Warlock and the Red Moon

Disclaimer- I don't own Code Geass. Seriously. I'm not making money off this, which makes me question the entire point. DAMN YOU SUNRISE! GIMME MAH GUNDAMS AND KNEGHTMARE FREHMES!

Tad shorter than last chapter. Wait, does anyone care about shorter boring talking chapters? Gar, I don't know! And for some reason I became a pirate for my pre-fiction notes. Yar-har.

Sorry if I'm making quicker cuts than in my last fic. It just kinda works better for this. For those who didn't read the Black Knight, I changed some of the spellings of certain characters' names. Just sticking with it, since it's easier to use my spellings than reprogram my autocorrect. Btw, anybody notice the Char reference last chapter?

Chapter 2

Awkwardly, he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, frowning. Kallen looked up at him, her eyes seeming grateful. Then she threw her head on his shoulder, putting an arm around his neck, sobbing harder.

Reality snapped back to Lelouch's attention when he was awakened by a newspaper landing on the top of his head. His mind took a second to wake up fully. He looked up at Milly's angry face staring down at him. He frowned.

"I knew you were sleeping Lelouch, your hand wasn't moving!" she exclaimed. Lelouch rolled his eyes and set his cheek into his palm of his empty hand. "Come on, student council! If we don't balance this budget there won't be any left over for school events!" And yet you only mentioned it the day before the budget reports, Lelouch thought to himself in annoyance.

"You could have at least mentioned it sooner," Rivalz said, speaking Lelouch's thoughts aloud. "Or later, so we could just give up." Lelouch smirked at Rivalz suggestion.

"We can still do that," Lelouch pointed out in amusement.

"GUTS!" Lelouch winced at Milly's shout, along with Rivalz and Shirley. Lelouch opened his eyes again to see Milly holding her clenched fists at chest level, emphatically.

"Trying that spell again, are you?" Rivalz asked, incredulous.

"It's done," Nina announced, standing from her computer. Lelouch frowned at the mousy young girl. Nina was just as much a genius as Lelouch, but unlike him, she had motivation. Interesting how different an effect motivation could have. Lelouch stood and walked over, ignoring Nina's nervous glance. Rivalz, Shirley and Milly crowded around the computer to look in at the screen, loaded with numbers.

"Wow, you figured it out already?" Rivalz asked, impressed. Lelouch ignored the commentary the rest of the student council engaged in. He scanned over the balance sheet with professional interest. His eye narrowed as he did the sums in his head. They were all correct. He smiled to himself, satisfied his work was at an end. A door hissed open.

"Um, excuse me," a mousy but familiar voice asked. "I'm here looking for a Lelouch?" Lelouch looked over his shoulder, half turning, to see Kallen standing in the doorway. Around him, four jaws dropped in shock.

"Thank you, Lelouch," Kallen whispered into his ear. Lelouch's eyes narrowed, unseen, at the girl hugging him. She'd deprived him of his chance to use his power on Clovis. His investigation was set back. Drastically. His thoughts, however, were derailed as her face turned into his cheek, her lips pressing to his jawline.

"I'm Lelouch," he announced, walking over with a smile on his face.

"Wait, Kallen, you know Lelouch?" Milly asked, running over to stand near the pair. Lelouch smiled at Milly, internally thinking of a few possible deceptions to explain the meeting.

"Not really," Kallen commented. Lelouch frowned at her tone. She was seemingly frail. It was completely different from the Japanese girl he'd met in the ghetto. His eyes widened as he realized it, internally. She wears a mask, too, he thought. The lie of a sickly girl. "We are friends online, I asked to meet him in real life."

"Like a date?" Milly asked seductively, enthralled at the possibility of a scandal. Lelouch grimaced at her tone. The last thing he needed was rumor of a romance. He'd better kill this one in the crib, fast, or soon Milly would broadcast it all over campus.

"Yes," Kallen replied before Lelouch could. "My step-mother insisted I marry a Britannian from a good family. I'm just dating Lelouch to shut her up." Lelouch's eyes nearly popped out of his skull. Damn idiot, he scolded Kallen internally. I don't need this kind of rumor going on about me! "So if you mind, could I steal Lelouch for an hour, in private?"

"WHAT?!" came Shirley's shout. Everyone spun to see her with her fists besides her shoulders in a shout. "You can't just start sleeping with a man as soon as you meet him! I'll come with you!" Lelouch spun at he suggestion.

"Hey, wait a minute!" He was stopped by an arm around his shoulder. He looked to see that it was Rivalz, who was smiling at him.

"Nice goin', buddy," he said, congratulatory. "Cute and rich, the perfect combination!"

"You think I'm cute?" Kallen asked, raising an eyebrow. It was not an amused eyebrow.

"Wait, we are not entertaining this idea!" Shirley declared, "she barely knows him! What's his favorite food?" The last question was directed at Kallen, who just met Shirley's angry graze and shrugged. Lelouch sighed and covered his face. "It's white rice and tuna! He eats it everyday!" Lelouch blinked at the comment. How the hell did she know that? Did he have a stalker and not even know it?

"I'll buy him the rice and tuna, then," Kallen replied, growling. Her facade was slipping. Shirley's reply was interrupted by Milly putting her arm around Shirley's shoulders, smiling.

"It's best just to let this one go, Shirley," Milly commented, smiling with her eyes closed. "Nothing can ever stand between true love." Lelouch cried out loud at the mention of true love.

"She's not my true love! We just chatted online!" he cried, trying to stop the mad speculations. How do I always get dragged into these complicated matters? Shirley cried out this time, running up to him and grabbing his shoulders.

"How much did you see? You have to clear your mind of whatever she showed you online!" Shirley ordered, shaking him, and almost giving him whiplash. "Her chest? Her-"

"What the hell do you think I am?" Kallen asked angrily. She grabbed Lelouch's shoulder to pull him backward to look over his shoulder at Shirley. "We just chatted online about Shinjuku, there was no disgusting stuff like that you perv!"

"RELAX!" Milly's shouted spell only increased the ever growing verbal storm swallowing Lelouch whole.

"Perv?! I bet you're the perv, chatting with boys online!" Shirley shouted, ignoring the spell. Rivalz, having let go of Lelouch after Shirley's shaking of him, walked over to stand by the now isolated Milly.

"New spell, prez?" he commented.

"What do you do online, you idiot?!" Kallen shouted angrily. Lelouch just looked down at the floor, a spectator to the fight about his own love life. Teenage girls are way too complicated, Lelouch decided internally. He glanced over as Nina just watched the verbal war.

"Idiot?! How dare you berate me, crimson harlot!" Shirley shouted angrily.

"They say gingers have no souls, so you must have zero intelligence to go along with it!" Kallen retorted. Any possibility of a frail, sickly girl being in this room, save for Nina, had evaporated like a underground river hit with a microwave beam. Lelouch walked over to Nina to face her.

"Nina," he pleaded, flatly, "hide me. Bury me in the backyard, with Milly's goldfish."

"Excuse me? I get the highest grades in the swim club!" Shirley asserted, proudly holding a hand over her heart, jutting her chin up in the air.

"That must be why none of what you say holds water," Kallen retorted, turning half away from Shirley and crossing her arms. Shirley glared as Kallen continued. "It just leaks out of all your stupid holes in your skull."

"Hey guys," Milly asked the room, sweetly, "where's Lelouch?" everyone looked around to see that the black-haired resource over which the fight was, had completely disappeared.

On the roof of the building, Lelouch looked up at the sky, sighing in defeat. I'm going to die here. They're going to kill me.

0.0.0

Lelouch sat through the history class watching Kallen. Shirley kept glancing at him. Lelouch noticed the mirror Kallen was using to keep an eye on him herself. An idea struck Lelouch at the sight of the mirror. He glanced behind him. The sun was right. His paper was thin enough. He grabbed his pen, clicking the top.

Kallen's eyes widened as she saw him writing. What the hell was he doing, keeping notes? She focused on his hand. No, it was too careful. And the strokes and motions were wrong. Was he writing in another language? She thought he knew kanji, but did he know that she did?

Lelouch smiled to himself. This was somewhat clever. He held it up to his face, covering his mouth and nose, pretending to read it. The sun made the paper more transparent, and Kallen could read it through the mirror. He'd written it backwards so it appeared correct in the mirror.

During lunch, the roof. Alone. She angled her head at the message, down. A nod. Lelouch lowered the note, smiling to himself, and began to carefully cover the note's letter with his pen. Destroying the note. It had served its purpose. He blinked as he remembered.

He'd turned his face to face her, and their lips had brushed against each other. He was kissing her...softly, chastely... But it was all the more enrapturing from its innocence. And she was kissing him back. The kiss deepened.

He had kissed her.

0.0.0

Kallen approached Lelouch from behind. He was leaning over the stone railing. He seemed lost in thought. She stopped behind him, waiting for him to turn around. A few moments passed. She frowned, annoyed as he failed to notice her. The part that annoyed her the most was that she wanted his attention as a boy more than she wanted to ask him about Shinjuku.

"It's peaceful," Lelouch said, not turning. Kallen blinked in surprise at his sudden speech. "Isn't it?" Kallen looked around the school. She had to admit, it was peaceful. "It's disgusting." Kallen looked back to Lelouch's back, surprised for the second time in several seconds. "We pretend that everything is great, but in reality this world is rotten."

"I want to know more about you," Kallen commented, her voice hard. "You're a Britannian Prince. You could've made a difference then, but here you are. Why?" Lelouch didn't answer for a minute. Kallen frowned in irritation. He was being difficult. Her hand moved to her pink pouch. With the knife in it. He looked over his shoulder at her, and she met his single purple orb. "Are you going to answer me?" she demanded.

"I wasn't," Lelouch replied flatly. Kallen winced and pulled the pouch out. "However," he added, "it would be simpler to have you understand at least some of my motivation." He turned to face Kallen, leaning against the railing. "I have someone whom I feel obligated to protect. I want to build a better world, for her."

"Oh," Kallen said, her eyes wide. She looked down. "Sorry, I thought you didn't have anyone." She thought of the events in the command center. He had someone else. "When...when I... Is it Shirley?" Lelouch blinked his eyes wide, realizing Kallen's thoughts.

"No," Lelouch corrected. "Not like that. Purely platonic relationship, it's not Shirley." He stood straight now. "It's my little sister. There's no one here that interests me romantically." He briefly glanced away. There might be one now.

"I see," Kallen said, disappointed. Lelouch frowned. He had kissed her.

"What about you?" he asked, drawing Kallen's attention. "Do you have anyone?" Kallen frowned, blushing. Lelouch's eyes narrowed. What might he do, he wondered, if she had someone else. "Sorry about what I told the student council," Kallen said, changing the subject. Lelouch frowned, remembering.

"Yes, I'd have preferred a different deception to the one you decided on. It's slightly embarrassing." Kallen blushed again as Lelouch spoke. "Too late now, though." He looked back out over towards the settlement. "I'm preparing for a meeting with your people," he commented. "I have a disguise. I'd rather keep my identity from the others."

"For how long?" Kallen asked, suspiciously. Lelouch frowned, unseen to Kallen. Until the end.

"Until the world is destroyed," He said, his back to Kallen.

0.0.0

Jeremiah and Villeta rode in the car leaving yet another barracks. A perfunctory inspection. Irritating, boring duties. Since Clovis's death. Jeremiah glanced at Villeta. She met his gaze. The gun that had claimed Clovis's life had been Villeta's. But Jeremiah had covered that up.

"My lord," Villeta began. "Bartley has taken the remains to move them to the mainland. But we've made no declaration of his death, or who the murderer is. Perhaps we can use this to our advantage."

"And I've the perfect candidate. He piloted the white Knightmare at the Shinjuku Ghetto," Jeremiah added. "An eleven. Better we lower his standing now, rather than risk him becoming a symbol for the other elevens."

"Then let's move, before Bartley leaves the settlement," Villeta commented. Jeremiah smiled in his typical aristocrat fashion.

0.0.0

Milly sat down on the desk of the principal's office. Her grandfather gave her a knowing smile. They both knew she wasn't going to stop sitting on the desk.

"So, I hear Kallen Stradtfeld has a new boyfriend," her grandfather noted, feigning innocence.

"Our very own prince," Milly confirmed, smiling. "And I thought he didn't like girls."

"By the way," Reuben Asheford added, changing the subject. "Has Kallen joined a club yet? She is still required to join one, but it would be difficult for her to participate in most of the clubs."

"Are you saying you want her to join the student council?" Milly asked, smiling her teasing smile.

0.0.0

No place like home, Lelouch thought to himself, echoing what he'd said to Sayoko. After dinner he'd tucked Nunnally into bed. No place like home. Perhaps to Nunnally this was steady enough to be home. Lelouch was different. The future seemed like a darkened road. But his new-found power could open a new road for them.

Kallen's face flashed before his eyes. Once with her red headband, and the other with her hair down. He had kissed her. The worst part was, he had no idea why. It was irritating. He'd had enough mysteries in his life, this additional one gnawed at him. He stripped off his red jacket and hung it neatly. His usual routine offered no relaxing mind-numbing.

It's funny, he thought to himself, she reminds me of Suzaku. He blinked as he remembered. Suzaku had been killed. Along with Clovis. He'd won at Shinjuku. He could beat Britannia. If only Suzaku were here. He was shocked from his thoughts by the doorbell.

When he opened the door, he saw Milly standing in the doorway.

"What are you doing here so late?" Lelouch asked, surprised.

"'You?' Ouch, did I hurt you earlier today?" Milly asked, wincing.

"No, sorry," Lelouch said, smiling. "You just have never come over this late. Come in." Milly smiled at him gratefully as she passed him. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, that's okay," Milly replied. She stepped over to the table and picked up and origami crane. "Is Sayoko teaching Nunnally?" Lelouch just frowned at her. Milly didn't make small talk, at least not with him. Milly looked over her shoulder, frowning herself. "Something wrong," she smirked, "your majesty?"

"I haven't been 'your majesty' in years, Milly," Lelouch scorned, eyes narrowing. "You didn't come all this way to talk about origami. Is this about Kallen?"

"I never thought I would see you dating a girl," Milly noted. Lelouch raised an eyebrow.

"Are you suggesting a theory that I prefer men? Because I don't," Lelouch commented dryly. Milly paused for a second and set the crane down.

"Does she know?" Lelouch hesitated for a second. It was all Milly needed to know. She frowned and looked back at him. "Can she be trusted?" Lelouch looked out the window, behind Milly.

"You know me," he commented, smirking to himself. "I consider every decision carefully before I act." In truth, Lelouch hadn't even considered that she was a danger. And he hadn't carefully considered anything involving Kallen. He'd trusted her. But it felt like the right decision. A rogue element. A human element.

He'd turned his face to face her, and their lips had brushed against each other. He was kissing her...softly, chastely... But it was all the more enrapturing from its innocence. And she was kissing him back. The kiss deepened.

He had kissed her.

0.0.0

'So how's campus life treating you?' Ohgi asked over the phone. Kallen sighed at the question. Another dull day. But she had been excited in the morning. Because she might see him again. The notion of seeing him again had her excited.

"Stifling," Kallen replied, flatly. Another half-truth, to Ohgi now. "Can I come back soon?"

'The military is still up in arms. Stay in school until things settle down,' Ohgi advised. She could hear him smiling over the phone. 'I'm sure Naoto would be glad to see you in school again.' She frowned at the mention of his name.

"Okay," Kallen replied. "I'll be in touch."

'Any problems?' Ohgi asked, concerned.

"No," Kallen confirmed. "See you later." She closed the phone, ending the call.

"Boring conversation?" came Lelouch's voice from right behind Kallen. Kallen screamed in surprise, jumping a foot in the air. She spun on him, angrily.

"Do you mind not giving me a heart attack?!" she roared at him. He smirked sheepishly. And she'd been excited to see him. She narrowed her eyes at him. "And what are you doing here anyway?" Lelouch raised one of his hands, holding a novel.

"I come up here to read," Lelouch commented. "I'm not a morning person, so during first period I come up here to read." He lowered the book in his hands. "But, it looks like you're not interested in literature. So, what were you talking about?"

"Nothing that concerns you!" Kallen said, looking away. Lelouch frowned at the words.

"I could make you tell me," he reminded. Kallen turned back to him, concerned. They hadn't discussed his mysterious power. "Or maybe I already did." Kallen blinked. This was true, and there would be no way to tell. She grabbed the front of his jacket, dragging him closer, over his irritated cry.

"What did you make me do?" she growled into his face. He adopted a frown of irritation. "Tell me, Lelouch! Did you use your magic on me?" Lelouch's face twitched at the wording.

"Whether it's magic or something else, I didn't use it on you," he promised, smiling to ease her suspicions. "If it would help, I could use it on you right now." He accessed the power quickly, letting it light up in his eyes. "Now answer my question."

"Not a chance-" Kallen was saying, until her eye tinted red. "Go on."

"Why did you kiss me?" Lelouch asked.

"Because I was lonely," Kallen said under the power of his power.

"Thank you," Lelouch said. The tint in Kallen's eyes died. "And now I've used my power on you. Feel better?" Kallen's face twisted in sudden fury. Despite himself, he found himself terrified of her. He hid it behind face.

"And what's to stop you from doing it again?" Kallen asked angrily. "You plan to just control people with that power, don't you!" Lelouch lit up his eye with his power again.

"Lower your voice, people will hear you," Lelouch commented, using his power again.

"All high and mighty aren't you?!" Kallen angrily asked again. Lelouch's eyes widened. She didn't follow his command. But she had to. Because he used his power. Unless...a weakness?! He supposed it was better to figure them out sooner rather than later.

"Don't worry, you're immune now," He assured, adopting a friendly smile again.

"That's not the point!" Kallen shouted, still angry. Lelouch sighed internally. She was going to be difficult, wasn't she? "I should've known you'd be no better than any other Britannian!" she continued to rage as he leaned in. He reached behind her and drew her in. Her lips suddenly met his. Then she gripped his hair and yanked his head down, away from her lips. "And don't kiss me like that again, Lelouch."

"Ow, sorry, let me go," he pleaded in pain. She let go of his hair, and he lost his balance as she did. He fell and Kallen stepped over him to leave the roof. "I apologize." She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at him. "If it helps, I planned to defeat Britannia without this power. And if I produce a miracle, they'll trust me without my power."

"What kind of miracle?" Kallen asked suspiciously. Lelouch chuckled.

"No idea yet," Lelouch admitted. I've got to figure out all my power's weaknesses first.

0.0.0

Lelouch walked along the campus sidewalk. Finding conditions to test his power had been difficult, initially. But it was no longer a problem. If he ordered a person to do something over time, he didn't need to order them to do it again. Order someone to mark a wall everyday, he didn't need to order them to do it every day.

As he passed another group of students, Lelouch adopted his fake smile. He could order someone only until he broke eye contact. If he didn't break eye contact he could plant multiple commands. Blinking provided no problems, but closing the eye for longer could break the contact.

He could reach out to two hundred and seventy two feet. And there was no upper limit to the number of people that he could command at once, other than the range distance. That would be useful perhaps, someday.

Kallen. He'd used it on Kallen. And he couldn't use it on her ever again. She knew who he was, that he had a special power. Fortunately, he could trust her to at least follow some of his commands. But her emotions. She'd killed Clovis before he could get his answers. About who killed his mother. Lelouch's hand curled into a fist.

If she turns out to be a problem, I may have to get rid of her, Lelouch thought to himself. He paused mid-step. Could he eliminate her, though? He found hiimself remembering the feel of her lips against his. The skin of her back.

"Lelouch!" came Milly's call, shaking from his thoughts. "Come quick!" she sounded worried. Worry hit Lelouch like a slap in the face. Nunnally! Could Kallen have figured it out? What would she do? He ran to the student council room from where Milly's shout had come. He entered the room to see Kallen standing surrounded by the student council.

"What?" Lelouch asked with hard breathing and confusion. He saw Nunnally sitting right next to Kallen. Safe and sound.

"We're inducting Kallen into the student council!" Milly announced, smirking. Lelouch slumped, sighing in exasperation. "Wow, how out of shape are you?" Lelouch gritted his teeth, irritated at Milly's pointing out his lack of stamina. "It was grandfather's idea. Since she would have a hard time with one of the other clubs."

"The school president?" Lelouch asked, looking back up at Milly. He could use his power to undo this before Kallen got too close.

"Thank you," Kallen said in her demure schoolgirl act. "I'm really excited to finally be in a club." Lelouch narrowed his eyes at her smile. She wasn't even respecting any boundaries. But he couldn't use his power on all of them since he'd used it on Kallen already. And he couldn't use it on Nunnally, and he couldn't lie. Not to her. He'd just have to accept this.

"Well, if the School President thinks so," Lelouch commented, smiling, "who am I to disagree?"

"I'm Milly," the blonde told Kallen. "The student council president! Oh, and I think you know Lelouch, the vice-president already." Lelouch noted Shirley frowning at him. Maybe he could use that to his advantage. Lelouch ran through a dozen possible solutions as the council members introduced themselves to Kallen. Until it was Nunnally's turn.

"I'm Lelouch's little sister Nunnally," she announced sweetly. Smiling her beautiful smile the entire time. Kallen was taken aback at the wheelchair-bound girl. Now she knew his weakness. "I'm a freshman so I'm too young to be on the Student Council."

"That's okay, you're an honorary member in our books!" Rivalz added. Then he held up a bottle of champagne. Where did he get that? Lelouch wondered. "So, shall we make it official!" Shirley gave a shout and reached to grab the bottle.

"No, you'll get us in trouble!" Shirley protested, trying to grab the bottle as Rivalz evaded. Rivalz tossed the bottle to Lelouch. Lelouch stepped forward to grab the bottle. Just as he grabbed the bottle, he tripped and began to fall. The loosened top of the bottle, hitting the ground as Lelouch did, finally shot off, over Kallen's head. The spray then landed directly on her red hair.

"What happened?" Nunnally asked.

0.0.0

"This is why I hate Britannians," Kallen decided aloud as she ran her fingers through her hair. "Although I guess I shouldn't judge." She heard a knock on the door.

"It's Lelouch," came the voice through the door. "I brought some clothes you can wear."

"It's okay," Kallen replied, trying to speak over the sounds of the shower. "I've drawn the curtain already." She heard the door open and closed. Then she realized she was alone with him. "Who knows you're here?" she asked accusingly, suddenly worried. Lelouch paused a moment before answering.

"No one," he hissed. Kallen could hear his smirk. Her heart jumped into her throat. "It's just you and me, Kallen." Kallen was about to scream when Lelouch began laughing. "I'm just kidding. Milly and Shirley have your clothes in the washing machine. Rivalz is cleaning the carpet. Nunnally went back to her room."

"Your sister?" Kallen asked. Lelouch winced and then frowned.

"I suppose I should tell you the whole story," Lelouch admitted. "You know that I was born Lelouch vi Britannia, eleventh son of Charles zi Britannia. What you don't know is that my mother was Marianne Lamperouge, a commoner by birth. Mother was a pilot for an early prototype Knightmare Frame and rose to become a Knight of the Rounds. After that-"

Machine gun fire shattered the glass windows. His mother jumped atop his sister, shielding her as their mother was shredded by gunfire. Lelouch winced, looking down.

"I have no idea who killed my mother. During the attack, Nunnally's legs were shot. And afterward, she couldn't open her eyes again. They blamed it on terrorists, but that deep in the palace? I'm sure it was a political killing. But who ordered it? I was going to ask Clovis, but..." Kallen winced behind the curtain.

"Then, your plan to defeat Britannia," Kallen asked, remembering from earlier. "It's all for Nunnally?" She smiled at the boy in the room with her. He acted all rough, but he really was just a softie. She pulled the curtain aside just slightly to peek around it. Lelouch was brooding. Why did he have to be cute and a softie? Kallen thought helplessly to herself. Part of her even thought about pulling the curtain back the rest of the way.

Lelouch's eyes looked back at Kallen, meeting her gaze. She gave a small yelp and yanked the curtain back into place. She pressed her ear closely to the curtain, covering herself as best she could, should he try to come over. He just chuckled.

"Don't worry, I didn't see anything," Lelouch promised. "Although," his tone switched back to mischievous. "If you wanted me to join you-"

"Don't you dare, Lelouch!" Kallen warned, terrified at the idea of him coming into the shower.

"Lelouch," Milly said through the door. "Nunnally says you need to come quick. Something on the news about Clovis's killer." Kallen leaned around the curtain to see Lelouch meet her gaze. Clovis's killer. Had there been cameras in the control room. Lelouch walked to the door.

"Get dressed," he ordered as he walked. "You might need to introduce Zero to your friends properly sooner than anticipated."

As soon as Lelouch was out of the room, Kallen dressed quickly. Had the Britannians seen her face? Her Britannian identity might keep her safe for now. She stepped out and was greeted by Lelouch. Milly led them back to the student council business room. Shirley, Rivalz, and Nunnally were crowded around the television.

"Lelouch, it's awful!" Nunnally cried. "They're saying Prince Clovis was killed." Lelouch and Kallen walked over to stand behind Nunally's wheelchair. Lelouch's eyes widened at the brown-haired Japanese being held in the restraints.

'New information just received, the murder has been caught. Private Suzaku Kururugi has been apprehended for the murder.'

0.0.0

Lelouch walked Kallen home in silence. He'd thought Suzaku had been killed. But he'd had no chance to check after the explosion of the truck. Lelouch gritted his teeth. He'd been so callous as to forget Suzaku completely. Perhaps his one true friend. He clenched his hand into a fist.

Kallen, perhaps sensing his anger, kept glancing nervously at him. She didn't think it was a good sign that he seemed to be ignoring her. It annoyed her that it stung her.

"Oh why do I even care?" she asked aloud.

"What?" Lelouch asked. Kallen jumped, realizing she'd said it aloud.

"Uh, nothing!" Lelouch frowned at Kallen's dismissal.

"There is one thing I didn't ask about," Lelouch noted, thoughtfully. Kallen glared at him, wondering what he was talking about this time. "Our kiss." Kallen hesitated at the mention. She regained her composure quickly.

"If you call that a kiss," Kallen commented. Lelouch narrowed his eyes at the insult. "It's not like you were the first boy I ever kissed. And you were certainly the worst." Lelouch absorbed this, thoughtfully. She was too defensive.

"I think that was your first kiss," Lelouch deduced. Kallen winced. She'd never admit it, but Lelouch was right. "I have a few things I have to get before I meet your friends." He turned away, heading down another street. "Tokyo Tower, at three o'clock. Of course, bring your friends. I'm anxious to meet them, Kallen Kozuki." Kallen watched his receding back, dumbstruck at him.

Suzaku, he said internally. Time to repay you for in the Shinjuku Ghetto. Together, we can destroy this cruel world.