I don't own Code Geass

...

Chubu Knight Police Garrison, Area Eleven, 2017

The Chubu Knight Police Garrison was a ruin of destroyed buildings and broken landscape, yet Sir Edgar Darlton thought it the perfect place for the commencement speech he'd been asked to give.

It will remind them of what they're fighting for, he reasoned.

He stood on a balcony, twenty feet above the parade ground, overlooking the assembled men and women before him. They were a small sea of blue dress uniforms and blue berets, the one hundred and twenty graduating officers of the Chubu Knight Police. They'd pushed their graduation dates up for them, to restore those already lost. They sky was overcast, the air chilly. He would be happy to be back inside, where it was warm and dry.

"I don't have much of a talent for speeches," he said into a black microphone before him. "And you all have duties that you must soon attend to, so I will keep this short. You are entering a world fraught with danger and destruction. I'm sure you've all watched the news reports, read the stories. You all know that now, more than ever, is a dangerous time to put on your badge and uniform. In the past three weeks, more than three hundred officers of the law, good men and women whose only mission is to protect and serve, have been murdered. Murdered, by a vicious terrorist who wishes to take this Area into the jaws of chaos. Murdered by a madman with delusions of grandeur. Murdered, for being the shield against the evil that has arisen in this land." Edgar paused, and scowled fiercely. "Their blood cries out for justice, and by the power of the Throne, they shall have it! Do your duty well, and I promise you, these vicious killers will pay for their crimes!"

The silence was deafening. From where he stood, Edgar could see they were barely containing their rage. Good, he thought. Soon we shall unleash it.

"I promise you, we will hunt Zero down. We will find his followers, his supporters, his backers, and they shall all rue the day they raised their hand against the Crown! On this most solemn day, I say to you-"

One of the cadets screamed, "KUROU BANZAI!" and the world exploded.

…

Tokyo Outskirts, Tokyo Settlement, Area Eleven

"Sugiyama, they're comin' your way."

Kento Sugiyama wore a dark coat and pants, with a green sweater that concealed the bulge of the pistol in his pocket. Around his neck, he wore a black scarf, and a dark ball cap was settled on his head. "I see them," Kento Sugiyama said. A pair of Knight Police walked side-by-side down the sidewalk, their backs ramrod straight. They carried machine pistols, and were armored with bulletproof vests and helmets. It wouldn't save them. "Tamaki, get ready."

"I got 'em." Tamaki was just up the street, wearing a flat cap to conceal his face from the street cameras. He wore a red coat and black shirt with a pair of blue-jean pants. A small revolver was concealed in the back of his waistband. "Time for a little fun."

Sugiyama let the two Knight Police pass him, shrinking away from them in feigned fear. One of them scowled at him as they passed.

"Hey beautiful, how you doin'?" Sugiyama heard Tamaki say a few moments later. "Takin' in the sights? I thought you guys stayed out of the outskirts!" Sugiyama stood off the wall he was leaning on and began approaching them quietly, pulling his scarf up around his mouth. He slipped his pistol out of his pocket.

"Get out of our way, Eleven," one of them said, a woman from the sound of it. She kept her voice deep. "Stand aside if you know what's good for you."

"Aw, don' be like that, doll," Tamaki replied with a stupid grin. He tipped his hat downward, winking at her. "You and me could have a pretty good time, if you just give it a chance."

"You heard her, scum!" the other officer said, gesturing with his gun. "Move it, before I move you."

"Touchy touchy, big man," Tamaki grinned. "You her big, strong, strappin' knight?" He eyed the policeman up and down. "Gotta say, honey, yer man sure don' impress me."

"Why you-"

Sugiyama pressed his pistol against the back of the man's neck, and fired. Blood exploded in a spray of bone and muscle, and he fell gurgling to the ground. The woman began to whirl around.

"What the f-" was all she got out. Tamaki tugged his own gun out, pressed it beneath her body armor, and fired. As she fell, he put two more bullets in her neck and hip. She fell on her stomach, groaning, but Tamaki set his boot against her shoulder and rolled her on her back. He fired another bullet through her eye, and she stopped moving.

Sugiyama imitated the action to the other man, then shouted to Tamaki, "Let's go!"

The redhead nodded, and they disappeared into the alleyways.

…..

Carter's Italian Restaurant, Tokyo Settlement, Area Eleven

The Knight Police patrol car rested against the sidewalk. The two officers inside were relaxing and talking, so far as Yoshida could tell, eating donuts and drinking coffee. He rolled his eyes at the cliché. Inoue had tracked these guys for two weeks, and their routine was a part of the briefing. He looked behind him to a pair of Black Knights, green recruits for whom this would be their first mission. They were both in their late teens, and wielded automatic rifles. All three of them wore black masks to conceal their faces.

"You ready?" he said. They both nodded nervously. Yoshida cocked his own machine pistol. "Let's go."

They sprinted out in front of the car, firing into it as they went. The pristine glass shattered under sustained weapons fire, the two unsuspecting officers dancing beneath the barrage of bullets. Their weapons emptied after a few moments, and in the sudden silence, Yoshida could hear the screams of passerby's as they fled. He marched up to the car and cleared the glass of the passenger window away, and stared inside. Both men were riddled with bullets, their blue uniforms torn ragged and red. Their vests were on the back seat.

Yoshida turned away. "Alright, let's move!" he ordered.

He led the two teenagers back through the restaurant they'd waited in, and emerged through the back into the alleyway outside. A brown van waited for them, the door thrown open. They jumped inside, and Yoshida yelled, "Floor it!" to the driver. The van roared out of the alleyway, onto a busy street. Yoshida turned his attention to the green boys beside him.

Not green anymore, he thought. They're well and truly black now. "Not bad for your first time," he said aloud. They both nodded back at him.

…..

Office of the Sub-Viceroy, Viceroy's Palace, Tokyo Settlement, Area Eleven

Euphemia rubbed at her eyes. "How many did we lose today?" she asked.

Jeremiah hesitated before saying, "Sixty-three dead, Your Highness. Fifty-nine at the graduation ceremony, plus the four who were murdered here in Tokyo." He was wearing a purple coat with black styling, and he looked as tired as she felt.

Goddammit. "Is Sir Edgar alright?" she asked him.

Jeremiah nodded. "He sustained a bad cut to his forehead, but otherwise he's alright," he replied. "He should be fit to return to duty within the day."

I was afraid he'd say that, Euphemia thought. If he'd been hurt worse, we'd have an excuse to send him home. It was a morbid thought, a type that had become all too frequent these days, but she was sick of the people she loved being in danger.

"Has the Viceroy been informed?" she asked.

Jeremiah nodded. "She has, though she's still investigating the recent attacks in Fukuoka," he said.

Euphemia nodded. "Notify the next of kin," she ordered him. She ran a finger through her hair, pulled into a tight ponytail rather than elaborately styled. Her gown was simple and gray, and covered all but her head and hands.

"Will you be going to see them, Your Highness?" the Margrave asked gently.

No. A thousand times no. Not again. "Of course, though they will have to wait." Euphemia gestured to the desk before her, strewn with papers. "I have a backlog." Jeremiah nodded. He bowed and left.

Euphemia turned to the room's only other occupant. "How are you feeling, Sir Alfred?" she asked.

The blonde knight let out a long breath. "Relieved, Your Highness" he answered, pulling at his collar. "As ashamed as I am about it, relieved."

"There is no shame in being glad your brother is alive," she told him. "Despite everything else that happened, I was happy that the Viceroy survived Narita."

Alfred nodded. "Thank you, My Lady," he said.

Euphemia returned her attention to the papers before her. In the beginning of her tenure, she had functioned in a primarily ceremonial mode, attending city marches and noble gatherings, often in place of her sister. Now, all she did was casualty reports. She picked one up, and it felt like she held a sheet of lead.

Who all is on this, I wonder? She set it back down, unread. "Sir Alfred," she said, "I should like to go walking in the garden. Will you accompany me?"

"Of course, My Lady," Sir Alfred replied.

The walk to the garden was a silent one. The sky overhead was painted gray by small clouds that obscured the sun. The garden was dim, its colors saturated.

"Is this place not beautiful, Sir Alfred?" she asked him, touching her foot to the man-made pond. The waves rippled beneath her toe.

"It is, My Lady," Sir Alfred agreed.

Euphemia drew her foot back and crouched down, staring at the little koi fish in the pond. "Did you know that Clovis had it built to look just like the Aries Villa?" she said. "We used to play there when we were children. The children of the Li and Vi Britannia families were quite close." She pointed to the gazebo. "Lelouch would play games of chess with Cornelia and Clovis in there. Sometimes with brother Schneizel as well, though he never won." She picked a flower from the ground. Its petals were yellow, and she spun it in her hand. "Nunnally and I would chase Lelouch through the grass, and put flowers in his hair. We called him "The Flower Emperor", and argued over who would marry him."

"You must truly love this place, Your Highness."

The grass around the flower stem was brown and dead, and Euphemia could see that the other flowers had wilted, and some had turned black. A chill wind swept through the air. No, Sir Alfred, she thought. I hate this place. Everyone I loved played in these gardens, and now they're all dead.

"Perhaps we should return inside, Your Highness," Sir Alfred said. "There seems to be a chill in the air."

"A question first, Sir Alfred," Euphemia said. She stared down at the flower. "Where is Warrant Officer Kururugi?"

Sir Alfred shifted uncomfortably. "I'm not at liberty to say, Your Highness."

"No, of course not. How foolish of me." She tossed the flower into the pond. A black koi fish swallowed it up. "I'm ready to return now, Sir Alfred."

"As you say, Your Highness."

She strode back inside without a second glance.

…

Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement, Area Eleven

"Guys, please, I'm begging you here. We can't do this without you." There were tears in Milly's eyes.

"I'm sorry, Madam President," the boy said, a senior with brown hair and brown eyes. "It's just too dangerous now."

"You should get out of here, too," the dark-skinned girl said. "Give up this whole festival thing, Milly. Not even the Settlement is safe. Get out while you still can."

Milly shook her head. "I can't do that. I won't," she said vehemently. "I won't let some terrorist low-life ruin everything."

"He already has!" the boy retorted. "So many people are dead! And for what? A bunch of no-name Elevens?" He spat onto the street. "One of our groundskeepers slapped my mother across the face. Said he didn't have to take orders from her anymore. We're lucky my father's security was there!"

"My parents owned a restaurant here," the girl said. "A little Italian restaurant. It wasn't much, but it was ours." She rubbed her eyes free of tears. "A week ago, some Elevens threw rocks through the windows. They rough-housed a couple of our customers. Now no one wants to dine there anymore. We had to close up shop and sell just so we'd have the money to get out of here."

"Get out of here, Milly," the boy said again. "While you still can, get out." He grabbed the girl's hand and they left together. Milly knew they would never return.

She walked back to the clubhouse, tired and defeated. The others were inside, scratching away with pens and punching numbers on calculators. Just about all the gang was here: Rivalz and Shirley sat together on one side, while Lelouch and Kallen were on the other. Of the four, only Rivalz was still wearing his school uniform; Shirley had dressed in a green blouse and white skirt; Lelouch had begun wearing a gray shirt and black pants, his orange coat on the back of his chair; and Kallen wore a red coat with black pants and a maroon blouse. They raised their heads when they saw her enter.

Milly put on a brave face. "Well, another one bites the dust, I guess," she said lightly, sitting down in her chair. "Well, two actually, but who's counting, really?"

The group looked one to another.

Kallen asked, "I take it they couldn't be convinced to stay?"

Whatever gave you that idea, Milly thought. "Unfortunately, no. Seems those attacks today scared the living daylights out of them." Both Lelouch and Kallen winced, while Shirley and Rivalz looked saddened. "But there's nothing to fear!" Milly declared, punching her hand into her open palm. "Less people just means a little more work for the rest of us! We'll have this beat before you know it! Now whose ready to burn elbow grease?"

"I am!" Rivalz shouted, jumping up with his hand in a fist.

"That's the spirit! Spread that energy around Rivalz!" Milly sat down and grabbed a few papers before her, and tried to read them.

Shirley smiled at her, but it was one filled with concern.

"Milly?" Lelouch said.

"What is it, Lulu?" Milly asked, making marks on the paper.

"If Clyde and Daisy are gone…"

Milly fixed her face in a smile. "Yes?"

"…That means we're out of students," Kallen finished.

Milly made a furious mark on the paper. "Sure does!" she said. "What's your point?"

Lelouch looked at Kallen for a moment, then back to her. "My point is, without students we have no funding. Without funding, we can't hire construction crews. Without crews, well…"

"We have no festival, right?" Milly said, not even looking at him. She gripped the papers in her hand tightly.

"Milly," Shirley said carefully, "maybe it's time to, well-"

"If you say it's time to give up, I may just slap you," Milly interrupted, her eyes burning into the paper. "I'm not quitting. Not now, not ever. I'll stick Lulu and Rivalz under red lights before that happens."

Both boys spluttered, but Kallen said, "Milly, we gave it our best shot, but I don't think this is a battle we can win."

"No, the Viceroy is fighting a battle she can't win," Milly retorted. The papers were held so tightly in her hands. "I'm not going to let that masked bastard take this from me. We may have to leave here, but it'll be on our terms, not his!" Why is everything so blurry? she wondered. Why can't I see right now?

Shirley said, "Milly-"

"Shut up!" Milly shouted, the paper tearing in her hands. "Just shut up, okay?" She shoved out from under the table and ran from the room.

Her friends called after her, but she didn't listen. She ran down empty halls, past empty classrooms. No teachers yelled after, no students jumped out of her way. She didn't have to fear detention, suspension, a reprimand from her grandfather. It's so quiet. So horribly quiet.

She stopped in the PA room. It was empty, just like everything else. Did I really just announce a cat festival here? she thought. How long ago was that? One month? Two? The courtyard outside was so empty. Where is everybody? Where'd they all go?

"Milly?"

She turned around. Rivalz stood in the door, looking a little nervous. "Milly, are you-"

She threw her arms around him, buried her face in his chest, and wept.

…..

Camelot Testing Grounds, Kanagawa Region, Area Eleven

Suzaku's face itched. He tried to scratch it, but the bandages that still swaddled his face prevented him from doing so. He rubbed instead, but it brought him no relief. He grunted at the discomfort.

"Warrant Officer Kururugi, launch," Cecile ordered over his head piece.

"Lancelot launching," he replied. The Lancelot shot forward and launched into the air.

Suzaku was spellbound. He'd never flown before in his life, not even when his father was still alive, but the newly installed FLOAT system sent him high into the wild blue yonder. He flipped, and spun, and dived, soaring over the green trees below him. It's so free up here.

"Suzaku, pull up!" Lloyd screeched into the mic.

Suzaku yelped, coming out of a dive just before he smashed the Lancelot's foot into the top of one of the trees. "Sorry!" he yelled.

"Pay attention to what you're doing!" Lloyd scolded him. "The Lancelot should be the one in the clouds, not your head!"

"Right, I'll pay more attention," Suzaku promised. He rubbed his bandages again.

"How's the Lancelot Flight-Enabled performing, Suzaku?" Cecile asked.

"Like a dream, Miss Cecile," he replied, grinning. "It's so smooth, so dynamic. It's as if the Lancelot was made to fly."

"The Lancelot can do anything," Lloyd said. Suzaku could almost see him adjusting his spectacles. "Ground-to-air warfare was always something I envisioned for the Lancelot, and I'm unsurprised to see it performing so perfectly. Already a top of the line machine, the Lancelot will propel Knightmare Frame technology into the future." He heard Lloyd's grin. "Just imagine it: a fighter plane one moment, and landed tank the next. We've begun the revolution in warfare today."

"Well let's hope this revolution has a bit more stamina," Cecile said. "Suzaku, check your power supply please."

"Yes, Miss Cecile- holy cow!" Suzaku looked at his meter, stunned. "It's already down to just twenty-five percent!"

"I was afraid of that," Cecile said. "We still haven't fixed the power consumption problem. It's taking too much fuel to keep the Lancelot aloft."

"That is a niggling problem," Lloyd admitted. "One to be expected, given that we had to focus on the Lancelot's ground capabilities so much. We'll have to conduct some further tests."

"But not right now. Suzaku, go ahead and returned to base."

"Yes ma'am," Suzaku said, rubbing his cheek. He wheeled the Lancelot around, and set course for home.

He felt a great deal of disappointment when he landed. I can't wait to fly you again, he thought, rubbing his hand fondly over the Lancelot's chassis. His cheek itched again, and he rubbed it, frowning.

He walked back across the field, toward the testing center, which was really just a supped-up trailer. Cecile stepped outside, a tray of food in her hands: a sandwich, chips, and a bottle of water. "I thought you might like something to eat," she said.

"Thanks," Suzaku said. He took the tray from her and sat down on a metal keg, and rested the tray on his knees. Cecile sat on the keg next to him, pulling out a nutrient bar. "You can have some of this if you want, Miss Cecile," Suzaku said, twitching the inside of his cheek against the bandage. "It's definitely better than those nutrient bars."

"Probably so," Cecile agreed, "but a woman must watch her figure, if she's to catch a man's eye."

Suzaku eyed her body for a moment. Her uniform coat was unbuttoned, despite the cool of the air, and the top of her white blouse beneath was unbuttoned, too, exposing the skin of her large breasts. "I don't think you'll ever have that problem," he said, biting into the sandwich.

Cecile smiled at him. "Thanks, but you'd be surprised. Some men just never take the hint."

Suzaku laughed. "I suppose not," he said. He looked around cautiously. "Incidentally," he whispered, "have you heard anything from our friends in the Settlement?"

"Suzaku," Cecile reproached him, "you know I'm not allowed to talk about that."

Suzaku bowed his head. "Sorry," he murmured. Despite his promise to Euphemia, Suzaku had been reassigned outside of the Settlement. Cecile had told him, in no uncertain terms, that it was the only way the Viceroy would let him keep piloting the Lancelot.

"That said," Cecile said, leaning toward him conspiratorially, "given the latest attacks, there's a good chance our friends are going to be attending a lot of funerals."

Suzaku's heart lurched. Oh, Euphie. He wanted nothing more at that moment than to pull her into his arms, comfort her however he could.

"All this death, this destruction…" Cecile shook her head. "It's madness."

It's not madness, Suzaku thought angrily. It's Zero. If the Viceroy would let me, I'd make him howl. His face itched again, and he reached up to rub it.

"Suzaku, can I ask you a question?" Suzaku nodded, biting into his sandwich. "Your injuries have already healed, right?" He nodded again, swallowing and taking another bite. "Then why haven't you removed the bandages yet?"

Suzaku froze. His teeth clacked together as they ripped through the sandwich. "Suzaku?" Cecile asked. "Are you alright?"

He didn't feel hungry anymore. "Just fine." He felt sick. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to go to my tent."

He stood up, not even hearing the tray clatter to the ground. He didn't hear a startled Cecile calling out to him. His face itched so badly.

"Princess Cornelia! Your sister needs you!"

His breaths came faster and faster.

"Princess Cornelia! Your sister needs you!"

His face itched so much.

"Princess Cornelia! Your sister needs you!"

It burned.

"Princess Cornelia! Your sister needs you!"

Suzaku vomited on the floor of his tent. His breath came hot and heavy. His eyes blurred from tears. His face was on fire. It wouldn't stop burning.

Soft hands grabbed his bandaged face, and pulled him into a soft, yet firm lap.

He didn't know when Cecile got there, nor how long she stayed. Time meant nothing as he sobbed in her arms.

…

Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement, Area Eleven

"Milly, we can stay with you as long as you need us," Shirley said, resting a caring hand on Milly's shoulder.

"I'm alright guys. Really, I'm good."

Lelouch didn't believe a word of that, but there was nothing more he could say. Milly's eyes were red and raw, and Rivalz's coat was soaking wet. He could guess what had happened.

"Don't fuss over me anymore," Milly said, her hand in Rivalz's. "I'll be fine." She rubbed at her eyes. "There's just a few things I have to take care of."

"For the festival?" Lelouch asked. She nodded. "Milly, about what we said before, well…"

Milly shook her head. "It's alright, Lulu. I've got a secret weapon, something I've been reluctant to pull the trigger on, but I don't think I have a choice." Her smile was watery.

"Milly, if this is something that'll hurt you-" Lelouch began.

"It won't," Milly interrupted. "Or at least, not that much, all things considered. Don't worry, it's not something crazy, just…" She stared down at the ground.

"Just what?" Lelouch asked.

She looked back up at him, a measure of hope in her eyes. "I just hope you won't think any less of me."

"We could never do that," Shirley assured her. "We're friends, to the very end."

Milly smiled at them all. "Thanks, guys. Rivalz," she said, turning her attention back to the other boy, "could you walk me back to my home?"

Rivalz nodded. "Sure, Milly, no problem." Milly hung onto him, and the two started the long walk to the Ashford Estate.

"I better head home, too," Shirley said, pointedly looking away from the other two members of the Student Council.

"I could walk you home?" Lelouch offered.

Shirley shook her head. "No thanks. Kallen needs you more than I do." She turned her back to him and left.

"If it's all the same to you, I can find my own way home," Kallen said. She didn't wait for Lelouch to reply, leaving him alone outside the Academy.

Lelouch stared up at the school. This was my home, he thought. And I destroyed it.

C-Two didn't like the fact that he kept returning. He'd leave for two or three days, but then he'd come right back, sleep schedule be damned. She'd threatened to start tranquilizing him, and he wasn't sure it was an empty threat. I'll find a way to help you, Milly. I promise.

He walked back to the clubhouse, hands in his pockets. I killed over sixty people today. Hundreds in the past few weeks. It was necessary. I'm running you ragged, Cornelia. I'm sending you to every single section of the country. I'm exhausting your supplies, your men, your morale. I'm beating you.

So why didn't this feel like victory?

Lelouch entered the clubhouse and slipped his shoes off at the door. "Lelouch, is that you?" Nunnally called down the hall.

Lelouch smiled. "Yes, Nunnally," he confirmed. "I'm back."

He found her in the dining room with Sayoko, drowning in pink paper cranes. "What's all this?" he asked.

"Sayoko has been helping me fold paper cranes," Nunnally answered, smiling. "See this?" She held up a pink sheet of paper. "Watch." She set herself to it, folding the paper this way and that, till finally she'd fashioned it into a crude paper crane. "Do you like it?"

Lelouch took it from her. "Like it?" he said, smiling. "I love it. In fact, I think I'll keep this one."

"Oh brother, don't do that!" Nunnally protested. "I need it."

"What for?" Lelouch asked.

Nunnally replied, "Sayoko says that if you fold a thousand paper cranes, you can make a wish."

Sayoko smiled at Lelouch in confirmation. "An old Japanese fairy tale, My Lord," she said. "One we can hope to fulfill."

"Really?" Lelouch asked. "And just what is it you wish for?"

Nunnally smiled. "I'm going to wish for us all to be together again!" she said. "I haven't seen Suzaku and Nina in quite some time, and I'd love to see sister Euphemia and Cornelia again."

Lelouch's smile froze on his face. He looked at Sayoko, who looked at him helplessly. "That may not come true, Nunnally," Lelouch said carefully, his smile now far more nervous.

"It will be," Nunnally said, "if I wish Zero away."

Lelouch's heart froze in his chest. "Zero's the cause of all our problems," Nunnally said, her voice quiet and filled with resentment. "He's hurt so many people. Why would any man cause such suffering?" Her lips dipped into a frown. "I hate him."

Lelouch felt as if his heart were being torn in two. "You don't really mean that, Lady Nunnally," Sayoko said, reaching out and resting her hand on the girl's arm. "There's not a hateful bone in your body."

"Am I not human, Sayoko? Can I not possess the same thoughts and feelings as others?" Nunnally asked angrily. "How can I feel anything else for a man whose caused so much damage in so many people's lives? Who injures my dearest friend? Who kills whoever he wants?" If her eyes could open, they would be narrowed. "How can I do anything but hate such a man?"

She turned back to the cranes. "That's why I want to wish him away. That's why I will. At the school festival, when a thousand cranes fall from the sky and everyone looks up to make their wish, that's what I will wish for." She brought her face to Lelouch's, and he was reminded of that day, a lifetime ago, on the Damocles, when she was his enemy. "I will wish for a world without Zero."

They did not work for much longer after that, and Sayoko ushered Nunnally up to her room to get ready for bed. Lelouch eyed the maid critically. Have you joined the Black Knights yet, Sayoko? he wondered. He would check with Inoue tomorrow; he'd made her the head of Intelligence. There wasn't a snowball's chance in Hell he was ever giving a position of power to Diethard Reid again. The others betrayed me over geass. You betrayed me for a story.

He sat down on his bed, in his empty room; C-Two was with the Black Knights tonight, preparing for a new operation. Soon, the Gawain would again be in his hands, and he would soar through the air, a demon of death.

Why would any man cause such suffering?

To change the world, Nunnally, Lelouch thought. I've turned this whole Area into a pressure cooker set to explode. I'm killing anyone brave or stupid enough to stand against me, and making cowards of my enemies. I'm stretching our sister thin as she tries to stop me. When the black banner is raised, this Area will fall, and the United States of Japan shall rise again. Even if I must spill a sea of blood, it shall be so.

He stared at the inky blackness outside his window. When those thousand cranes fall, I'll make a wish, too. You wish for a world without Zero. I'll wish for one that doesn't need him.

Later, he laid Nunnally down, and kissed her goodnight. He laid down in his own bed and closed his eyes. Nunnally's angry blue ones stared at him all night.