Trust

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

Chapter 7 – Q & A

{Author’s Note: This week’s chapter begins shortly after the end of episode 2.07. It is dedicated to Farsight. The music suggestion is “Canon in D minor” by Johann Pachelbel (aka “Pachelbel’s Canon”). Further notes at the end. Enjoy, and please provide feedback! RATE and/or REVIEW, please!}

The high-pitched, excited chatter of Lady Kaguya’s voice was audible twenty feet away from the door of Zero’s cabin. Kallen Kozuki braced herself and knocked loudly.

“Enter!”

She opened the hatch, revealing Zero trying to pry Kaguya’s arms from around his neck as politely as possible. He wasn’t having much success. Kallen quickly hid a grin behind her hand.

“Yes, Kallen?” Zero was unable to completely hide the relief in his voice.

“Oghi told me you wanted the damage report, Zero.”

The man known as Zero nodded. “Yes, thank you. There’s some other business as well. Could you please excuse us?” he concluded. This last was directed at Kaguya, who pouted at Zero, beamed at Kallen, and bounced out of the cabin.

Zero immediately tapped something on his desk and the door slid shut behind Kallen. She heard the lock click into place. Zero sat down heavily in the tiny compartment’s only chair, taking off his mask and letting out a very long sigh.

“What are we going to do with her?” Kallen asked, unable to suppress her amusement any longer. She ran her eyes over the handsome face behind the mask. The violet-eyed face of Lelouch Vi Britannia—terrorist, genius, symbol of hope and justice—the man Kallen loved with all her heart.

She had first known him as Lelouch Lamperouge, a bored and lazy fellow student at Ashford Academy. That persona had been a sham, but Kallen hadn’t known and had taken an intense dislike to him. It was the masked man Zero she had fallen for—his passion, his intensity, his gift to her of the chance to make a difference in the world. But as she worked ever more closely alongside Zero, Kallen had begun to see and understand Lelouch Vi Britannia, the man beneath both Zero and Lelouch Lamperouge. He lacked the intense perfection and breathtaking drama of Zero, but he was strong, brilliant, fiercely stubborn, and extremely kind in his own weird way. And very, very handsome, Kallen mused, trying to ignore the sudden burst of heat that ignited between her legs.

“I don’t know,” Lelouch replied, taking his gloves off and setting them aside with his mask. “I thought she was going to start pulling my clothes off or something.” He shook his head. “Thanks for rescuing me, Kallen.”

Kallen gave Lelouch a smirk. “Hey, look on the bright side. You could do a lot worse in marriage.”

Lelouch broke down and laughed. “I don’t deserve her; she’s too good of a person. Besides, I prefer women who aren’t afraid to hit me when I deserve it.” He gave Kallen a wry smile.

The young pilot started and blushed. She’d almost allowed herself to forget her confrontation with Lelouch earlier in the day. “I didn’t hit you because you tried to kiss me,” she told him, echoing his smile. “I was trying to snap you out of the state you’d gotten yourself into. I was so scared, seeing you with the Refrain. I can’t lose you. *We* can’t lose you.” Kallen paused. “Where’d you get that shit, anyway?”

Lelouch leaned back in his chair, giving Kallen a wolfish grin. “It was happenstance, really. I was wandering, and came across a Britannian and his Eleven stooges dealing. I taught them a little lesson and took it. I felt so… pointless after Nunnally’s speech. You were right to hit me, Kallen. I’m sorry for what I said.”

Kallen decided not to ask what form the ‘lesson’ had taken. “It’s okay. Honestly, I really wanted to kiss you,” she told Lelouch instead. “It… just wasn’t the right time.”

He nodded. “You’re right.” Lelouch chuckled, a warm genuine laugh. “I’d never have gotten anywhere without you. Kururugi would have killed me that first day in Shinjuku. You’re always pulling me out of the fire, Kallen. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Kallen folded her arms and leaned against the wall. “Look, Lelouch, there’s something I need to know. I guess I should ask now, while I have the chance.”

Zero’s eyes studied the ceiling for a moment. He sighed softly. “Shoot.”

“A year ago, at the stadium. When we… fought. What was that glow in your eye? It scared me, and I need to know.”

Several minutes of silence followed, Lelouch’s gaze fixed on the floor. Just as Kallen was about to ask again, her commander reached up and flicked the side of his left eye. An orange shape appeared in his eyeball, sending a wave of primal fear through Kallen. She fought it down, studying Lelouch’s eye more closely. That’s… that’s the symbol of the Black Knights! Kallen realized. What the hell is going on?

As she listened, Lelouch began talking in a quiet, level voice. Starting from the beginning, he told his most trusted lieutenant his life story. His mother’s murder, his and Nunnally’s time in Japan, right up to that fateful day in Shinjuku. Lelouch left nothing out as he explained about C.C. and the strange power she had granted him. Kallen’s horror mounted by the second as he even outlined his Geass’ ‘specifications’—its capabilities and limitations. Lastly, Lelouch explained how he had lost the ability to control the power and what he had accidentally done to Sub-Viceroy Euphemia.

When Lelouch fell silent, it was Kallen’s turn to not speak. She was too shocked. The idea of being unable to resist a command—no matter what it was—frightened Kallen to the core of her being. Yes, she followed Zero and obeyed his orders, but it had always been her *choice*. Kallen was a Black Knight because she believed in what Zero stood for. It’s my choice! She thought vehemently. Or… is it? “Have you used it on me?” she asked Lelouch in a dangerous whisper. “Do I follow you—do I *love* you—of my own free will?” Kallen’s voice shook, her slim body trembled. “Please, I have to know!” Her normally rock-steady voice was rising to a hysterical pitch. Kallen seemed poised on the razor’s edge between fight and flight.

Lelouch swiftly rose and stepped towards Kallen, laying his hands on her cheeks. “I have used Geass on you,” he told her softly, evoking a full-body shudder, “but it has absolutely nothing to do with your feelings or your loyalty to me. It is *not* why you follow me, shin-gan.” Lelouch let out a sigh as Kallen relaxed. “I used it to extract information from you the day after Shinjuku,” he explained calmly. “You remember, don’t you? When I told you not to tell anyone about Shinjuku and you nearly knifed me.”

“Yes! I do remember that. But I shouldn’t, should I?” Kallen’s blue eyes shone with relief as she moved closer, hugging Lelouch hard and resting her face against his chest. “I thought you said that subjects can’t recall the actual incident.”

“That’s correct,” Lelouch replied, stroking Kallen’s hair. “But I hadn’t yet learned that it’s one-use-per-person. I tried to use it on you a second time, to keep you quiet, and that’s what you remember. So don’t worry, shin-gan,” he soothed, using the tender endearment once again. “I can’t use it on you ever again, even if I wanted to.”

Kallen sighed and squeezed him tighter. The feel of Lelouch’s fingers in her hair made her want to purr. “I see. Well, I guess I can forgive you. I just couldn’t stand the thought that all of this—that it wasn’t my idea to fight.”

The man known as Zero leaned down and brushed his lips against her forehead. In response, Kallen grabbed him and pulled him down into a passionate kiss. The young couple embraced in silence, savoring each other’s warmth and presence.

“It’s funny,” Kallen finally murmured. “Everyone’s convinced that C.C. is your mistress.” She laughed, the sound muffled by the fabric of Lelouch’s costume. “So are you serious about helping with the Japan Special Zone? I mean, especially after what happened last time?”

“Last time was my fault, remember?” Lelouch replied, his voice husky. “And I could never fight against Nunnally. Not ever. The fact is that now that she’s Viceroy, she has all the protection she’ll ever need. Zero and the Black Knights have become a hindrance to her rather than a help. I must remove them from her path.”

Kallen looked up in surprise, ignoring the twist of fear that his glowing eye sent through her stomach. “Poor Princess Euphemia. It’s too bad we can’t tell everyone what happened, clear her name. We can at least tell the Black Knights.”

Lelouch shook his head. “No. I have to keep my Geass a secret for many reasons, not the least of which is that it’s our single greatest edge against Britannia.” He reached up and flicked the side of the heavy contact lens again, erasing the glowing brand from view. “Also, the Black Knights need to believe the official version of what happened. They need the motivation.” He gave Kallen a sorrowful smile. “I have to keep deceiving you all for as long as I can, as you so eloquently put it. Everyone has a part to play in my deception. Euphie’s role is to be remembered as ‘Princess Massacre.’ I didn’t want any of that to happen, but it did. Now all I can do is exploit it to the utmost.”

Kallen blinked. “Euphie?” She was surprised at the affectionate tone of the diminutive.

Moisture glittered in Lelouch’s eyes. “She was my sister, remember? We grew up together. Euphie was always the kindest, gentlest soul you could imagine. Between her and Nunnally, it was impossible not to enjoy life. I loved her so much.” He sighed and rested his cheek on the crown of Kallen’s head. “What happened a year ago… it very nearly destroyed my soul. If I hadn’t had you and Nunnally to think of… I don’t know what I might have done.”

His most trusted knight didn’t know how to reply to that. “So what, are you going to disband the Black Knights and tell us all to go live in the Special Zone or something?” she asked instead.

“Not exactly,” Lelouch replied with a quiet chuckle.

“What, then? What do you want us to do?” Kallen asked in confusion.

Lelouch told her.

Kallen stared up at him blankly. “You want us all to… to dress as Zero at the opening ceremony? I don’t understand. What will that accomplish?”

“Ah, now that would be telling,” Lelouch replied with a smile and a wink.

“Ohhhh… why do you have to be so freakin’ mysterious all the time!?”

“Allow me my little surprises, please. It’s one of the few real joys left in my life.”

Kallen sighed as she reluctantly pulled away from her commander. “Fine. I guess we’ll just have to trust you. As usual.” She shot Lelouch a warm, amorous smile as she turned towards the door. “I guess I can’t resist your enigmatic charm.”

“Kallen!”

The young pilot turned back just in time to see a small black object flying at her face. Kallen’s hand came up reflexively, closing around it. She opened her hand to see that it was a chess piece. A black knight.

Zero was sitting in his chair once more, mask and gloves restored. He was twirling the white king of the same set in his fingers. As she watched, Zero tossed the piece high into the air, then caught it smoothly as it came down. His gloved fist squeezed, and a few cracks and snaps drifted to Kallen’s ear. Zero turned his hand over and opened it, letting the shattered pieces of the white king fall to the floor.

“Everything is for victory,” he told Kallen quietly, picking up the black king and staring at it contemplatively.

Kallen slipped the black knight piece carefully into her pocket. “I understand,” she said as she left. “I trust you, Zero.”


{More Author’s Note: [rant]I decided to save this for the end of the chapter, but we need to talk for a sec, people. It seems that some of you have taken the Biblical verse (Mt. 7:7) that I quoted last chapter in the wrong way. If anybody ever *demands* another chapter of “Trust” again the way Anon did the other day, I’m going to end the story by having Nina show up and use her nuke or whatever-it-is to destroy the iceberg ship and everyone on it. Comprende? >:-(

Polite requests for an update if a story has been dormant for a while are fine. Demands are not. Lest you forget, my only compensation for writing my stories is the feedback you give me. I give up anywhere from five to twenty hours of my free time per week to produce these chapters. All I want in return is a bit of decorum and civility from you, my readers. That’s not too much to ask, is it?

Besides which, if I start writing chapters by request rather than by the dictates of my muse, they’ll start to suck. You don’t want that, do you?

*sigh* Sorry about the rant. The tone of Anon’s review just *really* rubbed me the wrong way, that’s all. (I don’t care about the joke threat, that was fine. It’s just the demand behind it.) He’s not the only one to demand Ch07 recently, but he’s the only one to do so publicly, so I’m using him as an illustrative example. The rest of you, you know who you are, and I’m equally irritated at you. I don’t hate anyone but I am a bit put out, if you can’t tell.[/rant]

Okay! Angry artist fit over. Let’s see, what do I have to say that’s more pleasant?

Chapter 8 of “Trust” is being written, and may even be completed by the time I post this. It may or may not be the chapter I post this coming week. It will depend on if I come up with anything post-worthy for “Be My Knight” or “Songs of the Azure Glade” during this coming week. The title of Trust Ch08 is “Come Sail Away,” and that’s all the hint you get as to its content (unless you want to become an alpha reader). Remember, boys and girls, patience is a virtue! ^^

The names “Zero” and “Lelouch” are not quite interchangeable. Simply put, I will call him Zero when he has his mask on, and Lelouch when it’s off from now on. I’ve been vacillating over the course of the story, I know, so I finally just made up my mind.

“Shin-gan” is, obviously, a Japanese phrase. As I understand it, the literal translation is “heart and liver,” but idiomatically it means something closer to “heart and soul” or “beloved.” This is something I picked up somewhere along the line, and while I believe it to be correct I realize that ‘errare humanum est.’ If I am incorrect, please tell me, but be sure to give me a useful explanation along with it! Finding out I’m wrong about something is pointless if I don’t learn anything from it. ^^

I love Lelouch’s chess motif, and I try to work it in whenever I can.

Alpha readers: Farsight and Mikey.

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