Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. The only things that I own are my OCs. I will only say this once so I will not repeat it in later chapters.

. . .

. . .

Divergence

. . .

. . .

A young masked man wandered amidst a throne room stained with blood and filled with bodies riddled with bullets.

Blood flowed freely from the wound in his side.

Friends and former enemies alike lay in puddles of their own blood.

He cried softly, weakly, to himself when he saw his friends, their names passing in whispers from his lips.

Gino…

Anya…

Kallen…

Nunnally…

It had all been in vain. Lelouch's sacrifice had been in vain. The gentler, peaceful world that he had died—had been killed by the young masked man—to create was destroyed, bathed in the blood of the innocent.

Everyone the young masked man had left had been taken from him.

He was alone, would die alone, in a bloodstained throne room with a single bloodstained crane in his hand.

"Do you desire the chance to prevent this?"

He didn't recognize the voice. He had no clue where it was coming from, he only knew that he was no longer in the bloodstained throne room.

"I have a proposal for you."

He gazed around and recognized where he was.

The ruins of the Sword of Akasha.

"I will send you back in time and grant you a power, a Geass, that shall aid you in your quest to prevent this tragedy and, in turn, you shall help the one who saved my life reach his full potential. You shall be his voice of reason. You will learn everything about your mission at a later date should you choose to accept."

It sounded too good to be true.

"It will not be an easy task but you will get the chance to save everyone who lost their lives and, with the help of the one to whom I owe a debt, create the future that should have been created had it not been for that twist of fate."

This person was the one that Lelouch had saved when he destroyed the Ragnarok Connection. But twist of fate? Was that what caused this tragedy?

"Yes, I am known as the Divine, though others have called me by many other names. And, yes, indeed, though I shall not tell you of what that twist was. However, it is your decision."

Could he do it? Could he really prevent this tragedy from happening? Could he prevent the People United Against Britannia from taking from him everyone he had left that he actually cared about?

Could he really help to turn the dream that both he and Lelouch shared into reality?

"You would not have been chosen had all of us not had faith in you, and in the one whom saved me. Together, you two can do anything."

It was too good an opportunity to give up, though the power, the Geass, was worrisome.

"Relax. It shall only be an informational one and will not harm anyone that it is used on."

That made some of the worry go away. Should he accept? Could he really give up such an opportunity?

"Kururugi Suzaku, what is your decision?"

The young masked man lifted his gaze to the sky and stated, in a clear voice, "I accept."

. . .

Stage 01

The White Knight Reawakens

Suzaku Kururugi woke up to the sound of someone shouting his name. Blinking blearily as he attempted to figure out where he was and what just happened, he sat up, looked around and saw the familiar dark-blue haired form of Kenji Sato, his former bunkmate and one of his friends from when he had been a private of the Britannian Army. Suzaku blinked as the memory of everything that happened came back into his mind, his talk with the Divine being on the forefronts.

So he sent me back to before the massacre at the Shinjuku Ghetto, Suzaku realized since he knew that Kenji had been one of the causalities of the massacre back then.

"C'mon, Suzaku. The captain wants us to be in the briefing room in fifteen minutes," Kenji said, leaning back when he saw that Suzaku was awake physically, even if his mind was still attempting to catch up with the rest of his body. After all, it wasn't every day that one found themselves two years in the past.

"Go on ahead, Kenji, I'll be right behind you," Suzaku assured his bunkmate.

"All right. Don't be late," Kenji said.

"When am I ever late?"

"True, the model Honorary Britannian are you," Kenji said with a smirk that showed he wasn't being serious before he turned around and walked out of the barracks.

Suzaku slowly climbed out of bed and shuffled toward the washroom. He had fifteen minutes and he needed that time to gather his thoughts and get his feelings under control. Once he was in the washroom, he splashed some water on his face and gazed at himself in the mirror.

Cold, haunted green eyes stared back at him.

The future that Suzaku came from had scarred him. Not just what happened with Lelouch but everything he had done as well had left a deep scar upon his spirit. He wasn't the same idealistic soldier that he had been last time; too much had happened for him to keep hold of his naïve ideals.

The mission to find the canister of poison gas that the terrorists had stolen was what that briefing was about. He knew that it didn't really contain poison gas but also knew to keep that to himself. The last thing he needed was for the wrong person to know he knew more than he was supposed to; that was going to be the case for a lot of things that were to come.

Since he wasn't the engineer behind a lot of events that he was hoping to change, Suzaku would have to become more subtle in his changes. How he was supposed to become a certain exiled prince's voice of reason was also another problem he would have to solve and soon. Even if it was obvious what he was supposed to do, just how he would do that was the actual problem.

Shutting off the water and drying his face, Suzaku left the barracks and headed toward the briefing room. Kenji glanced at him with a smile when Suzaku came to a stop by him. "Model Honorary Britannian," he teased.

"Haha," Suzaku said a faint smile in return. Kenji was probably one of the few friends that Suzaku had among his division, and it had hurt when he found out Kenji had died, though he hadn't had time to grieve due to the incident with the purists that had followed. Unlike Suzaku, Kenji only joined the Britannian Army after applying to be an Honorary Britannian to keep his younger brother safe, though he knew his parents weren't exactly happy with his decision.

The captain entered the briefing room at that moment. "Your orders are thus," he began. "In the Shinjuku Ghetto, there is a canister of poison gas stolen by the terrorists. You are to go find it and, once you do, you will do nothing more than contact us right away. You have been chosen because, as Numbers, you know the Shinjuku Ghetto better than anyone. Dismissed!"

The Honorary Britannians saluted and immediately set out as they were ordered. Suzaku found himself walking alongside Kenji, much like last time, as they headed toward the ghetto. He already knew where to head but he didn't want to drag Kenji into the incident.

"Let's split up," he suggested to Kenji, deciding that he couldn't delay the meeting with Lelouch, even if the vivid image of the last time he saw his old friend still clung like a cobweb to the forefronts of his mind. Besides, it would be better if he met up with Lelouch anyway as the others would mistake him for a terrorist.

"You sure?" Kenji asked.

"Yeah. I'll go toward the old subway tunnel," Suzaku said.

"All right. Good luck and don't get yourself killed," Kenji said.

"You too," Suzaku said and the two bunkmates parted ways.

. . .

As he walked, Suzaku found his thoughts straying, specifically to the power the Divine had granted him. That was the only thing that the Divine told him that he didn't understand. The Divine had only said that it was an informational one and that it was a Geass but he hadn't said anything on what it did.

I should figure that out soon, Suzaku thought as he rounded a corner and spotted the crashed truck laying nearby. But I'll do that later. He approached the truck, taking a deep breath, and opening it.

His eyes landed on Lelouch, his best friend and yet the worst enemy the entire world had ever seen, who was crouched by the large canister of gas. Suzaku pushed the memory of the Zero Requiem out of his mind; it hadn't happened yet and, if Suzaku had anything to say about it, it wouldn't have to happen. That didn't stop him from, once again, witnessing the last time he had seen Lelouch, remembering his last words to his old friend—"This Geass I do solemnly accept"—, watching his old friend die with a smile on his face, and hearing Nunnally's heart-wrenching scream of deep agony.

He barely noticed that Lelouch had just asked him a question.

"Lelouch, it's me," he said, once he was sure he was in control of his emotions though his voice sounded a bit strained, and he removed his helmet.

Lelouch's violet eyes went wide with surprise. "Suzaku?" he echoed. "You joined the Britannian Army?"

Suzaku nodded but said nothing more.

"Do you know what this is?" Lelouch asked, apparently deciding against questioning why Suzaku was part of the army. He gestured to the gas canister. "I certainly don't. I just got dragged into this mess on accident."

"We were told it was poison gas during the briefing," Suzaku said.

"Poison gas? No doubt it was made by the Britannians," Lelouch said, the hatred deep in his voice.

"We should get out of here, Lelouch," Suzaku began but stopped when the gas canister suddenly began opening; pressure valves were released and the canister opened like a flower, revealing the green-haired form of C.C. dressed in her white straightjacket with eyes that suggested she wasn't entirely conscious.

Lelouch stared. "That's not poison gas," he said and darted over to the girl, starting to try to help her get free.

Suzaku bit his lip as he thought about what to do. On one hand, he could let things play out as they did last time; while he would end up getting shot, he would get to pilot the Lancelot again and both Lelouch and C.C. would end up safe. Suzaku still didn't entirely trust C.C. but he knew that, once C.C. granted Lelouch his Geass, she would be very much invested in keeping him alive. On the other hand, if he got Lelouch and C.C. out of there, he might be able to prevent Lelouch from gaining the Geass that caused a lot of problems in the future.

"Suzaku, help," Lelouch called.

Suzaku pulled himself from his thoughts and darted over to help C.C., his mind weighing the pros and cons of each decision. While he was leaning towards the second, he didn't know whether that would stop C.C. from granting Lelouch his Geass.

"Are you okay?" Lelouch asked, undoing another strap from C.C.'s straightjacket.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine, just a lot on my mind," Suzaku said.

"Mm." Between the two of them, they managed to get C.C. somewhat free and guided her out of the truck.

Just then, the Royal Guard decided to show up. Suzaku decided that he would just let things play out as they had last time; he didn't have a choice now. He knew he couldn't warn Lelouch about the massacre because the former prince would want to know how he knew that. He was an Honorary Britannian after all; he wasn't supposed to be privileged with knowledge of what Prince Clovis was planning on doing.

"You stupid monkey!" The Royal Guard exclaimed. "Being an Honorary Britannian will not excuse you."

"Sir, we were told it was poison gas," Suzaku said, standing up and turning to face the Royal Guard and his men while Lelouch helped C.C. into a seating position.

"Are you questioning orders, Private?" the Royal Guard demanded, moving forward to stand in front of Suzaku.

"No, sir," the time traveler said.

"Good. Now then, in light of your amazing accomplishment, I'll be lenient. Private Kururugi, take this and kill the terrorist," the Royal Guard ordered, holding out his gun toward Suzaku.

Suzaku shook his head. "He's not a terrorist. He's just an innocent civilian caught up in this mess," he said.

"Are you questioning orders again, Private?" the Royal Guard growled, looking irritated.

"No sir but I won't kill an innocent civilian," Suzaku said.

And yet you were all too willing to fire the F.L.E.I.J.A. that destroyed the majority of the Tokyo Settlement.

The brunet firmly pushed that particular thought out of his mind.

"Very well," the Royal Guard said and fired the gun.

"Suzaku!" was the last thing Suzaku heard before the pain and darkness overwhelmed him.

. . .

Suzaku didn't know how much time had passed by before he stirred. His entire side was laced with pain, making it impossible for him to remain asleep. Eyes fluttering open, he found himself in a familiar medical room; this was the A.S.E.E.C's base, he knew, and this was also the point when he met Lloyd and Cecile.

While Lloyd was an eccentric sociopath who cared about no one except his projects, the Lancelot in particular, Cecile had been like a big sister, perhaps even motherly figure, to Suzaku while he was staying with them. They were the ones who actually supported him when he had been arrested on the false charge of murdering Prince Clovis—which Suzaku was sure was going to happen again since he had no doubt Lelouch would still commit regicide—and had even offered to testify during the court martial.

Lloyd had only done it because Suzaku was the only pilot who could pilot the Lancelot as well as he had and Suzaku figured Cecile had done it because she didn't think it was fair of him to be charged, especially when he had an alibi.

Right now, the medical room was empty. He had woken up sooner than the first time around. Slowly sitting up and wincing at the pain in his side, Suzaku gazed around, wondering what exactly he could do now while he waited for Lloyd and Cecile to show up.

I suppose I should try to figure out what that Geass the Divine gave me is, Suzaku thought. The Divine had assured him that it was informational and wouldn't hurt anyone but he was still a bit hesitant about tapping into that kind of power.

After all, it was Geass that had been the cause of the majority of the tragedies and problems that occurred in what Suzaku was now going to refer to as the old timeline.

He decided that he may as well use it. It wasn't that hard to activate his Geass. It was almost as if the Divine had included information on how to activate and deactivate the power when it had been given to him. He did wonder why he wasn't told what the power did though.

He felt the uncomfortable, but not overtly painful, burning sensation in the back of his left eye and the glowing red bird-like symbol of Geass appeared around his left pupil. At that moment, the door open and a doctor walked into the room, looking at clipboard. Suzaku blinked at the golden number that was suddenly floating above the doctor's head surrounded by golden flames: 10,950.

When the doctor looked at him, Suzaku was quick to deactivate his Geass. The last thing he wanted was for the doctor to question him about it. He knew, based on what happened when Lelouch's Geass went out of control, that everyone could see it. While Lelouch's power erased the memory of what happened slightly before and during when he used it, Suzaku doubted his did the same.

But what kind of information is it trying to tell me?

"Good evening, Private Kururugi," the doctor greeted him. "How do you feel?"

"My side still hurts," Suzaku admitted.

"It'll take time for the wound to heal fully but you'll make a complete recovery," the doctor said and turned around before walking out of the room.

Suzaku laid back down, musing that things were already a little different than the last time but not by much. I suspect that small things will be different. The whole Butterfly Effect thing. I mean, me being sent back in time will probably cause some small changes, I think anyway. I don't really understand this whole time traveling thing, he thought.

The door slide open and Lloyd and Cecile made their way into the room, the former smiling while the latter looked concerned.

"So are we having a bad day, Private?" Lloyd said with a grin. "Looks like you missed your chance to go to Heaven."

"Are we still in the Shinjuku Ghetto?" Suzaku asked. He doubted that had changed but he just wanted to make sure.

"Sure are," Lloyd said.

"We're near Prince Clovis's command center. There isn't a safer place to be," Cecile said. She then reached over to where a broken pocketwatch was resting on the table next to his bed. "This is what saved your life, Private Kururugi," she added, holding it up.

"You're lucky it was under your protective suit because that's what deflected the bullet," Lloyd added while Suzaku took the pocketwatch and turned it over a few times in his hand.

"Is it a keepsake?" Cecile asked.

"You could say that," Suzaku murmured, his mind drifting back to the day he killed his father, staining his hands with the blood of the man who sired him just to stop the do-or-die resistance that his father had been about to call. It didn't matter in the end because many Japanese still lost their lives, though he supposed the causalities weren't as high as they could have been.

"You Elevens believe that gods live inside of everything, even objects, don't you? I guess this one…" Lloyd began.

"So what's the situation?" Suzaku interrupted.

"The poison gas was released and there have been massive Eleven causalities," said Lloyd.

"They haven't caught the perpetrators yet," Cecile added.

Suzaku wasn't surprised. He didn't know everything about what happened the last time but he did know that Lelouch had, somehow, been behind the victory here for the current terrorists.

Lloyd suddenly gained an eager look on his face. "Private Kururugi, how much experience do you have piloting a Knightmare Frame?" he asked.

"Not much but they won't make me a knight," Suzaku reminded the sociopathic scientist.

"Well, supposing you could? Congratulations, the only knightmare of its kind awaits you!" Lloyd said cheerfully. "Once you've taken the controls of this big beauty, everything will change; you and your world."

"Whether you want it to or not," Cecile added.

It already has, Suzaku thought.

"For now, why don't you get some rest?" Cecile suggested. "Prince Clovis hasn't given Lloyd clearance to launch his newest project anyway."

"I don't see why not though," Lloyd whined. "I mean, really? How else am I going to get battle data on my Lancelot if it doesn't see battle?" He began mumbling under his breath, his brow furrowed in irritation.

"Don't mind him," Cecile assured Suzaku. "He gets that way when it comes to the Lancelot."

Suzaku knew that well enough. He turned the pocketwatch over in his hand again before placing it on the medical bed beside him, laying back down and gazing up at the ceiling.

He didn't know how long he had remained silent, listening to Lloyd continue to mumble about the unfairness of the situation, when a technician came rushing into the medical room. "Sir, Prince Clovis wishes to speak to you," he said.

"Finally!" Lloyd darted out of the room.

"I suppose he's getting his wish, huh?" Suzaku said with a faint smile at Cecile who had watched Lloyd leave in exasperation.

"Probably," Cecile said and turned to Suzaku as he sat up, swinging his legs off the medical bed and wincing, one hand going to his side. "Try not to overexert yourself."

"I will," Suzaku said.

Lloyd came running back in, a look of sheer joy on his face. "Get ready to get suited up, Private Kururugi and read the manual! You're launching in twenty minutes. Cecile, let's run a preliminary check while we're waiting," he said and handed the manual that he was holding to Suzaku.

"All right," Cecile said and they both left the medical room while Suzaku briefly flipped through the manual, though he already knew how to pilot the Lancelot and everything he needed to know about it. He had been piloting the Lancelot for so long, along with its upgraded versions, that it had become practically ingrained in him.

Cecile came back into the medical room ten minutes later and handed him the white pilot suit as well as a headset and microphone and the activation key. "Ten minutes," she said.

Suzaku nodded and waited until the indigo-blue haired woman left before he put on the headset and changed into the pilot suit, wincing whenever he bent down.

Z-01 Lancelot now activating. Lancelot activating. Releasing hatch. Z-01 Lancelot standby for activation. Pallet extension initiating.

Suzaku zipped up the pilot suit and headed toward the entrance as Cecile's voice sounded over the headset. "Did you read the manual?" she asked.

"More or less," Suzaku replied as he made his way down the hall and out of the A.S.E.E.C's mobile base.

"Well done. You scored at the top of the class in the simulator," Cecile said. "Just remember, you're not to do anything reckless. The new system is not outfitted with an ejection mechanism."

"Understood," Suzaku said, walking over to where the Lancelot was covered in a tarp as it was pulled away to reveal the white-and-gold Knightmare Frame that Suzaku had, though he wouldn't admit it out loud, grown a bit attached to.

Cecile and Lloyd were focusing on the startup sequence as Suzaku made his way to the top of the Knightmare Frame and jumped into the pilot's chair, one hand already holding the activation key, and entered the Lancelot. Once the seat was secure and the hatch was closed, he inserted the activation key and the screens lit up.

Suzaku inputted the proper authorization startup code and grabbed the controls, entering the proper position for launch, the landspinners unfolding and landing on the ground behind him.

"Lancelot, M.E. boost," Suzaku ordered.

"Lancelot, LAUNCH!" Cecile called.

Suzaku immediately thrust the controls forward, going full throttle, and the Lancelot shot forward so rapidly, it conjured up a powerful gust of wind that probably nearly knocked anyone behind it to the ground.

. . .

As he sped throughout the Shinjuku Ghetto, searching for the terrorists he was supposed to be fighting, Suzaku found himself wonder just where Lelouch had been throughout all of this. Was it possible that the Sutherland he had encountered, and had accused of being the leader of the terrorists, had really been Lelouch? It was possible, actually very probable now that Suzaku thought about it.

He decided that he would leave his old friend alone for the time being and focus on destroying the Sutherlands that Lelouch had given to the current terrorists. As usual, he focused on not taking their lives and simply forced them to eject. Even if he did have the blood of innocents on his hand—memories of when he fired the F.L.E.I.J.A. unfortunately entered his mind; whether he was under the influence of a Geass command or not, he still felt guilty about that—he was not about to add to the already large number of causalities he had caused.

Taking out the Sutherlands wasn't quite that hard but then Suzaku hadn't expected it to be. These future Black Knights were okay fighters at the moment but Suzaku did have the advantage of knowing the majority if not all of the abilities and techniques that the Lancelot could do. He used his Slash Harkens to take out Sutherlands that were firing at him from afar, while his Blaze Luminous shield was blocking the bullets, and then glided forward before slamming a landspinner into the face of another Sutherland.

One by one, each stolen Sutherland that Suzaku came into contact with fell and ejection pods were sent flying in all directions. Just then, he quickly moved his shield in front of him to block the hail of fire from the one-armed red Glasgow that had suddenly appeared.

Kallen. Suzaku gripped the controls of the Lancelot tightly as he forced himself not to think about the last time he had seen Kallen; the young Ace of the Black Knights laying in a pool of her own blood…

Suzaku shoved the memory aside and focused on keeping Kallen off his back. His Knightmare was fast, faster than the Glasgow, but that hadn't stopped Kallen from keeping up with him until he managed to get in enough shots to force her to retreat with the Glasgow in relatively one piece.

The adrenaline that always seemed to wash over him when he was in a Knightmare battle was starting to fade and the pain from the bullet wound in his side was beginning to flare up again. He winced, grasping his side, as Cecile's image appeared on the screen in front of him.

"I think that's good enough. You should head back," she said.

"I can go on for a while longer," Suzaku said, trying to keep the pain out of his voice.

"There don't seem to be any enemies left to fight," Cecile said. "Or anyone for that matter in your area."

Suzaku's lips pressed together, already knowing that meant civilians as well. The fact that he hadn't seen any civilians since he entered into the fray suggested that they hadn't survived the onslaught.

He wondered if he should warn Cecile and Lloyd about Lelouch's plan. While he didn't approve of the methods, Lelouch forcing his brother to issue the ceasefire and having both the Britannians and the Japanese be cared for without discrimination was a good move. The murder that followed though was something Suzaku didn't approve of.

He decided against it. It wasn't as if it would work. Even if they believed him, Suzaku was sure that Lelouch had his Geass ability and would be able to use it to still get away with killing Clovis.

"Attention, all forces! Cease fire at once?" Clovis's voice echoed around the ghetto. "I, Clovis, third prince of Britannia and royal viceroy of Area Eleven, hereby command you; all forces are ordered to cease fire at once. You are also to cease destruction of any buildings or property. All casualties, whether Britannian or Eleven, shall be treated equally and without prejudice. In the name of Clovis la Britannia, you are hereby ordered; cease fire at once. I shall allow no further fighting."

He straightened out the Lancelot and glanced toward the G1 Mobile Base briefly before shaking his head, knowing there was nothing he could do and headed back to the A.S.E.E.C.'s base.

. . .

A/n what do you think?

Blaze: and here is the first chapter of my brand-new Code Geass fic. It has already been finished but I am editing each chapter, and rewriting portions and the like, before I post it.

Bakura: yeah, yeah, whatever. You're just scared no one will like your story

Blaze: …shut up, Bakura, and this isn't even your fandom

Bakura: and when has that mattered to you?

Blaze: eh, true. I don't own Yu-Gi-Oh! by the way

Lelouch: so this was basically the first and second episode entirely from Suzaku's POV?

Blaze: yup and that's why it's rather short. Trust me, upcoming chapters will get longer (especially when we get closer to the end).

Suzaku: interesting look into my mindset, though you didn't go into detail about what happened in that prologue

Blaze: I did that on purpose. It's explained throughout the entire story and I didn't want to dump all the info at the beginning and then have it spread out throughout the entire story. I had to choose one or the other and I chose the other. That's the main reason why I took out the original prologue I had written. I'm forgetting something...

Lelouch: you had warnings you needed to give out, remember?

Blaze: oh, yeah, right. Okay, Warning Number 1: This is set in an Alternate Universe and an Alternate Timeline (and, yes, I said that second one because that actually plays a huge role in the plot)

Suzaku: Warning Number 2: This story is what Blaze likes to call non-canon compliant. This means, to her, that while she does follow canon pretty closely, she basically changes every event of the canon timeline; some changes are extremely minor but others (coughSAZ incidentcough) are extremely major.

Lelouch: Warning Number 3: There are OCs in this story and Blaze has done her best to really make these OCs into rounded characters, especially two specific ones who are extremely important. In the edited version of this story, she will probably expand on the OC characters to help make them more complex and rounded.

Bakura: …

Blaze: read the damn paper or I will take away your knives

Bakura: fine. Warning Number 4: This story has more of a supernatural view on the masterpiece that is Code Geass, meaning that it will expand upon the supernatural aspect of the anime a bit.

Yami: (appears out of nowhere and startles the shit out of Bakura) Warning Number 5: Blaze will try her hardest to keep all the canon characters in character for as long as possible but, due to the changing of the storyline and the changing of events and the like, the characters may end up developing differently from in the anime.

Bakura: where the hell did you come from?!

Yami: (with a straight face) through the door

Bakura: smartass Pharaoh. Is that all the warnings?

Blaze: all that I can think of at the moment. I probably have more but I can't think of them now so I'll just post them in later chapters when I do remember them. I do hope that you enjoy my first attempt at a Code Geass fanfic and reviews, as always, are much appreciated.