Author's Notes: Hey, it's me, Peanuckle. I've been away for a long, long time now. Some of my fanfics are long incomplete, and I apologize. I completely lost the drive to write while away at college. Recently, I finished watching Code Geass and my inner drama is forcing me to write again. What really gets me though, is that I still get reviews for some of my stories. Not many, just one or two every month or so. I was surprised that people would go digging through all the material and find stuff from years ago that I had written, and I'm pretty damn humbled by it. It's true what the site says, you know; Reviews being the best reward an author can get. Thanks, you guys.
Don't own, don't sue. This is a KaLulu. Abandon C.C. Fandom, Ye Who Enter Here. This is my first time writing a piece like this, centered around a single, emotional moment. Let me know how you felt about it.
I wrote this piece while listening to "Ashita Ni Mukatte" (Tomorrow's Future) from Ah! My Goddess. I'm such a romantic sap...
First
Kallen was very confused about herself, and about Zero. On one hand, she served him as his most important fighter, his Queen-1. But when they weren't fighting, it was different. Zero would usually ask for her advice on things, and not just military matters.
This time, he was asking her about girls: How to understand their feelings and read the real meaning behind what they say.
Of course, he hadn't quite put it like that. He was embarrassed about the topic, and the question had come out "Kallen, would you tell me about girls?"
She had stared at him, wide-eyed, for a good minute before he clarified what he meant.
"Even still, that's an unusual question, Zero. Why would you ask me that?"
"You're the only woman we have on staff."
She noted his use of the word 'woman' instead of 'girl'. She hated being treated like a kid, especially considering her secret life as a resistance member. She appreciated the way he handled the team.
"Yeah, but why ask that question at all? Are you..." A light shade of pink decorated her face "Having 'girl troubles'?" Kallen's voice signaled incredulity, despite how she had tried to hide it. She'd imagined that Zero was Zero all the time. She hadn't thought that he would be leading a double life, like her.
Zero sighed. "Sort of. I have a sister, you see, who has been asking me a lot of strange questions recently."
Zero has a sister? I thought he was a loner! He just keeps giving surprise after surprise.
"Oh! Well... What kind of questions?"
"She's never gone out on a date or anything, and wants to know what a kiss feels like. I thought that you would be the one to ask, because explaining it from a guy's point of view probably wouldn't satisfy her. Also..."
"What is it?" I'm in an alternate universe or something. Nothing else could shock me any more.
"I've never kissed anyone either."
Cancel that last note. We have officially left reality. Zero is the dashing swashbuckler type! How could he have not at least kissed anyone?
"Oh! Um.. well.. I don't... well, what I mean to say is..."
"I haven't kissed anyone either."
Zero tilted his head. "Oh. Well then. Huh." The awkwardness hung in the room like a thick fog.
As Kallen stood there, a thought came to her mind. He is Zero, after all, he's a great guy and he definitely wouldn't hurt me. And I've always been curious about him. Maybe, just maybe...
"Umm, Zero?"
"Yes?"
"Well, I was thinking, since neither of us have ever kissed anyone, maybe... maybe we could..." Kallen's face was getting redder by the minute. "Maybe... wecouldtryittogether!" There! It's out! Now he can reject me and I can go off and be miserable and humiliated every time he looks at me! Great job Kallen!
Zero was very still for a moment. "I... I suppose if you're willing, then we could try." His voice drifted off and even though he was wearing a mask, Zero averted his eyes.
Kallen was certain that if her eyes got any wider, they'd pop out, and that would ruin the moment. She took a step forward, and Zero stood up very fast. Kallen almost jumped back out of fear, but her resolve held strong. She reached a hand out and placed it on Zero's mask.
"Wait" Zero stopped her. "I still need to hide my identity for now. It's not that I don't trust you, it's that I want to be fair, and if I showed you, I'd have to show the entire team, and then Zero would lose a lot of his charisma."
Kallen's hand faltered. "I understand. Well, it would've been interesting to try.
"What do you mean? I already see a way around that."
"How? I don't see-"
"Exactly!" And with that, Zero pushed her headband down around her eyes, blocking off her vision. "There! Now there's no problem removing my mask, so long as you don't remove that."
Kallen was more than a little indignant at having been blindfolded so, but if that was the price, then she was willing to pay. She nodded her head and waited. She heard the distinct clicking of Zero's mask, and heard him set it down on a table. There was also a sound of cloth being pushed away.
"Alright. That's that." Zero's voice is different. He must have some kind of device in there that changes it. It sounds kind of familiar, but I can't place it.
Zero took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Kallen felt his hands on her face, guiding her up towards him. There was a long pause, but slowly, the distance closed. She could feel his breath, and he could feel hers.
Finally, their lips met. It was barely a touch at first, but to Kallen, the sensation was earth-shattering. She felt a wave of cold rush through her body and everywhere he was touching lit on fire..
It's OK, it's just adrenaline, don't lose it! This might be your only chance!
While Kallen could handle the adrenaline rush, the fact that this was her first kiss, and that it was with a hero whom she idolized and very possibly loved, created a sensation she could not withstand. The kiss deepened, both of them turning their heads and leaning in. Kallen's face flushed, and her heart felt like it had been hit by a lightning bolt. Her arms were trembling as she reached up to put them around Zero's neck, and once she did her knees almost gave out. Had she not been blindfolded, she would've seen him having similar problems. Through all this, the kiss never broke.
Kallen felt Zero's arms wrap around her, pulling her in, but not too tight. So... he's still apprehensive? Despite the haze that had come over her, she was able to push herself up against him, and the arms around her tightened. One of Zero's arms traveled up and stroked her hair, the other wrapped tight around her waist. She let her arms fall from around his neck, shifting them to his back. They pulled even tighter together and Kallen let out a soft, low moan of appreciation. The sudden noise, while it was surprising, caused no unexpected movements. The kiss remained unbroken.
Kallen hadn't noticed, but her breath has almost stopped entirely. All her focus was on this moment, and the only thing that told her something was wrong was that the world started spinning around her. At first, she thought it was merely another effect of this wondrous moment, but as she fell, she realized that she needed air just as much as she needed him.
Did I really just think that?
The fall had been cushioned by something. It was warm, and felt like fancy cloth. Had Zero put pillows on the-
Oh no...
She had completely toppled Zero over, and had landed on top of him. She felt that her face was redder than when the kiss had first started, even though she didn't know if that was possible. Despite knowing that she was blindfolded, she opened her eyes out of reflex.
The blindfold had slipped. She could just barely see out of her right eye.
Kallen's face was still very close to Zero's, and one thing dominated her view: His eye. It was beautiful, like a piece of artwork. The iris was a shining purple, and a sparkling red crane centered in the pupil and spread its wings across the eye.
Zero didn't move. He lay perfectly still under Kallen.
"Don't worry, Zero. All I can see is your eye. It's very pretty."
"Th... Thank you."
Their words were barely whispered. Kallen pulled her arms up and lay down on top of Zero, using her arms to keep her chin from hurting him. A smile grew across her face.
"I don't suppose I could see the other one, could I?"
"It's nothing special. My left eye is unique."
"Oh."
Nothing else was said. Kallen just lay there, Zero put his arms around her again, and let her stare into his eye. To Kallen, it was almost hypnotic. There was a faint light emanating from it and-
"Yo Zero! I got the numbers that you wanted about the..." The door opened and in walked Tamaki. As soon as he looked up from the pile of papers he was carrying, he stopped dead in his tracks. He dropped everything he was carrying and his jaw dropped so far it seemed that it would dislocate.
"Zero... Kallen... Oh wow you two are incredible! It's seriously the perfect match! Even though I'm a little jealous of you Zero but HEY! We're friends after all and we're happy when the other is right? And Kallen, when did you ever start having the hots for our boss? You naughty girl, you, I bet you're the type to go to the office wearing skimpy..."
"Tamaki! Look at me! Forget everything you have seen here! Go back to your duties and only know that you have delivered the papers!" Zero's voice carried the strength of command that Kallen had always admired. The assuredness, the might behind the voice. It was one of the few things that Kallen knew for certain about Zero, and she enjoyed hearing it as often as possible.
"Yes, sir!" Tamaki promptly turned around and left, the red glow around his eye slowly dissipating.
The click of the door seemed to be a signal, and Kallen's face turned to fire as realization hit her. Too embarrassed to look Zero in the eye again, she buried her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around her head with a groan.
She was mumbling to herself, and the sensation of Kallen's hot breath on his chest made Zero's face flush just like hers.
"Kallen."
"Mmmph."
"Kallen..."
"Mmpph MPH!"
Zero couldn't help but chuckle. He gently rubbed Kallen's back. "Don't worry about him, Kallen. My eye doesn't just look pretty, it has powers, too. I used them to make Tamaki forget he ever saw this. You don't need to be embarrassed at all."
Kallen moved her arms away, but refused to look up from Zero's chest. Frankly, she was having a pretty good time just snuggling like this, and there wasn't a whole lot that could make her leave. Her blush had calmed, but there was still a pink hue to her cheeks.
"Why won't you look at me?"
Kallen turned her head to the side, to allow herself to speak. She also got the added bonus of listening to Zero's heartbeat. "My headband slipped off. I don't know if you want me to see your whole face."
"O... Oh. I hadn't noticed." Zero retrieved the headband. It was in arm's reach so they didn't have to move at all. He positioned it back onto Kallen's head, and she resumed her previous position.
Zero nudged the band just enough for her to look at his eye again. She smiled.
"Thanks."
"My pleasure."
"You know, there's still some time before we'd be missed. At least a few minutes."
"Mhm." Was Zero's reply. A noncommittal response, although Kallen was certain that he knew what she meant. She pulled her headband back down, and re-entered bliss as Zero's lips connected with hers.
- - -
Later, Tamaki saw Kallen walking down the hall with a sly smile on her face and a bounce in her step.
"Hey, Kallen! You look happy today, what's up?"
"Oh, nothing. Just made out with the boss is all."
"Oh I se- WAIT WHAT?! You're joking, right Kallen?" A smirk was the only response she gave him as she continued down the hall. Tamaki was left to think it over himself.
"No way, man. She has to be joking. That green-haired girl is Zero's girlfriend, isn't she? You know what? Forget it. Let them do whatever. I'm sure its not true anyways. Besides, why would she call him 'The Boss?' She's never called him that before. Yeah, she's just messin' with me. Crazy girl."
Sorry Zero, I couldn't help myself. I'll do my best to keep this between us now.
I hope we find more of these breaks from now on.
- - -
Zero sat in his chair, trying to look over some plans for the next raid, but his mind was elsewhere and refusing to obey.
Kallen
Kallen
Kallen
"Kallen." Was all he said, before lying down on the bed, looking up, and losing himself in his memories.
Fin.
Author's Notes Again: I hoped you had as much fun reading it as I did writing it. I enjoyed reading and re-reading it, even though I knew it inside and out. I'm really happy with it, and I hope you are too.
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