A/N: Hello everyone, I am back with chapter ten of this story. Here, the events of "Refrain" are covered.
Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass
The show began with C.C. narrating.
"Again, with this." groaned Tamaki.
Things began properly with the sound of a TV report talking about the Lake Kawaguchi hotel hijacking. The camera showed Kallen lying face down on her bed resting while only wearing only a pair of panties.
"Oh, come on!" cried Kallen blushing.
Suddenly, a loud crash awoke Kallen.
"Oh no." whispered Kallen, realizing what was coming.
Kallen emerged from her room wearing a robe. She spotted an Eleven maid on her knees. A broken chandelier was in front of her while a broken stepladder was next to her.
"Kallen. I mean Miss. Forgive me. I didn't mean to wake you." said the maid.
"Awfully formal." mused Jeremiah.
"Again?" asked Kallen surprised.
"I'm sorry. It was the stepladder this time. It broke." explained the maid.
"Not doing a stellar job." muttered Cornelia disapprovingly.
"Well, just get it cleaned up. And be quick about it. I have to leave for school." stated Kallen bluntly.
"Mistress, you've been attending school quite a bit lately. making any friend there?" asked the maid.
Gino watched intently as memories rushed back to him.
"I don't see how that's any of your business." said Kallen bitterly.
Kallen went back into her room as the maid still smiled.
"Just go will you." said Kallen, hurting.
A picture was shown of a young Kallen, an older boy, and a woman with a sticker covering her face.
"That was mean." said Tianzi upset.
"I..." began Kallen.
"Hey Kallen, isn't that your mom?" asked Tamaki.
Most watching already knew this, but that bombshell shocked those who weren't aware until know.
"That was me, the boy in that picture was Naoto, and the woman with her face covered is the maid...my mother." confirmed Kallen.
"Awful harsh on your mother, don't you think?" asked Lloyd.
Cecile elbowed Lloyd in the side.
"I..." began Kallen again.
Kallen felt a tidal wave of guilt rushing over her.
"It's okay Kallen. You don't need to rush, just like Miss Einstein." said Oghi.
The scene cut to a warehouse at night.
"I know it's for welfare, but why waste it on the Elevens?" asked a man.
"That's why I'm selling it to you, my friend." began a second man.
The backs of the men were shown as a third person in a forklift moving toward large boxes inside a shipping container.
"The Eleven population could use a little thinning out if you asked me." added the second man.
"What did he say?!" asked Tamaki angrily.
Zero was seen running followed by the Black Knights.
"Your payment will be transferred to your wife's account." said the second man, as they were shown.
"If I recall, the man buying this, I assume Refrain, and his wife had jobs in the financial sector." noted Guilford.
"Then why become a drug dealer?" asked Rivalz.
"Money." answered Tohdoh disgusted.
Zero and the Black Knights arrived at the warehouse.
"Princess Cornelia is a solider. This sort of thing doesn't interest her all that much." said the buyer.
"Anything going on in my jurisdiction is my business." stated Cornelia.
The lights suddenly went out and gunfire followed.
"Hit the lights! Turn them on!" ordered the drug buyer.
The man selling the Refrain turned the light on revealing the Black Knights.
"You're...You're the..." began the drug buyer horrified.
Kallen suddenly jumped and cried out.
"The Black Knights!" cried Kallen.
However, it was now the next day and Kallen was in class. The other students laughed at her gaff.
"Oh man! That was good!" laughed Tamaki.
"I don't think it's funny." grumbled Kallen.
"Hey, lighten up. You need to laugh at yourself." replied Tamaki.
"Something you should be used to." stated Sugiyama.
"Hey!" snapped Tamaki offended.
"So, what happened with those drug guys?" asked Rivalz.
"We wasted all of them and destroyed their drugs." answered Tamaki proudly.
"That's one thing I can't blame Lelouch for." admitted Oghi.
"Why did Lelouch go after Refrain dealers anyway?" asked Rivalz.
"Maybe he still cared at this point." answered Kaguya hopefully.
The scene continued after class had ended.
"It's not like you, dozing off in class like that." said Shirley.
"You could have used being feeble to justify it. You had a built-in excuse." stated Rakshata.
"You could learn a thing or two from Lelouch. He's an expert at sleeping in class." noted Rivalz.
The three looked at Lelouch who was sleeping.
"He's not sleeping now, is he?" asked Kallen.
The scene confirmed he was.
"I don't know what he's up to night after night. But he sleeps through about half of them these days." said Rivalz.
"If only I knew." sighed Rivalz.
The scene showed the Settlement.
"The EU is starting an offensive on the El Alamein front. We can't go on dragging our feet here. I want to solidify domestic affairs. It's high time Area 11 became a satellite nation." began Cornelia.
A passenger train was shown pulling into a station.
"For that to happen we need to stamp out terrorism, of course. But another major problem is the rampant abuse of Refrain among the Elevens. Productivity is plummeting." continued Cornelia.
"Of course, that's the only reason you cared." scoffed Tamaki.
"I'll admit I allowed my prejudice to blind me to the suffering of the...Japanese people." relented Cornelia.
Princess Cornelia and Euphemia were shown on the station platform.
"It's coming in on the Chinese Federation's Kyushu Route. We have to put an end to it." concluded Cornelia.
"That bad stuff came from us!" gasped Tianzi horrified.
"The High Eunuchs supported the trade as long as they were included financially." answered Xingke disgusted.
"A bit of a narco-state it seems." said Lloyd.
"Unfortunately, the rampant corruption under Prince Clovis allowed it to easily enter the country." noted Guilford.
"Not that peace has come, we've been able to crack down on the drug cartels within our country." revealed Xingke.
"Kaguya, I'm so sorry." said Tianzi, feeling bad.
"It's not your fault. You heard Xingke, it was the High Eunuchs." replied Kaguya.
"Yes, but be careful." said Euphemia.
"You as well. I don't want you leaving the Settlement." replied Cornelia.
"Cornelia, what about the Black Knights and Zero?" asked Euphemia concerned.
"I'll let them roam free a bit longer. I owe them that for saving your life." answered Cornelia.
"Aw, someone's gone soft." teased Tamaki.
"How dare you!" snapped Cornelia outraged.
"Tamaki, don't antagonize." warned Oghi firmly.
"However, upon my return..." began Cornelia.
The Second Princess cupped the cheek of her younger sister.
"Once I've cleared up this Area, I'm entrusting it to you. Try to stay out of harm's way from now on." said Cornelia.
"Were you really going to put Princess Euphemia in charge of Area 11?" asked Rivalz surprised.
"I'm a soldier, not a politician. Running a colony isn't my forte and I felt Euphemia would have been better at it." answered Cornelia.
"One could only imagine how things would have turned out had that happened." said Rakashata intrigued.
"Alright, Euphie?" asked Cornelia gently.
"Man, Lelouch was dead on about Cornelia coddling her sister." muttered Yoshida.
Euphemia thought back to her encounter with Zero at Lake Kawaguchi.
"When he spoke to me that night, what was he alluding to? Suzaku, what would you make of this? About what Zero is doing. And me?" asked Euphemia to herself.
"I couldn't say anything bad about you, Euphie." whispered Suzaku, under his mask.
The scene moved to Ashford as Kallen stood outside the Student Council room door yawning.
"Man, this double life sure is a killer." said Kallen tired.
Kallen suddenly heard noises from inside. She entered to find Milly, Suzaku, Rivalz, and Shirley standing around Lelouch who was tied to a chair. Milly turned to greet Kallen.
"Good meow-ing" said Milly.
"Good morning, I guess." replied Kallen confused.
"What in the world are we watching?" asked Cornelia dumbstruck.
"Another day under the presidency of Milly Ashford." answered Kallen flatly.
Milly beamed proudly at this.
"What is all this?" asked Kallen.
"What do you mean? Didn't we tell you? It's our welcome part for Arthur." answered Rivalz.
"He's a cat!" cried out Tamaki.
"He's a member of the Student Council and must be made to feel welcome." stated Milly.
"I think it looks fun." said Tianzi happily.
"Thank you, your majesty." replied Milly.
"Sounds like...fun?" asked Kallen, unsure.
"Well, classes are postponed. We might as well have some fun, right?" asked Milly.
"I set some stuff aside for you, over there." said Shirley.
Shirley pointed to a rack and box of clothes.
"To make up for my getting all upset before. take your pick." added Shirley.
"What? For me?" asked Kallen surprised.
Watching Shirley's kindness caused Kallen to think about too the events of Narita which she knew as fast approaching. Guilt began gnawing at the Black Knights ace.
"You don't need a costume. You're already wearing a mask, right?" asked Lelouch.
"Remember, Lelouch saw me kill at bee after Shinjuku..." began Kallen.
"Yeah, h you got suspicious of him and Lelouch saw you naked." said Tamaki.
Kallen blushed at this.
"Yes...that is what I thought Lelouch was referring to. That he knew my feebleness was faked." explained Kallen.
"You weren't wrong." noted Anya.
"You really are a riot, you know that? You outta be on television." replied Kallen.
Rivalz turned his attention to Shirley.
"What do you think, Miss TV star?" asked Rivalz.
"Oh, I thought she meant Lelouch." said Suzaku.
The audience watching cringed at how dense the Japanese boy could be.
"Would you quit joking about that?" asked Shirley.
An image of Milly, Shirley, and Nina surrounded by fellow students was shown.
"The whole thing's a huge pain in the butt." continued Shirley.
The hallway posterboard was shown with images from the hostage crisis. An imagine of the three Ashford girls was prominent.
"We've e pounded with questions day and night." said Shirley.
An image of the three in the baths with other girls around was shown.
"Even in the bath." noted Shirley.
"Can I get a copy of that last image.' muttered Rivalz aroused.
"If you've got it, flaunt it." shrugged Milly proudly.
"I'm just glad it's not me for once." confessed Kallen.
Media was shown camped outside.
"We haven't been able to leave school grounds in a week." concluded Shirley.
"The media really camped outside your school?" asked Xingke surprised.
"They wanted a scoop. Plus, the media has limited freedom as long as it didn't clash with the government." explained Milly.
The scene returned to the council room.
"Not that I don't feel for you, but I don't see why we can't leave either." complained Rivalz.
"Hmm, that's the price of friendship. The Romance of the Three Kingdoms: "It matters not that we were born apart, upon this day we die as one." said Milly.
"I wouldn't have expected a Britannian to have knowledge in classic Chinese literature." noted Xingke.
"What can I say, I'm full of surprises." said Milly.
"Is that your idea of a love quote?" asked Rivalz.
"If I go down, we all do." answered Milly, as she made a playful gesture.
"You were joking about that...right?" asked Rivalz concerned.
Milly smiled not answering.
"That's a little dark. Right, Suzaku?" asked Rivalz.
Rivalz turned to see the Japanese boy crying.
"I'm glad...we could all be together again. You know...like this." said Suzaku emotionally.
"What a wuss." scoffed Tamaki.
"He did nearly lose his friends to terrorists. And it seems he didn't have many people he was close with to start." noted Jeremiah.
"Kaguya, weren't you close to Suzaku?" asked Tianzi.
"We lost contact after the invasion and I only met up with him again during these events." answered Kaguya.
"He must have been so alone." mused Cecile sympathetic.
"He probably has plenty of friends now in hell." spat Chiba.
Even Lelouch seemed touched, but Rivalz leapfrogged over him.
"Come on! Hey, we're supposed to be unwinding in here!" declared Rivalz.
Rivalz took Suzaku down with a side Russian legsweep to the amusement of the others.
"Not bad." admitted Tamaki.
"I've followed pro wrestling for years." admitted Rivalz.
"We had a thriving professional wrestling scene in Japan before the invasion." said Chiba bitterly.
Just like that, the mood was dead.
"Did anybody else notice Lelouch was laughing?" asked Kaguya intrigued.
"Yeah and?" asked Oghi confused.
"The whole thing seemed so...innocent. Odd coming from the future Demon Emperor." explained Kaguya.
"As you said earlier, it is possible Lelouch hasn't been fully corrupted yet." replied Tohdoh.
"That's what's so refreshing about Suzaku, though." said Shirley.
"Yeah, but once in a while you just want him to get a clue, ya know?" replied Milly.
"That'd be the day." said Kallen.
It showed Rivalz and Suzaku on the floor with Rivalz smooshing Suzaku's face.
"Oh, sorry about that." said Suzaku.
"Oh, you love it putty cat." said Rivalz teasing.
"That was...odd." said Villetta.
"We were just messing around!" exclaimed Rivalz defensively.
It showed even Nina was laughing before showing Kallen.
"It's so funny to think I helped save their lives." thought Kallen, who smiled.
"We still owe you for that." said Milly.
"Oh no, that's fine." said Kallen.
"An Ashford always shows proper gratitude." stated Milly.
The scene showed the Shinjuku Ghetto with a wanted poster for Zero.
"Ever since we made our big splash at the hotel hijacking, the Black Knights have taken the world by storm." began Kallen.
Kallen focused on the poster: Zero was prominent with parts of Oghi and Tamaki shown. However, she was shown next to Zero being the only other member who was seen in fully.
"Zero and his Q-1. It had to mean something." thought Kallen.
The scene showed worried Britannians reading newspapers about Zero.
"We've become a friend to the weak, just as Zero proclaimed we would." continued Kallen.
A group of Japanese construction workers was shown with one imitating Zero to the amusement of the others.
"Terrorists who involve children, an overbearing military..." began Kallen.
The scene switched to sunset as Kallen watched three Japanese boys with capes running about.
"Criminal syndicates, corrupt politicians, profiteers. If the law would not punish them, we would." stated Kallen.
Kallen smiled at the boys before cutting to the Black Knights executing criminals.
"In the blink of an eye, we'd become heroes." noted Kallen.
It next showed the Black Knights ambushing a Britannian convoy in a rural area.
"Support for us has swelled." continued Kallen.
It then showed Britannians looking the corpse of a corrupt politician with a sign reading "Graft corruption" below him.
"And we've even gotten our hands on some Knightmares again." concluded Kallen.
"Of course, we can't show that in public because..." began Kallen.
A scene of the Black Knights busting a drug before returning to Kallen. One of the Japanese boys' mothers stopped him.
"Stop pretending you're a Black Knight." said the mother firmly.
"But why?" asked the boy annoyed.
"You mustn't ever say anything against Britannia. We're Elevens, have you forgotten that?" asked the mother worried.
"Because our leader, Zero, killed Prince Clovis." said Kallen.
"That was sad she made her son stop." said Tianzi.
"Unfortunately, she had too. The Britannians wouldn't have taken lightly to a boy imitating the Black Knights." noted Kaguya.
"But they've done good stuff." noted Tianzi.
"And Miss Kouzaki noted they murdered a member of the Imperial Family." added Cornelia.
"Yeah..." began Tianzi softly.
"God forbid we kill the man who tried to eliminate us." spat Chiba.
"That was my brother." noted Cornelia, angered.
"And Saitama showed you're no better." scoffed Chiba.
Zero was shown with a white background behind him.
"There are many in our ranks who would like to know his identity, myself included. But if we push too hard, I suspect he would vanish.
The scene faced to black before showing Rivalz working on his motorcycle as Lelouch walked outside.
"And without him, I'm fairly certain we'd be finished." said Kallen.
"We'd have been fine." said Tamaki dismissively.
"Considering you were a group of small-time rebels before him, I highly doubt that." stated Lloyd.
"We had the JLF. We could have teamed with them." stated Tamaki firmly.
"And you would have crushed alongside at Narita." said Cornelia.
"Last time I checked, we kicked you butts at Narita!" declared Tamaki proudly.
"We had the JLF where we wanted them. It was the arrival of Zero that threw us off." explained Cornelia.
"Plus, it's already been established that the JLF thumbed its nose at smaller groups. They likely never would have accepted you." added Rakshata.
"Whether we like to admit it or not, Lelouch was a key component of our success." admitted Tohdoh.
"Yet you betrayed him with ease." whispered Kaguya disappointed.
"Hey there pal. Haven't seen much of you lately." said Rivalz.
"Really?" asked Lelouch.
"Yeah really." answered Rivalz, a bit annoyed.
"It was hard, suddenly my best friend seemed to be avoiding me." noted Rivalz.
The Britannian boy chuckled sadly.
"But he was just an "empty corpse existing behind a false guise of life" so maybe I shouldn't take it personal." said Rivalz sadly.
The scene then showed Nina inside the Student Council room working on her computer. Suddenly, she remembered how Euphemia had protected her.
"Are you alright, young lady?" asked Euphemia.
Nina moaned a bit and blushed.
"Oh my." squeaked Nina embarrassed.
Nina could see the odd looks she was getting when a horrifying thought came to her mind. One involving a table.
"Please don't show that." begged Nina softly.
The scene cut to Tohdoh and the Holy Swords.
"Why would the masses flock around those who saved Princess Euphemia?" asked Urabe confused.
"Even Kyoto has revealed they would send the Black Knights the Guren MK II." revealed Senba.
"To those would be Robin Hoods?" asked Asahina surprised.
"They're not part of the resistance. Killing Kusakabe proved that." stated Chiba.
"You don't seem too thrilled about Kusakabe being killed here." noted Lloyd.
Chiba chose not to respond.
"The Colonel killed himself, didn't he?" asked Urabe.
"In a way he did." noted Anya.
"Well, I hear they didn't try to stop him." replied Senba.
Senba turned his attention to Tohdoh.
"In any case, Lieutenant Colonel Tohdoh, we can't let this stand." said Senba.
"Feeling threatened by the upstarts." mused Guilford.
"That wasn't it!" snapped Chiba.
"Then what was it?" asked Guilford smirking.
"Zero showed no issue killing Japanese rebels when he claims Britannia is his enemy!" declared Chiba.
"Rebels who committed an atrocious action." stated Milly.
The scene cut to the next day at the Stadtfeld manor.
"Mistress Kallen! Mistress Kallen!" called Ms. Kouzaki.
Kallen came downstairs to find a surprise visitor.
"Madame President?" said Kallen confused.
"I just dropped by to give you something." revealed Milly.
"Where would you like me to show her to?" asked Ms. Kouzaki.
Anya looked over and wasn't surprised to see Gino intently watching the Japanese maid.
"The parlor perhaps." proposed Ms. Kouzaki.
"We'll be in my room." stated Kallen firmly.
"As you wish." said Ms. Kouzaki.
"Oh, I heard you had a friend down here. I was sure it would be a boy." said another female voice.
A Britannian woman was shown watching the three.
"That piece of garbage is my stepmother." noted Kallen angrily.
"Out all night and missing school. Not to mention all your trips to the ghetto. You're lucky your father's back in the homeland." continued Mrs. Stadtfeld.
The Britannian woman looked intently at the Japanese maid.
"No fighting one's blood, is that right?" asked Mrs. Stadtfeld.
An intimidated Ms Kouzaki backed away.
"You're the one enjoying dad not being around here, aren't you?" asked Kallen angered.
The woman stared intently at each other before a smashing noise caught their attention. Ms. Kouzaki had knocked over and broken a vase.
"Oh dear, what have I done?" asked Ms. Kouzaki worried.
"What's wrong with you?" asked Mrs. Stadtfeld annoyed.
"Forgive me, milady, forgive me." pleaded Ms. Kouzaki.
"Can't you do anything right?" asked Mrs. Stadtfeld.
Ms. Kouzaki began picking up the vase as Kallen watched.
"Besides selling your body that is." added Mrs. Stadtfeld.
"Did she just say..." began Rivalz horrified.
The scene cut to Kallen and Milly in Kallen's room.
"Quite the complicated home life you have, isn't it.." mused Milly.
"So, what is it you wanted to give me?" asked Kallen.
"Grandfather wanted me to pass this on." answered Milly.
"You mean the principal?" asked Kallen surprised.
Milly slide an envelope across the table to Kallen.
"Your transcript since middle school. I thought I'd better give them to you off of school grounds." revealed Milly.
"So, my secret's out then, isn't it? That I'm actually an Eleven and Britannian half-breed." said Kallen flatly.
"Man, that's kind of harsh to say about yourself." said Rivalz surprised.
"It's true. Britannians wouldn't accept me if they knew I was an Eleven and Japanese wouldn't trust me if they knew I was Britannian." shrugged Kallen.
"Damned if you, damned if you don't." stated Lloyd.
"We did accept you and you became one of our best pilots." noted Chiba annoyed.
"I was able to prove myself thanks to Zero and earned respect. Before he came along, that never would have been the case." stated Kallen
"That was my stepmother down there. My real mother was that clod of a maid who knocked over the vase." stated Kallen.
The picture from before was briefly shown.
"I guess an explanation is order." sighed Kallen.
"You don't have to." said Oghi.
"It's fine. Anyway, my father came to Tokyo on business and met my mom. They began an affair which results in Naoto being born. They got married and later I came along." explained Kallen.
"So, what happened?" asked Lloyd interested.
"Britannia invaded and he left us because we were now Elevens. My mom became his maid and he re-married." answered Kallen.
"If I may, how did they met?" asked Cecile.
"She was available, but they didn't love each other. That slut had a different guy over every night when my dad was in the homeland." answered Kallen.
"Have you had any contact with your fahter or stepmother?" asked Milly.
I haven't spoken to my dad or stepmother since the Black Rebellion and it's going to stay that way." answered Kallen bitterly.
"These events have proven that sometimes it's better to cut toxic people out of your lives." said Cornelia flatly.
"And your father...is he the head of the Stadtfeld family?" asked Milly.
"My mother is such a fool, in the end she wound up a servant. She doesn't have any real skills. And no matter who's ridiculing her, all she can do is laugh like it's nothing." explained Kallen bitterly.
Kallen felt tears building in her eyes.
"She didn't have to stay in this house, you know? She's just clinging to an old lover who jilted her." added Kallen hurt.
"You really hate your mother, don't you?" asked Milly.
"I just find her depressing." answered Kallen.
"Mom...I'm so sorry." choked Kallen emotionally.
Milly went over to comfort her friend.
"It's okay. You've grown since this and now everything has worked out." said Milly softly.
Kallen poured tea for Milly and herself.
"Well, this is getting a little heavy. Imagine the wife and the daughter and the other woman, all living together." mused Milly.
"Sounds like a soap opera." chuckled Lloyd.
Cecile elbowed Lloyd for this.
"Ah, it could be worse. Three square meals and a roof, right? I mean it's not unbearable. Most of the time anyway." replied Kallen.
Kallen passed Milly her tea.
"That's good." said Milly.
Milly looked out the window at Ashford Academy.
"Still, somethings in life we can bear on our own, but when you add them all up, they eventually break you.' said Milly.
"Like an arranged marriage." noted Cornelia.
Milly turned back to a concerned Kallen.
"Oh, don't worry. I won't lie, I'm always hungry for secrets. But I'd never talk about this." said Milly.
"Thank you, Miss Ashford." said Oghi gratefully.
"It's nothing." replied Milly casually.
Milly drank her tea before it cut to Miss Kouzaki in her room. A number of insults were on the walls. Miss Kouzaki unlocked a draw and opened it.
"Refrain." said Tohdoh solemnly.
"I guess that explains the stepmother's comment about selling her body." said Jeremiah sadly.
"Those insults, they were things I said. I didn't realize...how much I made her suffer." said Kallen sadly.
Kallen began crying as Milly held her.
"Let it out." whispered Milly.
The scene then cut to Lelouch and Suzaku in the Student Council room. Lelouch was seated while Suzaku was with Arthur.
"I can't believe you teared up. That's so embarrassing." said Lelouch.
"It's called honesty." replied Suzaku.
"It was a bit embarrassing." said Rivalz.
"Well, good thing the Black Knights were there to save them. That's I can say." stated Lelouch.
"If they wanted to catch criminals, they could have joined the police force, ya know? Why don't they, I wonder." mused Suzaku.
"They probably don't think the cops are up to the job. I tend to agree." replied Lelouch.
"You can say that again." conceded Oghi.
"How bad were the Britannian police?" asked Anya.
"They'd drag you away for any reason and wouldn't be heard from again." answered Oghi.
"Luckily, they were so corrupt it was easy to bribe them." added Tamaki.
"It's become clear that Clovis was simply not the right person to be a Viceroy." sighed Cornelia.
"What about the ghettos?" asked Xianglin.
"There was an auxiliary police force of Honorary Britannians who were supposed to keep order. But, they were worse than the regular police." explained Kallen.
"The ghettos were essentially lawless so rebel groups stepped up." continued Oghi.
"If the police don't defend us, maybe we ought do ourselves." mused Lloyd.
"Of course, some groups acted more like thugs shaking down people." sighed Kallen.
"The police might not be that effective right now, but they could provoke change from within." stated Suzaku.
"Yeah, and in the process, they'd get all tangled up in bureaucracy." countered Lelouch.
"I don't like that I'm agreeing with him." muttered Chiba.
"If they had done everything in their power to change things, that might hold water. As long as they don't, it's just self-righteous posturing."
"Self-righteous?" asked Lelouch.
"And what constitutes evil in their eyes? What standards are they using?" asked Suzaku.
"It's been said already that one person's terrorist is another person's freedom fighter. It seems Suzaku might have a valid point." said Guilford.
"It's nothing but self-satisfying gratification." continued Suzaku.
The door opened and Shirley entered.
"Oh, it's just you two?" asked Shirley.
Suzaku stood up.
"Anyway, I guess I gotta go back to the base pretty soon. See you around, Shirley." said Suzaku.
"See you later." replied Shirley.
Suzaku departed leaving Shirley and Lelouch alone. Shirley took a moment and walked toward Lelouch.
"So, Lulu...I was...um...I was thinking if you had some time, you and I..." began Shirley.
"'Back to the base'...now that was an interesting choice of words. 'Go back' implying that's where he thinks he belongs." said Lelouch.
"How did he come up with that?" asked Tamaki confused.
The scene then cut outside where Kallen was on her cell phone.
"Refrain?" asked Kallen.
"It's a psychotropic. Makes you think you've gone back to the past." explained Oghi.
"Must be all the rage here in Japan." noted Kallen flatly.
"Yeah well, who doesn't long for the days before the occupation, right?" asked Oghi.
Kallen tensed up, thinking of her mother.
"This stuff was specifically targeted at the Japanese. Can't very well ignore it." continued Oghi.
"Thanks to the Brits." huffed Tamaki.
"Illegal drug smugglers brought Refrain in. We were against it." replied Guilford.
"Only because "productivity was plummeting" right?" asked Chiba.
"Our reasons might not have been the most moral, but we did attempt to crack down." replied Cornelia.
"Please! We did your dirty work!" declared Tamaki.
"Maybe I wanted it that way. Allow the Black Knights to take care of the problem for me." revealed Cornelia smirking.
"Soon as the Burais are stocked, we move out." concluded Oghi.
The scene then showed Oghi.
"Supplies keep rolling in. And I hear a lot of people are ready to join us. The Black Knights sure are popular, huh?" noted Kallen.
"Well, we are the heroic knights for justice." said Oghi.
Oghi looked at a picture of himself, Naoto, and Kallen before the occupation.
"I'll call you when the ammo gets here." said Oghi.
With that, the phone call ended.
"Come on Eleven. Say something." said a male voice.
Kallen looked over and spotted a group of men harassing a Japanese vendor.
"More typical Britannians." scoffed Chiba.
The Britannian citizens watching didn't seem bothered while the other Japanese simply watched in pain.
"Why won't anyone help him?" asked Tianzi distressed.
"He's an Eleven." noted Kaguya glumly.
"Eleven." repeated Kallen angrily.
Kallen stepped forward, but someone put his hand on her shoulder to stop her.
"Lelouch." said Kallen surprised.
"No, there's five of them. You wouldn't stand a chance at all." noted Lelouch.
"I could have taken them," huffed Kallen.
"And then rumors would spread how feeble Kallen Stadtfeld beat up five men." noted Rakshata.
"Are you saying Lelouch intentionally kept me from blowing my cover?" asked Kallen surprised.
"No. He kept you from possibly being hurt. Not blowing your cover was an addition." answered Rakshata.
"So, you think I should just ignore it?" asked Kallen.
"Go on, take a good look at that Eleven." said Lelouch.
The Japanese man was being beaten and insulted by the Britannians. Notable, he had a uniform on with a hotdog on it.
"If we intervene and help him win, he won't be able to sell a thing tomorrow." explained Lelouch.
The hotdog cart the Japanese man operated was shown.
"That's just the price you pay for working in the Settlement." added Lelouch.
"That's the price you pay for being a Britannian lapdog." spat Chiba.
"So, the man shouldn't provide for himself or possibly his family?" asked Guilford.
"He could have found work among other Japanese." countered Chiba.
"For substantially less money. Not to mention the work would be more likely to be dangerous and/or illegal." replied Cornelia.
"Well even so..." began Kallen.
"You got a problem over there?" asked one of the attackers.
The attackers approached Lelouch and Kallen.
"Not feeling sorry for this Eleven, are ya?" asked the Britannian.
"Nah, they feel the same way we do, don't you guys?" asked another Britannian.
"Not quiet." answered Lelouch honestly.
The attackers walked up to Lelouch who activated his Geass.
"But you're tired of beating up Elevens, aren't you?" asked Lelouch.
Lelouch used his Geass on the Britannians who departed.
"The one time I can condone Lelouch using his Geass." sighed Chiba.
"What happened to Geass being evil?" asked Lloyd smirking.
"It is, but this was an extenuating circumstance." answered Chiba.
"They got bored pretty quick, huh?" asked Lelouch.
"Kallen, what exactly do you think happened?" asked Rivalz curiously.
"I wasn't totally sure, but I guess Lelouch managed to somehow convince them to leave. Honestly, I was more concerned about the guy they were beating up." answered Kallen.
On cue, Kallen rushed over to check on the Japanese man.
"Hey, are you alright?" asked Kallen concerned.
The man looked up and noticed the Britannian school uniform Kallen was wearing.
"A Britannian student!" gasped the man.
The Japanese man went into sales mode.
"What can I get you? How about a nice California hot dog, miss?" asked the man.
Lelouch approached them.
"Is this your boyfriend? I can get him something too. I have ice cream if you like." said the Japanese man.
"He recovered fast." stated Anya.
"Actually, he had been so beaten down he was already broken." said Kallen sadly.
The scene then showed the Settlement.
"In some ways, Area 11 is better off now than the old Japan ever was. Being made a colony of the Empire has stabilized its military and economic position in the world." noted Lelouch.
"Of course he would say that." said Oghi bitterly.
"Elevens can easily attain full citizenship through the legal process. It's easy to become an Honorary Britannian. Just a matter of pride really. Though I can certainly understand why they'd resist." continued Lelouch.
"I'd rather die than became a traitor." spat Chiba.
"There were perks to the Honorary Britannian system." noted Cecile.
"I'd rather die a proud Japanese." stated Chiba.
"He that is proud eats himself up: pride is his own glass, his own trumpet, his own chronicle: and whatever praises its self but in the deed, devours the deed in praise." said Jeremiah.
"William Shakespeare." noted Guilford.
"And?" asked Kallen.
"Um?" asked Lelouch.
The two were seated on a park bench.
"Knowing all that, what does Lelouch Lamperouge think about it all? What do you want to do?" asked Kallen.
"Nothing." answered Lelouch plainly.
"You know, you've got a lot of brains but you don't seem to be doing much with them. It's all Shirley talks about, saying how intelligent you are but how you barely ever apply yourself." said Kallen.
"We all know how what he was applying himself too." stated Tohdoh disgusted.
"That's why I don't do anything. That Eleven we saw back there could tell you: he could lead a better life as long as he bows his head to Britannia." said Lelouch.
Kallen thought back to her mom and slapped Lelouch.
"Talk about touching a nerve." muttered Rivalz.
"Yeah but...it was a heat of the moment. It's not like he knew about my mother." sighed Kallen.
"He probably knew everything about you and said that purpose." huffed Villetta.
"She's right Kallen. This is Lelouch." agreed Oghi.
"Personally, I'd like to see that slap again." stated Chiba smugly.
"You must think you're pretty cool, huh? Just playing the critic and judging the world from the sidelines." said Kallen angrily.
Lelouch winced from the slap.
"Guess I was a fool to expect anything more from you. You know, I really thought you were a better man than this." added Kallen, upset.
"Clearly you were wrong!" declared Tamaki.
"Was I Lelouch?" asked Kallen to herself.
Lelouch tended to his cheek but a smile was on his face.
"What's that about?" asked Kallen.
"I believe Lelouch was intentionally trying to provoke you with his words and he got the reaction he desired." answered Jeremiah proudly.
"And what reaction would that be?" asked Oghi.
"The reaction of somebody willing to fight." answered Sayoko.
The scene returned to Ms. Kouzaki only to discover her Refrain stash was depleted.
"That can't be good." noted Rivalz worried.
Gino tensed up.
"That explains why she was at the warehouse." muttered Oghi flatly.
"Mom, this is my fault." said Kallen, getting emotional again.
The scene then cut to Villetta and Jeremiah at a bar.
"So, about this Orange thing..." began Villetta.
The mention of Orange caused Jeremiah to wince.
"Sorry to bring it up. Is this whole thing true, though? That you can't remember anything about when Private Suzaku Kururugi was taken?" asked Villetta.
"I don't expect you to believe me." stated Jeremiah.
"It's just...during the whole Shinjuku Incident, I suffered some sort of memory lapse also." revealed Villetta.
"You did?" asked Jeremiah, surprised.
"I must admit it was somewhat comforting knowing I was not alone." confessed Jeremiah.
"By the time I regained my senses, my Sutherland had been stolen. But, right before that gap in my memory, I remember running into some high school kid." continued Villetta.
"So, you think it was that student?" asked Jeremiah.
"I can't remember his face, but there may still be a way to get to the bottom of this.' answered Villetta.
"Shirley, I should never have gotten you wrapped up in this." thought Villetta.
"Well, it seems even the brilliant Lelouch can leave loose threads. Maybe he did have luck with him." said Lloyd.
"So, what was he supposed to do?" asked Anya.
"Kill Villetta." answered Lloyd.
"What?!" asked Villetta outraged.
"If he left no witnesses, you wouldn't be on his trail." shrugged Lloyd.
The scene then cut to later that night near warehouses.
"What the hell is Zero thinking?" asked Tamaki.
It was revealed that the Black Knights were in hiding.
"After all his talk about bringing down Britannia, he's just got us running helping the police." continued Tamaki.
"Still feels pretty good to have the will of the people behind us though." said Oghi.
"Yeah, he's right. We're total heroes on the net." said Sugiyama.
Kallen was seated alone and looking unsure.
"Are we in the right? I don't know anymore." said Kallen dejectedly.
"Kallen..." began Oghi.
A flashing light was shown.
"It's the signal from Zero." noted Yoshida.
"I can't believe he got in there." said Sugiyama.
"How many tricks does this guy have up his sleeve, anyway?" asked Tamaki.
"Just one and it was damn Geass." said Tamaki.
Inside a warehouse, Refrain was being packaged when bullets tore through a door. People fled ad the Black Knights burst in.
"The Black Knights have arrived!" declared Tamaki.
"Way to give yourself away." said Rakshata.
"We were going to kill them away!" declared Tamaki.
The drug peddlers began firing back, but a Knightmare piloted by Kallen came in causing them to flee.
"These Knightmares are really amazing, Each one is an army unto its self." noted Kallen.
"And very soon Kallen will receive the Guren which defeated the Lancelot n battle." gloated Rakshata.
"It was for Zero Requiem." Lloyd told himself softly.
The drug peddlers attempted to shut a garage door only for Kallen to smash through it. Inside the room, she found a number of Japanese under the influence of Refrain.
"Those poor souls." said Kaguya sadly.
"Thans to Britannia." said Chiba.
"You cannot blame Britannia for everything It's old and frankly repetitive." stated Guilford.
"How dare you?!" asked Chiba angrily.
"He has a point." stated Tohdoh.
"Sir!" cried Chiba horrified.
"Regardless of the circumstances, your constant remarks are not needed and frankly detrimental." stated Tohdoh.
"Refrain." noted Kallen solemnly.
Kallen spotted the hot dog vendor from before.
"I'm studying abroad! I can't believe I got in!" declared the hot dog vendor.
Kallen thought back to what Milly had said during their conversation.
"When you add them all up, eventually they break you." said Milly's voice.
"That's right, which is why I'm here." noted Kallen.
"Careful, it's dangerous to run like that." said a familiar voice.
To her horror, Kallen spotted her own mother.
"I had no idea she was an addict...and I drove here there." said Kallen mournfully.
Ms. Kouzaki tripped and Kallen caught her with her Knightmare.
"Really, Naoto. Please, I need you to keep an eye on your little sister." said Ms. Kouzaki.
"My God, how weak of a woman are you, mother. First, you give into Britannia, then a man, and now this..." began Kallen.
Watching, Kallen felt her guilt rapidly overwhelming her.
"My brother is gone forever. Let him go!" declared Kallen
"Kallen, can I ask what happened to your brother?" asked Milly carefully.
"We were caught in a Britannian raid. It looked like we were screwed, but Naoto used an old Glasgow to distract them. We escaped but Naoto..." explained Tamaki soberly.
The usual loudmouth trailed off unable to finish.
"He sounds like a noble leader." stated Tohdoh.
"Thank you." replied Kallen emotionally.
Kallen was attacked with her right arm being shot off.
"The Knight Police?!" asked Kallen surprised.
Kallen began fleeing as the Knightmare gave chase. The other Black Knights caught up.
"It's that a police unit?" asked Minami.
"They're in on this deal?" asked Oghi surprised.
Oghi turned to face Tamaki.
"Tamaki!" snapped Oghi annoyed.
"Don't look at me! When I checked this place, there weren't any cops involved!" declared Tamaki.
"I swear there weren't any cops." stated Tamaki.
"It's possible they weren't present when recognizance was performed." said Xingke.
"See!" declared Tamaki, vindicated.
"Corrupted filth." spat Lelouch disgusted.
"Clovis." groaned Cornelia frustrated.
"Hey, it helped us at least." shrugged Oghi.
Kallen fled as she held her mother in the left arm of her Knightmare. The police Knightmare was right on her heels and firing at will. Kallen briefly returned fire with a gun mounted onto her unit, but it was destroyed. Kallen looked at her mother.
"You're in the way!" cried Kallen.
Kallen's mother rolled onto her side.
"Dammit! I don't need you! I don't want you!" cried Kallen emotionally.
"How could I be so blind?! How could I hurt her like that?! How could be a shitty daughter?!" asked Kallen
The police Knightmare managed to destroy the legs of Kallen's Knightmare causing it her crash. Ms. Kouzaki was lying on the floor.
"Kallen. Naoto." said Ms. Kouzaki trance-like.
Kallen began slightly shaking.
The police Knightmare opened fire on Kallen as the Black Knights again caught up.
"It won't work on a Knightmare." said Lelouch worried,
"Is he talking about his Geass?" asked Rivalz.
"I would guess so." answered Anya.
"He only wanted to save Kallen so he could keep using her." spat Oghi disgusted.
"Lelouch, that can't be the case." thought Kallen uneasy.
Kallen was pinned down by the police Knightmare who ran out of ammo and began walking toward Kallen who was looking at her mother.
"Go on, run." said Kallen.
Ms. Kouzaki stood up.
"Get moving, you idiot!" declared Kallen.
"I'm here for you. I'm here for you, Kallen. I'm here as I always have been." stated Ms. Kouzaki.
"She stayed for Kallen." said Kaguya stunned.
This same revelation was not lost on Kallen.
"Then that's why...that's why you stayed in his house? You stayed there for me?" asked Kallen
Kallen balled her fists so tight that her knuckles turned a ghostly white.
"You fool!" cried Kallen.
The police Knightmare grabbed Kallen and threw a dagger.
Kallen managed to block the attack with the leg of her Knightmare then grabbed the arm of the police Knightmare.
"Or maybe, I'm the fool." said Kallen sadly.
"Kallen..." began Milly.
"I was the fool." said Kallen sadly.
"Kallen..." began Milly sympathetically.
Kallen fired her Slash Harkens into a container and then dragged herself and the police Knightmare toward it. The cockpit police Knightmare slammed into the container killing the operator.
"Good riddance to corrupt filth." spat Cornelia.
"That's the same wording your brother used." noted Rakshata.
Cornelia became clearly uncomfortable by this.
"Kallen!" cried Oghi worried.
The Black Knights, sans Zero, raced over to Kallen. Kallen looked over and spotted her mother still.
"I'm so happy for you. You can finally become a Britannian now, Kallen. Nobody will ever be able to hurt you now, darling."
"She did no much for me and I hurt her." said Kallen, breaking.
Kallen head tears building in her eyes.
"And you'll be free to travel and use the phone anytime you want." added Ms. Kouzaki.
"I knew restrictions were harsh, but having your phone restricted is another step." stated Xianglin.
"It was to present communication between ter...rebels." explained Cornelia.
"Clearly that didn't work." noted Rakshata.
Lelouch watched Ms. Kouzaki.
"So this is...her mother?" asked Lelouch.
Suddenly, C.C. was shown watching the scene as Kallen raced to her mother.
"False tears bring pain to those around you. A false smile brings pain to one's self." stated C.C.
"Did she follow us?" asked Oghi.
"Probably." answered Villetta.
"How did she get up there?" asked Sugiyama.
"I don't know." answered Minami.
"She made a good point." shrugged Cecile.
"It almost sounds like she knows that well." mused Xingke.
It cut to the next day where Kallen was visiting her mother in the hospital.
"The police and some army arrived so we had to bail quickly. Unfortunately, we couldn't rescue Kallen's mother." explained Oghi flatly.
"Another thing I fucked up." said Kallen guilty.
"They got there awfully quick." mused Cecile.
"Somebody probably heard the gunfire." shrugged Minami.
"Or perhaps we had begun to infiltrate drug cartels...any rebel groups." replied Guilford smirking.
"No way!" scoffed Tamaki.
"Oh, I think you would find it was more than possible." stated Cornelia smirking.
"Great! We had spies probably leaking shit!" exclaimed Tamaki exasperated.
Tamaki thought for a moment.
"I bet that Saburo guy was a rat!" declared Tamaki.
"We never managed to infiltrate the Black Knights. Lelouch was far too prepared to let that happen." sighed Cornelia.
"It's an after-effect of Refrain. She'll recover eventually, but it will take time." said the nurse.
"She's perfectly fine now." said Oghi relieved.
"Mother, your sentence...you got twenty years." revealed Kallen.
"That's so long!" cried Tianzi.
"She did break the law." noted Cornelia.
"She was a victim." stated Oghi firmly.
"Mother had her sentence suspended after independence so it's okay now." said Kallen flatly.
"But you wait! I'm working to change things when you get out, I swear to you! I'll make a world where you and I can live a normal life again." declared Kallen.
Everybody watching couldn't help but get dragged into the emotion of the moment.
"So please, Mother.." began Kallen.
Kallen got choked up, but her mother put her hand on her daughter's
"Hang in there...hang in there, Kallen...my little girl." said Ms. Kouzaki.
Kallen held her mother's hand as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Don't you worry." said Kallen.
Kallen squeezed her mother's hand as tears rolled down her cheeks.
"I will. I promise you." vowed Kallen.
"Kallen, are you okay?" asked Milly.
Kallen sniffled for a moment.
"It's just hard for me to see that." answered Kallen emotionally.
"You cannot beat yourself up forever." noted Cecile.
"I drove her to this." said Kallen guilty.
"Have you considered therapy?" asked Milly.
"No." answered Kallen.
"Maybe you should try. It can be helpful." proposed Kaguya.
"I'll look into that." agreed Kallen.
"If I may, how is your mother's sobreity?" asked Sayoko.
"It's fine. She hasn't touched Refrain since that night." answered Kallen.
Everyone was relieved to hear that.
"Mother is part of a support group of former Refrain addicts." revealed Kallen.
"We're all supporting her." added Oghi.
"You know, I can't help but notice Gino has been awfully quiet." mused Rakshata.
"I was. I hadn't noticed." muttered Gino.
Anaya leaned over to her friend.
"Gino, is this because of Junko?" asked Anya
Gino winced at this question.
"That is a yes." noted Anya.
"Please don't say anything." requested Gino.
"Understood." replied Anya.
A/N: That's where we'll end things for now. I wonder how people will get my Death Wish reference? Naoto sacrificing himself was something I came up with. Who is Junko? If you're familiar with Gino you might already now. So, I'm a break after this since I finished chapter six and did four straight chapters. We'll see. Next time, the events of "Guren Dances" are covered. Please review.