Author's Note: After an entire week of inspiration, I've finally kicked off the first chapter of this! I realize it's a bit short, but this is just an introduction/prologue sort of chapter to the actual, multi-chapter story. For those of you that read the preview on my Livejournal, this should tie in very nicely with that, though the preview is set in the much later chapters, seeing as this only starts towards the end of the first season. As well as the obvious pairing of Suzaku/Kallen, this might also contain hinting of Lelouch/C.C. later on, but I'm still quite undecided on these things as of right now.
This chapter takes place in that time slot between Island of God and Declaration at the School Festival, or in between Turns 19 and 21 of the first season, respectively.
Enjoy!
I'll never forget that day.
"Happy Birthday, Kallen!"
The five year old bounced cheerfully on her mother's lap, her azure eyes blazing with excitement as a small, colorful box was offered in her direction. She eagerly gripped at the box with her tiny hands, ripping off the decorative paper until she conclusively reached another diminutive box inside. Kallen was, if anything, a little crestfallen.
Her lips pursed, gazing up at her mother with a disapproving pout harboring the intensity of a disgruntled kitten. "Mommy, why'd you give me a box for my birthday?"
The woman chuckled, lovingly stroking the mussed up hair on her daughter's head. "Sweetie, you have to open the box to see the real present."
Kallen mouthed a short 'Oh' before quickly returning to her prize, tugging at every corner of the strange new item to find its opening. Soon enough, she figured out the outer workings of the box and snapped open the bothersome top, revealing its treasured content. Her face instantly lit up, her attention glued to the shining round object in the case. She hesitantly brushed a finger over its embellished silver surface, deciding then that she was certainly safe to pick up the fancy new toy. "This is for me…?"
Her mother smiled endearingly, borrowing the gift from Kallen's curious grasp before tangling open the object's attached chain, slinging it smoothly around her daughter's petite neck.
"This is a locket, Kallen dear, but it's very special. You're a big girl now, right?"
The toddler in question fervently bobbed her head in acquiescence, holding up her extended hand as a proud display of her age. "I'm five!"
Amusement and affection lit up in the mother's eyes, stifling a laugh at the sweet naïveté of her child. "Of course. You have to make sure to take very good care of this present, ok?"
Another chipper nod followed, the girl's expression beaming with absolute determination."I promise!"
Satisfied with the modest vow, the mother gently placed her hands on the locket, lifting the cover to unmask the simplistic beauty from within it. Kallen's ears perked up as a soft, wistful tune arose from the object, its quiet melody accompanied by her mother's loving embrace. The toddler grinned brightly, her eyes closing as she nuzzled in the warmth, letting herself become lost in the endless song.
"I love you, Mommy."
That was the last time my mother held me.
"So what color did you like?...Kallen? Earth to Kallen?"
She was brought back into reality as a hand waved frantically in front of her face, suppressing a yawn as she came back to her senses. "Hmm...what?"
Shirley groaned in exasperation, setting the oddly styled hats down in defeat as her lips tilted into a frown. "Honestly, Kallen that's the third time you've spaced out today..." Her features eased with concern for her friend. "Are you sure you're alright?"
A forced giggle. "Don't worry so much about me, Shirley, I just didn't sleep well last night. That's all." A fake smile. What she wouldn't give to slap that stupid grin off her own face.
The act seemed to appease Shirley though, and the girl quickly flashed back a gleeful smile of her own."Oh! Just make sure to get more sleep tonight, ok?"
"Of course." Yeah right. A terrorist's work is never done...or, so it's been said.
Shirley turned to dismiss herself with a short wave before running off to pay for the hats, not a single care in the world as she skipped along.
If only my life were as easy as hers.
Kallen's expression then immediately fell, her eyes returning to their dark, exhausted glare and her mouth twitching back to a grimace. She hated nothing more than having to pretend that everything was just wonderful, when in reality, she could probably topple over at any minute from sleep deprivation. Being the Ace of the Black Knights came with its benefits, but 'break time' was definitely not one of them.
Taking a short stroll to keep her mind occupied, she glanced across the shelves, all littered with random assortments of party supplies, strange-looking costumes...Kallen silently prayed that Milly had better judgment than to buy any of the outrageous items displayed.
She had objected to this, she had tried, but simply telling the president that you didn't want to come on one of her shopping expeditions was like trying to dive off a moving bullet train. So, in the best interest of the council as well as herself, she consented to tagging along on the 'celebration preparations', or whatever Milly had initially decided to call this Saturday outing. Lelouch, as typical, was 'busy' and blatantly refused over telephone (Milly swore she'd wreak havoc on his entire life the next day), whereas most everyone else she could manage to rip away was somewhat present, floating around the stores in search of helpful items for the upcoming festival.
Growing increasingly more disturbed at the odd piles of junk in the store that Shirley and Milly had chosen, Kallen wandered out, secretly hoping that if she made herself as invisible as possible, she could get herself out of this torture. She slightly picked up the pace as she moved through the crowds with desperate navigation, nearing the end of the street. All she had to do was turn a corner...then she could make a mad dash for home and no one would notice...back to her bed where she could finally get some rest...
"Kallen?"
A firm hand gripped on her shoulder, putting an end to her zealous escape.
'Dammit!' She slowly turned around, putting to display that sick, deceiving smile that fooled others so easily. "Sorry, I just-"
The words and bubbly facade smashed to a million pieces as she locked eyes with her roadblock, an icy glare burning into his questioning emerald eyes. "Suzaku."
He knows.
"Suzaku?"
The water fell to her skin in droplets, but she was now completely uninterested in finishing her bath. Her attention was zoned in on the boy standing in front of her, his green eyes widening as he realized the..."discomfort" of the situation, to say the least. It wasn't every day that Suzaku Kururugi walked in on a girl showering under a waterfall.
His awkward lack of reaction snapped Kallen out of her stupor, and she hurriedly ran over to grab her jacket, holding it up in front to cover herself. She kept her thoughts focused on the truth that this man was indeed the White Knight, her anger overtaking the rising embarrassment prickling through her veins. Suzaku seemed to jolt out of his initial trance as well, gaping in disbelief as his gaze assessed the article of clothing she was holding up. "The Black Knights uniform?"
Her knife jerked out, and she charged towards him blindly as she clutched the jacket to her chest.
She had to kill him.
There was no choice: he knew too much and she wouldn't waste an open opportunity. Much too open, in fact. He just stood there, frozen with shock as she barreled at him, knife bared. It almost made her feel guilty for trying to murder him.
"Is that...really you?"
She didn't answer, and instead clicked her weapon, lunging in for the kill. Everything was going exactly as she had planned; easier, really, due to the case that he just stood there-
Or not.
More rapidly than she could process, he tugged roughly on her arm, then twisted and flipped her over, effectively pinning her down to the ground. His muscular body outweighed her own, and the steady hold he had on her shoulders told her that she wouldn't be able to escape from Suzaku anytime soon. His head beckoned towards her, his fierce and almost feral expression inciting a very uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach.
"Kallen. Kallen Stadtfeld, why-"
"Don't call me that! I'm Kallen Kouzuki, a proud Japanese citizen!" Her emotions wavered, her rage spinning.
His glare broke, his face relaxing to a more inquisitive look. "Then...you really are-"
"A member of the Order of the Black Knights."She challenged, watching as she seemed to have struck a nerve in the Japanese boy himself. "I have no reason to hide it anymore."
He leaned down, his clouded expression unreadable. "Very well then, Kallen Kouzuki." She blinked, feeling his warm breath tickle across her nose. Suzaku felt much closer than he actually was, and she felt herself tense up under his arms. "I'm placing you under arrest on the charge of treason against the Britannian government."
Kallen was rendered speechless. In any other situation, she probably would've retaliated with a snide comeback, but having him bent over her like this made it extremely hard to think, much less speak. She took note as Suzaku's eyes suddenly trailed down during the silence, his composure completely shattering as he seemed to nervously glance back at a certain spot, an uncontrollable blush spreading over his face. Kallen's eyebrows furrowed, following his point of fixation to none other than her bare chest below him. Feeling the horror climb up her throat, she reluctantly glimpsed sideways at her jacket covering, which was evidently thrown off during her short scuffle with him.
She took a minute to process all of this. Suzaku Kururugi was alone with her on this island. Suzaku Kururugi had seen her naked. Suzaku Kururugi was now positioned very suggestively on top of her, and she was still naked.
Kallen immediately felt the intense heat rise up to her cheeks, and she promptly turned even redder than the color Suzaku was currently sporting. The next interaction happened too quickly for even Suzaku to follow.
Without warning, Kallen roughly launched Suzaku off her with the hustle of a professional football player, screaming at the top of her lungs before whacking Suzaku in the head various times. Then, she awkwardly began crawl-rolling away from him as fast as she could, folding her arms protectively over her chest and crossing her legs together. She gained a fair amount of distance to him with her bizarre maneuvering, then collapsed over, groaning and shrinking into fetal position on the ground, back turned towards him.
Suzaku sat there blankly, unsure of how to interpret that display. He then sighed, walking over to pick up her uniform before lightly tossing the clothing over her figure, spinning around to plop back down on the rocky footing. "Put on your uniform. I won't look, I promise. But I'm not leaving, so if you try to escape, I will hunt you down."
Kallen parted the hair out of her face, gradually sitting up to verify Suzaku's words. As promised, his back was also turned towards her, his face buried in his hands meekly. She almost laughed at the child-like pose he had chosen to be crouched in, standing to her feet to pull her uniform over her body. "You're really intent on turning me in, huh?"
"I have to be. What kind of soldier would I be if I didn't arrest a terrorist?"
She paused, just beginning to zip up her uniform. It wasn't as if she knew Suzaku very well, but even she could tell he was troubled by the decision. "You're a good guy, Suzaku. Why is it that you choose to side with Britannia?" She scoffed and finished dressing herself, considering the options of making a quick run for it before Suzaku whipped around, curtly standing up to make his way around Kallen.
Her entire body stiffened as she felt him standing so closely behind her, and her senses all seemed to come to a halt on unspoken command as his soft voice brushed past her ear. "I need to end the fighting. I don't want any more pointless bloodshed because of Zero's revolts."
His arms fumbled behind her, and she slackened as his hands gently clasped over hers, tying the cloth around her wrists to restrict her movement as his prisoner. The tie was tight, but it definitely wasn't as taut as it should have been: Kallen supposed he had kept it loose in order to avoid hurting her. She bit her lip and decided to wait a while longer until attempting to break free; he was much too naïve, too kind-hearted to ever belong with the likes of the Britannian monsters. It was a real shame.
"Kallen. Can you tell me what exactly happened, and how we both ended up here?"
The redhead sneered, rolling her eyes in defiance as she flopped down on the ground. "How should I know? I've been wandering around here all day, and unfortunately, you're the only other person I've come across so far."
"I see." Suzaku collected her jacket up from the side, brushing it off before thoughtfully placing it over her shoulders. Yes, he was much too gracious. "I don't know what happened either. You just woke up on this island, right?"
She let out a displeased sigh. "You're just as lost as I am." A devilish grin sparked on her face, a knowing look in her eyes. "I'm not worried. When my friends get here, you'll be the one under arrest."
His features darkened, a doubtful tone entering his voice, almost jeering. "You honestly think Zero will save you?"
"Definitely."
Suzaku remained severe, almost commanding in a way. "Well then, before he does, I'd like you to tell me exactly who Zero is."
She didn't waver and her look deepened, unwilling to suffer a blow to her pride from Suzaku of all people. "Figure it out yourself."
"...You don't know either, huh?"
He could read her well. "How did you-?"
"As I thought."
She stared long and hard at him, then huffed indignantly, scrambling to a frustrated pout. "You tricked me!"
He could read her way too well.
Suzaku's face kept its cold, knight-like apathy, yet a playful glint lit up in his eyes that was only obvious upon closer inspection. "At least I never hid my identity from you."
No reply left Kallen's mouth, and Suzaku hesitated before continuing on. "Why do you follow Zero?"
He gave her a curious look, watching as her bottom lip quirked up, and she turned towards him with an equally mischievous shine in her eyes. "Why don't you just think about that one for a while?"
Suzaku's demeanor tensed up at her course approach, a bit startled by the amount of animosity radiating from the girl. He scratched his head uncomfortably, frowning slightly. "Listen, Kallen, I just want to talk."
Kallen tossed him an irritated scowl before walking right past him, back through the crowd in bitter hopes of losing him. Unfortunately, the knight had no intention of doing so and raced past the groups of people, falling back into brisk step with her. "Do you really hate me that much? Come on, Kallen!"
He grinned genuinely, then realized he had run past his target in his desperation to pacify her, and quickly headed back towards her.
Thankfully, she appeared to be immobilized to a single spot on the sidewalk, getting dodged by busy by-passers from all sides. Suzaku studied her, festering a bit of concern as she continued to remain inanimate, almost statue-like motionless. He placed a hand at her arm, subtly shaking her. "Hey...Kallen? Kallen?"
When she gave no response, he paused, tracing her mindless stare back to the store window; a small silver object laying on display at the very front. He stepped up closer to the glass, getting a closer look at the shining trinket that caused Kallen to react so peculiarly. A silver locket lay there, outcast under the more popular display of jewelry; it's under-appreciated beauty shining in the reflected sunlight.
The entire world then switched off for Kallen, and all she could keep her focus on was the missing piece of memory dangling right in front of her face.
'Impossible...after all these years...how could it...?'
She felt her mind spin and her legs give out from underneath her, and the last thing she could remember was the searing pain in her head and Suzaku's desperate shouts of panic before she faded off into the black.