C.C. shifted. She was unrestrained. Kallen's attention was on driving, and evidently felt C.C. was nonthreatening. After pausing to reflect, C.C. recognized Kallen was right. Kallen was tied with Suzaku for greatest living knightmare pilot, and C.C. suspected that if they had ever faced one another, Kallen would have narrowly won, although somehow each would think they'd lost. C.C. mused it was possible nothing would ever threaten Kallen again.

The question became: where was Kallen taking her?

Two years earlier:

"N... ...n." It was Lelouch's voice. He was saying something important. It was recent, Kallen recognized. It was from when he was outed as Zero. Maybe a few hours earlier. Maybe a few days earlier than that at most.

"Take care of C.C., and n... ...n."

Kallen awoke with another headache. She felt something wet on her stomach. She looked down. It was drool. Kallen looked up. C.C. was the source of the drool. She had snuck into Kallen's bed again. From carrying the mind of a twelve year old with nightmares, this made sense. From carrying an adult body, this was awkward.

The eye drops weren't helping. The aspirin wasn't helping. The headaches were getting worse. Kallen sighed and went back to sleep. Next morning they would talk.

"C.C." Kallen began, and C.C. stiffened. Kallen paused, then said C.C.'s name gently. C.C. relaxed. "There's something I need to tell you. I'm sure you noticed some... changes recently, ever since you met Lelouch."

Kallen paused. She wondered how to explain someone had lost centuries of memories.

"You mean how I'm an adult now? How you and Lelouch already knew me?"

Kallen stared blankly. Never underestimate the sharpness of a child's mind.

"And how everyone here thinks I was Lelouch's mistress."

Kallen grimaced. She felt as though she was being devoured by insects. Wait.

"Could you tell me... about me?"

Kallen hesitated, but concluded it was C.C.'s right. She told her about the woman who saved her life in Shinjuku. She left out the sight of C.C.'s corpse. She mentioned the cave where C.C. and Lelouch were together, and how C.C. had known his identity before Kallen. She left out any reference to Geass. But mostly, she told her about the year they'd been working together.

Then Kallen realized C.C.'s face had been getting closer. C.C. leaned in and started to tilt her head. Kallen started to close her eyes. The PA system went off. Kallen jolted back, stood upright, and blushed profusely. In that order.

"Oh, uh, there's a meeting I have to get to," Kallen left C.C. flabbergasted.

Kallen wasn't much good in the meeting. There was something of a power struggle in Britannia, but Kallen wasn't listening. Between her mind juggling the ethics of kissing a girl with amnesia and a skull splitting headache, it was as if she weren't there. Also, she felt she was forgetting something important.

"N... ...again."

After the meeting Chiba approached her. She looked concerned.

"You alright?" Chiba asked.

"You have nightmares where you are devoured by insects," Kallen said.

"What?" Chiba recoiled.

"Crawling all over your body," Kallen leaned in.

"Jesus, Kallen, quit being so morbid," Chiba said.

"Chewing at your eyes," Kallen brought her face close.

"Stop it!" Chiba pushed Kallen away. Kallen realized she was crying.

"Oh god, sorry," Kallen had been saying that a lot recently. "I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me."

"It's, it's alright," Chiba said. "Just don't ever talk about that again."

Kallen's headache came back. She returned to her room. She took some aspirin. And some eye drops. And a cold compress.

"Never... ...again." Damn it, what was he saying?

Kallen sighed. Her mind wasn't really in it today.

"May I kiss you?" That got Kallen's attention. The suddenness with which she looked at her caused C.C. to jump.

"I-I know we're both girls, but... but they didn't seem to..." C.C. trailed off, blushing. She gestured to several graphic novels.

Kallen's mind blanked. She didn't think C.C. could read. Then she thought a moment. Literacy was optional.

"U-unless you don't want to," C.C. amended.

"It's ah, it's not that I don't want to," Kallen couldn't resist the urge to grin for some reason. "It's just that, ah FUCK!" Kallen clutched her skull. It was like a hangover having sex with a marching band.

"I'll get some water," C.C. sprang up. Kallen grabbed her wrist.

"Wait."

Kallen rose. She put a hand on C.C.'s side, and a hand on her cheek.

"Once when we were together, when you thought I was asleep," Kallen said.

C.C. closed her eyes, and Kallen kissed her.

Then Kallen remembered.

"Never use your Geass again." It was an order. A command. A Geass. They erased one so they could add another.

She pulled back.

"I have a Geass?"

"Kallen, you're eye is glowing," Kallen and C.C. started clutching their eyes. It was an excruciating experience, and then it was over.

"What was that?" Kallen asked quietly.

"Kallen," C.C.'s voice seemed deeper almost. Kallen was about to say something when she heard a scream.

Kallen opened the door. She saw blood covering the walls. She saw a figure spasm in agony. It clutched its face.

"Chiba?"

For an instant, Kallen saw a black cloud enveloping the body. Then it was gone. Then it was quiet. Then the screaming started again, from all directions. Kallen fell.

"I didn't... I would never..."

C.C. grabbed Kallen by the shoulders.

"Kallen, get a hold of yourself!" C.C. stared her in the eye. "We have to leave or everyone is going to die!"

"This is what happened to Lelouch. This is why... Euphemia had to die."

Kallen could never bring herself to remember what happened next. She saw was the ship crash into the ocean. She didn't see anyone else escape.

A/N: I recently had a brain storm. One of my troubles was that Lelouch would never throw Kallen under the bus. If he knew he were going to die (which he did) he would have made sure something was done about Kallen's Geass before it went out of control. Then it hit me, he could use his Geass to seal Kallen's, much the same as the emperor did with Lelouch. I was so excited to solve this problem that I went on a writing spree. Then I checked my old notes from 2009. It contained the following sentence:

Lelouch uses his Geas[sic] to seal Kallen's Geas[sic], until it become[sic] permanent. Lelouch does not anticipate this before his death.

I don't know if I'm an idiot for forgetting.

Edit: I fixed some continuity errors in this chapter, namely that Kallen referenced C.C.'s explanation as to why both Lelouch and Kallen have Geass, despite the fact that she currently didn't know about her own Geass. My practice of reading the previous chapter before submitting the new one is really coming in handy.

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