Track #5: A Thousand Years
Christina Perri
"Lelouch it's time!"
The raven-haired boy quickly looks up from the book he is reading and gives his attention to the bright, bubbly girl standing by the doorway.
"Time for what?" he kindly asks.
"Time for you to go down! Today is her 18th birthday!"
Her 18th birthday…OH!
The boy's pristine white wings immediately spread out in excitement as realization that the day he has always been waiting for finally arrives again. Uncontainable happiness blossoms in his heart knowing that after a wait worth a lifetime, he will see her alive and breathing once again.
"Hurry, the elders are waiting!"
Grabbing his sister's hand, they fly together to the ceremonial grounds where he finds his parents and his best friend, Suzaku already standing around the Circle of Transfer, while three elder angels whose faces shine so brightly no one has ever seen what they exactly look like, are waiting for him at the middle.
They land softly on the ground.
"Come on, Lelouch!" Suzaku greets. "I can't believe you're late for this day."
"Sorry! I was actually preparing and lost track of time."
His mother steps forward and envelopes him in an embrace. "We'll see you after thirty years. Take care down there."
"Yes, Mother."
"I'll miss you, Lelouch!" his sister exclaims.
Stepping away from his mother, Lelouch puts his hand on top of the younger girl's head and pats it lovingly. "Be a good girl while I'm away, Nunnally. Make sure you attend your training, okay?"
Nunnally pouts. "I'm a good girl."
He smiles gently. "Of course you are. I'll miss you, too."
"Lelouch, if you may."
After glancing at his father and giving him a polite bow, the angel goes to the middle where he kneels infront of the elders. Closing his eyes, he surrenders his mind and soul to the Lord and let His will flows through him.
He waits for the warm light to surround him as all of them recite the Guardian Angel's Oath and Duties. He has memorized the procedure for a long time now. As a guardian angel who has been at the right age to guard mortals, he had undergone several missions to fulfil his role.
"All this, we ask for Your wisdom and guidance, oh Holy Father, as our brother, Lelouch set out to spread the Holy Word. We ask this through Your mighty name…"
"Amen."
And when Lelouch opens his eyes again, he finds himself in the middle of a very messy, cluttered and disordered pink room.
"Huh?" he utters in confusion. Empty boxes of pizza are scattered on the floor, on top of the desk and there's even one on the bed. Shirts, pants and shorts are also can be found anywhere and… and… is that a bra on top of the pillow? The angel quickly looks away, blushing. What had Euphy done before he replaced her?
Flying around, he goes to the window where three picture frames lie on the sill. He cannot help but smile. One shows a family of three, with a younger version of her - perhaps ten years of age, riding a carousel with two adults which Lelouch assumes as her parents in this lifetime. The other frame holds a photo of three pretty girls in… what do the mortals call it? Aaahh, anime. The second frame holds an image of three girls in anime costumes holding elaborate scepters and colorful brooms. Were they playing witches? Magical girls? Nunnally would have loved to see this.
He turns to the third one and he finds her hugging a yellow stuff toy – completely unaware that a photo of her was being taken. But still, she had looked breath taking. Her emerald hair that had been the most distinguishing feature of her past identities was up in a messy bun with some strands framing her small face. A soft blush was dusting her cheeks making her look livelier and more radiant.
"Mmmmp!"
Lelouch turns to the sound of the feminine voice which is strangely coming from under the bed. Landing on the floor, he crouches at the same time an arm suddenly emerges, surprising the boy. Another arm darts out and both start crawling forward until a head of emerald mass comes out.
A soft whimper.
Lelouch places his hand on top of her head to protect her from hitting the bed.
"Slowly, slowly. What are you doing down there?"
The girl finally has her whole body out and goes to sit on the floor while blowing away the dust from a piece of paper. Lelouch on the other hand, pats her head as he tries to remove the dirt on them, making her hair move.
Glancing at her closed window, the girl mutters, "Where's the wind coming from? The window is closed."
"Well, I'm just trying to clean you up a little bit."
As if hearing him, she turns to his direction and they are suddenly face-to-face. And even though Lelouch had been with her past lives before, even though he had seen her golden eyes for more than ten times already, he will always be surprised and mesmerized by how striking and bold they are. Her beautiful golden eyes which have seen the cruelties of slavery, famine, epidemic, war, and rebellion remain steady, unaware of the sufferings they had witnessed before this lifetime.
Ah, he is home.
"There you are," he whispers. He can't help but fix her disheveled bangs.
"Is that you, my guardian angel?"
His hand freezes midair.
She is still looking at him without seeing him.
"Of course it's you. Are you my new guardian angel?"
What… How…
Shaking her head, the girl finally stands and retrieves a board behind her closet. The box of pizza falls on the floor as she swipes it away to place the board on top of the bed.
"You've never been so messy like this before," Lelouch comments. Peeking over her shoulder, he watches her stick the paper to the board where more of it are posted.
What are Angels?
Where do they come from?
Heavenly Theories: A Study on Guardian Angels
Theory #56: There are three angels who will guard you throughout your lifetime. One during childhood, another during adulthood, and one who will accompany you in your journey to the afterlife.
Guess: During the 18th and 50th birthdays of a person the change of guardian angels happen.
Amazed but worried, Lelouch reads every post about his kind and the girl's analysis of how they work.
"What is this? Are you interested in us?" he asks.
He wonders if Euphy knows the answer. It's a shame that they couldn't see and talk to each other before the change so she could have the chance to orient him about the girl's childhood. But this, this is a new interest that she had never shown before. And most of her theories are almost correct. Where is she getting all these ideas?
"C.C., it's time for dinner!"
"I'm coming!"
C.C.
So she is called as 'C.C.' here, huh.
He tries to say her name and marvels at how easy and smooth it comes out of his mouth. "C.C., C.C…. Is that your real name?" he wonders.
At the dinner table, he quietly observes how she enthusiastically eats her food. He glances at the direction of her parents who has been nothing but sweet and kind to her during the short period of time he had known them. He exhales, relieved that she is no longer living a cruel life. He says a little prayer of gratitude to God and also thanked the guardian angels of her parents whom are invisible to him.
"It's nice to know that you still love eating."
"How's your application for college, dear?" her father asks.
Swallowing her food first, she answers, "Well, I've already send applications to three universities but I'm still planning to find nearer universities that offer the course."
"Theology, you say?"
"Yes, Papa."
"Are you really sure that it's what you wanted to do?"
"I am quite sure, Papa."
"Honey, have you not seen her collection of angel figurines and her researches since she was elementary? She even has wonderful sketches of them," the mother interjects.
"I know. I just don't want her to regret the choice in the future. It's not like Theology is a common course to take in college. But C.C., dear, remember that we will support you no matter what you choose for college."
"Thank you, Papa."
"Okay! I think it's time for the cake!"
As her mother gets the cake from the refrigerator, Lelouch cannot help but interrogate the unaware girl. "You're going to study about the Holy Father and us? Why, C.C.? Why are you so interested in this matter?"
He does not know why, but a foreboding feeling is stemming out of his chest. There is too much determination and stubbornness in her eyes whenever the topic is opened, even when she was just looking at her board of researches and it doesn't sit well with the guardian angel.
Because… Because… Lelouch closes his eyes upon realizing why.
Because the devil is more attracted to people of deep faith or to those who portrays great importance and curiosity to the matters of religion. The deeper the person's attachment, the greater the possibility that the devil would make a move to either destroy their belief or persuade them to the other side.
"Happy birthday, C.C.!"
"Thank you, Papa, Mama."
After blowing the candle, her mother gives her the honor to cut the first slice and hands her the knife. Lelouch sees the exact moment when their hands collided with each other causing the knife to slip off the older woman's hand. Lelouch sees how the pointed tip of the knife perfectly aims C.C.'s foot and how fast the fall is happening. Dashing, he quickly slaps it away making the utensil tumble away from her foot.
"Are you okay, dear? I'm sorry! Let me see your foot," the mother exclaims.
"I'm okay. The knife…" C.C. furrows her eyebrows as she continues to stare at the knife. "Flew away."
"Flew?"
She nods. "I'm pretty sure it's going to hit my foot but at the last minute, it changed direction. Like someone hits it."
"It must be your guardian angel saving you," her father says.
"My guardian angel?"
Her mother claps her hands which gets the attention of her family. "Okay, I got a new knife. Here, dear. Have the first slice of cake."
But before she does, the green-haired girl roams her eyes around the room – seeking but fascinated until they land where Lelouch is standing.
For a moment, he breathlessly waits for what she will say, so when she remains silent and proceeds to slice the cake, the guardian angel feels a slight disappointment in his heart.
Angels Names
How to Know Your Guardian Angel's Name
Below that, the letters 'E', 'U', and 'Y' are written with two blanks written randomly in between the letters. She almost got Euphy's name correct and now, C.C. is busy deciphering her new guardian angel's name by following the instructions from a book infront of her.
Lelouch sits beside her on the bed and tries to read the instructions and the guesses she had already made.
"Where do these mortals get this method? Those steps do not even have any connections with our names. Listen, your birth month has nothing to do with the initials of your guardian angel. It's better if you go to sleep and rest, C.C."
C.C. writes seven lines on the paper and puts 'L' on the third one.
"Huh, is it working?" Now, Lelouch is curious.
She writes 'H' on the last line.
"That's intriguing."
"It's not working. These instructions are useless." Closing the book, C.C. puts it away and concentrates at the paper infront of her.
Lelouch is puzzled. "But you got the two letters correct."
The girl closes her eyes as her pencil taps the paper. "Come on, come on."
"Well then. My name is Lelouch. I have been assigned to you for ten lifetimes now. In this life, you are called C.C. Your name in your past life was Elizabeth. I have a younger sister named Nunnally who is currently training to become a guardian angel, and a best friend named Suzaku who is waiting for his turn to guard his mortal. Euphy is my cousin. You almost got her name right."
Lelouch smiles at her focused face. It feels so nostalgic seeing her like this, doing the same expressions, giving all her heart to something she is so dedicated to. The way her forehead crumples and two lines appear between her eyebrows, lightly biting her lips as a sign of her frustration and impatience, and how he can completely see the length of her eyelashes when her eyes are closed. Not able to stop himself, he traces the bridge of her small nose.
"My name is Lelouch, spelt as L-E-L-O-U-C-H. I've been with you when you were a slave, a jewelry trader, a princess, a soldier, a nurse, an artist. You were also an actress once but you quit just after two years. You've had children of your own." The angel's smile turns sad. "You've fallen inlove a number of times but none of them had stayed… Yet you remained independently strong and principled."
Lelouch remembers how Elizabeth stubbornly appealed to the court to get the custody of her two children from their rich but abusive father for months. She never stopped fighting for them until they were finally under her roof and enclosed in her arms. He reminisces Princess Celine who didn't bow down to the threat of invasion after the early death of the king and queen when she was just a 19-year old princess whom everyone doubted and wanted to manipulate. A warm feeling blooms in his chest as he can still clearly see how she shone infront of her country as she declared their victory against the invading kingdom. He was so proud of her.
On the other hand, Agatha was a struggling artist who suffered from hunger and homelessness just to make the world know her art. She never stopped sending her works to people in the hopes that someone would notice her talent and give her a chance. She would spend her little money for art materials instead for food. But she died in the streets when a group of men tried to rob her.
She did not reach her dream.
He also remembers the other dangers she had faced in her lives especially during the war. In World War I, she was a soldier and in World War II, she was a nurse. Ah, he never stopped worrying about her safety during those times particularly the random explosions in the field and the air strikes that could have landed on their camp. But God had more plans for her and made her survived them all.
That's why Lelouch will always be waiting for her 18th birthday. He will always be waiting for the time Nunnally would call him and tell that it's already time. For despite the hardships she had endured, her soul stayed resilient. So he will not get tired of keeping her safe, too. He will not get tired of watching over her for everything is worth it when she finally shows her genuine smile and happiness. He will always be there for her.
"You've always been a wonderful mortal."
C.C. opens her eyes and places her pencil and paper on the night stand.
Lelouch raises an eyebrow. "Giving up already?"
Yawning, the girl finally cleans her room which made Lelouch feel better.
Her past lives had never been one of vanity, and it looks like C.C. is the same. He doesn't have to wait long for her to come out of the shower in her pajamas, and lie back on the bed. She immediately falls asleep.
"Good night, my love." Catching a glimpse of her researches, the worry he had felt a while ago suddenly comes back. "Always shall I protect you."
C.C. mumbles something incoherent.
Moving closer, the angel asks, "What is it?"
He doesn't expect an answer, she doesn't hear him after all. Well, she doesn't even see him though she firmly believes that he is there. So when she repeats her words, all the angel could do is to stare at her, dumbfounded and speechless.
"I said thank you, Lelouch."