Late Night Talks

And here we go with chapter 2. This time I wanted to add on to that moment Lelouch and Kallen had in S2 when they're on the Ikaruga together in the elevator. That convo was never finished properly for me so I decided to write about it. Lelouch was feeling like he'd lost everything and Kallen wanted to help however she could. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: Code Geass doesn't belong to me.


Chapter 2: By His Side

Kallen was completely unprepared for what happened when she walked into Zero's room on the Ikaruga. Her task was simple enough, bring him down to warehouse four were her instructions and she was doing just that when she'd walked in and told him the request. And then forgetting that she was never too far from him, C2 from behind the cupboard door said her comment. Kallen couldn't help the immediate blush on her cheeks when she'd heard it. Did she just say what she thought she said?

Kallen was ready to give Lelouch an earful when she'd heard the rather suggestive comment C2 had made but when he'd explained that she'd lost her memories, her heart sank. And even more so when she saw the completely defeated look on Lelouch's face. Once again he'd lost someone close to him and once again he wasn't afforded the time to be by himself. She'd been sent to get him and bring him to the others but now she didn't want to fulfil that request. The way he was hunched over, his features so sullen and hearing him blame himself, it reminded her way too much of when she'd found him in the Shinjuku Ghetto. She didn't want to see him like that again, see him feeling like there was nothing left for him anymore. The look of those soulless eyes would haunt her forever.

Before she could say anything Lelouch stood up and got his cape and mask and walked out the room without a single word. Kallen followed behind him, she took one last look at C2 before the door slid closed.

They were silent on the elevator, Kallen watched the numbers descend then stole a glance at Lelouch.

"Nunnally is gone and C2 lost her memories, which means Lelouch is—"

"Kallen," his voice interrupted her thoughts "It's good to have you back. I'm sorry it took so long to rescue you."

She looked over at him and wondered what his face looked like behind that mask. What was going through his head at that moment? There had always been someone by Lelouch's side, someone on his side but then there was the battle between him and Suzaku, Nunnally was now gone. And then even she had been captured, the only person still by his side had been C2 and now even she was taken from him. Physically she was still there but the rest of her completely gone. She didn't want to imagine how lonely that must have felt and even in the midst of all of it, he was still expected to be their leader. However she decided to give him a few minutes to himself, he at least deserved that much. She turned to the elevator buttons panel and pressed the emergency stop button. Lelouch turned to her. She knew he was confused by her actions even if he never verbalised them.

Whatever Ohgi needed him for, she deided, could wait. Right now Lelouch needed someone by his side and that was her at the moment.

"Lelouch, listen. When I was captured I happened to talk to Nunnally, she stood up for me and protected me."

"I see…"

"I'm not sure what to say to you at a time like this but when I lost my brother, I was a mess." she turned to face him. "I don't know how you do it. Even if you don't feel this way you certainly look put together enough."

"Another advantage of wearing a mask."

"That's true, I guess." She took a seat on the elevator floor with her legs stretched out. After a few seconds he did the same and removed his mask.

"Who are you right now?" she looked at him

"Honestly, I don't know."

"I think you're one of the strongest people I know, it's like nothing could get to you. Even in the face of danger you still handled those situations pretty gracefully. Ohgi and the others are waiting for Zero but right now I think it's okay to just be older brother Lelouch. You're allowed to let the pain affect you, you are human after all." She moved closer until she was next to him and leaned against his shoulder.

"When Naoto died, I couldn't find any reason to keep going. He was my best friend as well as my older brother, I wanted to be just like him when I was a kid." Her eyes were filling with tears. "But then the war started and one day he left in the morning with Ohgi, but only Ohgi came back. My mother was never the same and I ended up taking care of both of us. Ohgi always came by to check up on us and help out however he could." She wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. "One night Ohgi was staying over and the two of us stayed up really late talking about my brother. We both cried so hard, I hadn't cried like that since the day we lost him. And then my mother got into Refrain, I didn't really understand what it was but I learned very quickly. It started with just one vial and then it increased." It hurt her to bring up these memories but she carried on anyways, she wanted to share her story with him.

"She'd make breakfast for herself, me, Ohgi and Naoto. I ignored it at first, I thought it was her trying to move on but then she started talking to the empty chair next to me, thinking she was talking to Naoto about our past memories. It was painful going through that every mealtime until I started avoiding her completely. She's doing better now and I've been moving forward as well but I realised if I hadn't had Ohgi with me this entire time, I might have never moved on or even bothered trying to. What I'm saying is, you might not feel like it today or tomorrow but I'm here if you ever need me, if you need to talk, anything." She put her hand over his and he held it tight.

"I really appreciate it Kallen, thank you." His hand was trembling in hers as he lowered his head. She put her arm around his shoulder and combed through his hair and eased his head to rest on her shoulder.

"I… don't know what else to say." his voice was low and heavy.

"You don't have to say anything. We can just stay like this for as long as you like." She leaned her head against his. They'd stayed as they were for almost twenty minutes. Their breathing in sync, eyes closed. Lelouch was glad for this intimate moment. Her arm was still around him, her hand brushing through his hair while her other hand held his.

Goodness when had they become so close, he thought to himself. When had he ever let anyone this close? Leaning on others had never been a strong point of his, he was always more willing to trust in his own logic and ability to get himself out of any situation. But now he was immensely grateful to Kallen for once again being by his side, supporting him and going out of her way to help him.

For Kallen, she knew the unbearable pain of losing a sibling and she didn't want him to go through it on his own. As much as he could handle on his own, every mask cracks eventually and she was going to be there to help pick up the pieces. She wanted him to know that he wasn't as alone as he probably felt.

"Nunnally…" he started, Kallen opened her eyes when he began to speak. "For the longest time, she was the only good thing in my life, the only reason I kept going. Her smile could make any bad day better and spending time with her meant everything to me. Of all the titles I have, being her older brother was my favourite." He squeezed her hand but not painfully. "But now…" he couldn't finish his sentence. Kallen rubbed the back of his hand as tears left her eyes.

They remained as they were for a few more minutes before standing up, they couldn't stay like that all day, no matter how much they wanted to. Kallen was about to resume the elevator when Lelouch pulled her into an intimate hug. He held her as close as he could, he wanted her to know just how much her gesture meant to him, how much she meant to him. Kallen was surprised at first then put her arms around him as well. She focused on the sound of his heartbeat.

"Thank you." He whispered in her ear before he pulled back slightly to look at her, his hand caressing her face, a small smile on his lips.

"Any time." She smiled back.


And there you have chapter two done. It was short but I felt it did enough for me to fill in the gaps and bring Lelouch and Kallen closer together once again. Hope you enjoyed it, reviews would be appreciated.

Well that's it from me-

Until the next chapter:

Ketsui Tasogare :-)