A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews and follows! Here's the second chapter. Hope you guys enjoy reading it.
Office
Viceroy's Palace
Area 11
In Greek mythology, those who gazed upon the face of Medusa would turn to stone. Well, the person Duke Calares might be looking at might not be Medusa, but those violet eyes of the Hound of Britannia were of like Medusa. The prince had similar looking eyes to the Emperor, a pair of eyes that screamed danger and death.
"Your Highness" Duke Calares finally spoke, breaking the silence but still trying to avoid eye contact with the prince. His guts were telling him that there was something peculiar, perhaps mysterious of the prince's eyes.
"I was told your presence here is to assist me in defeating the Eleven rebels" Duke Calares continued. There was a knock on the door and a maid entered with a tray of drinks. Her face caught the attention of Lelouch.
"Oh, what an interesting choice you got here, Duke Calares" Lelouch smirked. "An Eleven eh? Or do you prefer to be called Japanese?" he asked, surprising the maid. She stared at Lelouch momentarily before looking away and continued serving the drinks.
"Numbers are numbers, Your Highness. Their mere existence is to serve us, their masters. I do not see any reason for you to refer them other than Eleven" Duke Calares said.
"A very Clovis-like response. Or are you merely quoting Lord Soresi of the Purist Faction?" Lelouch asked. He signalled his assistant, Rolo who was standing behind him. Rolo immediately nodded and presented him with a file.
"Well, Lord Soresi is my trusted aide. Of course, I tend to quote his words. But why are you suddenly bringing up the issue of the Purist Faction? Also, aren't we supposed to discuss on the rebels issue?" Duke Calares laughed. He took the wine glass from the table and took a sip.
Lelouch smirked. He sat cross-legged and flipped through the documents in the file. "I have suspicions that the Purist Faction have intentions to overthrow the Emperor and install my brother, Schneizel as the next ruler."
Duke Calares gulped. He sat at his chair, silent. Lelouch's stare made him anxious. It was as if he was looking into the eyes of a demon. It took him a minute to respond. Duke Calares slammed his fist on the table, pretending to be furious.
"Lies! The Purist Faction swore full loyalty to Emperor Charles and we would never go against him. The only person we might go against is-" Duke Calares stopped abruptly, unable to finish his sentence. He quickly leaned back on his chair, taking a deep breath.
"A coward never finishes his sentences. Let me finish it for you. The only person the Purist Faction is against is no other than a half-blood bastard like me." Lelouch said.
"What are you implying, Your Highness? The Black Knights are gone so does Zero. Lord Soresi is taking care of the rebels. I do not see why would the Emperor sent an Imperial Prince just because of such baseless rumours" Duke Calares hissed.
Before Lelouch could reply, the Eleven maid suddenly screamed. She dropped her tray, began losing her balance and fell on the ground. She was clutching her chest and was having convulsions.
"Men! Bring her away!" Duke Calares shouted and soon two guards burst out from the door, immediately dragging the unconscious maid out from the room. "Apologies, Your Highness. Elevens are such weak beings, they must have contracted some diseases." Duke Calares said and he began explaining about the prevalent disease among the Elevens especially those living in the ghettos.
"Nothing surprising. All men are not created equal." Lelouch replied nonchalantly. He took a sip of the wine served and spat. "How awful" he sighed before heading towards the exit.
"Your Highness. We are organising a welcoming banquet for you tonight. We are expecting your presence there" Duke Calares quickly stood up and tried to lead Lelouch to the exit but was stopped by Rolo.
"Please refrain yourself from being near to the prince" he warned. "We do not trust you. Yet" he continued.
When Rolo had closed the door of the office, he rushed towards the prince. "Your Highness. How should we deal with him?" Rolo asked.
"Let's wait. That man will definitely spill the beans. Also, investigate on the maid's condition. Duke Calares's sudden dismissal of her condition and his unnecessary explanation about the Eleven's condition is suspicious. A proud, racist man like him would not deemed it necessary for him to justify the situation." Lelouch said and was about to continue his words when he came to a sudden halt. A sharp, burning pain stung his left eye bringing him down to his knees.
"Your Highness!" Rolo cried and quickly swooped down to help the prince. Lelouch slapped his hand. He grabbed the eye patch and tossed it away, almost hitting Rolo. Noticing that the situation has caught the attention of the Viceroy's Palace staffs, Rolo took out a tranquiliser and immediately injected it into Lelouch. The prince stopped writhing in pain and fell on the floor, unconscious.
"Nunna...lly" Lelouch muttered.
Japanese Liberation Front
Shinjuku Base, Area 11
As we know Britannians are disliked by most Elevens. But what about a half Britannian, especially one that proclaimed to destroy Britannia with her own hands? That might be a noble cause, for a person from the privileged society to be with the oppressed but to what extent can they trust her? In the event if the Elevens were truly doomed, would she remain with them? Or simply switched her allegiance, following the instincts of the blood of the oppressors flowing in her veins?
These were all the comments which she have received since the first day she joined the resistance. Kallen knew her presence was always doubted by the Elevens. Well, it was understandable for them to have these thoughts. The world had been a cruel place and it was simply best to not trust anyone fully because humans themselves have been constantly backstabbing each other throughout the history of mankind.
Noticing a few stares from the residents of the ghetto, Kallen pulled her hoodie higher, covering her striking bright red hair which was screaming her Britannian identity. Kallen had thought of dyeing her hair, but everytime she tried to do that, a small part of her mind was protesting. It felt as if deep down in her heart, she actually loved being Britannian, that she adored the privilege of being a Britannian nobility unlike her Eleven friends.
"Maybe I am a hypocrite too" Kallen thought to herself. Hypocrisy, a word she loathed the most. She used to love her father back before Japan became Area 11. He was very kind to her Eleven mother and till now he still preached to her that he truly loved her mother and guarantees that he will not divorce her despite her lower status. However, his actions were totally opposite of his ideals. Not only did he failed to protect her but also separated Kallen from her, forcing Kallen to discard her Eleven identity and to fully embrace the Stadtfeld name in her.
Just then, she was stopped by two Eleven men who were walking passed her. "Aren't you the person who used to be the Black Knight's pilot?" they asked. Before Kallen could reply, an Eleven woman who was also passing by interrupted.
"She betrayed us. She could have just joined back the resistance after the Black Knights were gone. And look what she has done, running back to her Britannian father, deciding to return to her life of comfort." she hissed.
Hearing that Kallen sighed. It was half true. After Lelouch went missing and the Black Knights were defeated, she tried joining the Japanese Liberation Front but the members refused her despite her pleas. Their reason? They cannot trust someone who has Britannian blood which was rather surprising because her late brother, Naoto was fully accepted by them. Perhaps it was because she was a woman and in a patriarchal community of the Elevens, a strong woman figure was a threat to the men. Well, the members of the resistance clearly showed this stigma. Less than a quarter members of the resistance were women and most of them did not have very high positions in the group.
"Well, Britannians will always be Britannians. They are all trash. Just like the Massacre Princess, SAZ? Screw that!" the men remarked and laughed.
Kallen gripped her fists, trying her best to control her emotions and avoiding from starting a fist fight. If she were to end up beating them to pulp, she would definitely be at the losing end here. She was no longer considered a part of the community and hence, being the Other, she would definitely be booted out for good from the ghettos.
"Kallen? What are you doing here?" a familiar voice appeared. It was Kaname Ohgi. He was with three Eleven men, two of them were former Black Knights.
"An imperial prince is in Area 11 which probably means that Britannia will be launching an attack on the resistance again." Kallen said.
"And what of it? We will strike them back!" Ohgi's friend, the brown haired thin man with a scar across his left eyebrow said. Kallen recognised him as Daigo Tamaki, Shinichiro Tamaki's cousin.
"Anything on this matter is no longer your concern, Kallen. I told you to quit because I want you to be safe. You are still young." Ohgi said. When Kallen tried to protest when the JLF rejected her application to be a part of them, he was the one who told her to stop and just go back to the Stadtfeld household. Although Kallen didn't really like that, but when Ohgi mentioned Naoto's name, she immediately gave in.
"Ohgi. I fought against Britannians, even with their Knights. I am pretty sure I can be a worthy comrade to the resistance. Can't you see? This is certainly bad news for all of us! We are no match to the prince!" Kallen cried and tried to move closer to Ohgi but was blocked by Daigo. Daigo glared at Kallen before pushing her away.
"We have no need for a traitor like you. You think we don't know who your father is? Baron Stadtfeld advocates the subjugation of Japanese!" Daigo snarled.
"Also, what makes you think we are no match to the prince?" Ohgi questioned.
There was a brief pause from Kallen. That very question placed her in a frozen state. In exception of her, Ohgi and the other members of Black Knights had no idea of the true identity of their leader, Zero. Therefore, it was logical that they did not view Lelouch's arrival in Area 11 as a threat.
"Suspicious isn't it? Probably she is trying to scare us off by using the excuse of this prince to join our resistance" Daigo said. The other members nodded in agreement.
Ohgi eyed at Kallen, trying to decipher what she was trying to say. He waited for her response which unfortunately there wasn't anything from her. Sighing, Ohgi said "Kallen, just go home. I am saying this because I do not want you to be hurt. Naoto would prefer you to live the life as a normal school girl, no?"
"What about the Black Knights?" Kallen said, trying her best not to shed a single tear drop from her eyes. Hearing that from her former comrades, it was painful.
"The Black Knights...well Zero is presumably dead. We can't afford to wait any longer for him to come back. Also, if he's alive, there's a possibility that Zero has abandoned us. We can't take this risk." Ohgi replied. "Unlike you Kallen, we are officially Elevens. In any moment, we might just get killed. Time doesn't wait for people like us" Ohgi continued.
That very statement silenced Kallen. It was the truth. Ohgi and the others had no other way to live in this cruel world other than to rebel in order to protect themselves.
Ohgi gave her a light pat on her back. "Let me show you the safer way out from here. We can't let anyone to see a Britannian girl like you exiting this desolate place, no?" he said and led Kallen out from the place.
Reluctantly, Kallen followed him. Her heart was boiling in rage, telling herself not to look back at the grins and those snarky remarks the Elevens were saying behind her back now.
Park
Tokyo, Area 11
The sun was setting, signalling the end of the day. However, it was still not the end for a crying Kallen. After leaving the ghetto, she headed to the nearest park and sat on one of the benches as she watched fellow Britannians and Elevens walking passed her.
Ohgi's last words to her kept on popping in her mind; the fact that Zero had abandoned them. When she heard that, she swore she was screaming in her mind to deny that very fact. "It wasn't Lelouch. It was me. I abandoned him." she said, biting her lips. If only she had stayed back and saved Lelouch from Suzaku, if only she did not run away, perhaps Lelouch would still be Zero.
"I'm sorry. It's all my fault" she whispered and clenched her fists. She loathed herself, she despised the very fact that she was weak and a coward. As Zero's most trusted soldier, she should have just saved him at all cost. But here she was, wasting almost half a day at a park sulking about her very existence.
Just then, she heard a commotion. An Eleven vender of a hotdog stall at the park was being ambushed by a group of Britannian school boys. They were trashing his stall and beating the poor Eleven up.
Not a single person nearby was willing to help, not even glancing at them. The Britannians were laughing at the scene, probably thinking it was funny to see the Eleven being covered with ketchup and mustard sauce. Meanwhile the Elevens pretended they saw nothing and quickly moved away from the area.
As Kallen was about to approach them, she stopped. She suddenly remembered the day she went to the park with Lelouch. It was the exact situation to what she was seeing right now. An Eleven being trampled upon by Britannians and no one was willing to save him. She hesitated but when the man began screaming in pain, she quickly charged towards the group of boys.
"Hey stop it!" she shouted, surprising everyone. Soon, all eyes were on her. The beatings stopped too.
"What do you want, bitch?" one of the Britannian school boys growled.
"Just stop it. Please" Kallen pleaded. She pushed those boys away and grabbed the Eleven man's shoulder. However, she was stopped by the boys.
"What the fuck are you doing? He is an Eleven!"
Kallen ignored them. She walked passed them and tried to have the injured Eleven to sit on the nearby bench but he slapped her hands instead, pushing her away much to her surprise. "Are you stupid? You are just making things worse!" the Eleven cried. He immediately ran back to his bullies and begged them for their forgiveness which the boys nodded with a grin.
She was about to protest but Lelouch's words suddenly ringed in her ears. "If I were you, I wouldn't do that. It is better to live an ordinary Britannian life than to die fighting for justice."
How true. When the Eleven pushed her away, Lelouch's idea on this situation became very apparent to her. She remembered getting furious at him for his statement and ended up slapping him. Now, she wanted to slap herself for being an idiot. Saving the Eleven was like giving him a death sentence. There was no justice for them here in Area 11. In the end, the court would have ruled the Britannians innocent and have the Eleven sent to jail.
She turned her back away, unable to bear watching the scene. Kallen dragged her heavy feet away from the park, trying her best to pretend she was blind and deaf towards the man's screams. The thought that a person like her, who once swore to protect Elevens at all cost and to defy Britannia to be actually ingesting the idea of Elevens to be better off being weak was revolting.
"How pathetic" she spoke to herself and stopped at the sight of a large poster of Emperor Charles with the words 'All hail Britannia' written below it. The emperor's almost violet looking eyes reminded her of Lelouch. At first it was hard to believe that Lelouch was related to the most powerful man in the world but when she looked at the emperor's eyes, it was obvious. They had the same cold gaze, eyes that scream of power and charisma. To think that she admired a person who was actually an Imperial Prince was definitely something out from her wildest dreams.
But this is it. Today was the day Kallen Kozuki finally disappears. The moment she chose to leave the Eleven at the mercy of the Britannia was the turning point. She had chosen to abandon her past ideals and to embrace a new ideal, which was probably the truth. Elevens were better off being oppressed than trying to resist and to die as rebels. Come to think of it, she had lost count of how many Elevens who had lost their lives during her days as a rebel. If only they accepted their status, perhaps all of them would still be alive today, maybe her brother too.
Kallen took out the band she used to wear as Kallen Kozuki from her bag. Without hesitating, she tossed it into the garbage bin. "I am Kallen Stadtfeld. Daughter of Baron Stadtfeld, the heir of the Stadtfeld family" she said, repeating those same sentences on and on absent-mindedly as she made her way home.
The sun finally sets, disappearing from the sight and ending the day.
As always, reviews are welcomed! Thanks for reading.
