I've made up my own version of how Kallen found out that Lelouch was Zero… I was bored and I love to write so… Enjoy ^^

A Well Kept Secret

Kallen ran. She had no idea of where she was or where she was going, she just ran. The protruding twigs from bushes and low trees struck her in the face, and got stuck in her hair. A narrow gash let her blood escape from her chest. Her body protested against the movement, but she pushed it forward even though it didn't want to.

"How?" she screamed inside her head. "How could I fail to see it?" She could not understand that she hadn't seen it before… she had been suspicious, yes… but she had turned the idea down every time. Maybe because she didn't want it to be true? He was smarter than her. Smart enough to make her unsuspicious, but it was true! She had been right all along!

Lelouch was Zero! There was no doubt. Her breath came in short gasps when she finally stopped and then she collapsed on the ground, more exhausted than she had been ever before in her life. She vaguely noticed that she sat on a stone, and that it was water behind her. "A tarn?" she didn't know, but she figured she should move away from it, just in case she fell asleep. She didn't want to drown. So she spent her last bit off strength to hoist herself down from the actually fairly large stone and down on the ground. Then within few seconds she had fallen asleep.

Kallen had been following Zero in the belief that he was a great man who could change the world. And he was. He almost had managed to overthrow Britannia with his Black Knights. Kallen was a part of them. She wanted to help creating a new world where she and her mother could live together. Although she was half Japanese, and cast out by the British, the Japanese had taken her in as their own. She lived in hiding, and had a false name at school, not to be revealed. She lived a lie. Everyone at school thought she was so much away because she was sick and the doctor couldn't find out what was wrong… but the truth was that she was a Black Knight under Zero's control. She had been suspicious, but never really believed that Lelouch could be Zero. But in the end it was true!

Earlier that day:

Kallen was on her way to see Zero in his private room. She had been told to by Zero himself. The stairs seemed longer than she could remember today. Probably because she was exited to know what Zero wanted to tell her? Did he plan on a new mission? Did he need her to do something important for him again? She couldn't tell, but neither did it matter when she opened the door in front of her. "Kallen!" Zero's sharp, yet powerful voice rang in her ears leaving echoes in the air around her as she saw her leader fall to the ground in pain. Like the world went in slow motion she had seen the man in front of her – one of their own men – point her out with the gun and pulled the trigger. Zero had jumped out in the way and got hit. His blood splashed out over her and she gasped in disbelief. All this happened in maybe two seconds, but in those two seconds Kallens hatred built p and exploded.

"You… why you..!" she whispered and drew her gun.

"DIE YOU BASTARD!" she screamed and fired off three or four shots. And that was it. The scenario was over. The traitor lay dead in front of her, and she had any regrets what so ever. Zero moaned in pain, and pressed his hand over his right side. Kallen knelt beside him and took his head up in her arms. She could see blood running down from under his mask and down his neck as well.

"He probably hit his head to when he fell," she thought.

There was no one else on the base at the time because everyone had gotten a break to go home to their families so Kallen figured she had to treat the wounds herself. It wasn't like she could call an ambulance after all..! In the short time she used thinking this Zero passed out in her arms. She shouldn't wait any longer, and ran to get the first-aid set. She left it at his bedroom and ran back to Zero. She started to move him carefully, and managed – somehow – to carry him down all the stairs on her back. She "dumped" him on the bed and started to open his shirt. A little blush appeared on her face, but she tried to ignore it. Then she removed the bullet, rinsed and bandaged the wound.

"But what about the blood from his head?" she thought nervously, and couldn't quite decide whether or not to remove his mask. It couldn't be that dangerous if she knew, it was just that… she wasn't sure if she wanted to know! What if it was someone she knew, or someone she thought was dead! Like prince Clovis or something! She couldn't live with herself if it was an evil person that she knew! More blood came from the injury in his head, leaving stains on her suit and she made up her mind.

She took a good grip on both sides of the mask, closed her eyes, took a deep breath and pulled it off. How long she sat like that, with the mask in her hands and her eyes closed she didn't know. She just froze. She didn't dare to open her eyes, but then she heard a familiar, weak voice say:

"Kallen… what are you..?" "!" She opened her eyes and stared at him like he was an alien.

"It can't be… It CAN'T!" her heart told her, but she knew it. She knew it was true.

"L-Le-Lelouch!" she whispered with disbelief in her voice, and entire body. Lelouch looked up on her. The wound at the side of his head wasn't that bad after all Kallen noticed. Lelouch's eyes moved from her, to the mask in her hands and back again several times. His brain seemed to work out an explanation, but in the end he didn't say anything. Kallen couldn't move at first. Her body had frozen in shock. She even had trouble breathing. Then when she finally could move again, she got angry. She slapped Lelouch in the face with flat hand, and screamed right into his ear.

"How could you? HOW could you Lelouch?" She couldn't understand why he hadn't told her. He had lied to her, maybe used her to! Lelouch moaned.

"It's not very clever to hit a person with a head injury!" he said, his voice sharp, and hard. Kallen didn't really listen.

"I thought you and I were friends!" she said instead. "Yet you didn't tell me!" Lelouch suddenly seemed angry.

"So how come you didn't tell me that you were a black knight?" he said to her, again his voice was sharp and hard. Kallen wasn't angry anymore, but she had to get out of there. She stood up and started to walk towards the door. Slowly at first, but then she went faster and faster.

"Kallen!" Lelouch's voice reached her, but she didn't respond. She needed to think, she needed to run. So since the base was placed in the jungle, she ran out between trees and bushes. She ended up by a little pond of water and fell asleep with her back leaned against the big stone behind her.

Later she woke up by a sparkling bonfire. It was warm. Kallen thought it was cozy, she always had.

"Wait a minute… bonfire?" she opened her eyes. The jungle around her was dark. Only the fire gave her light to see. She turned her head, and found Lelouch's face only centimeters from hers. She blushed. His head lay on her shoulder, and apparently he slept. She could feel his cool breath against her throat. It was kind of refreshing really, she was so warm. Then suddenly she realized what she was doing, and tried to move away from him. Apparently that was a really bad idea… Lelouch's upper body fell forward and towards her. He was too heavy for her to hold up so he fell down over her. She fell sideway, but still managed – somehow – to land on her back. Lelouch sure was a heavy sleeper, because he didn't even show a sign of waking up. Kallen didn't know what to do. She didn't even know if she liked it or not..! Lelouch's arm laid over her waist and his head on her shoulder again. His cool breath almost made her sleepy and she jawed. She tried to get loose from Lelouch, but gave up after short time.

"He's too… heavy..!" She moaned and lay back down. Her hands were resting, one on his back and one on his neck. After a few minutes she got bored, and almost automatically her fingers started to play around with his hair. "It's much softer than I'd imagined…" she thought to herself.

Then suddenly Lelouch moaned, and his eyes opened slowly.

"That's so good…" he whispered into her ear. His eyes slid close again. At first Kallen wasn't sure of what he was blabbering about, but she found out fast enough and stopped her own fingers. Earlier it had been like they went on "autopilot." Lelouch opened his eyes again, and looked up on her. His face was surprisingly calm.

"It looks like I dozed off a bit" he raised his upper body a little so he stood with one hand and one leg on each side of her.

"My, why are you holding me like that?" he teased, and Kallen suddenly realized she held his shirt in a hard grip. She let go, but Lelouch didn't move.

"You're free to go…" Kallen said sarcastic, but he just stood there, looking down at her.

"What?" Kallen asked irritated. He didn't answer.

"What do you want, and why did you follow me here anyway?" Now she really was annoyed. Lelouch smiled at her. Then he opened his mouth to say something, but stopped.

"No, never mind" he said. His crooked smile was gone now, like it never had existed. They were silent for a while, but then Lelouch sat back between Kallen's legs and said:

"Do you remember when you said you would do anything for Zero!" Kallen sat up, leaning her upper body on her elbows.

"Yes…" she said skeptical.

"Does that still count? Now that you know Zero is me…" the tone in his voice was teasing again. Kallen couldn't help but blush.

"I have to think about it…" she didn't look at him, when he chuckled. Then he leant forward against her again, and laid his fingers around her chin. He moved her face towards his own, still smiling a little wicked.

"I am, and have always been Zero. What is it to think about?" Kallen clinched her teeth together.

"If you do something for Zero, then you do something for Lelouch and the opposite. It's simple" Lelouch's tone still was teasing, but somehow more friendly than before.

"Or do you want me to separate these two?" She looked at him in confusion. "I can pretend that this never happened if it'll make it easier for you…" he looked away, and his fingers weren't tightened around her chin anymore. They just lay there, a soft and gentle touch from his side. Kallen was speechless.

"Would he really do that for me?" she wondered, without taking her eyes off of him. He was nice to her… why? What was he planning?

Well we all know how this story is ending xD Hope you enjoyed this OneShot, and please leave comments on my writing! Good, bad, whatever ^^ I want to get better at this :)

- MVF ^^