Title: Oh Really?

Description: Love stories between not-so-likely Code Geass canon characters post-series

Disclaimer: Code Geass is Sunrise's property

What to expect: angsty romance with a dash of action, some poetry and non-graphic limes between straight couples.

Author's Note: I shall gladly accept any correction — be it spelling, punctuation, grammatical or misinformation. Again, I use British English for this story.

This chapter's warning: unpleasant Kallen (sorry Kallen, I don't dislike you, but my plot requires you to behave obnoxiously); initial rape followed by consensual sex — though nothing too graphic.

I'm unsure whether a Sutherland-type knightmare has a loudspeaker, but for this fanfic, let's pretend it does, so as to allow the pilot's voice to be audible to the audience outside.

CHAPTER I

A Forsaken Promise: Gino Weinberg x Kouzuki Kallen

'You are one minute twenty six seconds late!' snapped a scarlet-haired girl.

'My apology, Miss Stadfeld.' Her speaking adversary, a blonde boy with costly-looking garment, answered her sincerely before pulling a chair opposite the irate girl.

'How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?'

The coffee shop customers, waiters and waitresses all turned to the source of the sudden yell.

Smiling gently, the Knight of Three attempted to calm the ex-pilot of Guren SEITEN. 'Just joking, Kallen. I–'

'Who allowed you to be too friendly?' A petulant remark cut off his genial explanation.

'Kouzuki-san, I'm sorry. I really am.'

'Hmph.' Kallen folded her arms across her chest and cast an angry glance outside the window. Even so, she could still see the reflection of her date's puppy eyes on the window glass. She knew it was his job, rather than anything else, that delayed him; this had happened before. He never made any excuse and she would not ask for it.

'What are you standing there for? Sit!' Another snappish command.

Soundlessly, Gino did as he was told. His eyes were fixed onto the table and his hands placed neatly on his lap.

It was plain to see the two of them looked like a queen and her slave rather than a couple. Some of the other coffee shop customers started to murmur in disapproval: How could someone from a distinguished noble family such as Weinberg allow himself to be treated as such by some common girl? Of course, little did they know of what had truly transpired between these two.

The two of them had been comrades during the Black Knights Rebellion and considered each other as a good friend … until the fight against Lancelot Albion. Kallen never forgave Gino for saving her after her battle with Suzaku. If only her life had expired back then, she would not have suffered the loss from Lelouch's death. Gino, on the contrary, tried everything he could to console the bereft girl and never gave up no matter how little his possibility of success was.

'I don't need your pity, Knight of Three!' was what she told him when he asked her out nearly two months ago.

'Sure you don't. Why would a beautiful, tough, and intelligent young lady such as yourself need any pity?'

With a sigh she replied, 'Then will you stay out of my sight? You've got no business with me, have you?'

'As a matter of fact, I'm thinking of inviting you for a movie.' A dazzling smile graced his lips.

'Keep that as a thought then, 'cause I'm not going!'

She stepped away from him as quickly as she could. Unfortunately, he was able to keep her pace and walked steadily behind her until, at length, she hollered, 'Give it a rest, Weinberg!'

'If I refuse?'

Kallen glared at him.

'A duel perhaps?' the young nobleman suggested.

'A duel it is. Never disturb me again if you lose!'

'And you will let me approach you upon my victory, I suppose?'

With utmost displeasure, she affirmed, 'I will.'

Gino led her to the hangar where Weinberg family private knightmares were kept. Kallen was confident she would win, but she couldn't be too careful in facing a Knight of Round. Gino was defeated by Suzaku and Suzaku lost to her once. She could not deny the level of technology differences in their knightmare frames, however, but today she was going to stand against Gino on equal ground.

'Please pick your choice.' The youngest son of the Weinberg family offered his guest.

Kallen climbed into a random Sutherland whereas Gino into another. It had been months since she last piloted; she never touched another knightmare after Guren SEITEN.'s destruction — just as the late ninety-ninth emperor of Holy Britannia had wished.

'I'm sorry Lelouch; I'm going to fight today.' The ex-Q1 activated her Sutherland, her face apologetic but stern.

Kallen attacked first, but Gino managed to dodge her. Activating her Slash Harkens, Kallen advanced again, but the fourth son of Lord Weinberg was sure quick to evade.

As expected from the Knight of Three, the combat was challenging. It did not take long for Gino to get accustomed to Kallen's attack pattern and even learnt to launch the deadliest of the offences when she was least expecting them.

Nonetheless, Kouzuki Kallen did not become the Order of Black Knight's best pilot for nothing. Months of absence from piloting practice could do little against her true skills; within minutes, she had already adapted to the Sutherland's system and manoeuvred it flawlessly. Now it became Gino's turn to get cornered.

Still, it was too early to rejoice. The feisty young Weinberg soon turned the table with his Tonfas. But not for long: Zero's ex-personal bodyguard tackled him by the calf and paralysed him with her Stun Gun. It was when she pointed her handheld Assault Riffle onto the head of his Sutherland Frame, a sudden realisation came to her: he was losing on purpose.

Kallen shot the riffle upwards. Before the dropped bullets touched the floor, however, Gino's Sutherland was elevated in mid air — not because he activated his Sutherland's Float System, but because she gripped him by the hollow of his knightmare frame's throat. 'Do you think I'd appreciate an opponent who held back his strength just because I'm a girl?'

Her furious remark reverberated in the otherwise soundless hangar. They both knew his reason for losing had nothing to do with this, but he thought it was best to let silence preside over them.

A wise choice. Seconds later, she spoke with strict, yet calmer tone, 'Resume the duel!'

Fifty minutes later, the Weinberg butler appeared by the door. Upon seeing one Sutherland lay on the floor whereas the other stood erect and extending its arm to help the opponent to stand, the butler cleared his throat, 'Excuse me, young master. Would you and your guest care to have some tea?'

He felt relieved as his young master's voice answered him from inside the Sutherland who stood firm on its two legs. 'Thank you Derrick, that would be lovely. It's a beautiful weather outside, so we shall have the tea in the garden.'

The butler bowed and left.

Inside the Sutherland, Kallen half regretted her decision to resume their duel. Now, as a compensation of her pride, she would have to endure Gino's courtship for God knew how long. She could only hope he grew bored of her quite soon, never expecting that this 'soon' could mean a 'lifetime' for a headstrong Weinberg.

Ejecting herself from the Sutherland, she followed Gino onto the garden. He offered his arm as was proper for a gentleman; yet, she walked further away from him with disgruntled expression instead.

All those had happened seven weeks prior. Since that day, Gino had been attempting to call Kallen by her given name, but she never let him call her other than 'Kouzuki-san'. Each time he tried to get closer to her, he'd get a scowl and a reproach, just like today.

After sitting for half an hour with no words exchanged between them and his glance never went off from the table, Gino finally heard Kallen break the silence, 'Let's go!'

Like a dog wagging his tail at his master's command, Gino's face brimmed with joy at once. He paid her bill — he merely shook his head when the waitress offered him the menu earlier and sat opposite her without consuming anything — and opened his car door for her, since a waiter had already had the honour of opening the coffee shop door.

'Is there any particular place that you would like to visit, Kouzuki-san?' he made the same enquiry on every date and got the same wry answer every time he did so.

Today was no exception. 'Anywhere without your presence, Lord Weinberg.'

'Lord Weinberg'. There used to be days when Kallen called him 'Gino'; and yet, those days had ended since the blond started courting the redhead. Each time she said his full honorific, a pang of guilt made itself present on his face. With an apologetic smile, he would then proceeded with a suggestion. Zoo, amusement park, cinema, shopping arcade, horse race, museum, art workshop — he had chosen them for her so far. Today, he asked, 'Do you mind having a picnic?'

'Not that my answer mattered anyway,' she replied indifferently.

He drove the car onto a plateau in the countryside. The grass was lush as could be and the air was pleasant. One of Weinberg's private villas was there, surrounded by many a verdant tree.

Gino only stayed within the edifice long enough to prepare the picnic kit. Then he went outside, spreading the mat and placing the food and crockery all by himself. He only invited her to join him after everything was set in place.

Whenever Gino asked Kallen about her school life or life in general, she always answered him with 'fine' or 'nothing out of the ordinary'. Whenever he asked her about her favourite food or movies, she always answered him with 'whatever' or 'anything will do'. Whenever he asked her whether she would tell him anything about her, she always answered him with a single 'no'. Hence, Gino had no choice but to tell her about him instead to keep them communicating. She heard him, but never really listened.

'There are some pastry crumbs on your chin,' he said.

Already suspecting that he would use this opportunity to wipe her himself, Kallen frowned at him. But he extended his hand only to offer her his immaculate white handkerchief.

'No, thanks.' She cleansed herself with the back of her hand.

He did not seem to be hurt; ample experiences in dealing with her pride had forged him with enough tolerance not to be offended by such a trifle.

As droplets of rain began to tumble a few minutes later, Gino suggested that they go inside the villa. This time, Kallen helped him carrying some of their picnic kit back to the kitchen. She was surprised, however, to find nobody inside. The vacant villa seemed quite organised, as if it had been cleaned on daily basis.

'I thought you had a servant prepare the picnic ingredients,' she admitted.

'They were indeed prepared by the caretaker, Mr Fraser, but he drove home after his tasks were done.'

Kallen disliked the idea that she and Gino were practically alone in such a secluded area. 'Hurry up unpacking those, so that we can go home!'

'All right,' he replied, 'in the meantime, what would you like to drink?'

'We've just had some lemonade. I'm not thirsty.'

'Would you rather keep me company then?'

She glared at him before turning her heels and slammed the kitchen door.

Kallen waited in the living room. Sitting on a sofa, she enjoyed the view of her environmental surroundings. This particular room was built underneath a gigantic aquarium; hence, it looked as if she had been inside an underwater glass cavern. Apart from the granite floor below, everywhere else was fish and water. Minutes by minutes passed by; still, Kallen did not find it boring to watch the colourful tropical fish swimming here and there, or sometimes hiding behind the coral reefs. It was serene, so relaxing; she could even hear the sound of the singing kettle from the kitchen.

'CRASH!'

A clattering sound followed. Some crockery must be falling on the floor. Inwardly, Kallen debated whether or not she should help Gino, but decided the latter. Several silent minutes later, she perceived his footsteps approaching.

He handed her a mug of frothy hot chocolate sprinkled with a swirl of cocoa dust but no cream — just the way she always ordered it at many different cafés during their dates.

No word of gratitude slipped from her mouth. Her eyes narrowing, she demanded, 'How long do you intend to keep bugging me?'

He simply smiled and said, 'As long as I live.'

Kallen took the mug from Gino's hand. She did not bring the cup towards her mouth, though, for she splashed its tepid content at his face, challenging him, 'Even if I do this on each of our date?'

He shut his eyes momentarily, but did not budge. When his eyes were snapped open again, no trace of anger resided in there. Resolute words spilled from his mouth, 'Even if you do it on each of our date.'

Refraining herself from rolling her eyes, Kallen ordered, 'Cleanse yourself; it's disgusting to see the chocolate in your hands dripping onto my clothes!'

Gino took off his attire.

'Not here!' she rebuked him, 'Are you out of your mind?'

But he prevented her from leaving her seat, encumbering her with his weight and overpowering her struggling body with sheer force of masculinity. He pushed himself onto her. Inside her. Gino's flesh hurt her, but the fact that he actually chose to do so excruciated her. He broke his promise not to touch her until she was , Kouzuki Kallen would not cry. It was bad enough he saw her defeat; surely she would not give him the pleasure of seeing her getting frustrated over it. No! She retaliated by mentioning the very name she knew it'd torture him, 'Lelouch!'

At some point during his action, Gino had prepared himself for this. But when the very word came out of Kallen's mouth, it tormented him more than he could have estimated, more than he could withstand. Soon he found himself nuzzling at the crook of her neck.

She certainly did not expect the dampness on her upper drapery. The moment his tears flowed onto her, a feeling of remorse invaded her mind. Uninvitedly. Inevitably.

She reached for his back. She did not know why she did it; all she knew was that she was hugging him tenderly. As much as she was unwilling to admit it, she could not deny that the non-verbal communication between them had somehow become comfortable. She even started stroking his golden hair, lost in thoughts.

They had been going out for nearly two months now, but a kiss was out of question; she would not even let him go as far as to touch her hand. Today, all the boundaries had been trespassed, all the walls between them had been broken, and all that was there between them now was sincerity.

'I'm sorry,' he finally broke the silence, 'I should have been gentler.' He tore himself from her embrace to meet her eyes.

'You shouldn't have done it at all!' crossly she corrected him.

'No, I won't regret that. The memory of it will become my treasure for as long as I breathe.'

Kallen did not know whether she should slap him or hug him again.

'I was a virgin until minutes ago,' he continued.

'You what?'

'Well, I've never really interested in anything apart from knightmare piloting, so…'

'But you're a good-looking aristocrat; loads of girls out there are mad about you!' she added, 'Possibly boys too.'

'They are not you. They are not the ones I love.'

She gave a dry reply, 'You seem to confuse love with pity.'

'If pity is the only thing I feel about you, why would I do this?' and before she knew it, her lips were occupied by his convulsive, impudent and yet luscious kiss.

For a fleeting moment, she did not know how to react. But when reasons found their way back to her senses, she began to push him away.

He is no Lelouch; how dare he! Kallen gritted her teeth.

'You are a kind-hearted girl, Kallen.'

'No, I'm not! And don't get cocky just because you screwed me once!'

'Kallen…'

'I won't permit you call me that!'

But this time, Gino was not going to obey. 'Kallen, you treat me coldly only because you want to shake me off. But I know it pains your heart to behave as such, for you are a kind girl by nature.'

'What do you know about me?'

'You gave up your lunch for a starving kid on the street.' He pecked her lightly on the forehead.

Did he see me?

'You volunteered to supply medicines to war casualties.' He pecked her again, on the cheekbone this time.

How long has he been spying on me?

'You wrote petitions about better subsidy for the poor.' He pecked her near the corner of her lips.

He even knows that?

'Your beauty and piloting skill took my breath away.' He kissed her lips. Fully. Deeply. Passionately.

She opened her mouth to utter her disapproval, but this only granted him the access he was seeking for and thus enabled him to turn her muffled protests into moans. Kallen gasped at this grave mistake: she was not supposed to respond to his kiss!

'Let go of me!' she demanded with flushed face.

'But you're the one who is clinging on me, dear Kallen.'

Kallen looked at her hands; they indeed clung desperately onto Gino's broad shoulders. She could not hide her embarrassment and blushed even more fiercely.

'I hate you!' she turned away and tried to get up. She'd rather travel on foot than spend another minute with him. Only … he would not let her!

Catching her by the wrist, he pulled her onto himself in a twirl. Next, he bombarded her with onslaught of kisses. She surrendered — not so involuntarily — in his embrace.

The next morning, the two souls were curling up on the crumpled bed sheet. She pretended to gaze at the raindrops outside his bedroom window, while stealing a glance or two onto the handsome face lying next to her.

The man beside her was not Zero, Lelouch Lamperouge, Lelouch vi Britannia, The Demon Emperor or whatever people used to call him. No, this was Gino Weinberg — someone who shared his life with her, someone who loved her with all his heart, someone who was more than a mere idol. Perhaps it was time for her to let go of the past shadow and started a new page of her own.

Gino smiled, held her close, stroke her hair and whispered, 'Aishiteru, Kallen'. And this time she responded with the words he had been longing to hear for months.

'I love you too, Gino.'