Author's Note:
Haha surprise I guess? I've returned to this story after (checks calendar) over six months? Man, time flies. Anyway, this is probably what everyone's been waiting for since the first chapter, so I hope my writing is at least adequate.
Also, it's almost midnight right now and I have work tomorrow, so I'm sure there are spelling, grammar, and/or formatting errors somewhere. This could probably be solved if I actually had someone else read my material before I post, but I am insistent on keeping my work to myself. Good or bad, I feel like I'm more able to tell myself "I did this" if I'm the only one editing. Criticism is certainly welcome by anyone who would like to engage, but the writing process itself shall remain my own until the end. With that being said, I may go back and edit any or all of these chapters in the future for structure and flow (not for content), just as an FYI.
Please enjoy this latest chapter!
Kallen knew Milly was disappointed when she pulled out of the pizza-making festivities, but honestly, she just couldn't find it within her to care. There were more important things to do now, notably tracking down Ashford's resident disappearing act.
How Lelouch managed to escape around campus so quickly was beyond her. She'd started with the control booth, assuming he'd need to resume his post as soon as possible. No luck. Then, she'd searched the nearby crowds. Still nothing, although black hair wasn't necessarily the easiest trait to look for. Not on the roof, not back in the warehouse… she stopped short of checking every building, however, because she knew that would get her nowhere fast.
What the hell? Was there somewhere she wasn't searching, like some secret underground tunnel system that she wasn't aware of? That would be ridiculous, right? What did Lelouch do, flee campus altogether rather than face her? Somehow, she doubted that was the case.
Finally, she doubled back to the control booth, and lo and behold, there he was, lounging in the only available chair. Alone. How courteous of him to leave the door open for her.
Of course he couldn't have been here the first time I checked…
Kallen only briefly considered unsheathing her blade in her pocket, an instinctive move when she felt threatened. But what good would that do, least of all for her? She'd already seen that Lelouch easily kept his calm when she'd pointed the weapon at him in the past. And could she really stab him now?
Instead, she cleared her throat, crossed her arms over her chest, and tried not to sound as exhausted as she felt. "So, has C.C decided she's had enough of the festivities for the day?"
Lelouch didn't immediately acknowledge her presence, instead taking a moment to toggle a few switches. Then, he pushed himself away from the console and spun to face her. His expression was infuriatingly neutral, having probably expected her arrival. "The military is here. She shouldn't have been out to begin with." He considered her. "Quite the gas leak, wasn't it?"
Kallen directed a frown at the likely culprit. "Yeah, really." Did he have stuff like that rigged in other places around campus? That was concerning for a number of reasons.
They stared at each other for a distinctly uncomfortable amount of time until he leaned back in his chair and broke the silence with a harsh whisper. "If we're doing this here, at least close the door behind you and keep your voice down. The booth is quiet, but not soundproof."
Her breath caught, and she froze as she found herself unconsciously shifting between her feet. 'Doing this', huh? Was that what was happening? Why was it that he seemed to know how this conversation would go better than she did?
Regardless, she turned and did as he asked, not really feeling any safer with the click of the door. She faced him once more, trying to show her irritation on her face without needing to raise her voice. He met her gaze with an eerie calm.
Kallen made sure not to avert her eyes as she tried to figure out where to begin. Should she ask for more information about C.C., or about the colored smoke he'd released? No, that was avoiding the main issue, as much as she dreaded confronting that idea, the one invading her thoughts.
Small steps. Maybe it would be easier to state what she knew rather than ask him direct questions, even just to collect her own swirling thoughts.
She swallowed, returning to where it all seemingly began. "You were in Shinjuku."
He nodded. "I was." She already knew that, even if she hadn't quite grasped it, or its implications.
"C.C. has been living with you since then."
A slight pause. "Essentially, yes." She knew that as well.
Suddenly, even as she tried to hold them back, her thoughts all surged forward and hit her at once.
C.C. Forged government identification. Opinions of the military.
Coup d'état to run.
Shinjuku.
She blinked a few times, hoping beyond reason that she was wrong. Then, she took a chance. "You've been lying to me. A lot."
He paused even longer this time. "Not directly."
Oh, he really had the nerve to say that? "Except for that one time in the shower, am I right?"
Lelouch suddenly looked very concerned. "Kallen –"
She startled as she heard the door slam open behind her and a familiar voice ring out. "Lelouch! Are you slacking in here? Rivalz said you never… oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?"
Kallen quickly spun to find the face of a very surprised Milly Ashford. "Kallen? I thought you weren't feeling well."
"Well, I-I wasn't," she stuttered. "I mean, I'm not. I just remembered I had to talk to Lelouch about something so…"
"Milly, Kallen was just -"
Milly barely took an instant to recover and adopt a sly smile. "Oh, I see." No, she wouldn't think… She brushed past Kallen and collected an earpiece off the table. "I'll leave you two alone then."
She turned and left with a hum, as Kallen shouted behind her, "It isn't like that!"
Milly shut the door to the control booth, muffling Kallen's reply. Thankfully Shirley hadn't found the two of them alone together. Who knew what kind of conclusions she would have drawn? If she ever made up with Lelouch, that was. Somehow, she and Lelouch ended up playing Strangers due to some huge argument, and Milly, queen of the rumor mill and keeper of secrets, had no idea what could have caused it. Hopefully they made up sooner rather than later. They were no fun to tease as things were.
As Milly began to walk away, she noticed another pair approaching the control booth. Nunnally was happily chatting with whoever was pushing her wheelchair, a taller girl with pink hair, sunglasses, and a large cap.
Milly resisted the urge to wave to the blind girl, shouting instead, "Hey! Nunnally!"
They stopped their conversation, and Nunnally tilted her head to the side. "Milly, is that you?"
"Sure is." The younger girl broke into a warm smile. "Were you trying to find your brother?"
"Yes, I am. Is he busy?"
Milly snickered. "You could say that. Although I'm sure he would love to see you and… your friend?" She extended a hand to the other girl. "Hi there! I'm Ashford Academy's student council president, Milly Ashford. Any friend of Nunnally's is a friend of mine."
"Oh, my! It's a pleasure to meet you!" The other girl carefully took her hand, holding it still. She smiled as well and let out a soft giggle. "I'm so glad Nunnally has made such good friends here."
First Shirley, now Milly. Why does everyone always think…? Kallen shook her head to clear her thoughts, hoping she didn't look as flustered as she felt. At least Lelouch seemed equally annoyed by the intrusion.
Hell, she was not going to be side-tracked this easily. Not now. No more interruptions. No more distractions. Just her, Lelouch, and answers.
She took a deep breath.
"We were interrupted then too," Kallen continued tentatively, "that time in the shower." She took a few steps closer to him, trying to keep her fear from her face. "I'll ask you again, because I think your answer might be different this time."
This was it. The moment of truth. He'd given her so many clues, dangled it in front of her like a carrot on a stick. Is this really what she wanted? She knew that as soon as she had the answer, everything would change. Justice, the Black Knights, Zero. She would maybe need to rethink the fight for Japan itself.
Yet, having this many hints without a clear answer would be so much worse.
Kallen steadied herself as she breathed deeply. Then, she asked the loaded question, knowing the venue was too public to directly ask his identity. "Were you the voice in Shinjuku?"
As she studied his face, she was starting to regret her decision. She hoped he would lie again.
His expression didn't waver. "Yes, I was the voice in Shinjuku."
"You…" She could feel her voice crack under the betrayal. She suddenly felt so empty, standing exposed before the man she'd idolized. She furiously blinked away the forming tears. "Why?" she croaked.
"I despise Britannia," he stated simply, his voice lowering into tones she'd only ever heard elsewhere. She'd never seen such a serious expression on his face before. The sudden transformation was… unnerving. "What other reason is there?"
Loving Japan, she thought bitterly, as her mouth felt too dry to speak. Maybe she should have expected that answer from his discussion with Lord Kirihara. Of course a Britannian wouldn't share the same love for her country. No, his reasoning would be something much darker. She'd already known the Black Knights were expedient to him, but she'd still hoped some admiration for Japan existed somewhere, perhaps in long forgotten battles or a missing lover. She doubted either of those were true of the boy before her.
Kallen tried to push away her warring emotions: hurt, admiration, anger, loyalty, fear. The last one was especially troubling. She couldn't remember ever feeling frightened of him, as either Lelouch or Zero, so why was that so prominent now? Because she now realized that there was still so much she didn't know? Everything was so much easier when she could assume Zero was a scorned European with ample military experience. Knowing he was her teenaged Britannian classmate, however…
She shook her head, hating the growing confusion. "Ohgi was right. I should have brought him with me."
Lelouch rose from his seat, towering not quite as tall as his alter-ego. "And exactly how much did you tell Ohgi? I know he was with you earlier."
Of course he knew that. It felt wrong to hear Lelouch speak her friend's name so freely, pronounced correctly after his perfect English. What right did he have?
She answered regardless. "That a classmate and C.C. were discussing a coup d'état in the warehouse."
He tsked and muttered, almost to himself, "More damage control, it seems."
Somehow, that bothered her more. She made sure to keep her voice to a harsh whisper. "Is that what this is to you? Damage control? Did you only tell me because I found you with C.C.?" She thought a moment. "No, wait, that wasn't it. You only decided to tell me because your good friend Suzaku revealed that you'd been in Shinjuku that day, and you knew I was already suspicious of you back then."
"I've asked you before if you wanted to know; you just never accepted."
It infuriated her how correct he was. Even now, she wished she didn't know. A masked man preaching justice was so much easier to follow than her classmate who seemed to try his hardest to anger her at every turn. Zero had said they needed to keep pressing forwards in their pursuit of Japan's freedom, but when it concerned the man, or rather boy, himself…
Apparently, Lelouch was a strategic genius. He'd made that much clear over the past several months, and unlike his words, the results didn't lie. She also had to believe that he stood by at least some of the ideals he preached. Why else would he be leading them night after night in rebellion? This couldn't all be some sort of game to him, could it?
I despise Britannia.
There was something there, something he still wasn't telling her, and somehow Kallen doubted that her previous strategy of simply asking would lead to an answer. She'd learned enough today as it was and wasn't sure how much else she could handle. This secret was proving difficult to process on its own.
She shook her head. "I'm leaving. I have a lot to think about."
As she began to turn, he spoke her name, "Kallen." She paused instinctively, thrown off by the tone. She watched him expectantly. "For now, this meeting will be kept between the two of us, as will any information you learned in the warehouse. That's an order."
What? Who else did he even think she'd… seriously? She narrowed her eyes. "Ohgi's like family to me. I'll tell him what I damn well please."
With that, she turned quickly to reach for the door, only to have it immediately open in front of her. Before her was an odd pair, Nunnally in her wheelchair pushed by a familiar-looking pink-haired girl.
"Oh, I'm so sorry!" the girl apologized. "I didn't mean to scare you. Are you one of Lelouch's friends?" She paused for only a moment, her brows creasing together. "Have we met before?"
Kallen blinked. Her instinctive answer was 'no', but… she combed her memories, trying to place the strange girl. As she waited, she heard Lelouch abruptly move from behind her. A friend of Nunnally's with pink hair? She wasn't wearing a school uniform that she recognized. "No, I don't think we have…?" She stole a glance back at Lelouch, who suddenly seemed a lot less composed than he had previously.
Nunnally tilted her head. "Kallen, is that you? Are you helping my brother with the festival?"
Kallen returned her gaze to the two girls. "Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to block the entrance for you or… your friend?" It was so strange to see anyone but Lelouch or their maid push her wheelchair.
The mystery girl smiled and held out her hand. "Hello, I'm –"
Suddenly Lelouch was next to her, grabbing the girl's hand as she yelped a bit in surprise. "Leaving. She's leaving."
He whispered something in the girl's ear, and Kallen watched a troubled frown form on Nunnally's face. She'd probably overheard whatever was said. That frown was gone as quickly as it came though, and she smiled again warmly, as if the last exchange had never occurred. "Have a nice day, Kallen!"
Lelouch had taken over rolling her wheelchair, and he barely spared Kallen a glance as the three exited the control booth.
It took a moment for Kallen to realize that she'd originally been the one trying to leave.
Left, right, left, right, toss. Left, right, left, right, toss.
It was strange to be in an open-air cockpit. Stranger still was being able to control a Knightmare without anyone's lives on the line. So many Elevens had come to the festival just to see him, the first of them to be knighted. It should've been a time to relax and enjoy himself.
So why was it that Suzaku couldn't shake the feeling of unease?
Left, right, left, right, toss. Left, right, left, right, toss.
Suzaku knew he should be focusing on the pizza, but he couldn't help but scan the crowd for a hint of lime green hair. Where did Lelouch and the girl run off to after the smoke? Back to his room? He was trying to wrap his head around the fact that Lelouch was harboring a Black Knight collaborator. What if she found out his secret?
He hoped no one noticed him only narrowly catch the pizza.
Left, right, left, right, toss. Left, right, left, right, toss.
He still couldn't believe that Lelouch had lied to him. Suzaku had asked him directly if he'd seen the girl since Shinjuku, and Lelouch had firmly responded 'no'. Why? Sure, they hadn't seen each other in years, but he'd hoped they'd still had some basic trust between them. Was it because he was in the military?
Lelouch knew he'd never expose them, right?
Left, right, left, right, toss. Left, right, left, right, toss.
No, it seemed like the mystery girl wasn't in the crowd. As he extended his search to the neighboring hillside, his eyes landed on a distinct head of pink hair, positioned directly next to who appeared to be Lelouch and Nunnally.
His eyes widened in recognition. It can't be. She doesn't know –
Then, a gust of wind blew the cap off her head.
Shirley's voice rang out from nearby, "Is that Princess Euphemia?!"
As the crowd began to turn towards his charge, Suzaku flinched. "Wait! Please don't –!" –see Lelouch or Nunnally! He watched as Lelouch rose to wheel Nunnally's chair away from the princess and the encroaching students and press.
He let go of the controls and forgot about the pizza entirely.
Kallen sank into the chair Lelouch had been occupying just a few minutes prior, her mind trying to catch up to the day's events. Why couldn't she just have been allowed to enjoy the festival? What had she done to deserve… this?
Things would be so much easier if she just hadn't overhead Lelouch say that one, damning phrase. Or if C.C. hadn't chosen to roam the festival. She could be enjoying the festival without a care in the world, completely oblivious to the hidden nature of Lelouch Lamperouge. Now, she was stripped of that choice completely.
She decided she needed some time to ponder exactly what she was going to tell Ohgi. Could she really lie to one of her closest friends to keep her leader's secret? On the other hand, could she really expose Zero? Hell, she barely knew how she'd react to that secret, let alone how others would take it. Ohgi would be understanding, wouldn't he?
Kallen eyed the numerous switches on the console. In an effort to distract herself, she had been watching the pizza-making ceremony with only a passing interest. She'd already used the sick card today, so she doubted she'd even be able to partake in the scheduled feast. Not that she was particularly enthusiastic about any food the traitor was making.
Actually, that was an interesting point. She surveyed the crowd, confirming a suspicion. She hadn't realized until now just how many Japanese had been visiting the festival. Were they really this inspired by him, by Suzaku?
Now she was starting to really feel sick after all.
Kallen leaned back in the chair. She'd close her eyes for only a moment… a small reprieve from the madness of the day… no thoughts of Suzaku, of C.C, of Lelouch, of Zero… just darkness, and silence…
The door slammed open and Kallen jumped to her feet. Yelling could be heard from the crowd outside.
"Don't worry Nunnally, we'll just stay in here for now –" Lelouch's eyes met hers, and Kallen had the feeling his reassuring smile would have dropped by now had his sister not been present. "Kallen's here too, okay?" He wheeled her further into the room and promptly closed the door behind them.
Nunnally seemed worried. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, Kallen. Would you mind if my brother and I join you until everything calms down?"
"Sure, it's no problem at all…" Kallen replied absently, observing Lelouch as he ducked down behind the console, grasping Nunnally's hand tightly in his own. Why was he so spooked? She instinctively crouched a bit herself.
Lelouch toggled the volume on the console. Now they could truly hear the commotion occurring outside.
Kallen peered up, trying to discern what was going on in the crowds of people that had somehow thickened since she'd last checked. In the middle was the Ganymede, but where had the pizza gone?
After a quick search, she spotted in the dough in the branches of a nearby tree, abandoned by its maker and the crowds alike.
The Ganymede then retracted its arm from the crowd, lifting a girl into the air. She squinted. A girl with pink hair.
Lelouch whispered something in Nunnally's ear, something too quiet to catch, although she seemed relieved.
Then, a booming voice ripped through the speaker system. "I am Euphemia, sub-viceroy of Area 11 of the Holy Britannian Empire!"
Kallen nearly choked. What the hell was that puppet princess doing at Ashford's festival?
"I, Euphemia li Britannia, hereby declare the formation of the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan in the area surrounding Mt. Fuji!"
Kallen's eyes widened. Had she just said Japan? And that Britannia was recognizing it? She must have misheard. That wouldn't be possible.
The princess continued, "Within the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan, Elevens will be permitted to call themselves Japanese. Restrictions against Elevens and special rights for Britannians will no longer exist within this Zone. It will be a place where Elevens and Britannians live side by side as equals."
Equals? That went completely against the Britannian ideology of strength in discrimination. It was too good to be true. What kind of trick is this?
"Do you hear me, Zero?"
Was she imaging it, or was the princess staring pointedly at the control booth as she said this? No, it must have been her own newfound knowledge making her see things.
"I don't care about your past nor who you are underneath that mask. I beg you, join us in creating this special zone of freedom! Zero, help me build a new future within Britannia, a place for everyone!"
Kallen had almost forgotten who was sharing her hiding place, but that direct proposition had reminded her. She stole a glance to her side, hoping to find some kind of indication from the boy who likely controlled the fate of her nation.
Her breath caught.
What she found was rage. Pure rage.
"Chigusa, does the name 'Lelouch' mean anything to you?"
Ohgi watched closely for something – for anything – as the woman blinked and tilted her head slightly to the side, silver hair brushing against her shoulders and back. "Should it?"
He leaned back in his chair, trying not to look as disappointed as he felt. He released a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. "No, I guess not."
Author's Note:
And thus, we bring Ashford Academy's festival to a close. Major and minor characters alike have been swept up by the snowball, some more than others, all because Lelouch was speaking a little too loudly. Lesson learned I suppose?
I just read my last author's note that said I was hoping to write more. Well, I obviously failed in that regard, but the hope is still present. My schedule is pretty sporadic, and my motivation even moreso. I can't make any promises regarding if/when updates may come, but I'm hoping that was pretty clear from the first chapter and won't disappoint anyone too much. You have so many other great Code Geass fics to read, go check out or re-read those in the meantime.
Thank you again for all of your support. I know my writing isn't the best quality, but I appreciate the ability to share it with you all regardless.