Hey My first CG story. Nothing much to say, except enjoy. "Why are these feelings still lingering around me? I… I thought that… I thought I knew that I understood. But, this familiar sensation; what… I realize what this is; I've felt it before, still. I, I just don't know."
A small horse-drawn cart lazed along a small dirt road, one seldom traveled and generally off the beaten path that was the highway. Cars, along with many other hapless vehicles, traveled these roads, only a few hundred miles away from their location. Pasture hills rolled around them for miles, a verdant sea of green sweltering up the entire horizon, almost overwhelming the sense of sight. A young lass, her apparent age no older than that of a girl around sixteen, sat atop the cart, a subtle smile crossed her fragile lips, almost enticed by the optimistic landscape, the weather helping her mood, as well. Her light emerald hair meshed in with the surrounding greenery, only the dark brown wood and calm beige hay setting off a different color opinion. There was a benign breeze, only playfully tossing the long strands of hair, the follicles wrapping around her, running down the outlandish outfit, one that was usually alien for a girl of her standards. It was an impoverished outfit, resembling that of someone who either lived on the streets or in a dilapidated house among others. Brushing the teasing hair, the girl turned to the front of the cart, a navy blue cap visible, nothing more. It sat upon the head of the driver, another young male, a certain individual who was well acquainted with the area. His short hair kept to his head, the hat threatening to blow off his head. He held it with one hand, the other holding the reigns of the horses.
"So", she started, her the voice different from the personality that her appearance exuded. Not only was it different, it had an enigmatic charm that wafted around it, almost as if inviting a certain treachery, or trickery. Neither could have denied such involvements. "Have you been wrapped up in thought? You've very quiet this day. I'm not use to such things."
"Really?" His voice was one of dignity, of a power that enforced and pressed him. Regal blood flowed through his veins, that being one of the first evident qualities that someone could distinguish from him. Other than that, his appearance matched that of her's, both traveling to be out of sight, their quite life their only life.
"Yes. I'm quite use to you gallivanting your voice throughout the air, filling my ears with such fancies and whatnot. I more than know that you enjoy hearing yourself speak, rather than hearing others." He sneered as he spoke, his nose craning slightly above where he usually held it. It was in good fun, the action false rather than serious.
"But, I would rather listen to myself think; my voice doesn't have that luster that my thoughts do. Or, would you prefer that I speak? Is my voice something of a comfort item for you, Cecilia?"
"No, actually." It was a flat, dead tone. This type of conversation was one where she hated speaking. However, they already had spent a year together, eloping throughout Japan, spend more than quality time together. Even before the event last year, they had disclosed feelings, but he always had another on the mind. As always, it had dropped and died, killing his little game. "Isn't that a little childish?"
"I wouldn't think so. You are the one who constantly avoids answering, backing the conversation away like a coy school girl."
"It's funny that you would get yourself this worked up. You can't let such a thing slid, now, can you?"
"I could bother you again in a similar fashion."
"And my answer AGAIN: No." The girl, her face misleading, craned an eye up, throwing a suspicious look at the driver, his eye, an interesting phenomenon about it, looking out of the corner to catch her gaze.
"Of course not. How foolish of me." He wasn't naïve; the boy could easily read the fights and understood when to toss them away.
"I thought as much." Revealing his full face, he wore an intense smile, nearly laughing as she spoke. At this, she rolled her eyes, averting her face so she wouldn't be caught up in his small games. "Through Hell and whatnot and you're still the same. You haven't changed one little bit, but I doubt I should be this surprised. You're the same as when I met you, that's how you're always going to be."
"So, Elysium fields should have changed me?"
"They hardly even shook you."
"I am more that a lesser man, more than the type of man that my father once was. I can laugh in such faces, not cowering away like a pathetic pawn."
"Even your monologues haven't changed."
"Oh, that's hilarious. Besides, I do believe that I have changed, if only ever so subtly, enough to throw you off."
"I have noticed that your outlook on the world, nay on life is different. Could that be what you are speaking of?"
"It might."
"But, you still give those superior speeches, yet they are all lies. It almost sad how obvious it is. And, by the way, I was speaking of your personality, not your mindset or outlook."
"I understand that you were." He tilted the cap and his laughter, one of a madman, yet with a gentle tinge, filled the void air, tensing up all that surrounded them. "I'm sorry. I forgot that you witches could see into another man's soul."
"But it is you, the Devil's son that takes and possesses that same soul, converting it into whatever warped thought that passes through your fancy. Is that not correct or…?"
"That's where I exhibit change of all things." He spoke with a solemn tone, almost as if he were speaking with the entire amount of truth that his incorrigible being would allow. It muttered in a different light, white wings surrounding instead of the black.
"You speak without jesting. Hmm…"
"You shall lay witness and realize the truth behind that statement. Oh, it will surprise you, no doubt."
"And I shall be driven insane by such an act." He only chuckled at this, the cart speeding up, the faster, albeit cautious pace rocking the wooden device, the squeaky boards bouncing off of each other. A small, light cherry pink crane fluttered off the rampant piles of hay, fluttering away in the breeze, falling behind as it succumbed to the massive dust cloud that they were causing, the origami bird out of sight as they pressed on. And almost as soon as they had appeared, they were gone, only slight doubts on the horizon, an insignificant speck that crossed black lines. It flitted back and forth, disappearing slowly. They wouldn't be gone long, and the world would understand they were there.
Ashford hadn't changed much in the year since the spectacular rise, and decisive fall, of the late Britannian emperor, Lelouch vi Britannia, 17th prince to the throne. Sure, the world fell into a time of tranquility, the land growing a common ground as it strove to rebuild and re-create one of just rule. Even the megalomaniacal country itself had attributed to it, allocating funds to resource the world, building up much of the destruction it had been responsible for. Major standing armies were abolished, large unions of people replacing the weapons and fighting with diplomacy and peace talks. However, the world was not all the same as it had once been, with much of Japan, having gotten its name back, suffering behind closed doors. Ashford Academy, a noble school, also suffered for what had happened. Most of the school had lost its once valuable spirit, a lethargic wave sweeping throughout the complex. Only a handful of those who had lived through both tumultuous years remained, the others lost in time, dead or gone; on a positive note, Villette and Ohgi had both returned, the married couple both full-time teachers at the school. Ohgi had applied, with his wife backing his credentials. Before long, he had become one of the most respected teachers, an anthropology one at that. Villette continued her job as the gym teachers, among other things. But, the school still felt empty.
Rivalz parked the small motorcycle in one of the empty parking spaces, the side-car removed ages ago. His pace was relaxed and slow, him not bothering to take his helmet off until the last possible moment. Placing it on the handlebars, he locked it in place and slipped the chrome key in his pocket. He didn't bother changing the pace, although the first period bell was about to chime. Kallen watched from afar, his droopy face depressing amidst all the tired, yet happy others. The school, the prideful academy, had lost much in the past year. Rivalz was one of the most obvious victims.
Within a simple month, he had lost everything precious to him, leaving nothing but an empty meeting room, no one waiting for his return. Milly had graduated, a shattering goodbye that he had fought to accept, succeeding for the most part. However, before that, he had lost Shirley, a sign of things to come. Rolo was next. After, Lelouch fell victim to death, his crime paid for on live, international T.V., Rivalz started to lose it. Gino left the school, Suzaku deciding to base his life around the living nobility, taking up the grand façade of Zero in a time of hardship. He and Kallen were hardly friends, the furthest away compared to the rest of the student council group that they were all once. That left him with nobody, a lonely soul, barely acquainted with any other souls at the school. She turned away, his strife giving rise to those that beleaguered her soul.
A few others, just basic acquaintances and strangers were also hurt, a veritable list that wafted around her, flaunting the depression that it caused. Even larger was the list of those who had died in the strife, a single name appearing at the top every time she dared to think, nay reminisce about such thoughts. Shaking her head, the young red-head moved into the massive hallway, the late bell ringing, the sound reverberating around the luxurious building. A maze of staircases and countless other halls lead on, minutes away from her next class. Guren II's activation key swung from her neck, the soft necklace lanyard swaying across her soft skin, the imprint of it evident. She never took the thing off, a permanent reminder of what had happened and what she had done. It bounced against her chest as she rose up another flight of the beautiful white stairs. Her class appeared in her view, the door closed.
Kallen Stadtfeld was a different person than the timid girl who the denizens of the academy were use to knowing. She, finally, had decided to be herself, taking up all her preferred styles, even using her athletic prowess to excess in more than just the academic front. Hiding away nothing, she was able to live with little regret, letting her mind wander to more important things. Nothing would bring her down; she was at her peak, both physically and mentally, allowing her to effortlessly succeed. Even her hair was done in the preferred style, the one she had for when she was under a separatist group, the Black Knights. It was a symbol of her rank, her past life. No students that she was friends with knew that she was once an enemy of the largest empire, very few people in the world remembering such events that shook the world. Even her old comrades had started to forget about it, them busy with the hassle of regular-day life, the new prospects of the everyman too enticing for any of them to let go. Japan's freedom fighters, her brothers-in-arms, slowly faded away, only a far-fetched memory that was a small chapter in history books, almost a myth or legend to some. They looked at it from every angle, inspecting what had happened and taking apart the actions of many involved, witnessing the fall and rise of many different lives.
Arriving late in class, she took her respective seat, the furthest away from the board, secluding herself away from the other students in which she took very little, if any, interest in. They weren't her real friends, nor did they understand her the way that those close to her ever could. Before her sat a girl, only a few months younger than herself. She wore the traditional school outfit, her long flowing orange hair similar to an old friend.
Shirley was one of the saddest parts of the entire conflict, leading her to lose faith in more than one person. Officially, it was reported that the young girl had taken her father's pistol, one that was often kept as a memorial to the deceased man, and shot herself in one of Tokyo's commercial districts, two of her friends accompanying her that very day. But, Suzaku had come to her with suspicions that Lelouch had killed her, a lie, or so she thought at first. As time continued, she slowly realized that it could have been, but never confronted him on it, the memory a burden upon both. The school board, having paid for the funeral and other costs, decided to erect a memorial for her, Milly's idea at the time. It would be more than just her, though. It was a moving statement against everything that the war stood for, calling for peace because of those lost. It was heart wrenching, almost killing her inside every time she threw her look upon it. They were all reminders that kept the thought of grievance, progressing sadness to future generations that held the same fate.
More or less, Shirley was a rival of sort to Kallen, the girl usurping every chance she had to display any emotion in the school. Kallen, at times, even condemned the girl, hating every move she mad with her delicate fingers. Names were called behind backs, the words etching in her mind as both spoke. However, the façade never fell apart, both being more than kind to the respective other's face. Overall, Kallen realized that she disliked the girl because of a simple emotion: Jealousy. She was jealous of almost everything about Shirley; she didn't have to fight in the conflict, her safety nothing to worry about day to day. Her affection, no obsession to Lelouch made it even worse.
"No. Enough. That's not the road I want to see myself fall down. Not after all that I've gone through." It was a shelter measure that would protect her from any self-harm, the first thing that she could fly off to. Class was the same, her spinning head not making the teacher's writing any better than it could be. One hand automatically reached up for the small key, a security type of cushion for her, calming and soothing her when she clutched the small device. Room 302, her homeroom, was a sterile environment, only serving as an educational purpose, no frills or excitement for any of them. But, her senses would come together, only jumbling every external stimulus that she heard. "Advanced World History? What a joke…" Even the thoughts shook her, though. She had grown tremendously fragile in the past year.
The day continued as it normally would, her mind distracted from thoughts of displeasure and depression, the crushing reality threatening her with subtle notions and nuances. A small mechanical pencil, an emblem applied as the logo, twirled in her hand, the only worldly device keeping her intact. Finally, the release bell rang, a cacophony of student buzzing through the halls, all leaving en masse. Time was basically non-existent to her.
"Kallen", said a girl, the orange-hair one from before. They had both befriended each other, Kallen doing it more out of pity towards her own self. She only wanted to be forgiven by her friends. "What's up? You seem a little out of it."
"Maybe. I haven't gotten enough sleep in the past few days. Sorry."
"Don't worry about it." She pushed her notebooks into the small briefcase that each girl and guy carried, the bulging pack heavier that it implied. "You wanna run by that new bistro or café or whatever they just opened? I heard it has really delicious Japanese cuisine, something traditional or something."
"Sorry", she said, a wry smile crossing her face. It hurt to even manage something that felt abstractly happy. "Today's just not the best day. How about a rain check and I'll get back to you with a better date?"
"Fine with me. I'll talk to you later, then."
"Yeah…" She turned, her smile still plaster across her face. No one could possibly know what she was feeling. It was her personal Hell, a torturous place that she had personally condemned herself into. Why she had gotten friends with the other girl, she didn't know. It was against what she had set herself to do.
As the time of rebirth started, she had and still was trying to break away from all else that lived within her small world, leaving a bitter paper trail she could shatter without bothering to look back. Alienating herself was easy, her outward personality coarse and harsh, only the most dedicated able to stand her presence for a long period of time. This, of course, was a horrible porcelain visage. Still, it didn't work out, her loneliness leading to a massive bout with depression, something she was acquainted with in this age. Then, out of nowhere, her mother died, due to old complications that arose when she was addicted to Refrain, her addiction dying out a year before. Her mind finally snapped: that was about four months ago. That same month, she decided to remedy her own pain, throwing herself from the rebuilt Babel Tower 2, a monolith that watched the clouds. As she fell, her face soaring past the reflective glass panes, she slowly looked at herself, the despotic mental condition absorbing all of her. Haggard and cold, she nearly snapped out of it, her actions heavily regrettable. Death fell around her, taking and placing its skeletal wrist on her shoulder. But, someone saved her, someone, a rival, from her past.
Kallen got up, packing her things away as the radiating sunset shone brightly against her face, the raucous wind picking up. As she entered the empty halls, something felt amiss, almost as if there was the faint presence of another watching her. Dark shadows loomed over every other corner, blocking out sources of light that use to perforate the spaces. It gave the school an overt sinister look. A group of students, odd that they were here after hours, seem to be making a horrid ruckus, the squawking sound of one's strife filling the halls. It was hollow, almost surreal and it sent a chill down her back. To add to the effect, the sunlight started dissipating, clouds rolling in to fill the area of the sun, which was setting rapidly.
Another automatic reaction occurred: she grabbed the small pink bill fold that she always kept on her, a small button press revealing the thick, yet hidden blade that often found itself protecting her from the worst situations. At first, after the ordeals, she was apprehensive about brandishing such a weapon, especially considering the era of peace the world was entering. Nonetheless, reality overcame the foolish thoughts, her slipping the "wallet" into one of her pockets, a constant reminder of the danger that could face her any second of any day. Adamant about herself, it was one of the first thing that she would constantly bring herself to do every other day.
Holding the blade at an anchored angle, she rose it up above her head, craning it downwards, ready to strike. Rounding the corner, she saw three different figures, all obviously male. They wore different outfits than the usual school ones, dark black suits that were adorned with a few different emblems. It was strangely proverbial.
"Huh", questioned one, evidently the most eloquent of the group. She then noticed the crumpled figure on the floor, a small splotch of blood coating the wall. It reflected the little light that remained, eerie considering how long it was since she last saw the sanguine liquid.
"Who are you?" Their voices all sounded the same, a tough voice that emanated evil and impudence.
"Look. It's just a school girl. Ha."
"Just a bitch in the wrong place. Oh, and lookit. She wants to play with us. How about that, guys?" The all were identical, from their actions to their mannerisms.
"Don't worry, girl. We'll treat you just nice." He cracked his knuckles, the sickening sound of bones snapping ever-so-slightly.
"I'd love to see you try", she shouted, jumping into the soon-to-be fray. Flipping in the air, she landed before one of the men, her back to his chest. First, she delivered a steel elbow directly into his chest, back-handing him with a quick motion. Facing him, she kick him, launching herself away from the beast; she landed on one hand, spinning and bring the man into the ground. Her knife shot out, metaphorically lightning as it rested above his face. "Who's next", she asked, her tone as-a-matter-of-factly.
"Try this", screamed the middle one, his hands both filled with blunt objects. Easily than the first, she dove at him legs first, wrapping her slender legs around his waist. Grappling with the larger man, she threw herself backwards, sending the man flying. He flew through a window, crashing to the ground that held the school three stories below. She looked back at the remaining man who was helping his fallen comrade get up. Eyebrow raised, the both retreated, leaving her alone in the hall, the body of some unlucky man lying near her. The odd presence resumed it watch, her pivoting on a small heel to face her opposite direction. Yet, not another soul lingered around the building. At her feet, a small silver pin sat. It was a logo that resembled something from her sketchy past.
"…" She couldn't tell if it were the wind speaking to her or something more foreboding.
"Wait…", and then she finally understood what she was looking at. It was one of Zero's personal Knight Pinions, one of the rare metals that he awarded only a select few individuals. In actuality, she was the only person ever awarded such an award. It was exactly the same as the one she owned.
Footsteps were heard approaching the crime scene from down the hallway, a few teachers remaining in the building to watch for intruders. Perhaps it was one of the teachers she felt was watching her, but even she doubted this theory. Weighting her options, Kallen took a step away from the body, dashing down the direction the footsteps were opposing. She kept running, hardly bothering to look behind her to see if any had witness her suspiciously running from something or another. The running continued until she reached the large downtown home she lived in, the entire home her's and her's alone. Gated, she entered, locking the outdoor gates with a small key that she also kept on her person. Then she entered the large building, a grand façade welcoming her. Her room was on the first floor, her barely making an effort to find the large bedroom fit for royalty.
As usual, she was the only person in the building, but she never expected nor anticipated that anyone would ever visit her. All the adults she grew up with were dead, leaving nothing to work with. Nevertheless, the loneliness made her think of her mother, the woman who had garnered such age, although she was only a young woman herself. The drug's side-effects had been merciless, causing many different ailments for her. She had moved into the hospital, the hygienic, barren complex welcoming her more than the desolate home that only spooked her. Confined to a small bed, she sat in a chair, watching her mother slowly pass on with each day that followed. First, she lost the ability to walk, followed by the ability to move or even care for herself. Attendants rushed in and out, a new one every day to help her. None of them cared for the teenager, leaving her to speak with the comatose mother. Almost as if she were taking the drug itself, she fell back into her old memories, rising into delusion and delirium, speaking of nonsense and the old days. Every time she spoke, Kallen couldn't help but cry, the dying woman oblivious to her daughter that watched her every chance she had. For mercy sake, her mother died a day later, passing softly in her sleep. After she was dead, they had check over her body, studying the overall effect it had had over its course of time. She basically had no brain, the condition deteriorating it into a worthless pile of dust. It was all another memory that she wished to forget.
Tossing the small bag into the corner of her room, she slipped into something that was much softer than her school clothes. It was a Saturday today, them having tomorrow off for some reason. The year round school was often found taking many different holidays, the breaks found beneficial to the students.
"Shower", she mumbled, moving like a corpse towards the shower that was adjoined to her room. In the large bathroom, she slipped everything off, turning the shower on. Most students lived on campus, but she had realized that it was too much of a distraction. More than awkward, she was less comfortable there as well. When her mother begged her to move back in, secretly, she was overjoyed. And now, it was all hers. The shower ran cold for a minute, the hot water slowly building up. She jumped out, feeling it with her hand before getting back into the relaxing rain. With the fan off, a thick steam started rising up, the mirror clouding up with haste. She placed her head against the wall, letting the water run down her chest and back, the liquid tickling her as it did. She loved the shower, it being one of her most favorite places to retreat back into. Hours upon hours she could stay in such a place. Humidity and dampness were both her friend, having grown up in both central and southern Japan all her life.
After the shower, she got out, wrapping a large towel around her voluptuous body, another going around her head. She moved into her room, slipping on some frilly undergarments that she found in a dresser. Her closet was open, a small black outfit hanging on a coat hanger; it was the first Black Knight suit that she wore, neatly separate from the others she had. Sighing, she sat down on the futon that she had. Across for the bed spread was a small vanity mirror and desk, a board near it where many different pictures once resided. All were of her friends, those from her past and those she still had. They disgusted her, only leveling out the thought that Kallen's social life had dwindled into nothing, a drop of water evaporating in a lonely desert. Only two photos remained: the first was one of the boys she loved, the one she would have done anything for at a time. Now, he was only a memory, a wish that she had to fulfill, a memory that she had to find. She couldn't even bring herself to look at the other one, it more a picture for her memory than that of a friend. It was the same picture she was given for an assassination that had stopped itself, the end result someone's life. But the slender, handsome boy, his entire outfit black, his hair the same jet, smiled at her. There was another picture she had to compare this one to. Fetching it, she held them next to each other, one the school boy, the other the emperor, but Zero's emperor, the late emperor. She had a third picture, the most tragic of the three. Zero's picture, the mask removed from his charismatic head, was hidden away in a drawer, a picture that she would also keep forever, yet one that she couldn't look at, due to the fact that he betrayed and broke her fragile heart. It would join the one up on the wall, both falling into oblivion.
"Lelouch." The word was different, almost as if spoken in an entirely different language than the one she spoke. They would all remember that day he joined them, if it was the only thing they would remember. He gave them hope, let them live out victory. He gave the impression that he cared for the group; Lelouch did care for the group. He acted the tyrant, calling his members' insignificant pawns in a bigger scheme, sacrificing them for his greater good. However, it was all false. He cared for them all, not wanting to truly use and trick them. It only turned that way, him playing his part perfectly until the final act. She didn't want him dead; protecting him after his identity was public knowledge. She hoped to sway him with their conversation, displaying her true feelings, with reciprocation. A tear fell from his cheek as she left him, one falling from hers too. Serving only to buffer the two further away, they led life away from each other, becoming only enemies that fought to the bitter end, and oh, how the end was bitter. And, she hated herself for what had transpired.
The only one left that would even relate to her was her worst enemy, the person she hated the most in the world: Suzaku Kururugi. Just hearing his name made her face tighten up, clenching her fist into a ball. Appropriately, it was he who killed him, coming up to her in Zero's outfit. He explained all that had happened, a permanent frown emblazoned upon his face. It would serve his punishment, Lelouch having fulfilled his own. She nearly killed him on their rendezvous, a handgun pointed at his head the entire time. It was what he said, what he was guilty that changed her mind.
"Zero's Requiem."
"What?"
"Everything. All that you know has been a lie, a set-up plan to bring about the time of peace and nullify the damage that he has done. He's a selfish bastard, having me kill him on national television… All for the sake of his ego."
"Why? Why would he go through all this trouble just to destroy himself?"
He looked her in the eye, his conversation more than enigmatic. "Sins." He took a breath and turned away from her, his outfit of Zero's gleaming in the sun. "He was the one who destroyed the old world. He is the one who built this one anew." Before letting her respond, he walked away, the chaos of the day still high in the air. The thought faded, almost as if she were summoning an old film. Discarding it, she laid down upon the bed, not bothering to get underneath the covers that were heaped near the futon. Slumber snuck up on her that day, the same as it was doing now. Sleep encumbered her, taking her breath as it flooded her into the depths of her own psyche. Kallen was afraid.
Well, there's chapter one. Tell me what you think, please. Also, i apologize in advance for making Kallen a little too emo, but it's important for parts of the story. Anyway, thanks again. -AMP