The Demon and the Red Moon
Disclaimer: Santa- Hohoho Merry Christmas! Here comes Santa to give you a brand new chapter!
Lelouch- Actually we're not allowed to give ownership of anything away as we're a non-profit so we can dodge being sued.
Santa- Oh, well, what can we give away.
Lelouch- Lelouch vi Britannia Commands you, Kill Charles zi Britannia!
Santa- Gah! You bad child Lelouch!
(Lelouch gets buried in coal)
Chapter Mother's Memory
Lelouch set down a box of belongings in the newly-repaired apartment. He took a sniff and winced and looked over his shoulder at Nunnally. She rolled further in, a box of framed pictures in her lap. She paused, her brow furrowing, and took a sniff herself.
"This is gonna take a while for it to smell like home again," she noted sorrowfully. Lelouch gave a sad smile to himself and began to sort through the belongings. "Does it look better at least?" Lelouch gave a thoughtful noise and glanced at the windows. The wooden frames around them looked different.
"It's not perfect," he commented finally, charitably. "But it's still the best we can do." He got an idea and spun around with a smile. "If we get some paint you could help me make it look better later Nunnally." Nunnally giggled at the notion.
"Still," Sayoko added helpfully, carrying in a box of clothes, "It will feel good to be home again, right Master Lelouch?" Lelouch smiled at the maid.
"You're right Sayoko," Lelouch took the box of clothes from Sayoko and carried them to his room. C was already lounging about nearly naked on his bed.
"Lelouch," C noted, her voice sounding...vigorous, "I've been waiting for you to come." Lelouch's spine went rigid and he raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse you?" He replied in a rude monotone. C sighed and rolled over on his bed, moving her exposed body in a way that left very little to any human's imagination. Lelouch rolled his eyes and glared into the ceiling, irritated. If there is a God, Lelouch thought to himself wearily, I might enjoy an eternity in Hell after putting up with this woman for a month. And while's he at it, send help immediately lest my sanity finally break and I put a gun in my mouth, and then hers.
"Lelouch, what are you thinking about?" C suddenly asked, suspiciously. Lelouch took a second to reply, still staring at the ceiling.
"Guess." He did not move at all.
"Give me a hint," she demanded suddenly.
"It involves getting rid of you," Lelouch finally decided.
"Girls?" Lelouch looked down at that answer, giving her the evil eye.
"Homicide."
"I'll come back," C advised, teasingly.
"It'd be a nice few hours." He dropped the box on top of her and left the room. C pushed the box off of her onto the floor. The motion removed one of the straps holding her scant clothing together and left her completely topless on his bed. Lelouch re-entered the room carrying another box of clothing and froze at the sight. C just met his gaze, not moving.
Lelouch eyed the ceiling again.
We don't have time for a bullet, send a bomb-
0.0.0
"Bomb disposal team?" Euphemia stared incredulously as Cornelia nodded. "Don't you think you're going a little overboard, sister?" Cornelia smiled a little but leaned back in the back of the limo as the pair drove to Asheford Academy.
"Since you've insisted on continuing to go to school here I'm taking a few extra precautions," Cornelia explained, dutifully. "Zero was clearly interested in killing you from what you told me, so I don't want you taking any chances, Euphie. Luckily that Eleven pilot that took out the linear cannon also goes to school here. And it seems you've taken a liking to him."
Cornelia's eyes rolled to look at Euphemia just in time to see Euphie's pale cheeks blush bright red. Cornelia chuckled at her sister's embarrassment and scooted over and leaned over to sit closer to her little sister.
"Don't be embarrassed by the thought, Euphie," Cornelia commented, voice low. "It's only natural for women like us to be attracted to stronger men. Even I've been attracted to men below me." Euphie gave Cornelia a mortified shy look, clearly not wanting to speak of that.
"But I warn you, Euphemia," Cornelia added, joylessly, "that can't end well, Euphie. He's still only and honorary Britannian, and you're a member of the royal family. So try not to get attached." The last sentence was a desperate plea to Euphemia. The car came to a stop. Euphemia looked out the window and saw her destination and began to get out.
"One last thing," Cornelia mentioned. She pulled a cell phone from her pocket and offered it to her younger sister. Euphie took it and looked back up to Cornelia. "If you think you see anyone related to Zero, call me and I'll be there as quickly as I can."
"Zero," Euphie repeated, looking back down at the phone. She paused for a second, remembering.
0.0.0
'You people are obsolete,' Zero declared. 'This childish terrorism and murdering civilians. There's no saving you!' Zero declared he stood straighter. His Geass was behind his left eye, burning with his rage. 'You, all of you...are nothing but leftover relics of an ancient past, clinging to old glories! You don't give a damn about creating a better world!'
Euphemia's eyes widened at the proclamation. It was surreal how much Zero sounded like Cornelia, but the words made her stop. Zero wanted to create a better world.
0.0.0
Euphemia got out of the car and began to walk to her class. Milly walked up to walk side by side with Euphemia, hands behind her back with a confident smile on her heart-shaped face, chin up. Euphemia didn't notice, still thinking about Zero and Suzaku.
"Nice to see you today, your highness," Milly said politely.
"Hello, Milly," Euphemia said kindly, not paying attention. Then she stopped, looking up with her eyes going wide. She spun to face Milly, desperation in her face. "Oh please don't tell anyone else!" the pink-haired girl almost shouted to Milly. "I'm supposed to be undercover since I'm going to a semi-private academy! Please if anyone found out I'd have to find another place to go to school."
"Don't worry," Milly said, smiling at Euphie. "I already explained it to Shirley and Nina. I already knew Lelouch and Nunna were royalty, after all. I know I'm blonde, but I'm not that blonde." The princess let out a relieved sigh. "But," Milly added, making Euphie nervous again, "I do want to ask why you wanted to go to this school." Euphemia blushed and leaned in.
"There's someone here I want to get to know better," the Princess admitted, softly. Milly's eyebrows perked up at the promise of new gossip. Euphemia smiled as she continued. "I want to learn how he's so strong. And he's sweet and brave and stupid. But I can't help but want to know everything about him."
0.0.0
"Atchoo!" Suzaku dropped one corner of the bed sheet and rubbed his nose with the back of his sleeve. Nunnally looked concerned from the side of her bed.
"Getting a cold Suzaku?" she asked aloud.
"Just allergies," Suzaku replied, still rubbing his nose.
"And now we have to clean these sheets again," Lelouch replied from the opposite side of the bed.
0.0.0
Kallen stalked into her homeroom and walked straight into the back of the room. Leaning against the wall she crossed her arms and glared out the plastic bag covering the broken window. Lelouch noticed and continued reading his book.
"Something troubling?" Lelouch inquired, seeming uninterested. Kallen frowned and eyed into the corner of the room, away from Lelouch.
"My mother is being very irritating." Lelouch paused at Kallen's comment while turning the page. "The maid, not my stepmother," she added in a lower tone. "She's breaking things constantly this week." Lelouch finished turning the page.
"Is it not accidental?" Lelouch had stopped reading but didn't want to appear that way. "She doesn't seem like she'd break things just to spite you."
"The fact that she's even staying in the same house is annoying. She's only staying around because she doesn't have any skills and she knows my father." Lelouch narrowed his eyes in Kallen's direction as she spoke. "I wish she'd just leave."
"You don't want your mother around?" Lelouch confirmed, carefully turning a page in his book.
"Not at all," Kallen confirmed. "She could find a job if she wanted. She's just clinging to an old lover. She's just depressing." Lelouch snapped the book closed and stood.
"I want a hot dog," Lelouch declared suddenly. He turned and looked at Kallen. "Come with me."
0.0.0
Shirley gave a desperate growling sigh as she ran around the campus looking for Lelouch. She needed to ask him about Euphemia. Shirley already had a suspicion about the answer, and it worried her. Euphemia was actually a princess. If she and Lelouch were really related then that meant...
Shirley desperately picked up her pace as she passed his homeroom for the fourth time, not seeing him. Lelouch was a prince. But if he was a prince she didn't stand a chance of being with him. There was no way the Emperor of Britannia would possibly allow her to marry Lelouch. Despair was building in her with each running step. She ran outside, looking around the massive outdoor campus. Lelouch could be anywhere, but she couldn't find him.
"My, isn't Lulu just impossible to keep track of?" came an odd-accented voice. Shirley spun to look at the source of the voice. A silver-haired man in sunglasses and a white trench coat walked out from behind a tree. "Tell me, Shirley, do you want Lelouch all to yourself? You do love him after all." Shirley recoiled, eyes going wide. How did?
"I know everything, Shirley," he said before she could speak. "Because I've got super powers. Lelouch has something that I want. Why don't we help each other get what we want?" Shirley absorbed this as the man walked right up to her and leaned down to look her in the eyes.
"Interested?" he hissed, lowering his sunglasses to reveal a pair of glowing red eyes.
0.0.0
Lelouch led Kallen to the plaza with the hot dog stand. The guy running it was dressed in a yellow overall and was clearly Japanese. Kallen blinked and looked around, not understanding. The eleven was serving a large group of young Britannians dressed in blue jeans with loose shirts.
"Hey!" one of them suddenly shouted, throwing the hot dog away. "You spit in this you dirty eleven!" The whole group suddenly grabbed the vender and threw him down. "You're sorry, aren't you?!" Kallen's brow furrowed and she started moving to intervene. Lelouch suddenly grabbed her.
"Think about it," Lelouch ordered calmly. "If we intervene and help him win, he'd never sell another thing. He'd get fired and probably lose his home. He'd have to move to the ghettos and be a victim anyway." He let go of Kallen's arm. "That's the kind of thing your mother would face." Kallen winced and looked down, thinking. Lelouch frowned but knew she'd seen the point. "Stay here."
Kallen looked up as Lelouch walked over to the group of bullies. Lelouch applied his best charm.
"Excuse me," he said, boyishly. The bullies turned to face him. "Could I get a hot dog please?"
"Whatever," one of them said, before the group walked off. Lelouch dropped his boyish smile and bought the hot dog. He started walking back to school, stepping past Kallen.
"I still don't have to like the fact that my mother is clinging to my dad like a leech!" she declared into Lelouch's back. Lelouch froze, angry. He spun to face her.
"My mother was killed in front of me. You want to discard the very thing I'd give anything to still have," Lelouch declared angrily. "You disgust me." Kallen's eyes went wide. Lelouch could see the Kallen's world being rocked inside her own mind. Lelouch sighed and looked away. He gave a guilty glance in her direction as she looked down, wounded.
"Kallen-" he began, a hand reaching out-
Just as his phone began to ring. Lelouch frowned as Kallen looked up at the sound and he pulled the phone from his pocket. Answering it he tried to hide his irritation. "Hello?"
'Master Lelouch?' came Sayoko's voice from the other line. She sounded paniced.
"Sayoko? What's wrong?"
'I was at the Stradtfeld home since I had forgotten a box when I came upon Kallen's maid,' Sayoko began, still sounding concerned.
"Kallen's maid? What happened?" Kallen looked worried again this time. Lelouch had to admit he was ill at ease himself.
'She had some kind of drug needle. I tried to stop her, and it broke. She ran off in a hurry, and I don't know where. I was concerned because I think she ran towards the ghetto.' Lelouch's eyes widened. Kallen's mother might get Kallen under scrutiny. If that happened it would cast a spotlight on the Black Knights.
"Kallen's mother ran toward the ghetto? Are you sure?" Lelouch asked to confirm, speaking quickly. Kallen's brow furrowed in determination. Lelouch hung up as soon as Sayoko confirmed his questions.
"My mother could give us all away! We can't let her!" the redhead had begun to speak way too loudly. Lelouch raised a hand to quiet her down.
"Kallen, calm down," he began, carefully.
"You calm down. You might not like it but she's my problem and I'll deal with her myself!" Kallen finished her shouting and began running toward the ghetto. Lelouch's eyes went wide as he realized what Kallen intended. She was going to kill her own mother.
"Kallen stop!" he shouted after her, taking off running.
"Ohgi," Kallen called, holding her phone to her ear as she ran. "I need my Burai, can you have it checked and loaded? We have a spy on the loose and we need to eliminate them ASAP!"
'Sure, I'll get Tamaki and Koshiba to help you,' Ohgi confirmed, after a moments hesistation. Kallen hung up and kept running towards the hideout.
Lelouch dropped to one knee, panting. "Why couldn't...(pant, pant)...Suzaku get the...(pant, pant)...bad stamina...(weeze, weeze)?" Lelouch got an idea with a jolt upright and began to jog over to the Stradtfeld home. Then it became a weezing slog, but the eventual dramatic point to this paragraph is that basically Lelouch gets there before sunset. Without the assistance of an ambulance and an oxygen tank. Actually a little before three, which means that he actually got there quite a while before sunset. I mean it's only a swallow's flight away. That would be an unladen swallow obviou-
GET BACK TO THE POINT
"Suzaku!" Suzaku spun as Lelouch came weezing and jogging over to Suzaku. Lelouch stopped before Suzaku and put his hands on his widened knees, bending over and panting as Suzaku stared at Lelouch's panting form.
"How far did you run? You shouldn't be this out of breath if you ran from Kallen's house," Suzaku questioned, standing there while Lelouch caught his breath.
"*wheeze*...fuck...*wheeze*...you..." Lelouch panted. He held up a piece of broken glass in a plastic bag. Suzaku blinked at it. "You worked...(weeze) with scientists right? Could you have them identify the liquid in this broken vial? Someone's life is at stake."
"Ah-ha," Lloyd began when Lelouch handed him the vial. "I do so love a specto-chemical analysis of unknown fluids," he commented as he dropped the vial into a scanner. Lelouch gave Suzaku a questioning look as Lloyd began scanning the vial in the Asheford Lab. Suzaku just shook his head, unwilling or unable to explain Lloyd.
"Would you care for a snack?" Cecile asked, holding out a tray of rice cakes.
"Oh, thank you," Lelouch said as he took one. Not paying attention, Suzaku made a sound just after Lelouch took a bite. Lelouch's eyes froze as he registered the unusual flavor that was occurring at the center of the rice cake held in his mouth.
"Uugh," Lelouch said through his closed mouth.
"Cecile," Lloyd called. Cecile stepped over. Lelouch took the opportunity of Cecile's turned back to spit the rice cake into a paper towel and throw it softly in the waste basket. "Can you help me identify this? It appears to be psychotropic but I'm having difficulty determining the chemicals involved.
"Blueberries?" Lelouch asked softly, giving Suzaku a questioning look with his narrowed eyes.
"It appears that it was a condensed powdered form of a rare mushroom, but appears to have been chemically of genetically altered," Cecile explained, examining the scan of the liquid. "It contains water from a nearby water supply though. This is consistent with some of the residue left on the Lancelot from one of the ghettos."
"My mother's cooking was never that bad, Suzaku. You had my scrambled eggs recipe from her, what do you think that says?" Lelouch continued berating Suzaku. Suzaku winced at the memory.
"It's Refrain," Lloyd announced, setting a printed piece of paper in Lelouch's hand. Lelouch noticed the analysis that indicated where it had come from. He began to leave.
"Thank you very much," Lelouch smiled, "this is a big help." Suzaku smiled and nodded. Lelouch left and began running to the elevator to his secret exit and entrance. He had a Burai stored there. And now he had a target.
0.0.0
Kallen had already found it. A bunch of people had gone into a large warehouse. There were more than fifty armed guards covering all of the access points with too few blind spots. She was out of her Knightmare, already dressed in her red resistance uniform. Tamaki and Koshiba were with her standing around the corner of a nearby building scanning the place with binoculars.
"We're gonna need more men if we're going in there," Tamaki growled softly, lowering his binoculars. Kallen winced but it was true.
'Call Ohgi and have him meet us here,' came Zero's voice. A Burai rolled up to the corner and the back cockpit hatch opened. Zero stood up and climbed from the cockpit, landing on his feet. 'We're going to capture them and see what's going on in there. Go make the call while Kallen and I plan the Knightmare attack.'
"You got it, Zero," Tamaki said, his voice an ill at ease grumble. Lelouch noticed and filed it away for later thought. The pair of resistance fighters walked off leaving Lelouch and Kallen alone. Lelouch walked up to her and made sure they couldn't see Kallen and he. The prince removed his helmet and met Kallen eye to eye.
"You're going to help me?" Kallen asked, incredulously.
"The Black Knights fight for justice. If there's a refrain deal going on in there with this many people why aren't they involved? The system has failed here. So we go in." Kallen smiled and turned to get in her red Burai. Lelouch's arm blocked the way, brushing her chest. "But Kallen, if your mother is in there, I'm not going to let you kill her."
If I what I think is going on in there is what I think, then she's not a threat. She's a victim of Britannia, using drugs to avoid the pain. You lost a brother, didn't you?" Lelouch paused as Kallen turned her head, open mouthed in irritation toward him. Lelouch's head turned with the force of the slap across his face that Kallen gave him.
"You don't get to play that card," Kallen informed him angrily. "Get out of my way, now." Kallen froze as a pistol muzzle brushed the back of her head.
"If you can't keep your head, you're a danger to me and to Nunnally," Lelouch warned. The gun cocked and Kallen's eyes widened as she stared into his. He put his mask back on just as Tamaki and Koshiba rounded the corner. Zero removed the gun so well Kallen barely saw it. He turned to Tamaki and Koshiba. 'Under no circumstances do we kill unarmed people. Shoot only if shot back. We're not executioners. This isn't posturing. If we kill all those people inside, we're not Knights for Justice. Then we're just the same as the Britannians.'
"Cool," Tamaki commented, uninterested. "So what plan have you come up with?"
'Kallen's going to drive through the front door,' Zero replied, as if it was obvious.
Tamaki paused a second, thinking.
"What?"
0.0.0
Kallen drove through the front door. Of course fifty armed men and the aluminum door disagreed with the approach. But a multi-tun armed and armored death machine helps open doors for beautiful young women. Ohgi's reinforcements came in behind her, returning fire and eliminating the paid muscle. Ohgi and Zero walked in side by side, calmly, as the commanders. Lelouch understood this was a matter of public relations for the Black Knights.
"Surrender or get put down!" Tamaki shouted from Zero's black Burai. The business men and other workers quickly dropped to their knees in surrender, and were quickly herded through to be grouped around Zero and Ohgi.
"So it was like an armored charge?" Ohgi asked, gesturing at Kallen's Knightmare.
'A battering ram, exactly,' Zero replied. 'Give it a year and I'll make you a Prime Minister,' he joked. Lelouch smiled at the very notion. He stepped towards the clustered business men. 'You are all remnants of a decadent past that will soon be swept under a rug. You'll be turned over to the police and confess to your crimes and you will pay for the oppression of the weak by the strong.' With that Zero was abou to turn to the search the rest of the warehouse for Kallen's mother.
"Those that don't study the past are condemned to repeat it!" shouted an older male Britannian. Lelouch slowly turned back around to look at the man. He had a cocky smile like he thought he was the smartest man in the room. Lelouch walked over to the boxes of the small glass vials of refrain. He picked up a half a dozen in one hand and walked over.
'Each of these,' he tossed one to the floor, breaking it, 'is a life,' broken vial, 'a life you help ruin,' another vial broke as Lelouch walked closer, 'a life you help destroy.'
"You think you have some kind of moral high ground, but This won't stop. Half of us will buy our way out and begin again. You elevens, you're the past." Lelouch was almost impressed. "You think you're changing the future, all you are is hoping to change the present. You live in the world but can't make it work for you. So you go on and on about others being in the past. You're in the past, terrorists."
Lelouch bent down, pressing the visor of his mask almost through the man's face they were so close. 'You think we're the past. All of these Elevens though, they'll live longer than you. They're younger than you. You'll be dead and gone and they'll still be alive. You're already a part of the past.' Then Zero stood up straight, drew his pistol, and shot the older man in the head. Ohgi jumped at the gunshot.
'The next time any of you think to restart this drug business, remember what you just saw,' Lelouch declared, loudly. 'Because we're the future. We are the Black Knights!' Zero turned to the large number of boxes of the glass vials filled with refrain. 'Ohgi, how much do you think this is worth?'
"Millions," Ohgi replied, uncertain about Zero. But the answer was easy. Zero walked closer towards it and scanned across the walls. There were hundreds of boxes.
'Burn it. Burn it all.' He looked at the prisoners than back to the Knightmare. 'If any of them try to escape, shoot them.' Lelouch stalked towards Kallen's direction to check the rest of the warehouse, flanked by a dozen Black Knights. Ohgi also followed.
"Zero, why did you kill that man?" Zero stopped at Ohgi's question.
'Ohgi, we don't have the time to bust down every refrain operation. Therefore we use this as an example. When others from this bust get out, they will remember this. Then our legend spreads and the other operations fear us and shut down. Then the next time we don't have to kill anyone. They'll just surrender. The idea of something is just as powerful as the act of doing it, Ohgi. Create the idea that we'll defeat Britannia, and people fight stronger and faster. Ideas are power, Ohgi. Remember that.'
0.0.0
Kallen lifted the aluminum door in front of her, having moved ahead of the group way too far. The other side was blackened, either the lights were out or just plain missing. She searched through the control panel in her Burai and found the night-vision filter. She gasped when the green image focused. Hundreds of people were standing around talking. But not to each other. They were talking to themselves.
"I'm studying abroad! I can't believe I got in!" Kallen's eyes focused in on the man speaking. She couldn't believe it when she saw the yellow overall.
"Japan is at the forefront of technology!"
"I'm getting engaged!"
"We'll never lose to Britannia!"
"Japan! Japan! Japan!"
"What the hell is this?" Kallen asked, perturbed. It must have been over the speakers, because a voice answered. Not a delusional one this time.
'It's a psychotropic compound,' Lelouch announced, standing nearby, seeing all the people. 'Refrain. Makes you relive past experiences, apparently. I read about this online. It's been developed specifically to target the Japanese for illegal drug use. Some medical uses for memory disorders, but not to this scale. And this...this is a refrain den.'
"But why?" Kallen asked, tears going to her eyes. Why go through the pain and the loss all over again? Why try to relive a past that's long gone?
'You could see your loved ones again. Go back to happier times.' Zero lowered his head, sorrowfully.
"Naoto-" Kallen's head whipped towards the sound of her brother's name. She saw her mother. She was walking around among the others, speaking like the others. Kallen's grip on the controls tightened.
Bullets sprayed and Kallen's Knightmare was rocked. She looked back over to see a blue and white Glasgow aiming a pair of pistols at her. She pushed down on the controls to raise her rifle. The Knight-police fired first, ripping her assault rifle to shreds and damaging her head unit. Kallen was trying to back up when the other Knightmare began to race at her. Kallen couldn't react fast enough to dodge but only wound up getting tackled to the ground.
She hit her head and saw stars. Something warm and wet felt like it was coming out of her scalp. She shook her head and it hurt even more. She turned her head to see the other Knightmare raising a knife over her cockpit block. Almost reflexively she pulled back on the sticks and her Burai raised an arm to stop the downward plunge of the knife.
"Naoto, I need you to take care of your sister." Kallen turned towards her front. Her mother was right in front of her, having fallen to her knees, facing back at her.
"I don't need you," Kallen hissed weakly at the small frail woman in front of her. "My brother is gone. Go away!"
'Give me that!' Lelouch demanded, taking a grenade launcher from one of the black knights. His Geass wouldn't work. He was improvising at best. He aimed the grenade launcher at the Glasgow, but there was no guarantee he wouldn't hit the Burai's cockpit. Lelouch blinked as he noticed it. 'Kallen!'
"You're in the way!" Kallen shouted at her mother, not hearing Lelouch. "Lelouch may want his mother but I don't need you! You're just holding me back!"
"I'm here for you Kallen," her mother said encouragingly. "Wherever you are, I'll be there for you. I promise, Kallen, my baby girl." Kallen's eyes went wide. She nearly let the knife skewer her. It even pierced through the outer skin of the cockpit and shattered her right screen, the tip coming through it.
"You stayed...you stayed there for me?"
'You're discarding the very thing I'd give anything to still have.' Lelouch's words rang back through her mind. Kallen's heart broke through shame and joy. Her mother didn't want to stay with her father. Her mother loved her so much that she endured being a maid for her.
"Mommy," Kallen whimpered, crying, smiling at her mother for the first time in ages.
'Kallen! Fire your slash harkens directly above you! Drag him with you!' Zero's voice was in her ear again. She looked up and saw what he was saying. She looked back down at her mother and then back to the Glasgow.
"You're not making me lose my mother," she declared to the faceless machine, the face of Britannia itself, in her mind. She aimed her slash harkens up and fired. Retracting both lines, she dragged both Knightmares away from her mother and rammed the heavy scaffolding in the corner of the room. The Glasgow was half-crushed half-ripped apart into a unnamed shape that no human could survive within. Kallen's Burai lost some paint. Kallen was smiling with tears running down her face.
Zero opened the back hatch manually and climbed inside the cockpit. Kallen saw him and offered her hand. Lelouch took it, squeezing gently. He began to pull her up and out of the cockpit. Kallen hugged him again, the first time since shinjuku. Lelouch tentatively hugged her back.
"Is my mom okay?" Kallen asked into his shoulder.
'She's safe,' Lelouch confirmed. Kallen smiled and threw up a little bit on his shoulder. 'You might have a concussion.'
"My head feels funny."
'Thought so,' Lelouch commented, quickly. 'Be prepared to say you fell down some stairs a lot.'
"I fell down some stairs?"
'Yes.'
"Fell down some stairs." Lelouch patted her back and got another bit of vomit on his shoulder for his trouble. "My mommy does silly stuff for me." Lelouch sighed as he recalled a moment involving a horse indoors with his mother.
'Mine too.'
0.0.0
"Kallen! What happened?" Rivalz asked as he entered Kallen's hospital room the next day.
"I fell down some stairs," Kallen said, smiling. The entire student council had crammed themselves into the tiny one bed hospital room. Various get well soon cards and flowers had abounded. Lelouch had been chastised for hours for not bringing anything. At which point Shirley and Milly had dragged him down to buy her a wreath from the gift shop.
"Good thing Lelouch was there to get you to a hospital," Rivalz commented, setting down a gift basket. Milly leaned into Lelouch, narrowed bemused eyes staring into his.
"How did you get her to a hospital by the way? You can barely lift Nunnally as it is," Milly asked, her voice cocky and knowing. Lelouch ground his teeth inside his head, irritated at the mention of his meager physical status.
"Physics," Lelouch replied, irritated. The rest of the council made a surprised sound. Lelouch sighed and eyed the cieling. "And some paid help," he admitted, embarrassed. Everyone laughed and turned back to Kallen with well wishes. Lelouch leaned over to speak quietly to Suzaku.
"If you ever tell them how much I paid you I'll kill you," he warned softly. Suzaku just gave a nervous chuckle. Lelouch stood straight again. Whatever Kallen's feelings were about her mother, he commented to himself, she's changed. It would've been easy to send Kallen's mother to her sentence, but destiny and Geass can change things like that. And Kallen has a real reason to fight. A future world where she can be with her mother the way she wants, without Britannia.
Kallen looked over to the next bed and saw her mother smiling. Kallen smiled back.
Lelouch left the room and began walking home. Kallen will be tested in the months to come. I'm sure of it. First we have to meet Cornelia in battle and prove that we can defeat the Britannians in open battle. Still, we don't have a way of matching their numerical superiority. It'll depend on the ground we fight on. Lelouch stopped his thoughts when he heard water splashing and looked down to see he'd stepped in some mud running down the sidewalk. He blinked as it carried away a twig. Lelouch looked up, eyes widening as his idea struck him.
Cornelia...I've got you. Lelouch began running.
0.0.0
Well as has been requested this thing was almost entirely OC from the real episode. And yes, as predicted they'll be together by Narita.
Answering Reviews!
Republic Che- I could update soon but I'm updating now, so...there.
Baron e la Beefdipping- Like Lelouch could flip a table. But Lelouch looking dead like his mother felt way too cold and unemotional, and it's an emotional scene...so I stick by my choice. Probably more correct your way, but it's not about being correct it's about getting in Kallen's pants, (sorta) so I'm sticking with my way! ...Like Lelouch could flip her onto a table.
Lite Magarita- I can guarantee Suzaku will not. Just as I'm writing it Lelouch and Suzaku are yin and yang. Lelouch has intellect and Geass, Suzaku has muscle and Lancelot. Suzaku having Geass would tip him to be the stronger. But also Kallen has formed a part of the duality and made it a trinity, so you know, probably not. Kallen's sort of both of them combined. She's both smart and strong and has Guren. Kallen getting a Geass tho would be so far out. Alice has a Geass, totally. It'll be revealed soon...ish. Nunnally? That one I'm keeping in my vest. Mwa ha ha.
