A/N: Wassup! I'm loving this so far, I feel like I'm legit "in the zone" for writing this so I'm gonna keep going for as long as I can!
Response to review -
In regards to last chapter's mentioning of KFC and the Spiderman meme, let me clarify something. I believe that while its true things are different. Code Geass is not an alien world with humans in it. Code Geass is an alternative history of the real world wherein, aside from the existence of Geass and affiliated supernatural shenanigans, the world has a near identical history to our own with only a few important changes creating a massive butterfly effect and drastically changing the world order. Britannia, being a social darwinist empire centered in what would be the continental United States and Canada, is also no doubt brutally capitalist. I believe that, unless something drastic happened to cause many inventors, creators, artists and businessmen to just not exist, then many famous companies, products, and forms of media that are popular IRL likely exist in code geass in some capacity.
Just as an example: Pizza hut. Yes they exist in the show because they sponsor Code Geass, so in response Code Geass sponsors Pizza hut. But if Pizza Hut can exist, what stops KFC from existing? A chain that, in real life, is extremely popular in Japan? The same goes for other food giants like Nestle, Mcdonalds Corperation, Coca Cola, and so on. I'm not gonna pretend that they cant exist when they very much can, and likely still do. To me it feels more grounded to include them as an aspect of their everyday life behind the scenes than to just ignore it entirely.
In regards to the comment about Lelouch's friendship with Suzaku: yes, it was real, Lelouch knows that, and so does Suzaku, but Kallen doesnt. She's just a wee bit protective and doesn't like that Suzaku was smacking him. Those where her thoughts regarding what she saw.
Christmas time, the most wonderful time of the year.
Unfortunately- or rather fortunately for Lelouch, Milly couldn't come, as she had other plans and needed to attend them, a small party with her grandfather and family friends.
Lelouch and Nunnally where not invited, though it was from a mutual understanding. A couple of kids named after members of the royal family living with the Ashfords? A long time ally of Marianne? It would raise questions and red flags if anyone recognized them.
But that didn't mean Milly was content to let them forget her presence on Christmas eve. Sayoko returned with a few gifts in hand wrapped in yellow and blue, Milly's colors. And along with that she also brought her plus one for the evening.
Kallen walked in behind her, carrying a small gift wrapped in red and blue as well as a small, covered tray.
Lelouch was helping Nunnally put on the light perfume she wanted to use for tonight's festivities when he heard the door to the main foyer open and people walking inside.
"Oh, sounds like we have company Nuna." He said playfully. "I have no idea who it could be."
Nunnally smiled. "It's obviously Kallen, you silly goose."
Lelouch gasped in fake shock. "I can't believe you just called me a silly goose, wait til Kallen hears about this!"
Nunnally couldn't help but fall into a fit of giggles at her big brother's coy behavior. Her laughter made him smile brightly as he finished helping her with the perfume before opening the door for them to leave her room.
They exited Nunnally's bedroom and Kallen's face lit up seeing them both.
"Hello you two, merry Christmas!"
"Merry Christmas Kallen!" They both replied in kind.
"You won't believe it, Nunnally called me a silly goose Kallen! A silly goose!" The prince complained.
"Nuna how could you!?" Kallen asked, sounding horrified.
"The audacity!" Lelouch pitched in.
Their act was enough to cause Nunnally to spiral into a fit of adorable giggles once more, causing everyone to smile widely.
"Now that you're here we can have dinner, I cooked this time."
"Ohhhh~" Kallen sounded excited and had a happy grin on her face.
"Yup, hope you like ham, I made a roast out of it in the oven alongside the usual Christmas affair."
"Oh please you can make anything taste good, I stopped doubting you. I bet you could become a professional chef one day!"
"What like Gordon Ramsay?" He asked with a raised brow.
"Better." She affirmed, making him blush at the compliment.
He cleared his throat. "Yes well, we'll have to wait and see, I don't really have any plans for my future just yet."
It was true. At one point he had considered destroying Britannia, but... he was happy right now. He had his sister, he had a best friend, he had Sayoko and Milly... things as they where... they weren't so bad.
With his hatred for his family and country on the backburner, he didn't really have any goals. He still wanted to know who killed his mother of course, but he also knew that it would compromise the things that he cherished. He didn't want to give this up.
For now he wanted to just enjoy what he had.
Kallen shrugged. "I dunno what I'm gonna do either really but... I want to help Naoto, and the resistance." She admitted.
Oh...
Lelouch blanched, feeling a tightness in his chest that he had never felt before. A chill wormed its way up his spine and he found himself swallowing a lump in his throat.
'That's right...' He thought to himself. 'Even if I'm content to live this life, that doesn't mean Kallen is... she wants to see her country free, that is her greatest wish, a free Japan. I can't give her that gift this Christmas... but maybe... in a few years.'
He felt his old mindset come back into play, with his emotions guiding him, he began to think.
'I want Kallen to be safe, however I know I can't stop her from fighting, it's who she is... and I don't want her to do it alone. But... Nunnally...'
His mind raced, his desire to just live a peaceful life like he had been was now clashing with not only his desire to help and protect his best friend, but also the strong pull of his past hate, his inner demons, they called for blood and vengeance and he found himself clenching his fists involuntarily.
"Hey." Kallen called out to him, snapping Lelouch out of it. She had stepped up closer to him while he was distracted and had a worried look in her eyes. "Are you alright? You look like you've seen a ghost."
"M'fine..." He mumbled.
"You're worried about something, I can see it in your eyes. You have an awful poker face." She commented, but he shook his head.
"Nothing to be concerned about." He lied through his teeth. "I just feel really hungry, so I'm going to grab the food from the kitchen. Sayoko would you mind helping me?"
Sayoko nodded, but she obviously wasn't buying his fib either. Her own expression was one of concern. She didn't voice it however and walked behind the young master, grabbing the ham as it was a bit heavy while Lelouch began to bring out the sides. Mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, fresh baked bread and so on.
Kallen and Nunnally sat at the table. And when he walked out, he saw that even his sister had lost that smile she wore. He mentally kicked himself for ruining the mood, but hoped that some good food and conversation would flip it back.
Before they could eat however, Kallen offered the present she brought with to Lelouch.
"I know it's not Christmas morning, but- I think you should open it now."
The exile blinked, but nodded and quietly took the gift and opened it. Once he saw what it was with the wrapping peeling away, he froze.
"What is it Nii-Sama?" Nunnally queried.
"It... it's us. You, me, Kallen, Sayoko and Milly. The picture that was taken of our group hug, on your birthday..."
He tried his hardest not to let his voice slip at the gift he had been given.
"I asked Milly if she could have the photo printed, and I got it framed." She explained, before going quiet and looking bashful before continuing.
"You told me before that the holidays reminded you of old bittersweet memories, so, I thought I'd help you remember a new one." She mumbled.
He wasn't crying, he just had something in his eyes that's all.
"Thank you, Kallen." He whispered.
She smiled. "Merry Christmas, Lelouch."
Nunnally got her smile back, and quietly took Lelouch's hand. That smile of hers flickered for a moment before returning, but it didn't look the same.
He approached Milly on Christmas morning, he knew exactly what to get for Kallen on her Birthday. She should be opening her Christmas gift from him, he managed to find a gundam model kit that she wanted since before the invasion and with some luck, managed to get it out of the hands of a collector- for a small fortune of course, but it was worth it.
Unfortunately, the reason he was approaching Milly is because she was the one who owned the thing he wanted to get Kallen for her birthday, now that he knew what to get her.
That meant he'd have to make a deal with the devil, and the devil's name was Millicent "motherfucking" Ashford.
Joy.
He found her in the late morning on the academy grounds and approached her as she was texting someone on her phone. She noticed him approaching and smiled.
"Well, well, well if it isn't the famed Black Prince of Ashford, whatever would you want with me this fine Christmas morning my dear Lulu?"
It was almost like she knew he needed something, damn her!
"I need a favor. Kallen's Birthday is in about 4 months and while I typically wouldn't worry about getting someone a gift this early especially since today is literally Christmas... this is something that will take some preparation."
"Go on..."
Lelouch looked around, making sure nobody was watching, and just to be safe, stepped forward to whisper into her ear.
Her face went from one of anticipation, to curiosity, to concern, and then he pulled away, looking at her expectantly.
"Lelouch, look I'm not gonna pretend I don't know the implications of what you're asking from me. I'll swing the idea by Ruben, but if he agrees you'll be the one in charge of finding the parts and tools you need to get it repaired, I'm washing my hands of it." She said crossing her arms.
He sighed with relief. "Thanks Milly."
"Don't thank me yet Lelouch, grandpa still needs to approve it. And plus~" Her face was taken over by a devilish grin. "You owe me one for this, understand?"
He gulped. Owing Milly a favor was the last thing he wanted, but he also kind of expected it.
"Fine." He agreed tersely. "What do you want?"
She laughed. "Oh don't worry, I'm gonna pocket this favor, consider it an IOU. Gonna cash it in later." She winked.
He could not help but shiver in genuine fear.
Those 4 months passed by in a blur. Ruben had approved, he got that confirmation on new years eve and celebrated both that, and the New Year with Nunnally and Sayoko. Unfortunately Kallen couldn't come, having opted to spend the night in Shinjuku with her brother instead.
Lelouch didn't mind, of course, she just spent both his birthday and Christmas eve with them so he was perfectly content knowing she got to hang out with Naoto. He would have gone too, but it was too cold to bring Nunnally without risking her getting sick and he couldn't just leave her alone, especially not on New Years.
Over the course of those months, he would constantly vanish. His usual hang-out days with Kallen became limited, as he spent most of his free time gambling, and the rest of it desperately searching for and buying the components he needed on the black market.
Unfortunately most sales where fake. He didn't fall for any of them but there where some close calls. He also knew some of the offers where bait from the police looking to bust illegal trafficking.
When he wasn't gambling through Naoto or online matches, and he wasn't browsing the deep web for the parts he needed, he instead found himself in the bowels of Ashford Academy.
March 29th began like any other day, but it didn't stay that way. For all of his confidence in his ability to do what he planned, he found himself suffering setbacks when it came to the manual labor. The parts where heavy, the delicate components where a pain to work with, and he had to machine everything by hand.
Each day he went to work on Kallen's birthday present he came back stinking of motor oil and sweat. Nunnally had even commented that his scent was that of a grease monkey, and when he looked down at himself, wearing a stained plain white sleeveless shirt and torn jeans all covered in black gunk he couldn't help but laugh.
Regardless, he knew it would be well worth all the trouble, if only he could get the damn thing to work!
Today however, luck favored him. He skipped every single class and spent it in the aging R&D wing, the 13 year old had become quite the machinist, it wasn't like anyone in Ashford had any skills like the ones he had developed. Reading manuals, working with everything from power saws to welding torches, wire crimpers and the like gave him a newfound appreciation for the kind of crap that the gearheads in the motor club went through when they talked about working on their cars.
He had managed to finish his present just in time. He tried to turn the machine on once more and it finally booted up, making him scream in victory as the damn thing started to work. He even got a test run in before finally leaving to go back to the main floor and getting in a well deserved shower to clean the gunk and sweat out of his hair before leaving.
After getting dressed and finally checking his phone he nearly had a stroke as he came to see he had about a dozen unread text messages from Kallen.
"Oh crap..." He mumbled. Instead of reading them, he went straight to calling her-
"What the fuck Lelouch!?" He heard her scream as soon as she picked up
"I'm sorry Kallen!" He said quickly. "Look, I'll explain everything, just come to my place ok?"
She huffed over the phone, before hanging up with an "ok."
He sighed, glad that she at least was giving him a chance. He was so focused on making sure her present was finished that he neglected to think about how she'd react to his absence.
She arrived to the future student clubhouse and came face to face with him. She looked quite cross. Her face in a scowl with her arms folded over each other and her right foot tapping against the floor impatiently
"You've been avoiding me for months and you weren't even in class all day." She snipped, her face turning into one of sorrow. "Did I do something wrong? If I did I'm sorry I didn't mean t-"
"N-no!" He cut her off, shaking his head. "No Kallen, you did nothing wrong, I was just very busy working on a project and I was finishing it today. Do you want to see it?" He asked.
"Oh." She blinked, relaxing a bit, though still miffed. "Yeah, sure."
"Great, c'mon!" He smiled, excitedly grabbing her hand and pulling her along, he failed to notice the blush creeping onto her cheeks.
She found herself in awe as she was pulled into a hidden elevator that took them down, below ground level, a sub-basement? She never knew Ashford had an underground.
Once the elevator came to a stop, he walked out with her into a hallway where she paled, seeing a machine-gun was pointed at the elevator door, but it didn't react to their presence.
"Don't worry, you and I are both registered as guests down here, it won't target us." He assured her, but her mind was still racing, why was there such security beneath a school!?
He opened a door, before stepping behind her and placing his hands over her eyes.
"Walk forward, don't worry I'll guide you." He instructed. And she followed along, letting him lead her to their destination until coming to a sudden stop. He removed his hands and she opened her eyes to see what he had in store for her.
Her jaw dropped.
"Y-you built this...?"
"Well technically I repaired it but there was so much wrong with it I basically had to rebuild the thing from scratch." He muttered. "It's why I was so busy these past few months."
Sitting in front of her, in the middle of a large warehouse-like structure was a knightmare simulator, playfully wrapped up in a golden tinted ribbon and bow and a small card taped to the side.
"Happy Birthday Kallen."
She turned to look at him so fast that she got whiplash.
"This is... for me?" She questioned quietly.
"Yeah... I knew how much you liked mecha and robots, and I also know... well... since you're going to be joining your brother in the resistance soon I could at least help you get some early training done... so you can be safer out there." He mumbled, looking at the ground. "I don't want you to get hurt."
He didn't expect him to be hugged so tightly, her arms where thrown around him and he got pulled into a snug embrace that melted his cold exterior as easily as ice before a raging inferno. He reciprocated the hug, bringing his arms up to wrap around her.
"I love it." She choked. "I love it so much, this is the best gift I've ever gotten!" She exclaimed happily, making his whole body heat up, he felt butterflies in his stomach as his emotional control slipped and he smiled wide, his own grip on her tightening.
"I'm happy..." He admitted. "I'm happy that you're happy."
That only seemed to cause her to hold him even closer, so close that he could feel her silky red hair and hot breath tickling his skin, causing him to flush red.
Eventually she pulled away, her moment of genuine gratitude and admiration melting away into teenage excitement as she ran around the simulator, running her hands along its exterior. She stared at it lovingly and looked like she was about to climb in when her vision drifted away, seeming to have caught something out of the corner of her eye. She stepped back from the gift and stared at something on the far side of the room, and Lelouch curiously followed her gaze to-
... oh.
It was covered by an old white tarp, but the general outline of a Knightmare could be seen beneath the textile fabric, and he winced.
Kallen turned to look at Lelouch and saw the pained expression on his face.
"What is it?" She asked.
Well, he couldn't very well try to deflect this, he knew that much, so he'd try to play it off instead.
"Wanna see?" He asked. "I'll show you if you want."
"Sure- but don't think I'm not still interested in your gift! I can't wait to try it!" She reassures him, causing him to smile again.
He waved for her to follow and she did as they walked over to the tarp. Lelouch grabbed it, pulling it off and making it fall to the floor in a heap, and Kallen gasped.
"Impressive isn't it? It's called-"
"The Ganymede!" She exclaimed, sounding as excited as a kid in a candy store with a 100 pound note. "I can't believe it! I've only ever seen it this beauty in pictures- th'fuck is it doing rusting away down here!?"
Lelouch blinked. "Wait you recognize it?"
"Duh, I'm a mecha enthusiast! "Of course I do! It was piloted by Marianne the flash! The best knightmare pilot to ever exist! The knight of 6!"
"Quite right." He did his best to remain calm, repressing both his painful memories as well as his fear of being outed... Kallen still didn't know his real heritage and he wanted to keep it that way... if she found out... if she found out then he couldn't even imagine what she'd think of him, he was terrified of loosing her as a friend. He wanted to avoid that at all costs. "And to answer your question, it's down here because the Ashford Family used to run an R&D Conglomerate known as the Ashford Foundation. The Ganymede was their own creation, it was built here, and gifted to Marianne because the Ashfords where close friends and political allies."
He turned to look at the Ganymede and continued. "When Marianne died, the Ashfords where stripped of much that they once had and got kicked out of the royal court. This academy, the empty facility and the Ganymede are all they have left, the rest had to be sold off or traded away to make ends meet but they couldn't bare to part with this. Too much sentimental value."
"So that's how you got a Knightmare Simulator down here." She realized, wide eyed, she seemed to be conflicted, struggling between confusion, sadness, and elation.
He turned to look back at Kallen. "Correct, that Knightmare simulator belonged to the Ashford foundation, they gutted it for parts because selling them individually was more profitable than as a whole. Milly asked for permission to give me the leftovers from Ruben. He agreed, and now that it's repaired I'm giving it to you as your birthday present."
Kallen turned to look back at him, finally pulling her gaze away from the Ganymede only to look startled.
"Lelouch, are you ok?"
"Yeah, why?"
"You look like you're ready to pass out or throw up."
It was true, he felt nausea just thinking about his mother, of all the pain, suffering and humiliation he and Nunnally had to go through alongside the Ashfords. It made him feel sick both physically and emotionally.
"I'm fine." He said simply. She didn't seem to buy it, but didn't push the subject either, not really, only glancing at him sympathetically.
"If you want to talk, I'm here, ok Lulu?" She asked softly. "I hope you know that."
"I do." He replied quietly.
She smiled a little, accepting his answer. "C'mon, let's get back to that totally awesome birthday gift! I need to test it out!" She exclaimed, and this time she was the one grabbing his hand, and she dragged him away, causing some color to come back to his face as his lips uncontrollably turned into a smile.
He didn't notice her looking back at the Ganymede, and the growing questions lingering in her eyes.
Cambodia, taking this pile of dirt had proven a strenuous task. The people here where stubborn just like they where in Area-12. Soon this country would be re-cheistened Area-13.
Cornelia sat inside her purple Sutherland Custom staring at the tactical map on screen. The last vestiges of resistance where all but gone by this point. Only the mangled scraps of a military with a smattering of local militia remained. This next battle would be a slaughter just like the last, it was a foregone conclusion.
She hated it.
She hated this so much. She hated everything about the current situation.
She had quickly garnered a reputation as an elite general, a field Marshall that personally slew enemies of the Empire. She was respected by her allies and feared by her enemies, both at home and abroad.
And she did it to protect Euphie.
She didn't turn into a monster, no, if she did that then Charles would have won. She refused to become as callous as that horrible excuse of a father.
Marianne was more of a mom to her than her own actual birth mother. She was dead, and it was his fault. Of that she was certain beyond a shadow of a doubt.
But she couldn't act on those convictions, she had to play the obedient toy soldier. She had to follow every order given. She was tasked with invading this country and subjugating it for the Britannian Empire, and so she would.
It didn't help that Schneizel also seemed to have an unnaturally keen interest in this scrap of dirt in southeast Asia, but she really didn't want to know why either. She wanted to get her job done and wash her hands of it.
The sooner this was over, the sooner she could hug Euphie and cry her eyes out to prepare for the next campaign.
A darker purple sutherland walked up to her own. Her freshly knighted friend, Guilford.
"Your highness, general Darlton reports all companies green, awaiting your orders." He said respectfully to get her attention.
"Tell him the plan is a go, execute on his command."
"You're not going to participate my lady?" He asked carefully.
"No Guilford I will not. There is no honor in fighting such a weak and helpless opponent. Usual rules of engagement apply, if the enemy tries to surrender they are to be taken into custody and given fair treatment as prisoners of war."
"Understood your highness, in that case I shall remain by your side."
She nodded silently to herself, not giving her Knight a reply as she carefully watched the pieces on the board move in to claim the kill. The last of the resistance was held up in a small, poorly fortified village with nothing more than some wooden fencing, sandbags, and a smattering of basic entrenchments. From her position on the hillside she saw the tracer shells of knightmare cannons and rifles pour in, destroying everything on the outskirts before the shocktrooper knight squads moved in with APC and infantry support.
She sighed, then heard her comm chirp, and turned on her radio to get the message.
"Cornelia speaking."
"Your highness." She recognized the voice of Kanon Maldini, why was the aide of the prime minister calling her? "My lord Prince Schneizel insisted upon me relaying a message."
"Go on Sir Maldini."
"The Emperor is pleased with your progress, but finds your methods to be... too soft. He has assigned the Knight of 10 to you."
Her eyes went wide, before she nearly let out a growl, quietly cutting the transmission short.
"Guilford, we're going to have some company for a while, I don't know how long they're staying." She announced over the loudspeakers.
"Your highness?"
"The Emperor is sending one of the rounds to oversee us personally."
"May I ask which one?"
She had to repress a snarl
"The Knight of 10."
"I see... so Luciano is going to be campaigning with us."
"Indeed." She said dryly. "The vampire of Britannia will be using us to slake his bloodlust."
She clutched her controls tightly, her knuckles turning red as she glared at the tactical screen.
She had been careful to limit civilian casualties and collateral damage. She didn't want to kill anyone that couldn't defend themselves, it just wasn't right. Marianne would be ashamed of her if she did such a thing, as would Euphie.
She just couldn't do it. She couldn't bring herself to drown in the hate and bloodlust that consumed the rest of her family. She had to stay strong. For Euphie, Marianne, Lelouch and Nunnally. She would stay true to her convictions to the very end.
And aside, she hadn't forgotten her promise. The one she made to her father's portrait that day.
This whole thing was just part of her plan. She would play the long game, lure the Emperor and his ilk into a false sense of security while she built her power base.
Luciano would not get in her way. One day she'd be rid of him. Yes. One day she'd put a bullet in his stupid face, that was her new vow.
Lelouch couldn't believe this shit. Why, why on earth did he have to put up with this crap?
Milly was standing before him, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He was 14 now. And more than that. He was now a freshman in the Academy's higher grades- though technically he qualified for senior year honors classes.
And he just could not believe what he just heard come out of Milly's mouth.
"Let me get this straight... you're inaugurating the Student Council as a new club to help manage the academy budget and other club activities... and you want to celebrate by holding a crossdressing ball..."
"Yup!" Milly chirped.
"Ok... I'll help you set it up."
"Oh no you misunderstand. I don't just want your help setting it up." She affirmed. "You're participating~"
'Oh... oh dear God no, please no!' He screamed internally
"Milly..." He began diplomatically, but she cut him off.
"Upupup! I'm calling in that favor you owe me." She harrumphed, making his jaw drop.
"Milly please be reasonable!" He begged.
"No." She replied cooly, before then grabbing his wrist, locking him into a vice grip, he shrieked like a girl as the newly christened student council president dragged him to his doom.
"NUNNALLY! KALLEN! HELP MEEEEEEEE!" He cried out desperately, but it was ultimately a futile effort as he got yanked into a dressing room.
Word got around quickly.
Rivalz had a hand over his mouth, he had only recently joined Ashford, having transferred here alongside a few others. Shirley was flushed red and giggling while he stifled his laughs. Even Nina, the shy and awkward girl that she was, found herself smiling and holding back her laughter as Milly put the finishing touches on her impromptu art project.
"I fucking hate you."
"Oh don't be such a pouty-puss! I made you look gorgeous Lulu~"
"Milly I swear to god-"
"Quit yammering, I need to finish powdering your nose."
Lelouch glared at Milly as she touched up on his makeup. His emotions went from terror, to embarassment at first when she started doing this, and had now settled on a mix of acceptance and vengeance.
"I'm going to kill you." He threatened.
"Yeah yeah fire and brimstone, turn your head to the left a little."
He did.
Moments later, Kallen entered the room. She immediately stopped, seeing Lelouch and her eyes lit up in mirth as she couldn't stop herself from grinning and biting her lip, letting out a snort.
Lelouch huffed.
He supposed that since there was no getting out of this, he might as well make the most of the situation.
"Kallen look!" Milly chirped. "Doesn't he look stunning!" The she-devil asked as she walked behind Lelouch. The poor young man was in a frilly white dress with matching high-heels.
"He does." Kallen agreed humorously. "But I don't think white is his color."
Lelouch smirked, deciding now was his time to strike as he adopted the gayest, most stereotypical homo-erotic voice he could manage.
"See Milly darling, I told you we should've gone with the black one it matches my hair, now all the boys will pick Jason instead!" He whined, sounding like a drama queen.
Shirley gawked, Nina looked stunned, and Rival just stared at him while Milly was caught off-guard and Kallen had to stop herself from laughing.
"Milly, dear, be honest with me does this dress make my ass look fat?" He asked.
Milly slapped her hands over her mouth as her eyes bugged out, her shoulders shaking, Rivalz and Nina both fell out of their chairs while Shirley slammed her face into the table, covering her head with her hands as her whole body convulsed.
Kallen was in a similar state to the president. He could hear hear her barely-restrained snorts and choked giggles as she tried to contain her laughter. Her shoulders shaking.
Time for the killshot.
"Kallen~" He drawled in a seductive voice making her stop and stare at him.
He winked. "Tell me I'm pretty."
She couldn't hold it in anymore, none or them could.
She let out a "pfffffffffft" before falling to the ground and rolling on the floor holding her gut as she laughed uncontrollably. "Oh my God Lelouch!" She wheezed while Milly slammed her fist onto the table.
The entire room exploded into a fit of giggles and loud laughing.
After that hilarious little fiasco, things started to calm down, though Lelouch noted that Kallen seemed miffed about something.
He waited a while to see if she would bring up what's eating at her, but he couldn't stand to see her acting like this, so after about a week of patience, he dropped the pretext and came out with it.
"Kallen?" He asked as they where hanging out together in the academy courtyard. "Are you alright?"
"Mm?" She looked at him from her position, sitting down in the grass. "I'm fine."
"It feels like there's something bothering you." He pointed out, and she flinched a little.
"I just... I'm conflicted... I want to help my brother, and fight for Japan's freedom."
"But?" He asked.
"But I don't want to do it without you." She admitted quietly.
He blinked. "You want my help...?"
"They all do." Kallen corrected. "I mean... yeah, I really want you to be around, with me, but... I wouldn't be saying this if the others didn't agree on it. Naoto made you an honorary member and that still stands. I... we want you to join the resistance."
His breath caught in his throat, and he swallowed.
"Why are you conflicted about this?"
"Because I wanted you to approach me." She said quietly. "I hoped that you would approach and ask. It's not that I didn't want to ask, but... I didn't want you to feel forced. I wanted it to be your own idea, your own choice."
He nodded silently. "I didn't before because of Nunnally."
"I figured as much." She said knowingly.
There was an awkward silence before Lelouch cleared his throat, he had been thinking about this for a long time.
"Nunnally will never be safe." He said suddenly, drawing her complete attention.
"No matter what-" He continued. "If the world stays the way it is, she will always be at risk. She wouldn't survive, and if she did then she wouldn't be living. She would be forced into an awful, painful life. What kind of big brother would I be if I let that happen?" He asked softly.
"Lulu..." She whispered his name, reaching a hand out to grasp his hand and give him some form of comfort, and he went on, staring at the ground now as he was deep in thought.
"She would be forced to marry someone for their money, but never experience love, or she could deny it and save herself for that special someone that might never come only to be thrown out onto the streets and die in a gutter, alone and afraid!" He snapped viciously, making her flinch
"She can't go to a normal school, get a normal job, live a normal life. Britannia will eat her alive." He said darkly before finishing "And I can't... I can't promise her that I'll always be there, anything could happen to me at any time, and she could be stuck, alone, with nobody to protect her."
He looked up, staring into Kallen's eyes, and speaking with a level of conviction in his voice she never heard before.
"This world must change, we will change it."
She smiled, hope swelling within her heart, and something else she couldn't fully identify.
"We will, that's our promise, to change the world, together." Kallen said firmly.
"Together." He agreed.
Kallen smirked playfully.
"Well, if you're gonna be part of our resistance group, you're gonna need to get in shape! Don't think I didn't notice your scrawny ass struggling on the kilometer run in gym during 8th grade!" She declared, poking fun at him.
He pouted. "I hate exercise..."
"Suck it up buttercup, I'm your drill Sergeant now!" She declared, making him groan.
A/N: Poor Lelouch, Kallen wont let him rest now!
If you have a favorite scene please leave a review telling me which one it is :3