This is my second Code Geass fanfic. I've thought of this story since I finished watching both seasons but didn't have enough inspiration to write it until I read some of the fanfics here. I tried to follow the original storyline but it may change as the story goes on. As seen in the title it will be a one-sided KallenxLelouch from Kallen's POV but whether Lelouch would return her feelings in this fanfic…well…you'll just have to find out so don't be surprised if someone dies or end up with someone else.
New Note: I've decided to divide this story into different Arcs where each will have their own different themes. Re-edited Version.
Disclaimer: This is entirely fanmade so I do not; I repeat I do not own Code Geass, except for my own characters in this fanfic.
Arc I
Rise of the Valiant
It has been a year since the end of the Great War and the beginning of revolution in the Holy Empire of Britannia. After the masked knight Zero had slain the Demon Emperor, the empire released all the UFN hostages and reconciled its relationship with all members in the United Federation of Nations.
Now under Empress Nunally Vi Britannia with Zero had her side, people have started to see Britannia as a shining beacon to the world instead of the evil oppressive empire as it was before. The new empire used much of its resources to rebuild the war-torn world. Medical supplies and raw materials were sent to Europe, Asia and many other countries to help them recover during the war. Cities that were razed during the war were rebuilt. Britannian diplomats were sent on peace-keeping missions for the UFN in other countries. Under the leadership of Zero, the Knights of Rounds became an icon of honour and justice in the world rather than a symbol of blind zealots. Slowly, people had come to accept the new changes. It was as if the war and conquest of the Empire had never taken place.
However, peace was not to last. Many nobles especially the purebloods were extremely unhappy with the changes. The nobles had lost their lands and titles during Emperor Lelouch's era and rebelled but was crushed by his Royal Guard led by Lord Jeremiah Gottwald and the Knight of Zero Suzaku Kurrugi. When the new government decided to limit the powers of the nobility to promote a more equal government, many of the surviving high ranking nobles led by the purist faction suddenly sized control of the Britannian army, since the majority of the Britannian military was commanded by the nobility. How they had managed such a feat in a quick manner, no one knew.
The UFN sent their peacekeepers in an attempt to negotiate with the rebels before another war begins. Their words fell on deaf ears.
Led by the House of Bradley, the Purist Alliance first led terror attacks against the Imperial family until finally open war had finally begun. A detachment of Black Knights were sent by the UFN under veteran and war-hero Knight Commander Kallen Kozuki both to protect the Empress and to help crush the rebellion.
While the cries of war echoed upon the winds, an ancient evil is about to rise. An evil that was lay hidden centuries ago…An evil that is eager for revenge…
Thick clouds enshrouded much of the northern side of the mountains. Chill winds cut deep into the flesh of every man in the column save for the leading hooded figure. They fell to a stop in front of a strange looking structure that would have passed for another mound if it were not for the dim lights that glow from a small cave. Not that anyone who witnessed it would have a chance to tell the tale. In the shadows, glowing red eyes study the group closely.
"Who dares?" A ghostly voice demanded.
In response, the robed figure pulled down his hood and looked up into the shadows.
"We come in the name of the Six. The masters will revive today." The hidden figure seemed to have nodded.
"Open up. It is our brothers." The same voice ordered. The glowing eyes then disappeared and a soft rumbled followed. The wall in front of them started to vibrate slowly then suddenly becoming faster until it revealed itself to be a door. The cloaked figures continued their journey into the dark tunnel until every one of them had entered. At once, the door vanished behind them.
The tunnels were radiated by torches on the walls. Strange pictures were carved on the walls. In some portrays, priests are shown worshipping some strange avian like god while others showed men were being sacrificed in some of the most horrible fashion. Hooded breast-plated guards stood attention with lances and sheathed swords. Their armour displayed the same avian icon. Another robed figure joined the column.
"Brother, it is good to see you again." The figure greeted, its voice hinted that it was female. "How is your quest?"
"Perfect, sister. The knights were out and there was no one saved for a few soldiers. The prince is more foolish than we thought. He really thought that the Franks were attacking."
"Good," The female replied with utter glee. "Now that we have the artifacts we can begin the summoning. Once that happens, the world will be balanced once again."
The group continued their march until they reached a large chamber. It was terrible parody of any holy place. Petrified winged creatures that looked like demons from hell hovered from the ceilings. Others resembling wolves, dragons and reptiles stood on the walls. In the centre of the room was a large stone statue of a strange bird. Its very presence spread both awe and fear.
Three figures dressed in the same robes of the duo approached to the circle.
"Welcome back, brother Neclios!" The foremost priest greeted.
"Thank you, brother Meleik." Neclios nodded.
"Have you got them?" One of the priests whispered impatiently. "The moment will be upon us soon! And with the knights looking for us…"
"Be at ease, brother. I've got them." The hooded figure took out a medium sized pouch and held it out. As he opened it, a gleaming amulet caught their eyes. It was about the size of a child's fist and the chain around it was made of gold. In its centre was a green jewel. While it looked innocent, something about it reeked of power.
A nasty smile crossed Meleik's features.
"Perfect. I've never sensed anything more powerful! Now we can summon Lord Uethr and the others. We begin the ceremony now!" He gestured towards two guards. "Bring the girl."
A pale beautiful red haired girl dressed in a bloodied white linen dress was brought. Her legs and hands were chained while her mouth was gagged and all attempts to shout were futile. The blue eyes were full of fear. The unfortunate prisoner was tied at the altar just under the winged demon's chest. The evil cultists took up their positions around the altar, their hands raised as if they were muttering some kind of prayer.
"Let the summoning begin!"
They began with low murmured chants. A loud rumble took place and thunder struck at the same moment silencing all other sound. As the chants grew louder, the rumbles and thunder strikes become more violent. A blue light started to glow around the altar. The captive struggled to escape but she was too well tied up.
The high cultist, Meleik stood up and walked to the altar, a wicked looking dagger in one hand. He stopped in front of the girl and looked straight into the girl's eyes, raising the dagger high.
"Be honoured that your death will bring balance to this world." The statue's eyes suddenly glowed crimson.
She awoke. Kallen Kozuki opened her eyes violently. Her heart was beating furiously as if she had just run the marathon. Her shoulder length dark pink hair was matted to her skull with sweat. Sapphire orbs darted from left to right, searching the dark chamber for the cultists and the girl. Sensing danger, the eighteen year old reached for her pouch knife that was beside her bed. But she was no longer in the temple but in her own room. There was no altar, no statues or any armoured men. She was alone.
"Why do I keep having these dreams?" She said out loud.
Sighing deeply, Kallen fell back to her bed. It was the strangest nightmare she had had in years. While it was not as painful as her dreams about Lelouch, it was still an unnerving one. The Japanese-Britannian girl wondered why she had such a dream. Perhaps it was a vision? It looked too bizarre for a vision. Cultists and human sacrifices…maybe something to do with Geass? Kallen did not know. But she would have to handle it another time. She turned to her alarm clock. It flashed 4:40 am.
Sighing again, Kallen tried to sleep again. She had slept at 1am this night after returning from Japan to Britannia. The Black knights were sent to help put down another rebellion against the crown. Her eyes narrowed at that thought. After all what had happened, there were those who had the nerve to hold on to dying tradition and fight for their own selfish rights. It was why she hated Britannia. But after meeting Lelouch, she was able to touch on her Britannian side as well and understand that not all Britannians were evil. Lelouch had proven that.
Kallen mused over the fact about the many opinions she had on him as since the day they met. At first she found him annoying and distasteful, and then she was admiring him as the man of miracles, later she hated him for betraying them at the Black rebellion but started to like him again when he took up Zero's mantle once more and even beginning to fall in love with the prince.
Tears started to fill her eyes as she thought of what happened after that. She was heartbroken when he called her a pawn on the Ikaruga. After all they had been through he had considered her a piece while she had slowly been falling for him. The arrogant bastard that she had thought became a resurrection of her old brother in her eyes. Kallen did not want to believe it but her emotions were going haywired and when he told her right in her face, she felt her entire world collapsed. She felt hopeful when he told her to live on. Kallen thought that he must have some kind of plan…perhaps it was her feelings for him? When he became the Emperor, she was visibly stunned. Kallen did not know if she would ever forgive him for the act then but the only thing she knew then was that she had to stop him. She was the one who led him to where he was and it was her duty to kill him.
She sobbed softly. Kallen did not see what Lelouch had planned until it was too late. She had been a fool…a complete idiot to lose hope in him. Even if she might able to forgive Lelouch but Kallen knew that she would never be able to forgive herself for losing faith in him.
After the war, she returned to Ashford which was now an international institute. Lelouch had asked her to go back with him to Ashford when it was all over and she went back for both of them. However, she still took part in the world as part of the Black knights. The New Britannia was badly weakened during the war and when it started to lose support of powerful nobles, the danger was made clear. The military of Britannia was greatly made up of those led by nobles and when they rebelled, the nobles took much of the Britannian army with them. Only the Imperial Guard and the Knights of the Round remained truly loyal. The Knights themselves, however, needed new members to protect Her Highness and Kallen was asked to join its ranks and become the new Knight of Two.
She actually wanted to end all military life and live with her mother but it brought her closer to Nunally whom she had become fond of and she needed her. Kallen knew Lelouch would have wanted someone he trusts to protect her sister and Kallen swore she would do it as if Nunally was her own sister. Although, she promised nothing, Kallen accepted being an honouree member of the Rounds. It was a good choice for both girls, Lelouch's death brought a chasm in both girls' hearts and they were amongst the few to understand the full truth. It was the only time both could be talk about things without hiding any secrets.
Kallen got up with a grunt, realising that she would not be able to sleep with all this thinking. The strawberry haired beauty walked straight up to the mirror and looked at her reflection. Her face was getting thinner. She thought. Not surprising too with all the stressed. Kallen wondered how Lelouch was able to cope up with it. After the war, Li Xingke became the CEO of the Black knights with Todoh as commander in chief. Both men were struggling with their new roles. While China and Japan were more stabled, there were many other nations that needed to be dealt. From what she had heard, Todoh was in Russia and Xingke on some island in the Pacific. She wondered if they still considered Lelouch as the Knight of Justice. Todoh was the only other Black knight who knew that Lelouch had planned his own death and though Xingke did not say anything, Kallen suspect the Chinese sword master likely suspected it as well.
She cursed herself for thinking about him again. She could not help it. Even after seeing that sword piercing his heart, even after watching his body buried in a small private funeral, Kallen could not bring herself to truly believe that he had died. She wrapped her arms around her half-naked body suddenly feeling cold. She missed him. She had probably said it over a thousand times but she missed him. Kallen did not know if she could move on with her life.
6:00 am
Britannia, Imperial Palace
The next day, Kallen found herself in New Pendragon rushing to attend a meeting ordered by the Empress. Gino had called her that Zero had called for an emergency military meeting. While Kallen did not trust the new Zero to do as she did with Lelouch, she did not doubt the seriousness of the situation.
The half-Britannian girl rushed past the grey uniformed guards, not bothering to return their salute. She was Japanese at heart and the uniform and standard procedures of Britannia were something she had a hard time getting used to. Despite her status as only an honorary Round, she was required to wear the knight uniform. Her red cloak fluttered madly as she took a turn and leapt off a balcony landing in front of her fellow knights who were waiting patiently at the entrance of the conference room, startling some of them.
"Sorry, I'm late." Kallen said as she straightened herself before them. Gino Weinberg grinned widely at her display while Anya just nodded. The rest took a moment before they recovered.
"You made it just in time, Kallen," Zero's voice appeared from the side. A familiar helmed black and violet figure gestured them to go inside the room. Kallen fought to keep her reactions normal. She was the only one here who knew of Zero's true identity, Suzaku Kurrugi, her old enemy and rival during the war. While, they had finally made peace with each other, Kallen still did not forgive him for killing Lelouch even though she knew that he was just following orders. Leaving any thought behind she followed the former Japanese knight inside. It was decorated like most Britannian rooms with carpets, tapestries, paintings and shields bearing various coat of arms with the exception of a large round table, a legacy left by King Arthur.
"As you all know, Britannia is in the brink of a civil war," Zero started once everyone had seated. "The Dukes and Barons of the South are already in open rebellion while the nobles in the north are doing it quietly. It is only a matter of time before they start an attack. As knights, it is our sworn duty to protect the Empress and our people from any threat so each of you will be sent to different parts of the Empire and lead our local forces against the rebels."
"But Zero, our forces can barely call itself an army." Winston Willard, the new Knight of Seven, a blonde man in his early twenties pointed out. "For every Knightmare we field, they can field five with ten more beside them. They can overpower us with numbers alone."
"That's why the Black knights are sending their troops to help right?" Anya asked quietly and Zero nodded.
That brought mixed reactions amongst the Britannians and several glanced their way to Kallen.
Kallen on the other hand, smiled. It was a good chance for the loyalist Britannian army to work together with the Black knights to heal old wounds. She found herself to be actually impressed by Suzaku's Zero.
"But still, you're right, Willard. We are still outnumbered and not all of Round members are here. We have no choice. We'll have to recall all Knights to return to the homeland. Other than the six of us, who else is free?"
"Alleria's here fighting in California. Isaac and Decker are on their way back from the South African racial dispute," Gino answered. "But Henderson and James are caught in the Burmese Civil War."
"How about non-Round members loyal to the crown?" Kallen asked, speaking for the first time.
"There're needed where they are," Zero explained. "Princess Cornelia took most of them when they left." Of course, as ever the soldier, Cornelia's right where the metal meets the meet. The former princess now commander in chief was leading an army in Southern Britannia. With Schneizel on a diplomatic mission at the UFN Council, everything else was left in the hands of the Knights of the Rounds and many of the knights were glad Zero decided to stay in Britannia.
"This doesn't look good," Mellenia Evergreen, the new Knight of Nine in her purple cloak muttered. "We're stretched pretty thin even with the Black Knights here. They could easily send an army to besiege the Capital."
An officer in the red uniform of the Empress's personal guard appeared on the roundtable which startled Kallen who belatedly realising it was a monitor screen.
"Milord, our forces in Texas is under attack by the rebels. The regional commander asks for assistance."
"I'll go." Willard spoke at once, waiting for the rest to nod before dashing off.
"I'd better go along with him," said Gino. "Two knights are better than one." With a wink at Kallen, the blond knight raced after him. Despite his annoying flirting personality, the red head found his presence more comforting than the rest of the knights and his departure suddenly made her feel slightly awkward.
"The rest of us will return to our stations and wait for any more attacks. Our first priority is to defend the Empress." Zero said, standing up.
Nodding, the knights departed their separate ways. Kallen however, remained in her seat. The masked knight waited for everyone else to leave before speaking up.
"How was that?" He asked, starting to take off his helmet.
"Quite fine." Kallen replied with a smirk. "Of course, Lelouch was way better."
"Well, I'm not Lelouch." Suzaku revealed his now long brown hair. Since he had become Zero, the Japanese knight had focused his entire life on trying to make the world better. Looks did was the last thing on his mind.
"You look pathetic with that hair," The red head commented, seemingly starting a normal conversation though Suzaku knew that she just trying to avoid talking about Lelouch which they somehow do whenever they talk. He suspected the girl to be in love with him. If things were back during Ashford, he would have teased Lelouch for causing so many girls to fall for him.
"Well, Zero doesn't show his looks to the public so why should I care. And besides, when did Lelouch cared about his?" He felt a little stupid talking about looks. "I'm sorry. I'm just so stressed up with all of this."
"Well, that's your curse for killing the man who gave his own life for this world." Kallen snapped, equally sharp.
"Look! I was just following orders!"
Kallen scoffed. "Sounds just like you…a dog listening only to orders."
"Well you're no different seeing how you served him all this time without question…" He said it rather sharply and Kallen flinched at the words. Realising that he had struck a sensitive spot, he quickly apologised.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it like that…." But Kallen interrupted him, her eyes were already wet with tears.
"We're never going to end this if we keep talking about it." She suddenly spoke angrily. "If there isn't anything, I'll see you again some other time." The half-Britannian gave a mock a salute and walked out of the room, leaving Suzaku alone. The former honorary Britannian knight remembered how bad tempered she was and how she still have not forgive him for going through with the Zero Requiem. He had wondered why Lelouch did not picked Kallen to be his Knight of Zero. It was probably because he knew she would not have been able to do it.
The new Zero looked around and saw a computer showing the line of Britannian Emperors and saw Lelouch there.
Remembering Kallen he chuckled lightly. "Well, Lelouch, even after all that's happened, all you did, there's someone who won't believe what you did..."
Well, how was it? And sorry, no Lulu yet. I figured it's too early for him to enter the stage. So Read and Review. While I want to know my flaws so I can improve them on my next chapter, please be polite with it. Appreciate it a lot. And of course, THANKS A LOT FOR READING IT!