A/N: Greetings friends. Good to have you for the next chapter as we draw slightly closer the half way point of season 1. Thank you to all who reviewed and helped me break 100 reviews, I greatly appreciate each and every bit of feedback. So here's the next chapter, buckle up.
The Breaking Point
The student council members were returning from their trip early because of all the commotion at the hotel. Having only been on vacation for a few hours before everything turned sour, they were all rather disappointed. With their rooms all broken into they were forced to leave. Granted they had about as much excitement as they could ask for, still no time to relax. At least they were given a refund by the hotel, although knowing Milly, the money wouldn't last long.
Kallen and Lelouch hid their emotions well, but both could tell the sheer enthusiasm behind their facade. Zero had claimed to be immortal, and in doing so created an enormous uproar. In the people's eyes Zero was a great, but misunderstood hero. The ride back to the Tokyo settlement was full of recollections and reenactments. Kallen and Lelouch sat together, leaving Milly and Shirley sitting across from them.
"So how do you think he did it?" Shirley asked the group while looking through the window beside her, out into the night sky. "I mean it had to be some kind of trick right? You guys don't really believe that he's immortal do you?"
"It all seemed pretty real to me." Lelouch shrugged casually. "I just don't know how anyone would even begin to fake something as elaborate as that." Alright he admitted it to himself, he was bragging, still no one knew about it except Kallen.
Milly sighed, she couldn't help but have a bit of a crush on the man. He single handedly, well almost single handedly eliminated all those terrorists, saving her in the process. She'd always had a soft spot for the dramatic type. "I wonder who he really is? I bet he's some dreamy hottie... Kallen you were the closest to him did you see anything?"
Kallen had to force herself not to smirk about Milly's comment. If she only knew that Lelouch was Zero, what would she think then? "All I saw was some blood coming from his helmet." Kallen shrugged and turned towards Lelouch. "Maybe you're right about him though Milly . What do you think Lulu?" She teased him with her breath, gently brushing against his ear. She'd grown a fondness for giving him a hard time via romantic gestures, oddly enough they were becoming more and more natural for her to perform as well.
Lelouch looked over at Kallen quickly. "What, why are you asking me?" He was taken aback for a moment, even if he had nothing to do with Zero, he had no idea how to answer the question. "You don't even know how old he is, he's probably at least thirty. Or if he really is immortal, he might be hundreds of years old."
"And eternally young..." Milly cooed, her voice losing its foundation. "Sounds like the perfect man."
Kallen laughed she couldn't help it, the more she tried to hold it back the harder it came out. Fortunately they had reached their destination and were forced to exit.
They grabbed their luggage and found the van they'd left in the parking lot. Shirley sat up front with the Prez this time around, while Lelouch and Kallen were given the privacy of the back seat. It was getting late, none of them had seen a wink of sleep that day. Which was exactly why Milly was the prime choice for a driver, it was hard to believe the woman knew what sleep was. Lelouch as well didn't require much sleep these days. The same could not be said for Kallen however, the city lights that flew by were hypnotizing as she felt her eyelids become heavy. Her head rested on the back of the seat for a short time, before rolling over to Lelouch's shoulder. He glanced over as he noticed she'd fallen asleep and softened his posture. Kallen let out a pleased sigh and snuggled closer to him.
There it was again, the scent of her shampoo invading his senses and fogging his mind. What was this unfamiliar feeling? His worries, tactics, everything seemed to fall away when she was this close to him. It was no less frightening than it was welcomed. This alien influence that told him the rest of the world didn't matter, not for that moment in time anyway. He looked down to examine her unusually soft features, she seemed so at peace. He couldn't help but use his free hand to gently guide a crimson lock from her face, regardless of whether the offending strands bothered her or not. Her skin was soft and warm. Even in her sleep Kallen moved into his touch, making his hand cup her cheek. This was getting dangerous, this wasn't supposed to happen, least of all to him.. He would have to break her off when playing the role of Zero, he couldn't afford to be making reckless mistakes for her protection. It hadn't even come to that yet and his judgment was already being altered. Time also seemed to be affected as Milly broke the silence.
"Kallen you want me to just drop you off at your place?" Milly asked over her shoulder.
How long had she been laying there? Minutes? Hours? Days? Lelouch had no idea, but it seemed like seconds.
Kallen roused and opened her eyes, letting out a soft yawn. "Sorry what?" She then realized, just how intertwined she and Lelouch had become. Her arm was wrapped around his, her cheek nuzzled into his shoulder. Something told her she should sit up, but it was quite dark and she was surprisingly comfortable. He didn't seem to object, so she wouldn't either.
"I asked if you wanted me to drop you off at your house." The president repeated.
"That would be great, thank you." Kallen responded kindly, she'd begun to warm up to the group. Maybe all Britannians weren't bad, just an overwhelming majority.
"So what do you guys want to do tomorrow?" Milly asked with anticipation. "After all, we still have the day off. We might as well make the most out of it!"
Lelouch thought to himself, tomorrow he would have to get back together with the Black Knights and discuss his plans for the future. It's about time they started acting a bit more organized, but what excuse could he give? Not only for him but for- "Kallen would you care to go on a date tomorrow?" This caught Shirley's attention, since when did Lelouch ever act so forward with girls?
Kallen was caught off guard as she looked in his direction. "Umm sure, that sounds great Lulu." Not really understanding what he was planning, she just went along with it. Deciding to be slightly bold, she moved her arm, still wrapped around his, farther down his forearm until she found his hand. Lightly she brushed over his palm with her fingertips, but he seemed hesitant.
As Zero he had to be cold and callous, unforgiving and remorseless.. but as Lelouch.. He warmed to her touch and spread his fingers so they could intertwine with hers. Kallen's heartbeat quickened ever so slightly at his acceptance. Strange, they'd done it several times before, yet it still felt like uncharted territory. This time she'd done it to feel his warmth, not to embarrass him or hold up appearances in front of others. The darkness had a kind of honesty it bestowed upon those that took refuge within it.
"Alright fine you two are out. Shirley, looks like it's gonna be a girls day!" Milly seemed just as pleased with this scenario anyway. She pulled up in front of Kallen's house waited for a moment. "Here we are Kallen."
"Thank you again." Kallen smiled, even though it couldn't be seen, it could be heard in her voice. Hesitantly she let go of Lelouch and exited the van. Lelouch watched her sleepily walk up to her front door step and enter her house.
"So Lulu what are you guys going to do on your date?" Milly asked playfully.
"A gentleman never tells." He responded with a smirk on his face. Milly squealed as they continued towards the Academy.
"What I wouldn't give to be a fly on your wall." Milly dazed off for a moment before Shirley brought her attention back to the road.
Lelouch chuckled to himself at the thought. Before too long they were in front of the Academy all dragging their feet to get inside. "Good night you two." Lelouch waved over his shoulder and broke off to go to his wing. Upon opening the door to his room he found C.C. sitting, not lying, on his bed. She seemed annoyed for some reason. "Is getting shot in the face that big of a deal?" He joked.
C.C. shook her head with distaste. "You do realize what you've done don't you?" She had a kind of fire in her eyes he'd never seen before.
"Tricked billions of people into thinking that Zero cannot be killed." Lelouch said coldly while taking off his jacket. He hung it on his chair and looked back across the room towards her. "Because of that our support will drastically increase."
"Yes, but included in those billions of people is the Emperor of Britannia. It won't be long before he starts sending forces to come looking for us." Her body language was cold. This was a daring move on Lelouch's part. The only reason she'd agreed to it was to ensure that he wouldn't die.
"That is correct, but something you said a few days ago leads me to believe that I can handle it. You said you know exactly how many people are after you. Obviously it can't be very many which means that my father wants this kept secret, understandably so. In order to ensure that secrecy he will only be able to send those already informed about you to the front lines, which they most likely already are." Lelouch walked over to his chess set that was in the middle of a game. He studying the board for a moment.
"That was still a very reckless move." She was beginning to see his side of things, he had a strong mind, she'd give him that.
"Many would say that," Lelouch responded as he drew his fingers over to the black king. "But I always lead with my king." He moved the piece one space forward, putting him only two moves away from check. That however, was when he would spring his trap. Although his King would be pinned the white pieces would have no choice but to yield to keep their king upright. Mated in four moves. "Besides the very source of the Emperors power is slowly being ripped from beneath him."
C.C. was becoming more interested with each addition. This had to be a long run of luck, there's no way he could have predicted all these events. No, but it was possible that he planned for a number of circumstances. What little free time he had must have been devoted to stratagems and battle tactics, he was definitely devoted. Which was exactly why he was the perfect choice and it was that same dedication that burned her up inside. "And what would that be?"
Lelouch tossed a discarded piece into the air, catching it in his palm before gripping it firmly. "His pawns."
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Kallen woke up holding her pillow in her arms and looked over at the clock. It was past noon. Her eyes sprang open, had she really slept that long? She quickly grabbed her phone and opened it. She hadn't received a call or message from Lelouch yet. *Should I call him? No, what if this whole thing was just an excuse to not go with Milly and Shirley? But what about last night, we shared something there didn't we?* That question was exactly why she couldn't call him. She couldn't handle being told the entire thing was an act, she would look like a fool. No she would just have to wait it out. *But what if he doesn't call? Then I'm just stuck around here waiting all day for nothing?* "Damn you Lelouch." Kallen huffed as she sat up to put on some clothes.
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Lelouch awoke with the realization that his arm was around something warm, or someone. Slowly he opened his eyes to see a sea of emerald hair in front of his face. He tried to pull his arm back, but in her sleep C.C. had quite the hold on it. She was stronger than she looked. "Hey C.C. wake up." He continued to wiggle his arm, trying to wrench it from her grip. C.C. let out a pleased moan and it was at that point that Lelouch realized what she held his hand to. In a panicked jerk he ripped his hand from her bare chest. "What are you doing?!" Lelouch choked out, his voice a little shaky. C.C. began to stir. "You said that we would switch off, between the floor and the bed. It was my turn for the bed."
C.C. sat up and stretched her arms. "Changed my mind." She said before letting out a long yawn. "Did you sleep well?"
Lelouch brought his hand to his face, rubbing at his eyes roughly in frustration. "You changed your mind? And you didn't bother to put on any clothes?" He felt rather awkward as he began to put on his undershirt and jacket.
C.C. raised a brow. "I always sleep like this, you know that. Does it upset you?"
Lelouch let out a deep sigh. "I wouldn't say upset but-"
"Well if you don't have a problem then I expect you will get used to it over time." C.C. got out of his bed and walked to his closet. Try as he might to look away from her naked figure, he was still a teenaged male.
In a desperate attempt to avert his eyes elsewhere he saw the clock. It was past one in the afternoon. "Oh no, Kallen." He quickly walked to his phone and dialed her number. Good, she would keep his mind off that voluptuous witch.
Kallen picked up before the first ring could finish. "Yes Lelouch?" She scolded herself mentally, that came off more willing and eager than she'd intended. Hopefully it wasn't too obvious.
"Kallen, I just wanted to discuss our plans for today." Lelouch said, turning his back on the witch as she objected with a loud 'hmph'.
"Yeah sure. Should I head over to your place?" Kallen asked, getting up to move to her door.
Lelouch looked over his shoulder to see C.C. holding different shirts in front of her as if to test how they would look on her. Only problem was, they were all the same shirt. She was just trying to tease him. "Why don't I come over there? I've never been inside your place and I'd love to see it." There was no way he was going to get tangled in that mess again. C.C. and Kallen were more than a handful individually, but together, it was like a matador trying to fight two bulls.
"Oh umm you want to come over here?.. That'd be fine, I guess. Do you remember how to get here?" Kallen suddenly felt a little uneasy.
"Think I remember, I'll call you if I get lost." Lelouch said as he hung up the phone.
Kallen looked around her room, she had to clean! She couldn't allow Lelouch to see her room like this. Quickly she grabbed her clothes that littered the floor and shoved them into her laundry hamper. She made her bed and threw away the remnants of the food that was left on her nightstand. Lastly she went to her dresser and pulled out some strawberry body spray. After she applied it to her neck and chest she looked around her room for a moment, thinking. She sprayed around her room diligently and put the bottle back in her dresser. Walking around she tested her room, not that her room smelled bad before, but just to be sure. Yes her entire room smelled of strawberries, "perfect." Kallen said with a cute smile.
Lelouch arrived knocking on the front door, duffle bag in hand, soon after, the Stadtfeld maid answered. "Hello I'm looking for Kallen."
"Oh yes I believe she was expecting you. Please come in." She responded kindly showing him into the main hall. "Just a moment please." She walked towards the grand staircase that lie before them. "Kallen, your guest has arrived."
Kallen came out of her room to the top of the stairs. "Hey Lelouch, come on up." She tried to sound casual, although it felt weird with her mother around. Somehow she always managed to unnerve Kallen, just with her presence.
"Shall I get you anything?" Her mother asked, although she tried to hide it, it was obvious that the woman was depressed. Lelouch couldn't blame her, being a slave in her own house probably wasn't what she wanted to be growing up. It must have been difficult just watching as another woman raised your child while you had to clean up after everyone. Kallen had spoken of her real mother when they were on the school roof top together. It wasn't a relationship she was proud of.
"No." Kallen said sternly, turning around to return to her room. Lelouch felt the strange tension in the room and decided it'd be best to just hurry up to Kallen's room. When he reached the top of the stairs he heard a crash. He turned around to see what had been the cause, to find the maid sprawled on the ground. He moved to go help her but Kallen grabbed his forearm. She shook her head towards him and looked over at the woman collapsed on the ground. "What is the matter with you?"
"I'm sorry Malady. I must have tripped over myself." Her mother replied, slowly bringing herself to her feet.
Kallen shook her head in disgust. "Whatever." With the flip of a switch she seemed rather excited, "I'll show you around Lelouch, this is my room." She said opening her door.
Lelouch walked in, it looked nice. Well her house was nice, her room was, pristine. As he went to take a breath he instantly choked. "Oh.. My god.. What is that?" He managed out between coughs.
Kallen's eyes went wide and panicked. "What? What is it? What's wrong?"
"You don't... smell that? It's making my eyes water." Lelouch brought his hand to his face. In utter embarrassment Kallen guided him from her room.
"I'm so sorry Lelouch, I can show you the rest of the house.. If you want." Kallen tried to hide the bright red blush in her cheeks as she stared at the floor.
Lelouch took a moment to compose himself. "Perhaps it's best if we just get going. We need to meet with the others soon anyway."
Kallen locked a gaze with him for a moment, "the others?"
Lelouch looked around only to see the maid staring at an empty space on the wall. "Yes, the others." He raised the duffle bag in his hand.
Kallen realized what he was saying and nodded in agreement. She looked over to her mother who was still staring at the wall, "I'm going out." For some reason her mother didn't respond, she just continued her dead stare. They stepped out the front door and Kallen slammed it shut, what was the deal with her mother recently? She seemed so aloof, so out of it...
"Something wrong?" Lelouch asked trying to gaze into her sapphire eyes.
"It's nothing, it's just that... I didn't realize this was a business trip, I didn't really prepare for it." Kallen started walking and looked away, she didn't want him to see the disappointment in her eyes.
"Sorry, I guess I should have informed you." He said, slightly confused. *If she didn't think this was business then she must have believed...* Lelouch thought to himself as he jogged up to catch up to her. He hadn't realized the effects of what he had said. It seemed rather obvious to him as to what he was talking about. But with the way she reacted last night, was she actually looking forward to going on a date with him? "How about a rain check for our date? Next time it'll be just the two of us."
Kallen looked over at him to judge if he was being sarcastic or sincere. He seemed honest enough. "Okay," she smiled sheepishly. "I mean, if you really wanted to that is."
Lelouch nodded casually. As his queen it was his responsibility to keep her happy. Besides the thought wasn't too far from his mind, they'd been getting closer recently even he could tell. "I think it would be interesting." As they walked he began to notice a theme in the streets, the area had been littered with posters for Zero. Strangely they weren't wanted posters, they were praising him. Lelouch smirked at this, already things were falling into place. "Still, we cannot allow that to take priority over our mission Kallen. I'm dating Kallen Stadtfeld, not Kallen Kozuki, be sure to remember that."
"Understood." She knew what he was saying, but she didn't quite grasp what that would mean. They were within a block of the warehouse and they stepped into an alleyway where Lelouch could get changed. As they rounded the corner to enter the warehouse there were voices shouting. Zero turned around to see people beginning to approach him, where had they all come from?
They were acting like fan girls that had seen their first rock star, falling over each other just to touch him. "ZERO!! You're my hero!"
"I'm your biggest fan!"
"Death to Britannia!"
How was he going to get out of this? They had him and Kallen surrounded, he couldn't just walk into the warehouse now. More people were coming by the minute, what were only about a dozen people would soon threaten to reach a hundred. Shop owners were coming out to give him their blessing. Soon there would be a news crew here, he'd never thought his plan would work this well. The Japanese people were truly in need of a hero in times like these. Still that didn't make the situation any less dangerous. "Citizens of Japan!" With his roar the crowd suddenly went quiet. "Forget you saw me and go back to what you were doing." Lelouch waited until everyone began to walk away before he quickly pulled Kallen into the warehouse. The rest of the Black Knights saw him enter and began to group at the main table. "We can't meet here again. We're going to need a new meeting place."
"What do you suggest?" Kallen asked arching her brow.
"Leave that to me. For now we have to discuss our situation at hand." Lelouch said, pushing the hideout situation to the back of his mind. "First and foremost, we fight for Japan and its people. Regardless of who we must protect her against, we must stand strong in our convictions. Our strength lies in the very nation that we fight for! Support for the Black Knights is swelling, soon our numbers will grant us the ability to combat Britannia in a more conventional way. We've even received word that the Kyoto group plans to fund us now, they are also sending us a one of a kind Knightmare. Their shipment will arrive within the next twenty-four hours, in the meantime..."
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Cornelia stood in her private chambers, looking over her battle plans for the attack they would carry out within the next couple of days. Their forces greatly outnumbered the enemy units, still with this sudden uprising that Zero had brought about.. She would not be made a fool of again, not while she drew breath. She would not underestimate him again, if she found him on the battlefield she would prove her combat skills once and for all. Jail cells were just as immortal as he claimed to be. "Guilford." Cornelia spoke into a private communication device.
"Yes Princess?" Her Knight dutifully responded.
"I told you to stop calling me that." She smirked, knowing that he would never stop. His devotion to her was immeasurable. "I want you to get in touch with Earl Aspland. I want his Knightmare on the front lines with us for this next operation."
"But your highness, I've heard that the pilot is an Eleven." He said with a look of concern.
"I'm fully aware of that, and yet his actions speak louder than his race. If it wasn't for him that battle in Saitama would have been a disaster. At this point he is our best chance at defeating Zero. I won't discard any opportunity to rid the empire of this threat." Cornelia's tone was firm, she wouldn't take no for an answer.
"Understood Milady." Guilford bowed his head respectfully and closed the channel.
"I know you're hiding something Zero, you're good but you're no god. You can't be immortal, if you were, there would be no reason for your double at the execution. You're nothing more than a street magician." Cornelia clenched her teeth and looked up toward a large grouping of pictures she'd gathered of Zero that spanned across the wall. They ranged from his first sighting at the execution, to the most recent sighting at the hotel. Zero never left her mind, those pictures were the first thing she saw when she awoke in the morning and they were the last thing she'd see before she slept. And then there was Jeremiah, he wasn't saying anything at the moment but she'd crack him eventually. His alien loyalty could only hold out for so long. "I'm closing in on you Zero, I've got my royal guard rifling through the bodies at that hotel. And if you slipped up at any point.." She pulled a knife out of her boot and threw it into the center picture on the wall. The head of Zero was shredded from all of her time spent throwing that knife while she thought. Even if she had to fall with him, she would drag him to the pits of hell herself.
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Lelouch walked Kallen home as it was beginning to get dark. Not that she needed his protection but it still felt like the right thing to do. He walked her to the door where they said their goodbyes. At least they were becoming less awkward now. Lelouch walked back down the path to exit as Kallen entered her house. The lights were on but no one was to be found. Kallen was a bit skeptical, usually her mother would be attending to chores for the next few hours. She didn't want to care but she couldn't help but worry for the woman, she wasn't herself recently. As much as she resented her mother for being so weak, she couldn't hate her. Kallen's worries intensified when she noticed her mother's door was slightly open. She'd been so secretive about that room of late, what could she be hiding?
Kallen glanced around once again to ensure no one was around and moved closer to the ajar door. Everything was dead silent, it was rather unnerving. She had no idea what she would find behind that door but her heartbeat was building to a crescendo as she pushed it open. The light was on inside the room as well, it looked like it had been robbed. Everything was scattered across the floor, apparently someone had been searching for something. Still, there was no sign of blood or forced entry, which calmed her nerves, until her eyes rested on a pile of small empty bottles. Kallen bent over to get a closer look at them, her eyes widened in disbelief as she realized what they were.
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As Lelouch was walking down the street, Kallen's house still barely in view, his phone began to ring. He flipped it out, it was Kallen. "Hello?"
"Zero, I have a question for you." Kallen said with a grim tone.
Lelouch furrowed his brow, usually she didn't call him by that name between the two of them. "Yes, what is it?"
"Do you know where the nearest Refrain warehouse is in the area?"
Now she was beginning to scare him. "I've heard rumors yes, why do you ask? What's wrong Kallen?"
"Will you deploy the Black Knights to destroy it?" She was becoming very difficult to read, her voice held so many emotions at once.
"I will not. Not until I know your motives." Zero responded. He was willing to hear suggestions from any of his subordinates, but because it was Kallen- or more because it wasn't Kallen, not the one he knew, he needed to know why.
"It-it's my mother.. I found the bottles in her room.." Just like that Kallen's emotions settled and decided on one, sorrow.
Lelouch let out a heavy sigh. "Kallen I understand you're upset but we don't have the fire power, we don't have a single Knightmare at the moment."
Again at the flip of a coin, her emotions resorted to anger. "As Q-1, I'm saying we don't need a Knightmare, the Black Knights can handle this. Now give the order."
"As Q-1?" Zero laughed condescendingly, he couldn't show Kallen any leniency in this circumstance. If he gave into her now it was merely the first bad step that would lead to many more, with excuses just as appealing as this one. This is where he would prove to himself that he could separate between Zero and Lelouch. "As Q-1 you are still under my command-"
"Trust me," Kallen sighed, she didn't want to resort to geass. "This is for the good of the mission."
"..Yes, I understand. Head back to the warehouse, I'll have everyone ready to move within the hour. I'll send the coordinates soon." Zero replied before hanging up the phone.
Zero waited out of site near the Refrain factory until everyone had arrived, the factory was smaller than he'd expected. They didn't have any Knightmares so they would have to do it the old fashioned way, with guns and explosives. There was only one door into the place but with the explosives they had they could make their own. Luckily with the following they'd gathered the Knight-police weren't likely to intervene. Lelouch always found in interesting just how quiet everything got before a gunfight. They would hit them fast and they would hit them hard, the Black Knights may sustain a few casualties but that was why the pawns lead the charge.
Two explosives went off simultaneously blowing a hole in the east and west walls while more Black Knights filed in through the North door. The crossfire was incredibly effective; after two clips of ammo were depleted and the dust settled, no survivors were found. At least none on the main floor, there were large bay like doors that lined the south wall which led deeper into the warehouse but Kallen spotted what she came for. In front of those bays was a row of boxes from wall to wall, some opened, most remained shut. Kallen shook her head in disgust and threw their last explosive to the row of boxes. To their surprise the drug was rather flammable as the row went up in flames. Zero looked over at the Black Knights, they hadn't lost a single person. It was the perfect mission, however small it may have been.
"Good work team, now let's get out of here. We'll meet back at base." The Black Knights filed one by one out the door until only Kallen and Zero remained. She wanted to watch for a bit longer, and Lelouch wanted to be there for her. Just seeing the drugs burn felt incredibly satisfying for Kallen. While she knew that it wouldn't stop her mother from using the drug, she felt she needed to do it. A need strong enough for her to use geass on her leader, she wasn't proud of that. Just as she was about to turn back Kallen saw some movement towards the now blown open bay doors, she raised her gun and tried to peer through the smoke and flame.
Zero noticed the same movement and removed his mask. Through a momentary opening in the quickly growing blaze in front of them, he saw people. Not drug lords or criminals, although something seemed strange about them, they weren't panicking at all. "Oh god." There was no exit on the south end, Kallen had used their last explosive already, he never expected the addicts to be here as well, and now they were trapped.
Kallen saw what Zero had seen only moments later, among the users was her mother. The realization crushed Kallen's spirit like a tin can, "Mother? MOTHER?!" Kallen started to run towards the inferno but it was growing too quickly for her to cross, now the flame was at least fifteen feet wide. Each box that exploded widened the gap. She collapsed a few feet from the fire on her hands and knees.
The faces of the addicts seemed so happy, they were still in their hallucination. Even after the smoke became too thick to see through Kallen could still hear her mother's voice. "Don't worry Kallen, I'm here for you, just as I've always been."
Kallen let out a primal scream of anguish and pounded her fists against the ground. She realized at that moment why her mother had always stayed at that house she hated so much. It was because of Kallen, her only daughter, whom she cared so much for, not because she still clung to the hope that Kallen's father still loved her.
Zero shook his head; she didn't need to see this. This was beyond the innocent life he'd taken. He couldn't imagine how this would tear at Kallen's soul, he couldn't let her suffer like that. He grabbed Kallen by the arm and pulled her out of the burning building, she felt so weak in his grip, it was terrifying. He pushed her up against the wall of an adjacent building. "Kallen. Kallen! Look at me Kallen." She struggled against him for a moment but met his gaze eventually. "You're going to forget everything that happened tonight. Know that your mother finally overcame her weakness and left your father's house without a trace. You don't worry about her, she's in a better place now." How he wished that he didn't have to use geass on her, but it was necessary. He wiped away her tears as she began to regain consciousness.
Kallen blinked a few times and looked back at him. "Lelouch? What's going on? I feel exhausted."
"Don't worry Kallen, I'm here for you… I'll walk you home." He took off his cloak and packed it into his duffle bag and allowed her to lean on his shoulder as they walked in the direction of her house. He would put her to bed, and then destroy everything that her mother left behind. Another nail in his cross.
A/N: It wasn't called the breaking point without reason. I know it was a roller coaster ride.
Between the fluff, C.C., little bit of humor, Cornelia, and the betrayal of geass there's tons going on in this chapter, so I'm looking forward to tons of feedback : )