A/N: Been meaning to continue this one for a while but writers block kicked me in the face. I do now however have a clearer picture of where I am taking this moving forward. As previously mentioned this is a Yuri story, and I'm gonna lean hard in the romance and relationship building aspect here for a good bit. Be advised there will be BDSM elements involved in the future. Though I plan for it to be done tastefully and organically. I don't intend on this story devolving into PwP but I wont lie there's gonna be some spicy scenes later. Enjoy that when it comes ;3

Additionally: After careful consideration C.C. will be joining them in an eventual love triangle

But for now, here's politics, philosophy, some angst with hurt/comfort and conflicted/confused feelings.

Kallen inevitably found herself falling into a routine. She would wake up early every day to see her roommate had already left, head to the cafeteria, and smell something cooking. Sometimes it was normal 'western' affair like the full English breakfast, pancakes, waffles or French toast. But other times Kallen would find herself enjoying what felt like home-cooked traditional Japanese food, and it was those days that she managed to smile in the morning.

There was nothing wrong with the other food Lelucia made, it was all delicious, but when she made Japanese food it brought back memories and feelings from much better days during her childhood.

It was during one of these mornings that a Japanese woman in a maid outfit briskly walked into the cafeteria holding a small bag, and brought it up to the counter.

"Mistress Lelucia, I brought the daikon!"

"Dōmo arigatō Sayoko-San." The girl replied, gingerly taking radish she needed to finish her soup and bringing it over to the sink to wash it.

Kallen blinked owlishly. 'Did this girl just-?'

"You... speak Japanese?" Kallen muttered quietly.

"Yes." Lelucia answered with out hesitation as she rinsed the vegetable before preparing to slice into it.

Kallen just sat there for a minute, staring at her roommate in a mixture of awe, and confusion.

"Why- I mean... how?" Kallen eventually asked.

"Because I learned it." Lelucia answered with a small grin.

Kallen frowned. "Ok, and how did you learn it?"

"How else? I studied." Lelucia quipped, enjoying leading Kallen around.

Kallen rolled her eyes at the word games being played. "Alright let me try this again... why did you decide to study the Japanese language?"

"Because I wanted to."

Kallen's eye twitched in growing annoyance. "You think you're being cute eh?"

"I'm adorable."

Kallen took a deep breath, and sighed. "One last time then... what made you want to learn it?"

"So I could talk to my best friend in his native tongue."

Kallen's surprised showed on her face as she contemplated Lelucia's response. "Your best friend is Japanese...?" She asked quietly.

Lelucia paused in her knife-work, coming to a sudden stop as she was about to make another slice, her shoulders slouched a bit and her head tilted down slightly. "He was..." Her response was deathly quiet, but somehow it felt impossibly loud when it reached Kallen's ears.

'What happened to him?' Kallen thought to herself, but she didn't dare ask it aloud. Lelucia was not the type to show much emotion so her reaction to the previous question startled her. Instead she responded. "I'm sorry."

Lelucia shook her head. "Never apologize for something that you aren't responsible for." She countered with the same neutrality as before.

Kallen nodded quietly. "I can understand that, but I must apologize regardless." She insisted. "I made assumptions about you when we first met and I expected the worst. That was wrong of me."

Lelucia turned her head to look at Kallen with a softer gaze than normal, as she finished her soup. Though her mouth was set in a thin line, there was some manner of consideration in those deep pools of violet.

"Its frustrating to hide, isn't it?" Lelucia asked as she set the finished product on the counter in front of Kallen, turning to face the redhead fully.

Kallen gave a look of confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Your Japanese heritage." Lelucia supplied calmly, taking a seat across from the redhead who recoiled in shock.

"H-how did you-?"

"It's not hard to figure out Kallen. Your pigmentation is fair so you're mostly unassuming but a just a few hues darker in skin tone than most other Britannians. Your father lived here prior to the invasion as was well documented under Stadtfeld Industries corporate history if anyone bothers to read it. You like Japanese food, you visibly get pissed off whenever anyone mentions the term 'Elevens' even when you try to hide it- and yes I do pay more attention than I let on, I'm not just daydreaming in class." Lelucia recounted.

Kallen huffed, annoyed that she had been caught but not worried as Lelucia was clearly not a normal Britannian.

"Fine." She grumbled. "You caught me..." Kallen then sighed. "Yes... I am Japanese on my mother's side..." She admitted quietly.

Lelucia stared with that same thoughtful look, and let out a soft hum. "I owe you an apology as well. When I first saw you I was convinced you were nothing more than another parasite in the nobility. I was mistaken."

'I can understand why.' She thought to herself. "Thank you for giving me a second chance then."

"And thank you for the one you gave me." Lelucia responded in kind. "I know how you feel, having to hide part of your heritage."

Again, Kallen was thrown for a loop. "You're-?"

"What Britannians call Half-Blood filth, yes." Lelucia confirmed in a dry tone.

"Japanese?" Kallen asked, though she wasn't sure, Lelucia didn't look to have a drop of Japanese heritage in her.

"No, worse by their standards. You know who Britannia considers their oldest and most hated rival yes?"

"The French." Kallen responded without even needing to think about the answer, there had been more than enough vitriol and racial stereotypes about France for her to know who Britannia hated the most. Then the reason for the easy question hit her. "Oh... oh." She winced.

Lelucia nodded. "I'm half French. A commoner at that. You can imagine how I was looked on as lower than dirt by my entire family I'm sure." She added with dry resentment. "As was my sister."

Kallen gave a silent nod of contemplation. 'Being half-number is one thing, but French? That's worse when it comes to ridicule.' She mused.

"We should probably finish our breakfast. I need to put everything away and get cleaned up before class." The exile suggested before beginning to enjoy the soup she had made, and Kallen joined her in the meal they shared together.

Though Kallen couldn't help but ask more questions, as it wasn't much later that she decided to broach something that caught her ear.

"You called the Nobility parasites." She commented thoughtfully.

"An apt description if I do say so myself."

"I don't disagree. Honestly I'm glad to finally meet someone else that doesn't worship the ground they walk on."

Lelucia grinned. "I'd sooner give up playing chess than to ever give any of a modicum of my undeserved respect to those cretins."

Kallen smirked. "You're really not a fan huh?"

"All they do is take. Be it lives, money, dignity, land or your smile." Lelucia said bitterly. "Hate doesn't even begin to describe my feelings towards them. I loathe them with every fiber of my being."

"We have that in common at least." Kallen sighed. "The royal family is the worst though."

All emotion suddenly fled Lelucia's face, but she nodded in silent agreement.

"They are. Not a day goes by that I am left without a reminder of what they took from me."

Kallen blinked in surprise, her lips parted to ask a question... but the haunted look on Lelucia's face as the girl's eyes stared into the bowl of broth before her made Kallen decide to refrain from further comments.

"I saw you playing chess in the library the first day we met and you mentioned it just now. Is that a favorite game of yours?" Kallen asked, strategically swapping to a different subject in the hopes of lightening the mood, she was glad to finally get to know her roommate a bit better.

Lelucia's mood visibly improved, nodding as she leaned back in her seat. "It is." She confirmed, happy to talk about something else. "I find it to be most enjoyable, especially against a good opponent."

"I've never played before." Kallen admitted. "I was always more into sports, anime and roughhousing with my brother than board games."

Lelucia shrugged. "Everyone has things they enjoy. People are all inherently different, it'd be boring if we all had the exact same interests."

Kallen frowned. "Isn't the whole 'People are inherently different' thing one of the Emperor's talking points?"

Lelucia scoffed. "Only in the most vague of circumstances. We may both share that belief but the way we approach it couldn't be further from one another."

"The approach?"

Lelucia nodded. "That man, and Britannia in general sees these differences as a weakness to be exploited. I don't. I view it in a completely different light. I think diversity as beautiful. We as humans may all be flesh and blood at the most basic level yes, but our cultures? The customs, the languages, the traditions, family, friends, kinship, life experiences? Those are all deeply personal and intensely spiritual connections that should be cherished. Britannia hates weakness, but I love it." The exiled princess proclaimed passionately.

Kallen found herself stumped, blinking in surprise. "Wow... I've never heard anyone say anything like that before... loving weakness..." She muttered.

"Is it good to be strong?" Lelucia asked pointedly, picking up her tea and leaning back comfortably in her chair. "Moreover, is it bad to be weak? I asked myself these questions years ago, and I found that the answer was a resounding no to each. Power is an illusion granted to people who can act and scream the loudest, and weakness is treated as a disease when in reality that weakness is a sign not of frailty or lack of will, but rather an effect of compassion and kindness, and an unwillingness to show brutality to your fellow man. To be weak is not a sin."

"What about being strong?" Kallen asked. "If weakness is not a sin then is strength the sin?"

"It's entirely contextual. Strength can be used for good just as it can be for evil. The problem is that people tend to act selfishly in their own interests, they abuse the power afforded to them and oppress the weak."

"But can't the same be said about weakness?" Kallen said her rebuttal in a thoughtful manner. "If we are saying that what one does with power out of their own conscious choices determines sin, then why is weakness not held to those same standards? What if someone chooses to be weak?"

Lelucia considered Kallen's response thoughtfully. "In what way?"

"Having the ability to stand up in the defense of yourself, and others who don't have the choice or ability to defend themselves, but refusing to do so.

Lelucia scoffed. "Thats a product of one out of three things, or perhaps a mixture. At the end of the road a lack of will to stand up for your own values comes from either fear, apathy, or greed. Fear of joining the oppressed, apathy towards a group that you have no connection to, and greed for the wealth and power you may gain from supporting the strong."

"What if it comes from the fourth option?" Kallen pressed.

"What fourth option?" Lelucia questioned.

"A lack of belief, or faith in yourself. The thought in the back of your head telling you it's pointless, that you should give up."

"Nhilism?"

"Maybe? But I'm referring more to self doubt than I am to the concept of choice not mattering."

There was a long pause as Lelucia stared at Kallen, though it was not a harsh glare of any sort, there was an intensity to it.

Eventually, she spoke.

"We all have our own struggles." Was the answer she eventually landed upon. "Everyone has their personal demons, and some are stronger than others. Some will win the internal struggle that comes with it. Others will struggle for their whole lives, and an unfortunate number of them will give up. But I think that in itself is, at its core, a form of internalized weakness. A weakness directed at one's innermost self. There is nothing wrong with having things you struggle with, that's just part of life. It is ultimately how you decide to approach this weakness and act upon- or against it, that decides if you win that battle."

Kallen nodded. "Everyone has their personal demons huh?" she mumbled, looking down into her own reflection mirrored in the ramen broth. She pondered this for a few moments, before looking back up at Lelucia.

"I'm guessing you talk from experience, no?"

Lelucia remained quiet, staring at Kallen for a bit as her expression remained completely neutral.

"A bit."

"And did you win?" The redhead asked, tilting her head thoughtfully and letting it cock to the side slightly. Her curiosity apparent.

Lelucia stared at Kallen for a few moments, remaining silent until finally answering. "I'll take a rain check on that."

Kallen stared back, their eyes locked on to one another as the redhead eventually spoke again.

"Thank you again, for giving me a second chance. I know you didn't like me when we first met." She said quietly.

"It was a more a matter of trust than anything. I hate nobles with a burning passion and had no reason to think you were better than them until that morning we had with Milly."

"Well, thank you all the same."

Lelucia nodded, slowly, deliberately. "And thank you again for giving me that same chance." She said in a soft and thoughtful manner.

"Of course." Kallen said with a bit of a smile.

Lelucia had her own question to ask, and being careful with her tone, she questioned Kallen. "By the way- when you asked me about a lack of faith in one's self... it seemed to be coming from experience." Lelucia asked curiously.

Kallen frowned. "It's nothing... just..." She sighed, deflating slightly as she looked down at the table. "My mother, she decided to stay at the house as a maid and I don't even know why. It's like she just... gave up on her own happiness to stay in the house of the man who left her." She said with a scowl.

Lelucia contemplated Kallen's answer for but a moment before asking a question.

"Did you ever confront her and seek answers?"

"Huh?" Kallen looked back up at Lelucia with confusion.

"It's easy to make assumptions based on our own biases. Its something I even catch myself doing admittedly. Did you ever ask her yourself why she stays?"

"Well... no." She admitted. I just... I dunno..."

"It's something to consider, not saying you should rush into things but maybe set aside time to think about it and ask your mother when you're ready." Lelucia said, trying to be helpful as she leaned back and relaxed in her seat.

Kallen nodded. "I... guess that makes sense. She always came across as docile and submissive. I just can't help but assume she's pining after him, holding out hope..."

"Is there anything wrong with that?" Lelucia asked curiously.

Kallen frowned. "She gets treated like dirt while waiting for him. I can't stand her passivity, it's depressing."

"Love can make people do crazy things Kallen. People can let themselves be hurt, abused, and left wanting, chasing a dream."

"Is this also from experience?"

"I witnessed it." Lelucia answered calmly, too calmly, it was like a switch had been flipped, the girl went from casual and somewhat open to reserved and unnervingly neutral in a way that made Kallen even more curious and inquisitive. "But in a sense yes, I've also taken drastic measures to protect my sister."

"Nunnally." Kallen recalled her name. "The way you describe her and others talk about her, I'd love to meet her, she sounds wonderful."

That caused the mask to crack a little, a small smile gracing Lelucia's lips. "She really is. I can't imagine life without her."

"Your bond is really that deep huh?" Kallen asked, though Lelucia could tell it was a rhetorical question, and the redhead seemed to think on something.

"I have a big brother." The redhead said eventually, drawing Lelucia's attention. "We're really close, but we've been fighting a lot recently... nothing physical obviously but arguments and shouting matches." She sighed.

"Can I ask why?"

Kallen shrugged. "I just... don't want to be here, at this School, at Ashford. It's stifling being around so many people who are completely ignorant to the world around them like... like-"

"Sheep." Lelucia finished.

"...Yeah..." Kallen agreed after a second. "Like sheep..." They sighed out tiredly.

"I know the feeling, but it's hard to blame them. It's easy to forget but you and I were hurt as a product of the system that perpetuates this whole charade. The average Britannian isn't concerned about what happens to their fellow man not because they're evil but because they don't know it's happening. The media is owned by the state, and they say only what the state wants. The state wants the media to only say good things about the state and all the bad things about literally anything else."

Kallen snorted, rolling her eyes. "So much for journalistic integrity."

"Hard to have journalistic integrity when breaking that rule can be charged with sedition and treason, and we all know it either ends with hanging, life in prison or 2 gunshots to the back of the head labeled as a suicide."

"The state has investigated itself and found no wrongdoing." Kallen finished.

"Precisely. Information is strictly controlled. Britannian commoners are told what to think, what to buy, what to support and deny, what to love and hate, every little detail of their life is carefully manipulated, curated and cultivated by the Nobility to do nothing but be worker drones. They live, they breed the next generation of hapless slaves who don't realize they're slaves, and they die. It's a vicious cycle that they can't break out of on their own because they aren't informed, and any dissent is quickly stamped out."

"How would you change that?" Kallen asked, earning a raised eyebrow from Lelucia.

"Isn't it obvious?" Lelucia asked in a low tone, her features hardening and her eyes turning dangerously sharp. "You break the system."

There was a change in the air after that conversation. While they didn't openly acknowledge it, the 2 had become perhaps just a little bit closer. It was an unspoken agreement that they were just a little bit more comfortable with eachother's presence. Things went from amicable acknowledgement to a sort of easy, if distant friendship as the pair got to know eachother a little bit more. Be it hanging out during lunch, or at the library, or sitting just a bit closer to one another in class than usual. The odd joke here, some small talk there, it was peaceful.

Kallen found it... comforting. Milly was nice to be sure, and Kallen found that while the blonde devil was a handful at times, her bubbly energy and cheerful nature made it hard to stay mad. Eventually she found herself calling the Ashford heiress friend too.

But it felt different, somehow. She couldn't put a pin in it. Was it because of Lelucia's vague and mysterious nature that Kallen felt so drawn? Perhaps that she seemed to be something of a kindred spirit? Or was it just an endless list of the little things that made her want to be around Lelucia more?

She couldn't really figure it out, honestly she couldn't, she found herself trying to wrap her head around the subject again and again but always to no avail. The answer simply refused to show itself, no matter how much she pushed and tried to figure everything out, she came up empty.

For a while, that was all the redhead could manage, all she could come up with was a blank space whenever she tried to fill in the gap. For a time she thought that's all it would be.

Until one night, that she would never forget.

They were months into their routine by now. Classes went on, they had breakfast together, it had become habitual really. And while she never managed to muster up the courage to call her mother, she found herself easing up in her conversations with Naoto whenever they called each other.

She still wasn't pleased by any stretch of the imagination, oh no, not one bit, but the tension wasn't as high as it once was. He called frequently too, at least once a week to check in, usually on Fridays.

She had just finished such a call, hanging up her phone as she sat in bed wearing her pyjamas. It wasn't anything crazy, just a simple cozy button-up shirt and matching thin sweatpants with an elastic band, pink in color. She liked to be cozy.

She looked up from her bed to see light erupt from the bathroom door as it opened, and Lelucia stepped out wearing a simple black nightgown, her long, silky black hair being held with both hands as she weaved a brush through the strands.

Kallen stared. And she didn't know why. She already knew Lelucia was pretty. And this was nothing she hadn't seen before. Yet she was drawn to look anyways, like a moth hypnotized by a distant flame. If Lelucia noticed this habit she didn't comment on it or react in any way.

And Kallen had to wonder, did Lelucia notice? Did Lelucia look at her back? Did she stare when Kallen wasn't paying attention? Part of her thought it impossible. After all the elusive girl held such an intense gaze that Kallen could almost feel it. Yet the girl was also so quiet, so reserved, if Kallen hadn't been acquainted with her already she was sure she wouldn't have noticed unless she did something to actually draw attention to herself, which she just plainly didn't do.

How odd it was, to have someone so close to you be so innately fascinating, and yet so unassuming if one wasn't looking for it.

But something more nipped at Kallen's heels in her own scattered mind. Why did she care if Lelucia looked at her? They were friends, of course they looked at her and she looked back... or did she?

Kallen shook her head, exasperated by her revolving door of disjointed thoughts, she felt like she was just going in circles. 'At this rate I'll never get to sleep.' She thought morosely.

"Something wrong?" Lelucia intoned casually as she set the brush down and let her hair cascade across her shoulders without looking at Kallen directly.

"Oh... well uh... not really? Just have some lingering thoughts rolling around in here, ya know? Things I'm trying to figure out, organize my feelings, trying to... I don't really know, self-reflect? I guess, and work it all out in my head." She sighed.

"I've had days like that before." Lelucia commented in an airy tone. Information doesn't quite sit in the right place, your own thoughts and emotions feel disorganized?"

"Yeah, basically."

The most agitating thing that her thoughts lingered on was Lelucia as a person. The girl before her felt like a puzzle, one she desperately wanted to solve, and yet treating Lelucia like a puzzle to be solved... it repulsed her, the idea of trying to fit the girl into a neat and tidy box just didn't seem right. There was clearly so much more to her, and yet she felt like she knew disparagingly little.

'Maybe because I really don't know her that well.' She admitted to herself. 'She's so closed off, she rarely talks about herself, her interests, like she has a wall up...' Kallen groused internally.

"It's not a pleasant thing to experience." Lelucia eventually stated, crawling into her bed on the other side of the room and laying down. She was looking across the room at Kallen, her attitude more mellow as she regarded her roommate. "You wonder why, how, when, but nothing seems to answer your question and it drives you mad for a bit. Sometimes you forget about it, but sometimes it comes right back to haunt you and keep you up at night."

Kallen laid down and looked back at Lelucia, she could see her friend's purple eyes, even with such dim lighting they seemed to almost glow, and her beauty was enhanced by the moonlight washing over her porcelain skin,

'She almost looks... ghostly? No that isn't the right word. Ethereal maybe-? No... no that wasn't it either.'

"How do you deal with it?" Kallen asked after a moment of silence that hung between them, Lelucia's eyes bore right into her, she could feel them, like the other girl was staring into her soul. It was such an intense gaze... but it wasn't malicious, or angry, it was something else... something she just couldn't pin down, and for some reason it was... intimate... alluring, somehow...

"You need to either find your answer in some way that satisfies you, let go of it, or bury those questions so deeply that they stop bothering you."

Kallen nodded slightly, her head brushing against the cool pillow she rested upon, absorbing the information. "What do you usually do?"

"The last one." The answer was curt, emotionless, and came without hesitation.

'That can't be healthy.' Kallen thought to herself as the staring match continued.

They just laid there like that, and Kallen couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. She didn't know why, it wasn't like Lelucia was doing anything wrong, and yet there was so much left unanswered, so much that she couldn't just drop and move on from.

But as the seconds ticked by, and then minutes, Lelucia seemed to relax, something came over her for a moment. Her eyes lost the intensity, and it was replaced with... something else.

"Kallen?"

"Yeah?"

"Have you talked to your mother?"

"...No" She answered honestly after a moment of hesitation. "I can never figure out the words I want to use."

Lelucia stared at her for a moment longer, remaining strictly silent, not even letting a peep escape her. Kallen thought to perhaps try and say something again, but Lelucia spoke before she could.

"Don't take your mother for granted, Kallen." She said in a whisper that was deathly quietm if it weren't for the dead silence of the room they inhabited, she wasn't sure she would have heard that.

"Lelucia-?"

"You don't know what you have, until you lose it forever." She said before turning around, and curling in on herself, the view of Lelucia's face was obscured in its entirety as she rolled onto her other side and faced the wall.

Kallen hung on to those words for longer than she liked to admit.

'What did she mean by that? She spoke like she's lost something important to her.' Kallen thought sadly. 'She never does bring up her family... she only ever seems to mention her sister on occasion, and I haven't even met her yet.' Kallen mulled it all over.

But Alas, it was to no avail. No matter how she tried, she just couldn't put a picture together that fit right, nor could she simply forget. So she opted to simply close her eyes and at least try to sleep... it was getting late anyways...

It was a nightmare she couldn't wake from.

She knew, of course, what bringing up Kallen's mother would do, she couldn't help thinking about it. But in doing so... well...

That came at a price she wasn't happy to pay.

It was like she was on autopilot, the feint echoes of giggles filled the Ares Villa as her body moved on its own. Her arms stretched out as she chased Nunnally down the hall towards the staircase. The little firecracker was a bundle of energy and a fountain of laughter as she followed her little sister, playfully roaring at her.

Of course, Nunnally just had to be saved by their mother, as Marianne held her arms out to catch Nunnally as she practically leapt down the stairs and into her embrace, and Lelucia exploded into a fit of laughter.

It was like something out of a horror movie. She knew what she was about to watch, and she couldn't look away. No matter how hard she tried, no matter how badly she wanted to just wake up, she couldn't.

Just like that, what was a happy, tender moment became a blood soaked memory of terror. The bullets shattered the windows, riddled the staircase, and pelted Marianne in the back as she held Nunnally.

Blood, so much blood, it pooled down the staircase as Nunnally twitched in terror and pain, pinned beneath Marianne's dead body.

A horrified scream escaped Lelucia, a scream that lived on in her darkest memories. It was a scream she would never forget, it tore through her throat years ago, and yet she heard it so clearly in her own head.

Everything then suddenly changed in the blink of an eye.

The windows were boarded up with red tape haphazardly strewn around, the body and the blood had been cleaned away, but the impact marks on the stairs remained.

She stood there, her eyes glazed over as a pool of black ichor appeared at the bottom of the stairs, and a hand stretched out, made of what could only be described as a tar made of blood.

Lightning cracked, a bright flash blinded her, and her mother, made of some indescribable sludge clawed it's way up towards her, blood leaking out of holes in her back, spilling all across the stairs as she climbed.

Lightning flashed again, and this time, her mother- if it could be described as such, was holding onto her face, her hands clawing away at her cheeks. Lelucia's face contorted, bloody tears spilling out of her eyes as she choked back a sob. Her face burned like it had been set on fire.

It smelled of iron, and sulfur, and death. Flashes of her past filled her vision, of death, the death of her mother, and of so many innocent people as she carried her sister through the killing fields.

Every.

"All-"

Last.

"-Your-

One.

"-fault."

She had no mouth, but she had to scream.

She awoke with a jolt, a hand gripped her arm gently, being gently shook by whoever was behind her, she whipped around, breathing heavily with eyes dilated as she stared up at concerned cerulean blue.

Kallen knew the instant Lelucia opened her eyes that something was well and truly wrong. She saw something in that moment, a wound that reached deep into her soul, and beyond that, there was an almost primal fear in those pools of liquid purple.

"Hey-" She began in a gentle tone. "Are... are you ok-?"

Kallen knew it was a dumb question the second it left her lips and she mentally kicked herself, of course Lelucia wasn't ok. She slid onto the bed keeping her hand where it was as Lelucia collected herself.

"I-m... f-fine." The exile said, trying to pull away from Kallen's grip

But Kallen's hold remained firm. "You're shaking like a leaf-"

"I-I said I'm-!"

"Lelucia." Kallen cut her off, not in a harsh manner, but firmly. "It's me." She finished in a much softer tone, and it was enough to get her friend to slowly calm down. The 2 girls stared at eachother.

Lelucia saw no judgement in those eyes, no accusations of weakness, only concern, only worry for another person. It was enough- just enough, to make her slowly calm down, forcing her breathing to regulate as she stopped her hyperventilating and focused intently on the blue eyes staring back at her.

"You're ok." Kallen said, trying to be comforting. "You're alright, there's no one else here, nobody is trying to hurt you, you're safe with me. Ok?" She promised with resolute insistance, keeping her voice down and her tone gentle.

Gradually, the tension slipped away, her muscles loosened up, and once she felt like Lelucia wasn't about to bolt out of the room on her, she let go of their arm.

Lelucia regarded Kallen calmly, re-evaluating the redhead as she slowly sat up cross-legged on the bed, taking a few seconds to relax and gather her thoughts.

Kallen meanwhile was patient, resting on her knees in front of the other girl. She remained respectfully silent so as not to agitate the already skittish young woman in front of her.

An uneasy silence passed between them. Not due to any animosity but because of the apparent discomfort that Lelucia was clearly still feeling. It wasn't directed at Kallen, she could tell that much, but it was there.

"Do... you want to talk about-"

"No." The answer came firm and resolute. "No..." She said again much more softly, her voice shakey and uneven, her eyes lowered to stare at her hands, she didn't know what else to do.

"Ok." Kallen said simply, respecting the boundary put in place. She may have been curious, but she was respectful and keenly aware when not to push or poke buttons and this was absolutely one of those moments where she should do nothing of the sort.

"If you need to talk..." She offered slowly. "I'm here, just say the word. I won't judge you."

"I..." Lelucia began timidly, before shaking her head and forcing her mask into place. No, she couldn't show weakness. "- I appreciate the offer."

"Don't do that." Kallen said, her face betraying her worry. "Don't shut me out, I'm your friend, I don't want to hurt you."

Lelucia closed her eyes, slamming them shut. "I'm not ready for that." She said, pursing her lips and clenching her hands into fists.

"Ok."

They remained like that, for a time. There was no movement. Kallen wasn't about to try and touch her. Lelucia clearly didn't want her personal space intruded upon, not now at least. But Kallen didn't want to leave the bed either, trying to be a comforting presence. There if she was needed, but not overbearing. Within arms reach but she kept her hands to herself.

She hoped it provided some measure of comfort, she really did.

Kallen watched as Lelucia curled up onto a fetal position, bringing her knees up and hugging her legs close to her chest as she buried her face into her lap. And for a time that was all she did, simply sitting there.

'You're not ok.' The redhead thought to herself. 'You're hurt, you've been hurting, you don't trust anyone- not easily at least. Someone did something to you, something terrible and it haunts you.' She contemplated, and found herself hurting because of it. Even a little angry.

Who? How? Why? She wished to know now more than ever. This felt personal. Lelucia was her friend. The girl wasn't outgoing by any means, she had her moments of cold indifference, but she was also clearly damaged, hurt, afraid, and wanted companionship as much as she tried to deny it.

Kallen let out a quiet huff, of discontent. She was worried. It wasn't unusual of course, she was worried about Naoto all the time, about the trouble he could find- the danger he could get himself into, but she couldn't do anything about it now.

But Lelucia? She was right here sitting in front of her, wallowing in... something awful. Fear? Grief? Perhaps both, she didn't quite know, and not knowing hit her in disconcerting way. But she wondered more than anything why she felt so strongly about this. Why it was so important to her to get to the bottom of everything, and in a way that only added to her frustration.

But before she could dwell on the subject any further, the sound of rapid footsteps approaching the room caught them both by surprise and there was a very sudden, rapid knocking on the door.

"Mistress Lelucia! It's lady Nunnally, she had an awful nightmare, she-"

Lelucia was off the bed and out of the room faster than Kallen imagined possible, she nearly got whiplash as the other girl got an almost feral protective look in her eyes, getting off the bed and bolting to the door in what must have been record time.

Kallen shook off her surprise as she did her best to follow. Running alongside the Japanese maid that she recognized and chased after Lelucia's trail.

When Kallen arrived at the student council chambers, Lelucia was already half-way up the stairs in a rapid climb, portraying more athleticism than she ever did in gym class, and she followed shortly after, running up behind the other girl as she practically ripped the door of a bedroom open and ran inside.

Kallen jogged up to the entrance and stood in the doorframe, casting a silhouette from the light in the hall behind her as she watched Lelucia get into bed and start hugging and cuddling a little girl.

Lelucia held her like she was a sacred, precious thing, like her life depended on giving comfort to them. It hit her now that this must have been Nunnally- the maid had said as much but in the heat of the moment that detail temporarily slipped her notice.

Nunnally was sobbing softly while Lelucia cradled the poor little girl in her arms. It would be a heartwarming scene if it weren't so sad and worrying.

Lelucia held her tightly, whispering sweet nothings, but the crying persisted nonetheless, heart-wrenching wails of pain and anguish ripped through Nunnally's throat that made Kallen deeply upset to hear.

Instinctively, she approached and sat on the bed. Shooting a glance at Lelucia who watched her with uncertainty. Fear, hope, guilt, love, hate, sorrow. She felt all these things swirl around the girl with purple eyes as she held her baby sister protectively.

Kallen slowly leaned in, and very gently wrapped her arms around both of them, adding her warmth to the mix.

She knew it might make Lelucia uncomfortable at first, but she'd be damned if she didn't at least try to help.

Nunnally took notice of this new presence, flinching, but then relaxing, and slowly the sobbing came to a stop, leaving her to cry quietly and clutch Lelucia tightly.

The older sister swallowed hard, and gently cleared her throat. She knew of only one way to help Nunnally calm down and go back to sleep. It was a very personal and private thing, and she wasn't sure she wanted Kallen here for it, but she seemed to help Nunnally, at least a little, so she wouldn't dare tell the redhead to leave, not now. It wasn't the time for that.

So she took a deep breath, and began to sing. She didn't do it often, not ever since they were exiled, but it was something Nunnally loved, so she would do it for her. It was her favorite song to sing, sad though the lyrics were, it was the best she had.

"I am a poooooor wayfaring strangeeeeeer, while traveling throoooough this world oooof wooooe~ But there's no siiiiicknes, toil or dangeeeeer, in that bright woooorld to which I gooooooo~ I'm going theeeeere to see my brotheeeeeer, i'm going theeeeeere no more to roooooam~ I'm only gooooooing over Jordaaaaaaan, I'm only gooooooing over hooooooome~"

Kallen was enraptured by her voice, staring, listening, she could do no more than that. She felt the beautiful voice of her friend wash over her ears and push into her heart, and Lelucia only took a single deep breath before continuing.

"~I know dark cloooooouds will gather 'round meeeeee, I know my way is rough and steeeeeep~ yet gold-en fieeeelds lay just before meeeeeee, where God's redeeeeeeemed their vigil's keeeeeeep~"

An angel. That's the word that she was missing before, the one that escaped her. Ghostly, ethereal, no. Angelic was the perfect word to describe what she saw, what she heard, what she felt.

"I'm going theeeeeeere to see my motheeeer, she said she'd meet me when I cooooooome~ I'm only gooooooing over Jordaaaaaaan, I'm only gooooooing over hooooooome~"

Kallen noticed the hitch in her voice when the word mother came up, it was very hard not to, but she didn't say a word as the song seemed to wind down, with Lelucia gently serenading Nunnally with sweet hums and whispers.

The meaning of the song was not lost to Kallen, it was a popular one in the military during the first European War, popular for all the worst reasons. It wasn't a pleasant thing to hear, even if it was so beautifully sung. It was both amazing to listen to, and deeply worrying.

But she said nothing. She couldn't, not now. Nunnally had fallen asleep, and Lelucia looked dead tired. Now was not the time.

With little fanfare, the group collectively fell asleep on the bed in a pile of limbs, the next day would bring far more challenges, she could tell.

A/N: And that's that. I was thinking about writing the next morning as well but decided to save that for the next chapter. Hope you all enjoyed! Please leave a positive review if you liked it, It helps me feel motivated to continue!

PS: For those out of the loop, the song Lelucia sang was Poor Wayfaring Stranger. There are a couple really good renditions from female artists though I prefer the one made by Rachel Hardy. Thats the one I had in mind and recommend listening along on a re-read. I did change "father" to "brother" however, given the obvious hatred of Charles and her not wanting to mention or think of him in any way