"This is my order to all Black Knights! Euphemia has become our enemy! The Specially Administrated Zone of Japan was a cowardly trap designed to lure us in!
All armored autonomous battle knight units, advance on the ceremony grounds and wage an attack! Wipe out all Britannian forces! Save the Japanese! Hurry! Find her and kill her!" Zero declared.
Kallen was stunned by the announcement. What the Hell was going on?! He told her he was just going to talk to Euphemia! Now all of a sudden she's attacking the Japanese, killing them?!
"Lelouch what did you do?!" She asked herself, trying to make sense of all this.
Unfortunately, she didn't have time for any of that as the other Black Knights soon started rolling down the hill.
...
Kallen had a feeling it would be bad, but she didn't expect so...so much carnage!
Dead bodies, left to right, elders to little kids, all of them Japanese. Kallen would cry if she wasn't filled with so much rage!
Soon enough she saw another knightmare shooting Japanese civilians on sight.
"Stop it!" She shouted with fury as she disarmed the knightmare and struck it with rage.
"Are you Japanese? You dare raise a hand against Euphemia li Britannia?" Euphemia asked angrily through her speaker.
"Huh? Princess Euphemia?" Kallen said in surprise.
"Oh, is that you Kallen? I forgot that you were also Japanese." Euphemia said quizzically.
"Yes! Now suffer the hand of vengeance and..." Kallen started to threaten when for some reason, Joseph flashed through her mind.
The fact he would always speak so kindly of her, how they would hug each other whenever she saw them reunite. A brother and a sister.
And because of that, she hesitated.
"...Look Euphemia...surrender now and no one else has to get hurt..." Kallen said calmly as she prepared her Guren into a battle stance if necessary.
"Wait!" She heard Zero's voice say. She looked up and saw it was the Gawain above him. "I'll deal with her." He told her.
Slash harkens slung out of the fingers of the Gawain and strung them through Euphemia's knightmare.
"You defiant Japanese!" Euphemia said with a voice filled with hatred, one Kallen had never heard before.
The slash harkens sliced through the knightmare, making it crumple to the ground.
"Now what, Zero? Do we take her prisoner?" Kallen asked, afraid what his answer would be. She knew something was done to her, you don't just turn to a person like this.
"There's no point. Leave her." Zero told her in a neutral tone.
And with that one statement. Kallen knew exactly what he was going to do.
She wanted to say something, stop him in some manner, thinking maybe there was another solution.
But she could hear Euphemia shouting that all the Japanese people had to die and began shooting at the Gawain, not even stopping until she ran out of bullets.
And she wouldn't stop, whatever spell she was under, Kallen could tell she truly wouldn't stop until every Japanese person was dead.
As she saw Zero descend from the Gawain, her hands tighten on her controls.
She took a deep breath as Zero approached Euphemia, she wouldn't dare look away, she at least owed her that.
As he raised his gun, she said a silent prayer for her. And then he fired.
"I'm so sorry, Joseph...Please forgive me..." Kallen thought sadly.
...
Kallen marched through the hallways of the abandoned apartment building that was suppose to shelter Japanese civilians and anybody else who wanted to join the SAZ.
Despite the inspiring speech Lelouch gave earlier, she was livid.
He said he wanted to talk to her, and this is what happened?! Euphemia, who Joseph had basically sung his praises too and she herself could see was a good person, just suddenly, out of the blue, decided to become a mass-murderer! There was only one conclusion Kallen could draw to.
And that was Geass!
"Was it all bullshit, Lelouch?! Did you do it to make yourself out to be some damn hero!?" Kallen thought to herself angrily.
She would get her answer soon.
She found the room that she was told Zero and C.C. were in and swung the door open.
"Lelouch! I-"
As she was about to rip Lelouch a new one, she saw him in a slouched position and being comforted by C.C.
They looked up at her and she saw Lelouch had tears in his eyes, which he quickly wiped away as he stood up and put on a stoic face.
She also noticed his left eye was glowing red, the Geass he told her about. Kallen found that strange, wondering why his Geass would still be on.
"Yes. What is it, Kallen?" Lelouch asked with a neutral voice.
For some reason, the anger Kallen was feeling dissipated and a more calm attitude came in place.
"The others were wondering what the plan was going to be." She told him calmly.
"I suppose we shouldn't keep them waiting then. Let's gather them up." He said as he put his mask back on.
"Lelouch...I..." Kallen tried to say something, but he simply walked pasted her.
"It was an accident." C.C. simply told her as she walked past her as well.
Kallen didn't ask for clarity as she knew what C.C. meant by that. She couldn't help but be shocked by the revelation.
"...Oh God..." She said as her hand went to her mouth and she silently weeped.
...
Kallen and her friends rode on the captured G1, she leaned against the ledge and looked upon the decimated city below her.
"Looks like the groups from Yamanashi joined up with us." Tamaki said.
"Yeah, and the remnants of the Blood of the Samurai faction too." Minami added.
"Our numbers are growing by the minute!" Yoshida said, actually a bit excited.
"I hope everyone in the student council can get away." Kallen thought to herself sadly. "And Joseph...I hope you're not here to see any of this..."
...
"Why does it have to be Ashford, of all places…?" Kallen thought miserably as she came into the room with Zero.
Milly had a strong exterior going on to exert her position as leader. Rivalz was trying to play it cool. Shirley just had a look of sadness on her face and Kallen could tell why. Nunnally was probably the most scared out of all of them but thankfully she had Sayoko by her side, who looked ready to kill all the Black Knights there if needed.
And of course, her mother, who was looking right at her with a face filled with shock.
"Of course she recognizes me..." She thought as the day was just getting worse and worse by the second.
"Your academy is strategically useful for our purposes; therefore, we're turning it into a command center." Zero told them.
Kallen understood why he chose Ashford, as it was to protect Nunnally and his friends, but wasn't there a better way? Why did he have to get her mother in the middle of it.
"We're in no position to refuse you?" Milly asked.
"I guarantee none of you will be harmed." Zero reassured.
"Like we can believe you?! You guys are at war with us Britannians! We're enemies, remember?!" Rivalz argued.
Seeing how she didn't want the situation to get out of hand, she decided to do something very stupid.
"Please, Rivalz, don't argue. Do what he says." Kallen said as she removed her visor, revealing her identity as a Black Knight to her friends and her mother.
The council, besides Shirley, Sayoko, and Naomi, were shocked.
"Kallen!?" Milly said in surprise.
"You're...you're a..." Rivalz stuttered in a stunned manner.
Shirley, Sayoko, and Naomi just looked on sadly.
"Well, well, there's a surprise around every corner…" Milly said sadly but also with a hint of anger from betrayal, which made Kallen wince. "Do I have your word that no one gets hurt? Not only us, but any of the student body, faculty, or staff; anywhere on the campus?" She asked.
"As long as nobody tries to leave the dorms or administrative offices, they ought to be fine." Kallen reassured him.
"I see, so this is the volunteer relief work you told me about." Naomi said quietly as she approached her daughter.
"Kaa-san..." Was all Kallen could think to say.
"Oh dear, why...why go down this path?" Naomi asked as she caressed her cheek.
"I'm sorry mom, there's no other way..." Kallen said, trying hard not to start crying.
"But I already lost Naoto, I can't lose you too!" Naomi said with grieve in her voice.
"Mrs. Kozuki if I may?" Zero said, stepping in.
"Zero..." Naomi said, half in awe that she was actually talking to Japan's hero and half in trepidation because he's one that got her daughter into this situation.
"Kallen has been a phenomenal member of the Black Knights since its creation, she has proven time and time again that she is expert soldier and a worthy warrior like no other. If I didn't believe she wasn't cut out to do this, I would have released her long ago." Zero told her.
"And he gave me the option to leave too! I chose to stay mom! I want to create a better world for us! A world where you don't need a drug to remember what that was like!" Kallen said with determination in her voice.
Naomi couldn't help but be impressed by said determination, and she could only sigh.
"So stubborn, just like your brother." She said quietly before pulling her daughter into a hug. "If things get too bad, you retreat, okay? No matter what happens, you live! Understand!?" She asked fiercely.
"I...I promise..." Kallen said quietly as she returned the hug.
When they pulled apart, Naomi suddenly grabbed Zero by his collar and brought him in closely. "And if anything happens to my daughter, I will personally kill you myself! Got it, Zero?!" She threatened with a low voice.
"Yes, ma'am." Zero said with a calm tone, but Kallen could tell he was sweating inwardly.
"Same goes to you, Tamaki!" Naomi said angrily.
"Wha! Why am I being included?!" Tamaki complained.
The scene would have been funny for Kallen if the situation wasn't so dire.
...
"Suzaku!" Kallen called out from her Guren, that was currently hanging on the wall.
"Kallen!" Suzaku said in recognition.
"We meet in battle once again! I'm sorry, but if you force me, I will kill you!" Kallen warned him.
"You're all fools! You, the Japanese, he's lying to all of you!" Suzaku said in fury.
Kallen hitched a breath at that, knowing he was kind of right. But for the greater good, she played ignorant.
"I can't put up with that ignorant dribble, and what do you even know about Zero anyway?!"
"Well, tell me what you know about him, then!" Suzaku said as he flew the Lancelot up.
"TELL ME WHERE ZERO IS NOW!" Suzaku said madly as he shot at her.
"Yep. He's definitely pissed." Kallen concluded in her mind. "Suzaku, I'm sorry about Euphemia. But I'm not telling you anything!" She said determinedly.
"THEN DIE!" Suzaku said as their battle raged on.
...
WHAT THE FLYING SHIT WAS GOING ON!?
One moment, she was hearing that Zero had defeated Cornelia and the battle was nearly won. Now all of a sudden, she's hearing that he has just up and abandoned everyone!? Not only that, but Ohgi was wounded as well, and now there's some crazy guy flying around in a sphere-shaped knightmare with spikes on it!
"Lelouch…what are you doing? I don't know what to do next…" Kallen said with fear in her voice.
"K–Kallen…" She could hear Ohgi say through the radio.
"Ohgi! Are you all right?!" She asked frantically, not wanting to lose another friend.
"Yeah…Kallen, listen to me — go after Zero!" Ohgi struggled to say, surprising her. "There must be…a reason…he's acting this way…Save him…Zero… the one who will realize…Naoto's dream…" He told her with bated breath.
"But…how do I find him?!" She asked.
"You should see it soon…" He told her.
See it? See what?
She got her answer and saw the familiar white flying knightmare.
"That's the Lancelot! What could be drawing him away from here? Unless...Zero!" Kallen figured out.
"Rakshata…put a transmitter on it…" Ohgi told her.
"Understood! Supply corps, send a captured air transport to me ASAP — it's top priority!" Kallen told them as she followed the Lancelot's direction.
"I'm coming Lelouch!" She thought determinedly.
...
As Kallen snuck into the cave that had the strange symbol on it. She could hear Suzaku talking to Zero.
"Your Geass power is quite convenient, isn't it?" Suzaku asked sarcastically, shocking both Kallen and Zero.
"Shit! How the Hell did he find out about that?!" Kallen asked herself frantically.
"You get to hide in the shadows while others take all the blame for doing your dirty work. You're just an arrogant coward — that's your true nature, the real you." Suzaku said as he looked at Zero in disgust.
"Suzaku! Put down your gun!" Kallen ordered Suzaku so he wouldn't do anything stupid.
"Kallen! Don't you want to know Zero's true identity, too?" Suzaku shouted to her, refusing her order.
"I don't care! Put it down now!" Kallen told him again.
"You have a right to bear witness." Suzaku told her.
"No, wait!" Kallen tried to say.
But then he fired, and Zero's helmet split in half. Revealing his identity to be Lelouch.
"Damn it..." Kallen thought, officially declaring this to be the worse day ever.
"I didn't want it…to be you." Suzaku said with regret at first as he put his gun down, then anger.
"Yes, I am Zero — the man who leads the Black Knights, who challenges the Holy Britannian Empire, the one who holds the entire world in his hand." Lelouch with a dreary tone.
"I should have arrested you when I had the chance…" Suzaku said.
"You knew it was me?" Lelouch asked.
"I wasn't sure at first, so I convinced myself that it wasn't true. But I really wanted to believe in you." Suzaku said sadly, before turning angry again. "But you were lying to us — to me, your sister Euphie…and Nunnally!" He said with fury.
"He didn't lie, he wanted to help her!" Kallen told him, trying to mediate the situation.
However, this only made Suzaku even madder.
"So he told you who he was? Which means he probably told you about Geass, and you did nothing to stop him?!" Suzaku asked in fury, ready to point his gun at Kallen.
"Suzaku, listen to me! Nunnally's been kidnapped!" Lelouch told him, surprising both Suzaku and Kallen.
"So that's why he left." Kallen thought to herself.
"Please, Suzaku, can't we call a temporary truce? I need your help! Together we'll be able to save Nunnally! There's nothing in the world that you and I can't do together!" Lelouch tried to tell him.
"I'm done with that! Had you only joined up with Euphie first, we wouldn't be here!" Suzaku said as he pointed his gun at Lelouch again, not giving him any leeway.
"He was going to join up with Euphemia, Suzaku! The Geass was just-"
"Don't you dare defend him! He's nothing but a liar and manipulator!" Suzaku told her angrily. "If you and she had combined forces, things would be different! The world could have been-"
"I know! But that's not what's important right now!" Lelouch told him
"'Not important!'" Suzaku balked at those words.
"You killed your own father, didn't you? Wallow in remorse when you have time for it!" Lelouch told him angrily.
"Really not using the right words, Lelouch!" Kallen said, getting mad that she was one cleaning up the shit pile in front of her.
"No, you're hopeless!" Suzaku said in fury as his arm started to shake from intense rage.
"What?" Lelouch asked.
I know you! In the very end, you'd betray the entire world, the way it's betrayed you! You used those around you, making them do your bidding! You even exploited your own brother! Made him take a bullet that was meant for you!" Suzaku said with rage.
"Don't you dare bring Joseph into this!" Lelouch said angrily, and pissed Kallen off to no end as well.
"I'm not going to let your sick, twisted dream be realized!" Suzaku said with finality in his tone.
"You fool! You think ideals alone can change the world?!" Lelouch asked angrily, amazed by his friend's stubbornness.
"Both of you! Stop this! Think about Nunnally!" Kallen tried to argue.
"Listen, I'll make a deal with you. I wanna know who told you about Geass. Did they abduct Nunnally?!" Lelouch tried to bargain.
"Nothing that happens now is any of your concern!" Suzaku said, done with listening to Lelouch.
"Suzaku, don't!" Kallen said, tightening the grip on her gun.
"Your very existence is a mistake!" Suzaku said, done with hearing him speak.
"I'm warning you!" Kallen said, cocking her gun.
"You need to be erased from the face of the Earth! I'll take care of Nunnally!" Suzaku said, done with being his friend.
And that was the final straw.
Lelouch's face contorted into rage and he aimed his gun at Suzaku.
"SUZAKU!" Lelouch shouted with hate.
LELOUCH! Suzaku shouted with hate.
And they all fired.
Suzaku hit Lelouch's gun, breaking it in half.
Lelouch hit Suzaku's communicator, destroying it.
And Kallen hit Suzaku in his shoulder, disarming him.
Suzaku went down to his knees as he held his bleeding shoulder.
Kallen exhaled a breath that she didn't realize she was holding, and Lelouch couldn't help but laugh in relief.
"Excellent shot, Kallen." Lelouch softly, quietly thanking her.
"Lelouch...Is it true what you said? Was Nunnally really kidnapped?" She asked, her gun still focused on Suzaku.
"Yes. C.C. told me she was here but it seems she was moved somewhere else." Lelouch told her.
And for a moment, Kallen took her eyes off Suzaku, a moment she would always regret.
"Then for now, let's-"
*BANG*
Suddenly, Kallen was shot on the side of her waist. The impact sending her flying to the ground.
The shot came from Suzaku, a blank shot on his part, but one that proved effective none the less as he used his other arm to fire.
"Kallen!" Lelouch shouted, before having his feet swept from under him by Suzaku.
"L-Lelouch!" Kallen struggled to say as she held her bleeding wound.
Suzaku walked up to her, shoulder still bleeding, rage and disappointment in his face.
"Damn you, Kallen! He used the Japanese people, he used you! You wanna defend a man like that, YOU?!" Suzaku asked in blind fury as he aimed his gun at her, ready to kill in that very moment.
Suddenly, Lelouch tackled him from behind and tried to put him in the best chokehold possible.
"Kallen, run!" Lelouch told her as he struggled to keep Suzaku in his grip.
"But Lelouch!" Kallen tried to reason.
"You can still make it! Live to fight another day, Q1! That's an order!" Lelouch said, his grip getting weaker.
Tears started to sprout from Kallen's eyes, as she knew she couldn't refuse.
"Yes...Zero..." As she took all the energy she had to bring herself back up and run back to air transport that got her to the island.
She could hear the struggling behind her, and she could tell Suzaku had broken free of Lelouch.
She got in and flew away.
And all that was left with her now was her thoughts.
Her thoughts of how the Rebellion had failed.
Her thoughts of how her friends and comrades were probably being annihilated by Britannian Forces.
Her thoughts of how her leader and friend was probably just killed by Suzaku.
Her thoughts of how she failed.
She was a failure.
And she let out a painful wail as tears streamed down her eyes.
...
Kallen was losing blood and she was getting more tired by the minute.
She looked around to see if there was anything she could use to patch the wound. There was nothing.
"They got cup holders, but not a first aid kit? Freaking Britannians!" She said to herself in annoyance.
Her situation was getting really dire and she wasn't sure how much longer she was going to last.
Thankfully, she noticed something in the body of water below her.
It looked like a person, a person with green hair, and she was floating on top of the sea bed. Kallen's eyes widen at that.
She lowered her the air transport and got a better look.
"C.C.!?" She said in recognition.
She open her hatch and saw that C.C. was playfully waving her arms in the water.
"What the Hell are you doing?!" Kallen asked angrily, struggling to stay awake.
"Enjoying a swim, what does it look like?" C.C. asked cheekily.
Kallen would be blowing a casket right now if she wasn't seeing double. Instead she took a deep breath.
"Listen, can you just get in here? I'm going to pass out now." Kallen said as everything went dark.
...
Kallen's eyes slowly opened as she saw the bored face of C.C. looking at her.
"Has anyone ever told you, you snore loudly?" C.C. asked.
"Hello to you too." Kallen said with grunt as she sat herself up.
She looked down at her wound and saw it was bundled up by the sleeve of C.C.'s pilot suit.
"You'll need medicine to make sure it doesn't get infected but I was able to stop the bleeding." C.C. told her.
"Thanks. Where are we?" Kallen asked as she slowly stood up.
"Still in the middle of the ocean. I was waiting for you to wake up." C.C. explained.
"You didn't think to move us to a secure location?!" Kallen asked in angry annoyance.
"Oh relax, there aren't going to be forces this far out. They're all busy taking out Zero's forces back in the settlement." C.C. told her with her own annoyance.
"Damn it...we lost..." Kallen said as she hung her head lowly.
"I'm guessing you found Lelouch?" C.C. asked.
"Suzaku...he was going to...and then Lelouch...he saved me..." Kallen said as fresh new tears sprouted from her eyes.
"He's not dead if that's what you're worried about." C.C. told her casually, shocking her.
"H-How...how can you be sure?" Kallen asked, flabbergasted.
"It's because of the connection I have with him as a contractor." C.C. simply explained.
"If he hasn't killed him...then what will he..." Kallen said, trying to figure it out.
"If he takes Lelouch to the Emperor. It's a huge problem for both him and me." C.C. said straightforwardly.
"Why you?" Kallen asked.
"First, let's find some place with a bed. I'm not going to rest in a chair." C.C. said, ignoring her question for now.
...
Seven Months Later...
Area 11
Safehouse
Kallen heated up the plate of curry and rice as she waited for C.C. to get back. Usually she would just stay inside so she wouldn't get caught, for they were able to get their place under the guise of a frail, older sister and her supportive, cute, hard-working younger sister. But C.C. insisted that she get some "real" food while checking up on Lelouch. Kallen tried to tell her to stay put as the OSI would be on the lookout for her but she wouldn't have it.
"I swear if she gets Lelouch and the Student Council hurt because of her stupid need for pizza." Kallen thought with annoyance.
Urabe came by last week with some provisions, while C.C. remarked that his miso soup was a work of art, she thought he had no sense of taste. Kallen honestly didn't care and just wished C.C. be thankful they weren't starving.
It would also be nice if she cleaned the place up once in awhile and not leave Kallen to do it!
Suffice to say, C.C. was a terrible roommate.
She unconsciously touched the scar where Suzaku shot her and thought about things.
She missed the way things were. She missed getting mixed up in Milly's shenanigans with the Student Council, she missed going on missions and making a difference with Zero, she missed her mom who was currently hiding with Sayoko in the Chinese Federation.
And when she really thought about it, though she never admit it out loud, the one she missed the most, was Joseph.
Suddenly, she heard the door open.
"I'm back." C.C. said in her lazy demeanor.
"Finally, did you manage to get your 'precious pizza'?" Kallen mocked as she took her plate out of the microwave.
"No, but I did find a stray." C.C. said plainly.
"Stray?" Kallen thought in a confused manner.
"What the Hell are you-"
As Kallen turned around to see who C.C. was talking about, she stopped mid-question as she saw a face she thought she would never see again. She even dropped her plate of now forgotten curry and rice.
"...J...Joe...?" Kallen quietly said as her eyes shook in shock.
And indeed it was. Joseph Du Britannia in his long, black overcoat, wearing what appeared to be some sort of gypsy clothes underneath and a bandana on his head. His beard had grown to a thick puffiness like before, and he his eyes looked like they haven't slept in days.
For Joseph, today was a whirlwind of surprises so far. He finally found Lelouch and apparently a new little brother with his Student Council friends, and then suddenly C.C. appears and drags him back to her hideout without telling him what was going on, but yet once he saw who was inside the room, he didn't care.
Because it was a person that he considered his best bud.
"...Kallen..." Joseph said in surprise, a small smile appearing on his face.
And before he could do anything else, the memory of Euphemia shooting a Japanese civilian popped back in his mind, the order she gave to kill all the Japanese. The people that Kallen fought for.
It was in that moment, Joseph became scared, scared what Kallen must think of his sister.
With that, Joseph suddenly dropped to his knees and bowed deeply, shocking Kallen and mildly surprising C.C.
"Wha-what are you..." Kallen stuttered, not sure what brought this on.
"Please forgive Eup! Not her fault! Didn't mean to! Lelouch's geass all haywire! Accident! Complete accident! Was gonna help! Swear! Eup, good person! Not bad!" Joseph begged as he kept his head on the floor, tears starting to sprout from his eyes.
As he continued this, Kallen could only look at him, stunned.
"Oh God...he saw all of it..." She thought miserably.
"Please don't hate! Eup kind! Eup sweet! Not evil! Never evil! Please don't hate! Please! Please! Please! Please!" Joseph pleaded over and over again as if his life was on the line.
Suddenly, he felt a gentle touch on his head, he stopped his pleading and looked up to see Kallen kneeling down and looking at him sadly.
"It's okay, C.C. told me everything." Kallen said quietly.
Joseph looked at her in surprise and then looked at C.C., who silently nodded.
"...I'm sorry you lost your sister, Joe." Kallen said sympathetically.
"Not gonna cry, not gonna cry, not gonna cry, not gonna cry..." Joseph chanted in his head, quickly wiping his eyes and instead tightly wrapping Kallen into a hug, surprising her. "Missed you Kal Pal." He said quietly.
"...I missed you too, you moron." Kallen said as she returned the hug.
"Get here, Seaweed!" Joseph encouraged as he pulled C.C. into the hug, making her roll her eyes.
...
After the hug, both Kallen and C.C. both insisted he take a shower. During that time, they clean his clothes as well as they could before giving them back as they had nothing else for him to wear. Once that was all over and done with, they sat him down on Kallen's bed.
"Sorry we don't have any clothes for you, we'll try to get some when we have the chance." Kallen said apologetically.
"No prob Bob! Love being pirate!" Joseph said cheerfully as he did a bunch of poses.
Kallen couldn't help but be perplexed by Joseph's attitude, just half an hour ago the man was on his hands and knees, begging for forgiveness for his sister, and now he was all chipper again, like it didn't even happen. Before she could think about it more, she gave a small gasp at the faded scar where his head was hit with the bullet. She looked down ashamed, Joseph noticed this.
"What wrong? Something in teeth?" Joseph asked innocently as he pointed at his teeth, Kallen just looked away awkwardly.
"No. It's nothing." Kallen said simply.
"Okay. Now on to business!" Joseph said in a professional-like manner. "Lelouch A-Ok? Out and about, no problems. Still Zero? And who new little brother? Dad adopt? Deats, Seaweed, deats!" He said in a rushed manner.
"First off, stop calling me Seaweed." C.C. said with a bit of annoyance in her voice. "Second, that Rolo kid is not really your brother. And in a way, Lelouch is not really the Lelouch you know at the moment." C.C. told him solemnly.
Joseph's eyes widened as he came to realization of what was going on.
"My God...Dad made evil clone!?" Joseph blurted out in shock.
Kallen groaned in annoyance, C.C. resisted the urge to facepalm.
"I forgot it's like talking to a toddler sometimes." C.C. deadpanned in her head. "No, Joseph. He wasn't cloned." She said quietly.
"Oh...evil robot?" Joseph asked.
"No! Lelouch is under a Geass!" Kallen told him angrily, surprising Joseph.
"...Ooooooooh. Doh!" Joseph said as he realized how obvious that was. "But wait, who's Geass?" Joseph asked.
"Your father." C.C. said simply as she sat down on a chair, hugging her makeshift cheese-kun.
Now that came as a shock for Joseph.
"...Dad...has superpower...?" Joseph asked, processing it all.
"Yes, a Geass that allows him to alter a person's memories without limit." C.C. told him.
"Memories...what that mean?! Lelouch okay?!" Joseph asked hurriedly.
"Right now, he doesn't remember that he was a prince, that he was Zero, and that he has a sister named Nunnally." C.C. explained solemnly.
For a few moments, Joseph couldn't only stare at her with an agape mouth, before turning angry, really angry.
"Son of a BITCH!" Joseph said with gritted teeth as he punched a chunk of the footboard off Kallen's bed, startling her. "DAMN IT, DAD! WHY!? WHY BE EVIL!? NOT DARTH VADER ANYMORE! NOW BRAINAC, YOU ASSHOLE!" He continued to rant as he got up from the bed and starting punching holes in the wall several times.
"Joe! Calm down!" Kallen told him as she held his shoulders to try and restrain him, not really succeeding.
"And stop making holes in the wall, this dump is already broken down as is." C.C. said with a bored tone.
"C.C.! Take this seriously!' Kallen lectured in anger and annoyance.
"Gotta rescue Lelouch!" Joseph said as he grabbed Kallen's hand and started to pull her towards the balcony. "Take easy way!" He declared.
"Joseph! Stop! We can't do that!" Kallen said as she tried to pull herself out of his grip.
"Yeah we can! Gotta help little bro!" Joseph said as he was about to get on the ledge and jump.
To which then, Kallen punched him in the face.
He stopped, it didn't hurt, but he was surprised Kallen did that, who was currently waving her hand and groaning out in pain from the punch.
"If you do that...you'll just get him killed." She said solemnly.
"And most likely your Student Council friends as well. There's a reason why we haven't made a move yet, boy. And if you calm down, we'll tell you why." C.C. told him.
Joseph contemplated this, he really wanted to screw the consequences and go save his brother, but he didn't want his actions to led to his death. It was at that moment, Kallen decided to speak up.
"Come on, Joseph. Just sit back down and we'll explain everything." Kallen told him with reassurance in her tone.
After a moment, Joseph took a deep breath, came back inside, and sat down on the bed in a slump position.
"...Geassed them too?" He asked after a moment.
"Yes. They no longer remember Nunnally as Lelouch's sister. If they heard her name, they wouldn't even recognize it." C.C. told him straightforwardly.
"Even new little sis..." Joseph asked sadly, referring to Shirley. She was one of the few people who knew his true identity as both a prince and Zero, she was his girlfriend, his confidant!
"I'm sorry. Most likely she doesn't remember the encounter with Mao at all. Basically she's once again the hapless school girl with an obvious crush on your brother." C.C. told him.
"C.C.!" Kallen said with a tired sigh.
"...And new brother?" Joseph asked.
"There's no relation if that's what you're wondering. That boy is an agent assigned to be Lelouch's little brother and see if he gets his memories back." C.C. told him.
"Other Black Knights? Og? Tom-Tom? Sensei!? Please not Sensei!" Joseph asked fearfully.
"They were all captured and taken prisoner." Kallen said sadly.
Joseph groaned into his hands with agony and fell back into the bed. "Big fuster cluck..." He muttered miserably. The situation wasn't Empire Strikes Back bad, it was end of the first half of Final Fantasy VI BAD.
"Why?!" Joseph whined sadly. "Going so well! Lelouch and Eup gonna work together! Union! Why this!? This bullshit!" He said sullenly.
"...It my fault..." He said with grief, making Kallen look at him in shock.
"What!? No it wasn't!" She told him.
"Should have tried going in body sooner! Thought 'no biggie!' But no, big biggie, tragic biggie!" He shouted angrily, surprising Kallen, never seeing him like this before. "I suck...I suck...I suck, I suck, I suck, I suck, I suck, I SUCK, I SUCK, I SUCK!" Joseph repeated over and over as he beat a fist over his chest where his heart was, pretending to stab himself repeatedly, each fist harder than the last.
"JOE! STOP IT!" Kallen shouted angrily as she took his face into her hands. "I would punch you again if I didn't want to her hurt my other fist. Listen to me, you do not suck! I've called you an idiot several times before but this is definitely the most idiotic thing I've ever heard you say! Like you said, it was going well, they were going to work together, there is no way you could have known Lelouch's Geass would run amuck the way it did. Not you, not me, not Lelouch, and not Shirley, and they wouldn't want you to be beating yourself up like this!" She lectured with passion in her voice, she stood up and put her hands on her hips. "And I'm not going to allow it either! Especially when it's you of all people, you who's been our biggest supporter! You saved Zero's life many times and you can do it again! You want to make up for this? Then help us! I can see it in your eyes that you want to help Lelouch, and we can help you do that. So buck up mister! We're not done yet! Are you?" She concluded with fire in her eyes, hoping it reached Joseph's spirit.
And for Joseph, it did.
He looked at Kallen with awe and amazement, the same as when he saw Lelouch give his first big speech as Zero during the Hotel-hijacking. He could see why Kallen was a high rank in the Black Knights, because Joseph could feel that fire light up his soul once again.
"Yeah..." Joseph muttered, getting his bearings back and then suddenly stood up with a sense of motivation. "Yeah! Not done yet! Like said before! Cliffhanger, then hope! Gotta find and make hope! Ain't over!" Joseph said with a fiery voice.
"Damn right it's not!" Kallen said, keeping the momentum going for his sake.
"Damn right! Dad go screw himself!" Joseph said with continued passion. "Gonna rescue brother!" He said with determination.
"Yes we will!" Kallen cheered him on with a grin.
"Gonna turn off Geass!" Joseph shouted.
"Yes we are!" She continued.
"Gonna punch in face!" He said with a excited fist.
"Yes-wait what?" Kallen asked after realizing what he said.
"Yeah! Rescue than punch, 'cause still killed Eup! Karma bitch! HAHA!" Joseph cheered excitedly, making Kallen looking at him with a WTF face.
"Are you two done, or can we get back on topic?" C.C. asked, already getting annoyed with Joseph's antics.
"Yep-per-rooni! Where we start?!" Joseph asked excitedly.
"First, what's the last thing you remember before waking up? What did you see?" C.C. asked, Kallen was also curious as she never got a full explanation of what happened that day.
"Well, Lelouch and Eup talking, agreed to union, started explaining superpower, giving examples." Joseph explained before turning sad. "One example was...'kill all Japanese', Geass on without notice." He said.
Kallen couldn't help but gasp.
"So it really was an accident..." She thought sadly.
"Command took over, Eup try to fight, but power too strong. All of sudden, me with pain in head, Lelouch with pain in eye!" He explained in a storytelling manner, that last part intrigued C.C.
"He didn't feel the impact of his limit until after he gave the order?" C.C. thought to herself.
"Did you see anything when the pain was in your head?" C.C. asked.
"Yeah, a kid. Looked 10, long blonde hair. Evil smirk, not like one bit." Joseph said with a dark edge in his voice. That got C.C.'s attention. "In vision too! Told Suzaku about superpowers! Think reason Geass went all kooky! And kidnapped Nunne!" He said angrily.
"Wait. Vision? What vision?" Kallen asked.
Joseph then proceeded to tell them how he went back to Kamine Island, back to that strange void he got trapped in, saw Euphemia, who he now assumed was her spirit, who told him to protect Lelouch, the visions that followed after, and even the strange Phoenix that stood before him.
He then told them how he woke up four months after what happened, learned about Euphemia's death, and realized that Suzaku betrayed Lelouch. When they tried to take him into custody, he ran like the dickens! He wanted to take Nunnally with him but it would just cause more trouble for the both of them, and he didn't want their father to do anything to her, his priority was Lelouch at the moment.
He traveled through the E.U. and met some nice Gypsies who helped him out with directions, clothes, and food. Eventually he found his way back to Japan, and that led him to here now.
"I'm sorry you had to find out that way, Joe." Kallen said sympathetically as she put her hand on his shoulder.
"Sorry about Nao." Joseph said with equal sympathy as he put his hand on top of hers. "But at least alive and well." He said encouragingly.
"I hope so. We haven't been able to contact anyone without the risk of revealing ourselves." She said.
"And you're not wrong about that kid. He's not at all what he seems." C.C. said.
"What you mean?" Joseph asked, Kallen was also curious.
"His name is V.V., he's a code bearer like me, and the one who I believe gave your father his Geass." C.C. told him solemly.
Now that was definitely a shock.
"More immortals!?" Joseph said, stunned.
"You're only telling me this now?!" Kallen said, stunned.
"It wasn't relevant until now." C.C. said simply, pissing off Kallen to no end.
"What happened here? Who left?" Joseph asked.
Kallen and C.C. then proceeded to explain how after Lelouch killed Euphemia, he declared a final battle against the Britannia forces called the Black Rebellion. He had his forces headquarter at Ashford Academy as he believed Nunnally would be the safest with his army there. Eventually he fought Cornelia and was able to turn the tides against due to him Geassing Darlton, who he killed afterwards. He then interrogated Cornelia about the death of his mother but didn't get any real answers, it was then C.C. felt a premonition in her head that Nunnally was kidnapped. They were both preparing to go after her when suddenly out of nowhere, Jeremiah Gottwald appears with a knightmare of his own.
Lelouch and C.C. drove him away from the battlefield, which also meant the Black Knights didn't have a leader to give them orders, which eventually led to their defeat, many losing their lives, including Inoue and Yoshida. C.C. discovered Nunnally was being taken to Kamine Island, and she dropped Lelouch off so she could keep Jeremiah busy while he saved her.
Only to find she wasn't there, and that he was followed by Suzaku, who was followed by Kallen. And the rest was history.
"Suzaku..." Joseph said with bitterness in his voice. "Can't believe him! His best friend! Went all Judas on him!" He said angrily.
"To be fair, from his point of view, Lelouch geassed Euphemia for his own gain." C.C. told him.
"It accident! You know that!" Joseph argued.
"I'm just saying, it's about his perception of things." C.C. said simply.
"Yeah, well...still not right. All this though...why? What for? What gained?" Joseph asked, not able to make sense out of it.
"It's to draw me out in the open." C.C. told him.
"Huh? Why?" Joseph asked, confused.
"The agent that assigned to be Lelouch's brother. He comes from an order based around Geass, V.V. is the leader of said order." C.C. explained.
"Immortal and cult leader. Double evil." Joseph said in a super serious tone.
"Indeed. The order was something I used to be apart of. A temporary manager so to speak. For awhile I worked with him, but he saw certain things differently than the way I did. So I cut ties and went separate ways. V.V. didn't take it so lightly and I believe he's using now to try and get me to atone for my 'crime' for leaving the organization, seeing how him and your father have a contract, it makes sense he be involved too." C.C. said.
"You cult leader too?! And no say anything?! WTF Seaweed!?" Joseph asked angrily.
"Yeah, what didn't you tell me any of this from the start!?" Kallen asked, equally pissed.
"Like I said, not relevant until now. My only concern is keeping Lelouch alive, and now that V.V. has reentered the picture, he's now part of my concern." C.C. said simply.
Strangely enough, Joseph could understand that.
"Okay, that fair." Joseph said casually. "Still gotta help Lelouch." Joseph said determined.
"And we will. We have a plan." Kallen told him.
"Me too!" Joseph said excitedly as he suddenly stood up. "Here what we do! Sneak in school, get DNA of Lelouch and friends, make clones of, sneak back in, replace with clones, bring back here, turn Geass off, live happily ever after!" He explained enthusiastically and ended with a stance that asked: "What do you think?"
They stared blankly at him for a few moment before C.C. took a deep breath and sighed tiredly.
"...You right. Clones have feelings too." Joseph concluded with a calculated look in his eye and started to come up with a different plan. "...Okay! We build robot version-"
"Joseph. We have. A. Plan." C.C. annunciated.
"Okie-dokie! What it be?" Joseph asked anxiously.
"Right now, Urabe is trying to find any and all Black Knights that haven't been captured or killed as well as machinery that can be used at our disposal. When the time is right, we'll get to Lelouch and undo the Geass then." C.C. explained.
"'Time is right'?! Who know when that be?!" Joseph asked annoyed. "Weeks?! Years?! Futurama?! Save Lelouch and friends now! Longer mind controlled, longer not 'them'!" Joseph argued.
"Joe! I get it! I understand completely! But if we go there now, gun blazing, it's just going to get Lelouch and the rest of the student council hurt, and I know you don't want that." Kallen countered.
Joseph groaned deeply and slumped back onto bed again, all gloomy. "Feel useless..." He said sadly.
"I know, it sucks. But the best thing, the only thing we can do right now is be patient. Okay?" She asked softly as she put her hand on his shoulder.
After thinking on it for a moment, Joseph took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay." He agreed quietly. "One more thing. When saw Eup, said 'stop Raganorok', ring any bells?" He asked curiously.
"Hmmm...never heard of it." Kallen said after thinking about it. "C.C.?"
Thankfully, over the years, C.C. learned to develop quite the poker face. Because inwardly, she was wondering how the Hell he came to upon that name, and from apparently Euphemia's spirit of all things!
But, as it was said before, C.C. had quite the poker face.
"Never heard of it. Now about living arrangements. Since me and Kallen have our own beds, you can sleep on the floor." C.C. told him nonchalantly.
"Coolio." Joseph said with a chill tone.
"Come on, C.C. That's not fair." Kallen lectured.
"Oh, so you want him to sleep with you then?" C.C. asked with a teasing smirk that would match Milly's.
"Ah! No! I mean-what I meant was..." Kallen stuttered, red in the face.
"No worry Kal Pal, floor sleeping comfy." Joseph reassured before giggling and grabbing Kallen and C.C. into a tight hug. "Alright! New roommates!" He cheered excitedly.
"And this is already worst than Clovis's experiments..." C.C. thought bitterly.
...
The Next Day...
After completing some pushups on the balcony, Joseph reentered the room and approached Kallen and C.C.
"Gonna save Lelouch?" Joseph asked.
"Not yet." C.C. told him with a bored tone on her bed, back turned away from him, trying to get some sleep.
"Okay." He said simply, going back outside to the balcony.
Three Seconds Later...
"Gonna save now?" He asked again as came back in.
"No, Joe." Kallen said with a tired tone as she read her magazine.
"Okay." He said simply, going back outside to the balcony.
Two Seconds Later...
"Now?" He asked again, quickly opening the door from the balcony.
"No!" Kallen said, starting to get annoyed.
He went back to the balcony.
One Second Later...
"How about now?" He asked, popping his head.
"You ask again, you won't be allowed to be apart of the rescue operation." C.C. lectured with finality in her tone, not bothering to turn around.
Joseph grunted in annoyance, going back to he balcony to try and past the time.
...
A Couple of Days Later...
Kallen groggily woke up to the sound of faint music. She sat up and saw on her alarm clock it was 3AM in the morning, she looked outside and saw Joseph dancing on the balcony.
Due to his well known presence as a prince, both her and C.C. thought it would be best if he stayed out of the settlement for the time being, and if he was going to go out, it would have to be at night and on top of buildings, and he could not go to the academy under any circumstances.
Joseph didn't like it but he understood, so he decided to past the time with more dancing and exercising and from what Kallen see, no sleeping whatsoever.
She got up and quietly opened the door and continued to watch him dance.
It was like a freestyle ballet, not practiced but still graceful. He was listening to a rap song with a slower beat to it with an R&B vibe.
Feel like I'm destined
I don't need no Smith & Wesson, no
Boy, who you testin'?
* a Scantron, here's your lesson, oh
Knife in intestine
Takin' shots at all your bredrin, oh
Feel like I'm damaged
Girl, I know you *in' planned this
A part of her had wanted to join in, but she thought it be better to get to the matter at hand.
"Hey, Joe?" Kallen called for his attention.
"Hey Kal Pal! Join?" Joseph asked happily as he continued to dance.
"Maybe next time. How about you come inside and get some sleep." Kallen offered.
"I'm good. Gotta be up and ready when rescue little bro!" Joseph said motivated, continuing his dancing.
"Joseph, come on. I noticed the bags under your eyes, how long since you've slept?" Kallen asked.
"10 days tomorrow!" Joseph said like it was an accomplishment..
"WHAT!? What is the matter with you?! Come inside now and get go to bed!" Kallen lectured angrily.
"No! Gotta be awake for Lelouch!" Joseph said, still distracting himself with his dancing.
"You're not going to be much help to him if you die from insomnia! Now come on!" Kallen insisted.
"No! Don't wanna sleep!" He said angrily
"Why not?!" She asked angrily.
"Because! If do, then maybe coma AGAIN!" Joseph said as he finally stopped dancing.
Kallen looked at him stunned, finally realizing what this was about. Joseph sighed and turned off his walkman.
"You think if you go to sleep, you'll risk going back into a coma?" Kallen asked.
"Don't know, but when in coma, bad things happen. First coma, new little sis kidnapped and her and Lelouch almost killed. Second coma, Eup geassed, killed people and then killed by little bro, then little bro betrayed and mind-controlled by Dad!" Joseph explained angrily. No more! No sleeping, no comas!" He declared.
Kallen just looked at him sadly and then proceeded to sit down against the wall, she gestured Joseph to sit next to her and he did so.
After sitting there for a few moments just looking at the stars, Kallen finally spoke up.
"You blame yourself." She said quietly.
"...Was right there...saw it happen...did nothing..." Joseph said, voiced deprived of any joyfulness, it hurt Kallen to hear him talk like that.
"You can't do that to yourself! If anything, you should blame me!" Kallen told him quickly, which surprised Joseph.
"Huh?! Why!?" Joseph said, shocked by her proclamation.
"Because I should have been out there that night at Fukuoka Base, I should have been the one protecting Lelouch, not you! Because of my apprehension, you're the one who saved him and ended up taking that bullet!" Kallen said in fury, more at herself than at him. "So please blame me for your coma! Blame me for not being able to protect you, your brother, and you sister!" She told him, tears almost sprouting from her eyes.
"But didn't know! Had no idea there be sniper! Saw outta nowhere, just reacted! Not your fault!" Joseph reassured her.
"And it wasn't yours! I don't know this V.V., but I do know when I get my hands on him, I'm going to make him wish he could die! Because he's the one who brought this on you, Lelouch, and Euphemia. This was all out of our hand, and the only thing we can do is try to do better. I didn't know your sister very well, but she seemed like the kind of person who would do that. And I think she wouldn't want you to hold it all in either." Kallen told him.
"Hold what in?" Joseph said in a confused manner.
"...When Naoto was killed, I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't like bringing it up, I chose to focus my attention on other things because it hurt too much to think about, because I missed him so damn much. Like you, I didn't want to go to sleep either, because every time I did, I would dream of him and how I didn't help him. And I'm guessing you have had those dreams too." She said sadly.
Joseph looked out at the settlement in front of them and took a harrowing breath. "Every time. Also why no sleep." He said in a way a little kid would after having a nightmare. "This pain...worst than mom...why?" He asked quietly as he clutched his chest where his heart was, not understanding it.
"Because you didn't get to say goodbye. You didn't get to have a last moment together. She was gone, just like that." Kallen said in understanding.
"And holding it in doesn't help either." C.C. said, coming out of nowhere, startling Kallen.
"Geez! Make some noise next time, would you?!" Kallen complained.
"I just did." C.C. said simply before going back to Joseph. "False tears bring pain to those around you. A false smile brings pain to one's self." She said solemnly. "And I can see that smile, pretending you're fine, breaking you every time you bear it."
Joseph looked at her, not sure what to say. Then he felt Kallen take his cheeks in both her hands and had him look at her.
"It took me a long time to open up about Naoto, and it made me bitter and untrustworthy towards others for awhile. I don't know if I would have truly come out of my shell if it hadn't been for you, Lelouch, Nunnally, Shirley, and the rest of the Student Council. I won't let the same happen to you, so please Joe, let it out, mourn for her, mourn for your sister."
It just like that, with just that one sentence, it all started to hit him like a tidal wave.
His little sister was dead, and she wasn't coming back.
He remembered how they danced and sang together with the ukulele she bought for him.
He remembered how she wanted to go with him on his journey but he refused.
He remembered how they pranked Lelouch and Clovis by putting honey on their chairs when they played chess.
He remembered how they would dress up as Mr. Man and Lady Ladington, her riding on his shoulders as he ran around the open fields, their capes blowing through the wind.
He remembered how he would help his mother and Cornelia change her diapers.
He remembered how beautiful her smile was when he first laid eyes on her.
His sister...
His beautiful little sister...
"...Eup..." Joseph barely whispered as the dam finally broke. "EUP!" He yelled at the top of his lungs as he practically lunged at Kallen, wrapping his arms around her and sobbing into her waist. "Eup! Eup! Little sis! Come back! Please come back! I want back! No dead! PLEASE!" He sobbed, heavy tears draining out of his face.
Kallen made no effort to get him off.
At the time, she chose to grieve by herself, she didn't want the comfort of her friends, as it was too much to bear.
But Joseph was not Kallen, not even close. For God sakes, he was still practically a kid at heart, and now he had to come to the reality that he lost one of his siblings in the worst way possible. He didn't deserve that, no one did, and seeing him like this broke her heart.
One thing was for sure, Kallen wasn't going to let him go through this alone. Not like this.
She put her hands on his head and back, and gently caressed his hair.
"It's okay...just let it out..." Kallen softly said. To which Joseph sobbed even harder.
C.C. on her end, just uncomfortably stood there waiting for it to pass. That is, until Kallen gave her a hard glare that said: "Get over here NOW!"
To which she just sighed, came over to the two and put her hand on Joseph's shoulder, waiting for Joseph's grieve to pass.
After that, they went back inside and Kallen had Joseph lay down on her bed, pulling the covers over him. Yet, he couldn't help but be scared.
"What if..." Joseph started to say.
"It's okay, we're right here. Just get some rest, you've earned it." Kallen gently told him.
"Please do already. We need to get some shut eye as well." C.C. said in slight annoyance, making Kallen glare at her.
Joseph thought about it and took a tape from his inner coat pocket and put it in his walkman. Pressing play, a man's voice began to sing.
I may not always love you
But long as there are stars above you
You never need to doubt it
I'll make you so sure about it
God only knows what I'd be without you
"Mom's lullaby for nightmares." Joseph said quietly.
"...Do you play it often?" Kallen asked.
"...Never had to...never nightmares..." Joseph said tiredly as he drifted off to sleep.
As he began to lightly snore, Kallen watched him, making sure he got a good night's rest.
At one point he started to breathe heavily and called out Euphemia's name. Kallen responded by caressing his head where the scar was, he calmed down after that.
She couldn't help but give a small smile, only to hear a small chuckle from C.C., who gave her a teasing smirk.
"Shut up." Kallen muttered in annoyance.
Suffice to say, Joseph got his first goodnight sleep in months.
...
When Kallen finally fell asleep, also on the bed with Joseph, but she slept over the cover, C.C. quietly got out of her bed and approached him. She placed her hand upon his head and held it there for a few moments.
"Strange...I can feel the Geass within him, but I can't tell whether he was given one or if one was placed on him. Just what is this boy? And how did he learn of the project?" C.C. thought, having one of the rare times of being stumped. "Still, besides the name, he has no idea what it means. Probably no reason to be concern." She told herself unsurely, not because of she was afraid of him finding out, but because she was wondered if she still wanted to be part of the plan.
...
The next day, Joseph felt better than he had in a long time. He took what Kallen and C.C. told him with inspiration! He wasn't going to mope, he was going to DO! And one thing he was going to do was learn how to go back into his ghost form without having to fall back into a coma. He didn't do much about it before because he didn't think it was a big deal, but now things were different, he had to be prepared no matter what, especially when it came to his little brother.
So first thing he did when he woke up that morning was go outside to the balcony, took a deep breath in of his surroundings, sat down, crossed his legs and began meditating.
He did every day for at least four hours every day, strengthening the spiritual connection between himself, his chakras, and nature. Kallen even joined him a couple of times, C.C. didn't really care.
And it was two weeks later, he finally got some results.
One fine early morning, Kallen and C.C. still sleeping, Joseph once again sat on the balcony, sitting cross-legged and eyes closed.
"Two weeks and nothing. What am I doing wrong?" He thought to himself, conflicted. "What would Sensei tell me?"
He then remember a piece of advice Tohdoh once shared when he was under his tutelage.
"In order to truly let your mind be at peace, you have to let go of any grudges, any pain, any regrets you might feel, they will block your energy. Instead, let it be shrouded with clarity, happiness, those of which make you feel calm. Your mind is shared with your body, don't forget to take care of it." Tohdoh said.
With that, Joseph took a deep breath, cleared his mind, and thought about the people he cared about in his life.
He thought about his mother, how she raised him to be the person he is today and loved him with all her heart.
He thought about Cornelia, though always nagging him, genuinely cared for his well-being
He thought about Nunnally, how her bright smile and attitude, despite her condition, made her a literal angel.
He thought about Lelouch, how he strove to make the world a better place, even if it meant risking his own life.
He thought about the Student Council, how they quickly accepted him with open arms and let him into their inner circle.
He thought about his new little sis, Shirley, how she helped Lelouch come out of his shell and let him know that it was okay to be happy.
He thought about Kallen, his best bud, how she took no shit from anyone and proved her badass-ness on the field all the time, while still being a caring person.
He thought about Sensei, how he trained him to fight and the ways of the world.
He thought about C.C., Lelouch's mentor and Jedi Master who gave him his superpower and how she taught him to use it, as well as giving him lessons in life.
He even thought about Suzaku, how he was Lelouch's best friend and despite betraying him, wanted to believe he could bring him back to the light side again.
It was then, when Joseph opened his eyes, he was in the void again.
"YES! Progress!" Joseph said excitedly. "But I'm only half way there." He said to himself, thinking about what he could do next. "Any regrets I might feel..."
With that he sighed a breath of sadness.
"...Eup...I don't know if you can hear me, for all I know you already passed on to the great beyond and you're with mom, who's chatting your ear off about The Beach Boys." He said with a chuckle before getting serious. "But if you can, please know...I'm sorry...I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you, I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect Lelouch when he needed it, and I'm sorry I couldn't be there to help Suzaku stay away from the dark side." He said sadly.
"But I've been thinking about it, and with the help of some great friends, I realized that I can't let it burden me anymore, because I know now it was something out of my control, and the only thing I can do now is try and make things better. And I know if Lelouch was here, he would be feeling double the amount of pain and guilt I'm feeling, and he would want to make it right as much as I do." Joseph said with determination. "And I know you already forgiven him, otherwise you wouldn't have begged me to help him like you did, because that's the kind of person you are Euphemia, the best type of person. A bonafide Sailor Moon." He said with a sweet tone in his voice.
"Now it's my turn to make sure the pain and guilt doesn't consume him. That's why if you can hear me, all I ask is you help me out one last time. Ask whoever's up there to give me that leeway, let me help our brother and sister, let me help my friends, let me help finish what you wanted started." He asked in a rare mature voice. "Because I'm going to keep my promise to you, no matter what! I'll make sure this ends as a Part 2!" He said determinedly with a raised fist.
And just like that, he heard the cry of the Phoenix and a bright light appeared.
...
As his vision came back, he saw he was back on the balcony.
"Aw man! Still nothing?! Come on! What fantasy film do I have to watch to get some-wait a minute!" Joseph said as he realized something. "I'm still speaking in a complete sentence."
He looked down and saw he was floating, he looked behind him, and saw he was still in his meditative position. He slowly approached his body, preparing for a barrier.
Except...none came.
He came to stop as he was nose to nose with his body and couldn't help but be stunned. "...Oh my God..." Joseph's spirit quietly said.
Inhaling a breath, he entered his body, opened his eyes and exhaled with his lungs. He got up with his legs, and jumped a bit, gravity bringing him down. He was truly back in his body.
He got down to a meditative state again, and left his body, and then reentered his body and woke back up.
"...Holy guacamole...did it..." Joseph said with realization, before a big smile formed on his face. "DID IT! WOOOOOOAAAA!" He cheered as he ran back inside and jumped onto Kallen's bed, waking her up with a startle.
"What the Hell?!" Kallen said, shocked by the wake up call. Joseph responded by lifting her up with a tight hug.
"Did it, Kal Pal! Did it!" Joseph said with glee as he shook her back and forth.
"D-did w-what?!" Kallen asked, trying not to get sick from all the shaking.
"What's with all the racket?!" C.C. asked groggily as she sat up rubbing her eye, before suddenly having her cheeks smushed together by Joseph and lifted away from her bed.
"Back, Seaweed! Back!" Joseph cheered as he spun her around in joy.
"Let go!" C.C. groaned in annoyance as she tried to pull away from him, to no avail.
He did indeed let go of her cheeks and instead grabbed her arms and moved her around the room in a celebration dance.
"Who back? I'm back! Who back? I'm back!" Joseph cheerfully chanted as he danced with a noncompliant C.C.
"Back from where?! What are you talking about?!" Kallen asked, wondering what on Earth was going on.
He let go of C.C., who was sent flying to the kitchen because of the momentum, and approached Kallen.
"Unlocked Ghost Form!" Joseph declared with triumph.
"Ghost form?" Kallen asked in a confused manner, before realizing what he meant. "Wait. You mean that astral projection thing Lelouch told me about?" She asked.
"Yep-per-rooni! This Joe is Patrick Swayze! Haha!" He said excitedly as he bounced on the heels of his feet.
"But...how..." Kallen stuttered, not sure what to make of this.
Meanwhile, C.C. had gotten back up, not amused in the slightest.
"You know, you should really learn how to handle-" C.C. tried to complain only to be interrupted by Joseph.
"Come Seaweed, show ya! You too, Kal Pal!" He said excitedly as he took their hands and pulled them out to the balcony.
C.C. sighed in annoyance while Kallen was intrigued, Joseph sat down in his meditative position, closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
A few seconds past and nothing happened, few more seconds passed, still nothing happened.
"Are...are we waiting for something?" Kallen whispered to C.C."
"I don't know." C.C. said with a bored tone.
"OKAY!" Joseph shouted as he suddenly stood up with a hop, startling Kallen and making C.C. raise an eyebrow. "Man, woman coming this way, man in blue shirt, woman in red, complaining about stuff no care about!" Joseph proclaimed and then pointed to an alley some distance away. "Coming from there!"
Kallen and C.C. went over to the edge to balcony and waited to see if Joseph was right.
And lo and behold, a man in a blue shirt and woman in a red shirt did indeed come from the alleyway, looking like they were arguing. Kallen was flabbergasted and C.C. was actually mildly surprised.
"Holy crap!" Kallen said in astonishment.
"Interesting..." C.C. said intrigued.
"Right! No more comas here!" Joseph said excitedly before turning around and jumping onto the ledge of the balcony. "HEAR THAT WORLD! NO MORE COMAS! EAT MY NUTS! HAHAHAHAHA!" He yelled at the top of his lungs while nut-bumping the air.
"Joe! What are you doing?!" Kallen said as she went over to try and get him down.
"Moron..." C.C. said as she shook her head in amusement.
...
Meanwhile at the Student Council Building
"Did you guys hear something?" Milly asked.
"It sounded like...'Meet my mutts'?" Rivalz said, not sure either.
The rest shrugged and went back to their paperwork.
...
Back at the Safe House
After he was done, Joseph, still on the ledge, took a deep breathe in, and raised his arms as he took in the breeze and the rising sun.
"Thank you little sis. I love you, and I'll miss you everyday." He thought, his mind at peace.
...
So throughout the months, Joseph went into his ghost form and checked in on his brother and his friends every once in awhile. He could was glad to see that even though their memories were altered, they were living a peaceful school life. Though now it seemed like Lelouch and Shirley were back to square one in their relationship as she now acted all awkward around him like she used to, but Joseph wasn't too worried, they got there before, they can do it again!
He was also surprised to see that Villetta woman was there as the school coach. At first, Joseph thought maybe she retired from the military and took on a teaching job, but then he once saw go into the library, and then he saw her pull a book that opened a secret compartment to an elevator. That elevator led to a secret meeting room that had a bunch of monitors tracking Lelouch's movements!
"That jerk! She must have only been pretending to like Ohgi to get close to Lelouch!" Joseph thought angrily.
Her and the other members, who Joseph was assuming was this OSI that C.C. told him about, discussed whether or not Lelouch got his memories back, and Rolo was often part of these discussions.
Rolo, was the one Joseph was most intrigued by.
At first, he didn't like him due to the fact he was made to be a replacement of Nunnally and to take out Lelouch if necessary. Nope, Joseph did not like this guy one bit.
But then...he noticed something about the kid. He noticed that whenever he was with Lelouch, that wall he had up would break a little. He became more gentler, he seemed more alive. One could say it was simply a performance, but Joseph could see in the kid's eyes that he was a lot more happier when he just got to be a little brother to Lelouch.
He remembered how C.C. explained the Geass Order to him. How V.V. would often take orphaned babies, or make them orphaned, and recruit them to basically being sleeper agents to do his bidding. They were taught to kill at such a young age, an age that Joseph found despicable, and he couldn't help but start to sympathize with Rolo.
Here was a kid, about the same age as his little sister, who never got to be kid. He was trained to be a weapon, and nothing else. This was probably the first time he ever had a brother, or even friends for that matter. Joseph didn't like it one bit, so one way or another, he was going to do something about it!
...
"How many do we have now?" C.C. asked Urabe.
"Currently 35 knightmares, 15 trucks, and one large aircraft carrier." Urabe informed.
"Damn, nowhere near what we wanted." Kallen muttered.
"We have to keep on our toes after all. The Britannian military is determined to sniff out any terrorists they can." Urabe explained.
"Well, at least I still have my Guren." Kallen said, looking at the bright side.
"Yeah, Cherry Dynamite! Lelouch and Sensei, here we come!" Joseph cheered as he danced on the bed.
Urabe looked at Joseph with a curious eye. When he learned that the dimwit prince was here, he was tempted to shoot him right then and there, as a way to penance for his people's blood back at the SAZ. But he also remembered that he was in coma from saving Zero's life, so it was hard to blame him for such a tragedy, but as it was said, the thought was tempting.
Plus Kallen and C.C. told him that he wanted to help get Zero back as he was childhood friends with him, which actually explained a lot.
Still, the fact that Zero was just a Britannian schoolboy astonished him to no end, and he couldn't help but be impressed either.
"I know he's not a threat to us, but are you sure we can trust him not to accidentally spread the word around?" Urabe asked wearily as Joseph continued to dance around the room.
"He kept Zero's identity a secret didn't he?" C.C. asked with an arched eyebrow.
"Fair enough." Urabe admitted.
"Even if you don't trust him, Urabe. Trust me, right now, his main concern is to get Lelouch back." Kallen reassured him.
"Duet together, Uru!" Joseph said as he pulled Urabe into a square dance.
"Ugh, Joseph, wait!" Urabe said, trying to get out of it, to no avail.
...
While Joseph wasn't checking in on the council, he spent quality time with Kallen and C.C.
Such as watching cartoons:
Joseph, Kallen, C.C. sat together on their beds as they watched a cartoon about a talking sea sponge. Joseph observed it happily, while Kallen was just confused, and C.C. was just unamused.
"So...he's having a mental breakdown over pickles?" Kallen asked, perplexed by the randomness.
"Forgetting pickles. Perfection in craft." Joseph happily explained.
"This is why I don't watch cartoons..." C.C. said.
Or playing games:
Joseph was currently in the kitchen with C.C. while Kallen was listening to some tunes on her radio with her earpods in.
"Okay. Next question. Which most annoying sound? This?:(imitates the sound of a fire alarm). This?:(Imitates a person choking violently). Or this?:(imitates someone picking their teeth). Joseph asked as he three distinct but very loud noises.
"I find it to be a three-way tie..." C.C. said with gritted teeth and a calm voice.
"Ah-ah-ah. One more annoying than other. Now which one?" Joseph asked again as he made the three noises again, making C.C.'s eye start to twitch. "Wait! Maybe need more noise!" He figured as he grabbed two pans and clanked them together as he continued to make the noises, and then started dancing around C.C. to add to the effect.
He was so into it, he didn't even notice C.C. open a draw, pull a gun out, and aim it at him. Thankfully, Kallen did.
"C.C.!" Kallen yelled as she pulled C.C.'s hand away from Joseph.
C.C. continued to try to aim at Joseph, who was continuing his game.
"Stop it!" Kallen whispered harshly as she struggled to keep the surprisingly strong C.C. from killing their friend.
"No!" C.C. whispered back, wanting this nightmare to end.
Whoa! Easy, girls!" Joseph said as he noticed them fighting over the gun, to which he yanked it out their hands, tossing them to the ground. "No gun practice. In hiding, remember?" Joseph reminded them with loud whisper, making them groan with annoyance from the ground.
Staying up late:
"Okay Kallen, truth or dare?" Joseph asked excitedly.
"Um, truth, I guess." Kallen said, not sure why this was the game he wanted to play.
"What favorite color?" He asked curiously.
"...Um...blue." Kallen said, not sure why she was surprised his question wasn't more complex.
"Cool! Your turn Seaweed!" Joseph said excitedly.
"Alright Joseph, truth or dare?" C.C. asked.
"Dare!" Joseph said determinedly, ready to take on any challenge before him.
"I dare you...to strip naked and jump around the ghetto, shouting: 'I'm a loopy nut job!'" C.C. told him with an evil smirk.
"What! Are you nuts!?" Kallen asked incredulously.
"Done!" Joseph said, not even embarrassed by it as he began to take his coat off.
"What?! NO! Joe! Stop!" Kallen said frantically as she held onto his leg, trying to stop him from leaving the building.
C.C. couldn't help but laugh. When you weren't the subject of his annoyance, he could be quite entertaining. And for some reason, being with these two, she felt at peace.
They even once danced and lip-synced to Led Zepplin's Immigrant Song.
Joseph felt like he grew closer to both his roommates. C.C. was like the moody older sister that you would love to bother and try to get her more involved in things.
And Kallen...
Kallen was a strange case for Joseph. He already considered her his best bud, but throughout the months, he felt a certain something about her. He wasn't sure what it was, but it was warm, and it made him happy. Not in the usually way, a different way, a way he couldn't explain. One thing was for sure though, he was glad he had his Kal Pal by his side.
...
One night, after five months of hiding, while Joseph was practicing his jumping distance in the air, C.C. and Kallen came up to him.
"Wazzup my girls!" Joseph said with a surfer gesture.
"Never say that again." C.C. said blankly.
"Okay." Joseph said with his dopey smile.
"Joe. It's time." Kallen said with a determined tone.
Joseph was confused at first, but then his eyes lit up in realization. "You mean?!" He asked excitedly.
"Yes. Tomorrow, we're getting Lelouch back." C.C. told him.
To Be Continued
...
Merry Christmas and Happy Upcoming New Years everyone!
And with that, we head towards Episode 1 of R2!
While it was always my plan for Joseph to master his ghost form, I also wanted this to be a way to reaffirm that he will NOT BE GOING INTO ANYMORE COMAS FROM HERE ON OUT!
And while Joseph's mental recovery was a little more rushed than I wanted it to be, I did so for the sake of plot. And of course I wanted to strengthen the bond between him and Kallen and even C.C.
Well...his bond with her anyway...
Anyway, comment and let me know what you think! Until next time!
P.S. Check out my new story: Code Squarepants! An crossover between Spongebob Squarepants and Code Geass!
Yes, it's an actual crossover, not a parody!