Chapter 21

"What is this, Lady C.C.?"

"Kimonos for you to wear today."

"But..." the younger girl is an image of confusion and suppressed giddiness. It was an unexpected situation. A surprise. They were supposed to fetch Lady C.C. from her apartment and from there, they will head to explore the other sides of Japan. So when the security opened the door of their hotel room revealing the lady during the early hours of the morning - carrying three boxes and wearing a purple kimono - Nunnally thought that she was dreaming at first.

Pinching her arm, she accepts that she is awake and this is really happening.

"... But I thought there will be no festival taking place."

"There isn't. But... We could still visit a couple of shrines today, though they are a bit far from here that's why we need to leave early."

The princess's eyes widen as she hails her new heroine infront of her. "You mean we can wear kimonos today?"

Lady C.C. nods.

Squealing, Nunnally runs to another door and knocks several times until a sleepy Rolo comes out of it.

Rolo scratches his bird nest hair as his eyes slowly adjust to the light. He yawns. "What the hell, Nunnally? It's still so early."

Poor Rolo, his body clock hasn't adjusted to the time difference. But Nunnally could only provide him a brief mercy for now.

"Lady C.C. is here. She brought us kimonos to wear. We're going to visit shrines today!"

"But..." Rolo starts worriedly which makes Nunnally start worrying too. "That means we're going to be out in the public without any disguise. I mean, we can't just randomly pair something with the kimono, right? In respect to their culture."

By hearing that, Nunnally's shoulders drop, the excitement that she felt earlier begins to wane. Rolo's right, they cannot just go out carelessly and without any disguise if they want to keep this visit private. Lelouch alone is quite popular worldwide, with his face occasionally plastered in magazines and news shows. Even abroad, her handsome brother had gained an impressive number of fans that would certainly be glad to see him in the flesh. Her and Rolo, might not be as popular as him but they are popular enough too to be recognized by paparazzi.

Then there's Suzaku who might be Lelouch's personal knight and who grew up in Britannia throughout his whole life but is proudly accepted and recognized by the Japanese. His other relatives still reside here and once, when he visited before, he was welcomed by the mayor of their town himself.

So, if these circumstances will be considered, there is a great possibility that their trip would be exposed.

She sighs.

Well, they couldn't risk anything especially in a foreign land. Especially when all of the Emperor and Empress's children are together and faraway from the familiarity of their homeland.

Suddenly, a hand rubs Nunnally's head and when she looks up, she finds Lelouch standing infront of her.

"Don't worry. I've already arranged everything. There will be securities around the perimeter and we will trek routes that lesser people take."

"Oh... Oh."

Bending to her level, C.C. smiles at her as the former taps her small nose with her forefinger. "You've been looking forward to wearing a yukata, right? Well, we don't have a festival but visiting shrines brings new and amazing experiences, too."

Nunnally looks between her older brother and Lady C.C. Her chest is filling with butterflies that long to escape and fly around them to rejoice the turn of events.

"Thank you," she says silently.

"You're always welcome, Nunnally," replies Lelouch. "Well then, if we want to spend this day to the fullest, we need to start early."

So Nunnally, with her renewed energy and enthusiasm, runs across the room, gathers her toiletries into her arms and does every part of her morning routines two times faster than normal.

Atsuta Shrine in Southern Nagoya is a three and a half hour-drive from Tokyo, so when the group arrives at the place, the sun is pleasantly shining through the tall trees giving the surroundings a warm golden glow. As planned, securities are discreetly scattered in the perimeter with a small team following the royal party. Fortunately, visitors haven't crowded the shrine so Lelouch and the others are able to enjoy the serene and solemn atmosphere of the place for themselves.

"Atsuta Shrine is one of Shinto's most important shrines. It is the second largest shrine and houses the "Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi" which is one of the Three Sacred Imperial Treasures." C.C. stops infront of a gray wall that is two-meter high and is made up of tiles sandwiched by sandy-clay cement. "This is Nobunaga's Wall or what remains of it. This was built around the shrine by Oda Nobunaga, the warlord of Owari, after winning the Battle of Okehazama in 1560. His army of 2,500 men defeated the 25,000 men of the invading Imagawa Yoshimoto army."

"1560?" Rolo utters. "It is quite an old wall. And what happened to the rest of it?"

C.C. nods. "It is an Otsuchi-styled wall. The tiles are the traditional Japanese kawara roof tiles. It used to be 400-meter long but most of it was destroyed during the air raids in World War 2. Yet, it is still recognized as one of Japan's three most important Otsuchi styled walls, along with those of the Sanjusangen-do of Kyoto and those of the Hyogo Nishinomiya Shrine."

"Now, this is the Nijugocho-Bashi Bridge which is Nagoya's oldest stone bridge. It derives its name from the 25, which is nijugo in Japanese, flagstones on it."

"Old camphor trees can also be found in the forest with some of them more than a thousand years old. They are sacred and are believed to be inhabited by divine spirits."

"Now, we are entering one of my most favorite places here, the Atsuta Jingu Treasure Hall which has about 4,000 valuable treasures and more than 170 of it are considered as national treasures or important cultural properties. Samurai swords, daggers, historical clothes, ancient documents, and even mirrors can be found here."

C.C., in her most quiet voice, tries to explain the relics and treasures displayed inside the hall. Lelouch's eyes travel critically around, his movements limited and respectful to the people and objects around him. He could see why C.C. chose to study here for her major. Japan is rich with history and culture that is continuously preserved and protected by the government and its people themselves.

He looks away from a samurai sword as his siblings silently gasp before him. They stare at elaborate ceremonial dance masks of red and gold that portray different expressions.

"They are Bugaku masks. They represent people, creatures, devil, ghosts, and animals and are connected to myths and folklores. They are worn traditionally during theater, festivals or rituals," C.C. explains.

Looking beyond the twins, her eyes find his and a frown appears on her face. Confused, Lelouch tilts his head in question but the lady's attention is quickly snatched by Rolo who inquires about another mask.

They stay for a few more moments inside the hall before they proceed to the main attraction which is the Hongu Main Shrine. Though not out for public display, the Kusanagi no Tsurugi lies inside the shrine.

A quiet and solemn visit is what they bestow the place. C.C. refrains from her usual history lesson and focuses on paying respect to the shrine. Even the twins, whose eyes are wide in amazement, remain silent throughout the whole stay. Eyes closed, Suzaku keeps still as he gives homage to his culture.

It is an enriching experience, something that only these kinds of places could provide, and Lelouch would have wanted the peace and solemnity he is feeling to last long until they return to Britannia.

Somehow, in this place where tradition, history and the modernity of the visitors meet, a feeling of unification engulfs his body. As if he is living in two different time spaces at the same time, as if he is travelling back in the past with his other foot left in the present. He hears the whispers of the memories engraved in the walls of the shrine, the battle cries of the soldiers and the praises of the worshippers.

In this place, everything that had happened in Britannia seems so foreign, as if it had taken place in another lifetime, in a parallel universe, and Lelouch threads on a thin rope separating both worlds.

He does not know why he feels this way. It is strange. Almost otherworldly.

Feeling that he is being observed, he glances to his left and finds C.C. looking at him with a frown on her face again. He raises an eyebrow in response.

After paying respect, the group stands a few meters away from the shrine and takes a couple of group pictures as remembrance of the day.

Lelouch calls C.C. as the twins and Suzaku take pictures of their surroundings.

"Hmm?" C.C. hums.

"Come closer."

She takes a step closer to him.

"Much closer."

Another couple of steps.

He sighs. "C.C., do I have a contagious disease that you cannot stand beside me?"

"Well, to be clear, you didn't specify that I should stand beside you. You should have said it in the first place. Now, is this okay?"

Their arms are touching now. Lelouch looks back at the shrine before them then back to his beloved.

Grabbing her small shoulders, he moves her slightly infront of him so that her hair is tickling his chin and neck. All the while, C.C. stays silent but observing of what he is about to do next.

He retrieves his phone from his pocket and opens the front camera. Searching for the right angle, he tells her, "I'm gonna take two images. On three, I'll press the button, okay?"

"Okay."

"One, two, three."

Click!

"One, two, three."

Click!

He immediately checks the pictures and notes that his chin looks too long on the first one. He frowns. Why is it like that? Is it the angle? The camera application distorting his face?

Then he hears a feminine chuckle.

"What's funny, C.C.?"

"You should have told me that you wanted to take a selfie. You looked so dead serious I thought something bad happened. Let me see the pictures."

Suddenly, a mass of green blocks his view of his phone. Without any word, C.C. steals his phone from his hand and does her own examination.

"See, we're not even smiling in any of this. Okay, come here."

All of a sudden, C.C. hooks her arm around his neck and pulls him downward. They are eventually cheek to cheek and Lelouch only has a matter of seconds before everything registers in his brain.

"Wai - "

"Smile!"

Click!

"You look constipated here. Give me a natural smile, Lelouch. Here we go. Smile!"

Click! Click! Click! Click!

C.C.'s thumb presses the button non-stop, so fast like a programmed robot.

"Hey that's enough!" he whines, but he can feel his ears heating.

Snatching his phone from the persistent girl and taking a step back, he immediately puts it back to his pocket – away from the reach of the witch.

"And of course, it's my phone's turn now. C'mon Lelouch, stop being a grumpy old man and give in to my whims. I'll just take one photo so you better prepare."

He sighs. Nothing's going to stop her now that her mind is set onto something. And as if he can deny her of her wishes when she is currently giving him that eager smile and bright golden eyes. When her cheeks are peppered with red and a dimple appears on her left cheek. When she is looking up at him with a mischievous glint in her eyes that always intrigues him, making him curious of what she plans, and causing him to surrender to her requests.

Of course, he will be surrendering to her.

But he needs to keep his image intact.

"Fine. But only one photo. They are already waiting for us."

"Yes, Your Highness," C.C. jokingly answers.

So he moves closer again, stands slightly behind her and bends so that their heads are on the same level.

"Okay, on two!"

"Only two?"

"One, two!"

Lelouch's eyes widen like saucers.

Then the next thing he knew, C.C. is running away from him, towards his siblings and Suzaku, her green hair that is up into two pigtails floats behind her like ribbons, and his left cheek is still warm from the touch of her lips, and he is feeling all sorts of warm and flustered, and they are calling for him but his focus automatically goes to C.C. who is waving her phone at him triumphantly, so he runs towards her – panting – and upon reaching her place, Lelouch pants some more, a tease already at the tip of the witch's tongue but is left unsaid when he grabs her hand, and he starts walking ahead of them – her hand still in his – tightly clasped between them and for all the world to see.

A little after noon, they return to Tokyo where they go straight to Meiji Shrine and write their wishes to small pieces of papers. It is almost evening when they are able to explore the shrine and C.C. gladly explains to them its historical background in the midst of glowing lanterns and lamps.

And when the clock strikes at eight in the evening, a fireworks display ornaments the night sky surprising every tourist in the vicinity.

"Is there a celebration?" Rolo asks.

C.C. shakes her head. "I am not sure, but based on the height and angle of the fireworks, it seems like they are coming from outside the shrine."

"Well, aren't we lucky?" Suzaku muses.

They all marvel at the rainbow of colors that sparkle above them. Glass shards of red, blue, green and gold fall like shooting stars, traversing the black sky.

It feels magical, an event destined to happen despite none of it was planned to coincide with their tip. The twins intently watch the firework as if it is their first time seeing one. Somehow, under this foreign sky, everything seems possible.

"What did you write on the paper, Rolo?" Nunnally asks, her eyes fixed on the lights above them.

Scratching his cheek, Rolo glances down as if he can find the answer on the ground. "Uhmm… well, I wrote a little something about school and Father and Mother and Lelouch… Err… I also wrote something about you."

At this, Nunnally glances at her brother and patiently waits for him to continue. "I prayed that we will always be together," he silently says.

She giggles. "But that's impossible! You will eventually have a girlfriend…" Rolo becomes flustered much like his brother, "And I will eventually have a boyfriend…" And he turns annoyed very much like his brother, "Take different majors in college, then…"

"You know what I mean, Nunnally," he cuts her.

Stopping herself, Nunnally regards him with gentle appreciation as she hooks her arm around his. "Of course I do. And I prayed for that, too, you know. Now that we're going to enter our last year of high school, a lot of things can happen that would be beyond our control. We might get into a fight or be in different classes or compete against each other. Or meet other people, be part of separate social circles. Sometimes I wonder if we entered school too early." She shrugs. "Being younger than our classmates and being part of the royal family sometimes make me feel disconnected from them and you are all I've got."

"Well, if those ever happen, we still live under one roof and at the end of the day, no one can replace you as my twin sister."

"And you will always be my twin brother and best friend."

Rolo is flattered. "Thank you."

Behind them, Suzaku stands amused on how everything turns out. It's just last December when Lelouch celebrated his 21st birthday and C.C. returned to the palace after three years of staying in Japan. It was just last December when they got reunited again, rekindled their friendship in the most unexpected way.

And a lot happened since then.

Ups and downs.

Fight and reconciliation.

But despite that…

He gazes at the pair beside him and smiles.

Curious, Lelouch asks him what's going on.

He shrugs. "Nothing. I just thought it's sad that we have to return to Britannia tomorrow."

"It's actually amazing how I never thought of visiting Japan much earlier."

"Really?" Suzaku and C.C. scoffs at the same time.

He doesn't know what Lelouch told C.C. before, but Suzaku had been at the receiving end of the prince's 'I want to go to Japan' whines when they were younger – when C.C.'s departure was quite fresh and new.

"Well, we can go back here for a longer vacation. Perhaps, have Euphy join us in our trip," C.C. suggests.

Suzaku beams.

Suddenly, everything turns quiet and the light that dances in the sky disappears. The crowd starts buzzing again as it disperses to the food stalls and shops established in the area.

"It's already over?" Rolo glances up at C.C. waiting for her confirmation.

"I think so."

"Perhaps, it's also time for us to go home. The little princess is already exhausted," announces Lelouch.

They all turn their attention to Nunnally whose head is already lying on Rolo's shoulder and who is sleeping soundly like the princess she is.

But C.C. cannot sleep.

Try as she might but her eyes wouldn't cooperate.

It's been what? Two? Three hours? Since she lied on the bed in the hopes of recharging her energy from the activities they've done for the day but good grief, her mind won't let her be in peace.

Staring at the dark ceiling of her room, she can feel a headache coming in. Ugh, this will be a total burden comes morning. Closing her eyes for the nth time, she tries to remember the breathing exercise she had watched in the internet before that supposedly help people fall asleep.

But her attempts are futile.

For whenever her eyes closed, another pair appears before her.

Beckoning her, teasing her, adoring her.

And that pure adoration in his eyes is what makes her constantly restless just like tonight.

Giving up, she decides to get up and make a calming tea for her racing heart. In the kitchen, she quietly enjoys the solitude of her apartment which she would be leaving for good very soon. Ah, she really had reached this stage of her life, huh? After three years of staying here, it is time to say goodbye.

These walls had witnessed her study, do projects, build an unexpected friendship, cry overnight and squeal until morning.

These walls had silently witnessed how Mao attacked her that night and trapped her terrified screams and fear into their hard foundations, keeping them there without any escape. The door that his chainsaw destroyed was completely replaced by a new, thicker one. During that month of stay in the hospital, Charles and Marianne had offered her a new apartment, but for reasons she couldn't remember now, she refused. So they resorted to remodeling the place with much tighter and stricter security.

And in a matter of days, this chapter will be officially closed.

Is she sad?

Perhaps.

This place is more than just what transpired during that terrible night. This has been her sanctuary during the three years that she is away from her family.

Is she nostalgic?

Definitely. Just looking at it is making her wistful and reminiscent.

Will she return to this place?

Perhaps, not exactly to this apartment, but she is certain that she would be coming back to Japan more than once and continue to appreciate its culture, tradition and beauty that it generously lends to her.

But most importantly, she is grateful.

Grateful that she had survived everything that came in her way. Grateful for the experiences that made her stronger and perhaps, a little wiser. Grateful for despite that incident, she learned how to be more honest, understanding, and appreciative of the people around her. She learned and realized her flaws that had hurt others and hopefully, she could avoid doing them again in the future.

C.C. is very much grateful because somehow it became a catalyst, a door that closes the fearful events and opens for infinite possibilities.

After all, freedom is at the other side of fear.

And it takes courage and bravery to overcome your fears and rid yourself of the shackles that enslave and stop you from becoming your own person.

Right, Cera is truly grateful.

Her late night musings are suddenly halted by a couple of knocks on her door. Puzzled, she grabs her phone, her finger ready to dial Lelouch's number if danger appears and slowly approaches the door.

It's almost two in the morning. Who will be paying her a visit at two in the morning? Everyone is fast asleep as far as she knows.

She looks around and grabs the vase nearby to serve as a weapon.

The knocking stops.

Do they leave?

She waits.

Her eyes making sure that the door is completely locked.

Then the knocking resumes.

Suddenly, a voice.

She immediately grabs the knob.

Lelouch cannot sleep, too.

The fact that he wasn't able to give C.C. the necklace today has been bugging him all night. That moment under the fireworks should have been perfect. Too romantic and scenic, in fact. But he would have wanted to be alone with her when that happens. A moment that is exclusively theirs.

So now, half an hour before two in the morning, he lies awake on his bed contemplating on going to C.C.'s apartment to give her the necklace. Sure he can give it to her tomorrow, but the hassle of preparing their things for their flight back to Britannia will ruin the atmosphere.

Ah, damn it. She would be definitely sleeping right now. Almost everyone had passed out as soon as they hit their beds what with all of the activities that they did today.

But maybe, she isn't.

Maybe she's still awake.

Getting his phone from the night stand, he unlocks it only to be greeted by his wallpaper. He smiles automatically at the selfie they took earlier. Pressing her number, he waits for her to pick-up but she doesn't. He tries again but C.C. still does not answer.

He rests his arm over his face and sighs. She must be sleeping now. He has no choice but to give her the necklace tomorrow.

The loud ticking of the clock is mocking him of the time he is wasting. Tik tok, tik tok. Time is running fast. He could spend this night up and thinking and be a walking zombie later during in the airport. Or he could try to fall asleep again and fit in some rest within a couple of hours.

He gets up.

He texts her that he is coming.

Still no reply.

After changing his clothes, he grabs his coat and puts the box of necklace in one of the pockets. Only a couple of securities does he allow to accompany him in this late night visit. Or rather, very early morning visit.

In the car, he checks his phone for a number of times to see if she replies. Still nothing. Their hotel is located not too far from the apartment, a distance that he purposefully considered before checking in. So in a matter of minutes, they are already outside of her complex. Looking up, he sees that the light in her window is on.

Huh, did she leave them on?

Almost sprinting, he trudges the stairs in a stable speed. Why he didn't take the elevator, he does not know. He is just functioning through adrenaline. The box in his pocket is lightly tapping his thigh as he goes up.

It wouldn't hurt to try. If she is awake, then that would be a better outcome. But if she isn't, well, he really does have to settle on giving the necklace later. Or perhaps when she is finally back to Britannia. Damn, that would be too long of a wait.

As soon as he reaches her door, he knocks twice.

No answer.

He knocks again.

Still there is silence from the other side, but he hears a slight movement.

He tries to listen to the direction of the movement, figuring out what could have been happening inside. Did he wake her up?

Well, he will knock for the last time and if the door does not open, he needs to wait until the sun is up.

So he knocks.

He calls her name.

And the door opens.