Turn 04 - Zero

Lelouch sat alone in the student council room, deep in thought as he attempted to come up with his plans moving forward with the Black Knights. The sun had begun to set, casting an orange glow into the room. "Looks like the test worked. With Kallen's geass ability, I've gained a valuable asset. And because of it, I know how to handle our next-"

"Lelouch!" Kallen shouted, bursting through the door with tears streaming down her face.

"Kallen?" He asked.

Her eyes locked onto him. "You… you're okay…" She said before running to him and knocking Lelouch over as she clung tightly onto him. "Lelouch! Don't make me do it again! Don't you ever make me do it again!"

"Huh? Do what?" He asked.

She wasn't just crying, she was sobbing. "Lelouch.. When I… I used my geass… you were… I thought I killed you…" She managed to say between choked breaths. "Y-you ju… ust fell o-over and I… I couldn't… Lelouch…" With that, she returned to her incomprehensible sobbing.

Lelouch put his arms around her and ran a hand up and down her back to calm her down. "I see." He thought. "So when she uses her geass, it doesn't just send one's thoughts and memories back. It sends their whole mind, leaving the version of the person she used it on empty. They may as well be dead in that case…"

After more than thirty minutes of crying, Kallen finally managed to get herself to calm down. The two of them sat on the floor next to each other, their backs against the wall. "Lelouch… I'm sorry you had to.. See me like tha-at…" She said, still choking on her breath from how hard she'd been crying.

"It's fine. It's only natural you would react that way." He replied. "After all, your main goal when coming back was to protect me and see me live to see the world I create. The feeling that you failed your mission because of the very tool you used to make it possible must have been…"

"That's not wh-hy I was so upse-et, Lelouch…" She said. "I-if I fail, I can alw-ways use my geass to tr-... to try again."

He looked a bit confused. "Then why?"

She turned her face toward him and felt herself move closer. "Be-ecause I..."

"Hello? Is someone in here?" Milly said, startling the two teens that were in the room. "I thought I heard..." She asked, analyzing the room. "Oh my, have I interrupted something?" She asked. Due to Kallen having leaned forward before being startled, she had fallen, knocking Lelouch over and landed on top of him. "Well don't stop on my account. By all means, continue."

Kallen looked from Milly to Lelouch, not really knowing what to do. She almost wanted to indulge in what Milly had suggested, but she couldn't. Eventually, she decided on standing up, beginning to make her way out of the room. Milly smiled. "Oh, come on you two, I said you can keep on…" Her smile faded, replaced with a look of genuine care and concern. "You've been crying."

Kallen nodded. "I should go get some… coffee or tea for us…"

"Now hold on a minute." Milly said. "If there's something bothering you, you can talk to me about it, okay? We're friends, aren't we?"

Kallen smiled and nodded. "Thank you… Milly." With that, she left.

Milly gave a warm smile to Kallen as she made her way into the school. She then turned her eyes toward Lelouch. "What happened?"

He tried to think of something, since he couldn't just tell her about geass. "Well, you see, I guess Kallen's been having a lot of bad dreams recently."

"Bad dreams, huh?" She said, looking back toward the direction Kallen had gone off in. "Must have been something pretty awful to get her to break down…"

Lelouch nodded. "Honestly, I think she only came to me because I was the only person in the room. I bet if Rivalz were here instead she would've-"

Milly smiled. "Oh, you don't have to hide it from me, Lelouch, I already know."

"Huh? You know?" He said, his geass power readied in his left eye.

She nodded. "Yup, she told me all about your little kiss."

"Kiss?" He said, as the power faded. "Wait, what are you talking about?"

"Don't act like you don't know." She said, with a small giggle. "She told me all about it when she was in the shower."

Lelouch wasn't sure how to respond. "Milly, that's-"

"Just be careful with her, alright?" Milly said, dropping her teasing tone. "That girl's tough, and she's got heart like no other… but I get the feeling she's a lot more fragile than she lets on." She said, looking back over toward Lelouch. "Now that you've let her in, don't push her away, alright?"

He nodded, feeling the weight of what she'd said. "Don't worry. I have no intention of doing that."

Kallen took a deep breath and let out a long sigh as she put her back against a wall. "Come on, get it together Kozuki…" She told herself. "You're a trained warrior. You can't let things like that shake you. You might have to do it again in the future for operations too…"

"Kallen."

"Ah! Lelouch?" She said. "Don't sneak up on me like that!"

He laughed. "Sorry." He said, joining her against the wall. "Listen, about what happened when you used your geass."

"It's fine." She said, as calmly as she could. "I was kind of shaken up by it before, but I'm okay now. I guess seeing you like that just kind of…"

He nodded. "If you don't feel comfortable using it moving forward, I understand. However, I ask one thing if you do." He said, pausing as she turned to look at him. "If you ever need to use it on yourself, send me back first."

"Huh? Why?" Kallen asked.

He smiled. "I think it would be easier to work together if both of us go in with the same information. Besides… I don't know what I would do if you were to effectively drop dead in front of me."

She watched his eyes darken as he said that. "He cares about me that much?" She thought. "If I think it's an emergency I'll use it. But if I can help it, I will send both of us back."

He nodded. "Good. Now about the kiss."

Kallen looked down at the ground. "Oh, that…"

He looked at her eyes as they seemed to have lost the shine he usually saw in them. "That wasn't a happy memory was it?"

She shook her head. "That was the last time I ever saw you before…"

"Before the Zero Requiem." He said, quietly, seeing her eyes snap back to him. "I thought so. I must have put you through a lot of trouble, doing something like that."

She nodded. "You did..."

"I'm sorry." He said, sincerely. "I won't bring up the kiss anymore. I can't promise Milly won't though."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. I just wish that it had been under different circumstances."

He smiled. "Maybe it will be… one day." He said, pushing off from the wall and walking away.

Kallen felt her face becoming hotter as she watched him slowly walking away from her. "What did he mean by that? Lelouch doesn't…" She thought. "Dammit, Kallen, you don't have time to be thinking about that kind of stuff." She berated herself. "Stay focused on your mission. You can worry about your love life later."

"Love life?"

"Huh?" Kallen turned to her right to see a pair of green eyes staring at her. "Shirley?"

Shirley backed up a bit. "You said something about love." She said with a smile. "Did you finally find someone you like?"

Kallen shook her head. "Of course not."

Shirley smiled even bigger. "Oh my gosh, you totally like someone! I can see it in your eyes."

"No, that's just uh…" Kallen said. Before she could finish trying to explain herself her phone rang. "Oh thank god… Shirley, I've gotta take this."

She nodded. "Oh, okay, but we can talk about it later if you want."

Kallen sighed with relief and answered the phone. "Thanks for getting me out of there."

"No problem." Lelouch said. "By the way, is everything ready for tonight? It has to look convincing if we have any chance of pulling this off."

She nodded. "Yes. Ohgi and I worked pretty hard on it. It's not perfect, but it looks fine from a distance. I just wish more people showed up this time than last."

Lelouch smiled. "I'm not surprised. As someone who has trouble trusting people, it makes sense they would be skeptical of a man who doesn't show his face."

She nodded. "Yeah, but I thought acting as your mouthpiece for it might help more of them…"

"It's fine." He said. "In time, I'm sure they'll learn to trust me. Once I have that though, in order to avoid any unwanted problems in the future." She wanted to tell him to tell them the truth, but now wasn't the time to do that. After all, when she'd said the person was Britannian was when most of the people interested in assisting with tonight's plan backed out. "Kallen, is this how things went last time?"

She shook her head. "No. Last time you actually killed him."

Lelouch nodded. "I see, then it's as I suspected." He said. "This is just Jeremiah's way of grasping for more power."

"Looks that way." Kallen said. "I'll contact Ohgi and we can meet up at the rondevu point."

Lelouch nodded. "Good. I'll head there now. I had it finished for me yesterday."

She smiled. "You did do the one with the jacket and not the unitard, right?"

He laughed. "Of course. It was the queen's orders, after all."

She giggled. "Good, because honestly thinking back, that one-piece didn't look nearly as good on you."

Around the corner, Shirley had been listening in on the call. "She is in love with someone. But what was that about killing someone? Maybe… she's talking about a game?"

"Alright, I'll see you there." Kallen said, ending the call and walking away.

Shirley walked around the corner to see the red-head make her way through the halls. "Who was she talking to?"

"Shirley?"

"Lulu!" She shouted in surprise. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

He smiled. "I could ask you the same thing. It's nearly eight o-clock."

"Oh, I left something back in the clubhouse." She replied. "You haven't seen it right? It's a small pink book."

"Oh, no I haven't." Lelouch said. "Is it a diary or something?"

She blushed. "Uh, w-well, I guess you could call it that."

He nodded. "I see. I should let you go then. If Milly sniffs it out before you get to it, you'll never hear the end of it."

"Oh no, I didn't think about that! I'll see you later, okay, Lulu!" She said, running by him.

Due to Lelouch's "assassination attempt," a sort of parade had been organized by Jeremiah Gottwald in which they would celebrate the miraculous survival of the Third Prince as well as condem the Eleven that dared to try and kill their glorious Viceroy. At least, that was the story Jermiah fed to the media. In truth he just wanted to climb higher in terms of political position, for whatever reason he may have had.

As they were proceeding down the road, something came from over the horizon. "Well, it looks like we have a comedian." Jeremiah said, contempt filling his gaze.

Kallen drove as a steady pace as the vehicle came closer and closer to Jeremiah's knightmare. Ohgi sat next to her, nervously. "Are you sure this is going to work, Zero?"

"It will." Kallen said. "It's okay, Ohgi. We can trust Zero."

The vehicle came to a stop and the Britannian flag on the front burned up to nothing in seconds. "I am… Zero!"

"Zero?"

"You mean, like 'nothing?'"

Lelouch cut right to the chase of what he wanted. "Lord Jeremiah Gottwald. I have come save the life of the man you are choosing to condemn to death." He said, firmly. "I shall not let you spill a drop of anymore innocent Japanese people as you did that day in Shinjuku!"

Some of the men following Jeremiah raised their weapons, but he held up a hand to stop them. "Pray tell, what do you mean? Have you not heard, the lives lost in Shinjuku were due to the terrorists releasing their stolen poison gas. And this Eleven you see before you was responsible for-"

"Wrong, Jeremiah." He said. "The poison gas was never released. And do you know how I know?" He raised his hand into the air and snapped his fingers. On command, the back of the vehicle fell apart.

"No!" Jeremiah said, eyes widening. "Zero… you coward. If you are going to use such an immoral tactic, at least have the nerve to show your face!"

"I don't believe you are in any position to be making demands, Lord Jeremiah." Lelouch said with a smirk."That's right, Jeremiah. You never saw inside this thing, so you assume it still holds poison gas."

Suzaku looked up to Jeremiah. "Wait, it isn't-" Before he could say more, the device around his neck began to shock him.

"Bastard…" Jeremiah cursed. "You've taken every Britannian here hostage… and you've done it without anyone even knowing it." He was faced with no choice. "Very well, what are your demands… Zero?"

Zero laughed. "My demands are simple. Release Suzaku Kururugi to me and drop all charges placed against him."

"I can't do that." Jeremiah said. "After all, he is charged with the crime of attempting to assassinate-"

"He was not the one that shot Prince Clovis." Zero announced. "The man who put the bullets into his body…" He said, looking to a camera being held by a Britannian man. "Was myself!"

Jeremiah looked offended. "Is that true? Then tell me, Zero… how does one fail an assassination attempt when sinking three bullets into their target?"

Lelouch chuckled. "You think I intended to kill him? No, Clovis is far more useful to me alive than he is dead. I simply needed to incapacitate him for a time to send a message."

"A message?" Jeremiah questioned.

Zero nodded. "Yes. Hear me, people of Britannia and Area 11. I will not tolerate acts of wanton violence any longer. Be it toward the Japanese or Britannians. The reason I spared Prince Clovis of his life was to show that there is a fine line between rebellion and terrorism!"

"Rebellion?" Jeremiah said. "Don't make me laugh. The ones you helped that day were nothing more than a group of petty terrorists! They stole poison gas from our military and you want us to believe that you stand for justice while siding with them?"

"They didn't choose to release it while they were moving through the densely populated part of the Britannian city they went through though, did they?" He said. "The fact remains that Britannia is the one that created the gas. Now tell me, why would Britannia produce such a thing if they did not intend to use it?"

Jeremiah glared at the masked man before him. "He's making a fool out of me…"

"Face it, Jeremiah. There is only one truth that took place in Shinjuku on August 15th." He said. "The Viceroy, Prince Clovis, ordered the slaughter of all the people within the Shinjuku ghetto. I witnessed it myself. You cut down not only the Japanese, but even Britannians."

"Zero…" Jeremiah growled. "I've heard enough! You'll pay the price for not only the assault on the Third Prince of Britannia, but also for mocking Jeremiah Gottwald!"

"Careful." Lelouch said. "You don't wish for the public to learn of 'Orange' do you?"

"Orange?" Jeremiah questioned. He could hear some of the soldiers around him questioning what Orange meant.

"If I die, it'll all go public." Lelouch said. "If you don't want that to happen, you'll agree to my demands." He said, with a panel opening on the mask. "And you'll do everything in your power to let us go."

Jeremiah nodded. "Right. Understood. Release the prisoner."

Kallen smiled. "Just as planned."

"He really did it?" Ohgi said.

"What are you doing, My Lord?" Villetta asked.

"Get that man over here!" Jeremiah commanded. "Hand him over. Nobody gets in their way."

"No, what are you thinking?"

"Kewell. This is an order!"

Confused by Jeremiah's sudden change in character, the soldiers finally released Suzaku.

He met Zero halfway. "Who are you?" He said before the shock ran through his throat again.

"As I expected… they wouldn't allow you to speak."

Kallen stepped forward. "Zero, it's time."

Lelouch nodded. "Right. Well then, until next time!" He said pressing a remote as a pink mist began to come out of the container in the truck.

"You cowardly Elev-Ah!" Villetta said. "What? Lord Jeremiah, what are-"

"You heard me! Stand down!" Jeremiah shouted. "Are you going to follow orders or not? Do everything in your power to help them get away!"

Taking advantage of the confusion, Lelouch, Kallen, and Ohgi retreated.

Zero removed Suzaku's restraints and stood tall, above him on an elevated platform. "Suzaku Kururugi, you are free to go."

He rubbed his wrist a bit as it was a bit sore from the cuffs. "So now what? Are you going to force me to join your side?"

"No." Zero said. "I understand the kind of man you are, Suzaku Kururugi. You fight for justice and change just as I do. However, our methods do not go hand-in-hand. You may be our enemy for now. But one day, I hope to make you my ally. Not through force, but by choice."

Suzaku nodded. "I see. Is that the reason you didn't kill the Viceroy?" He asked. "You don't believe in the mindless murder caused by not only terrorism, but also the corrupt parts of the Britannian Empire. That much is clear." He said, peering up at Zero. "But even so, I will not agree with your methods. For now, you are still aiding terrorists, but I hope your influence can urge them to change their methods. While you fight for change on the outside, I will fight on the inside."

Kallen blinked in confusion. "Wait, this isn't how things went last time."

"Until our methods line up with one another, I am your enemy. I won't try to arrest you here." Suzaku said. "If I did, I'd either become your prisoner or be killed. So I'll just say this… thank you. For saving me." He said, turning around and walking away.

After Suzaku had disappeared into, Kallen and Ohgi stepped out. "Zero, shouldn't we stop him?" Ohgi asked.

"No. Let him go." Zero commanded. "If he fights to change things from the inside, we cannot help him and he will not help us."

Ohgi nodded. "I understand. So… now that this operation is finished…" He said, not knowing if it was respectful to ask to see his face.

"Not yet. But I will reveal myself to you all eventually. I need to know that I have your trust before I do." He responded.

Okay, chapter 6 is done! I honestly considered skipping this event since I didn't know how different I could make it, but I wanted to show a difference in how Lelouch handles things if Clovis isn't killed. Also, Kallen told Lelouch about the fact that Suzaku wouldn't join them, so he went into the conversation with that knowledge in mind. I didn't include the conversation because it was the one that took place just before the time leap that freaked out Kallen. Also, her stuttering over her words after crying may seem a bit odd, but I remember that any time I've cried really hard, I had problems speaking without choking up for like an hour afterward and that was what I was trying to convey.

I tried to sprinkle some original content into the beginning though as well as exploring some things about Kallen's geass. The time leap effect, I admittedly got the idea from Steins;Gate, but I always wondered what happens after they used the time leap machine line the world line that it was used. Either they would think nothing happened and they failed or they would fall over with no consciousness to speak of. Or that timeline would disappear, but that doesn't really make sense since the only thing that left it is that individual. Also as of right now, Kallen remembers basic things about the coming events as well as most of the events leading up to Zero Requiem, so she is able to plan ahead with Lelouch, but she doesn't have all of the information.