AN: I do not own Code Geass
Lethana: I'll admit, neither did I until I saw a Karma Suzaku video get recommended to me on youtube.
Chapter 33: Fireworks
"Ah! You look amazing!" Milly exclaimed as Kallen left the dressing room wearing a red Yukata with her hair tied in two buns. "It's my turn!" the blonde practically pushed the red head out of the way while entering the room.
"Wow, you really do look good in that," Shirley complimented, "It's as if you were made to wear a Yukata."
"You think so?" Kallen blushed upon receiving such a compliment, "I wonder what Lelouch'll think…"
"Oh ladies~" the President's voice called as she entered with a yellow Yukata. "What do you think?" she asked while tying her hair into a ponytail, "Do I look good, or great?"
"Oh, Milly, you look great!" Shirley responded while clapping her hands, "However, I still think Kallen looks better." Milly's jaw dropped upon hearing such a revelation, so the orange-haired girl clarified, "B-but it's not by much!"
"I'm glad to see kids like you take such an interest in an old Eleven's shop," the owner walked in with her hands behind her back. "By the way, it took a while, but I finally got the little lady her outfit."
In came Nunally, wearing a white Yukata with a white orchid on the right side of her head. "Oh. My. God." the blonde instantly hugged the Princess, taking her by surprise, "You look like a real Princess, Nunally!"
"Really? Is it that good?" the Princess asked innocently.
"Yeah, it's fantastic." Shirley added, "I'm sure Lulu's gonna be very happy."
"I think he'd love anything Nuna wears." Kallen replied while poking the little girl's cheeks playfully, "Isn't that right?"
"S-stop that," Nunally replied while chuckling.
Milly clasped her hands and said, "Okay, it's your turn, Nina." she spotted the green-haired girl as she hid behind a chair, seemingly afraid of the owner.
"N-no, I think I'm just fine without one…"
"Nonsense!" the President dragged the girl into one of three changing rooms, closing the door behind them.
After a few minutes of struggling, Nina was eventually pushed out, wearing an emerald-colored Yukata, with her hair completely down, and glasses missing. "Please… I can't see without my glasses," she pleaded while feeling around for the President.
"Just stand still," the blonde replied while holding the green-haired girl still, "Doesn't she look good?"
Shirley and Kallen nodded in agreement, hoping to save their friend from the clutches of the she-devil. Once Milly was satisfied with their response, she returned the glasses, before saying, "Okay, it's your turn, Shirley. Make sure you choose an outfit that'll knock Lelouch's socks off!" Kallen glared at the President once Shirley left, "Aw… don't look at me like that. You're way cuter with a smile, you know that?"
On the surface, it seemed like Milly was just teasing the red head once again. However, the two knew precisely what was going on, "I can't keep having Shirley be led on like this… she has to confront Lelouch with her feelings, or Lelouch'll crush her feelings once he reveals our relationship officially to the council."
"How do I look?" the orange-haired girl asked while revealing her Yukata, which matched her hair's vibrancy.
"Oh my gosh," the blonde walked up to Shirley and began groping her sides, "You look amazing!"
"S-stop that!" the swimming club member pleaded through laughter.
"Okay, I think that's everyone, right?" Kallen asked while getting up.
"Oh my, Kally, leaving so soon?" a voice called from one of the dressing rooms. In the next second, the remaining two doors burst open, and out came Maya and C.C, donning their own Yukata's. Maya wore a black Yukata with white flora designs, while C.C wore a plain blue Yukata.
"When did you two get here!?" Kallen exclaimed.
"We got here about twenty minutes before you." C.C calmly responded.
"And you were just hanging out in the dressing rooms like a bunch of pervs?"
"If that's how you want to put it, then yes."
The green-haired girl's responses angered the red head, making her clench her fists in frustration, "Whatever… let's just go…"
"Wait!" Maya jumped on her friend's back, "You haven't complimented me on my Yukata yet!"
C.C joined the fray, mimicking the black-haired girls demands, "Same here! Don't be a meany, Kally~"
"Don't you dare call me that!"
"Why not, Kally?" the green-haired girl asked with a confused look, closely resembling a cat.
"Now you're just doing that on purpose!"
The group laughed at the interaction, before the President checked the time, "Oh! It's almost 3! The boys are going to be mad if we make them wait. Let's hurry!"
4:00PM
"They're an hour late…" Lelouch muttered as Mario and Rivalz played a game of marbles on a nearby dirt patch.
"Damn. How're you so good at this?" Rivalz asked as his opponent took out three marbles with one shot.
"Beginners luck?" the black-haired boy responded as a group of Britannian's walked past them.
"I don't believe in such a thing. In my world, we call it natural talent."
"In your world, you never win." the Prince retorted while taking a seat on the sidewalk.
"Hey! I win… sometimes!"
"Anyway, what'd you call these outfits again, Suzaku?"
The Honorary Britannian who was watching the passing pedestrians enjoy festival confections, said, "They're called Jinbaori. It's kind of like a surcoat, but… uh…"
"There's no difference?" Mario asked with a blank stare.
"No… there definitely is. I just don't know them off the top of my head."
"Sure…" the three boys muttered while looking into the crowd.
Suzaku sighed once again, "Though… I have to ask, why'd you all choose the same Jinbaori as me?"
"Oh? So you're saying we all didn't go to the same store, see the same boring selection of clothes, and chose to buy the only Jinbaori that was available?" Lelouch asked sarcastically while pointing at his green and red outfit, "By the way, these colors are hideous."
"As if you know anything about fashion…" Rivalz commented.
"I certainly know more than you!"
"Please, boys, stop fighting." Milly intervened, making the blue-haired boy instantly blush upon seeing her.
"How do ya like my outfit, Mario? Do I look dazzling?" Maya spun around happily.
"Stop spinning," he commanded while putting his hand on her head, "You look like an idiot."
"Aw…"
"But I'll admit… you look… alright."
"If you're gonna compliment me, at least do it right!"
"No way."
"What about me, Lelouch?" Kallen asked while putting her arm around the Prince, "Don't I look good?" she began drilling her finger into his cheek, making sure his eyes were locked on her, and her alone.
"Yes, Kallen, I think you look great." the boy responded with a lack of emotion.
"Say it like you mean it!"
This time, Lelouch grabbed Kallen by the chin, and looked into her eyes, "Kallen, I think you look amazing." he said softly, making sure no one else could hear him as they were too busy fawning over how good Nunally looked.
The red head, whose face was blushing profusely, hid her head in her hands. Even though she expected a compliment, she never thought Lelouch would actually give her one like that. Of course, the Prince didn't expect himself to do that either, but due to the past few days of Kallen constantly one-upping him on the teasing scale, he felt it was necessary to equal things out like this.
"Nunally," Lelouch quickly shifted his attention from Kallen, to his little sister, "You look great."
"How're you not blushing after that?" the red head looked at her boyfriend's face, which was indeed blushing, she just couldn't see it from her angle.
"Really? Everyone's been saying that… but do you really mean it?" the Princess asked sassily.
"Wh-what's that supposed to mean!?" the Prince exclaimed.
"You always say I look good, so I'm just wondering if you really mean it."
"Of course I do!"
Milly shook her head, "Actually, I think I agree with you on this one. I don't think Lelouch really means it."
"What the hell's going on!?" Lelouch's eyes darted from Nunally to Milly, back to Nunally. "I've heard of this before… little sisters beginning to detest their brothers once they get older, but this… this is just too cruel!"
Of course, this wasn't the case. As the Princess was trying to get both Kallen and Lelouch together, alone, as per request from the red head. After all, the couple hardly had any alone time during the whole trip, so this was her way of doing so. Though… Milly wasn't in on this plan.
"Coward, pushover, weakling!" the President playfully hurled insults at her subordinate as he fell to his knees in defeat.
"Okay, this is just too much…" Shirley whispered to Nina, "Poor Lulu…"
Suzaku was the first to come to his friend's aid, saying, "It's okay Lelouch, I'm sure this is just one of the many fazes Nunally's going through. Once this trip's over, she'll go back to normal."
"You think so?" Lelouch asked with tears in his eyes.
Kallen sighed and grabbed her boyfriends arm, tugging him away from the group, "Come on. Let's go see the sights, and take your mind off this."
"Ah, wait for me-"
Before Suzaku could take a step forward, he felt a tug on his shirt, "Leave them." it was Nunally, "They need some time alone."
"Oh… I see." the Honorary Britannian almost instantly understood what was going on, "But… did you really have to be so cruel?"
"If I wasn't, then Lelouch would've just hung around me this whole festival. I had to drive him away somehow." the Princess responded, "Don't worry, I'll apologize later."
Shirley managed to overhear parts of the conversation, which sparked multiple questions in her mind, "Wait… why would Lelouch and Kallen need time together? Unless… she's making her move tonight!" the orange-haired girl gasped, "Oh no… I've been too focused on trying to set Lelouch on the right path, I haven't been focusing on developing our relationship!" her face turned melancholic, "Now… Kallen's going to…" she shook her head, "No! I still have a chance! It's not over until it's over!"
Of course, this was just a lie she was telling herself. Deep in Shirley's heart, she knew it was over, but just didn't want to accept it. Milly watched as the poor girl was dealing with this internal conflict, and couldn't feel anything but pity, "Shirley… if there's a way I can minimize the pain you're feeling, I would. But… I just don't know how to do that… the best thing I can do is this…" she took a deep breath, before announcing, "Hey! Let's go look at the stands, maybe they have some fun games we can play?"
The group began murmuring with excitement as they traversed the fair grounds, coming across multiple traditional Japanese stands, while mostly coming across Britannian themed ones. Of course, while Suzaku was pushing Nunally along the stone path, he couldn't help but spot a certain figure standing on a roof overhead. It was the green-haired girl. She appeared to be watching over something, but the boy couldn't tell what it was.
"Suzaku, what's that smell?" Nunally asked as she faced a Yakisoba stand.
"Oh? Do you want some?" his attention immediately focused on the Princess, whose stomach was growling.
"Can you stop stalking us?" Kallen faced C.C, who was watching over them as they waited in line for a goldfish scooping stand.
"Hey Kallen, doesn't this stand runner look familiar?" Lelouch tugged on his girlfriend's sleeve
"Oh god… please don't tell me…"
"Next!" the stand owner, Tamaki, shouted with a lollipop stick in his mouth, "Oh, Kallen, is that you?" he asked while adjusting his Kozuki bandana, completely ignoring Lelouch's presence. Either that, or he didn't notice him.
"Okay… where's Ohgi?" Kallen asked with an unamused look.
"What're you trying to say!?" Tamaki retorted
"I know for a fact you're not smart enough to run one of these things on your own, so where's Ohgi?"
The Japanese man smiled, "I'll have you know, Ohgi's not helping me run this stand."
"Hey Tamaki, get back to work!" Naoto called from the back.
"Your brother is."
Kallen facepalmed upon hearing her brother's voice as he slowly approached with a box of poi's, "Hey Kallen," his eyes darted to Lelouch, but he pretended to not notice the boy, "What're you doing here, all by yourself?"
"Didn't I tell you about coming to Kyoto with my friends?"
"Oh yeah, I remember that…"
The red head put her hands on her hip, "So now tell me, what're you doing here?"
"We're making extra money. Tamaki was complaining about how his job didn't pay enough a few weeks ago, so I thought we'd have the great idea of opening our own stand. And what better time to open it, than at one of the biggest festivals in the country?" Naoto bragged while putting the box's down.
"So… how much have you made so far?"
"Well… we've opened two stands. So, we'll have to wait until the end of the day to figure out our profits…"
"Wait, two stands? What's the second?"
"Ohgi's opened a takoyaki stand two streets over. Apparently, he's supposed to be really good at making them, but only time will tell."
Lelouch put down a few bills and said, "Can I play?"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa there, buddy. You gotta wait your turn." Tamaki put out his hand. However, his eyes soon widened with realization, "Wait a minute… have we met before?"
"No way, did he figure out Lelouch is Zero?" Naoto froze upon hearing his friend's question.
"No, I don't believe we have." the Prince responded calmly.
"I really think we have met before though…" the Japanese man put a hand on his chin, "I've definitely heard your voice somewhere before…" Everyone silently watched with horror as Tamaki's brain went into overdrive. Finally, he shouted, "Ah! You're the guy from Clovis Land, right?"
Of course he wouldn't recognize Lelouch as Zero, he's not smart enough for that.
Naoto pulled out a few scoopers from the box and said, "It's okay Tamaki, we've been holding up the line talking to Kallen anyway."
"Hold on, doesn't this guy know Kallen?" that's when a light bulb went off in his head, "Wait a minute… this is the same guy who was flirting with Kallen, right-"
Before he could finish his sentence, Naoto delivered a punch to his chest, knocking him out in one strike. The resistance leader's eyes darted to Lelouch, who had a bead of sweat trickle down the back of his head, "D-don't look at me like that." the Prince said while shakily grabbing a scooper.
"Don't worry about him, Lulu," Kallen latched onto her boyfriends arm playfully, "I won't let my brother hurt you." she looked at Naoto, who was slightly irritated at the display of affection, "Isn't that right, big bro?"
"Just play the game already, we have other people in line here." the older Kozuki responded while kneeling over the goldfish tank, "You've got five tries. Make 'em count." those words were harshly directed at Lelouch, who had big shoes to fill, "You better catch at least one."
The Prince took a deep breath while kneeling over the tank, "I'm gonna catch the one with the stupid eyes." he said while readying a strike.
"You mean the black goldfish?" Naoto asked blankly.
"Y-yeah."
"Better hurry up then, it looks like he's getting away."
In a swift motion, Lelouch dunked his poi into the water, immediately tearing it, "Damn it." he picked up another one while his girlfriend cheered him on.
"You got this…" she whispered.
Once again, the second his poi touched the water, it ripped, "Wait a minute… is this rigged?"
"No, it's not rigged, you just suck." as if reading his mind, Naoto answered the Prince's question almost instantly.
"But that's not possible. This thing should last at least a few seconds at the most…" Lelouch picked up another poi, this time, he was determined to win. He plunged the scooper into the water, this time, it lasted a few seconds, allowing for him to touch the black goldfish, only for it to swim away upon contact. Once it did, the poi ripped, leaving Lelouch without a catch.
"You were so close." Kallen whispered while grabbing a poi, "Want me to try?"
"Not yet." the Prince grabbed the last poi and said, "I've got this…" he plunged the scooper into the water once again, this time, he managed to grab the fish with it, but when he tried to resurface with it, the poi broke, allowing for his catch to get away.
"Damn, you suck," Naoto said while giving another group a bunch of poi's., "You sure you don't want some more?"
"Hell no! There's no way this game isn't rigged!" the Prince watched as Kallen carefully observed the goldfish's path. Once she was satisfied, she made her move.
In an instant, the red head moved her hands faster than Lelouch could see, catching the goldfish within a second of placing her poi in the water. Once she safely retrieved the fish, her poi finally ripped. "See? That's how it's done." Naoto teased Lelouch, "And to think you got beat by a girl. I thought you were a man."
"Don't be mean to him!" Kallen retorted while an awake Tamaki slowly placed her prize in a plastic bag with water, "He's probably never been goldfish scooping before, so it'll take time for him to properly learn." she grabbed Lelouch's hand, "But today isn't that day. Come on, let's go somewhere else."
"Uh oh, it looks like you messed up," Tamaki said while taking a seat next to Naoto. "You better apologize. Especially if you want a good relationship with your sister."
The resistance leader looked at Tamaki with confusion as he casually took the money of another patron, "Since when did you get so wise?"
"You're kidding, right? I'm the Tamaki! Of course I'm wise."
"Ohgi and I would beg to differ…"
"By the way, why'd you lie? About the game being rigged?"
Silence passed over the two as they watched new patrons paying to play their rigged game, until finally, Naoto said, "Shut up."
"Can you believe him!?" Kallen complained while letting go of her boyfriends hand, "Naoto can be so insensitive sometimes. He really needs to learn that not everyone's had very different experiences, and not everyone can be a master at everything!"
"I don't think that's what he was getting at…" Lelouch muttered with a slight blush.
The red head noticed his light blush and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It's nothing," he rubbed the hand she was holding earlier.
"Oh, I see…" Kallen gently grabbed his hand and asked, "It's because of the hand holding, right?"
Sure, the couple had kissed before, slept in the same bed, and held each other before, but this was different. Openly displaying their relationship in public was something Lelouch wasn't used to, so when Kallen forcefully took his hand earlier, hundreds of thoughts were running through his head at the time, making his mind overload with worry. Of course, the red head wasn't aware of how he was feeling at the time, but now that she was, it was now her mission to slowly settle him into comfortably holding her hand openly, "Why don't we start with it now?" she wrapped her hand slowly around his. "We've got to start somewhere, right? I know this might seem uncomfortable at first, but you remember what I said before, right? I'll be with you every step of the way."
Lelouch looked at their hands with uncertainty, before tightening his grip, "O-okay… I'll give it a shot."
The two walked around the festival in a comfortable silence. To the Prince's relief, no one bothered them, hell, nobody even looked their way. In this bubble they existed in, nobody cared about them, except each other. They only had each other. Lelouch felt safe while holding Kallen's hand. He couldn't exactly pinpoint why, but it was a feeling he didn't want to go away. They stopped at a few stands, making sure to grab Takoyaki that wasn't from Ohgi's stand. Eventually, they found themselves sitting on a bench in a park, looking at the crescent moon overhead, while munching on the food they bought.
"This dango's not half bad," the Prince muttered while eating a green dango off a stick, still holding onto his girlfriend's hand. "Do you want one?"
Kallen grabbed the stick Lelouch was offering, and took a white dango off with her mouth, "Oh wow, you're right. They must've been freshly made."
The Prince checked the time on his phone and said, "It's almost time for the fireworks show to begin." he looked up at the sky, "I wonder what everyone else is doing right now?"
The red head nudged his arm and said, "Don't you think it's rude to be thinking about other people while out on a date with your beautiful girlfriend?"
Lelouch chuckled, "Yeah, you're right. Sorry."
"Hmm… you can apologize by buying me another dango."
"That's it? Oh, how merciful you are today."
"I know right? You can praise me later, but for right now," she latched onto Lelouch's arm, "Let's just wait for the fireworks."
"It's that girl again," Suzaku muttered as he watched C.C buying food from Ohgi's Takoyaki stand.
"Thank you for your business!" he shouted as the green-haired girl walked away.
"Did a girl catch your eye?" Nunally asked with a hint of tease in her voice, "IF so, you should go talk to her, don't let my presence stop you."
"No, it's really not like that."
"Aw, don't say that. You should go talk to her. Don't worry about me, I've got Milly to take care of me." the Princess replied.
At first, Suzaku didn't want to leave Nunally, but at the same time, he needed to speak with that girl. While he couldn't remember much from the night he was attacked, the only faint memory he had was of her face. He needed answers, and she was his best bet. "You know what? You're right, I'll go talk to her, just don't stray too far away, otherwise, I won't be able to find you."
Suzaku left Nunally in Milly's care, and searched for the green-haired girl. Though, he wasn't too effective at it, as he passed the girl, who was waiting in line for Yakisoba after polishing off her Takoyaki. Of course, he did notice her eventually, so she had to run away. C.C eventually blended into a large crowd, quickly losing her pursuer. However, she wasn't done having fun yet, as she began to closely follow the boy from behind, making sure to not make too much noise. Eventually, Suzaku did turn around, and once he did, he jumped in surprise, before entering another chase, which left him empty-handed once again. "Damn… where'd she go?" he asked himself while walking past a Pizza Hut stand.
"This is almost too easy," C.C peered from behind the billboard and chuckled, "Now, I think it's about time I checked in on Kallen and Lelouch."
Suddenly, fireworks began to go off over head, drawing the couple's attention as a mix of red, yellow, and blue lights illuminated the sky, "Wow… those are some real fireworks," Lelouch whispered while reflecting on what Milly said earlier.
"It's certainly more dramatic than what we did yesterday." Kallen added while leaning her head into the boy's shoulder, "You know, they usually have the couple kiss at moments like these in those corny TV shows."
Lelouch blushed upon hearing the suggestion, "Is there anyone looking?" he asked while scanning the area.
"We don't have to do it if you don't want to. As long as I'm spending time with you, then I'm happy."
Now, the Prince's face was completely red, "How can you say stuff like that so nonchalantly!" he looked at his girlfriend, only to find that she was just as red as he was.
"S-stop looking at me," she said while covering his face with her hand. Lelouch looked back at the fireworks as they continued to go off endlessly. However, the boy let out a sigh and kissed Kallen on the cheek, taking her by surprise, "W-what was that for!?" she exclaimed.
"You said that couples usually kiss at moments like these, right?"
"Y-yeah, in the movies!"
"Did you not like it?" Lelouch asked with a blush.
"That's not it… it's just… I thought you'd be uncomfortable with it."
"I'm just trying to step out of my comfort zone…"
"And I'm proud of you for doing so, but don't force yourself into doing something you don't want to." Kallen replied with a genuine smile.
"But… what if I wanted to?"
"Then I have no problem with it." the red head kissed her boyfriends cheek and said, "There, now we're even."
The two looked at each for a solid five seconds, before bursting into laughter. It might've not been much, but for them, today was special, it marked the next big step in their relationship: Lelouch would work on getting comfortable showing affection for Kallen while out in public, while simultaneously being okay with their relationship being known by the public. It's a big step that would take some time for him to get used to, but it would happen. Kallen knew it would.
"How do I look?" Lila asked her older sister, Guinevere de Britannia.
Her half-sister admired the black dress and said, "I think it looks amazing on you. Clovis would be proud that you're taking such actions to avenge his death." she began massaging Lila's shoulders, "You know, Carine says she enjoys this new you?
"I don't think Carine knows what I want though… the reason why I'm becoming viceroy of Area 11 is so I can kill Zero. I won't be going to oppress the Elevens."
"Why not? They're savages, you saw what they did to your brother, right?"
"It was Zero's fault he died, not the Eleven's. Sure, they might've helped, but if it wasn't for him, Clovis would still be here today."
Guinevere sighed, "I'm sure you'll figure everything out once you meet Carine there. She'll help you in getting rid of the riffraff, that way, you can get your hands on Zero faster. How does that sound?"
"As long as we don't injure innocent civilians, then I'll accept Carine's help."
"I'm sure she won't be happy to hear that."
"Unfortunately for her, she doesn't have a choice. It's either my way, or the highway."
"Wow, you've become quite the dictator, haven't you?" Guinevere chuckled, "Oh my, would you look at the time? You'll be late for your flight. You best hurry along, don't want to keep your dear sister waiting, after all!"
As Lila was escorted out of the manor by several guards, Gabrielle stared at the living room's fireplace motionless, "I'm going to lose another one of my children in that hell, aren't I?" she muttered as Guinevere took a seat next to her.
"Aw, don't be like that. Lila will kill Zero herself, I just know it!"
"Shut up, you bitch." the angry La Britannia retorted, "You and Carine just want a bloodbath, and you'll use Lila as an excuse to do so. You think I don't know you?
"Maybe… maybe not. I suppose you'll just have to find out in the coming months, won't you?" Guinevere stood up, "Though, you might want to prepare a second funeral in advance. You never know what might happen~"
AN: This chapter's a bit shorter than normal mainly because I was a bit stumped on what to include here. I knew the points I wanted to hit, but I was really drawing a blank when thinking of what to write. In the end, I missed one key point in this chapter simply because I couldn't visualize it fully, so I'm dissapointed with that.
