Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass.
Claimer: This story is mine.
Inspired by: Monster by Dev.

This story takes place before the beginning of R2, with several alterations, hence the AU part. Deviations from canon will be explained along the way. Otherwise, I'll do my best to keep everything consistent.

With a Touch of Madness

It was a very simple rule: "Keep your hands off your student."
Jeremiah Gottwald couldn't have imagined that it would be this difficult to follow it.

Lesson I

The Knight of Six

"Miss Alstreim."

The fifteen-year-old Anya silently looked up from her blog to the class president, unperturbed by the latter's obvious impatience.

"Mr. Gottwald wishes to speak with you," the president said. "He says it's urgent."

Anya stared at her for a moment or two before turning back to her blog, looking very casual about it. "Tell him I'm busy."

The president frowned. "He's been asking for you for the last seven days, Miss Alstreim," she said sharply. "Please do me a favor and attend class, or just see him in his office pronto. Frankly, I have better things to do than act as your messenger."

Gino Weinberg gave a little shake of his head as he watched the class president stomp off. "I don't think she's very fond of you," he said, unsurprised to find that Anya wasn't even paying attention. He lay down on the grass, crossing his arms under his head as he stared up at their favorite tree. "Not that you care."

"No."

Gino laughed at her blunt answer. "I don't know if you know, but Jeremiah has been asking for you since he returned from his sudden vacation."

Anya didn't even look up from what she was doing. "I see," she deadpanned. At least she was making an effort to sound like she was interested.

He nodded. "Uh-huh. Apparently he's quite concerned by your frequent absences." He snickered, remembering how passionate Jeremiah Gottwald got whenever he held his Britannian History lectures. "But it's not as if it matters, does it?"

"…"

Gino rolled over to his side, turning away from Anya to look over the beautiful Ashford landscape. "Must be strange for the other students to have him around, don't you think? To have an ex-Margrave as a teacher, I mean. Especially if you know how many he's killed in the battlefield."

It had been over a year since Jeremiah left the Britannian Army following his fall from grace. The ex-Margrave had been declared dead during the Battle of Narita, only to surprise everyone when he showed up in Ashford Academy several months later, where he assumed the position of a Britannian History teacher.

Gino highly doubted that the man would settle for anything less than the battlefield; Jeremiah was a first-class Knightmare pilot by his own right. With or without his title, and even after the disgrace that Zero had brought upon him, his name still rang fear in the hearts of those who knew him. But Gino also knew that politics was at play – Zero's very public revelation of Jeremiah's 'betrayal' would not be forgotten for a long time.

"Come to think of it, why don't you just go talk to him so he'll leave you alone already?" he asked.

"I don't want to."

Gino blinked. "Huh?"

Anya's gaze didn't leave the screen of her phone. "He asks too many questions," she said. "I don't owe him any answers."

"Hold on, you mean you've spoken to him before?" Gino asked, a little surprised. Jeremiah and Anya had already spoken? "When was this?"

"When we first got here."

"Oh." Gino couldn't remember Anya ever mentioning it before, but then again his friend didn't share things with him unless he asked. "I guess that must have been interesting."

"Not really."

Gino snickered. "Wasn't he weirded out that he has two of the Knights of the Round in his class?"

"I didn't ask."

Gino groaned. So much for getting some insights. "How about his fancy mask?"

Anya was typing into her blog as she responded. "He nearly died in the Battle of Narita," she said. "It destroyed his sight, so he needs the eyepiece in the mask to see better."

Gino rolled over to his other side so that he was facing her, staring at her with a mixture of incredulity and awe. "You really asked him about it?"

"He volunteered the information."

"He what?" Gino continued, still in disbelief. That Jeremiah survived the Battle of Narita was enough to make Gino marvel at the man's skill and competence, but that he actually shared a very interesting piece of information with Anya was even more... intriguing, to say the least. "I thought he didn't talk to people or something." Jeremiah certainly looked like a snob, mask or no mask.

"He does." Anya shrugged. "Talks down to them, anyway."

Gino laughed at his friend's bluntness. "Bet he couldn't talk down to you, though."

Anya huffed, as if that was the most ridiculous idea she had ever heard. And it probably was. No one could talk down to the Knight of Six and live. "He has a temper, too."

"Oh." Gino himself had heard of Jeremiah's dangerous temperament many times before. The no-nonsense teacher was infamous for his lack of restraint over his emotions. Although the Knight of Three had yet to see Jeremiah's angry outburst for himself, all accounts seemed to agree that it was always very ugly. Rumors that Jeremiah was both 'emotionally and mentally unstable' ran rampant, and something told Gino that there was a ring of truth to them. "Not hard to imagine."

Gino grinned to himself, wondering how Jeremiah must have spoken to Anya. The cold demeanor of the Knight of Six could make her quite exasperating to those who didn't know her well. She would never tolerate anyone screaming at her – not even the ex-Margrave himself.

That's never gonna happen, he thought. He kept his eyes at his friend until something occurred to him, and a thoughtful expression overtook his features. "Hey, Anya," he started. "You probably don't care, but have you heard what our classmates are saying about Jeremiah…?"

"No."

Gino sighed. Anya was his best friend, and he cared about her more than anyone else in the world. "Well," he began, unsure how to put it without being awkward. "Some of our classmates seem to think that Jeremiah is interested in you."

Anya cocked her head in his direction. "I don't understand what you're trying to say, Gino," she told him, looking unimpressed by his tentative tone.

He gave her an uncharacteristic frown. "They're saying something like – " he hesitated, " – they're saying he likes you."

Anya's only response was a perfunctory blink, and Gino grimaced. Right. He would have to spell it all out, wouldn't he? "They think he likes you romantically. They say he's never given as much concern for a student before you." He paused. "Although that's disputable, considering he's only been here for a few months before we transferred…"

He glanced at Anya to see her reaction, flashing an uncertain smile at her dead expression. Sometimes he really wondered what she was thinking. Emotions were always so difficult to tell with Anya. "Yeah, it sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? I guess this is part of the whole ordinary high school experience thing."

"If you ask me, I think Jeremiah is just very passionate about what he's doing." Jeremiah had always had a reputation for taking his business very seriously, whether it was taking over a border or in this case, teaching. The man refused to be nothing but the best in whatever he did. "So I guess part of it is looking after his students."

In a swift movement, the young man had pulled himself up into a careless sprawl beside his friend. "To tell you the truth, I'm rather disturbed by the idea. I mean, that they think he can be interested in you." He frowned. "It's pretty – " he tried to find a kinder word, but failed miserably " – it's pretty sick, isn't it? After all, he's your teacher, and you're only fifteen…"

Anya's lazy crimsons held his cheerful blues for a moment longer than necessary, before at last she raised her camera and snapped a picture of him.

"It is, Gino," she agreed. "It's pretty sick."

x - x - x

"I apologize, Mr. Gottwald, but Miss Alstreim says she's busy."

The Britannian History teacher gave the president a curt smile, noting her apprehension under his gaze. "I understand. I'll speak to her once she's free, then. Thank you." He watched the young woman give a courteous, tense bow before turning on her heel to take her leave.

Jeremiah Gottwald's smile disappeared as soon as he was alone, and he clenched his fists.

…to be continued…

Ah, yes, Britannian History. I think it sounds believable, and something you don't have to force Jeremiah to teach. ;)

This is my very first Code Geass fic, and I'm glad it's about Jeremiah and Anya. I'm a huge fan of the pairing, and this is my little tribute to them. The next chapter will be all about Jeremiah, which I'm pretty excited for. That man is adorable.

Constructive criticisms are always appreciated. Raise your questions if you have any, so I can include them in the next chapter. :)

Hilaire
09.28.11