This is a collection of five oneshots dedicated to the life and bond of Gino and Kallen. They're designed to be stand-alones, but build off one another, too. Beware of major fluff overloads and mild adult themes. It's just mentions, but I thought I would throw out that warning. Enjoy!

Five Fics in Three Days Challenge #01

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Title: Cling to Life
Fandom: Code Geass
Characters/Pairings: Gino Weinberg/Kōzuki Kallen
Word Count: 2047
Prompt: 62-2 – Just Barely Holding On
Rating: T
Summary: SPOILERS FOR R2! When she comes to, Kallen finds herself stranded with her most hated enemy turned ally. How to move on in a destroyed world that she had helped to create?

Written for the Five Fics in Three Days challenge on the 5_Prompts community on LiveJournal.

Disclaimer: Code Geass is property of Bandai Entertainment and CLAMP.

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Kōzuki Kallen couldn't for the life of her remember what happened. She remembered a stalemate with Suzaku's Lancelot that should have been the death of both of them. She remembered the functions of the Guren SEITEN shutting down, then unconsciousness taking over as she fell from her perch with no way to hold on.

She should have been dead. She should have fallen into the ocean below the Damocles and sank to the bottom. How was it that she was not only alive, but felt sunlight on her back? Was this a dream? A near-death hallucination caused by the high pressure and the no-doubt crushed cockpit of the Guren?

But… Why was she bobbing? Up and down, up and down… Constantly. As if… As if she was walking. Or being carried. She forced her eyes to open and was met with sunny blond hair to her left, a torn white and green sleeve to her right, and a barren landscape dead ahead. She blinked, trying to take a better hold of her surroundings, and felt her throat run dry in surprise as the face of her carrier turned to look at her.

"G-Gino Weinberg?"

He smiled, bright and cheery, as if nothing had happened. "Good morning, Sleeping Beauty."

Great. Just great. She was dying and dreaming and it had to be of him. The filthy Britannian who had fought against the Black Knights and almost killed her before. The pilot of the Tristan, and one of the Knights of the Round.

She let her face drop to his shoulder and groaned, letting out a squawk of surprise as he adjusted his hold on the underside of her thighs, tossing her slightly to renew his grip. She glared pointedly, letting her hatred for all Britannians show in her eyes.

She had trusted Zero to bring about freedom for the Japanese. She had nearly fainted when he told the Black Knights that he wasn't Japanese, but had let herself trust him as he brought them victory after victory. She had even started to fall in love with him, with Zero. He was like a god to her, always so cool-headed and overly dramatic. The anonymity of his identity had only made her feelings deepen. What girl didn't like a mysterious guy with a taste for theatrics? It was exhilarating, watching him work and listening to his voice as he barked order after order.

And then she had followed him to Kamine Island and learned his true identity. He was Lelouch Lamperouge, the silent and cold kid at school. The Student Council vice president with no interest in being popular or liked.

What was she supposed to think? She had her suspicions about him before, but then she got that phone call that deterred her from believing it was him. In the time sense, she had seen several of his plans unfold, several of which had employed a prerecorded message. How had she let herself forget that? It would have been so easy for him to record a message and have that C.C. girl call and play it.

She felt betrayed, to say the least. And then he had shown up again, right back in the Tokyo settlement without a clue. He was different. He didn't seem to remember her, or even his sister Nunally. Instead, he had a brother he doted on named Rolo. She wanted to know what had happened to him. She wanted answers. She wanted to know why he had done those things for Japan.

And then C.C. had shown up on the remaining Black Knight's doorstep, saying she needed their help. None of them were willing, but she said she could bring Zero back. All she needed was an opening to Lelouch.

Kallen had decided to help, to see if she could get her answers. She was disgusted by him, especially when she learned he was actually the prince of Britannia. How could she trust someone who would so willingly fight against his own family? Someone who would so willingly kill his family? He had personally killed Prince Clovis—not that she was ungrateful—but Princess Euphemia, too. He had launched a full-scale assault on Prince Schneizel, one she had fought against him during. He was insane, she realized. He had killed his father—or so he claimed—and had taken his throne. He used the power of his geass to make everyone obey him and she couldn't stand for that.

So she fought against him, using every ounce of her being to take down his knight, Suzaku. The Lancelot and the Knightmares piloted by C.C. and himself were his only true weapons. The rest was up to strategy. Schneizel's side had herself, General Tohdoh, General Xingke, and the Knights of the Round, save Suzaku and that Vampire of Britannia.

They should have won. Or maybe they did. She didn't know. All she remembered was falling and then now. Now where she was carried on the back of one Knight of Three, Gino Weinberg. She knew Lelouch—Zero—was her enemy now, but what could she do?

"Sir Weinberg?"

He glanced back slightly, and only now did she realize the small limp in his step. She felt her throat tighten as a wave of guilt splashed over her. He smiled brightly, but she could tell it was forced. "Yes, Ms. Kōzuki?"

She swallowed, fighting back the urge to scream at him for his stupidity; for carrying her like that when he was injured himself. "You can set me down. I'm okay."

He shrugged slightly, jostling her a little, and said, "I can keep going. You were pretty worse for wear, back there."

"Gino, set me down," she said, clenching her teeth to get her point across. Finally, he stopped and lowered to a slight crouch, letting her climb off his back. She stood up, wobbling slightly as she tried to catch her balance, and gripped his shoulder for support. Once she was steady, she looked at him and, with her hands on her hips, demanded, "How's your ankle?"

He straightened up and rubbed the back of his head abashedly, smiling honestly. "You saw that, eh? I'm fine." At the look on her face, he added, "Really!"

She kept her glare in place, not letting her guard down for one second, and started tapping her foot impatiently. He sighed and crossed his arms, still smiling, and said, "It's just a minor sprain, Ms. Crimson Ace. But I'm flattered you care about me," he added with a flirtatious wink.

Rolling her eyes, she shoved past him and glanced around her surroundings, the realization hitting her like a hadron cannon. This was no dream. Whatever had happened after that battle, she was stuck alone in the middle of nowhere with Gino Weinberg. Shaking her head, she ignored his comment and, instead, asked, "What happened?"

He turned away, the smile instantly faded, and stared up at the sun. "After the battle, you mean?"

She nodded. That should have been obvious.

"You started to fall. Tristan was damaged, but still able to fly. You were—are—one of our best, so I flew in to catch you from falling into the ocean. You couldn't die. You weren't responding to communications, so I grabbed a hold of the Guren and carried you to the nearest land. I was going to rejoin the fight, but, well, I didn't really see a point. A transmission came over the widespread channel from Prince Schneizel himself. He told everyone to stop fighting, and that he had surrendered to Lelouch. It didn't feel right. If I know the prince, he wouldn't surrender until he was dead."

"So…" Kallen kicked a stone absentmindedly. It must have been the geass. "The battle's over? We lost? Lelouch is ruler of the world now, isn't he?"

Gino shook his head. "He hasn't made a move on the UFN yet. It's just Britannia he's after, it seems."

A burning dryness scorched her insides as she fell to her knees. How could it turn out like this? Zero was supposed to save the world, not destroy it. Was this his plan all along? Was he planning to build up an army like this, make people believe he was their savior, and then turn around and become a tyrant? Was that his plan? To rule the world?

She didn't want to believe it, but it was the only obvious truth. Not that Zero—no, Lelouch—ever did anything obvious. Every battle they had won was due to unpredictability. He had pulled tactics so unbelievable that she didn't know to this date how they had worked. She supposed it would be pretty easy for a mind so great to be lost to madness. He was a masterful strategist, killing thousands with each battle that was won.

It couldn't be easy to bear that burden. She assumed he had gone mad, anyway. It wasn't possible that the Zero she had fallen in love with was always this maniacal, was it?

Sighing once, she looked back to Gino and drew in a breath, hugging her own torso. "Thank you, Sir Weinberg, for saving me."

He waved his hand dismissively. "Please, call me Gino. 'Sir Weinberg' sounds so… formal."

She nodded once and slowly pulled herself to her feet. "Fine. It's a mouthful, too. On that note, you can call me Kallen."

He gave a bow, taking her hand and placing a kiss on the back. "It would be an honor, milady."

She rolled her eyes and wrenched her hand back. "Whatever. So, where are we?"

He shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. I landed here and managed to pull the Guren's hatch open to get you out. Tristan was almost out of power, so I left him behind and took off on foot. I imagine it would be easier for them to find us in the Knightmares, anyway."

She nodded once. "How long was I out?"

Giving a casual shrug, he moved to walk behind her and said, "Almost two days. I left our phones and anything besides food and the clothes on our backs to try to keep them from tracking us."

"Good thinking. So, that's it? We're renegades, left to roam the world in hiding?"

His arms snaked around her waist from behind, eliciting a squeal of surprise from her. "G-Gino! What are you doing?"

His chin bent down and came over her shoulder, holding her snug against him and, when he spoke, he spoke with a soft voice that carried his seriousness. "Thank God you survived, Kallen. I don't… I don't know what I…"

She froze in his hold, her voice barely able to whisper, "What…?"

"I'm sorry, Kallen. I just… I don't know what I'd do if I was alone."

She shifted, pulling out of his hold and turning to face him. "Gino, could you do me a favor?"

He blinked once, then nodded. "Of course."

"Could you…" She paused, not entirely sure how to word her request, and to a Britannian, no less. Swallowing, she knew it was something she needed and just spit it out. "Could you help me know that I'm alive?"

Nodding, he didn't waste a moment and leaned closer, pressing his lips to hers. She was much shorter than he was, forcing her to bounce up to her tiptoes and wrap her arms around his shoulders. It was her first kiss, and she had asked for it. She wouldn't tell him it was her first, but he didn't seem to need to know. His arms circled around her waist and pulled her closer, his chin adjusting slightly to kiss her better.

Slowly, he pulled back. His eyes held a look of pure fondness that made her stomach tumble. She wouldn't deny that he was a handsome man, but all she needed was to know she was alive. She didn't want to even try a relationship without knowing what kind of world they were walking into. She wouldn't be so vain as to forget he saved her, but she couldn't give him more than gratitude. At least, not yet. Her heart couldn't handle the idea of loving a Britannian, no so soon after Lelouch had ripped her to shreds.

Please review!

-Valk