AN: I do not own Code Geass

Batazr: Sorry, but I just didn't have anymore vision for Clovis in this story.

Samurai seven: I have an idea for Lelouch's Knightmare, though, he might not get it for a while. Expect to see it at least when the Black Knights start gaing major steam.

DarkDremora: You're right, I was underestmiating Kallen a bit with my assumption, so it would probably 6-7 instead of 10/10

Chapter 30: Christmas

December 25th

It was 8:00AM, and students of Ashford Academy begrudgingly flowed into campus, heading toward the auditorium, where Clovis' memorial would be held for the next hour. Snow fell steadily from above, covering the roofs and trees of the school in the soft, white substance gently.

"I can't believe they're actually forcing us to attend school…" one student muttered while rubbing his arms.

"Yeah… and I had such great plans today…" another added.

"Like what? Playing video games?" a girl teased him from behind.

"Sh-shut up!"

"Seriously though… it's too cruel to force us to attend school during winter break, especially on Christmas day…"

"You said it." every single student in the building agreed.

Lelouch and Kallen overheard the numerous annoyed conversations as they stood in a single file line, "I think it's a shame you couldn't stay home today," the Prince told his girlfriend, "After all, you're still in pain from that… accident, you had."

The red head nodded in response, while rubbing her jaw, "It hurts so much… I think I might've broken it…"

"Good morning Lelouch…" Rivalz greeted his friend with a yawn, the boy's hair was stood up in all directions, indicating he just woke up.

"Merry Christmas Kallen!" Shirley nudged her friend, "Oh wow. You look terrible! What happened?" she pointed at the purple bruises on Kallen's face.

"It's nothing…"

"No way! That looks like it really hurts!"

"It's fine…" she covered her face.

"Don't be like that! If someone's bullying you, you should tell us! That's what friends are for!"

"It's nothing like that… in fact… I was the one who asked for this…" Kallen replied with a solemn expression, making Shirley tilt her head in confusion, "Like I said, it's nothing."

Before the orange-haired girl could continue her questioning, the screen turned on, beginning the memorial. For the most part, it was a boring event, with many students falling asleep halfway, or rather, a quarter of the way through. However, it wasn't until the Emperor's speech was announced, that the students finally woke up.

"And now, His Royal Majesty, the 98th Emperor of the Holy Britannian Empire." the news reporter announced while switching the screen.

Once the static cleared, there stood Charles Zi Britannia, his mere presence made everyone in the auditorium stand up a little taller, "All men, are not created equal." his voice boomed, waking up those who were still asleep, "Some are born swifter of foot, some with greater beauty, some are born into poverty, and others born sick and feeble. Both in birth land and upbringing, in sheer scope of ability, every human is inherently different. Yes, that is why people discriminate against one another, which is why there is struggle, competition, and the unfaltering march of progress."

Lelouch clenched his hand upon hearing those words, "But what about Nunally? How can those who are born helpless, hope to live in that kind of world?"

The Emperor continued, "Inequality, is not wrong, equality is. What of the EU, which made equality a right, rabble politics by a popularity contest. The Chinese Federation, with its equal distribution of wealth, a nation of lazy dullards. But not our beloved Britannia, we fight, we compete, evolution is continuous." a picture of Clovis took hold in the corner of the screen, "Britannia alone moves forward, advancing steadily into the future. Even the death of my son Clovis demonstrates Britannia's unswerving commitment to progress."

Lila watched the speech in the dark from her room, muttering, "Zero… Zero… Zero killed my brother… Zero killed Clovis…"

"We will fight on. We shall struggle, compete, plunder, and dominate. And in the end, the future shall be ours. All Hail Britannia!" Charles commanded with a raised fist.

Unlike his studio audience, who were feeling patriotic after the speech, the Ashford students couldn't care less, "Jeez… when will that old man shut up?"

"I just wanna go home…"

"Do you guys wanna grab a milkshake after this?"

"Yo! Look at this new card I just got!"

They quickly filed out of the auditorium with the pressure of the Emperor gone, "Kallen, do you want to go Christmas shopping?" Shirley asked her friend.

"Oh, um…" it still hurt for the red head to speak. However, she'd fight through the pain to answer her friend's question, "Actually… I was planning on hanging out with-"

"That's all right." Lelouch cut in, "If I remember correctly, it's been a while since you two've spent some quality time together. You should enjoy yourselves today."
"What!? But we were supposed to meet with Naoto today!" Kallen felt Shirley latch onto her arm, and begin to drag her away, "Wait! I need to get changed!" she reflexively put her hand on her cheek from the pain.

"We can stop by your place on the way!" Shirley responded casually, "Or you can borrow some of my clothes!"

Lelouch chuckled at the sight, "Speaking of which." Rivalz wrapped his arm around the Prince, "It's been a while since we've hung out. How about? Wanna go beat some brash nobles?"

"Sorry. No can do. I've got plans with Nunally today."

"You're kidding me!" the blue-haired boy began rubbing his friend's head roughly with his knuckle, "We haven't hung out in forever, man!"

"Okay, fine. How about at 2:00PM? Does that sound good?"

"Alright!" Rivalz jumped with joy, "I'll see ya then, Lelouch!"

"What an idiot…" the Prince whispered with a smile, though, it soon faded as the thought of a certain green-haired girl popped in his mind. "I still need answers."

Yesterday…

"Who the hell are you!?" Kallen shouted while sitting up right in Lelouch's bed. In search of warmth, the red head instinctively cuddled up to the nearest source: her boyfriend. However, to her surprise, she was greeted with someone completely different.

"How rude…" C.C responded while holding a cocksure grin, "You're cuter when you're sleeping, you know that?"

"Get the hell out!" the Kozuki shouted as she pushed the immortal out of bed. After hearing the commotion, Lelouch rushed into the room, only to be greeted with a pillow, as Kallen shouted, "Don't look at her!" while the naked C.C slowly put on her straight jacket.

After a few seconds, the girl finished putting on her clothes, and Kallen gave Lelouch permission to look. That's when the questioning began, "How're you still-"

"Alive?" C.C sat at Lelouch's desk while fiddling with a pen, causing the Prince to grunt in frustration, "How do you like the new power I gave you?"

"As I thought. It was you."

Kallen hid underneath the blanket, soothing her jaw by rubbing it with her hand, "Dissatisfied?" the green-haired girl asked while peeking into the drawers.

"On the contrary, I'm sincerely grateful." Lelouch responded while slamming them shut, denying her access, "It allows me to speed up my schedule tremendously, which is a huge help."

The immortal raised an eyebrow, "Schedule?"

"Yes. My schedule for obliterating Britannia." this made Kallen peek out of the covers, "I would've had to wait much longer before I could've made my initial move."

"You believe you can destroy it solely with that power?"

"I intended to do it without it," he looked at Kallen, and smiled, "Especially with the help I've got."

The red head felt a warm feeling spread throughout her body, "Did he just… thank me? I know he didn't say it, but… it feels like it…"

C.C chuckled, "I just knew he'd turn out to be an interesting guy."

"But what'll you do now? I'm sure the entire military is after you." Lelouch stated.

"Not the whole military, just a small faction of it. So it shouldn't be difficult to find a hiding place." she took a seat next to Kallen on the bed, "I can make due here."

"What!?" Kallen exclaimed, "You can't stay here!"

"Why? I've done it before."

"Before?" the red head's eyes widened with shock. Fear pulsated through her body upon hearing those words, "Wait… what?"

Lelouch, however, didn't feel the same fear, "What do you mean, before?"

C.C snickered, "Oh nothing, it's just a joke I'm playing on Kallen."

"I never told her my name…" the Kozuki's mind was crumbling at the seams.

"A joke?" the Prince turned to Kallen, "Do you know her?" the red head shook her head frantically. His eyes narrowed while looking at C.C, "How do you-"

"Know her name?" the raven-haired boy grumbled upon being interrupted by C.C once again, "That's easy, I saw her in your memories."

"My… memory?" Lelouch raised an eyebrow, "Can she do that? It's certainly a possibility… maybe her Geass is to read other people's minds… no… that language she used… in your memories… now that I think about it, does she even have a Geass? If she did, then why give me one?" he shook his head and turned to Kallen, "Hey, what happened last night anyway?"

The red head was sweating bullets, "Um… I… uh…"

"She almost got mugged yesterday." C.C abruptly said.

"What!?" the Prince's eyes widened with worry, "How'd that happen?"

"She was carrying your Christmas present, and some thug came by and stole it. So she fought him off, but it ended with him escaping with the present."

Lelouch gave Kallen a hug after seeing the worry on her face, "You don't have to do that. I would much rather have you around than whatever present you got for me. Don't try to do that again, okay?"

The red head slowly returned the hug, "This is fine… I didn't lie… I didn't lie… he's just assuming what I did thanks to C.C. Though…" she looked at the green-haired girl, who returned with a knowing one, "Just how much do you know about me?"

"Anyway. After that excursion, I brought her here, since she was hurt pretty bad."

"I suppose I should say thank you-"

"Don't mention it."

"Lelouch!" Nunally's voice cut into the conversation, "How's Kallen doing? If you don't wake her up soon, we won't be able to decorate the tree, you know."

"I'll be out in a second!" the Prince responded, "Kallen said she wants to sleep for a bit longer, but she'll join us later." he left the room. Now, the red head's questioning would begin.

"Why were you following me?"

C.C innocently laid on her back, kicking her feet in the air, "Why are you Kallen Kozuki?"

"Don't answer my question with another question."

"But this is one I don't know the answer to." she stopped moving, and turned her head, now facing Kallen, "You see… I feel like I've met you before… almost like a kindred spirit, wandering through the lands aimlessly." she rolled onto her stomach, "But I know for a fact I've never met you before… I have an excellent memory." her eyes wandered to the ceiling, "However, it's not just you… no, it's Lelouch, Suzaku, and Nunally, you all seem familiar to me. Even the events we're going through, it's almost like Déjà vu. No. It is Déjà vu." now, she was staring intently at the red head, "So tell me, who are you?"

Kallen let out a breath she didn't know she was holding, "I'm… from the future…" she shakily admitted in a quiet tone.
Though, C.C didn't seem too surprised, "Really? I supposed that explains some things…" she stood up, "So, how'd you go back in time? Is it a Geass?" before the red head could respond, the immortal answered for her, "No… I don't sense such a thing from you."

"You can sense that?"

"Only mildly, but it's still there. Like an itch you just can't seem to scratch."

Kallen sighed, "So… you don't have any memories from the last timeline?"

"Oh, I have memories. They're just really, really spotty." though, she wasn't telling the full truth, "I also suspect there's more than one timeline at play here… which means," her eyes locked onto Kallen's as she was deep in thought, "The possibility of there being a second time traveler… is pretty high." her eyes wandered to a snail that was making its way up a tree, "The reason I know that, is because the memories I do have, are conflicting."

"By the way," the red head began, "What are you going to do now?"

"Stay here, obviously." C.C responded without a second thought, "Just like last time."

"Last time!?"

December 25th. 10:00AM

Naoto and Lelouch were currently hanging out in one of the bigger malls of the Tokyo Settlement, trying not to draw attention. Or at least… one of them wasn't.

"What about that one?" Naoto pointed at a saleswoman who had dozens of phone cases stacked in her pop-up stand. Next to her, resided a chalk sign that said, "Buy one, get one for 50% off."

"Why the hell would I use it on her?" Lelouch responded as a group of students passed by the bench they were residing on. "That just seems too cruel."

"You don't have to give her a complicated order! Just… make her do something out of the ordinary… like a jumping jack!"

"That seems petty…" the Prince gave his co-conspirator a side eye, "Are you sure you're not a bad guy?"

"Quit messing with me. I want to actually see this power for myself." the resistance leader sighed, "I say it's fine to use it on someone right now if it's just for something small."

"I see your point." Lelouch scanned the area, "Fine… I'll use it on…"

A blushing woman approached them from the left, "Excuse me…" she looked at Naoto with puppy dog eyes, "I think you're pretty cute, and I was wondering if you'd like to go out for coffee sometime?"

"Her." Lelouch activated his Geass, and ordered, "Tell my friend here he's a pervert, and slap him. Then, you'll leave us alone."

"Wait what?" Naoto raised an eyebrow.

A Geass symbol flew into the woman's eye, creating red circles around them, before she said in a robotic tone, "You're a pervert." she delivered a powerful slap to Kozuki's face, nearly knocking him off the bench.

"What the hell, man!?" Naoto exclaimed.

"You wanted me to use my power, and so I did." the Prince responded casually.

"Great. Now you can be the ultimate cock block." the resistance leader muttered sarcastically.

"Are you satisfied?"

"With how you scared off that girl? No. With your ability? Yeah. I think I believe you now."

"Good." Lelouch stood up, "Then, let's go looking for Christmas presents. I'd rather not spend more than an hour with you."

"Why not?"

"Because… Kallen's here." the Prince pointed at a catwalk above them, where Shirley and Kallen were laughing together, mainly the former.

"Ah. You don't want her to see us together… why?"

"Because, there's a high chance she'll see both of our presents at once if we're together. Also, my schedules packed today." he pulled out his phone and showed his 'packed' calendar.

"Milly Ashford at 11:00AM? Wait… that's… 46 minutes from now!"

Lelouch put away his phone, "Exactly, so we're going to have to hurry."

Leaving behind a comical smoke trail, the two ran to the second level, where they made sure to keep an eye on the girls from a distance, "So… what're you getting Kallen?" Naoto asked as they stopped in a candy store.

"Like hell I'm telling you." Lelouch responded while filling a bag with licorice, and another with a chocolate assortment.

"Oh c'mon man! I can tell you what to get her. After all," the Kozuki pounded his chest pridefully, "No one knows my sister as good as me."

"Then what are you planning on getting her?"

"That's easy!" he pointed at a toy store, "I'm getting her an action figure." they walked into the establishment, and headed straight for the figure's aisle, where Naoto picked up a Sutherland model toy.

"You think she'll like that?" Lelouch asked in a judgmental tone, which Naoto picked up on.

"Oh? So you think you can do better?"

The Prince gave off a smug smile, "Yes. Yes, I do." they then walked over to the stuffed animal section, where he picked up a panda that was eating a stick of bamboo.

"Pftt… you really think Kallen's going to like that?" Naoto asked, mimicking the boy's previous response.

"Then let's have a bet." he held up the plushie, "We'll ask Kallen which gift she thinks is better, yours, or mine."

"And what does the winner get?"

"Bragging rights."

It was a simple bet. The winner would be the person who knew Kallen the best, it was a title Naoto, as her big brother, didn't want to give up, while Lelouch, as her boyfriend, wanted to gain.

"Fine. It's a deal." the two firmly shook hands as they stood in front of the cashier, who awkwardly smiled at the interaction.

Meanwhile, Kallen watched the interaction from a far with the same look, "What those two idiots doing?"

"Kallen! Pay attention!" Shirley shouted while dragging the girl to a clothing store, "I was thinking of getting something for Nuna and Lelouch as a collective gift, since I won't be able to actually see them for Christmas this year."

"Why not?" the red head asked

"Didn't I tell you? My family celebrates Christmas together every year, and we're not breaking that tradition now."

"Oh, that's nice."

The two went to the winter clearance section, where the orange-haired girl picked up a few articles of clothing, "I was thinking of getting them matching outfits, don't you think that'd be cute?"

"I'm sure Nunally would appreciate it, since they don't have many of those."

"Really? That's a surprise." Shirley responded while picking up a white knitted sweater alongside a white beanie, "What about this? I think it would look absolutely adorable on Nuna!"

"I agree." Kallen answered with a genuine smile, "But what about Lelouch? What'll you be getting him?"

Shirley put a hand on her chin, clearly, she was giving this more thought than Nunally's outfit, "What about… this?" she picked up a white cardigan with a reindeer design on the back, "It's not exactly the same, but it's the only thing I see here that would match with Nunally's clothes…"

Kallen browsed the bleak array of clothing before her; most of it was disheveled, clearly just thrown onto the table without any care, like it was last week's news. Though, one thing did catch her eye, mainly because it didn't really belong on a Christmas clothing table. So, despite already having Lelouch's present, she bought the item, much to Shirley's surprise, "Really? You think something like that would suit Lulu?"

"Why not? I think it looks cute."

Those words made her friend's smile fade slightly, "Kallen… I know you didn't say you were dating him, but… from how you two've been acting recently… I can't help but think otherwise. Maybe you're trying to keep the truth from me to prevent my heart from getting broken. And while I do appreciate it, I would like you to be honest with me." Shirley let out a sigh as they paid for their items, "It's honestly hurtful that you'd keep such a secret from me if it's true… of course, I'm sure you have your reasons for doing so, but that doesn't change the pain it'll cause me once I find out."

Other than the increase in frequency with Kallen and Lelouch's hang outs, Shirley didn't have any real proof that they were dating. Obviously, she could assume all she liked, but to her knowledge, the two weren't dating, meaning she would continue to fight for the boy's heart. It was cruel. She didn't stand a chance of gaining his favor, and Kallen knew it, yet she wouldn't say anything due to the boy in question not wanting to reveal their relationship. So, she would keep her word. Even if it broke her friend's heart.

Despite the depressing thoughts, the two continued to smile throughout the day, visiting many stores, just window shopping as they wouldn't be able to bring much home with them. That's when they came across Milly, who was exiting a tailor with a… suspicious bag, to say the least. "Oh! Hey Prez!" Shirley greeted the girl happily.

"Ah! Shirley. It's so good to see you!" they entered a tight embrace before separating, "So… what'd you buy?"

"Oh, this?" she grinned deviously, "It's just a little something…" her voice turned to a whisper, "Naughty~"

This made Shirley and Kallen blush profusely, "Milly!" they both shouted.

The blonde laughed in response while backing away with the bag held tightly against her chest, "Don't worry, Kallen, you'll be wearing this later."

"What!?" she tried to lunge for the President. However, Milly backed away just enough for the red head to miss, causing her to land flat on her face.

"Tata!" the blonde responded while running away.

"Are you okay, Kallen?" Shirley asked as her friend rubbed her jaw, "Yeah… I'm fine. What do you want to do now?"

The two instinctively looked off the edge of the balcony when they heard a child screaming, there, they saw an intense duel going on between two kids using foam staffs. "Oh, I haven't seen one of those things in a while!" the orange-haired girl pointed out, "You see, they're trying to knock each other off into the foam pit below with those staffs. The first out, is the loser." that's when an idea popped into her head, "Hey… do you want to give it a try?"

Of course, Kallen was always up for a quick competition, "Bring it!"

Since the event was made primarily for little kids, the girls did feel slightly embarrassed waiting in line for their turn. However, one they got into the mini arena, their embarrassment faded, and was instead replaced with anticipation. Kallen held a red foam staff close to her chest, while Shirley had trouble moving it around. "Alright, are you ladies ready to begin?" the ever enthusiastic host asked, to which the girls replied with a nod. "Then start!"

Kallen swung her staff first, leaning out of the podium for maximum reach. In response, Shirley ducked the strike, and, while struggling, swung her staff toward her friend's center, causing her to stumble slightly. "Ow… that hurt," the red head held her jaw, while stabilizing herself.

Shirley, oblivious to her friend's pain, stood up, and swung with all her might, striking Kallen's arm, causing her to lean off the platform. The orange-haired girl laughed as she sent out another swing, this time, she leaned off the platform to do so. Her friend, who was still trying to recover from the last strike, got hit, and fell off.

"I won!" Shirley announced as Kallen slowly sat up with a pout.

"I want a rematch!" the red head's voice rung out.

11:00AM.

Lelouch arrived back at Ashford Academy, where he met up with Milly in the clubhouse, "Ah, Lelouch. I'm glad you could make it."

"You said there was an issue with the Knightmare's right?" he asked in a hushed tone, "So what's the problem?"

"Oh? Did I say such a thing?"

Alarm bells were going off in the Prince's mind, "Why'd you call me here?"

Milly snapped her fingers, "That's easy. We're giving you a make-over."

Mario and Maya entered the room, with a Santa costume in hand, "Sorry about this." the brother apologized while holding Lelouch still.

"You can't be serious!" the Prince protested as Maya drew closer with the outfit.

"Don't worry, this won't hurt if you stay still." Milly explained, "Oh, and don't worry, you won't be the only one dressing as Santa." she pulled out two more outfits, "After all, every Santa has his helpers."

"Wait! I have a meeting with Rivalz later! You can't keep me here!"

"I'm sure if I told him, he'd understand."

"Oh c'mon! I promised him!"

"Don't care. My plans stop for no one." she turned to the Disel siblings, "Now, hurry up. I want him dressed up by two."

"Yes, ma'am!" the siblings reported.

"I'm free?" Suzaku muttered as he left the courthouse, wearing numerous bandage patches on his face, "It all happened so fast-" he felt a headache coming on, "Ah… this is bad… I can't even remember what happened last night. I must've gotten beat pretty bad for it to be like this…"

"Welcome back!" Lloyd greeted the boy as his trailer stopped out front, "It seems you've escaped your court trial well and good! All thanks to that Zero fella too."

Cecile stepped out of the trailer, "Ah, what happened to your face? Did the guards beat you that bad?"

"No…" he flinched upon feeling her touch, "It's just… I had an altercation after meeting with Zero yesterday. I think…" another headache plagued his mind, "He might've tried assassinating me…"

"But for what purpose?" Lloyd asked, "If he wanted to kill you, he should've done it immediately after retrieving you…"

"Well, I did refuse his offer to join him…"

"You did!?" Cecile exclaimed, "But what for? You were being persecuted for a crime you didn't commit! Why would you come back?"

Suzaku shook his head, "I have a duty to accomplish. If I didn't return, then they might've started really cracking down on the Elevens."

The mad scientist raised an eyebrow at the boy's response, but his curiosity quickly went away, as it was none of his business, "Well, if you're done celebrating, let's get back to work. After all, the Lancelot's not going to repair itself! Whether it's Christmas, Thanksgiving, or New Year's Day, there's no rest for ASEEC!"

"Y-yes sir." though, the Honorary Britannian hesitated when getting onto the trailer, "I feel like something's missing… like something important should be happening right now…" Nonetheless, he got on, and the Camelot trailer drove off.

"So… these are Clovis' paintings?" Euphemia whispered as her tour guide showed her the numerous works of art created by her late brother in the viceroy palace.

"Yes. They say his favorite was this one, of the late Marianne Vi Britannia and her children."

"It's a shame they were taken from us so early on in life." Darlton added from behind the Princess, "Perhaps Lelouch could've become a great strategist on Schneizel's level. But his potential was snuffed out far too early."

Euphemia admired the work of art for a minute… maybe two, "He really did admire Lelouch…"

After seeing a melancholic look form on the Princess' face, her bodyguard stepped in with words of encouragement, "Don't worry, I'm sure they're all in a better place right now. Especially Lelouch and Nunally, as they didn't deserve to be killed by this honorless filth." he metaphorically spat on the ground, "I swear, once Princess Cornelia is done in the Middle East, we'll raise this place to the ground, and root out the terrorist known as Zero."

However, Euphemia didn't hear those words, instead, she focused on the first sentence, "In a better place… I hope so. I hope so…"

5:00PM

"I'm in hell!" Lelouch kicked and punched as Milly, who was now wearing a provocative Santa outfit, dragged him out of his room.

"Ha! And just when I thought you were starting to get fit." the blonde taunted, "Look at me go, Kallen!"

Sayoko, Nunally, Naoto, and Ms. Kozuki witnessed the site with blank stares as Lelouch was dropped off in the kitchen. "Big Brother, is something wrong?" Nunally asked.

"Yeah! Milly forced me into this Santa costume!"

"Oh… is it that much of a problem?" his little sister's expression turned sad, "Because… I was the one who asked her to do such a thing. It was very last minute, and I'm thankful that she was able to get you into that outfit, but… if it's too much, then-"

Sensing her sadness growing, Lelouch quickly stood up, "No! Not at all! I can wear this all day if you want!"

"What were you doing for the past few hours?" Kallen asked as Lelouch took a seat next to her.

"Milly had Maya and Mario strap me to a chair. It's a shame, too. Because I was almost done cutting through the binds…"

The President slapped the back of his head, "You were nowhere close to doing such a thing. When I entered your room, your chair was tipped over, and you were hardly moving."

"That's because I was just resting for another push!"

"The ropes were hardly touched!"

The group laughed at the exchange, though, it was only Naoto who thought, "Jeez, to think one of our fearless leaders is so weak physically. I should really do something about that." his eyes turned to his sister, who was patting a downtrodden Lelouch on the back, "or maybe, she could…"

A timer suddenly went off, and the smell of a freshly made ham wafted to their nostrils, "It looks like the food's done." Sayoko announced as she got up.

"Oh, let me help you." Ms. Kozuki offered while joining her.

"So… do you have any plans for the New Years, Naoto?" the innocent Princess asked.

"Ah, well, my friends and I were planning on shooting fireworks that day." there was no code behind that. They were literally planning on shooting fireworks.

"Oh! That sounds like so much fun! Sayoko's told me so much about the old Japanese festivals where they would have big fireworks shows toward the end. I wish I could experience something like that…"

"Do you? Well… maybe we could-"

Before the Kozuki could finish his sentence, Milly barged into their conversation, "I know! Maybe we could shoot our own fireworks that day!" she began typing away on her phone frantically, "I have just the place in mind too!"

"I think you might be jumping the gun a bit…" Lelouch suggested, as his friend was seemingly making hundreds of plans in less than a few seconds. A very impressive feat, if it was for something useful.

"How do you guys feel about a nice, relaxing stay in the woods?" Milly said, ignoring her friend's suggestion, "We could stay at one of those old Japanese hotels that they still have somewhere around the Kyoto area…"

"Whoa. That sounds really complicated, we don't need to do all that-"

However, the Princess' voice was soon drowned out by the loud Presidents, "Nonsense! This moment should be special! I won't allow it to be otherwise!" with absolutely no say in it, Nunally, Kallen, and Lelouch's New Year's plans had been decided in a matter of seconds thanks to Milly.

"That's enough of that." Ms. Kozuki said while setting plates of food on the table, "It's time to eat… so put away the phones and let's enjoy ourselves."

Sayoko placed the ham in the center of the table, and once she was sat, the dinner began.

"I'm stuffed!" Kallen proclaimed while crashing onto the couch of the living room, this time, there was a large lit-up Christmas tree in the corner with a bright yellow star at the top.

"How do you like the tree, Milly?" Nunally asked as the blonde wheeled her into the room.

"I think it's wonderful. Who put the star at the top?"

"I did! Lelouch lifted me up so I could do so."

"Really? That's nice." Milly gave a cheeky smile as the boy sat next to Kallen, who snuggled into his arm, "Your big brother must love you very much." that's when she suddenly got an idea, "Say… between you and Kallen, who do you think he loves more?"

"That's not a very appropriate question," Ms. Kozuki cut in, "You shouldn't compare two kinds of love, just like you wouldn't compare two stars. After all, they each shine bright in their own special way."

"Mother's right," Naoto joined the conversation, "It'd be cruel to compare such a thing, as one answer or the other only serves to boost someone's ego, while degrading the other."

The President nodded in understanding, though, she was disappointed as she just missed out on a teasing opportunity. "Whatever… let's open Christmas presents now! And who better to present them than Santa himself?"

Lelouch rolled his eyes as Kallen nudged him slightly, "Fine. I'll do it."

"Yay!" Milly jumped up, "I'll get you the presents, while you read them out loud." the blonde ran over to the tree, and grabbed several gift wrapped presents, before dumping them on Lelouch's lap.

The first few presents were for Sayoko, Ms. Kozuki, and Naoto. They were from Nunally, and she got them different articles of clothing, "I'm sorry if it's not much, but I really didn't know what to get you. So I had Milly go out and get some clothes."

"Don't be, this is great." Ms. Kozuki responded while taking out the pair of black pants, "You know, I was just looking for a pair of these myself."

Sayoko had the same reaction, while Naoto simply followed their lead, as he didn't want to upset the Princess. The next few packages were for Milly, Lelouch, and Nunally, "Ah, that one's from Shirley since she couldn't make it today."

"Then who's mine from?" Milly asked while shaking her box, "It sounds cool."

"That's from me." Lelouch answered.

"Ooh~ from you? I can't wait to open it." the President tore into the box, only to have her excitement killed by the contents, "Are these… favor cards?"

"Yep. If you need a specific favor done, such as cooking you a meal, you turn it in."

"I know what favor cards are, you cheap-ass!" she looked at the bottom of the cards and chuckled, "Oh great, and you put expiration dates on them too."

"You're welcome."

"I'm going to make your life hell for this."

"More than you already do?"

Milly grabbed Lelouch by the hair, and began rubbing his head with her knuckles intensely, causing the group to laugh. The next two gifts were one's Naoto and Lelouch instantly recognized, as it was theirs for Kallen, while the third was for the Prince himself.

"Open your gifts, Kallen." Naoto said with anticipation.

Not understanding the hurry, she opened her brother first, "Oh wow! It's a Sutherland model figure… I've been looking at this for a while."

"I know right? Aren't I just the best big brother who knows you the most?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Lelouch cut in, "She still has to open mine."

"Okay… something's going on…" Kallen looked back and forth between the two as they glared at each other. Nonetheless, she opened Lelouch's gift, and was met with a Panda eating bamboo, "Aw… it's so cute!" she held the plushie tightly, rubbing her face on it lovingly, "It's so soft too."

This made Lelouch's smile grow smug, "Would ya look at that? It seems like I know her the best after all."

Naoto chuckled, "It isn't over yet." he turned to his sister, "So, which presents better? Lelouch's, or mine?"

"Oh… I see what's going on here." the red head sighed, "Well… they're both great in their own way, but… I just can't decide, you know? Maybe… I like both of them equally."

"What!?" the rebels exclaimed,

"But… that's not how this is supposed to go!" Naoto pleaded.

"You're supposed to choose a winner!" Lelouch added.

Ms. Kozuki shook her head, "Have you already forgotten what I said earlier?"

"No…" the boys responded.

"That's good. Now, it's onto my present!" Milly announced as Lelouch opened his box, only to find another Santa outfit, "That's right! Your present from me… is Kallen wearing a Santa outfit!"

"Wait what!? I never agreed to such a thing!" the red head protested.

"Why not? I'm sure Lelouch would like to see you dressed up."

Kallen turned to the boy in question, who shrugged in response, "Alright, I'll put it on."

The outfit was a bit smaller than she hoped, with the skirt particularly wrapping tightly around her hips more than anything, though, it wasn't nearly as bad as Milly's, who's skirt was far too short for no reason. "You look so cute like that!" the President complimented the red head as she sat next to Lelouch.

"What do you think?" Kallen meekly asked her boyfriend, who was avoiding eye-contact.

"I think… it looks good," his eyes met Naoto, who wasn't impressed, "Though, I think you should put this on," he handed her his white cardigan which he got from Shirley.

Milly quickly got onto the last few presents, which were from Kallen to Lelouch and Nunally. The Princess was the first to open hers, only to be surprised by the familiar touch of braille writing, "Did you… get me some books written in braille?" she asked with shortened breath.

"Yeah. I know you don't have much to do during the day, so I thought I'd get you something other than just making cranes all day. Do you like it?" Kallen asked with anticipation.

"No… I love it! Thank you!"

Now, it was Lelouch's turn, as he opened his present, though, his eyes soon widened with surprise, as he was greeted by a picture of him and Kallen at Clovis land. On the Clovis launcher, "When did you…"

"Get it? Don't worry about it. I really liked this picture, so I couldn't resist but paying such an exorbitant price for it." the red head explained while pointing at Lelouch's stern face in the picture as he was trying to prevent himself from biting his tongue. "Look at how serious you are, but I can see the smile forming on your face… right… here." she pointed at the edge of his lips, which were curling.

Lelouch chuckled, before giving his girlfriend a hug, and whispering, "Thank you."

After a few more present openings, the tree eventually ran out, leaving two guests with one less gift than everyone else, "Lelouch, Naoto, did you two not get each other gifts?" Milly asked while looking around the tree.

"I suppose… I just didn't think about it." Lelouch shrugged

"Yeah… and I was too busy getting Kallen and Nunally a gift to focus on Lelouch."

Nunally, who was holding onto a bunny doll now, said, "You really didn't have to go through so much trouble to get me this. I would've been happy with anything, you know?"

"Yeah, but… after showing such hospitality for my mother, I felt like you deserved something special." the resistance leader responded. "I personally think it's fine Lelouch didn't get me a gift, since, I forgot about him too."

"I agree with Naoto. I don't think it's that big of a deal." the Prince added happily.

"No! This simply won't do!" Milly protested, "Everyone, gather in front of the tree, I'm taking a photo and printing it out. This'll be Lelouch and Naoto's present to each other."

"Like I said, it's fine-"

Before either of them could protest, Kallen grabbed both of their arms, and dragged them to the tree, "We're doing this! C'mon everyone." once everyone was in position, and Milly set the timer on her phone to take the picture, the red head said in a whisper that only Lelouch and Naoto could hear, "I'm grateful for your gifts today. And just so you know, I loved both of the gifts for their own special reason."

This made the boys look in different directions with blushing cheeks just as the camera shuttered, taking the picture.

C.C, who was hiding in the guest bedroom, heard the commission settle, and thought, "My… when's the last time I've been a part of a Christmas celebration?" her eyes wandered to the stack of pizza box's Kallen provided her a few hours ago. Most of them were empty, "Though, I should at least thank Kallen for being considerate enough to get me all this. Maybe this was my Christmas miracle." the line made her chuckle lightly, "How corny…"

Outside, snow began to fall once again, as the main group began watching a movie, eventually falling asleep under the comfort of a soothing heater in the background.

AN: I might add or change things about this chapter later, as a lot of the stuff was written last minute. I didn't want this chapter to be as plot heavy as it was, so next chapter is definitely going to be more so fluff than anything else.