Trust

Trust
A Code Geass fan fiction story
Written by Archangel
Edited by Comixgal

Chapter 5 – Alone

{Author’s Note: This week’s chapter is dedicated to Anon, who most definitely senses a “Slayers” fan. ;) It takes place during Code Geass episode 1.23, between Zero’s speech at the stadium and the beginning of the advance on the Tokyo Settlement. The music suggestion is “Penobscot Trail” by Tim Janis.

Some of you may be wondering where I’ve been the last two weeks. The first weekend, I was sick. Last weekend, I polished off the first chapter of an entirely new story. However, the story is not adult fanfiction. It’s a non-sexual original story. It has not yet been posted, but when it is, I’ll make the necessary updates in my profile and note it in the next AFF chapter I post. In the meantime, email me if you want a copy! :)

On another scheduling note, updates will now be aimed for Tuesday or Wednesday of every week, rather than Sunday or Monday. Now that I am employed, my weekend is Monday and Tuesday, so I must adjust my writing schedule accordingly.

Further notes at the end. Enjoy, and please provide feedback! RATE and/or REVIEW, please!}


It’s finally happening, Kallen reflected as she strode down the halls of the bloodstained stadium. Britannia has shown its true colors to the world. The Black Knights defeated a full battle force in open combat. The Japanese people are rising. We’ve done it. Now all we have to do is take the last few steps.

A faint smile touched her lips as she neared the waiting room Zero had chosen for a temporary office. C.C. emerged and walked past on some secret errand or other. She gave Kallen a look which defied analysis. Kallen merely shrugged and entered the waiting room.

Zero was sitting on a battered couch, head bowed. He looked exhausted.

“Hi,” Kallen said softly.

To her surprise, Zero started and turned his head away. Kallen watched him grab his mask and deftly slip it on. She was one of three people in the world who knew the infamous Zero’s true identity—Lelouch Lamperouge, outcast Britannian prince and certifiable strategic genius. He certainly didn’t show his face to Kallen for kicks, unless one counted their time at school. On the other hand, Zero had never gone out of his way to hide his face from Kallen when they were alone. The fact that each was the closest thing to a lover the other had made his behavior doubly curious to Kallen.

“What is it, Kallen?” Zero asked as his mask sealed into place. His voice was flat, empty, devoid of its usual confidence and passion.

Weirder and weirder, Kallen thought. “Diethard and Oghi are coordinating logistics and integrating the other resistance groups,” she replied aloud. “Todoh is asking for your help with strategy, though.”

Zero nodded slowly. “I’ll be there… presently.”

“Are you alright, Zero?”

“No,” he answered shortly. “Go away, Kallen.”

Kallen blinked twice, then lifted her chin defiantly and moved over to her… boyfriend? Near enough. She perched herself on the arm of the couch, looking down at the living enigma she adored. “Let me help.”

“You can’t.”

“How about a hug?” she asked, laying a gloved hand on Zero’s shoulder.

He shrugged it off. It wasn’t like Zero to be so hostile to her, Kallen thought. Cold, certainly, while he was in the persona of Zero—but not like this. Not… mean.

“Why are you hiding your face from me?” Kallen persisted quietly. Something was very wrong, and she was becoming worried.

Zero lifted his head and looked straight at her. Kallen could feel his glare even through the blank face of his mask. “To avoid harming you,” he replied sharply. The repeated command for her to ‘go away’ was implicit in his tone.

“Hurting me? Bullshit. You’re injured, aren’t you?” Kallen could practically taste Zero’s desire to hide whatever it was. What could he be keeping from *me*? she wondered. Kallen realized that she couldn’t stand the idea. “Show me,” she asked softly. “Please?”

“No.”

Kallen reached out to remove Zero’s mask, only to have her hand forcefully slapped away.

Zero pulled back and rose to his feet. “Who the hell do you think you are?” he demanded.

“Someone who loves you, *Zero*! Damn it, I have a right to know if you’re hurt!” Kallen snarled.

Zero let out a sharp, barking laugh. “You have the *right* to such information as I choose to give you.” His voice was ice-cold, his arms folded under his black cloak. “Now get out.”

An objective observer would have opined that Kallen had no reason at all to expect disclosure from Zero. After all, what did she *really* know about him? What did he know about her? Quite a bit on the superficial level, but neither really understood the other on a fundamental level. Kallen was privy to only one of Zero’s many secrets. Even their brief times of intimacy had been spent mostly in silence—a soft kiss here, a gentle hug there, or simply curling up and watching a movie together. They took comfort from each other, but had been unable—or unwilling—to bare their souls.

Unfortunately, many people, especially young people, operate on an extremely subjective plane. The same emotions and beliefs that tied Kallen so completely to Zero—both on an ideological and a personal level—now told Kallen that it was her right (and duty) to know what was troubling her commander.

Kallen braced against the couch and launched herself at Zero, determined to get that bloody mask off his head. Her fist drove straight for—what? OW! Whoo, stars… Kallen thought as she looked up at the waterstained ceiling. The sight of Zero leaning over her broke Kallen’s daze.

“I thought you knew better than to attack in anger,” Zero chided her in the same cold tone.

Kallen hissed and kicked straight up into Zero’s chest, throwing him back to land heavily onto the couch. The lovers—now combatants—were back on their feet in the same instant. They dropped into combat stances, circling slowly. Predictably, Zero’s stance was far more dramatic and, Kallen judged, less effective.

She tested that judgment with a series of hand strikes. Kallen’s temper had cooled a bit, and her objective was to remove Zero’s mask, not to harm him.

Zero parried her strikes, easily enough that Kallen reappraised his posture. It was clearly more effective than it looked—like all of Zero’s theatrics, she realized.

After a few more probing strikes, Kallen became a blur of movement, attacking in earnest. Zero matched her move for move, earning Kallen’s surprised respect.

However, Zero was fundamentally a commander, not a soldier, and proved unable to match Kallen for more than a few minutes. She managed to get a hand on the side of Zero’s helmet, fingers pressing hard on the concealed switch. The back segments retracted, exposing Zero’s unruly black hair. Kallen spun on her heel and brought her other hand around in a backhanded slap, knocking the mask away. With the same motion, Kallen’s foot swept Zero’s legs out from under him, sending the revolutionary leader crashing onto his back.

Zero’s long bangs mostly covered his eyes, but the force of his fall moved them aside for a split-second. Kallen’s gaze caught the briefest view of Zero’s left eye as he fell. There was something orange in it, burning brightly. The sight of it dropped Kallen’s body temperature several degrees. She instinctively backed towards the door.

As Zero rose slowly to his feet, Kallen bumped into the doorjamb. Even with one hand over his glowing eye, Zero’s expression was fit to scare an exorcist. If looks could kill, Kallen thought, I’d be reduced to ashes.

She fled.

*****

The radio chattered intermittently into her ear, but Kallen didn’t hear it. She was alone with her thoughts and her fears, having shut herself in a small utility room in the stadium’s basement.

She could never have explained why that glimpse of burning orange terrified her so. And Kallen was well and truly terrified, on two accounts. Firstly, whatever-it-was in Zero’s eye was just… wrong. No other word for it. Every instinct had screamed at her to get away from it as fast as she could. Secondly, the look Zero had given her just before she left. Kallen was afraid that she’d lost his love, lost his trust.

What physical intimacy they’d enjoyed she could live without, of course. But the chance to make a difference in the world, the opportunity to help her people… Kallen could not live without that. Zero had given her all of that, made her life-long dream a reality, and she depended on his leadership and his trust in her to stay at the forefront. In a very real sense, Zero was her entire world, and had been even before she fell in love with him.

Could I lose that and live with myself? Kallen asked herself silently. God, I can’t believe I *did* that! Striking Zero, ripping his mask off like that—what the hell was I thinking? So much for leading Zero Squad and piloting the Gurren MkII. I’ll be lucky if Zero doesn’t throw me out of the Black Knights. Or just shoot me.

The incessant stream of orders and reports coming from her earpiece stopped for a moment. Kallen was grateful for the silence, until a familiar voice spoke:

“Kallen.”

She swallowed hard, uncurling from her fetal pose and sitting up on the concrete floor before tapping the transmit button: “Yes, sir?” Kallen replied, her voice limp.

“It’s time. Have Zero Squad form up in the south parking lot and report here for tactical briefing.”

He… I… I haven’t been relieved! I’m still leading Zero Squad! But—no, no time for questions now. “Yes, sir!” Kallen answered, the accustomed crispness returned to her tone.

Zero can’t shut me out after all, she thought as she jogged down the corridor, issuing orders to her squad over the radio. I won’t let him down. I’ll show Zero that no matter what, he’s not alone.


{More Author’s Note: Not much to put here this week, except that Lelouch/Zero is much more his canonical self than usual in this AU. That’s because of what he just had to do an hour or so before. In this chapter, he’s just plain pissed at the entire world, and ends up taking it out on Kallen when she tries to help.

This is the last chapter of “Trust” for Code Geass R1. I think I have a good idea of what I want to do with Ch06, but it will not be the update for this coming week. See my blog for further details.

This week’s alpha readers: AnimeFreak859 and LK.

See you next week! Same Angel time, same Angel channel!}