Disclaimer: I do NOT own Code Geass or any elements of the Nasuverse. If I did, then instead of reading this fanfic, you would be watching a spinoff.
A/N: This was easier to write than I expected. At least final exams were helpful in that respect. Totally not worth it.
Kate nervously twirled a lock of her burgundy hair, her emerald green eyes darting around her surroundings. She was seated at a desk in the gymnasium, as were hundreds, perhaps thousands, of other applicants. Only the few dozen who passed, however, would move onto the next testing stage.
A teacher walked past, flicking a test packet in front of her with the ease of long practice. At the top was her full name, Catherine Lenfield, in bright red pen. It was the written test that everyone who wished to enter the Ashford Knightmare Pilot Training Academy had to take. It was also her biggest obstacle to being admitted. She'd already passed the basic strength and endurance tests, and after this would be tested on her overall aptitude with handling a Knightmare.
The physical exams were more to get a grasp of the applicant's overall physical capabilities than anything else. Only a handful of people were actually disqualified from further participation. Even if they had been meant to weed people out, she was in peak physical condition, allowing her to pass with flying colors.
She had no fears about the aptitude test either. Her parents, older brother, and just about all of her extended family were accomplished Knightmare pilots. As such, she'd already been in Knightmares probably more than any other fourteen year old could boast, and already knew that she was naturally gifted even for her family.
She was in no way a slouch at studying either, but at the same time couldn't help but be immensely bored by it. If it was just a knowledge of Knightmares that was being tested then she would probably be able to ace it in her sleep, but no such luck. The academy, while famous for being arguably the best school for Knightmare pilots in the world, was still, in the end, a high school, and taught things that would normally be expected from such establishments. She was excellent in mathematics, more a result of the involvement in mechanics than any natural talent. Although she was well above average in most other areas as well, the academy was known as one of the most prestigious schools in the world for a reason: it was notoriously hard to get into. She was amidst a sea of people all aiming for the same goal she was, many of whom were likely smarter than her, but only a small fraction of that number would actually be allowed to attend. Add in a heap of horror stories courtesy of her brother, and the result was a very nervous Kate.
She inhaled deeply and breathed out through her nose. There was no use in freaking herself out about this, it would only make her less likely to get in. She set to work on the test.
Let's see… Question 1: Who was the instigator of the Black Rebellion?
Finally, after over three hours of test taking and another half hour of checking over her answers, Kate was done. She rubbed her abused and aching hand. Most schools had advanced to lending computers to students for work and to take tests on, but apparently that courtesy did not extend to the few thousand prospective students hoping to make it in. She walked past over a dozen different rows of desks, some vacated and some still attended, before arriving at the desk where the exam proctors sat.
As she handed her test packet to a stern looking elderly man, she couldn't help but stare at the engraved cufflinks on his blazer. Noticing her attention, the proctor changed the position of his arms, hiding the cufflinks from her view. "May I help you?" he asked, his voice low and somewhat menacing.
"Um, no sorry…" She was cut off as the people behind her still taking the exam shushed her. She said again quietly, "Sorry, it's nothing."
The proctor stopped her, reading her name from the exam she'd given him, "Catherine Lenfield?"
She nodded slowly. "That's right."
"You wouldn't happen to be Nathaniel Lenfield's younger sister, would you?" She nodded once more in the affirmative. He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes. "I wish you luck in joining the family business."
"Thank you," she replied. She left hurriedly, unable to tear her mind away from the suspicious design. It was the same symbol that was on a locked notebook she'd seen among her brother's things when she'd cleaned his room, that of a bird taking flight.
There weren't any cars in the driveway, so her parents probably weren't home. Kate walked up the steps to her family's mansion, already resolving to take a nice long nap once she got up to her room. Still, the symbol on her brother's notebook and proctor's cufflinks wouldn't leave her mind, like an earworm in its persistence.
She'd never seen such a symbol outside of landscape paintings to denote birds in the distance. Since Nate hates art, that obviously isn't it. She closed the door of the house behind her, starting for the stairs that would lead to second floor where her room was. It can't be the school mascot, that's the black knight. She turned the knob to her bedroom, the door opening smoothly. It could be the symbol of a school club. But then why would there be a lock on his journal? She turned on the lamp. Maybe it's…
"You took your time, didn't you?" a woman's voice broke through her thoughts.
Kate rapidly spun around to see a woman sitting in a chair in the corner of the room. Long green tresses fell down to her waist, shadows where the light didn't reach concealing her face above her mouth. Let's see, Kate thought. I am the heiress to a very wealthy and influential family, and there is a strange woman waiting for me in my bedroom. In the dark. Shit. "W-what?" Kate stammered, scanning the room for something she could use to defend herself with.
"I said you're late. Although, I suppose I should thank you for giving me the time to set this up," the strange woman said, gesturing to the shadow hiding her identity. "It took awhile to make it so the shadow would be face-height."
"What?" Kate asked again, confused at the trespasser's apparent relaxedness.
The woman shook her head condescendingly, clicking her tongue. "I hope you didn't think that sort of thing occurred naturally. These aren't the movies, dear."
"What?" Kate asked, even more confused.
The woman frowned. "Are you hard of hearing? I could speak up, if you like."
"Y-yes," Kate decided. Her parents may not have been home, but if her brother heard, he might be able to come to her rescue. "That would be helpful."
Kate flinched as the woman shouted, "VERY WELL! BUT IF YOU'RE HOPING YOUR BROTHER WILL HEAR US, HE'S ON AN ERRAND!"
Kate held her hands up to her ears. "Ah, all right, just stop yelling!"
The woman smirked, clearly amused. "Well, aren't you the fickle one."
Kate glared distrustfully at the stranger. She still had no idea who this was, but she got the feeling that she didn't mean her any harm. If she had, she likely would have done it by now. But that did raise another question. "Why are you here?"
"To make you an offer," the woman said enigmatically.
"Offer?"
"Oh, so you are hard of hearing?" Kate's eyebrow twitched, and the woman's mouth quirked upwards in response. "I would like you to join my organization."
Kate asked slowly, stalling for time. "What kind of organization?" Even if she didn't think this woman would harm her, and she still wasn't certain of that, that didn't mean she trusted her. Finally paying closer attention to the intruder, she spotted the same odd symbol she had seen earlier emblazoned on the chest of the woman's black dress.
"One that I think you'd be very interested in being a member of. We help make the world a better place."
That's not at all cryptic. "Care to elaborate on that?"
"Only if you decide to join."
More out of curiosity than actual eagerness, she asked, "Why me?"
"Your ancestors were among the first of our organization's ranks. The first was a woman named Kallen Kozuki." At that, Kate's eyes widened. "I take it you recognize the name?"
Of course she did. Kallen Kozuki, or Stadtfeld depending on the source, was well known as one of the frontline fighters in the Black Rebellion, as well as one of the absolute greatest Knightmare pilots of all time. Kate said, unable to believe her ears, "I'm related to THE Kallen Kozuki?"
"A direct descendant, in fact. If it helps ease your way, the most recent member of your family to join us is your brother."
"Nate?" she asked incredulously. That was impossible. Nate couldn't lie about stealing the last cookie, let alone keep a secret from her for years.
"Unless you have another brother that I am for some reason unaware of."
Well, I guess that explains the weird symbol. But then that would mean… "That teacher is a member too, isn't he?"
"Yes, Professor Carmichael has been a valued member for years. In fact, most of the staff at Ashford Academy work for me. Your application to go to school there was another reason why I would like you to accept. Many of our most successful operatives have graduated from there. You would of course be given a full scholarship."
Kate shook her head. I can't believe I'm considering this. "I don't want to go there unless I've earned it myself."
"Oh, no need to worry about that." The woman picked up a file that had been resting on Kate's dresser, looking through the papers inside. "You passed, though you may want to spend some more time on literature; by far your weakest area."
"How did you get my results so quickly? It's only been an hour since I finished."
"I put in a request to move them along, of course." The woman stood. Now that the shadow was no longer concealing her, Kate could see she had honey golden eyes.
I am so going to regret this. It was then that Kate realized that she'd neglected to ask a very important question. "Who are you?"
"I am CC. But most people these days call me the Gray Witch."
A/N: I really wish I had gotten this done sooner. I have nothing to say other than more than writer's block has been blocking my writing lately.
I am admittedly unsure about the characterization for this, so let me know how I did. I've never been in a 'stranger sitting in a darkened corner of your bedroom and making you a job offer' situation, so I pretty much had to just go with my gut on how a person would react. Was it passable?
I don't really have an end goal in mind for this yet, but I plan to keep it going until the well of inspiration runs dry at the very least. The next chapter is already underway. I'm also not expecting much turn out for this, at least not in the beginning; not unless they're people who have already put me on their alert list *hint hint*.
The beta reader for this, ReaperAsOfLate, also helped me come up with the idea for this story, so he deserves a lot of credit for its existence.
Read, review, and ALL HAIL LELOUCH!