Legal Disclaimer: Code Geass and its characters and settings, etc. are not my property. (as much as I may wish otherwise)

Fiction Rating note: Chapter 1 is fairly mild. Future chapters will delve into the M range (violence, language, and adult themes). You have been warned.

Timeline note: The "intro" occurs chronologically some time after Chapter 1. The actual chapter begins during R2 episode 7.

Now and in future, more detailed notes can be found in my profile. All opinions welcome.

Red Requiem

"Move! Move! Move, damn it!" Kallen pounded repeatedly, futilely, at the controls, screaming her rage and impotence, but her Gurren remained trapped by Shen Hu. She had been foolish, rushing headlong into the fight, not even stopping to remember that there hadn't been time to replace her energy filler.

Lelouch, that idiot. Why did he still keep pushing her away? She had supported him from the first, fought for him unquestioningly, and he still wouldn't confide in her like he did with C.C. She had thought they were beyond that. Kallen hated that she had acted like a teenage girl, but having seen him walk away to converse with the other woman in the hangar, once again leaving her behind, had bothered her more than she cared to admit. Whatever the reason for her rash action, though, it did not change the consequences. She was now caught, worse than useless, a hostage and shield against her allies. A single tear rolled untouched down her face and she closed her eyes, falling back limply, banging her head hard against the cockpit wall she rested on in a final gesture of frustration.

She realized then that she had just lost any of the trust she had been so impatient, so desperate, to prove she was worthy of.

She had failed when he truly needed her.

The radio crackled, and she jumped in surprise at hearing Zero's voice. "Q1! Are communications still active?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"Doesn't matter! Kallen, don't give up," his voice had lost every shred of its usual calm, arrogant command. The raw heat of his words startled her into abrupt silence. "I will come for you! I swear to you, no one will stop me, so wait for me! I will not let-" With another crackle, the radio gave out and she was left in silence.

Amidst the despair, a small smile pulled at her lips. She murmured his name into the silence of the dark cockpit.

Chapter 1 - Trust

Days Earlier...

The Britannian youth replaced his colored contact lens as he let his eyes roam over his handiwork. The backalley drug dealers had been reduced to mindless animals at his command, dancing, howling, and standing on their hands. Fitting that they now acted the part they had already been playing for their Britannian masters. Lelouch felt himself laughing, the garish, theatrical laugh that seemed to come so naturally now, and he walked on the man doing pushups on his way to the end of the alleyway.

Or was he Zero? He wasn't sure. Which mask was it today: student , Britannian prince, loving brother, or terrorist leader? Maybe someone else entirely. Then again, did it matter? He laughed harder, morbidly amused at himself and his pathetic struggles and attempts at justification. At least that would be over now. He was finally beaten. He had been conspiring and fighting and killing for so long now that he hardly remembered anything else, facing foes the likes of Cornelia and Schneizel, and it was his own loving, naive little sister who finished him. The one person he had been trying to protect, who was worth the evil he had become.

She had chosen Suzaku. The man who had sold him to the emperor.

She didn't need Zero anymore. It had been Charles placing him in check by sending Nunnally to govern Area 11, but she had her own plans and seemed absolutely content with her new position. She had dreams, aspirations for the happiness of the Japanese people, a future without Zero. There was no longer any point. But even now, now that his fight was over, he was denied happiness. He couldn't even speak with his little sister; it would betray his memories and identity, and he would be imprisoned at best. Execution seemed far more likely, but then again, that may have just been the whispers of the dark night gathering around him.

Well, there was still one way to grasp that happiness. He reached into his coat pocket and fingered the needle of Refrain, smirking at his last minor victory. Why the hell not? He had nothing left to lose. His steps, wandering aimlessly, brought him within sight of a familiar warehouse, and the derisive laughter returned. Fitting that Zero should die here in Shinjuku, the site of his birth. He sank onto a pile of construction material and readied his arm for the needle.

His hand shook. He glared at the rebellious limb.

"I thought you might come here," a familiar voice said from the doorway. He turned wide, startled eyes to find Kouzuki Kallen, his ace pilot. His former ace pilot. She was out of uniform, presumably to show that she was alone, here without orders. Instead she wore a short pink dress that left her shoulders bare. A yellow bow was tied on the high neck. Her normal high stockings were gone, and magenta socks showed more of her long legs than usual. Her crimson hair looked darker tonight, and it was brushed and worn down. It just teased the shoulders of her blue sweater, left open in front. Zero reflexively took in the details, cataloguing and storing. Lelouch ignored her appearance, only wondering angrily why she was here. What more did she want of him? He had had enough of the Black Knights.

She spoke quietly while she stepped hesitantly forward. "Lelouch, I was-" She sucked in a quick breath and stopped, her blue eyes widening as she saw the needle in his hand.

"Refrain," Lelouch lashed out without thinking or caring. "But I hardly need to tell you; I'm sure you recognize it. I've come to think your mother had the right idea."

The shock on her face transformed instantly to anger, and she closed the distance and slapped away the needle before he could use it. Taking two steps after it, she kicked it into the distance and turned back to him, shouting now. "What are you doing? So we couldn't rescue her-when has that stopped you before? Make a new plan, give us orders, tell us to find information or set a trap or prepare for battle! Just ... just tell me what to do and I'll do it, Lelouch! This isn't like you." Her eyes were wide with anger and shining with unshed tears.

He chuckled, rising to his feet slowly. "'Like me?' What would you know? You don't even know who I am." He approached her, his face only inches from hers, violet eyes staring into blue. He could see his own expressionless mask reflected there. Her breathing was shallow and quick, but whether in excitement or fear he didn't know. "Nobody does. But you say want orders? Then, since you're a woman ... why don't you comfort me?"

Kallen's reaction was immediate. A multitude of emotions flickered across her face, too fast to catch, settling somewhere between pain and outrage. Her full-armed slap caught Lelouch by surprise and nearly knocked him unconscious. She opened her mouth to speak, closed it, then tried again. "Wake up! Lelouch or Zero, it doesn't matter. You carry our dream, all our hopes, so take responsibility! All the way to the end, Lelouch." The depth of hurt in her eyes struck him nearly as heavily as her hand.

She ran.

Wincing-and groaning, now that nobody was there to hear-he rubbed his jaw and straightened, brooding over the loss of his drug and trying to ignore his pilot's words. He didn't know where Kallen got that kind of strength from her slender frame, but it felt like her hand may have jogged his brain into belated motion. That was unfortunate.

More footsteps approached and he turned tiredly to face his "brother," Rolo, as usual in his school uniform.

"Put it down." Though it wasn't a question, Rolo's voice clearly phrased it as such. He spoke calmly, his voice soothing. "Your burden, nii-san, it's too heavy. You try to do too much, and I know you suffer for it. You get nothing but pain from this. Being Zero, leading the Black Knights ... even Nunnally-"

"No!" Lelouch denied angrily, but Rolo quickly cut him off.

"It will help her as well, and you know it. If Zero is gone, Area 11 will have peace. Forget about everything. Come back to Ashford with me. We can be happy, together, never having to worry about this again. Everyone involved would be better off. You won't have to hurt anyone anymore, and I won't ever leave you."

Lelouch's meager resistance crumbled. He nodded wearily, and they trudged together to the nearest station, boarding a train to the academy.

By the time they reached the school grounds, Lelouch almost felt like himself again, though he still had no idea what to actually do. He walked through the silent yard beside Rolo, noticing no lights in the nearby buildings, either. Right. He had forgotten Milly's fieldtrip. That was fine; he wouldn't mind having time to himself, time to think.

Fireworks bloomed overhead, nearby, quickly followed by the characteristic cracks and pops. The two brothers stopped, startled. Possibilities whirled through Lelouch's head, quickly discarded, leaving just one. "Oh, Milly," he whispered sadly. The student prince broke into a jog toward the main building, looking back long enough to see Rolo keeping pace with a worried frown.

Panting and gasping for air, he reached the top of the stairs. Running had not been a good idea. He clearly was still not thinking with proper clarity. Rolo, beside him, was not even short of breath, and Lelouch grimaced sourly at his brother before opening the door to the roof. The three student council members outside-his friends-turned with smiles on their faces.

"Welcome back, Lelou," Shirley offered.

"You're late!" Rivalz added helpfully.

"But, President, what about your field trip?" Lelouch asked.

"Ah, be quiet and shoot some fireworks." Milly grinned at him. "If we left without you, you'd probably be crying into your pillow right now, right?"

"Right, right!" Rivalz laughed.

"Journeys are valuable for the people you share them with, not the places you go, Lelouch," Milly explained.

Shirley stepped forward. "We all agreed we'd rather wait here for you and Rolo than leave without you." She held up the paper crane in her hands and looked at it happily. "I guess these really do work, huh? I'll need to make more for next time, so you and Rolo and Nina can all be here."

"And Kallen and Suzaku," Rivalz said. The others nodded.

Nunnally had taught Shirley about the cranes, though Lelouch knew his friends wouldn't remember. His vision blurred, and he could have sworn he saw his sister in her wheelchair, sitting next to Shirley. He looked around, and Suzaku, Nina, and Kallen appeared, too.

But they weren't here, and it was his fault. Zero had torn them apart. Kallen had been right: he needed to take responsibility and see it through to the end. He wasn't fighting only for his sister anymore, and he wouldn't be so conceited as to claim that he was fighting for the world, or for justice-at least not privately. But for this, for who was here and not here, he would finish what he had started.

"Yes," Lelouch managed without betraying the lump in his throat. His mind was finally clearing as his eyes lost focus in exchange. "Yes, next time, with everyone, for sure."

"Wow, Lelouch is so touched by our thoughtfulness that he's crying! So cute!" Milly observed gleefully.

"Geez, you're such a child, Lelou," Shirley agreed.

Rivalz grinned and tossed him a firework and lighter while Lelouch tried to scowl at his friends. When that failed utterly, he aimed the firework at them.

The ocean around the submarine was deceptively calm. Underwater, there was nothing to betray the battle that had just transpired above, ending decisively upon Zero's return. After she had boarded the Black Knights submarine, Kallen had traded her sweater for an unbuttoned uniform jacket. Now she stood quietly in Zero's chambers, thinking over the things she had said in the warehouse. She held his mask in her hands, gazing into the opaque faceplate.

"It's heavy, that mask," C.C. said from behind her. The redhead jumped, startled. She hadn't heard the other woman enter.

Kallen knew the other woman hadn't been talking about literal weight. "I've never seen him like that, and I'm concerned," she responded quietly. "But we need him. He's the only one who can..."

C.C. stared at her, head slightly cocked to one side, mouth slightly smiling, golden eyes slightly aloof and entirely inscrutable. Kallen didn't know how C.C. did that; she wished she could, but she had never been good at hiding her emotions. "Just don't push him too hard, Kallen. Everyone wants something from that boy." She paused to let that sink in before adding, "But right now, he'll want us to be at the meeting."

The two women entered the meeting room moments ahead of Zero, who barely had time to clear the doorway before Kaguya hurled herself at him. Kallen felt her eyebrow twitch, then again when the little princess asked why he hadn't visited his wife. The young ace took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down; she was still jumpy and aggressive from the stressful night.

"...is obvious," Tamaki was boasting loudly. "We're gonna pretend we're all chummy with them, get inside, and then kick Britannian ass, right, Zero?"

Zero's response was quiet, but intense. "Why? For what purpose?"

The room exploded into general argument, disbelief, and outrage. Kallen frowned, confused, but kept quiet and tried to study Lelouch for some clue. She found nothing; he gave away even less than the green-haired woman beside her.

Once he had apparently decided enough time had passed, Zero spoke up again. "Toudou! What is Japan?" The room quieted, and when no response came, the masked man continued. "Is it the land? The cities? The houses?"

"No ... it's the people," Ohgi said slowly, gaining momentum as he thought out loud. "The culture and tradition!"

"We fight for a purpose, not because there is a fight to be had. We will temporarily move Japan," Zero confirmed, his voice expecting to be understood and obeyed. "We will soon return, and it will be with much more than our current strength. I will explain the operation details in the coming days. Kallen, come with me."

With that, he turned and left the room, cape flaring behind him. Kallen glanced around the room, but everyone seemed absorbed in their thoughts apart from C.C., who was, inevitably, studying her again. With no help to be found there, the pilot hurried after the prince.

They went directly to his chambers, neither of them speaking in the hallway. He locked the door behind them and removed his mask, rolling his neck to relieve stiffness and brushing sweat from his face. He turned to a closet and began removing his outer layer of clothing, still not offering anything. Kallen fidgeted, wondering how severe her punishment would be.

Finally, she had to break the silence. "Lelouch, I'm-"

"Wait. Please," he cut her off. The theatrical voice of Zero was gone, replaced by Lelouch again. Once his cape, gloves, cravat, and the rest of his extraneous clothing was folded away, he finally spoke, though he still hadn't faced her. "Kallen ... thank you. I was acting the fool, and you told me what I needed to hear. Nobody else would have. Thank you for being there."

Her eyes widened. She had not expected that. She wasn't entirely sure if she should be relieved or worried at his sudden change, but she felt a warm flush of pleasure spreading throughout her and couldn't keep from smiling. True or not, he was telling her that she had helped Zero when he had been in need. She stumbled a little over her words. "I ... I shouldn't have said all that I did. I'm sorry I went too far!" The rest came out in a rush before she could check with her brain, "But you were being a bit of a jerk." She grimaced and berated herself silently.

Lelouch barked out a laugh before he could stop himself, and finally turned to face her. "No, you were right. Just, don't make it a habit." He blinked at her, suddenly and comically confused. "What's wrong?"

When he had turned around, her expression had changed to one of horror. Now she crossed the room and reached up to gently touch his left cheek. He winced and pulled away, though he quickly masked it. There was a large bruise forming on the side of his face. "Is that ... did I do that?" she asked apologetically.

"Okay," he admitted ruefully. "I could have lived without that part of our conversation. Does it look bad?" She nodded at him, grimacing, and he sighed, waving it off as a future concern, and a minor one at that. "The mask does have some definite positives."

"Lelouch," she began, hesitant once more. "You were wrong about something important. I know you haven't told me everything, but I've seen what you've done. I know who you are, and you're a good person." He looked uncomfortable, as if he disagreed but didn't want to argue about it at the moment. That was okay, for now.

C.C.'s words echoed suddenly through her mind. It's heavy, that mask. Kallen stepped closer and lightly touched the bruise again. "We were worried. I was worried. We trust you to guide us, but you can trust us, too. If it gets that bad again ... you can talk to me, you know." Again before her body could check with her brain, she tilted her head up and softly pressed her lips to his, the kiss tentative and something fragile. He froze, stiffening, and she pulled away and opened her eyes to look at him.

His emotionless mask had again covered his features, but she saw he hadn't quite managed to veil his eyes. There was surprise there, and hesitance, and fear (fear?), and more that she couldn't read. Kallen felt herself sinking into those beautiful violet pools. She didn't know how or why, but they pulled at her, as undeniable as gravity.

She didn't fight it. Her left arm curled around his back while her right hand left his cheek to tangle gently in his dark hair. She closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder, nose just touching his neck, her breath tickling his throat, and whispered, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. Shirley, right? Just let me stay here a moment. And, please ... trust in me, Lelouch."

Over half a minute passed with no response, before she felt him move so much as a muscle. Then the frozen rigidity finally melted from his spine, all in a rush as he let out a great breath. His arms enfolded her, holding the small of her back beneath her coat and stroking her neck under the fall of soft red hair. She shivered. He whispered her name, and she lifted her head, and his lips found hers. Instinctively, she pressed forward to feel him against her and returned the kiss, gently, deeply, insistently.