Disclaimer: Code Geass and its characters belong to Sunrise, Inc.

It's the last weekend before the upcoming Japanese language exams, but I haven't picked up any of my practice materials because I wanted to write this. I blame you all if I fail abysmally on that exam, LOL!

05 Opening Moves

"Why did you ask your dad that?!"

"I don't know," Kallen replied. It was actually true. "It just came out. Maybe I thought we could use another one our age to talk to?"

"You could've asked for anyone in the student council," Shirley tried arguing. "Why a complete stranger?"

"He's not a complete stranger, is he?" Kallen asked. She ignored how her friend stiffened at the statement. "He is the son of one of Father's business partners. And we were properly introduced."

"Not the point!" exclaimed Shirley. "Being around longtime staff of your own house triggers one of your episodes. Have you even considered that an outsider would cause one, too? What if he saw you during one?!"

She means well, Kallen reminded herself. Shirley always was the one who looked after the welfare of those around her. She would have made a good nurse, but she chose to try her hand at a noblewoman's maid. Well, she soft of still was, but Kallen wouldn't treat her like one. They were friends, after all, and maids don't get to call you out on moments of temporary insanity.

"You're right," she conceded. "I'm sorry. I should have given it some more thought."

"Well, what's done is done," said Shirley, visibly deflating. "But tell me, has Lelouch been on your mind this whole time?"

Kallen pursed her lips. Truth be told, she had teased Shirley in hopes of having her opinion of him. The slight inkling of fear that mixed with her general curiosity had confused her, and she hoped a discussion would give her a clue as to why that was.

But there was the matter of the dreams she had been having since that day. Lelouch worried about her. Lelouch being sad. Lelouch smiling at her. Were they results of girlish fantasies? Or perhaps something sealed among her fragmented memories?

"Sort of," was all she would admit out loud. "Like I said before, he got me curious."

"I suppose that's a good thing," Shirley shrugged. "Let's hope that means you can be allowed to go out, soon."

"I hope so, too."

-.o.0.o.-

Two weeks. Two very long weeks of Clovis demonstrating just how out-of-touch he was with how an Area was properly run. It would seem that Lelouch had his work cut out for him as future Viceroy.

Equally on his mind, though, was wat he had scheduled that afternoon. After a few back-and-forth discussions with Jeremiah, they had finally decided that this afternoon would be the best time to start. It had irritated him that it had to be two weeks after their dry run, though he had been able to manage his mood enough for his guards to wonder at the cause of it.

For once, Clovis' competencies had their purpose to serve.

With the appointed time finally approaching, he had left the Viceroy's palace to his appointment with Gottwald, and seamlessly executed the same motions as in their dry-run. Within minutes he found himself at the entrance to the Stadtfeld Manor in his not-bad choice of commoner wear. He had initially included a cravat, but Jeremiah said that nobility generally wore them, so he discarded that in favor of wearing a high collar.

The front door opened just as he raised his hand to knock.

"Lelouch-sama," greeted Sayoko. "My lord has been expecting you."

"Shinozaki-san," he returned the greeting using the honorific he learned from Jeremiah. Having seen what the woman was capable of, he thought to not risk offending her. It was the smart thing to do, after all. "Will Lord Stadtfeld be requiring a word with me."

"Indeed, Lelouch-sama," confirmed the maid. "He is waiting for you in his study."

He already knew the way. "Very well. Thank you, Shinozaki-san."

"'Sayoko' will do, Lelouch-sama." She bowed low before waving him to enter.

He only nodded in response before making his way to Lord Stadtfeld's study.

He noted the elevator that was installed to one side of the grand staircase, clearly added recently. A pinch of guilt made itself felt once again after recalling that Kallen had been in a wheelchair during his previous visit. He took a calming breath to clear his mind before climbing the stairs.

He found the doors to the study open. Standing just outside them, he could see Lord Stadtfeld sitting behind a desk, poring over some documents. He knocked on the doorjamb to announce his presence. The older man looked up from his work and nodded at him in recognition. He was waved to sit at the chair in front of the desk before moving to put the papers away. Lelouch closed the doors before moving to take his seat.

Had anyone at court seen this exchange, they would have denounced Lord Stadtfeld tot he emperor at the disrespect towards an imperial prince. Between just the two of them, however, they were just two men who shared a purpose; who agreed to work together to achieve it.

"First of all, thank you for coming," Lord Stadtfeld began. "But before I take you to meet the girls, there are things you need to understand."

"I expected as much," Lelouch replied. "I'm listening."

"You are here because I offered to mentor you on the businesses of Area 11. I will be sharing some actual business data with you in case Kallen decides to quiz you." The younger man nodded in understanding. "Your visits will be construed as you taking a break from your lessons. If time permits, I will be joining you, but I will be busy most days. This will allow you time to yourselves."

"I appreciate it," Lelouch acknowledged.

"You will be watched at all times. I'm sure you've seen some of Sayoko's talents." To this, Lelouch nodded. Lord Stadtfeld continued, "For the most part, you'll be given a wide berth, so long as there is no clear danger to Kallen. Should a threat to her wellbeing becomes apparent, Sayoko will intervene."

"Understood. I hope that necessity would not come to pass."

"Thank you."

"I have just one question," he asked. The older man nodded for him to continue. "If Kallen regains her memories, and recognizes me as her captor and tormentor, what will happen?"

"Kallen will be whisked away from you, and you will be asked to leave. After which I expect you to stay away from her moving forward."

"So your good graces will continues so long as she remembers nothing?"

"So long as she is getting better," the older man countered. At Lelouch's bemused expression, he went on to explain. "There was a marked improvement in Kallen's progress since your last visit. Mainly, she had been sleeping better compared to when she came out of her coma. It may well be coincidental, but, as I have said before-"

"Anything to help Kallen heal," Lelouch finished for him. "I understand, and I will do my best." At least not to hurt her more than he already had, he thought. "On that we are in agreement."

"Good. I'll take you to see the girls now." Stadtfeld said, standing up from his seat. "They're in the library today. Kallen wasn't feeling well to go to the gardens."

"A relapse?" Lelouch asked, unable to keep the worry from his voice.

"She is, for a lack of a better description, in a mood," Stadtfeld replied. "Perhaps she wanted a break in the monotony."

With the open doors to the library some strides ahead of them, both men were surprised by the sound of something hitting the floor, followed not long after by Shirley's scream. Without another word, both men ran the rest of the way.

-.o.0.o.-

Kallen didn't know how long she had been staring at the same page of the book she held in her hands. All she knew was that her mood didn't match the perfect weather outside. Perfect weather for a picnic, Shirley had said earlier, but she couldn't share in her friend's enthusiasm.

It had been about two weeks, by her guess, since she made the request of her father, but now she wasn't too sure she wanted her father to make good on his promise. She supposed the initial excitement had passed and the reality that she'd be letting a stranger get close to her had begun to sink in.

Plus, she nearly had another episode when they tried to have the doctor visit and check on her progress. Shirley needed to hold her hand tightly the whole time. Every time the doctor - an old family friend - approached her, she would push herself deeper into her wheelchair while squeezing harder on Shirley's hand. Seeing this, the doctor had settled for simply interviewing her. It was some progress that she wasn't screaming at the doctor to stay away from her, anymore, but they wouldn't push her too hard.

What if he saw you during one?!

Kallen let out a sigh. Her friend had a very valid point.

Shaking herself out of those thoughts, she tried to think of something else. The doctor had said that she would need to try and exercise her legs to rebuild their strength. She was, after all, able to feel them and move them on her own, though weakly. Her injuries from the accident had mostly healed before she woke up from her coma, but the prolonged immobility made her body forget how to walk. She had enough progress that she could dress herself now, but walking was still a long road ahead.

She looked over to where Shirley sat, clearly engrossed in the book she was reading. The way the girl held the book so close to her face with her shoulders tense, she was probably in the exciting part of the story. Kallen thought about how Shirley had stayed with her. She had been feeling some guilt over her not being able to leave the manor because she needed help moving around. If she could at least walk on her own again, she'll only need Shirley to be around occasionally, and her friend could live a little.

Maybe she could at least try...

Quietly, she closed the book she was reading and laid it aside. Just as quietly she shifted in her wheelchair so she could put her feet on the floor. She paused when the heel of her left foot made an audible clack, and she turned to see if Shirley noticed. She let out the breath she was holding when her friend was still clearly in the world of her book. She put her other foot on the floor, taking care not to let its heel make a sound this time. Thus successful, she shifted forward in her chair once more.

It had been a while, but she thought her position felt familiar enough. She could do this, right? No, she needed to do this. For herself. For those around her. She pushed off her chair.

And landed on the floor in a most unladylike manner.

"Kallen!"

Shirley was by her side instantly, but she turned her face away. She couldn't let her see the angry tears pooling in her eyes. The running footsteps she heard next, however, meant she had an audience.

"What happened?!" she heard her father's voice demand. She tried to collect herself before responding, but her frustration that had been building up until now were boiling over.

"Why?!" she screamed. "I can feel my legs. I can move them!" She clenched her fists just as her tears began to flow. "Why can't I at least stand up?!" She pounded on the floor a few times before sobbing into her arms.

They all waited for Kallen to calm down before Lord Stadtfeld picked her up and lifted her back into her chair. She couldn't look at any of them, thoroughly embarrassed by her display of weakness. Instead, she stared hard at her lap.

"I'm a little tired," she finally whispered. "I'd like to rest now."

"Okay," came her father's voice. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Shirley moving to push her chair back to her room. Her father likewise stepped back to give way.

Which was why she was slightly confused when a handkerchief was offered from right in front of her. She accepted with a quiet "Thank you," before proceeding to wipe her tears away with it.

"What you did was very brave."

Kallen froze. That wasn't her father's voice. She lifted her face slowly to gaze upon the face of the one who spoke. If she had been embarrassed earlier, she was quite mortified now.

"L-Lelouch...!"

I initially intended to work a little more on Lelouch's work before he went to visit Kallen, but since I woke up yesterday to see this fic hit 1k views in AO3, I thought I'd post it now to celebrate.

Why the AO3 stats, you ask? It's because FFN hasn't been logging view stats since September 15, so when I look at the stats, it's showing ZEROOOO! hits for chapters 2 onwards. I still get favs and follow alerts, but without seeing the stats, I'm not getting an accurate read on the reach of this story. Make a girl feel appreciated with a review? (wink, wink)

No pressure, any feedback is very much appreciated.

~ryder77