"Speech"

'Thought'

"Geass"

"Telecommunication"

- Writing –


Kallen returned home from a meeting with the resistance. While Naoto and few others were gone to Kyushu for several days to meet up with one of their suppliers, the rest of the resistance were preparing for their next move. The meeting was…not constructive. Even though she held them dearly, most of the members were eager and energetic just like herself, but not levelheaded nor charismatic. Naoto was the closest one they had as a leader, and with him out of the town, not much progress had been made.

Passing through the gate and the yard, she noticed a fabulous black limousine was parked in front of the manor. It was not one of her family's.

'Must be one of her lovers'.' Kallen scorned while thinking of her stepmother.

Her father was participating in important business deals in the other Areas. During his absence, his wife drew in her lovers to the manor. Kallen and Naoto were aware of that, but they didn't want to pry it too much and tried to ignore as much as they can. They also had a secret, working as resistance members.

Without a word, she quietly entered the manor. She wanted to see the wretches' faces when she enters the scene of their affair. Two siblings and their stepmother tried to ignore each other's presence, but that didn't mean Kallen can't enjoy the chance to give humiliation to her unfaithful stepmother.

'What kind of guy she brought this time? Probably another young noble with a pretty face.' Mrs. Stadtfeld never laid eyes on someone less than a noble.

Kallen heard the woman's laughter. She frowned at her stepmother's debauchery. She approached the sound of their voice. As she drew closer to the location, she heard a man's sensual voice as well.

'Just as I suspected. Doesn't she have any shame?'

She stormed into a drawing room, where the voices were coming from. At the sound of her entrance, Mrs. Stadtfeld and her guest turned around towards her direction.

'See? She already ditched her last lover. As always, she switched to a more young and good-looking one.'

The man was young and good-looking indeed. He was young, a high schooler at best, and stunningly handsome. He must have infatuated many women with that pretty face of-.

Wait.

"Eh? L,Lelouch?"

It was him. Kallen recognized his appearance after all those years. They had met only once seven years ago, but the prince had left a very strong impression on her.

"Ah, Kallen. Where have you been? Prince Lelouch came to visit you and has been waiting for you quite some time." Mrs. Stadtfeld gave a mild and friendly scolding to her stepdaughter.

"I don't mind, Mrs. Stadtfeld. It was I who insisted to wait without calling her, and you were a very gracious host too."

"Your Highness' compliment flatters me. It was an honor to make your acquaintance." She replied politely.

"The honor is all mine." He gave her a lavish smile.

"Now that my daughter is here, I will take my leave." She respectfully bowed to the prince.

Before leaving, Mrs. Stadtfeld gave Kallen a serious glare, clearly meaning 'Don't screw this up'.

After the door was closed, Lelouch slumped down on the couch.

"She was unbearable, but I had worse conversation partners."

"Lelouch, what are you doing here?"

"What am I doing? I came to see you and Naoto of course. You two hadn't responded to my correspondences for a while. What happened?"

Kallen couldn't say anything. After she and Naoto joined the resistance, they felt a sense of guilt. They felt like they were betraying his friendship. Lelouch was always kind to them, but he is a prince of the Empire they secretly fight against. They could not write anything to him in all conscience.

"Perhaps you got annoyed by me?"

Before it's too late, she managed to come up with a lie. "No, no! It must be mailmen's mistake. You know how clumsy they are."

"Is that so?" He said thoughtfully. "It won't be a problem anymore."

He casually continued. "It is not public knowledge yet, but I had been appointed as sub-viceroy of this Area. I will make sure nothing like that happens again."

"Oh, I guess congratulations are in order."

Congratulations be damned. The resistance has to fight Lelouch from now on. That was not what she had hoped.

"Thanks. Where is Naoto?"

"He went on a trip to the countryside with his friends. He will come back by next week." It was an excuse they told their family and friends. Kallen hoped Lelouch doesn't use his authority to verify the information.

"What a shame. Say hello to him for me, won't you?"

Kallen nodded vigorously with an obviously fake smile on her face.

"Oh, I almost forgot about another purpose of my visit. It happened to be I entered the student council of Ashford Academy. The new semester started, but you didn't show up, so I come to check on that too."

"I was…sick. I have a chronic health problem."

Great. She wasn't aware she had to act like an invalid in front of him.

"Really? I'm sorry. I wasn't aware of that. You looked perfectly fine just now." He seemed slightly surprised.

She immediately began coughing profusely. She put her hand on her forehead. "Sorry, I feel lousy all of a sudden. I was born weak." She looked furtively at him while stumbling on purpose.

He was barely holding back his laughter. Kallen dropped to her knees in dejection. He was not buying it.

"It's fine. I often cut class myself. I completely understand. Although you should have come up with a better excuse than that. Looking frail never suits you." He chuckled.

"Well, what do you know of me? I may be really sick, you know." She ditched her charade. She said out loud with her arms crossed.

"I had seen Clovis feigning illness to get away from his tutor. You should have seen that too. You might have learned a thing or two from him."

Kallen silently grumbled. On the one hand, he didn't suspect her of engaging illegal activities. On the other hand, she should go back to school.

"*Sigh*…You got me. Will I get a bad mark on my school record?" She didn't care a bit about the record, but she should at least feign interest in it.

"Well, I am here to check you, not to drag you in chains (Kallen startled as he said this.) just because you skipped some classes. As I said, I too skip them often. I am sure you have a valid reason to do so as well."

Kallen almost snapped at him what possible valid reason did he have, but she was smart enough not to ask the question which will undoubtedly come back and bite herself.

However, like reading her mind, Lelouch revealed his reasons. "In my case, I often rest my mind and body from meaningless labor and other trivial stuff, or go on some adventures with my dear friend, Rivalz." Only later did she learn that 'meaningless labor' was P.E. class and this 'adventure' of theirs was illegal gambling.

"With my seat at the student council and my authority as a sub-viceroy, it can be done with little difficulty. Hmm, if you plan to continue your escapade, maybe I can be of some help on that. What do you think?"

It was an offer she could not refuse. "Really? I would gladly accept. Wouldn't it be a trouble for you?"

Lelouch lifted a finger with a smirk.

"It won't be a trouble at all, but there is one condition."


Tokyo had been the largest city in Japan before the invasion, and it still was, although its inhabitants were changed. Britannians had built a fancy settlement for themselves, and the original owners of the city were kicked out and thrown into the ghetto, the war-torn ruins of the old city. When watched from above, one might notice the city was divided into the bright blue settlement and the gloomy grey ghetto. Clovis was an architectural visionary, but Elevens were neglected from his vision.

Lelouch and Kallen were walking one of the better parts of the ghetto. In exchange for his abuse of power on her behalf, he wanted her as a guide. Kallen knew the place like the back of her hand, but she shouldn't openly show her knowledge to anyone. But Lelouch, well, he wasn't just anyone. He already knew she was half-Japanese who lived here before the war, and something was making her uncomfortable when lying to him. And she will guide only the portion of the ghetto anyway, nowhere near the resistance headquarter and hideouts.

Strolling around, they shared their stories of the past each other. Eventually, the topic came to the war.

"The scars of the war still have not cured yet." Lelouch said grimly after looked around the place.

"It will never be cured. No one can cure it. The people lost their freedom, their rights, and their name. So Naoto and I formed-" She bit her lips. Lelouch was talented at making his companion comfortable. She hated herself for letting her guard down and at the same time, lying to him.

"So Naoto and I, former Japanese citizens, have to live as Britannians. Others are not so lucky."

"Clovis did nothing to improve the situation, and it was I who vouched for him for the viceroy." Lelouch said apologetically. It was the best choice he could make at the time, but that did not change the fact that he was partly responsible. "You know what the most ridiculous part is? Compared to the rule of the other Areas, Clovis' rule is considered as a benevolent one."

"If you feel bad, then are you going to do something about it?"

"I am and I will." He sighed. "But, even if I do something, regardless of my intention, it will be still one of the overlords' handouts. To improve their situation, Japanese have to step up for themselves."

"Still, I am glad that you care about us, I mean, them." She prepared her next words carefully. "I heard several resistance groups are fighting against Britannia. What do you think of them? Aren't they stepping up for themselves?" Kallen tried her best to maintain neutral expression while saying the words.

"I don't have neither good nor bad opinion about them. I will have to stop them, though."

"Because they are opposing your rule."

He shook his head. "No. Because they are doing it wrong."

"So you are one of those types who put the methods upon the results." She narrowed her eyes.

"What? No. You can't change the world without getting your hands dirty." He rejected her accusation flatly. "While I commend their spirits, it is true that they don't get the results in the first place. Sure, they may achieve some small victories here and there, but what will that lead them? Britannia thinks they are nothing more than nuisances. The general public thinks they are just another news in their newspaper unless the terror itself knock on their doorstep. Current resistances are throwing away their lives to achieve nothing."

"Oh yeah? You think you can do better?" Losing her control, she snapped at him abruptly, but Lelouch didn't care about it. Instead, he mused over the irony.

"Most definitely. Although I should wear a mask and use codename to hide my identity. Then I will have to present myself as a symbol of justice to differentiate myself from the other resistances. I will have to prove myself first, but when I prove that I can deliver the results, the rest will be easy. Give me months, I will rally Japanese into open rebellion. Give me another year, then I will unite the world against the Empire, and I won't stop until…"

He stopped to regain his breath.

"…until I obliterate Britannia." Then he realized that he was carried away too much. "*Cough*…It is all just assumptions and hypotheses of course. I will never do such a thing, and nothing like that can actually happen."

There was an uneasy silence after that. Lelouch was reproaching himself for unintentionally revealing his past secrets in front of her, again. And Kallen was slightly taken aback by overwhelming emotions from the prince who had such a cool and gentle demeanor.

She tried to break the silence with a question about what he meant, but she was interrupted by an unexpected encounter.

"Hey, Kallen! What's up?"

When Lelouch turned to the direction of the voice, he saw three Japanese. Kallen lowered her head with hopelessness.

'Tamaki, you idiot!

Tamaki, Minami, and Yoshida found out Kallen was with someone else, but it was too late to turn back. Lelouch already greeted them preemptively.

"Oh, are you Kallen's friends? Nice to meet you." He offered his hand to them.

"Oh, uh-huh." After looking at his hand and his face alternately for a moment, they shook his hands one by one. Not even they, the resistance through and through, could spit on his smiling face. The bigger reason was, any hostile act might cause unwanted harm to Kallen.

The three were uncertain. First, the boy was clearly a Britannian. Second, from the look of his appearance, he was a noble or one of some similar sorts. And third, he is Kallen's acquaintance. The combined facts made it difficult for them to decide their course of action.

"Why don't you join us? Any friend of Kallen is a friend of mine. It has been a long time since Kallen and I last met. It would be appreciated if you can join us and talk about how she fared."

Being acquainted with the prince would be considered as an honor, but to members of the resistance, it is a death sentence. She can't let that happen. Kallen shook her head vigorously from behind his back. Even Tamaki should get the message out of it.

Recognizing their hesitation, Lelouch encouraged them. "Really, I don't mind more company. Kallen, do you?" Lelouch turned to see her.

Kallen quickly halted her head from shaking and replied.

"No, of course not, but I am pretty sure they are busy with their own business. Isn't that right?"

"Yes, she is right. We are just passing through." Minami said woodenly like reading out loud a poorly written fiction. The other two eagerly nodded.

"Oh, well. Then I can't keep you here." Lelouch sounded disappointed. "I wish we meet again someday. My name is Lelouch, by the way. Kallen and I met before the war." After introducing himself, he looked at them expectantly to do the same.

"Hey, Lelouch! You got a second?" Kallen quickly interjected before things got out of control and they reveal their identities. She wasn't sure they possessed enough wits to not say their real names. She can't let her comrades reveal their identities in front of the Britannian prince.

"What is it, Ka-" He turned back to see her, but something completely took him off-guard.

For once, the all-seeing and all-knowing attitude of Lelouch vi Britannia was broken.

Kallen looked at the three over Lelouch's shoulders. They were leaving, without missing the opportunity. She owed them a lot of explanations about why she had to go through all these troubles.

But first, she had to deal with Lelouch.

When Lelouch finally regained his senses, he seemed distant.

All he said was, "What was that for?"

"I am sorry. I am as shocked as you are. It was an accident." She apologized to him, feigning innocence.

"I see." Lelouch nodded.

Kallen was trying to make up some excuses in case Lelouch asked her why she called him in the first place, but he didn't even bother. In fact, it seemed he forgot about the whole other people who just left as well.

Lelouch was just standing there, gazing at her.

Seeing him, Kallen could recall why he left so much strong impression on her. Now, he was looking at her exactly the same way as he did when they first met in seven years ago. She couldn't quite put the finger on it, but Lelouch had acted differently towards her than most people. She was not an expert when feeling emotions of the others, and yet, when facing Lelouch, she had been able to sense his remorse, or perhaps regret? But why on earth he would feel that way? She thought it was her delusion, but here he goes again.

Lelouch finally opened his mouth.

"I am afraid it's rather late. Let us return to the settlement."

While escorting her back to the manor, he was unusually silent.

Heading back to viceroy's palace in the limousine, Lelouch was lost in thought.


He only visited her to check up on her if she was okay, but the last incident made things complicated.

It brought back memories, painful, sad, nostalgic and sweet ones. If he stayed a moment longer, he couldn't hold back his secret to her anymore. So he just left.

It was difficult for him to wear the mask in front of her. If it is required, he could weep for his enemies' misfortune and grin while facing the direst difficulties. Hell, he even used Geass to Nunnally once and made fun of her about it. None other than Nunnally! However, to Kallen, the best mask he could come up to hide his emotions was a blank one, and even then, he always let some words like 'Kallen, you have to live.' or 'Farewell, Kallen.' slip away.

He sank into the seat. He spent rest of his time reminiscing during the ride.


Kallen was lying on her bed, thinking about what she had been through today. The day was a total mess. She thought resistance meeting without Naoto was a thing, but it was nothing compared to the visit of the eleventh prince of the Empire. And he even came across with some of the resistance members! It might have been a total disaster if she hadn't intervened in time.

But something was niggling her.

Why didn't she just tell he was a prince in front of them? If she had told them he was a man with authority, they must have stayed out of the trouble.

Furthermore, why did she kiss him? There must have been another way to distract him.

She soon found out the answer herself.

Even though Lelouch was a cool and calm person, he was still a young boy with the same age as her so he wouldn't have maintained his composure and, he actually couldn't. But he is also quite smart, so any other attempt to distract him might have failed and raised suspicion. That's all.

'Yep. That must be it. There is no other possible explanation.' Kallen thought to herself.

'There can be no other reason at all.'


Author's Note: This took long enough. I barely make the deadline that I promised.

Kallen made her reappearance. As much as I want to speed up their relationship, it will take at least six chapters, or more (most likely) when I can deliver what you expect.

Since this is the last update this year, maybe I should write something more in the note. First, a few of the reviewers pointed out there are some errors. I am sorry, grammar has never been my strong suit. I occasionally edit past chapters when I find and recognize one. So there may be some minor word changes here and there when you reread the story.

Regarding the matter of romance, as the tag indicates, this fic contains LelouchXCCXKallen. There will be no more love interests to Lelouch. My writing is pedestrian so this fic will degrade when I add any more romantic relationships. I know some of you concern about adding Kallen will degrade the fic, and I am aware of it, too. However, I already announced it, so I can't take it back now. It will be breaking the promise. Sorry.

Also, some of you made some excellent speculations and suggestions about the story. Well, I can't say anything contains spoilers, but some are really close to the future plot and provide insights to me.

To sum up, I am always grateful for all your reviews. They are improving this fic. I really appreciate them.

That being said, I think this is enough of romantic comedies. Off to intrigues we go!