing his almost evil smirk. "Well then…Challenge accepted!"
Hello there and welcome to another adventure! This story here is inspired by the story on Archive of Our Own "Code Azur: Lelouch of the Fleet" by META2012. Go check it out!
First of all, to all of the fans of Lelouch of the Night, don't worry, this project will not be taking over that one, especially after the year long hiatus I had with it! This is just something on the side. I may have an update for this one sooner than LotN, but my main overall focus will still be on LotN.
Secondly, you may be wondering, why a Code Geass and Azur Lane crossover? Well, for one, since September last year, I have been playing Azur Lane non-stop almost every single day, having become addicted to the characters, story and lore. Secondly, I discovered Code Azur, and instantly became a fan of it. It had been on a hiatus for over a year and a half and I wasn't expecting any more content for it. Still the idea of those two IPs crossing over stayed in my mind, and my muse started to churn slowly, even in the midst of my very large writer's block. I just started thinking of scenarios of what I wanted to see, and soon enough that eventually translated into me actually writing a starting chapter on pen and paper, a chapter that would become this very chapter.
So here we are! Lelouch is thrown into another world by the mysterious Dreamweaver. Expect to see her on the odd, uncommon occurrence. And Lelouch has already made contact with the Royal Navy KANSEN and the Sirens as well. How will that turn out? You will see.
That's it from me for now. I hope you all enjoy!
Special thanks to Seerking for Beta reading this chapter! Go check out his awesome content!
Regards,
dalek117