Offerings For The Girl Who Loved Snow
A Code Geass Fanfiction
Written by: Yupi-tankyu

It Starts With An Order

"Lelouch, let's break up."

His eyes that were focused on the scenery outside the cafe was brought forth to the woman sitting in front of him. She looked tensed based on how stiffly she sat, and her eyes were avoiding his. Kallen looked tired. She must have thought about it for a long time, or starting from the time she began to act coldly. He understood - at least tried to. How things were hard for her ;how she must have felt so chained by 'their' relationship.

She had her modeling career right in front of her. Plus, things weren't that pretty with her family. On top of it all was their relationship. Their constant bickering often leading to huge arguments. Those things put together were hard to juggle.

He understood her words, but it wouldn't hurt to feign ignorance of their crumbling relationship specially if it would buy him some more time to be with 'her'. A little more time to at least let her see that he didn't want 'it' to end, and that he was willing to make amends.

"...what?" he placed the cup of coffee he was drinking back to the table. He really shouldn't have ordered coffee that day. He wasn't a fan of caffeine. Bad things happened when he's on caffeine, and this is one of them.

Kallen continued stirring her coffee, adding extra sugar and cream. She really was uncomfortable. He knew her. She was the type who'd distract herself when she was bothered, and he felt a slight sense of pain over it.

"Let's break up," she stopped stirring. "I mean.. We're not working out. At first, I thought we can make this happen considering how we know each other. Hell, we know everything about each other, but that's it. I don't get it, Lelouch. Let's just go back to what we were before this."

"Childhood friends?" he spat almost bitterly. He didn't want them to be just friends. God knows if they can even return back. He looked at her in the eye, trying his best to plead for her attention, but once again she evaded, and it hurt that he wasn't even worth of her attention at that moment.

"We're better off as friends anyway," Kallen muttered. He tried to reach for her hand and hold it because he knew it would make her heart race. At least that's what she told him. It would make her heart race, and her resolution would fade. He had that effect whenever he held her hand, so for just one last second, he wanted to make use of that, but she moved her hand away and looked at him. "Lelouch!"

Looking at his hand, he said, "What do you feel about me?"

"Why are you asking that now?"

"Just maybe ... you still have feelings," and then they could go back enjoying their coffee, laughing at their little fake break-up and go home while holding hands.

"Lelouch," she started. "I have feelings for you." He fell silent. "But this. Maybe this is not love. Even you. Maybe that is not love. We were under the illusion of being in love, being dependent to each other's existence because ever since we were children, we weren't apart,"

That wasn't an illusion, he wanted to say. Those ten months weren't just a make-believe. It was real. For him, it was real. She was his first love, and that was real. The moments he practiced his confession, the nervousness, the anxiety - an illusion can't provide those emotions. The joy when she reciprocated his love with a yes, that was real.

Though for her, those weren't real.

She was just washed away by his emotions, and thought that those were her own.

"Okay, then. Let's break up," he managed to say before venomous things spilled. After all, he could feel the bitterness of the coffee seeping in.

She bowed her head for the last time and said she'll see him on Monday before leaving the cafe. He noticed how her shoulders dropped, how her face seemed brighter, and how she had that light he saw before they dated. The light he always chased. It sucked to be chasing once again.

He really shouldn't have ordered coffee that day.

After thirty minutes of just staring outside the shop, counting how many cars passed, replaying the first break-up of his life, and looking painfully at his half-drank cold coffee, a voice stopped his moping.

"I would greatly appreciate it if you would order something else other than that coffee, Mr. Lelouch Lamperouge,"

He craned his head to look at the owner of the voice only to find that distinguishing lime hair and gold iris. The Witch of Ashford, the woman feared for her ability to pair people even sworn enemies. The matchmaker, and the person who knows all the happenings in Ashford, to the point where Milly even contacts her from time to time if she wants to snoop around for some juicy news, and he knew how terrifying Milly knows about Ashford gossip, the witch is even more insane.

"C.C"

"Now, now, I didn't do you any harm for you to look at me like that. It doesn't suit your handsome face though I understand why you can't refrain from giving me a bad look considering you just broke up,"

"Quite convenient for you. Now, you have the news of the week for Ashford to hear,"

"I don't like gossips, Mr. Black Prince. I like collecting information like these, but I don't spread them,"

"Then are you here to pour salt on my wound? I heard rumors you're a sadistic witch after all," this is bad. He was aiming his anger at her.

"That depends if you want me to. I have a list prepared to say already, actually, but rather than that, I'm just here because you're placing inconvenience at the shop I'm working at. Wouldn't hurt to order a few more, right?" she offered her service smile with hint of threat on it. "I do recommend our pizza. Oh you'd like to order that, I'm going to call it in then," she wrote and went away before he could even say a word.

God damn that witch.

A minute after, she returned and sat in front of him.

He quirked his eyebrow, and she returned the same, "Stop being a jerk, Lelouch. Let a woman sit,"

"I don't see a woman though," that was real immature, Lelouch. Real immature. Really? That's the best he could say?

"Because you are not looking in front of you," she bent her body forward and pulled his collar and his eyes focused on her gold irises, and he noticed how pretty she was. He then understood why many men also call her the 'flower on a high peak' . She just gave off that unreachable feeling, the aura that she didn't belong to their world.

Her eyes were intoxicating, and he was drowning little by little. She really was a witch, and she saw he was drowning. She was amused. "See, now let me sit here while I'm on my break," she let go of his collar contented.

"Why did you break up?" she asked.

"I thought you overheard that already,"

"I did hear everything, but why did you break up? I want to hear yours not hers,"

"There's no reason,"

"You're not just a jerk are you? You're an asshole considering how she-,"

Lelouch cut her off, "I didn't want to break up. We weren't just on the same wavelength. I didn't want to force her to love me, but I want her to look at me that way," Why was he telling her those things? His words might be circulating around the student body for all he knows, but at the same time she's the only one who was there to listen. "I'm just back to chasing after her again,"

"But you don't want to chase after her again," she stirred the water and played with it while she took a bite on the pizza that was just delivered to their table.

"Who would want to go through that painful process again?" he laughed, and tears wanted to fall.

"Aren't you a romantic, Lelouch," she teased, and he gave her that look again telling her to stop messing with him. "But romantic guys are fine too. How about this, I'll help you." as she licked the bits of sauce on her fingertips.

"Help me?"

"The Witch of Ashford shall brew you some magic spells," she laughed, and he was sinking further into her sea. "In return for this pizza, and for being oddly interesting,"

He was considering it, actually. He wanted Kallen to like him, but at the same time a voice in his head is telling him not to seek the witch's help. Witches bring trouble no matter how appealing they look. But humans are fools, and he was one of them.

"...I accept,"

C.C gave him a smile, and wiped her hands then brought out her cellphone. "Wait a minute, I'll send you a text,"

"How did you even..." his phone rung and when he flipped it, there was a text,

You have formed a contract with a witch.

"A popular boy's number doesn't take a minute to get. There's my number, save it. I'll contact you soon enough. Or you can always visit me here, my shift starts at 3 everyday. Do find me and offer me pizza, boy" she stood and bowed.

"I must go back now. My break's over. See you on Monday, Lelouch," and there, C.C left.

He soon paid the bill, and left the cafe. As he walked the streets of Tokyo, he was filled with a thought of his encounter, and his stupidity. How could he be so trusting of a witch? But then again, he heard news and saw evidences in Ashford. The witch of Ashford never fails, after all, witches are the ones who bridge princes and princesses in fairy tales.

He wondered how that witch would bridge them together.

And as he neared his dormitory, he finally tasted the slight sweetness of the coffee he drank that afternoon.

That was the start of their love story. It wasn't grand nor fitting for the romantic in him. It was clumsy and haphazard. It was flawed, and wasn't like a fairy tale, but it was fine. He couldn't see their love story as any other way. After all, a love story like theirs transcends fairy tales.

A/N: Holy. I finished writing chapter 1 in one sitting. God bless. I do admit this is nowhere near the quality of my other works (I think) ? But strange enough, I'm feeling accomplished over this one, and I'm feeling so giddy, and I'm actually happy about this.

I will practice more to provide better updates, and do wait for Divergence and World Lie!

I would really appreciate your reviews and faves and follows ! So don't forget to drop one in your free time !
You make me work really hard ! I swear, to the person who first reviewed on this, you made me feel so inspired, and God bless you for that.

-this chapter has been posted without edits because I just wanna share my giddiness with all of you. do forgive slight grammatical errors-