I'm back! Sorry, it's been so long and that I've started a new story. Yeah...I'll get to the other ones eventually...I hope.

Anyway, here's another one. Hope you enjoy it!

Also, let me know if I've made any grammar or plot mistakes.

I decided to combine the two chapters I wrote and a bit onto it. It just felt pointless to separate it into three chapters. This probably isn't the last time I'll do this.

Anyway, without further ado...enjoy!

Chapter 1

A Black Knight fleet hovered over a desert, approaching a mountainside. The group consisted of three large cruisers accompanied by a large formation of airborne Akatsukis and Vincents.

"Anya, who were these guys again?" Gino asked. He was in the Tristen, casually leaning back in his cockpit seat.

"Some terrorist group," Anya replied from the Mordred.

"All I see is sand and rock. Are they really here?" Gino asked.

"Just give it a minute, Rakshata said her new scanners should be able to pick out where they're hiding," Kallen replied with a slightly irritated tone.

"We're detecting movement within the mountain," Ohgi's voice sounded over the communications link.

"Oh look, they have knightmares. I've never seen those frames before, wonder where they dug those up?" Gino said.

"Incoming fire! Evasive maneuvers!" Ohgi exclaimed.

The Black Knight forces scattered, avoiding the hail of munitions headed their way. Explosions filled the skies. There were few casualties but the attacks slowed their advance.

However, the Guren pierced through the smoke and chaos, smashing into the enemy line.

"Woah there, Kallen! Slow down or there won't be any left for the rest of us!" Gino's voice sounded.

"What's that Gino? I can't hear you over the sound of all these explosions!" Kallen responded as the Guren made quick work of the terrorist knightmares.

The Guren's efforts eased the pressure on the main Black Knight fleet and soon the battle was decided. All resistance was wiped out within twenty minutes.

...

"Man, I feel bad for whoever has to finish clearing out their hideout," Gino said when the dust settled.

"Why don't we just blow up the whole mountain?" Anya asked.

"I don't think the Council would approve of that," Ohgi replied.

"It would save a lot of time and effort, but whatever," Gino shrugged, "Are we done?"

"Yeah, you're free to go. The ground troops will take care of the rest," Ohgi said.

"I wonder if we can get back before school starts," Gino said.

"Probably, by the time we get back to Japan, it'll be morning," Kallen said.

"Sweet!" Gino cheered.

"If we keep getting roped into these operations, I don't think we'll ever graduate," Kallen sighed.

"What's wrong with that?" Gino asked, "High school is awesome!"

Kallen just shook her head in an exasperated manner. Her popularity had only skyrocketed since the war ended and that had made her time in Ashford more exhausting. Of course, Gino thrived in such an environment while Anya…well, she just did her own thing, usually spending her time at Jeremiah's orange farm.

"I'm headed out, I'll see you guys back at Ashford," Kallen said.

Ashford Academy

Two Days Later

"So, where'd they send you this time?" Rivalz asked. He and Kallen were on the roof, eating lunch.

"The Middle East," Kallen replied taking a bite from her sandwich.

"I'm assuming things went well, considering that you made it back in one piece?"

"I guess," Kallen shrugged. A few of their knightmares had been damaged but otherwise they had suffered no casualties.

"Man, it must be tough. School's only been in session for a month, but you've already missed half of your classes," Rivalz whistled.

"Tell me about it," Kallen said, sighing in agreement.

"That's not good, madam president. You need to be an example to our fellow students!" Rivalz cheered in a sarcastic manner.

To Kallen's dismay, her post-war popularity had manifested itself into school politics. As a result, the student body had elected her as the Student Body President.

"Don't remind me," Kallen groaned. "How did I even win? I didn't even run!"

"Everyone just wrote you in," Rivalz replied. "Also, since we're on the subject, we need to finish writing out this year's budget."

"Rivalz, please just let me be," Kallen said burying her face in her hands.

"At least I stayed on the council to help you out!" Rivalz said.

"We need more members," Kallen said.

"We have Gino and Anya!"

"They never do any work!"

"Yeah…good point, but I doubt we'll find anyone willing considering everyone's joined a club by now," Rivalz said.

Kallen fell to her knees. "Please, Rivalz just put me out of my misery."

"Come on now, it can't be that bad," Rivalz said, "Look on the bright side! You're still at the top of the class, you're the number one knightmare pilot in the world, your mom's doing a lot better, and you're pretty much set for life because of your service during the war!"

"I need to retire," Kallen said.

"You sound like an old lady," Rivalz said. His words hung in the air for a second.

When realization set in, Rivalz began to sweat in pure fear, "Oh crap…"

Kallen gazed up at him with a piercing glare.

…

"GINOOOOO! SAVE ME!" Rivalz screamed, running for his dear life.

"Hey Rivalz, what's up?" Gino asked, turning toward his quickly approaching friend with a look of confusion. "You headed for the council room too?"

Rivalz flew passed him, yelling, "KALLEN'S TRYING TO KILL ME!"

"Huh? Why?" Gino asked.

"Pretty sure he called her old or something," Anya said, appearing out of nowhere.

"ANYA, GOSH DARN IT! I told you to stop doing that!" Gino exclaimed with a start.

"I'd step aside if I were you," Anya said, completely ignoring Gino's outburst.

"Why?" Gino asked, even more confused than before. Immediately following his question, Kallen ran through hallway and violently knocked down Gino.

"Rivalz, you're a dead man," Kallen said with eyes burning with what could only be described as the fury of womanhood. She held up an unconscious Gino with one hand with inhumane strength.

"Oh, it's just Gino," Kallen said, releasing the poor blond knight. Then, turning to Anya, she asked "Where'd he go?"

"He was heading towards the courtyard," Anya replied with disinterest.

"Thanks," Kallen said before running off after him.

…

"Somebody, help me!" Rivalz exclaimed to the first person he saw outside. It was a boy staring up at the main school building.

"What's going on?" the boy asked. He was in regular attire rather than the Ashford uniform.

"A demon is trying to kill me!" Rivalz said as he hid behind him.

"A demon?" the boy asked.

"There she is!" Rivalz said, pointing to Kallen who had just made her way out to the courtyard.

"Kallen's trying to kill you?" the boy asked.

"Who're you and how do you know my name?" Kallen asked. Having let loose on Gino, her anger had abated slightly.

"Ah, forgive me, my lady," the boy said, bowing slightly, "We've not met, but I don't think there's a soul in the world who doesn't know of the Black Knight ace."

"My name is Dante Evans. I just transferred here from Britannia," the boy replied.

"I'm Rivalz, nice to meet ya!" Rivalz said.

"Nice to meet you," Dante said with a bright smile.

Kallen looked over the transfer student. Dante had silver hair and bright blue eyes. He wore a pair of glasses with black frames. He was dressed in an unbuttoned grey collared shirt with a white T-shirt underneath, accompanied by slacks with a darker shade of grey.

"Since you're new, I assume you haven't joined a club yet?" Rivalz asked.

"No, I haven't. Why?" Dante asked.

"Do you want to join the student body council?" Rivalz asked.

"Sure, I guess. Are there any qualifications?" Dante asked.

"Can you cook?"

"Yeah."

"Can you come up with a budget?"

"Yeah."

"Can you organize people and events?"

"Yeah."

"Then, you're qualified!" Rivalz said with a mischievous grin.

"Isn't this great, Kallen? Now we have someone to help out with your duties!" Rivalz said, hoping that this would get him off the hook.

"Fine, I'll let it slide this time," Kallen said, folding her arms.

"Welcome to Ashford, I'm Kallen Kozuki, the Student Body President," Kallen said, offering a handshake.

"Thank you, madam president," Dante said returning Kallen's gesture.

"I'm sure we'll get along."

…

The next day, Kallen's homeroom was bustling with movement and whispers.

"Quiet down! I know you've all heard about the transfer student! It's not new so let's introduce him and get on with class!" the teacher said, "You may come in and introduce yourself, Mr. Evans."

The said student walked in and stood in front of the class.

"Hello, everyone. My name is Dante Evans, I just transferred from New York, Britannia," Dante said with a smile.

"Thank you Mr. Evans, I believe there's an open seat in the back if you don't mind," the teacher said.

"Thank you, sir," Dante said before taking his place in the back.

"Now class, who remembers what we talked about last time?"

Kallen pulled out her mirror fixed it so she could see the new transfer student through it.

Well, Dante, let's see what you can do.

"Okay, can anyone tell me what led to Britannia's invasion of Japan?" the teacher asked. He was met with silence. "Really, nobody?"

"How about you, Mr. Evans?"

"Uh, sure…" Dante said, standing up, "Britannians first came across sakuradite when a priest discovered it by Stonehenge. However, due to its scarcity in Europe, there was little research done on it. After the French Revolution, Napoleon Bonaparte conquered the British Isles, forcing the Britannian government to retreat to their colonies in the new continent. There, they discovered a much larger sakuradite supply which led to significant technological advances."

"Thanks to these advances, the Britannian Empire was able to launch a massive invasion on the EU, beginning the First Great War. The conflict lasted about a decade. In the initial skirmishes, the Britannian forces met great success. During this time, Japan entered the international stage and soon the world discovered that the island nation held over 70% of the world's sakuradite supply. Thanks to their trade with Japan, the EU was able to fight the Britannian forces to a standstill. Eventually, the Empire grew weary of the war and sued for peace. "

"In the Treaty of Versailles, the war ended and Britannia's gains – which included the British Isles and many regions in Africa – were cemented."

"Soon after, the world became divided between three global superpowers, all vying for favorable trading rights to Japan's sakuradite. This demand is what led to Britannia's 30-day invasion of Japan. The invasion was so effective because Britannia was able to catch the Japanese forces off-guard by sending political prisoners, Lelouch and Nunnally VI Britannia, and fielding for the first time the knightmare frame."

Kallen's eyes widened at the mention of Lelouch's name while the rest of the class gasped, The Demon Emperor's reign of terror still fresh on their minds.

"Thank you, Mr. Evans, that was very detailed. Like he mentioned, today, we'll be talking about the reason for the invasion, Japan's sakuradite industry," the teacher said.

…

Next class was gym and while they were changing in the locker room, one of the girls asked the question that everyone had been thinking about.

"What did you guys think about Dante's lecture?"

"Do you think it's true that the Demon Emperor really was sent to Japan as a political prisoner?" another girl asked in response.

"I looked it up online and there are a few sources that claim that's what happened, but I'm not so sure."

Kallen couldn't blame them for not knowing. Most of the them had been too young to remember; heck, she hadn't even known about Lelouch and Nunnally's past until after the Black Rebellion's failure, when C.C. told her.

"Kallen, didn't you know Lelouch when he was attending Ashford?" someone asked. "Is what Dante said true?"

Kallen hesitated, wondering how she should respond. Lelouch's plan had everything to do with people hating him, but she was sick and tired of listening to everyone insult the prince's name.

"It's true, he actually witnessed the invasion firsthand," she finally said.

"Really? I wonder if that traumatized him?

"Maybe that's why he became a psychotic sociopath?"

"Well, Empress Nunnally seems fine."

"I think she was blind at the time. She probably had no idea what was going on."

Kallen's heart felt like it was going to break. Hearing others speak of Lelouch like that was painful. Tears welled in her eyes as she imagined Lelouch carrying Nunnally through a landscape of death and sorrow. He'd likely have lied to her to keep her calm, to protect her.

Just like he did to Kallen.

…

"Class, today you'll be running. Four laps around the track and you're free to go."

"Come on, coach!"

"Do you want me make eight?"

"No, coach! We're good with four!"

"Well, then. Warm up and line up at the track!" the coach said. She blew her whistle and the class quickly did as they were told.

Kallen was slightly surprised to not see Villetta teaching, but then she remembered that the Southern Britannian was on maternity leave. She truly had missed out on a lot of classes.

Soon, they were at the starting line, waiting for the coach's call. Most of the students kept an eye on Dante, continuing their analysis of where he would fit into the school's social hierarchy.

"Alright, on your marks."

"Get set."

"GO!"

Kallen hesitated at first, still not used to being her actual self in gym class. She started out behind a few students, but she quickly gained on them and overtook the first runner. Soon, she was far ahead of the group.

"Nice, keep breathing," Kallen thought to herself.

Usually, she'd be running by herself by now, but there was someone following her, matching her pace. This pressed Kallen to run a bit faster than her normal pace and eventually she no longer felt the runner's presence.

"Great job, Kallen, a new record!" the coach suddenly yelled out of nowhere, startling Kallen.

"Thanks, coach," Kallen breathed heavily. The finish line had come a lot faster than she had expected.

"Make sure you take a recovery lap."

"Will do," Kallen said, as she began walking.

"Great job, Dante!" the coach said a few seconds later, "Take a recovery lap!"

"You—got it— ma'am," Dante panted.

Kallen decided to wait for him, thinking that conversing with someone would make the walk feel shorter.

"I'm impressed," Kallen said when Dante caught up.

"By what?" Dante asked, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"Not many people can run like that," Kallen said with a shrug.

"Well, you certainly live up to your reputation, madam president. No wonder all the students talk about you so much," Dante said with a tone of admiration.

"What do they say?" Kallen asked, folding her arms.

"That you're the smartest person in the school, most athletic too. They also wonder why you and Gino aren't a couple yet," Dante said with a playful smile.

His remark at the end made Kallen blush furiously.

"What?!" Kallen asked.

"Yeah, I think there's a bet on it too," Dante said making a thoughtful expression.

"I guess I shouldn't be surprised," Kallen sighed. She supposed that explained why there were fewer guys trying to hit on her lately, which she preferred, but everyone assuming there was something between her and Gino was…not pleasant to hear.

"We're not like that," Kallen explained.

"Oh? Why not?" Dante asked, curious.

"He's kind of an idiot," Kallen said lightheartedly.

"We're good friends, though," she then said, "You know, despite trying to kill each other during the war."

Dante burst into a fit of laughter at her statement.

"What about you?" Kallen asked.

"What about me?" Dante asked, as he calmed down a bit.

"I don't know, you're new. Tell me a little about yourself," Kallen said.

"Well, I'm from Britannia," Dante said.

"Yeah, I already know that, you told me like twice," Kallen said, "What do you like to do? You're clearly pretty athletic."

"Um, I guess I like reading the news," Dante replied.

"Really?"

"Yes, really. I also enjoy a game of chess."

Kallen stared at him incredulously, "Okay, how'd you get so athletic?"

"Well, like everyone else, tearing muscles and letting them heal," Dante said sarcastically.

"Apparently, you're a smart ass too," Kallen said as she shook her head in mild annoyance.

"You love it."

"Whatever you say, Dante," Kallen said.

"So, madam president," Dante said.

"So, Mr. Evans," Kallen responded.

"What exactly am I going to do in this student council of yours?" Dante asked.

"Well, we're behind on the budget for the school's extracurricular activities," Kallen said, "I've been busy with my duties with the Black Knights and have been catching up on homework when I'm home. Gino and Anya don't know how to balance the budget, and Rivalz was only able to do a quarter of it."

"Ah, I see," Dante said, "Why hasn't anyone else joined the student council?"

"Something about the previous Student Body President being too over the top and that they felt like this year the student council would try to outdo her, which would be too much work," Kallen sighed.

"So, I'm expected to do most of the work?" Dante asked.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Kallen stated, "Are you still up for it?"

Dante stopped and began rubbing his chin with a gaze of contemplation.

"I'll do it," he said, "On one condition."

"Okay, what's your condition?" Kallen asked.

"If you go on a date with me," Dante replied.

"Excuse me?" Kallen asked, "Did you just ask me out?"

"Yes, what do you say?" the daring Britannian asked with a smile.

"We only met yesterday," Kallen commented.

"Mmmhmm," Dante nodded.

"You're kind of extorting me by holding your labor for ransom," Kallen said, raising an eyebrow.

"Hmm, I guess you're right," Dante said, "Buy me lunch?"

"Deal," Kallen said.

…

When lunch came, Kallen and Dante were swarmed by their classmates. The boys dragged Dante off somewhere and the girls questioned Kallen to no end about what the two of them had discussed.

Of course, when Kallen told them that nothing happened, they didn't believe her. She had always been a terrible liar.

"Fine, he asked me out!" Kallen finally said.

"What'd you tell him?"

"I just pointed out how we had only met yesterday," Kallen replied. Many of the girls voiced their disappointment.

"Why not madam president? Dante's pretty cute!"

Kallen never got to her lunch.

…

"Bad day?" Rivalz asked when he found Kallen resting her head on the student council table.

"That's one way to put it," Kallen sighed.

"Guys, like I said, I've already joined the student council!" Dante exclaimed as he entered room.

"Oh, come on bro!" several boys argued, keeping the door open.

"Maybe some other time!" the transfer student said as he pushed his classmates out and slammed the door shut.

"Whew," he said, letting out a breath of relief.

"You know that might be a good way to make some extra cash, lending you to a bunch of clubs," Rivalz suggested, "In fact, we could do that with Gino too!"

"No, I'm pretty sure that's illegal," Kallen said, "Where are Gino and Anya?"

"I think Gino's lent himself to the swim club today, and Anya went to the farm again."

"Well, let's just get started," Kallen said.

"Here's last year's budget, and this year's budget requests," Rivalz said, handing it to Dante.

"Let's see…" Dante said as he took off his glasses to look over the paperwork.

…

By the time they finished, it was very dark outside. Rivalz had to leave to attend to his job.

"Here, you deserve it," Kallen said, placing a mug of tea in front of Dante.

"Thanks," he responded with a stretch.

"Sorry about today," Kallen said.

"It's all good," Dante shrugged, "Being famous must be tough."

"It's exhausting," Kallen said, "Sometimes, I wonder why I even chose to come back to school."

"I heard that you declined an offer to skip your senior year," Dante asked, "Why is that?"

"It's a personal thing," Kallen said, looking away.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to press," Dante said. Then, he looked out the window and said, "We should probably head home, huh? Can I walk you?"

"Sure," Kallen said, trying to give an appreciative smile.

…

Since Japan's independence, crime had gone down dramatically. Most people tended to their jobs, and quickly returned home to be with their families in peace, something the Japanese people had not enjoyed in years. Thus, the streets were usually empty by nighttime.

Kallen and Dante passed by a few people here and there, but, otherwise, were left alone. They had mostly walked in silence.

"Are you okay?" Dante finally asked.

"Sorry, I just had a lot on my mind," Kallen said with a distracted gaze.

"What about?"

"I guess, just about how the far the world has come," Kallen replied with a small smile.

"A lot has changed in the last two years," Dante sighed, nodding his head.

"You know, when Zero first unveiled the Black Knights to the world, that was the first time in since the invasion that I felt proud. Proud of who I was, of what I had done, and of what Japan could become. I thought that if I would be able to make it to the end of it all, I'd be happy." Kallen said, "But now…"

"Now, you're not so sure," Dante said.

"It's horrible, isn't it?" Kallen asked.

"What is?" Dante asked giving her a confused look.

"So many people gave their lives to create world peace and I can't even be glad about it!"

"I don—," Dante tried to say before being interrupted by Kallen. He followed her gaze and saw a group of shady individuals approaching them. They appeared to be Japanese.

"What do we have here?" one of them asked.

"We're just walking home," Kallen calmly replied.

"You're Kallen Kozuki, aren't you? What are you doing with a Britannian?"

"He offered to walk me home," Kallen replied in an irritated tone.

"Hey kid, why don't you go home? We can take it from here," one of the men asked, pulling Dante into a playful headlock.

"It's fine, it's not much further from here," Kallen said, trying to keep things from escalating.

"We'll just be on our way now," Dante said, slipping out of the man's hold.

After some distance, Dante spoke up, "That went well."

"I can't believe they said that," Kallen said.

"It hasn't even been a year since the war ended," Dante pointed out, "it takes time for people to change."

"You're defending them?" Kallen asked incredulously. She looked at Dante with disgust.

"No, I'm just stating a fact. A sad one, but a fact nonetheless," Dante replied.

"Is that how it was for you?" Kallen asked.

"No, there were good people along the way that helped me see differently," he replied with a smile.

"Was Lelouch one of them?" Kallen asked. She said it in a light manner, trying not to be too suspicious. Then, she watched for his reaction by the corner of her eyes.

"Ah, you too?" Dante asked in what seemed like embarrassment.

"What?" Kallen asked.

"Everyone was questioning me about my little lecture in class today," he explained.

"What were they saying?" Kallen asked. She was almost afraid of what he would say.

"They asked if it was true, what my take on the 'Demon Emperor' was, and how I found out about it all," Dante replied.

"Where did you learn all that?" Kallen asked, "I knew him for years and I didn't know until the Black Rebellion."

"I thought it was common knowledge, especially among the nobility," Dante replied.

"I only became part of that life when I entered middle school. Even so, I never paid much attention to the nobility's murmurs and whispers," Kallen said.

That was a lie. There had been a time when she did, when she had been naïve enough to believe that she could find joy in her Britannian life. However, she quickly discovered that that was impossible. Kallen's hands tightened into fists as memories of her short time in the court surfaced.

"The assassination of an empress and then the Eleventh Prince of the Empire renouncing his claim to the throne. It was quite the news," Dante said.

They soon arrived at Kallen's home.

"Thanks for walking me home," Kallen said.

"It was my pleasure," Dante responded with a smile.

Kallen reached for the front doorknob, but hesitated. Looking over her shoulder, she asked, "Say, what is your take on Lelouch?"

Dante didn't answer immediately, making Kallen uneasy. She couldn't quite understand why, but she needed hear someone—anyone—to at least see Lelouch as she did, to see beyond the lies. When she couldn't bear to wait any longer, she opened her door.

Just as Kallen stepped into her home, Dante finally spoke up.

"I think everyone has something to protect, and he was no different."

"You're the first person that's said that about him," Kallen said.

"Anyway, have a good night Kallen," Dante said.

"Good night."

Please do review!

I really enjoy hearing your input and feedback. It motivates me to write more!