It has been nearly a year since the death of the 'Demon Emperor' Lelouch vi Britannia. A year since the death of the man I came to love. And in just that one short year, the peace that he and so many others had died for had fallen apart. I have no doubt that he planned everything to bring that peace about, but it is a shame that he never took the ugly nature of humanity into account. Or maybe he did, and just hoped that we could change.
But with the death of the new Zero, and the disappearance of Empress Nunnally, that was not to be.
Things have gone back to the way they were, nations warring against each other for supremacy, and once again, Japan is in dire straits. We are even worse off than before the Black Rebellion. Rather than being a territory of a larger nation, Japan has become a battlefield, with Britannia controlling the northern half, and the Chinese Federation occupying the south. The border between the two shifts daily and it is the Japanese that suffer the most when it does. Something needs to be done, needs to change.
Little did I know at the time, but I was about to gain a Power that would let me bring about that change, with one I thought lost by my side.
My name is Kallen Kozuki, and this is my story.
Code Geass: Kallen of the Return
Stage 1: Birth of the Valkyrie
Kallen swore to herself as she heard the sounds of her pursuers echoing in the tunnel behind her. They were getting closer, too. Looking down, she took in the image of the two frightened children she ushered before her. If she were by herself, then she would easily have been able to outrun or evade her pursuers. However, she still remembered how heartlessly the Britannia military had slaughtered Japanese children in the Shinjuku Ghetto all that time ago. Since Shneizel had become Emperor after Nunnally's disappearance, there was no reason to think that things would be any different this time.
Kallen let out a sigh of relief when they excited the tunnels. That sense of relief grew when she saw Ohgi waving to her from the door of a nearby warehouse. As the former Prime Minister of Japan, it was no surprise that he had become a rebel again, when the Brittanians and Chinese took over. Unfortunately, Kallen couldn't help but think, he is a reliable leader, but he is no Zero.
As Kallen and the children entered the Warehouse, she quickly ushered them over to a dark-skinned, silver-haired woman, who was doing her best to keep a group of young children calm. "Here are two more I found on my way here, Villetta."
Villetta Nu. At one time, Kallen would have held the woman's Britannian heritage against her, but after marrying Ohgi, only to have their first child killed in the initial invasion from her own homeland, she was solidly on the side of the Japanese rebels. Kallen knew that she was not going to betray them for anything.
Kallen took a moment to scan the other figures that filled the warehouse. There were around a dozen rebels that guarded the entrances to the warehouse, while the rest of their group fought the military throughout the rest of the ghetto. They were lucky that the Brittanians had not considered their group enough of a threat to send in Knightmares, but there were a few tanks that they had to try and avoid. While Knightmare Frames were far superior in almost every way, tanks were still much cheaper to produce. Mostly, though, they were only facing foot soldiers, so the battle was merely difficult, rather than impossible. The real challenge came in protecting the civilians…
With that, she moved on to look at the refugees that were there, nearly 40 in all. There was quite a range, from the young that crowded close to their parents or Villetta, to the elderly that were likely seeing their sixth or seventh decade. There were well kept housewives and husbands that looked like they were important businessmen before the second invasion, and there were those that looked to have been homeless for quite some time, the nearest was dressed in rags, and had ragged black hair covering his or her face, and flowing down to the mid back.
Regardless of age or social status, she had sworn to protect them all, or at least as many as she could. No sooner had that thought crossed her mind, than a gunshot was heard. One of the guards fell over dead, and another swore, before opening fire out the window. The Britannian soldiers had found them.
Kallen grabbed the nearest spare weapon; a shoulder mounted RPG that had been propped against the wall by the rebel that had been shot first. Moments later, a wall was blasted open, announcing the presence of a tank among their attackers. Quickly taking aim at the new opening, Kallen found the silhouette of the artillery, and fired the rocket she had acquired. It struck home, taking away their attacker's technological advantage in an impressive blast.
However, they were still outnumbered. A fierce firefight ensued, but in the end, only Kallen, Ohgi, and Villetta were left from the group of rebels, while there were still ten Britannian soldiers. Their leader pointed his gun at the children, while facing Kallen and Ohgi. "Drop your weapons and surrender!"
So far, despite a few injuries caused by stray bullets, none of the civilians that had gathered here had been killed. Knowing that there was no guarantee that they would be safe, but also knowing that the children were certain to get harmed if they did NOT cooperate, the two rebels dropped their weapons and raised their hands.
"Good. Now which one of you fired off that rocket? Tanks are awfully expensive, ya see, and my superiors aren't going to be happy about that." Seeing neither of them being forthcoming, he continued. "Well, if you aren't going talk, maybe I should just kill the both of you to be safe."
Since his comment implied that there might be a chance for at least Ohgi and Villetta to get out of this alive, Kallen quickly stepped forward. "It was me. I destroyed the tank."
He gave her an appraising look, before raising his gun. "Well then, in exchange for your honesty, you get to die first." His finger tightened on the trigger, when something unexpected happened.
"No!" The figure clad in rags that she had noticed earlier, called out in a surprisingly commanding male voice, as he leapt in front of her. "She must live!" Where have I heard that voice before? Was all she had time to think, before the gun went off. The bullet struck the man dead in the center of his heart, causing him to cough up blood once, before he crumpled to the ground at her feet.
Kallen stared down at the dead man in front of her in shock, as the Britannian spoke again. "How stupid. Brave, but stupid."
Kallen knelt down, despite knowing that the man was already dead. Why? I don't know him; he wasn't a rebel, so why would he die for me? The officer spoke again. "Now that that is out of the way, it is your turn, girl." Kallen looked up, knowing that her death was coming, only to freeze, as the 'corpse' moved. His hand shot up to grasp her shoulder…
And her world came apart.
I'm falling. Am I falling? She found herself wrapped in strands of energy in an endless void, falling, and yet standing firm.
"You still have goals to complete, correct?" That voice of the man who she thought had died echoed around her.
"What is this?!" She found herself fractured, flying through a void filled with chaotic swirls of energy.
"It seems you have a reason to fight."
"Where are we, How is this possible?" Kallen found herself starting to panic in this surreal world she found herself in.
"If you had the strength, could you fight on?" Despite her unease, the voice that addressed her remained calm. "I offer you a Contract. I shall bestow unto you a Power, and in return, you must grant my one Wish. If you enter into this contract, you will live as a human, but also as a being completely separate from the mortals around you. A different path, a different time, a different life." As the voice continued, Kallen saw a dawning light in the distance. Scenes of things, places, and people unknown to her flashed before her eyes. "The power of the Queen will lead you on a lonely path, indeed. If you are prepared to walk it, then…"
Suddenly, a scene formed in the chaos. A handsome blond man in royal clothes sat drinking tea, while watching a live broadcast of a battle. He spoke. "A war unlike any other. Let us prune the weak from this world…"
Instantly, her unease was washed away in a single hate filled thought: SCHNEIZEL! Her thoughts hardened into a fiery resolve. "Alright! I accept your contract!"
She felt something shift within her at that moment, like a powerful force coming into existence for the first time.
As quickly as she had left, Kallen found herself once more in the warehouse, crouched over the mysterious man's fallen, and once more lifeless, form. She knew that there was a Britannian soldier that was about to shoot her, but she was no longer worried. She could feel a strangely pleasant tingle in her right eye. She had had enough experience with this power to know what it was, even without the name being spoken, and had no doubt that a certain symbol was now displayed in that eye. Things were different now; she had power!
It was hardly an appropriate moment to do so, but she really couldn't help it.
Kallen started to laugh.
The soldier that was about to shoot her hesitated at the sound. "What's so funny, girl?"
Kallen brought up her hand to the tingling eye, as she stood up. "A brilliant man once told me 'The only ones who should kill are those who are prepared to be killed'. I am willing to risk my life to do what is right, are you willing to give up yours for your corrupt government?"
The Officer laughed slightly nervously. "Give up our lives? And how is that going to happen? You're unarmed! The most you could do would be to pull a hidden knife, or show off some fancy karate moves. We still have guns-"
"Wrong." Kallen cut him off, her confidence at an all time high, as she felt power flowing through her body. "What you have are bullets, and the hope that when you're out, I will no longer be standing. Not that it matters, since you will be dead before you can fire another shot."
"Enough of this nonsense!" He brought his pistol up, centering it right between her eyes.
And then Kallen moved.
Ohgi cursed mentally. He could not remember the last time he had felt so helpless. He was unarmed, and Kallen was going to get shot at any moment. She was in front of him, so he could not even leap in front of a bullet like that strange man had. Kallen was keeping them talking, but it seemed as if she was TRYING to antagonize them.
Finally the Britannian seem to have enough, raising his gun once more. However, before he could fire, Kallen acted.
Ohgi could only watch in slack-jawed amazement at what happened next. He knew Kallen was fast but… He had never seen her blur before.
One moment, she was nearly three meters(1) from the officer, then she shot forward, snatching the gun from his hand. This was followed by nine shot ringing out in such quick succession that the sound ran together, and the other soldiers seem to fall almost simultaneously. The officer right in front of her coughed up blood, but stayed standing…
Right up until Kallen pulled her now blood soaked right arm out of his chest.
The officer was not immediately killed, unlike the others. As he lay dying, he looked up at the bloodied figure above him, which he was now certain was a demon wearing the face of a high school girl as a mask. With some difficulty he asked, "Wh-who are you?"
Kallen looked down at him, Geass blazing in her right eye. "Kallen," She looked down at her bloodstained hand, and clenched it into a fist with a determined grin, "Kallen Kozuki, the Bloody Valkyrie."
Notes: (1): Three meters is about ten feet.
AN: Well, then, how is that for an opening chapter? I have read several post-Requiem stories, but none quite like what I have planned for this. Not much else to say, so let me know what you think. Reviews are how I know whether or not to work on more chapters for a story, after all. ^_^
Here is the disclaimer, since I felt it would break the flow if I put it after the title like I usually do.
Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass, or any other published work that gets referenced.
Flames will be used to light Rakshata's pipe.