So something amusing has occurred. Chapter 4 somehow has more views than chapter 3 and almost has more views than chapter 2. For that matter, chapter 5 is almost catching chapter 3 as well. How the hell did that happen? On that note, we officially broke 50k views!
Thank you guys so much for the responses to the last chapter! That was by far the most successful chapter yet. I had some awesome conversations with a number of you. Keep em coming everyone!
I'm really happy about the response to Cornelia and Nina in particular. Some of you even started asking for Nina to be in the harem, which I honestly hadn't been expecting. So thanks everyone! I'm really glad they were well received so far. On the other hand, opinions on Shirley were more… mixed. I'm sorry I can't please everybody, but that's just how it is.
A whole bunch of you suggested Knightmare frame designs and some of you helped me refine some of them into their release forms. I'm not sure any frame suggestion will make it into the fic exactly as it was originally put, but if the basic design makes it in, I'll make sure to give a shout out to the one who helped create the final version! The first new Knightmare won't be making its appearance this chapter, but my thanks to X009 in particular for helping me design/refine it.
Keep the train rolling people! Still plenty of fic to go on, and maybe your brainchild will make it in! While friendly units are awesome, I also want to see new enemyunits. And don't forget there are countries other than Britannia and Japan too! And even if you can't come up with full Knightmares, I'd love to see what you can come up with for weaponry and technology. Go wild! (Just make sure to state the intended Generation / where in the story it should be introduced.)
On another note, I have chapter 7 completed and chapter 8 just needs one more section inserted into it before it's done too. At least until chapter 8 is posted, I think I'll settle on one chapter every three weeks. I'll update it again once I post 8. So again, unless something big happens, the next chapter will be posted on 3/28.
Now, on with the show!
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Turn 06 – The Evil of Refrain
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"...Clearing the last of the debris from around the Lake Kawaguchi Convention Centre Hotel. It's been two weeks since Zero unveiled his Black Knights. But there's still little insight into the man behind the mask."
"They weren't able to track his escape route? They let the hostages go and somehow made it to the other shore."
Kallen jerked awake to the sounds of crashing outside her room. For a moment she was in flight-or-fight mode, before she recognized the comfort of her own bed. She groaned as she rolled over and slipped on a robe, walking over the stream of clothes she had just left right on the floor to the door. She cracked it open and stepped outside, and confirmed what she already knew.
Her mother was on her knees in front of a mess of wires and glittering beads that had broken off one of the suspended lamps of the house. She was reaching forward and jerking back lightly, as if she was unsure of what to do. Kallen let out a sigh, which caught her mother's attention. "K-kall-" Her mother cut herself off, "I mean… my lady. Forgive me for waking you." She bowed her head, "The step ladder broke."
Kallen regarded her mother blankly. Her usual response – the one she'd given in the past – did not… seem to be coming to her at the moment. Instead, her sharp gaze took in the details. The broken step on the ladder… it did partially look properly warped from breaking… But it wasn't warped across the entire step. No, part of it looked cut. Her mother likely hadn't even noticed, and had taken one step too many on it. She knew for a fact that her mother had gotten increasingly clumsy over the years. Likely from the stress she no doubt had to face in her daily life. But now that Kallen had actually decided to pay attention, she realized that a whole lot of her accidents probably had been sabotage like this. 'Have you not even considered that she may be staying there for you?' The words rumbled horribly in her head.
She strode forward and started helping her mother pick up, "M-mistress!" Her mother gasped.
"Don't call me that… mom." Her mother's face scrunched up into such a gob-smacked look of shock and disbelief that Kallen swore she could feel her heart wrench inside her chest. Her eyes started to get a little watery and she clenched her jaw, "Please leave." Kallen's lip trembled, "Get out of this fucking house. You're better than this. You don't deserve any of this. I don't want to see you like this anymore. I've never wanted to see you like this!" She lowered her head, "Why do you think I've tried so hard to push you away." Her voice was small and timid, very much uncharacteristic of her.
Her mother's eyes started to tear up as understanding started to flood her, "Kallen…"
Kallen finished placing all of the broken pieces together and picked up the entire lamp, before yanking her gasping mother to her feet and dragging her inside her room. She carelessly dropped the broken lamp into the trash and then faced her mother, who had shut the door quietly, "Tell me the truth mom… why have you stayed here? Why do you keep letting yourself get belittled like this? They purposely cut that step so you would fall!"
"Kallen." Happy tears leaked from her mother's eyes in streams, "I stayed for you baby. I've always stayed for you."
Kallen choked back a sob, before flinging herself into her mother's arms, "Idiot! Stupid! I never asked you to do that! I've never wanted you to suffer here for me!" The waterworks opened up and they didn't seem to want to stop in the slightest.
"You never had to." Her mother let out a shuddering breath as she ran shaky fingers through her daughter's hair, "I'm your mother. That's what we do." How long had she dreamed of being able to do this again?
Kallen shook her head, "No." She whispered, before she backed away from the brunette, shaking her head resolutely, "I won't accept this! I won't watch you be ridiculed like this any longer! Did you not even think about how it would make me feel?"
"K-Kallen…" Her mother looked shocked.
"All I can think of right now is how horrible of a daughter I've been!" Kallen wiped her tears away.
"Don't say that Kallen!" Her mother brought shaking hands up to her face. "You haven't-"
"It's true and you know it." Kallen let out a shuddering sigh, "There are other options mom! You don't have to stay here!"
"But they won't be with you." Her mother whispered.
Kallen finally managed something other than sadness as she quirked her lips, "Sorry mom, but you're wrong there."
"I… I am?" She blinked, nonplussed.
Kallen took her hands, "The school clubhouse… well, specifically the Student Council Clubhouse is huge! I'm sure Miss Sayoko would love a helping hand there."
Her mother gasped, "But that's!" She looked worried, inwardly thinking of how difficult it would be to hide her shaking hands. She would get judged there the same as she was judged here, and she might expose Kallen too! She hadn't even realized that Sayoko was not a Britannian name in her rising panic. Oh, how she wished she had never taken that damn drug. It had just made things go from bad to worse.
Kallen smiled, knowing that if necessary, they could bring her to the facility as well. She was sure Lelouch and Milly would grant her that request. "I'll bring you there later, okay mom?" Her mother looked close to protesting, which got Kallen's temper to flare lightly, "I'm not taking no for an answer! I'll damn well move there myself if I have to!"
"But Kallen…!" Her daughter's resolute face made her crash and burn. She wondered where Kallen had gotten her strength from, because it certainly wasn't from her parents. "I don't want to be a bother…" She looked down at the floor. "I don't want you to have to upend your whole life just for me. Why do you think I fought so hard to make sure you would be well cared for?"
"…" Kallen deadpanned, "Mom… we really haven't been good to each other have we?" Now it was her turn to look down to the carpet, "I don't care, mom." She waved around the room, "I don't care about any of this!"
"But Kallen!" Her mother gasped, not comprehending what her daughter was saying.
"All of this… is fake. It's making me pretend to be someone I'm not. Someone I've never been!"
"What are you saying Kallen?!" Her mother asked incredulously, "No one can ever harm you! You can use the phone and go to school-"
"Mom, I hate it here." Kallen interrupted her in exasperation, "I hate that bitch who runs this house into the ground! I hate the history and the culture Britannia trampled upon! They call us savages!"
"But what of all your friends at school!" Her mother was starting to look and feel very uncomfortable, "You've been going so often! You never did that before!"
Kallen blushed lightly, "Little bit more than friends at this point." She mumbled, not knowing she had done so aloud. Her mother gasped, and Kallen's light blush expanded to her whole face as she realized she had said that aloud. She shook her head rapidly, "You heard nothing!"
"Baby pictures…" Her mother had a weird gleam in her eyes.
"No. You cut that out right now mom!" Kallen grabbed her mom by the shoulders, "No baby pictures!"
"But!"
"No!"
Her mother pouted, "Tell me about him?"
Kallen sighed in defeat, "Them." She mumbled.
Her mother's eyes bulged out, "I'm sorry?"
Kallen groaned and went to go fall back into her bed. Her life was officially over.
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By the time Kallen realized that she wasn't supposed to be there, she had already missed first period. A fit of panic later, and Kallen was pulling into the second period classroom with a slice of toast hanging from her lips. Her mother had stubbornly decided not to come with her, and for now she had decided to let things sit. She would talk to Lelouch and Milly and hopefully come up with something fast. If she didn't and her mother continued suffering under those bastard's hands she was liable to start stabbing.
But not five minutes into the lecture of things she didn't care about – namely bullshit propaganda of Britannian victories over Japan – the droning of the teacher's voice had put her to sleep.
Dusk was turning to night. There was still the thinnest margins of pink in the sky, though even they were rapidly disappearing. The warehouses had guards who looked decidedly unprofessional loitering around. Inside, a very much illegal deal was happening between unscrupulous Britannian businessmen who cared nothing about anything except their own pocketbooks, "I know it's welfare, but it seems such a shame to waste it on these useless Elevens." These men weren't like the sympathetic Britannians who simply had no idea that the indigenous people of conquered Areas suffered horribly under their masters. No, these were horrible men who were as racist as they came. The kind of men who got off on horrible videos such as the one Zero had aired.
"Which is why I'm selling it to you, isn't that right my friend?" He smirked as they watched a forklift put a heavy packet of supplies into a truck, "The Eleven population could use a little thinning out, if you ask me."
"Of course." His partner smirked, "Your payment will be transferred to your wife's account. Princess Cornelia is a soldier. This sort of thing won't interest her all that much." He was entirely unaware that he was utterly wrong. Euphemia had been adamant with her sister about this kind of thing not happening. To Euphemia's joy, without the burning hatred over a family member's death warping her judgement, Cornelia was more willing to listen. Even if she hadn't, she was a pragmatic woman. Productivity would decrease if she didn't stop deals like this. It was only the size of this operation that kept her from acting. They were too small-time for Cornelia to take note.
But unfortunately for them, someone else did.
The lights all went out and plunged the warehouse interior into pitch black darkness. Flashes of light could be seen from the vents near the roof, with the accompanying sound of gunfire and ricocheting bullets filling their ears, "What's happening!" One of the bosses yelled, "Hit the lights! Turn 'em on!" One of the other bosses found the large light lever and pushed it up.
He wished he hadn't, "You're!"
"The Black Knights!" Kallen stood up and yelled.
The entire class turned around to her with gasps. There was silence for a moment, before everyone started to laugh. Kallen, who had a red mark on her forehead from where she had been sleeping, started to blush.
…
"How cute." Lelouch chuckled as they ducked into an empty classroom for a moment.
"Sh-shut up!" She blushed again, before she started to yawn.
"Not getting much sleep either huh?" He said sympathetically, "I was asleep as well." He chuckled and started to lightly tickle her, "Looks like someone talks in their sleep though."
"St-stop!" She managed to get out in between her yawning. She rested her head on his shoulder, "This double life sucks." She mumbled. "Keeping my grades at the top… nightly raids… class…"
"I know…" He sighed, "That's why I never made too much effort. I always just did the bare minimum to pass." He smirked, "I know the material of course… but I can't even remember the last time I actually passed in a homework assignment."
"Lazy." She mumbled. "Why did I have to go with the sick girl excuse… I can't even have fun in gym."
"Bet you're regretting that huh?" He chuckled lightly.
"Can't we just let Rivalz in? I'm sick of pretending." She groused.
"It's supposed to be a secret identity." He snorted, "And that would still leave Mr. Idealist anyway."
"Right. We've only had four people find out, one of which is a Britannian Princess and technically our enemy." He felt her smirk into his neck, "At least I managed to keep the act up for a couple years."
He smirked and his hands drifted lower. She squeaked cutely as he grabbed her bum and lifted her up. Her legs wrapped around his waist and he put her against the wall, "Kallen Kōzuki an invalid?" He scoffed before kissing her, "That's like a tiger trying to pretend to be a day old kitten. It didn't take me more than a couple hours to see you mess up once I actually started paying attention."
"Oh, just shut up and kiss me." She growled and yanked his head back down. She was entirely aware that she was just proving him right.
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"What are you getting all emotional for, Suzaku?" Rivalz was ribbing the brunette, his head underneath his arm.
"Is Suzaku crying again?" Lelouch chuckled as the door opened and he walked in with Kallen, "It's been two weeks man."
"I'm just relieved!" Suzaku wiped his eyes, "When the building blew up…" He clenched his fist, "There was no reason for that! What was the point of blowing the building up? I thought you all had died!"
Lelouch rolled his eyes, "You're a soldier you idiot. Use that brain of yours." When Suzaku's look turned confused he rolled them again, "First, the Black Knights managed to rescue all of the hostages. They had a list you know. That was the most important part."
Milly took up cause, "They blew it up to send any remaining JLF into a panic, if it didn't kill them outright. How in the world do you think the Black Knights could have gotten the hostages out safely if the JLF could see them and just start shooting once they realized they lost their hostages? Plus, it meant that they wouldn't be able to turn the building into a holdout. I don't know why the building started to sink, but they obviously had already had those explosive planted before that. Frankly the sinking was scarier. The explosions were just loud." She had no way of knowing that her words speared through Suzaku, since he was the one who sank the building.
"Come on Suzaku. That's like… basic 101." Lelouch chuckled.
"Well excuse me for being worried about my friends." Suzaku grumbled, "But really, how have you guys been holding out?"
Shirley really had not been well in the past couple of weeks. The things she had learned that night had really put a damper on… well… everything. She went from a teenaged girl with a few close friends and an unrequited crush on the school Prince to… not knowing what to feel at all. How could she, when her prince turned out to be an actual Prince. How could she when she learned that she never knew her best friend at all? Oh, the three of them had tried hard to keep things the same between them, but it was obvious that it wasn't working. Her relationship with Milly was even more strained than it had been when she had found out Lulu and her were dating. She just felt… betrayed. That was certainly a good word for it. Milly had killed two men with expertly aimed shots. She was complicit in a plot to overthrow the Empire! Shirley herself was now helping – whether she wanted to or not – to keep one of the biggest secrets in the world. And those powers! Those terrifying powers…
And as for Lelouch? Everything was just wrong. Her emotions and feelings were completely jumbled. Where Lelouch had once felt like the highest standard, now he was utterly unattainable. He was Zero. He was the one about to lead a revolution! He was the one she had spent years nagging about getting his homework done! The one who had never seemed to care about anything important other than Milly, his sister and his friends. The one who had never given her the time of day or shown even an inkling of interest in her. The one who she had thought she had known… but hadn't known in the slightest. She wasn't even sure that this was the extent of it. How many masks did he even wear?
Shirley had honestly been thinking about quitting the Student Council for a little while. She just… she hadn't been comfortable with all the lies. She had pushed past it though, trying to remember all the good times they had. Ultimately, she had decided to stay and try to repair their friendships. It was hard but nothing worth fighting for was ever easy. She forced a weak smile onto her face, "The whole thing's a huge pain in the butt. We've been hounded with questions day and night. Even in the bath!"
"We haven't been able to leave school grounds in a week." Milly chuckled in amusement. Rivalz had been starting to get annoyed with it, since he was stuck too.
"Man… I just want to go gambling again." Rivalz groaned, "Lelouch never goes anymore!"
Lelouch snorted, "It's hardly my fault you blew 190,000 betting it all on red." Suzaku's jaw dropped, having been unaware of this, "Everyone known you always bet on black." Kallen had to bite back a groan, knowing he was smirking smugly for reasons Rivalz was entirely unaware of. Nina had been watching the byplay from her computer and she had to bite her lip to keep from laughing. Milly didn't even bother, and almost fell over.
"Lelouch!" Rivalz groaned, "Let's go back to making fun of Suzaku! This is the third time he started crying!"
Kallen giggled, "I don't know…I'd say your betting prowess are funnier."
"Suzaku's a crybaby." Lelouch laughed, "It's expected. You on the other hand should know better!"
"Hey! I'm not a crybaby!" Suzaku yelled, unwittingly giving Rivalz exactly what he wanted. Every single other person in the room – their new mascot Arthur included – turned to him deadpan. He started blushing up a storm, "Shut up."
"It's no big deal anyway. The Black Knights were there to save us." Lelouch waved him off.
"If they wanted to catch criminals, they could have joined the police force, you know?" Suzaku said, "Why don't they, I wonder."
"…" Now Lelouch was starting to get rather irritated with Suzaku again. He hadn't been this irritated with him since his court martial, "…Because the police are as ineffectual and useless as they are corrupt? You do realize that they not only condone the black market but also take bribes from them, don't you?" he snorted, "Or perhaps you think Lord Stevenson afforded that mansion off of five years of grunt work?"
"The police may not be that effective right now, but they could work to change things from within!" Suzaku shot back.
'Like you think you can do to the Empire? Suzaku you're such an idiot. It would be endearing if it wasn't so dangerously stupid.' Lelouch thought darkly.
Kallen interjected herself into the conversation, "You can't change something like that from the bottom up Suzaku."
"Kallen is right." Milly frowned, "Anyone trying to do it like that would either get all tangled up in red tape and bureaucracy or end up quitting."
Suzaku shook his head in denial, "If they had done everything in their power to change things that might hold water. As long as they don't, then all of it's just self-righteous posturing."
"Self-righteous? Are you not even listening?" Lelouch's good mood was getting ruined. Kallen's eyes had narrowed, as had Milly's, "Cops are driven to cooperate with the Blue Wall of Silence. If they didn't they'd be driven out of the force entirely."
"Blue Wall of Silence?" Suzaku asked, not having heard the term before. Lelouch almost reached over and started to strangle him.
"Jeez Suzaku, even I know that one." Rivalz poked him with a casual smirk, "Basically it's an unwritten rule that cops follow. They don't report on colleagues' misdeeds, even if they're outright felonies. They just pretend to not have heard or seen anything. Keeps the whole 'brotherhood' feeling going, but it leads to a whole hell of a lot of corrupt cops."
"That's…"
"That's the reality Suzaku!" Kallen was grateful that she had sat down. Her fists were clenched on her lap, hidden by the table. She just couldn't understand how someone could be this naïve and idealistic. "And even if it wasn't, the military wasn't getting anything done!"
Suzaku stood abruptly, "I have to get back to the base." He said shortly. This conversation was heading in direction he really didn't like, and he needed to cool off, "I'll see you all later." and walked stiffly from the room.
Lelouch merely clenched his jaw as he took his seat. Shirley winced as she looked at him, "I think I'll go do some diving. Shouldn't let the day go to waste huh?" She said weakly, before she left the room.
Rivalz also let out a groan, "Talk about getting heavy. I'll see you all later." His face fell, "Ugh, I have work… See ya." He followed Shirley out.
Milly walked over and took her place on his lap, trailing kisses down his jawline. He relaxed slowly under her ministrations before they shared a kiss, "I know he's your friend love… but he's not the sharpest tool in the shed." She said dryly.
He snorted, "It's not that. It's that he refuses to see the bad in things even if it dances naked in front of him." He nipped lightly at her earlobe, "Idealistic fool."
"Still, this give us an opportunity." Kallen spoke up from where she was sitting. She inclined her head towards the blushing Nina, "We never had the chance to find out what Nina's Geass does. Plus, we haven't been able to speak to Euphemia."
"That's right!" Milly said, "We haven't officially inducted either of them, have we? Let's go find C.C."
…
"C.C., I have a question." Kallen started off once they were all in Lelouch's room, "Why is it that only Lelouch seemed to have knowledge of what his Geass did when he first got it? I had no idea and Milly didn't either, initially."
"Not quite." C.C. said airily, "Euphemia seemed like she had an idea off the bat too. She just didn't use it that night." She stretched out, unknowingly driving Nina to supernova since she was only wearing one of Lelouch's shirts and a pair of panties, "She used it for the first time after we all separated and has used it quite a few times since then. It all really depends on the kind of power it is, I guess. I've only had one or two contractors before Lelouch who actually had a starting idea. Even then, all of them had to experiment with it to figure out its limits. Though to be honest, Lelouch used it far better than I had expected him to at first. I had honestly expected him to just command all of the Royal Guard to die."
He snorted, "And waste such valuable pieces of information? If I had done that we'd have been stomped by that damn Lancelot as I wouldn't have been prepared to observe and counter it. We definitely wouldn't have gotten the pieces off of it."
"Lancelot?" Nina asked, still pretty red and her glasses were slightly fogged up.
"Oh that's right. You don't know about it yet." Milly exclaimed, "It's Britannia's prototype Seventh Generation Knightmare Frame."
Lelouch smiled suddenly, "How about it Nina? Would you like me to put you into the Knightmare division?"
Nina fumbled with her words, "Well… I… Er…" She stopped and tried to take a calming breath, "I think I can help come up with new technology, but I'm not sure I have the head for Knightmares." She mumbled finally.
"Nonsense." Lelouch waved her off, "We know you're a genius Nina. In physics especially. You have to be more confident in yourself." He rubbed her head gently. She smiled shyly and started poking her fingers together, "Anyway, let's see what your Geass is, shall we?"
"O-okay!" All users of Geass instinctively knew how to activate it, so when Nina did and nothing happened, they were all quite stumped.
"It's conditional then." C.C. said, "We're going to have to figure out her condition. I can only tell that it has nothing to do with other people." She frowned, "It's quite strange. I've never felt one quite like this. It's the most unique feeling I've ever gotten from the activation of one of my contractor's Geass." That was what she was saying and none of it was a lie, but inwardly she was a different story, 'It feels almost like Marianne's Geass…'
"Can you think of anything C.C.? Anything she could try, I mean?" Kallen asked the verdette.
"Try activating it while touching things." C.C. told the darker-verdette, "Some Geass allow you to imprint the effects. Euphemia's Geass can be used like that, though she can't use it again if she wants to keep the imprinted Geass active."
Nina felt more than a little silly as she went about touching things – Lelouch, his bed, his chair, the walls and lighting, etc. – and activating her Geass each time. She was starting to get disheartened before something finally happened. She had touched Lelouch's desktop and activated her Geass when she crumpled like a marionette with its strings cut. Kallen and Lelouch both dove to catch her and just barely managed to keep her from smashing her temple on the corner of the desk. "Nina! Nina are you okay?!" Milly yelped as she also rushed over to try to help.
"Oh…oh my!" They all froze as they heard Nina's voice. Only it wasn't coming from the girl. Every jaw in the room dropped as they looked at the computer screen. It had not only turned itself on, but Nina was now proudly displayed on the screen, "I… I think I just computed Pi to the ten-millionth digit." She sounded in awe of herself. Her face suddenly lit up in an absolutely spectacular blush, "LELOUCH! MILLY!" She sounded scandalized as she happened across a few home videos.
"Is she in the computer?!" Kallen yelped incredulously.
"C.C., I thought Geass couldn't effect the outside world!" Lelouch turned to the witch and demanded an answer.
C.C. looked as flabbergasted as the rest of them, "I… technically, it's still following the rules." She said slowly, "She appears to have inserted her mindor perhaps her soul into the computer. Our thoughts are just electrical signals at their base. Yours doesn't work like that because a monitor has nothing to actually project the Geass… I…" She quirked a grin, "She hasn't crossed the line exactly if its working the way I think it is, but damn if she isn't straddling it and daring us to say something." She started to laugh.
"Her heartbeat has slowed a lot." Kallen said analytically as she held her fingers to the girl's jugular, "Its low enough that I would normally be slightly worried."
"Her breathing has slowed down as well." Milly replied.
"We should probably put her under an imaging test before and after she uses it." Lelouch looked a little troubled, though there was also a mad gleam in his eye, "We have to make sure she's not hurting herself." He started to grin, "But if she's okay…"
"This is going to be…" Milly continued.
"Revolutionary." Kallen breathed out.
He turned to Nina, "How do you feel?"
"Incredible!" She breathed, "I… does this count as an artificial intelligence?" She looked like she was about to start vibrating, "I can think completely like normal but I have the computational powers of a computer!" On the screen, she started hopping up and down, "I just did a calculation that normally would take a few minutes in seconds!" A new window opened up revealing their online physics textbook, "I feel like I just downloaded all of chapter one! I can remember every word and image perfectly! This is amazing!"
Lelouch started to chuckle, "I don't think I can even put into words how perfect this is for you, Nina." She blushed profusely, "But now we have to experiment." He turned serious as though he had flipped a switched, "Get back in your body." He ordered.
Nina pouted, but did as she was told. And that was where they immediately knew that this power wasn't without drawbacks, "I…I can't…" Nina sounded utterly strained, and the good feelings were being replaced by icy terror.
"I thought as much." Lelouch frowned, "I was afraid of this. Can you transfer through the internet to one of our phones?"
"I…" Nina looked like she was going to start hyperventilating,
"Calm down Nina." Milly said soothingly.
"We'll get you out of this." Kallen added as well.
"R-right!" She squeaked, "I… I don't want to get lost! Maybe if I knew where I was going…"
"Okay, let's end this." He said, and picked Nina up. He brought her over to the computer and put her hand on the mouse, "How about now?"
This time when Nina activated her Geass again, her body immediately reacted and she sucked in a gasp, "That…that was amazing… but very scary." She mumbled. She clapped a hand to her forehead, "But now I can recite the first chapter of our physics book verbatim. Ow." She cringed, "Owowowow!"
"Right, that'll be very dangerous." Kallen said, "Please do not use your power if you're not sure that you're going to be able to get back to your body. We don't want you getting trapped." She gave her hand a little squeeze.
"R-right!" Nina said in confirmation, removing her hand from her head.
"We need to test this more." Lelouch said gravely, "This is probably the most dangerous Geass yet. We can't be without information on it. Are you okay to try again now that we know you'll be able to get back to your body Nina?"
"Yes!" She said, licking her dry lips.
"Then lay down on my bed." He ordered. She normally would have blushed at such a thing, but they were all in serious mode right now. Not even Milly made a wise crack. "Grab your cell phone and hold it when you use it."
Nina did so, and she clutched her cell over her chest in between her budding breasts. When she used her Geass, her hand went slack and she appeared on the tiny screen, "Success!" She hummed, "It looks like every device may have its own signature. This feels a little different from the other one."
"Brilliant! Try to memorize how that feels. Now come back." He handed her Kallen's phone, "Try that one." Once again, Nina appeared on the new phone. This time, she had been instructed to let it lie on her chest, proving that light clothes weren't a big deal, "Does it also feel unique? That's the same model of phone."
"Yes, it definitely feels unique." She confirmed, "I'll need to try more out to be sure, but I think your hypothesis was correct."
Milly and Kallen began to grin, "Now here's the important part… try to go from one phone to the other." Nina gulped, but did as she was told. The screen on her chest went dark and her own phone – which he was now holding – lit up, "Excellent!" He grinned, "Now try my computer." This time Nina had to screw her face up in concentration for a moment. Phone-to-phone had been done through the calling mechanism. This time she needed to use the internet. She already knew what Lelouch's computer 'felt' like though. So this time, it was a success. She appeared on his computer screen once more.
"This is amazing!" She was back to being excited, now that she was no longer afraid of getting stuck outside of her body.
"Yes it is. Nina, make sure you ALWAYS have your phone on your person if you're going to be using it. That way you'll be able to find your way back to your body." Milly said, making sure her friend was paying attention.
"I have to say, boya." C.C. sounded entirely too amused, "You haven't officially even begun your true campaign and you've already given me more entertainment than I've had in centuries."
"Glad to please." Lelouch rolled his eyes.
-]|[-
"You're leaving, sister?" Euphie made sure to keep her face composed, but inwardly she was beyond ecstatic to be away from her sister for a few days. The older woman had been so utterly overbearing in her mother-hen routine for the past two weeks that Euphie had honestly been contemplating drugging her so she could escape for a day. About the only thing she hadn't done was follow her into the bathroom… though that may have been because Euphie put her foot down.
Cornelia almost quirked her lips upward in a grin. She was fairly certain Euphie was just trying to get under her skin at this point, and if she were honest with herself she would know she deserved it. "I am." She didn't want to leave of course. Even two weeks after the Lake Kawaguchi incident, she still was hesitant to let Euphie out of her sight.
A state of affairs that had been chaffing for the adventurous pink-haired girl. 'Finally!' She thought, though none of it showed on her face. She truly loved her sister, but at this point she was just eager for the older woman to be gone for a while. She was sixteen not six! Lelouch had told her to be sparing with her Geass until they could properly test it. Sure, she had done small little things with it, but nothing major yet. She was under the most scrutiny amongst them, and by far at that. She had been unable to meet with them even a single time since that night, and even phone calls were dangerous. The best they had been able to do were texts. "I assume you need to deal with the Refrain supply in this Area?"
"Correct." Cornelia nodded approvingly, "Productivity amongst the Elevens has fallen far too low. It's almost at unsustainable levels. This drug seems almost designed to be addictive, rather than being addictive as a side effect. The weaker amongst the Eleven are getting hooked with a single use. It's causing what little money the Elevens make to leave the economy in larger numbers each and every day. Moreover, it is becoming more than a costly hassle to get users of it through the legal system when we catch them."
"Best way to stop all of it is to stop the supply then." Euphemia agreed, "Have we figured out where it is coming from?"
"China." Cornelia snorted derisively, "As if there were any doubt. It seems likely to me that there are officials in our government allowing it to happen. We'll have to clean house soon. But that's for another day. For now, I have to go destroy this Kyushu Refrain Route."
"Be careful sister." She smiled lightly.
"Of course." Cornelia looked around surreptitiously and saw that there was no one nearby, and poked her sister in the stomach, who jumped and let out a giggle, "I should be saying that to you. Honestly, I let you out of my sights for a day and you go and get taken hostage."
'It was the best thing to ever happen, sister.' Euphie was jubilant on the inside, "It's a talent." Needling her sister had been about the only relief she'd had since the incident. "While you're gone, I'll get started on mopping up the officials allowing this to happen." Her smile turned into a grin, "We're even getting a bit of a helping hand. Zero and his merry band have destroyed over a dozen refrain depots already. What will we be doing about them?"
Cornelia sighed, but she was smiling, "I'll let them roam free a bit longer." Despite acting as if it were a forgone conclusion that she would be victorious, she had honestly been surprised by how prepared Zero was. If he was as talented on the battlefield as he was at pushing her buttons to get what he wanted, then she might even have some honest fun, "I owe them that much for saving your life. And they have indeed been making my life easier by taking down some of the cartels that were too small to warrant military action. However, upon my return..." She trailed off, her meaning clear, "Once I've cleaned up this Area, I'll entrust it to you."
'Oh sister…' Euphie had to bite back a sigh, 'Have you even bothered to ask if I want to be in charge of this Area?' Of course she hadn't. She loved her sister dearly, but sometimes… She watched silently as her sister left – after giving her an affectionate kiss on the forehead – and the train departed. That was when Euphie finally allowed herself to smile mischievously. She turned and walked away, and to anyone watching, she was simply walking to her limo. None would ever know what she was truly up to.
…
"I do not wish to be disturbed tonight." She told the soldiers who had been assigned to patrol the hallway to her door.
"Yes, your Highness!"
She shut the door after their acknowledgement and as soon as she had done that, she practically ripped off her dress and rushed to get into some casual clothes. She put on a simple pale shirt and some jeans that she had hidden in her closet. Clothes that no one would think to look for royalty in. She finished it off with a pair of sunglasses and a hat, after removing the buns she usually kept her hair in. That done, her violet left eye turned a deeper purple and a red aura engulfed her and spread throughout the building.
She opened the door and walked out, the guards none-the-wiser to what was happening. To them, she was never there, nor had the door ever opened. It was what she wanted them to see, hear and feel, so it was what happened. She glanced down at her phone, which showed where Lelouch would be waiting. She walked calmly through the halls – unknowingly putting herself at risk every time she came into view of a camera – and left the building with no human the wiser. Once she knew of her power's limits, she would thank her lucky stars that no one had been paying attention to the cameras while she was walking through the palace.
She breathed deeply as she exited into the night air, which was brisk. She hurried out of the compound, and then walked about a block, before her eyes widened. A white Rolls Royce Ghost was sitting there with the engine purring. She almost started drooling over it when the door opened. "You're a Princess Euphie." Lelouch sounded amused, "What are you doing drooling over a car you could easily buy?" She hurried inside and proceeded to grab him in one of the tightest hugs he'd ever experienced, "It's good to see you too." He hugged back while he smirked in amusement.
She let go as she bit back a snort, "Please, you think sister would let poor little Euphie do something as dangerous as drive." She sounded miserable as she got into the seat next to him and marveled at the decor, "I've had my license for six months and she refuses to let me get a car." She started grumbling angrily to herself.
"Man, and here I thought you royals had it made." Euphie jumped as Kallen's sarcastic voice popped up behind her.
"Oh, hello everyone!" Euphie turned around as Lelouch started to drive, "I didn't know we all would be meeting." Nina, Kallen and Milly were all in the back.
Milly waved cheerily, "How are you, Euphie? How has Cornelia been?"
"Oh lord." Euphie groaned, sinking into her seat, "I thought she was bad before. It's been two weeks and the only reason she isn't attached to me like a limpet is that she went to go take out a Refrain route. It's been suffocating around her."
"Hence why you are not going to be telling her we're alive yet." Lelouch chuckled, reaching over and gripping her hand. She blushed lightly as they entwined their fingers.
"Maybe I should!" She teased and poked her tongue out at him, "Maybe I could escape it for a few days if she has her attention on you or Nunna!"
"Don't make me pull this car over, young lady." Lelouch mock glared at her. The girls all started to giggle.
Euphie realized something, "Oh, where is Miss C.C.?"
"That maniac went on ahead." Milly grumbled, "She wanted to drive and I had to put my foot down on that."
"If there's even a scratch on that car…" Lelouch trailed off darkly.
"You have another car?" Euphie sounded amused, "Lulu are you a car nut?"
"Yes!" Came the unanimous voices from the back seat.
Kallen sounded amused, "This one is his and he has two Aston Martins on top of it. That I know about."
"Just because I appreciate…" Euphie started giggling as Lelouch indignantly started winding up for a tirade.
…
"…" Euphie couldn't say a word. She was honestly in awe. They had finally sat down to discuss things after being given the grand tour, as it were, "You managed to put all of this together yourself?"
"No." He sighed, "It had already been built by the time we came to Japan. It was a secret base that only Ruben Ashford knew of by that point in time."
Euphie put her hand gently on his arm, "Your mother had it built?"
He only nodded, and she hugged him gently. He returned it with feeling, glad to be able to be with her like this once more. He felt her lips lightly on his cheek, before she backed away, a very light tinge of red on her cheeks.
"The Ashfords were amazing." Nina mumbled. She had been ecstatic to see such a gigantic bureau of scientific knowledge. She almost didn't want to leave.
"It was a pity to see what happened to them." Euphie frowned, "I was too young at the time. All I knew was that one of my friends disappeared one day…and no one would tell me why."
Milly reached over and held her hand gently, "I really missed you too Euphie…"
Kallen pursed her lips slightly. Yet more evidence that not all of Britannia was full of those she hated. Not like she truly needed it at this point, and yet there it was. Lelouch turned Euphie's attention to him again, "Euphie, before we do anything else, I would like to know… Has Nelia discovered anything at all about mother's murder?"
"No." Euphie shook her head, "She investigated for years, but never found a thing…" She bit her lip, "Though knowing of our father's Geass… it makes me wonder."
Lelouch kept his surprise to a very slight raise of his eyebrow. He hadn't even considered that possibility, and it rather irked him that he hadn't. How in the world could he be sure that any information he could get would even be accurate with Charles using his Geass whenever it suited him? He clicked his teeth, "That is… annoying. I had not considered that possibility, though I should have." He shook his head, "Regardless, focusing on it will do us no good. Let's get on to other matters." He leaned back and crossed his arms, "What have you been able to learn of your Geass, Euphie?"
"A decent amount… though I confess that it isn't quite what I had expected when you told me it was our desires given shape." She confessed, "With it, I seem to be able to cast illusions. Anyone in its area sees, hears and feels what I want them to. I can also put a stationary illusion on something as a focus, but I can't control it if I do. Instead, it makes others see what they want to see. I guess you could say it uses their own expectations against them. I also can't use the regular version if I want to keep the other one active." She giggled, "I drove a few soldiers up the wall, making them jump at shadows."
"No, I think that actually fits you perfectly." This surprisingly came from Kallen.
"Oh, how so?" Euphie raised an eyebrow.
"From what Lelouch has told me, you've constantly been forced by your elder sister to do what is expected of you rather than what you want to do." She said gently, almost commiserating with the girl. She too had an overprotective older sibling, only she had been capable of strong-arming him herself, "From what I've been able to guess… you don't care for your title or any of the many expectations heaped on you."
Euphie winced playfully, "Guilty as charged." She sighed, "I know sister means well but she's stifling at times. She wants to make me the Viceroy here once the terrorism is squashed out, without even asking me if I want the job."
Milly giggled, "Kallen's right… it is perfect. Subconsciously, you want to rid yourself of the expectations everyone has of you. What better way to do that then to make them believe what you want them to believe? As long as nothing requires you to do something that leaves a mark such as signing a form… You could have them thinking you're working while in reality, you're relaxing." She smirk, "And you can play pranks with it of course, you little devil."
"Devil? Me?" Euphie had such an angelic look on her face that Kallen almost gagged.
"It is quite an interesting power indeed." A new voice popped up as C.C. waltzed into the room.
"Oh, hello miss C.C." Euphie waved politely.
C.C. waved her off, "None of that now. C.C. is more than fine." She sat and put her legs up on the closest lap, which happened to be Kallen's. The redhead raised an eyebrow and looked down. C.C. shot her a look that basically said 'deal with it.'
Kallen rolled her eyes, "Yes your majesty. Would you care for a foot rub your majesty?"
The sarcasm practically dripped off of her tone, so C.C. clearly decided to ignore it, "Sounds good, minion. Get to it." The haughtiness was even more apparent on her tone. Kallen tried to shove her feet off of her lap, but C.C. merely smirked and gave Kallen a small show of her true strength. Kallen could barely even get her to budge. The redhead eventually huffed and crossed her arms. C.C. gave Kallen the peace sign for her victory, "Anyway, I can think of at least one major possible weakness, girl."
"That being?" Lelouch asked curiously.
"The obvious one, boya." C.C. said lazily, "Cameras and other recording equipment."
Euphie stiffened, "Oh dear."
Lelouch took out his phone and began recording, "Euphie, if you please?"
Euphie mentally cringed at the thought of this weakness being confirmed. If true, she would have to make sure tonight's footage was destroyed, "Here I go." She help back a giggle and activated her Geass, deciding to turn the entire room – and everything in it, barring themselves – pink and have it smell of cotton candy. She giggled at the poleaxed looks on their faces.
"Oh good lord, that smells tasty." Milly drooled.
"I want cotton candy now." Nina deadpanned as she looked around the pink room.
"And while I can certainly smell it…" Lelouch said dryly, "I'm afraid C.C. was right. The room hasn't changed on the camera." Euphie bit back a curse. That would unladylike, "Can you focus it on one person, Euphie? Or is it always an Area of Effect?"
"I can try." She bit her lip, and tried changing things up.
"Back to normal for me." Kallen said, with the other two girls backing her up.
"The screen has changed, though now it isn't matching what I'm recording." Lelouch said, "The color is right, but because you're not sure what I'm recording at any given moment, its visibly causing the image to tear and warp."
"And it hurts!" Euphie complained as she clapped a hand to her head and shut it off, "Ow…owowow…"
"Welcome to the headache club." Milly enthusiastically held up her hand for a high-five, which got a dirty look from the pink-haired Princess. "Eeesh, touchy." She stuck her tongue out playfully. Nina started to giggle and Kallen smirked.
"We have more tests to do, but that's for another time." Lelouch said, and smirked at Kallen, "Thanks to Euphie, we have the exact designs for Gloucesters as well as Sutherlands."
"Really?" Kallen sat up, "But I thought we already had the Guren? And isn't Rakshata already getting started on creating your prototype?"
"We'll still need units for our foot soldiers." He chided, "And that also means that we'll finally be able to create a baseline for the very best – well, almost the very best – Britannia currently has to offer and what we'll need to aim for in our own units. Until then, these will serve their purpose."
Milly giggled, "Those Burai units were as bad as we feared."
"First mass-produced Japanese units my ass." Kallen complained, forcing Nina to blush sharply, "Those pieces of junk were just Glasgows with chest-cannons and reinforced arms. A single bullet from even a Sutherland rifle was enough to wreck one. Even my old hunk of junk Glasgow was put together better than that."
"And what a shapely ass it is." Milly waggled her eyebrows.
Nina turned crimson, "Madam President!" She squeaked in shock. Kallen rolled her eyes and started gently petting Nina's head.
Euphie turned to Lelouch in surprise, "Aren't you two… erm…"
"Dating?" Lelouch chuckled, "Yes."
Euphie slowly started to blush, "Oh, so you're just cherry-picking the parts of Britannia you like, huh?" Lelouch shrugged sheepishly, "Lulu!"
"Wait!" Nina finally caught on, as Kallen had turned pink. She snapped her head back and forth, looking to Milly's lecherous grin and Kallen's blushing face, before her own face practically went iridescent, "You mean…?!" Steam almost started to shoot out of her ears.
"Moving on!" Kallen coughed sharply, trying to get past her embarrassment, "Don't we have Knightmares to test!" She shot at Lelouch in desperation.
"Yeah…" Lelouch stretched and stood up. He bent over and wrapped Euphemia in a hug, which she happily returned, "It's good to have you back, Euphie. I really did miss you," "
"There wasn't a day where I didn't dream you were still alive." She whispered, enjoying the feel of being in his arms, "This is the happiest I've been in years." She admitted and pecked him on the cheek, "Don't you dare leave me again!"
"Never." Lelouch smirked and straightened up, before turning to Kallen, "Shall we, gorgeous?"
"Damn it Lelouch!" Kallen followed the black-haired teen out of the room, leaving an almost catatonic Nina, a cackling C.C., and a blushing Euphemia.
Lelouch called back over his shoulder, "Can you drive Euphie back to the palace Milly? Until we're more secure, she shouldn't be here too often. Even with Nelia away, it's a bit too risky."
"Sure. Don't do anything I wouldn't do, you two!" She waved cheerily. Kallen and Lelouch almost stopped and turned to stare incredulously at her. Almost.
…
"Wait, why am I in the Sutherland?" Kallen complained. She had refused to get inside until it had been painted crimson, just the way she liked it.
"Because you're the better pilot." Lelouch deadpanned, "We both know full well you'd beat me easily if you were in the better machine." The Gloucester was another Britannian mass-produced unit like the Sutherland. In fact – though heavily modified – it was based off of the other unit, which was the current backbone of the Britannian army. The Gloucester featured everything the Sutherland did, though enhanced and refined to a much higher degree. The Gloucester was much more agile, with enhanced servomotors capable of much quicker and more twitchy movements. Everything was generally made of higher quality material.
He typed out something on a keyboard, "Now, our weapons are standard but they've been dulled. Try to avoid kill shots anyway." He said dryly, "Our guns have been adjusted so that they don't fire rapidly enough to pierce armor. Otherwise, treat this as a legitimate battle." He then jerked, "No Geass!"
He finished typing just as he said this, and the entire field started to change as parts of the ground rose into the air, creating an urban terrain. Neither he nor Kallen knew which gate the other would come out of, so this had the added effect of blocking their vision of the other until they met up. "Fine then! Let's go!" he heard her voice sounding particularly bloodthirsty, and he started to wonder if perhaps all of his teasing hadn't been a bad idea today.
Lelouch shot out from his gate and immediately used his Landspinners to climb up the sides of two of the buildings created for this simulation. He forced his machine to leap onto one of the towers and carefully scanned the area, the faceplate opening up and revealing his Factsphere. Immediately, he saw Kallen and cursed when he realized that she had seen him first. He dodged the gunfire by leaping from his vantage point and firing his Slash Harkens. He alternated the strength of the pulling to dodge the gunfire while simultaneously taking aim.
"Holy shit Lelouch!" Kallen gasped as she danced around the bullets, "You say you're not as good as me but you're a hell of a shot!" She dodged the gunfire herself by racing up the buildings and performing her own harken-assisted acrobatics. Finally, a stray bullet caught her assault rifle and knocked it out of her hand. She bit back another curse as she finally got comfortably close to the other machine. She released one of her anchors rapidly and reeled it in. The second it was remounted, she fired it again and took out Lelouch's own rifle.
"Damn it!" He growled and brought his jousting lance to bare. The two machines hit the ground almost at the same time and charged. Kallen ducked under his lance – making his eyes shoot open – and forced one of her Landspinners to the limit in an attempt to sweep his feet out from under him. He jumped the spinning sweep kick and whirled around in the air, firing his Slash Harkens.
She completed her spin and fired back, "Like hell!" The four Slash Harkens smashed into each other midair and deflected. They reeled back to their respective slots and crashed into them. "I'm not the best with this stupid lance." She growled angrily.
"Neither am I!" He shot back in amusement, "Personally I think they're rather silly. You need to charge directly at the enemy to use them optimally. The Maser Vibration Sword we're trying to piece together from the Lancelot data is much better I think." He hummed, "I definitely think we should convince Rakshata to add those Harken Boosters we recovered from the Lancelot to the Guren and my unit. The Radiant Wave Surger will be far more useful with greater range." He swiped his lance down, using it more like a large club that anything at this point.
"It can extend at the elbow, but you're right." She agreed as she dodged the inelegant whack of the lance, but cursed as it had been only a distraction. One of Lelouch's Slash Harkens tore through her arm which had been holding the lance, though she caught the other one and crushed it. She launched her own Harkens, which Lelouch countered with his Gloucester's Stun Tonfa. She rapidly kicked out, and Lelouch couldn't react in time. He had raised his own knee to check it, but hadn't gotten it up high enough. The two hunks of metal impacted with a gigantic crash and Lelouch's leg tore clean off with a screech and splashes of sparks. "Looks like I win!" She sounded perfectly smug as she stood above his downed machine.
He rolled his eyes, "As if there was a doubt."
"Hey, don't sell yourself short!" She frowned at him, "You're far more accurate than I am and you have better movement in the air. I'm just better at melee."
"I was in the better unit." He reminded her, "If we both were in Gloucesters I would just be the better shot. The Harkens on the Gloucester are more advanced than the Sutherland."
"You both did wonderfully." Rakshata sounded vaguely annoyed, "Kallen had a sync rate of 100% with that toy, while Lelouch was at 96% with his. So stop squabbling and get the field cleaned up. We have children to design AND enhance!"
Lelouch and Kallen both started to chuckle as Rakshata ended her annoyed intercom call. "Well, you heard the lady." Kallen climbed out of the Sutherland.
"Let's get some rest Kallen. We have another raid in about five hours." Lelouch also leapt from his Gloucester and brushed himself off as the technicians started driving into the room on forklifts. The room had dismantled itself and was now a uniform field once more.
She groaned, "Damn it. I forgot!" She cursed out loud, "I should have just suggested we get some sleep instead."
"Given the context of that conversation…" Kallen flushed as Lelouch's grinning face filled her vision, "You could have just asked if you wanted to share my bed."
"Shut up!" She growled.
"Come on. I won't bite." He wrapped his arm around her waist, and she let out a yawn as she did the same, resting her head on him as they walked.
-]|[-
Naomi Kōzuki had not been having a good decade. Ever since Japan had been invaded and conquered seven years ago, things had gone from bad to worse. She had lost her husband, lost her identity, nationality and even almost lost her family. She had begged and pleaded for her lover to make sure Kallen would be his heir, and it was only luck that had allowed it to come true. The wife chosen for her noble husband had been barren, which had allowed him to make sure Kallen was his heir.
Her beautiful daughter had been such a wonderful, cheery child. She remembered all of the times she turned in the highest marks possible in school, and all of her other talents. It had all gone terribly wrong then. Her father vanished. Her mother had fallen to the position of a lowly maid, forced to keep her head low to be able to even stay close to her family. Her daughter closed up. She was only herself with her older brother, who she adored probably more than she loved her parents. After Naoto's death, she became even colder. Their relationship had already been strained. She knew her daughter didn't like seeing her mother be ridiculed. But there was nothing else she could do if she wanted to stay close.
But after Naoto's death… Kallen had become increasingly rude. Later, Naomi would know that she was trying to force her away, so that she would stop being all-but-tortured by her cruel masters. But at the time, it made her think her wonderful, kind, sweet daughter had fallen to her Britannian side. That she would become as cruel as her mistress. And so Naomi had made the worst mistake of her life.
She had fallen for the trap of Refrain. It was cheap, and it was readily available. It was said to make all your worries go away. That first night had been wonderful. All she could think about was the amazing dream she'd been living. A free Japan. Her entire family together. Naoto alive. A loving husband. Her wonderful daughter smiling as brightly as she always had. She was lost in her greatest memories for hours and hours.
And then the drug had worn off, and the world looked all the duller. Everything looked dark and dreary and unexciting. Colors weren't as bright for a few hours. Her food didn't taste good. Sounds seemed to be muted a tad. Her husband was still gone and she would never see him again. Naoto was still dead and her heart was still broken. Kallen still hated her and treated her poorly. And it all hurt all the worse, because of that fleeting taste of joy she'd had. She swore she would never take it again, because even if it gave her an amazing euphoria… the aftermath hurt all the worse.
She lasted a month before she'd broken that promise. She'd succumbed again one evening when she had walked into the tiny closet they called her room – and in a mansion the size of the one they all lived in, a 7 x 11 room with a single twin-sized mattress and a dresser could be called nothing but a closet – and had seen the wonderful new piece of graffiti reading, 'We'll kill you.' After she had once again been scolded by the daughter she wanted nothing more than to hold tight and never let go. Her heart – and resolve – broken, she had submitted once again.
And she was happy.
Everything was just… amazing. Her husband loved her, and so did her children. Everything was perfect. The thunder rumbling in the air and the rain pounding on her window should have left her depressed as it reflected her mood. Her daughter hated her and her life had fallen apart… She should have been wondering if there had been anything she could have done to avoid all of this. If there was any way they could have kept their world from coming apart at the seams.
But instead she just felt… happy. Life was beautiful. Everyone was together. They were a loving family. Japan had never been invaded. Refrain was a wonder drug. Refrain was better than anything she could possibly experience in her dreary life. Refrain made everything okay. Refrain made her wishes a reality. Refrain made everything bad happening to her worth it. Refrain made life worth living.
Refrain started to build up a tolerance. Fast. Refrain started costing a lot more of her meager salary. How the hell had she gotten high off a single dose before? She started getting the shakes. Her fingers lost their dexterity. She started dropping things and breaking them. The servants started ridiculing her more. Her daughter looked at her like she was a bug. She tried to stop. She didn't want to get fired. She needed to be close to Kallen. She stopped taking it, but then her skin started to itch. She started jumping at shadows. She woke up screaming in the middle of the night, thinking ants were crawling all over her. She just didn't feel normal. She needed it.
And then came that day. That wonderful day. Kallen still loved her. It had all been a misunderstanding, because neither of them spoke to one another. Neither of them told the other what they wanted. Kallen just hadn't wanted to see her so mistreated and hadn't known how to make it stop. That was why she kept trying to push her away. She had utterly broken down in relief and joy inside of her room, sobbing into her pillow for hours. Her daughter still wanted to be with her. Oh, how long had she dreamed of being able to embrace her daughter? For how many years had she longed to hear her little girl call her mom? She had been bombarded by the good feelings and had been in such euphoria that she never even thought of Refrain. She was so eager for a fresh start with Kallen that she almost slipped from the drug's grasp.
Only Kallen was gone a lot of the time. She was never home nowadays, and hadn't even come home that day. She didn't know why her daughter was so exhausted all the time or where she was, but for once Naomi had been glad she hadn't seen her daughter again that day. She didn't want to ruin her daughter's life, and she just knew that she would be discovered if she left this house. Hell, they might even discover her if they came to move her things. So she had not brought the topic up again and instead resolved to just try to get to know her little girl again. But that never happened. Instead, whenever she saw Kallen she was dead to the world on her mattress. Her wonderful daughter didn't have time for her. Her skin started to itch again. Her shakes had gotten worse again. Refrain still had her in its insidious grasp and it wanted its due.
Her skin was sallow and her eyes sunken. Her breath was coming out of her in short little gasps. If her teeth had been chattering she would have looked like she had a fever. The key trembled in her hand and she missed the keyhole many times. There were dozens of little scratches on the wood already. Finally the key found purchase and the drawer slipped open. She picked up one of the little bottles, only to drop it. Empty. She picked up another. And another.
And another.
Empty. And empty again. All of them were empty.
-]|[-
"Man, what the hell is Zero thinking?" Thankfully they had finally trained an 'inside voice' into Tamaki, so he wasn't currently blowing the operation by being too loud. "After all his talk about bringing down Britannia, he's just got us running around helping the police."
"Idiot." Kallen snorted from her place atop a crimson Gloucester. Its lance was pitch-black. She marveled at what Lelouch and Milly were truly capable of. Their hidden facility was truly a wonder. She was rather annoyed that she had to leave her Guren in storage for now, but she at least understood Lelouch's reasoning. There was absolutely no reason to risk having the Guren seen and analyzed before it could have its big debut in an actual battle against Britannia. "The Black Knights have been getting hundreds of applicants. Most of them aren't trained soldiers though, and many of them are being rejected as lost causes like those idiots from the Yamato alliance. He's training us – the original members – as commanders. He can't personally train every single person after all."
Oghi smiled lightly, "She's right. We're currently seen as heroes on the net. We even have some Britannians wanting to join us. It feels pretty good to have the will of the people behind us. But as he said, will alone does nothing. We have to make sure our cute little kouhai know what they're doing."
She continued, "Besides that, ending Refrain abuse is really key. That drug is horrible." She scowled at the very thought of it, "We can hardly be Knights of Justice if we allow it to exist."
"You have a point." Tamaki grumbled, "Man, where the hell did Zero even get a Gloucester from, much less a custom one?" Tamaki had turned around and immediately started pouting in jealousy as he stared at the red Knightmare. He had been whining about not being allowed to touch it for half a week already.
She glared lightly, "Even after all this time you're still doubting him?"
"The amount of resources he has must be staggering." Oghi mumbled to himself, staring at the Gloucester.
"There's the signal from Zero!" Minami caught their attention. On the other side, a green laser pointer was clicking on and off.
"How the hell does he always manage it?" Yoshida wondered aloud.
"Using whatever trick he always does." Tamaki groused, still rather annoyed that his limelight was being taken away.
'Oh you have no idea, you moron.' Kallen smirked lightly as she jumped backwards into the cockpit and her Gloucester came to life, 'You have no idea.'
…
"Is the shipment for Nagoya ready?" One of the Refrain distributers was asking.
"The Settlement is such a gift. Everything is nice and safe here." Another was smirking as he loaded up a box, "Greased palms in the right places work wonders."
After all of the trouble Cornelia and the Black Knights had been causing, he really should have thought before he spoke. Gunfire started ripping through the thin sheet metal of the garage door. Metal screeched as it was weakened enough to be kicked down. Several men were already dead or dying from the gunfire, as figures quickly stepped inside, "The Black Knights have arrived!" Tamaki roared arrogantly.
"Intruders!" Several people with their own guns started to show up as the Black Knights tore through most of the gangsters who had simply been working, and started shooting back. The second they did that, they regretted it, "SHIT! IT'S A KNIGHTMARE! FUCK THIS!" They turned tail and ran like the cowards they were as Kallen sped inside like a vengeful goddess.
"Disgusting pigs!" She yelled, as her anti-personnel chest-cannon began mowing down gangsters and others who enjoyed profiting off of people's suffering. Her assault cannon was making equally short work of the men, and she was even turning it on the stacks of boxes, sending shards of glass and liquid raining about the warehouse floor.
She crashed straight through another sliding garage door, which didn't even slow her Knightmare in the slightest, "Oh lord…" She bit her lip as she screeched to a halt and her Factsphere took in all of the people doped up on refrain, "Damn it all!" She punched her console.
"Japan! Japan! Japan!" One man was yelling.
"That's right, I'm getting married next month!" A woman sounded absolutely jubilant.
"I've been promoted! I'm going to the Paris office!"
"Leave it to us! Japan is on the vanguard of technology so there won't be any issues!"
"This fucking drug!" She hissed furiously.
Her sensors zeroed in on someone she recognized. A few days back, she had been walking around the settlement with Lelouch and Milly when they had come across a gang of Britannians who had been beating on a poor Japanese hot dog vendor. It had been proof of the changing attitudes amongst Britannians that they had been looking on in disgust. Some of them had even tried to get the thugs to stop, only to quickly back away when threatened. To be fair, none of them had looked like they had ever so much as broken a nail much less gotten into a fight. Either way, it had really gotten her irritated, so she had started stalking up to teach the thugs a lesson. Lelouch had quickly ended things with his Geass though, before she had managed to get any stress relief. "I'm studying abroad! I can't believe I got in!"
She growled in disgust, before her breath caught in her throat, "No…" She looked utterly crestfallen as she heard the one voice she wanted to hear the least.
"Careful, careful! It's dangerous to run like that!" Her mother was chasing after something only she could see, before tripping over.
Kallen jerked into action and caught her gently, letting go of her lance which crashed to the floor, "No! Mom!" Kallen sounded absolutely disconsolate, "Please no! Tell me this isn't true!"
It was to no avail. "Really, Naoto. Please, I need you to keep an eye on your little sister."
"Damn it all!" Kallen started to sob, "Was it because of me? IS THAT WHY?! MOM!" Only she didn't have enough time for much else, because her sharp ears caught gunfire, and not of the handheld variety. The second that happened, she activated her Geass and jerked her machine forward, dodging the gunfire from the Knightpolice Knightmare. There was no way she was going to risk her mother getting hit like this. "You fucking corrupt pigs!" She roared out.
The bullets from the machine pistols were spewing out with a high-pitched whine, and Kallen dodged every one of them, even moving her left arm out of the way of some of the bullets, which kept her mother alive. She raced around a set of shelves and disappeared from the sight of the refurbished police Glasgow. Her cockpit popped open and she gently dropped her mother onto her lap. The cockpit slammed back inside the Gloucester, "I'm here for you. I'm here for you, Kallen. Just as I always have been."
She held her mother tightly for a moment as she stared listlessly at the walls, completely unseeing. "I know mom." Her lip trembled as she wiped tears from her eyes, "I know." She raced out and fired at the approaching Knightpolice. Its guns exploded as Kallen dodged past its anti-Knightmare knife. She raced back to where she had dropped her lance and picked it up, whirling around in the same motion. With a roar that did nothing to disguise her anguish and fury, she charged forward and speared straight through the Knightpolice's cockpit. She kept forcing it backward even though the fight was already over, and practically stapled it to the wall.
She let out a shuddering sigh as her mother's elated voice piped up again, "I'm so happy for you Kallen... You can finally become a Britannian now. Nobody will ever be able to hurt you now, darling. And you're free to travel and use the phone anytime you want."
She clutched onto her mother and bawled.
"Q1!" Zero's voice sounded urgent. She looked up at her monitor and he was standing next to her in his own black Gloucester, "The authorities will be here soon. We have to move. Don't worry. We'll get your mother to our base as soon as possible. We'll do everything we can for her…"
"Thank you L…ord Zero." She just barely managed to choke back his real name.
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"She'll be alright Kallen." Lelouch had a somber note to his voice as he held Kallen's hand in support, "Eventually."
"Why can't she talk?" Kallen asked in a dull voice. She looked so uncharacteristically like her school mask that it hurt her friends to see her like this.
"An aftereffect of Refrain." Milly said sadly, "She's been on it for months… maybe even years. We can't pinpoint when she first took it… only that there was a surprisingly large gap in between it and the second dose."
"I'm such a fool!" Kallen cried furiously, "If only I had paid more attention to her! If only…"
Lelouch wrapped his arms behind his Red Queen from behind, "You couldn't have known…Kallen. Don't fall for the trap of what ifs. It'll only lead you to madness."
"Your mom is going to be okay, Kallen." Milly said gently, as she wrapped her up in a hug from the front as well, "Take strength from this. We're working to make sure this never has to happen again."
Kallen finally wiped her tears away and put on a brave face, "Th-that's right." She sniffled, "Things will be different when you're better, mom! We'll be able to live a normal life again! So please…" She broke and started to shake again, only to gasp.
Her mother – who had been practically unresponsive since she had been brought in – had shakily grasped her hand. Her voice was weak, as if she wasn't used to using it anymore, "Hang in there... Hang in there, Kallen... My little girl..."
Kallen's tears turned happy and she gave her mother a brilliant, watery smile, "I will! I'll do my best, mom!"
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And donezo.
The middle parts of this chapter just did not want to get written for some reason. Despite being shorter than chapter 5 by half, it probably took more total time than the other. It took a wee bit more editing than normal to get it the way I wanted too. I'm not entirely happy with one or two scenes, but I can't really put my finger on why. Either way, they're relatively minor so I'm not going to delay the chapter.
Probably the part I had the easiest time with was Mrs. Kōzuki's descent, which was surprising. Not being a drug user myself, it can be difficult to try to put myself in the mindset of an addict. But there was a really poignant post on reddit that helped me out. If you've read it, you probably know which one I'm talking about. I actually took a line or two from it with a tiny bit of editing to fit CG. It's just… haunting… and it was exactly what I needed to help write out the Refrain bit.
So, what did you guys think of Nina and Euphie's Geass? Some of you knew they were coming since I discussed it with a couple of you, but I imagine more than a few of you were probably caught out with Euphie's Geass especially. Hope you enjoyed!