Disclaimer: All claims to Geass belong to Sunrise, Bandai, etc.
A.N. Again, sorry for the long wait. With my life returning to something like normal, I should be able to get into a good groove again. Without further dithering and excuse-making I give you...
Ch 4: Changes
Two men, former nobility both, now sat alone with little in the way of illumination between them. In days past, this darkness would have suited them for the simple reason that darkness meant they could do as they wished without the annoying consequences of breaking the appearance of morality. In the heyday of the empire, not so long past but an eternity ago for these two, the empire was run from rooms much like this. Favors traded, deals made, real business conducted from these shadows they now took refuge in. This day, darkness protected them from the harsh reality that they were now little more than common citizens. This pain was assuaged by their still considerable fortunes, but for the first time, money was not the point; nor power even, as there was still much of that to be had. That game would never end. No, what drove these men to the frigid comfort of the darkness, demons without and within very much on their heels, was a much less concrete thing, something one could not complain of losing in daylight without seeming weak; this was a matter of pride.
These two men had lost their pride. Their lineage had been their pride, the reason they could hold their heads high, even in the company of the upstarts that, every day, worked to overcome them; for at night, in said upstart's private corner of the shadows, they would realize that they would never have that one thing that elevated some above all those without, lineage. Now, that pride had been stripped from them, snatched from their grasp as an heirloom from a child's hand, by one cloaked in that highest and most revered of stations. Now, the demon's, he who had walked in both shadow and light, his sister held their pride above their heads, just out of reach while she, alone, retained that which was hers.
These two simple representatives of their noble class, wrapped as they were, in their dark blanket, did not hate her; for hate was unbecoming nobility.
A world away, the students of Ashford academy worked away in the sunshine, finishing their booths and exhibits. As those around her continued their preparations, Kallen felt a great of pride for her fellow students. For the first time, she saw many of them working closely with the Japanese staff they had, until recently, only been simple acquaintances of, if that.
This change, much like certain others, was coming on gradually as the two weeks before the festival began to go by.
Less poignant, in some ways, was Kallen's struggle with the suggestion Alec had made. A few days after her stay at Alec's, she finally decided to take his advice. She had tried to offhandedly inquire about the one spare room their home had, but her mother had quickly wrested the details out of her and had, with a very motherly smile, agreed to let Gino move in. This had turned out to be the easy part.
With Aria and Clarice behind her, she found herself watching Gino from around a corner, preparing to ask him a question she wasn't going to think about until she asked it.
Aria echoed something Kallen had been thinking earlier, "What's got you so nervous? You're acting like a girl." Her tone suggested that her jibe should only be taken as an insult by one not accustomed to doing so.
Well, echoed up until the second sentence. Aria's casual insults were a bit annoying, but Kallen was getting used to it. From what Clarice said, it meant Aria liked her. Kallen wasn't sure if she liked Aria back yet. Clarice, however, was a different story. In the couple days since Gino 'introduced' them, he'd reflexively given in to the formality; Kallen had grown to like the girl. Clarice was more reserved that she'd originally guessed, but she was also a very nice person to be around and, in the right company, was more than sociable.
"Don't you guys think it's weird for a girl to ask a guy to live with her? We're not even dating."
The two girls looked a bit confused and Clarice was the one to speak to this. "No' really. We've lived wif Mi'el for a lon' time. I's never been weir'."
"I guess I'm asking the wrong people." She turned around the corner again to look Gino's way. He had taken to greeting her every morning when she got to school, something Kallen was beginning to enjoy now that the awkwardness of her feelings had begun to subside. She'd managed to dodge him this morning after having stayed over with Clarice and Aria, as Britannian history was far from their strong suit, and as such had arrived sooner than she normally would have.
Aria gave a soft but insistent tug on Kallen's shoulder to turn her around again. "Kallen don't worry so much, this isn't life or death. Just ask him, come up with some excuse, and he'll be none the wiser." She gave Kallen a reassuring smile, then added in a purely conversational tone, with no trace of the inference she was making, "Besides, I'm sure he's just itching for the chance to be close to your bed come nighttime."
This had been the other thing Clarice had explained to Kallen about her sister. Aria had severe problems with personal space, mostly in the sense that she was completely baffled when it came to said concept. To hear Clarice speak about it, it wasn't that Aria was a pervert or that she liked offending people, she just didn't understand how the subject could possibly be offensive.
In light of this, Kallen just chose to ignore her comment. She'd gotten used to Gino's playful and, sad as she was to remind herself, joking advances, so why not Aria's? Aria was also right; she didn't have anything legitimate to worry about; except making a fool of herself. However, from the way Kallen looked at it, she was a fool for having these feelings, so why worry about making it a little worse? She steeled herself for what she was about to do and gave her friends a smile. "Ok, let's go for it."
As she left the two bid her good luck.
Gino soon caught sight of her and started walking over to her. "Hey Kallen," he began once he was in earshot, "Where've you been?"
The rhetorical question she'd asked herself a moment ago rendered her surprisingly capable of speech. "I spent the night at Seth's with Aria and Clarice, so I got here a little late," she decided to account for her time lurking around the corner by pleading lateness.
"Oh yeah, I remember Clarice mentioning something like that, I think..." he scratched his head a moment, sorting out what Clarice had said quickly in passing the day before. He was still getting used to the 'Yor sure' accent.
Kallen laughed a bit in return, and decided it'd be best to get her business out of the way quickly. "Hey, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, go right ahead," he said, looking a bit confused.
"Well, it's just me and my mom living at my house, and we've got this extra room. I was wondering if you'd want it." She managed to sound decently casual, despite the butterflies flitting about in her stomach.
Gino took a moment to process the statement she just 'asked.' "Do you want me to move in with you?"
The unintentional inference left Kallen a bit disoriented. He hurriedly tried to explain in as conversational a tone as she could manage, despite her embarrassment, "It's not like that. I just wondered if you'd like our spare room, that's all. I mean it must be kind of lonely living by yourself in the dorms, I thought you might like the company. You don't have to; it's not a big deal or anything. Forget I asked."
"No, I'd love to."
"Huh?" She just stood there, her success not quite registering.
"I think it's a great idea. I have to ask permission first, I was stationed at Ashford, but I'd love to. I'll call right now and let you know after school. I'll see you later." He dashed off to a less crowded area.
Kallen managed a quiet, "Ok," and stood for a few moments, not sure of what had just happened.
After telling her friends how it went, in small monosyllabic responses, Kallen spent the rest of the day thinking of what she was going to do now that she'd asked Gino to stay at her house. Alec's prediction kept her from worrying if he'd get permission to do so, as she was beginning to trust said predictions, so she was unsurprised when a grinning Gino asked if she'd help him move his things to his new room. After their work for the festival was done for the day, there was a car waiting for them at the front gate, courtesy of "Master Alec," to assist them.
Following an awkward, at least for Kallen, dinner, one in which Gino displayed an unexpected grasp of Japanese etiquette; the pair found themselves heading to Gino's room to get him settled in. Though this was not before Kallen's mother insisted that they keep his door open. Gino didn't get to see Kallen cheeks turn the same color as her hair.
"I have to admit, I never thought I'd end up here." Gino said, walking over to his new window while Kallen entered the room and leaned against the wall next to the door. Gino thought about what he'd just said for a moment and thought he should clarify, lest he invoke Kallen's wrath. "I mean here at your house," he laughed nervously for a moment. When he looked back to Kallen, however, her face was devoid of her usual annoyance.
"I know what you meant," she said, eyes not quite meeting his.
"Hey, come on now. I didn't accept the offer to watch you sulk all night." He walked over to his bed, sat down, and patted the mattress next to him.
Kallen eyed him suspiciously. "Don't even think of trying anything."
"There's the Kallen I know. Relax; you know I'm a perfect gentleman."
Kallen had to laugh a bit at that.
"See, that wasn't so hard, was it? Now come here and have a seat."
Which she did; however, the ability to speak would not come so easily. Sitting with Gino alone, on his bed, no less, left her heart racing as much as battle ever had. As much as any of those moments with Lelouch had, and she'd been in fairly compromising positions for more than one. Yet here she was, crushing on the boy next to her like some schoolgirl. The thought drove her nuts.
Gino looked into her eyes, giving her his usual smile and asked in a conversational tone, "Why so quiet tonight? It's not like you."
"Well, I just don't have anything to say." A bald-faced lie, but at least he wouldn't notice.
"Really, that's surprising."
His tendency to be blunt was getting on her nerves, but with her nerves in the state they were in, she barely noticed the unintentional insult. She grasped for something to talk about, "Well... I was wondering where you learned Japanese customs."
"Oh," he broke eye contact and said with a touch of uncertainty creeping into his voice, "We had a... servant... in one of our homes in Area Eleven that taught me. I still remember some of the Japanese she taught me too."
"Did your parents approve of that?" Her own father never cared for her learning anything about Japan.
His expression took on a melancholic tone, "No, they didn't."
"Yeah, I know how that is. How did you get away with it?" she ventured, not wanting to pry, but being interested all the same.
"In the end I didn't. We didn't say anything to my family for a while, but I convinced her that we should be open about it. I... I never saw her again." He looked sad for a few moments; the unspoken story behind his words all too clear to Kallen. She wished she hadn't asked. He soon recovered and tried to pass it off, "But that was a long time ago."
"I'm sorry." On the surface, she had just meant to apologize for was bringing up a painful subject. However, she felt that she meant it in a much more important way. This new side of the Britannian knight was the last thing needed to show her that Gino had never been just another Britannian, that he was just a person, just like her. She cursed herself for assuming he'd never felt what it was like to suffer because of Britannian bigotry. Most of all, however, she hated herself for assuming he couldn't care about someone that wasn't Britannian. She'd been something of a bigot to Gino, and she wished she could say as much, despite her inability to manage more than a meager 'I'm sorry.'
Gino, however, remained blissfully ignorant of how much his story had affected her. "Don't worry about so much Kallen. Like I said it was a long time ago. There's no reason for you to be sad on my account."
"I'm not sad, I'm angry. I'm angry that your family's racism ruined your relationship with her. I'm angry, I'm angry because... because I'm doing the same thing." She couldn't hide the tear that loosed itself from her eye, regardless of her best efforts to stop it. "I'm sorry, Gino."
"Woah, slow down," he said plaintively, "I don't remember you hurting me in any way. You just don't like Britannians right?"
She realized he was right about not liking Britannians, but this was far from making her feel better. This also when she remembered what Gino had clearly forgot. As calmly as possible, she reminded him, "What about those times I tried to kill you? Remember those?"
"Oh right. I suppose I forgot."
This sapped of the last vestiges of self control she had left. She found herself standing, outright yelling, "You forgot? If Suzaku hadn't interrupted us, I would've killed you over Tokyo that night. I wouldn't have even felt that bad about it. It might've just been a game to you, but it was real for me. I thought you were just some Britannian knight. I would've killed you just because you were Britannian. I'd even met you before, and I was still going to kill you as if you were some faceless Knightmare pilot." She stood silently, not able to look at Gino, the guilt she felt for all the people she'd killed without pause threatening to overwhelm her. A lump formed in her throat as she told herself that there was no way that she was going to cry.
Gino, sensing that the time for words had long since passed, stood slowly and held Kallen to his chest as her composure left her. The pair stood for several minutes as Kallen let her soul flow out onto Gino's shirt until she could continue no longer. Gino took this as his cue to speak up. He spoke softly, "Don't worry so much. Not that I think you should need it, but I forgave you before you even took a shot at me." She looked up into his smiling eyes, seeing that they had shed a tear or two, and she began to sob once more.
A few hugs and assurances later, Gino helped Kallen to bed, but was stopped in the hallway by Kallen's mother. "Oh, Kozuki-san, don't worry, I was just saying goodnight."
She responded with her mother-smile. "I know, and thank you, Gino. I think that's been a long time coming and I'm happy to see that Kallen finally has someone that she can talk to. I know she appreciates it as well, even though she doesn't always say so."
"Thanks, I'm glad I have someone like that too."
She nodded and turned to leave, "Goodnight Gino."
"Goodnight Kozuki-san."
"You can call me mom if you'd like," she said looking over her shoulder before heading off to her room, eliciting a nervous chuckle from Gino, getting the inference.
As Gino returned to his, he thought to himself that he hoped Kallen would know how much having her friendship meant to him, too.
The next evening, as rain fell on Tokyo and Kallen gave a less than detailed account to her new girl friends, Milly began her evening news report. She had gotten used to delivering bad news, especially following the Second Battle of Tokyo, but it was no more pleasant now than ever.
After delivering her customary greeting of her viewers, she delved into her first, and most troubling, story of the evening. "Earlier today, Tokyo metropolitan police were forced to disperse a crowd when violence broke out at a civil rights demonstration aimed at achieving equal opportunity at a prominent Britannian investment firm. Officials are uncertain as to who or what sparked the outbreak. Six people, all Britannian, were harmed in the outbreak, two of whom or listed in serious condition. No arrests have been made in connection with the incident. The Tokyo police would appreciate any information our viewers may have."
Later on, after she had finished for the evening, she looked back on what few details she'd been given about the violence that had transpired earlier in the day. From what she'd seen during her time as a reporter, the police, for the most part, were more than proficient at their job but had yet to even piece together a basic timeline of events. Even though it was unlikely for them to ever find the direct cause of the small scale riot, they could've at least, from witness testimony, gotten a decent idea. This inherently meant one of two things; either the riot was intentionally started (unlikely given Japan's political climate, Ohgi had managed to keep a firm hand on the police) or the police had determined that the incident was caused by the Japanese at the demonstration and the media were to cover it up so that the public would assume that the Britannians had provoked the reaction. This way, the incident would give power to the various anti-Britannian movements currently in operation. The Prime Minister could keep the police from starting anything with the Britannians, but he was hard pressed to get them to portray Britannians in anything but a negative light, and Milly's bosses weren't making the situation any better.
She decided on the latter, having much more evidence in its favor than her other theory. While it was not the most solid conclusion, it was at least something to go on; the rest was up to her copious meddling skills.
The evening had one more unpleasant surprise waiting for her. As she left her dressing-room, hoping to make it to the hospital the injured Britannians rested in before visiting hours ended, the director called her over.
"Milly-chan, I have some bad news," his insincere tone clearly stating he did not find the news unpleasant in the slightest.
She laughed, attempting to keep the mood light. "I don't think I can handle much more of that tonight."
"Sorry, Milly-chan, but the higher ups say that you're just not bringing in the audience we want, so we're going to have to go with someone else on the evening report. We're trying to find a more suitable slot for you, so we'll let you know."
After a few more pleasantries and unfelt apologies, Milly found herself walking the streets of the media district with rapidly disappearing career prospects. Her mood, however, was not one of anxiety, or even, one of anger; only that of annoyance. She had seen this coming for some time, after the Britannian network executives left the country in a hurry and she quickly became the only Britannian left at the network. The only reason she'd lasted as long as she had was the following she'd picked up beforehand, but with anti-Britannian sentiment at an all time high and the execs looking to move to an all Japanese language format, her getting fired was inevitable.
Despite this, she still had her press-pass for the time being and that was all she needed. She boarded a train to the hospital. It was going to be a long night.
The following day, the news of anti-Britannian violence had the whole of Ashford academy on edge. The preparation for the festival continued and had found a new sense of purpose; bringing Britannian and Japanese together before things got any worse. To the student council's surprise, this only brought the students and the Japanese assisting with preparations closer together; with only a few suspicious glances from one side to the other.
Kallen walked toward the council room after having been held up trying to get Tamaki, Sugiyama, and Minami settled in the stall they would be using for the festival. Minami and Sugiyama had been easy to convince but, naturally, Tamaki was still being difficult. However, his attitude toward participating in a Britannian school's festival was getting to her more than it should. In the past, Tamaki had been, at most, an annoyance, but now his distaste for Britannians was beginning to make her outright angry. She decided that the reason for this was the new perspective she was observing the situation from. She was accustomed to agreeing with him even though his way of stating his points was less than intelligent. Since her 'talk' with Gino, she noticed that almost every bit of Tamaki's reasoning was blind prejudice. She decided she give him the benefit of the doubt for now as he'd watched many of his friends get killed by Britannians and, if his stories were to be believed, the Britannians hadn't ever been kind to him, so he deserved patience at least. Besides, she figured that five minutes with Seth and a bottle of sake would change his opinion, even if he would never admit it.
She also reflected on how her walk to school had been different than usual. The previous morning, she and Gino had been met with wary acceptance, no one wanting to cause trouble with Gino after what happened to the last person to try. Earlier that day however, she and Gino had been treated like normal people, rather than as outcasts. Their neighbors had made it clear that they didn't approve of what the protestors the day before had done and one of the ladies that had stopped to talk to them went so far as to refer to Gino as a nice boy. High praise from someone Kallen had previously heard profess a hatred of all things Britannian. Kallen was sure her mother, and her mother's newly found big mouth when talking about Kallen, had been responsible for this change of heart, and the small riot had put everyone on edge just enough to want to get their opinion out in the open.
Her good mood was further improved when she opened the door to the club room and found a familiar, but unexpected face among her friends.
"Hi Kallen, long time no see." Milly waved to her from where she had taken a seat on the table between Rivalz's and Gino's seats. Alec had taken a seat at the table end closest to the door.
"Yeah, it's been a while. Don't you have to be at work though?"
"Nope, they got rid of me. Don't worry though, you know me. I'll get by." Her face took on a more serious character. "Now that everyone's here, I found out what happened yesterday."
Gino offered his assessment, "Let me guess, one of the Japanese protesters started it."
"Bingo. That was the reason we couldn't even get a theory out of the police on how it started."
"Are we looking at a conspiracy? The Japanese don't have a reason to hurt Britannians now."
"If it only were that easy. I made calls to everyone that might have a hand in this and even through their attempts to keep me out of their business, I could tell they had no idea this was coming. After talking to one of the men injured by the mob, I think this was just an accident. The man I talked to said he was coming home from work and wanted to see how the protest was going. Apparently his wife had been denied employment by the company they were protesting against."
Rivalz spoke up, "I thought only Britannians were hurt."
"From what I can tell that's true." Rivalz offered an 'oh,' before Milly continued. "He said that after he asked one of the people in the crowd how things were going, a couple of others confronted him and told him to leave. As he was backing away, he slipped on a wet curb and fell forward into one of the men that were trying to get him to leave. It went downhill from there."
Alec spoke next, "Naturally, even though there's no official proof, the Britannian community will be in an outrage. My father has already made a formal complaint and many other will do the same shortly. It's only a matter of time before a Britannian group tries to exact revenge."
Kallen finished Alec's thought, "And from there it just gets worse."
Two nights later, a group of Britannian workers attacked a Japanese couple walking alone, leaving the man badly injured and his girlfriend in a coma. Details of the incident were kept to a minimum to forestall further retaliation.
It was under the threat of imminent mass violence that the Cultural Festival was forced to proceed. Despite this, one could barely notice the tension in the air as Rivalz officially declared the festival underway, speaking entirely in Japanese. It had taken Rivalz some time to memorize and even though it was hard to tell what the Britannians in attendance thought, the Japanese people in the audience at least got a good laugh from his horribly obvious Britannian accent.
Even Tamaki ended up in a good mood, thanks in no small part to, as Kallen had predicted, Seth. Music was the one thing from Britannia that Tamaki allowed himself to enjoy and Seth was more than happy to play some of his favorites.
After she left Tamaki and Seth to be as loud and energetic as they wanted, which was quickly making their booth one of the most popular, she caught a wisp of bright green hair turn a corner around one of the school buildings. It was not much longer before she caught up with its owner near the giant oven that would soon hold a giant pizza. That was, barring some misfortune. However, given that the only two Knightmare pilots in the vicinity were working together to create it and there weren't any masked revolutionaries currently enrolled, there was a decent chance they'd manage it this year.
"So, you decided to come after all," Kallen called out as she approached her old friend.
C.C. turned to face her, "Third time's the charm they say."
"I made sure that we'd have plenty of Tabasco, so you shouldn't have anything to complain about."
"We'll see about that," C.C. said smiling.
"Where've you been since... you know," using the vagary more for her sake than C.C.'s.
"Around. Though I did have a chance to speak with him."
Kallen's heart skipped a beat, "He's alive? How?"
That was the first time she'd ever seen C.C. look saddened by something. "He isn't."
"What do you mean by that? How could you talk to him if he was dead?" She was quickly getting angrier with each passing moment.
"I can't tell you," C.C. replied, resuming her usual defensive tone.
"Why not?"
"Because he doesn't want you involved with Geass any more than you already are. All he wanted me to do was give you a message. He wanted you to know that he doesn't regret what happened to him and that he's sorry for leaving you to finish what he started."
Kallen was forced to accept what she already knew Lelouch had wanted for her. "Sounds like him." She thought about what C.C. had said last, "What do you mean finish what he started?"
C.C. resumed her usual smug smile. "He said I should leave that up to you to figure out."
Kallen returned the smile, if not feeling it. "That sounds like something he'd say, too." She turned to leave, knowing she wouldn't get anything else out of the immortal. "Stay out of sight, some former Black Knights are here, I don't think it'd be good for you to get noticed. I'll get you some pizza when it's ready," she tossed over her shoulder as she walked away, knowing full well C.C. would be first in line to be served without a care for her safety and then vanish until the next time she felt like making an appearance.
Shortly after Kallen's meeting with the witch, said serving, the culmination of hours of Knightmare choreography sessions for both Gino and Kallen, was carried off without a problem. For once.
Having just finished enjoying a slice of the massive pizza her friends had made, Clarice sat listening to the radio backstage, waiting for Aria and the others to finish getting ready for the concert. She had somehow managed to be the first one into makeup and costume. Aria naturally would be in the dressing room for some time, always wanting to look her best, but Peter seemed to be as meticulous with his makeup and Seth was just being difficult; even though his makeup was little more than some work on his hair, a set of face paint whiskers, and a pair of black cat ears. She adjusted her own matching headband and continued tuning her guitar. She thought to herself about what she was about to do. She'd had plenty of stage experience in the last few months, but they'd all been small venues; nothing compared to the number of people she was about to perform in front of. Not to mention the outfit she'd be wearing. A shiver went up her bare back.
"Geez, Clarie, I can feel that from here," Michael said from behind her, clutching his arms to his chest and feigning a shiver of his own.
"Sorry, Uncle M, I can't help it."
Michael walked over to her and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Don' worry so much. Jus' pretend everybody's as almost naked as you are."
"You aren't helping." She held her guitar close, taking comfort from it.
Aria appeared in the doorway, making final adjustments to the bright pink bunny outfit she wore. "I can' believe I had t' get this thing's chest taken in. How big are Kallen's breasts anyway? Clarie, take a look, I'm not small am I?" She pushed her chest outward for Clarice to get a better look.
Seth, who had just entered the backstage area behind her, stopped, made an abrupt about-face while muttering an apology, and ran directly into Peter.
"You could try watching where you're going on occasion," Peter taunted.
"Hey, jus' 'cause women don't affect you doesn' mean we're all so unfortunate."
Peter just pushed past Seth toward the radio, listening intently as a news broadcast interrupted what Clarice had been listening to, the others followed suit.
"Following the rumored death of Kagazaki Mia-san, one of two people assaulted by a group of rouge Britannians several days ago, a large scale riot has broken out in the new Downtown region of Tokyo. Details are still scarce as police attempt to maintain order. We will continue to report as new information is available. To all citizens; please remain indoors and under no circumstances should you leave your homes."
Seth's dismay showed on his face. "Well, there goes our plans."
"No," Aria said quickly, "This just gives us more reason t' go on. Think aboud it for a second. What message do we send t' everyone if we just run 'n hide? No, the show must go on." With that, Aria strode out onto the main area of the stage, still hidden by the curtain; Peter and Michael, the dog and fox respectively, followed the pink rabbit to take their places.
Seth, however, walked to Clarice's side and held out a hand for her. "Commin' sis?"
She allowed herself to be lead on stage just as Rivalz finished introducing them. Clarice could hear him, slightly muffled by the curtain. "...They will be available for pictures shortly after the concert. Now, without further ado, here is Aria of Black Parade!"
As the curtain opened, Clarice got her first look at the crowd. Before her lay a small field packed with what must have been some hundreds of her fellow students and various passerby, all staring intently at everyone on the stage. She felt her panic flow through her and she clutched her guitar until the strings on the neck began to dig into her fingers.
Aria began a short introduction from Clarice's right. "Well everyone, looks like there's some trouble downtown. Looks like we're all in terrible danger once again. Let's show 'em this is nothing." This was met with a good deal of cheering and applause that did nothing to ease the knot in Clarice's stomach.
Seth and Peter started playing the almost generic intro to their opener and Aria tossed her final quip out, "We thought we'd start out with some normal Britannian stuff." She paused for a moment before adding, "Then we decided to play something interesting instead."
With the end of Aria's comment and her cue from Peter and Seth sounded, the signature notes of Kaidoku Funou flowed from Clarice's fingers and the rush of the performance blinded her to anything but the feeling of exhilaration and the music she drew from the strings.
At one edge of the audience some distance from the stage, Kallen listened to her new friends play. To her relief, even though most of the songs the group had performed so far had been in Japanese, those in attendance didn't seem to mind at all.
A quiet, almost unheard, voice spoke from behind her. "It's good to see that Ashford has come so far. Big brother would be happy to see this."
Kallen turned around to find a young girl in a wheelchair; it took a moment for Kallen to recognize her. "Nunnally?"
"We thought it would be a good idea to try to disguise ourselves this time," Nunnally said with a smile.
As Kallen looked her over, she noted the casual clothing, hair dyed a darker brown and tied back, and a pair of green contacts. She had also traded her personal wheelchair for something an everyday person could afford. Behind her stood someone whose face Kallen was certain she wouldn't see again.
"Not much of a disguise Suzaku."
Suzaku had opted for the jeans-and-t-shirt ensemble with an overcoat that Kallen could have sworn she'd seen before. He was wearing brown contacts to help make him less distinguishable from others of Japanese descent. She had a feeling that it was Nunnally who'd insisted on them.
"People think I'm dead, thanks to you. Also, it's Rei while I'm here." He maintained his usual scowl.
Kallen thought to herself that Suzaku could use some lessons in coming up with clever disguises. She'd managed to master combat and concealment; but, then, Suzaku's strength had never been in quick wit.
Kallen decided not to press the point. "So, what are you two doing here, anyway? Isn't it dangerous?"
In a conversational tone Nunnally replied, "There's nothing to worry about. Big brother Schneizel just finished his negotiations and I wanted to accompany him home. Besides, I haven't missed a festival yet."
A reply was halted by a hand clapped onto Kallen's shoulder. Turning around, Kallen found herself looking into Alec's eyes.
Before Kallen could ask what he was doing, he spoke. Anxiousness and hurry tinged his voice, "Forgive me for interrupting my Lady," He moved in front of Kallen and gave a slight formal bow, careful not to be noticed doing so by those nearby, occupied as they were by the concert, "I must speak to Kallen alone."
Before Nunnally could shake off the surprise of someone she'd never met recognizing her so quickly, Suzaku rounded the wheelchair and attempted to stare Alec down, his face mere centimeters from Alec's. "Who are you and how do you know the Empress?"
Alec's face took on the smug grin he wore when speaking to someone he thought beneath him. "I don't, but anyone with a brain can tell who you are, Kururugi."
Before Suzaku could loose the threat behind the snarl he'd assumed, Nunnally intervened. "Suzaku please," her knight backed down, "if this man was a threat, Kallen would have already stopped him."
Suzaku looked to Kallen, noticing the nonchalant stance she still assumed.
"I can tell you're just worried about Nunna, but there's no reason to get so worked up. She's safe here." She gave him the best reassurance smile she could. He was dense, but at least he was caring too.
Suzaku's shoulders relaxed. "Sorry," he said, the tone of his voice telling that his apology was sincere.
"I'm not so certain about that last point," Alec said, "but she'll be fine for now. Kallen, come with me." Having used a tone that left no argument, he strode off in the direction of a now empty school building.
Kallen turned to Nunnally and Suzaku, apologized, and promised to explain later before following him.
The inside of the school building was painted in reds and yellows by the setting sun and had deepened the shadows around them. As Kallen approached Alec, who was watching the crowd and listening to a just audible Black Parade as they continued outside, she called out to him, "If you're going to make some romantic attempt to confess your love to me, forget it." Her grin marked it as a jest, though her tone did not.
He turned to her and smirked, "I wouldn't dream of it; if I wanted you, you'd be bound to my bed." As an afterthought, he added, "And sedated; I haven't forgotten that punch you gave me."
An annoyed look took the place of any witty reply to the insinuation.
Alec continued, "No, I wanted to show you something, before I told you what you will be doing this evening. I doubt you'll trust my assessment otherwise." He reached up to remove his contact, hiding his eye in the process. He wasn't usually one for useless displays, but showmanship was something he respected and practiced whenever possible.
As he lowered his hand, revealing a glowing geass sigil, Kallen's response was echoed simultaneously by Alec.
"But there wasn't anything there!"
"'But there wasn't anything there.'" He paused a moment, letting it sink in and giving himself time to disable his geass. "I use this contact," which he replaced as he spoke, "in case I wish to use my geass in public, and in case my mind wanders to the future."
"You can see the future."
"Good to see you're paying attention."
"Where did you get that power from?" She looked around, almost expecting to see C.C. standing behind her.
"Not from the one you're thinking of. No, the other one, V.V.. I was one of his first contracts." He looked out the window at the students outside, their attention held rapt by the performers on stage. "However, unlike the others, I was smart enough to hide my usefulness. I gave V.V. false predictions, knowing he would either discard me... or simply kill me. Either way, I would not live as his slave. As it was, I became my father's slave, a lesser damnation, to preserve my own life. He was one of the order's investors and, as such, he was able to bargain for my life, provided he did not let me speak a word to an outsider." He noticed the apologetic look on Kallen's face; understanding beginning to dawn on her. "Spare me the pity," his grin returned, "I'm not the fragile fallen prince your Lelouch was, nor does my connection to geass trouble me. It's a tool, nothing more."
"You knew Lelouch had a geass?"
"I knew he was Zero before he did. Our goals were the same. My contract was to protect Britannia; his mission was to destroy it. The way I saw it, he could accomplished both, in one way or another, so I decided to let him work for both of us. Now that he's gone, I must do my part, by showing you yours."
Kallen braced herself for what she was sure would end the normal life she'd been enjoying, "Which is?"
"Tonight, a riot will ravage the city of Tokyo," he held up a hand to forestall Kallen's reaction, "Don't worry, everything will be fine, but the Empress will be forced to return to Britannia. You and Gino will go with her."
Her eyes narrowed with the implications. "I see. Anything else?"
"I try not to look too far into the future. Losing control was bad enough the first time around."
Kallen's surprise was evident. "You regained control of your geass?"
"I had to; otherwise I would have lost my ability to see the present. You'd be surprised what sheer will can do. A geass user only loses control if his geass is stronger than his will. I needed to see the present, so I forced my geass to do so."
They remained quiet for a minute, listening to their friends play; Alec not really wanting to speak, Kallen knowing that she would get nothing more from Alec or his vision. However, their relaxation was interrupted by an announcement from Rivalz too muffled to understand and a wave of panic washing over the audience.
Alec turned to Kallen, saying, "It's started. Get to the empress, Gino will already be there. Keep her safe. I'll make sure everything goes well here."
Despite her early opinion of Alec, she found herself trusting that reassurance.
By the time she got there, Gino was explaining the situation to Nunnally and Suzaku, just as she'd expected. Nunnally was the first to notice Kallen's approach.
Fearfully, she asked, "Kallen, do you know anything more about what's happening?"
"I'm sure Gino's told you more than I know. We need to get out of here. Suzaku, what's the plan?" she asked, knowing full well that there would be a contingency plan in place should something go wrong.
"There's an armored car waiting for us, this way." He motioned with his hands before moving Nunnally in said direction.
Before joining them, Gino grabbed Kallen's arm. "Are you sure you want to help us, what about the students?" concern throughout his voice.
"Don't worry, Alec said he'd have everything under control. Besides, I couldn't live with myself if I wasn't there to help you."
Gino nodded and the two ran after Suzaku.
Across the lawn, Rivalz finished giving instructions to the students. Despite the fear gnawing at his insides, he kept himself under control. "Aria, I need you guys to go inside too. I don't want anyone getting hurt."
"To hell with that, we're not going anywhere." She chuckled, "and neither are they." She pointed behind Rivalz.
He turned and saw a group of students and many others, including a less than pleased former council president, all looking to him, clearly expressing the same sentiment Aria had just given voice to.
Aria said from behind him, "I think they're waiting for you to actually lead them, Mr. President."
Milly spoke up from in front of the stage, looking up at Rivalz, "Just give the order prez, we'll keep the school safe."
"I can't ask you to risk your lives, I won't."
A Japanese man, who Kallen had introduced as Tamaki, pushed his way to the forefront. He gave an annoyed grunt and said, "You think I came here and help out just to get scared off by a bunch of angry morons?" The crowd gave a cheer to sound their agreement. "I don't take orders from Britannians, but if you ask nice I might help out."
"We aren't leaving." Milly said, putting an end to discussion.
Rivalz, never one to disobey Milly, nodded and walked back to the microphone. Taking a moment to look over those gathered, he shouted into the microphone, "All right then, we'll be the first and last thing standing between that mob and the school." He pointed in the direction of the school gates, the one easy access point to the grounds. "Everyone line up in front of the gate, whatever happens, don't move; even if they do." This last was spoken quietly, with a seriousness that gave concern to those who knew the usually upbeat young man.
As Rivalz positioned himself in front of the line of students, a large group of rioters came into sight coming from both directions along the street. Inside, Rivalz felt his resolve begin to fade. His years of being a coward or utterly useless began to catch up with him. He could feel his hands shake and his knees felt like they were about to cave in. He shut his eyes, trying to block out the murmuring of his doubts and the screaming of his own instincts begging him to run. Just when he was about to consider it, he felt a hand slip into his. His eyes flashed open to find Milly standing next to him. She said nothing, but the nervous shake of her hand said everything. They looked into one another's eyes for a moment, before Milly freed her hand, raised the small mic in her other hand, and gave him a quick smile before stepping away to begin speaking to the one camera and cameraman she had brought along with her. As she began informing those that would undoubtably be watching, Rivalz vowed he would stand his ground as long as he could.
While listening to Milly's continued narration of the scene, Rivalz watched as the mobs from both sides converge and come to a stop. Men and women alike, all Japanese, composed the angry mass. Many held hastily made signs wishing death, and worse, to Britannia. Some had even found time to gather makeshift torches. Far too many carried improvised weapons. All stared daggers at Rivalz. He was now the Britannian standing in their way.
A single man stepped out from the crowd, "Move Britannian," he commanded, "Get out of our way and we'll let you live."
From somewhere deep inside, deeper even than the fear overwhelming his senses, came a single word. Lowering his head and shutting his eyes once more, Rivalz said simply, "No."
Furious confusion suffused the man's face. "What?" He screamed and grabbed hold of Rivalz's shirt, forcing Rivalz to look straight into his eyes.
Now I've done it. Rivalz thought to himself. He cursed himself for his suicidal tendencies and raised his head. A smile crept across his features and resignation settled into his eyes. His tone was almost conversational, "No," he reiterated, "We won't move. All of us are Japanese now." He searched his mind for what would likely be his last words and came up with a phrase Kallen's mother had taught him only a day ago. His eyes took on a defiant a character that gave him a look that, he hoped, left him looking much like his friend Lelouch would at a time like this. "Boku-tachi wa Nihonjin." The next thing Rivalz knew was intense pain, as the man's free hand, clenched into a fist, crashed into Rivalz cheek, dropping him to his knees.
There was an outcry from those guarding the school, but as everyone moved to begin fighting, Rivalz yelled at the top of his lungs "Stop!", halting his side in their tracks as the mob waited for the final justification they needed to overrun the school. "Everyone back to their places, I'm not letting this turn into another war," he said, his smile now gone. He stood up and wavered for a moment before finding a guardian bunny holding him up. He spoke now to the rioters, looking each in the eyes as he did, his tone one of a leader, stern and commanding, "I know we Britannians have caused you to suffer. I know there's nothing we can do to make up for it. But what is killing innocent students going to do? How is our suffering going to bring back those who are gone? Look behind you," he gestured with his free hand, indicating the massive FLEIJA crater behind the transparent wall that now surrounded it. "The last time a battle was fought here, millions of us died; Britannian and Japanese alike. Do you want that to happen again? How many more lives have to be sacrificed before we have peace? Didn't Lelouch's pointless war teach us anything?"
It was at that moment that Rivalz understood everything Lelouch had done and the sacrifice he had made. Biting back tears for his lost friend, one he knew to be every bit the friend he thought Lelouch had been, he continued, "If we don't stop this here and now, we'll never stop. We won't stop until all of Japan is destroyed. If you won't stop for our sake, do it for Japan. You worked so long to obtain peace, don't throw it all away." His voice had turned from stern and controlled, to a pleading tone as he begged the people of Japan not to end the peace Lelouch had given his life for.
As Rivalz looked into the crowd, he could see his plea for peace had worked its way into the more reasonable of those assembled.
"If you want, we can stay out of your way, but wouldn't it be better for all of us if we worked together for Japan's sake?" He turned his gaze to the ground and turned his back to the mob. "That's all I'll say, keep going or leave, I won't stop you."
Some moved to advanced, but were stopped by their peers. The riot's momentum sufficiently lessened, reason returned to those standing in front of the school.
His back still to the former rioters, Rivalz allowed himself a sigh of relief and relaxed slightly into the shoulder holding him up.
As night settled over the city of Tokyo, Kallen and Gino sat together on a plane bound for New Pendragon. On their way, Kallen had informed her mother of the circumstances and told her not to worry. Her mother, while understandably concerned, had accepted that Kallen was needed and had promised not to worry. Too much.
Now, as she fidgeted in her chair, she began to consider her own troubles. The biggest one being that she had no idea as to what would await her once they arrived in Britannia. What good would she be to anyone except as a bodyguard for Nunnally? Was that what Lelouch had meant; did he want her to keep Nunnally safe? Even then, Nunnally already had Suzaku and what little was left of the Knights of the Round. She didn't know anything about Britannian politics, which was inevitably what she would have to deal with. At least Gino would have some clue.
Which raised another point; here she was flying across the ocean with the object of her affections to someplace she'd never been before and, even though she would be relying on him the whole way, she still didn't know how he felt about her.
Gino looked over at her and inquired, "Something wrong? You can't sit still."
Even though she knew better, she replied, "Nothing really," if only to get him to insist.
"Come on, I know when something's getting to you. If you're worried about something, let me know."
"It's not important."
"It is to me," he said matter-of-factly, looking into her eyes.
As her heart skipped a beat, she thought that just maybe, there might be a reason to ask after all. Her cheeks a light pink, she began as calmly as possible, "Well, when we get to Britannia, I'll be counting on you a lot. Don't get me wrong, I trust you; but I have to know what kind of relationship we have." She immediately realized her slip and hoped Gino hadn't noticed.
Gino was clearly surprised by the question and took a moment to think about it. After a short time, he smiled warmly and answered, "You're my best friend Kallen. What else would you be after all this?"
For a moment she thought her heart had stopped completely.
Author's P.S. It's good to be getting on to the meat of the story, but I can't make any promises on the time table for the next chapter. However, that's only because I might start working on other projects, so I'll be around. Let me know how you liked this so far.