Chapter 2: Companionship
A/N: Sorry it took so long, I only have access to this computer three nights a week. Also, I kinda got laid off, so I'll probably have quite a bit more time to work on this. One more thing, if you like or, more importantly, don't like something, drop me a review. Can't fix my bad habits if I don't know I've got 'em.
The walk to Tamaki's had been a pleasant one, as always, and had let her forget all the annoyances of her day; this being the reason she had made it a habit to drop by often. However, it seemed that tonight was not going to be her night and that she was doomed to have that blonde jerk's smirk etched into her mind. Her visit had started out well enough, Ohgi and Viletta had managed to come by, a rare sight given Ohgi's new responsibilities and those that were due to come in the very near future. However, shortly after arriving, Tamaki's jukebox, curiously stocked with old Japanese and Britannian 'rock' as she'd heard Tamaki refer to it, decided that it would mess with her by playing some Britannian song with some idiot going over the various ways he could seduce someone. The short, slower, interlude in the middle immediately brought her mind back to the hallway in Ashford the night before and, for some reason, Gino's face being dangerously (for him, of course) close to hers. She blushed slightly at the thought, an action unnoticed by all except the all too observant Viletta sitting next to her. She smiled knowingly for a second, and proceeded to inquire, "Something on your mind?"
Kallen tried her best to feign ignorance. "No, not really," she said, putting her hands up, as if trying to make a barrier to keep Viletta's piqued curiosity at bay.
"I know better than that, Kallen, who're you thinking about?"
She gave in, knowing that there was know she was getting off easy tonight. "Really, it's no one. Just some guy at school."
"Hm, really now? Care to tell me about him?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Kallen's first response would have been a frank 'No,' and moving on with her night, but there was no chance at getting away with it. "He just pulled some prank and it just really bothered me is all. It's no big deal."
Viletta was honestly surprised, "Since I haven't seen any report of a student being murdered, I'm guessing you just let him go." Kallen simply nodded. "Who is this kid? I'd like to know who'd not only be suicidal enough to try anything with you but then manage to walk away. We could use a guy like that."
Rather than drag it out Kallen opted for a straight answer, "He's sort of already taken. Gino Weinberg."
That makes sense, Viletta thought to herself. "So, what did he do?"
Kallen wasn't sure what to reply to that. She'd been trying to forget about it, and didn't really want to go into details.
"He must've done something pretty bad to get you to hesitate like that," Viletta chimed in, noticing Kallen's reticence. "I can always have him arrested. He may still be a knight of Britannia, but he's a long way from home," she teased.
"No it's nothing like that. I'm not even sure why it bothers me so much." She recounted the events in the hallway, leaving out the part where she misunderstood him of course; he was the bad guy here, after all.
Viletta, however, wasn't fooled, "He probably didn't think it would affect you that much either."
"That's what's driving me crazy though," her tenuous hold on composure beginning to slip. "Most of the time he's nice enough, but sometimes, he'll just go off and do something insane or mean like last night. Something about that just really gets to me."
Viletta picked up on the beginnings of what would be quite the teenage crush, but decided to tone her response down, lest she spoil it. "Maybe you'd like to be friends with him, but those quirks of his are just getting in the way."
Kallen smiled, mentally admitting that was pretty likely. They had gotten along pretty well after he'd decided to stop being a jerk.
Tamaki, who, like the others nearby, had been listening quietly, chose then, of all times, to prove his boorishness by practically yelling, "Aww, I think Kallen-chan's just got herself a little crush; and on a Britannian no less," this having been in Japanese, as to add injury to insult.
Kallen replied with well conditioned outright denial, "I do not! I don't know anyone that could stand him for more than a few minutes."
Viletta thought it best to drop the subject now that Tamaki had put her on the defensive. She did, however, muse to herself, and later that night to Kaname, that it was those quirks that irked her so much now would be her favorite aspects of the boy in time.
No one else in the establishment seemed to be so forgiving of Tamaki's borderline racism, least of which was Ohgi, having married a former Britannian Baroness. The only mercy he allowed his friend was not explaining precisely what Tamaki had said when Viletta inquired, her knowledge of the Japanese language still in its early stages. Ohgi wished to have a little bloodshed as possible.
The rest of their night was passed with pleasant companionship for most; and nothing but the coldest of shoulders for the proprietor of their refuge.
This night had not been as comfortable for another former warrior lodged not far away. Zero stood at the window of his room, specifically chosen for its view of the massive crater he had created some months ago. As was his custom, young though it may have been, he paid respects to all those he had killed and vowed once again to not rest until he had atoned for the sin of having ended their lives in order to protect his own.
"Suzaku, you know as well as I do you were under the influence of Big Brother's geass, so there's no reason to be so obsessed with what happened," came the plaintive voice he had begun to rely on to keep him from becoming any more fanatical in his quest for penitence.
He hadn't been expecting her arrival, nor had he heard her enter, and so took this time to remove his mask, as Nunnally had required him to do so any time they were alone. He turned to her, with the humorless smile that his friend had worn too often while he had lived, another of the few things Zero had inherited from the departed tyrant. "Nunna, I didn't know you'd be coming to see me tonight."
Some of her concern left her at his use of her nickname. Suzaku had at least retained enough of himself to still enjoy (as much as he could) her friendship. "I wanted to make sure you were doing alright. I was worried when I found out where we'd be staying, but I trusted that you wouldn't take things too far."
"I think we have Lelouch to thank for that." He turned to her fully and made his way to the single bed in the room, this being the only thing to sit on in the room. He had requested, in addition to the view, that his room be sparsely furnished, as he would need little but the barest necessities.
Nunnally sighed and tried to be as warm as possible, asking, "Are you going to be gloomy the whole time we're here? You know it makes me feel bad." She put on her best pout, even closing her eyes to really get under Suzaku's skin.
Zero couldn't help but be reminded of days gone by when he and Nunnally had shared many a happy moment. His cynical smirk softened into a genuine smile, much to Nunnally's relief, once she had opened an eye just far enough to see if her taunt had been successful. Suzaku had begun to wonder if she had somehow acquired some form of geass, she was getting far too good at making him feel better. He assured himself that Lelouch could forgive him for not being able to remain unhappy around Nunnally; after all, Lelouch had never been able to either. He apologized for his bad mood.
"That's alright, maybe it's just where we are." She shifted her mind to official matters, pushing her other concerns away. She moved over to the window, enjoying the view of the city. Saddening as the scene was, she was still happy to see anything at all. "Do you think we'll have anything to worry about tomorrow? I don't think I've gotten used to these conferences just yet."
He spoke to her reflection in the window, "There shouldn't be anything to bad. Schneizel can handle the talks on sakuradite trading policy and I think you'll do fine talking about your plans for diplomatic relations. There's not much that can go wrong."
"I guess I can't help having butterflies in my stomach."
Suzaku stood up, walked over to Nunnally, and placed a hand on her shoulder, which she took into her own. "Don't worry; I'll be right behind you as always." He offered the most reassuring smile he could.
She laughed lightly, "I don't suppose I could ask you not to wear your mask?"
He took her question as a rhetorical one, lest the feelings of guilt and anger cloak him in Zero once again before tomorrow, and resumed looking out the window, this time admiring the moon and finding solace in the small hand resting on his.
Elsewhere in the city, Kallen had made her way back to her home. The place was far smaller and simpler that the mansion she had stayed at while living with her father, but she found herself happier upon seeing their home than she ever had when walking through the gates of the Stadtfeld estate. Ohgi had offered something more befitting a heroine of the Japanese people, but she and her mother had politely declined in favor of making it on their own, something neither of them had gotten a chance to do yet. Her mom had gotten a job at a local dress shop, having had a decent amount of experience working with them during her tenure as a servant, and Kallen was in the midst of negotiating with her mother about being allowed to have a job. Apparently children were supposed to leave supporting the household to the parent, or something like that.
Kallen's mother was still awake, much to Kallen's surprise. She greeted her mother in Japanese, another opportunity they now enjoyed, "I'm home, shouldn't you be asleep by now, don't you have work in the morning?"
Her mother maintained a look of contentment despite her obvious disappointment, "Welcome home Kallen, I think I'm the not only one who has somewhere to be in the morning."
The chiding mother tone took effect quickly, "I suppose an apology isn't going to help me."
Her mother simply smiled, transgressions clearly forgotten, for now. "How about you tell me how your day went instead."
Kallen returned her mother's smile and joined her on the couch she had been sitting on when Kallen had gotten home. As Kallen went over the details (honestly, no less) of her day, her mother remembered the story of her own youth and hoped the Kallen's tale would end more happily than her own had. Though she did remind herself that she still had Kallen, which was the most important thing.
A short time later the pair bid each other oyasumi and Kallen greeted the end of a long day.
However, her relaxed mood was short lived. As she walked into the kitchen the next morning, ready to grab her breakfast and head out the door, she was forced to stop in the doorway and ponder a head of blonde hair above the filled form of an Ashford Academy boy's uniform. The hour had dulled her anger reflex and she instead took to confusion in its stead. She spoke to her mother who was politely conversing with the young man at the table, "Um, Mom," she pointed at the back of Gino's head as he turned to her, "what's Gino doing here?"
Her mother smiled pleasantly, "Oh, Gino wanted to walk you to school today. Isn't that lovely?" The unspoken edict given was, 'Be nice.'
Kallen was about to reply, but Gino felt that it was best to formally greet his friend (before she had a chance to cause her mother any trouble), "Good Morning, I hope I'm not being too much of a bother." He thought it best to make himself the target of her aggression; after all, he did enjoy getting her worked up.
Gino was to be disappointed however, as Kallen found that retaliation came second to keeping her mother happy and content, for more than one reason. She motioned with her hand dismissively, "Oh don't worry about it. I guess I could use a little company." This was met with a nod of approval from her mother. "Well, let's get going." She grabbed her breakfast, led Gino to the door, and after reminding Gino that he had to switch his barrowed indoor shoes for his original pair, the two left for school.
As they walked along the streets of the newly renovated ex-ghetto, Kallen's annoyance at Gino's sudden appearance at her kitchen table began to show through, not that Gino had taken any interest in it. He seemed to be more interested in taking in the sights around him. She commented on this, saying, "What exactly are you looking at anyway, it isn't like we're in the richest part of town."
He stopped for a second. "Huh, oh, it's just that I haven't been to a neighborhood like this one. It's all mansions and parks where I'm from."
Kallen was wondering what to say next, but her attention was diverted by a man that walked by, muttering in aggravated Japanese. Kallen turned around and spoke to the man, "Hey, do you have something to say?"
He stopped and replied, still in Japanese, refusing to speak Britannian for Gino's benefit, "I said, 'Then why don't you go back to your fancy mansions?' Got a problem with that?"
"Actually I do. He's just looking around."
Switching now to Britannian, the man spoke to Gino, "Kid, get the hell out of here, for your own good."
Gino quirked an eyebrow, but before he could reply, Kallen did so for him. "Is that a threat?"
Gino placed a hand on her shoulder, not liking where the conversation was going. "It's ok, we should be going anyway."
Their aggressor had walked up to them by then. He pressed Kallen to heed Gino's recommendation, saying, "You should listen to your friend," he said this as if it were a curse, "and get out of here."
Kallen's eyes narrowed, not wanting to back down from the challenge. "Or what?"
Being a traditional, and very aggressive, Japanese man, he did not take well to such treatment by a girl. He raised his hand to strike Kallen, but before she could even move to stop him, Gino's hand moved from her shoulder to grab the offender's wrist. Once Kallen's momentary state of shock ended, she turned her head to look at Gino's face. In an instant, any doubt in her mind as to his worth as a warrior vanished. In the second that had passed since the fool had raised his hand, Gino's expression had emptied of his traditional mirth and joy, and now only showed a cool, analytical gaze, simultaneously reading his opponent's next move and insisting that he reconsider it.
Gino spoke a moment later, each word a warning, "Do not touch her."
As the man, now more shocked than Kallen had been and dissuaded from pursuing the subject further, hurriedly walked off mumbling more curses to himself; Kallen stood on the spot, blushing a bright red at having been defended in such a way.
Not looking at her, still with the cold, silent look on his face, he asked, "Are you all right?"
A veil of annoyance masked the near awe she felt, "Of course I am. You didn't have to barge in like that."
Gino breathed a sigh of what looked like relief (Kallen couldn't be sure), and returned to his usual irrepressibly cheerful self. "Sorry, I just can't stand it when someone stoops to hitting a girl."
Very real annoyance crept in at Gino's unintentional sexism, "You know I can take care of myself."
"Oh, sorry, guess it's a reflex of mine. Can you forgive me?" he said, mocking penitence.
"Whatever," came the apathetic reply, and they moved on; now without any worry of someone messing with them. As she walked, Kallen also noticed the presence of another feeling that was the result of Gino's reason for helping her, disappointment. Was she disappointed that she'd been lumped in with all the other 'girls' in Gino's mind? She dismissed that thought immediately; instead guessing that it was just because that meant he thought like most of the Britannians she knew and thought of women as fragile little flowers in need of protection.
The rest of the morning passed with little conversation of consequence between them, though Kallen caught herself on three separate occasions beginning to enjoy his company, each time making sure to remind herself how much of a jerk Gino was.
The pair did not see each other again until after classes, as they were in separate grades, when clubs were to meet. Gino had, to Kallen's continued irritation, showed up outside her classroom to walk her to the student council room. She could feel the rumors starting already; not that her clueless companion noticed. He apparently hadn't seen the bad side of normal schooling yet.
When they entered the student council room, Rivalz and Alec were already working. Alec had gotten his hands on their finance books, previously kept by Nina, and was going over her records. From his expression, he hadn't yet found anything of interest. Though Kallen guessed it would take a massive oversight on Nina's part to get Alec to be at all interested in the task. She wondered why he'd taken the job in the first place.
Rivalz greeted the two, "Hey guys, how's it going. I see you're getting along pretty well," the inference was obvious in his tone.
Kallen decided to let it go, as she didn't want a repeat of yesterday. Rivalz was getting far too good at breaking up any fight she aimed to start. "All right, I guess."
Gino added, sounding concerned with her passive attitude toward the events of the morning, "If you count nearly getting assaulted all right."
Rivalz eyebrow quirked, clearly asking Kallen to elaborate; while Alec cracked a curious smile, obviously amused at the thought of Kallen being 'assaulted.'
Kallen said, "Try not to make it sound worse than it was," then to the other two at the table, "Some jerk tried to mess with Gino when he was walking me to school today. When I told him to back off, he tried to hit me, it's no big deal."
Gino, obviously not agreeing with Kallen's assessment, dropped the subject and joined the group at the table.
Rivalz, however, took this as a lead-in into something he had been thinking about just prior to Kallen and Gino's entrance. "You know, that brings up a good point. Since Japan got its independence from Britannia, it seems like the Japanese are taking all their anger out on us."
Alec looked almost insulted by Rivalz's stating of the obvious. He said, in his usual flat and uncaring tone, "To most of them all Britannians are the same. Just like many of us think all of them are the same. Ethnocentrism runs rampant these days."
Rivalz, having correctly guessed what the word 'ethnocentrism' meant, continued, "Exactly, which is why we need something to help everyone understand each other better."
Kallen was suspicious. The previous student council president was known for big, extravagant, insane ideas, and she was guessing that Rivalz looked to continue that tradition. She had been dreading the day he'd announce the next Cross-dresser's Ball. "What exactly did you have in mind?"
"Well, there's nothing like a party to get everybody in a friendly mood, and it's about that time of year now; I say we have Ashford Academy's first Cultural Festival!" he emphasized these last words in the hope of having everyone else as excited as he was; and it seemed that they were, at least partially.
Kallen seconded the idea. "I like it; we actually had a few Japanese people show up for the last two school festivals, we might be able to get even more this time around."
Rivalz added to the train of thought, "It'll also be a good opportunity for us to teach the student body more about where they live. After all, we're Japanese now, aren't we? Speaking of which, Kallen, you know more about Japan than any of us. I think it's safe to say that you'll be chairman of the festival planning committee."
Kallen and Gino nodded in agreement, Alec, however, seemed lost in thought, staring forward as if he wasn't in the club room. The other three in the room watched him for a second, until he nearly induced a trio of heart attacks by beginning to speak. "There will be a number of considerations to make, and I think I can have a budget ready in," he paused and zoned out for a moment, "four days. Also, think about where we'll be putting the stage."
Everyone just stared, completely lost as to the meaning of his last statement. "For that bunch of morons everyone's been going on about," referring to a student band that had become known for putting on a show at any opportune moment, "They'll doubtlessly have some gaudy display planned."
The others accepted this explanation, as the one that had given it had suddenly found his previous task enthralling, and Kallen added to the list of suggestions saying, "Oh, and well need room for our giant oven."
Gino was first to reply, "Wait, you want to try that pizza thing again?"
Kallen smiled, remembering something, "Of course, a friend of mine would never forgive me if we stopped trying."
They continued fleshing out ideas until a good deal later, by which time their company had been reduced to just President and Vice President. As they left the school building, Rivalz stopped and voiced one the other concern that had been bothering him lately, "Hey Kallen, what is it about Gino that gets you so worked up. I mean, I've seen you guys work together fine, but when he says stuff to mess with you, it gets to you more than usual."
She stopped as well, sighed, and said without fully turning to her friend, "I'm not sure really. He's just so arrogant all the time. I can't stand guys like that."
"Kinda like Lelouch that way?" He was smiling at the insinuation.
Kallen bristled at the comparison, "He's not like Lelouch at all. Lelouch was... he was different." She looked away, the lingering sadness clear on her face.
"Geez, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."
"I know, and maybe he does remind me a little." She smiled despite her mood. "Or maybe it's just because he's always so damned happy."
Rivalz showed a remarkable amount of insight, saying, "And you don't want to catch any of it." Kallen laughed a little under her breath as sign of agreement. Rivalz continued, "Are you sure you're not trying to keep from liking him?"
The previous subject dulled her retaliation, making it more a statement about herself than anything, "I don't think that's even possible. Besides he's just another stuck up noble to me." She sighed and was about to continue but Rivalz cut her off, sensing that he wasn't getting any farther with her tonight.
"Is it one of those reasons why you hate Britannians?" he started laughing and ran ahead to dodge the imminent counterattack.
Later, she stood at her window at home, already dressed for bed and having turned out the light, just watching the moon. Her thoughts drifted back to her short conversation with Rivalz, when he had said that she might be starting to like Gino. That was impossible, of course. The only person she'd ever felt that way for was dead now, and she was sure she would never feel the same way again. Gino's face never begged her for comfort, he never had even seemed like he needed anyone or felt lonely and abandoned, he hadn't masterfully woven their fates together, making her feel like she was essential to his survival. He hadn't made her feel a dozen different things at once, or confused her with every little thing he did. Well, she reminded herself, except when he acted like some kind of knight in shining armor when he came to her aid. He should have known that she could take care of herself. And why did he sound like he was angry at that guy for trying to hit her, specifically. Normally, she guessed that he would've just made some smart remark and let the guy go. Gino was actually angry, she was sure of it. She remembered that he'd made her feel a few different things when he did that. She'd been awestruck, something very few people had managed, and they'd all done much bigger things. Then, even though she was annoyed at him for being sexist, she'd been sad that he thought of her as just another girl. Then there was that joke he played on her a couple nights ago, she didn't even want to think about that, it made her nervous just thinking about it.
That didn't change the fact, though, that things were different between Gino and her than they'd been with Lelouch. Gino never made her feel bad, with the exception of anger. He didn't make her sad by repeatedly almost getting himself killed. He'd been the only one to avoid even suggesting the possibility when everyone else around them thought they might all be walking to their deaths. Things weren't complex with Gino, he was just happy being around his friends. He made her feel happy about that too. It was completely different than how things felt with Lelouch.
She laughed to herself, berating herself for comparing Gino to Lelouch, there wasn't any comparison, there never would be. She found herself hoping that she'd wake up to find Gino smiling like an idiot at her kitchen table. She'd love to see him and whack him good for making her think about him so much. The smile left her face as she noticed a familiar ache began to settle in her chest. She'd love to see him.