Dedicated to my brother, who first introduced me to the world of anime. I know you'll never read this, but thank you.
It'd been two years. Only two years since Rivalz's life as he knew it had come crashing in.
Everyone was gone. His safe bubble of friends had been horribly popped from the inside. And it had been none other than his best friend who had done the popping. The intricate puzzle that had been their friendship was shattered.
Nina had been the first to go. But her leaving wasn't horrific, not like the others had been. As far as he knew, she had gone on to live a normal, safe life. It was as if Nina had been a small corner piece, the picture wasn't quite complete anymore, but it was still beautiful.
The next to go was Shirley. Good, innocent, perfect Shirley, who had been hopelessly in love with LeLouch. In simpler times, Rivalz and Milly had giggled over how oblivious they both were. Her death had hurt every one of them. Shirley had been the center piece; not every piece was connected anymore.
Milly had gone as she'd come, in a blaze of glory, ready to start the next part of her life. Only a select few knew that there was worry behind her flawless façade. But Milly's piece never quite left the puzzle, not really.
A tiny piece of that puzzle belonged to Suzaku as well. The chivalrous teen had managed to sneak his way into the student council and into their hearts as well. Rivalz wasn't quite sure what had become of the brunette until his death had been broadcast across the world. Another corner of the puzzle was gone.
In a way, Rivalz supposed, LeLouch had been gone since the start. It seemed that no one really knew who he was, not even his own sister. To some extent, he felt bad. Then again, LeLouch hadn't just betrayed him, he'd betrayed the world. He'd strapped one of those horrid bombs that he so liked to the puzzle, and grinned lazily as he fled the room, taking Nunnally with him.
Nunnally. Poor, tragic Nunnally had been all but kidnapped by her beloved brother. Rivalz still couldn't believe that the kind, weak child that had once talked of peace was now the Empress. He supposed that she had learned the hard way to look for shades of grey, to look beyond the masks of others. Rivalz realized later that Nunally had been the very table on which the puzzle had sat.
So that left Rivalz, drowning in his thoughts as he sat alone on the roof of the school, shooting off fireworks all alone, and mourning the loss of the puzzle itself.