Code Geass: Redo of the Rebellion

by Sir Kai

Zero Requiem is in tatters and the world is on fire. Watching as his greatest plan crumbles before his eyes, Lelouch is offered the ultimate chance: to go back and redo his Black Rebellion. If he succeeds, he can enjoy the fruits of his labor with those he loves. If he fails, however, he will cease to exist. The battle for salvation begins.

21. Turn 21: The Beginning of Sorrows

Resurrection made me sad, though I don't really know why. We'll probably be getting more geass in the next couple of years, so there's that.

Must admit, there are parts of this that make me nervous. And I flat out cannot write fluff, so I didn't really make an attempt to. Hope y'all don't hate me after this.

Funnily enough I didn't realize that this chapter corresponds to the 21st episode of Season 1 until after I finished it. This is a magnificent happy coincidence.

Also, there's a couple of pop culture references sprinkled in here.

I don't own Code Geass.

…

Ashford Festival, Ashford Academy, Tokyo Settlement, Area Eleven, 2017

It was raining in the rest of Tokyo, yet strangely the sun still shone brightly on Ashford Academy. Tarps had been raised over vendor stalls and game booths, wooden planks were placed on the slick mud and grass, but all these precautions seemed unnecessary. Over a hundred of the student body had returned, partially filling their respective clubs, though for safety concerns the Equestrian Club was limited to a glorified petting zoo. Shirley's swim team was performing complicated maneuvers in the school's swimming pool; Lelouch was performing in Clyde and Daisy's play; Nunnally was busy folding the remaining paper cranes, with Sayoko's help; and Milly was overseeing all of these events from the PA room, with Rivalz's help. Not that they had much to do; most of the problems arising within the festival were being handled at their points of origin, so there was little need for Milly to direct anyone. So far, all she'd done was watch the festival from above. There were hundreds of people, if not thousands, milling around and having fun, taking their minds off the war and the chaos. It made Milly happy.

Even as Milly smiled triumphantly over her success, however much she may have cheated to get it, a heavy sadness weighed her down. This would be the last time she would set foot in Ashford Academy. By this time next year she'd be a married woman, maybe even an expecting mother. If she finished her schooling, it would be at an academy in the homeland, not in this country she had come to love; and not surrounded by her dearest friends. She laid her hand against the window, her smile turning melancholic.

Goodbye, lost happy days, she thought. I wonder if I shall see you again?

"Hey, Milly, we've got a problem," Rivalz said. He took off a headset he'd been wearing to keep track of the festivities.

Snapped out of her musings, Milly turned to him and asked, "What's the matter, Rivalz?"

"Apparently, the Tunnel of Love has broken down," Rivalz explained, a sheepish smile on his face as he rubbed the back of his head. "The guy in charge of it wants you to take a look at it."

A sly smile appeared on Milly's face. "Does he now?" she asked knowingly. "And just why does he want to see me?"

Rivalz looked like a deer caught in a headlight. "Well, uh, I guess he-" Rivalz stammered nervously, pulling on his coat collar. "I guess he wants to, that is, maybe figure out how much he wants to charge us?" He closed his eyes and smiled hopefully.

Clever boy, she approved. "Well then," she said, "I suppose we'll just have to check and see, won't we?" She offered the blue-haired boy her arm. "Would you escort me, Mr. Cardemonde?"

Rivalz stumbled hurriedly to oblige.

…

"Come to me, my dear," Lelouch said menacingly, bearing his plastic fangs to Daisy. He wore an eye patch over his left eye, ostensibly his own addition to the play; in reality, it was to ensure his flickering geass didn't accidentally strike someone. "Give yourself to me." He gestured with his hands, waving them around like he was casting a spell.

Daisy drooped her eyes sleepily. "I hear you and obey," she said, pretending to stumble forward in a daze.

Lelouch caught her by her shoulders, and, as a hush descended on the crowd, prepared to sink his fangs into her flesh.

"Unhand her, foul creature!" Clyde stepped forth from the shadows, wielding holy water and a plastic stake.

Lelouch backed away from them as Clyde stepped in front of Daisy. "Jonathan!" she cried out.

"Mr. Harker," Lelouch said dramatically. "You have interfered with my affairs for the last time!"

Clyde snarled. "Die monster! You don't belong in this world!" he declared.

Lelouch placed his hand against his chest. "It was not by my hand that I am once again given flesh," he said. "I was called here by humans who wished to pay me tribute."

"Tribute?" Clyde said with faux incredulity. "You steal men's souls and make them your slaves!"

"Perhaps the same could be said for all religions..." Lelouch mused.

"Your words are as empty as your soul!" Clyde said with a wave of his hand. He gestured threateningly with the fake stake in his hand. "Mankind ill needs a savior such as you!"

"What is a man?" Lelouch snarled, drawing his own plastic rapier. "A miserable little pile of secrets! But enough of this! Have at you!"

They went through three passes, Lelouch swinging his rapier in dramatic, overhanded arcs, missing each one by a foot. Finally, Clyde put the stake through Lelouch's heart.

"AH!" Lelouch cried out. "Killed me! You've killed me!" He staggered back behind the curtain to the applause of the crowd.

Lelouch rubbed the spot where Clyde had stabbed him. It was the same location that he'd been stabbed before, at the critical moment of Zero Requiem.

Hurt a lot less this time around, he mused, wincing at the memory of the pain.

"Somehow, you playing Dracula is oddly appropriate."

Lelouch whirled around to see C-Two standing before him. She was dressed all in white, in a tight shirt that emphasized the fullness of her breasts, stopping high enough to bare the flat plane of her belly; in shorts that covered little more than her buttocks, exposing her long legs to the unseasonably warm air; and a pair of boots that extended up to her knees. Her hair was wrapped up in a twist, allowing only a pair of crescent bangs to fall down and frame her face.

Lelouch gaped at her. "I thought you said this wasn't a good idea!" he exclaimed.

C-Two narrowed her eyes. "Smooth, Lelouch," C-Two said, resting her hands on her hips. "That's precisely what a woman wants to hear when she dresses up for her man."

Lelouch flushed. He bowed his head. "Sorry," he said. He looked back up at her, drinking in the sight of her. "You do look beautiful."

The cross expression evaporated as C-Two smiled. "Much better."

"Still," Lelouch pressed once he was out of danger, "you did say this was a bad idea."

C-Two sighed exasperatedly. "Yes, Lelouch, this is a bad idea," she agreed. "In fact, on the list of bad ideas we've had, this is probably somewhere up near the top."

Lelouch was confused. "Then, why?"

"Because I'm selfish." C-Two approached him with long, languid step, her hips swaying enticingly. "In a few months, this whole country will be set ablaze." She laid her hand against his chest, her amber eyes impossibly soft. "I want one happy day with you, before the fighting starts in earnest and we won't have time for this. Just one day where we're not Zero and C-Two, but Lelouch and..." She stood up on tiptoe and kissed him softly on the lips.

Lelouch slid his arms around her waist, pulling the lime-haired girl to him. Her lips were cool and supple, and they parted and moved on his as she deepened the kiss, her hands clasping his shoulders with a strength that surprised him. His arms squeezed around her waist in response, till they finally broke apart and he leaned back down again for more.

"Nice babe, Lelouch!" Lelouch's head jerked around to see Clyde and Daisy standing there with huge grins. "Whose the hottie?"

"It's 'whom is the hottie', Clyde," Daisy corrected playfully. "Come on, Lelouch, spill!"

Lelouch's mouth moved for a moment, but no sound came out. "I, that is, we, um," he managed to stammer, his brain seemingly incapable of coherent thought.

C-Two grabbed his hand, a teasing grin on her face. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked, tugging Lelouch along.

Lelouch lacked the presence of mind to resist.

…

"BWAH!" Kallen shouted, rising from beneath the tombstone she was hidden under. The young couple in front of her screamed and fled, leaving behind a sack of popcorn on the ground. "Hey!" she yelled at them. "Get back here and get your trash, you littering bastards!" When it became clear they weren't coming back, Kallen, cursing, picked the trash up herself and tossed it into the back of her little alcove, along with the lollipops, cotton candy, hot dogs, and all manner of assorted food that had been dropped in a blind panic. "I knew we should have put a trash can somewhere in here," she grumbled.

As she closed the lid on the tombstone, Kallen couldn't help but wonder, Is this seriously the best they could give me? Damn this invalid cover!

Thanks to her sick girl cover, Kallen hadn't been involved in any clubs prior to the Student Council, which meant she couldn't just join up with one of the other groups. At least, she pondered, that's what Lelouch told me. Wait, she realized, then how come he got to be in the play?

"That lying son of a bitch!" she cursed.

"Did that tombstone just talk?" she heard a muffled voice ask.

Shit! "BWAH!" Kallen shouted, the tombstone flying open belatedly. Kallen blinked in surprise at who was standing in front of her. "Ohgi?"

"Kallen?" Having heard Kallen cursing, Ohgi simply stood there, scratching his head in bewilderment. "What are you doing in there?"

Finding out how a trash can feels. "My job with the festival," she answered aloud. Kallen's attention shifted when she realized there was someone with him. "Whose this?" she asked, pointing to the silver-haired, dark skinned woman behind him. She wore a yellow sundress and hat, and was incredibly beautiful.

To her surprise, Ohgi blushed. "Oh, um, this is Viletta," he replied. Hesitatingly, he added, "She's my fiance."

"Fiance!" Kallen exclaimed. "When did this happen?" When did you start dating someone?

"Just this morning," Viletta responded, a bashful smile on her face. She lifted up her hand to reveal a simple silver band on her ring finger. It wasn't much, Ohgi definitely couldn't afford better, but Kallen saw that she treasured it already. "We plan on having the nuptials next month."

Questions popped up in Kallen's head, but they could wait until later. "Congratulations, Ohgi," she said, climbing out of the contraption and giving him a happy hug. "You deserve this."

"Thanks," Ohgi replied, reciprocating the hug tightly.

After Kallen pulled away, she asked him, "By the way, how's my mom settling in?" Kallen had invited her mother to the festival, but she had refused, explaining that she wanted to get to work at the base as soon as possible, and that she wanted Kallen to spend the day with her friends. Kallen felt a little worried; her mother looked better than she had in a long time, but Kallen's last memories of her mother before her return were of a broken woman, haunted and alone.

Ohgi grinned at her, allaying her concerns. "She's doing just fine," he told her. "She's working herself, and the rest of us, to the bone. You don't have to worry about her."

Kallen felt a jolt of relief. "Thanks," she said. She backed away. "You two go and have a good time. We'll catch up later."

"You got it." Ohgi nodded and began to lead Viletta away.

"It was nice meeting you," Viletta said, smiling happily at Kallen.

"Nice meeting you, too!" Kallen replied. "And I damn well better be your children's godmother!"

Ohgi laughed in response. "Definitely!"

…

"Rivalz?"

"Yes, Milly?"

"You said the Tunnel of Love ride was out of order, right?"

"Um, yes?"

Milly gestured, a sweet smile on her face. "Then why are people still climbing into and out of the boats?"

Rivalz chuckled nervously. "M-Maybe he got it up and running again?" he suggested weakly. He coughed into his hand. "Well, since, we're here, we may as well-"

"Rivalz." Milly stopped.

Rivalz stopped with her, a hopeful expression on his face. Milly looked up at him, silently debating with herself. "We'll go on one ride," she decided. "One," she repeated, raising her finger to his delighted smile. "Then, we have to return to the PA room. We have our own duties, after all."

Rivalz nodded. "Right!"

They climbed on board the first float that came down. They entered the dimly lit tunnel at a slow pace, the faint sound of violins and harps playing over the speakers inside. They rode in silence, enjoying each other's company. After a few moments, the swaying of the little boat and the soft music lulled Milly into a state somewhere between dreams and reality. She rested her head against Rivalz's shoulder, sighing in contentment when his arm rose up to wrap around her shoulders. She felt his warm breath waft over her head, felt his lips press against her hair.

"Rivalz," she said reluctantly, "we can't."

He immediately pulled away from her, his arm coming back to rest in his lap. Milly felt cold at the sudden absence.

"I'm about to married, remember?" she asked him, her head bowed.

She heard Rivalz swallow. "I know," he answered quietly. "I was trying to forget."

"Don't," she told him. "Nothing can happen." Lloyd may have told her that he didn't care, but Milly did. Whatever fun she liked to have, she wasn't some faithless degenerate, no matter how nonexistent her feelings for her future husband were.

"Sorry." Rivalz rested his hands on his lap, directing his gaze toward the end of the tunnel.

Milly would have preferred they reached it already. She didn't like sitting in this awkward silence, with feelings she wasn't even certain of, in a boat whose every swaying motion brought her into contact with him.

Rivalz broke the silence. "How long before you two get married?" he asked.

Milly shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe in a few months? All Lloyd cares about is getting his hands on the Ganymede, but he still has social obligations he has to fulfill for the wedding."

"So," Rivalz said, shifting so that he turned to face her, "that means you have a little more time before you're all tied up."

Milly laughed. "My," she shook her head, "but you are persistent, aren't you?" She tilted her head up to look at him, and realized just how close they were to each other. She felt dizzy, a swirl of emotions running through her body, leaving her breathless. "I-"

He leaned forward, and she stopped speaking. She didn't even notice that the boat had stopped.

…

Suzaku flipped the pizza one final time and set it down within the huge pan. Sauce followed from the team of students surrounding it, their large hoses spraying it across the massive disc of dough. Cheese would be put in next through the use of a crane, but Suzaku's own part was finished. He backed the Ganymede away to allow them to proceed to the next phase, wiping the sweat from his brow once he finished. His mask had a hole for the mouth that he plugged with a swig of water from his canteen. He smiled down at his handiwork as he swallowed.

"This is what Knightmares should be used for," he declared as the massive pizza began to cook. "Not for war, and conquest, and death. They should all be used for something as silly as this."

"Okay, Suzaku," Cecile called up over his radio piece, "we have the measurements. You can come out now."

"Right, thanks."

Suzaku collapsed the Knightmare into its standby stance and climbed out. Lloyd and Cecile approached the prone machine, scratching down notes on clipboards and animatedly discussing a bunch of technical data that Suzaku didn't really understand.

Suzaku stretched, his back popping, muscles slightly sore from the amount of time he'd been in the Ganymede. It was an excellent prototype, but it most certainly was not the Lancelot.

Still, he thought, it feels good to be working again.

"Oh, Suzaku!" Cecile called. "Lloyd and I left you a treat beneath the tent over there," she told him, pointing to the portable military tent that Lloyd had ordered the engineers to set up. "Let me know how you like it."

"Thanks!"

Suzaku approached the tent calmly, his stomach growling. "Whatever it is," Suzaku said as he parted the flap, "I hope it tastes good."

"You hope what tastes good?"

Suzaku froze. He turned around slowly. Euphemia stood just to his left, pressed against the tent wall, a lovely smile on her face. She was dressed in a drab military uniform, the shoulders bearing the bars of a lieutenant, that did nothing to hide the curves of her figure. Her pink hair was bundled together beneath a gray field cap, and her blue eyes were moist.

"Euphie..." Suzaku breathed.

He wrapped her up in his arms, holding onto her tightly as if she were a mirage that might fade away the closer he came. She hugged him back just as tightly, her small shoulders quaking as she held him.

"Cornelia just got back today," she told him in a whisper, "so I don't know how long I can stay."

"We'll make it count," Suzaku assured her. "Sir Alfred?"

"Probably pulling his hair out right now," she replied sheepishly. "He wouldn't have let me leave if he knew where I was going. Lord Jeremiah is probably giving him the run around as we speak."

"I'll have to thank him the next time I see him." Suzaku would have never thought he would say that about the leader of the Purist Faction.

"Yes, you will. We owe him so much."

It was amazing how much things could change. If someone as corrupted as that can change so much, Suzaku thought, then what about the rest of the Empire?

Things could change for the better. Men could be made to serve their better angels.

A warm feeling arose within Suzaku's heart.

"Suzaku, are you alright?" Euphemia asked. She was looking up at him with her big, beautiful blue eyes. "You're crying."

Suzaku rubbed his face, clearing away the tears. "Sorry," he said. "I'm alright. It just..."

"What?"

He smiled. "It just feels good sometimes, you know? To have your faith in people rewarded."

Euphemia seemed to understand because she smiled in response. "Come on, soldier boy," she ordered him, offering her arm. "Let's go make the most of today."

Suzaku took her arm and escorted her outside.

…

They were in a dark, secluded corner, unseen by the other revelers. His hands ran over the curve of her backside, hers pulled at his hair. Her shirt had been pushed up, little though it needed it, to expose her breasts, now mashed against his chest.

Lelouch pulled away for air. "I thought we were going to play some of the games," he said breathlessly.

"We are playing a game," C-Two retorted, grabbing his hand, moving it up to cup her breast.

It was cool and firm, filling his hand with a softness he'd never known. "What kind of a game is this?" he wondered aloud, squeezing gently.

"Tonsil hockey." Lelouch had a moment to laugh before she kissed him again, pressing herself even more tightly into his grip. She pulled away to say, "And I just scored again," and went right back to kissing him.

His hand still on her backside ran up her hip to push down against the edge of her shorts, but her own hand stopped him. "If you want to do that," she murmured, "you're going to have to do something for me."

Lelouch leaned down to kiss her throat. "What's that?"

Her back arched. Her breath hissed into his ear as she whispered, "Put Katase under surveillance."

He froze. The haze he'd been in for who knew how long vanished in an instant. He pulled away from her, narrowing his eye in annoyance. "Really?" he asked her, his tone hard. "That's what this was about?"

"Not entirely," C-Two replied, not bothering to pull her shirt back down. "But I won't say it wasn't a consideration."

Lelouch shook his head as he crossed his arms. "Unbelievable," he grumbled, trying hard to avoid gazing at the pair of red-tipped white peaks that were still thrust out at him. "Unless you have evidence of some kind, I'm not going to-"

"I have evidence," C-Two interrupted. "And you're not going to like it."

Lelouch sighed. He leaned back against the wall, closing his eye. A moment later, it opened again, cold and calculating, with a predatory sharpness that left no room for theatrics.

"Tell me," Zero ordered.

"Katase signed out for an inspection four days ago," she told him, pulling her shirt back down. "It was unscheduled."

"That's hardly compelling evidence," Zero replied.

"The inspection was in Kyoto."

Zero narrowed his eye. An alarm bell was beginning to blare in his head. "How long was he at the inspection?" he asked.

"Fifteen minutes. He signed out for three hours."

"Did he go anywhere else?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "Orange would have the satellite information, but it's too dangerous to use Imperial resources for this. However," her amber eyes grew cold, "we know who lives in that area."

"Kirihara." Zero was already remembering the phone call he had received from Himiko. Kanagawa. "I should have paid closer attention." A cold anger was starting to rise within him. "Things have been going my way this whole time. I've gotten careless."

No, that wasn't the mistake he'd made. He realized that now. He'd only ever viewed Katase as an extension of Tohdoh. Tohdoh had turned on him the last time around over Katase's murder. He had thought that by keeping him alive, Tohdoh would have much less of a reason to turn against him later.

I didn't view you as a man on your own, Katase, Zero thought. His trigger finger itched. My apologies for the mistake.

"What are your orders?" C-Two asked.

"We'll have him placed under surveillance," Zero answered. "Once the Festival's over, I'll issue a warrant to Inoue to tap his phone lines and computers. If Katase knows about Kyoto, and I have no reason to think he doesn't, then it's only a matter of time before he makes a move."

"You could do that," C-Two agreed, nodding, "or you could just place him under your geass."

Zero shook his head. "I'll save it for if I need it later," he rejected.

C-Two crossed her arms. "Katase isn't your ally anymore," she pointed out. "Your principles about geassing subordinates no longer applies."

"It isn't about that," Zero retorted coldly. "If I thought it would benefit us, I'd drive to Yamagata right now and make him dance to my tune."

"Then what's stopping you?"

"The Geass Directorate." C-Two cocked her head, intrigued. "I have no idea when they'll have the Canceller developed, but you can be sure that whoever they give it to, it won't be someone I can manipulate with my dead mother's memory," he elaborated. "That's why I can't count on long-term orders. It's why as soon as Ace finishes training our special forces, I'm going to send the man after Enneagram. Until the Directorate is neutralized, and the Canceller turned to our cause or destroyed, I can't use any long-term orders safely." He nodded his head to her. "And we're becoming a much bigger threat to the Empire at this stage than we were last time. I can't have that man or V-Two sending someone before we're ready."

C-Two lowered her eyes in contemplation before looking back at him and nodding. "Alright, I understand your reasoning," she said. "This will work for the time being. I doubt Katase will make any moves in the near future. Still, what do you intend to do with him?"

"That depends on what he does. If he doesn't plan to make a move against me, I'll strip him of his authority but keep him in an advisory role. That will remove him from command, and I'll still be able to count on his logistical skills. He's too valuable at present to get rid of. If he does make a move against me, however," his violet eye darkened, "I'll promote Tohdoh in his place, and keep him as a hostage. And when I don't need either one of them, I'll hang them by their entrails in Kirihara's mansion."

C-Two nodded approvingly. "Very well, My Lord," she said with a bow.

"Why do you keep calling me Lord, C-Two?" Zero asked. "Katase isn't here for you to annoy, and you know I don't like the title. You're not so petty as to use a term like that just to frustrate us, so why do you keep using it?"

C-Two placed a finger against her lips in faux contemplation. "I suppose I'm just getting everyone ready," she answered.

"For what?" Zero asked suspiciously.

"For when you take the Throne of the Empire."

Zero blinked. Did I hear that right?

"Stop joking around, C-Two," he ordered coldly.

"I'm dead serious, Your Majesty," she said. "I would put the crown of the Holy Britannian Empire once more upon your head."

"Don't call me that. Don't even think it. I want no part in Imperial ambition, you know that."

"And just what is it, precisely, that you intend to do, Your Majesty?" she asked him sharply. "What's Zero's grand plan? Start a worldwide revolution and topple the Holy Britannian Empire? I can't think of a worse idea. No," she shook her head, "far better would it be for you to reclaim your throne, and finish the work you started."

"I killed ten million people on that throne, C-Two," Zero reminded her, his tone a mixture of anger and self-loathing. "I imprisoned millions more in concentration camps. I turned the entire Army into my slave. And I broke Nunnally's heart." He leaned in close to her, furious. "And you want to bring that nightmare back?"

C-Two rolled her eyes. "Stop being so dramatic," she reproved him. "I was there. I saw all of it. And I would contend that your reign was the best thing to have ever happened to Britannia."

Zero gaped at her. "You're going to have to explain your logic."

C-Two shrugged. "It makes perfect sense, really." she said simply. "In the two months you reigned as Emperor before enacting the Requiem, you freed the Areas from Imperial control; ended your father's Social Darwinist ideology; destroyed the last remnants of his regime; destroyed any trace of his rule; abolished the nobility and aristocracy; abolished the oppressive Britannian Code of Law; and ended the foreign conflicts Britannia was involved in.

"To be perfectly frank," she continued, "you did more good in the two months you spent as the Emperor of Justice, than you ever did in two years as Zero. You were everything the Empire needed at the moment it needed it the most: charismatic, intelligent, ruthless, but above all else, you had something men have killed for since the beginning of time." She brushed her hand across his covered eye. "You had the power to change the world. You had the power to make things the way they needed to be." She smiled sadly. "And you squandered it."

Zero looked away from her. "It was the best chance we had of ending the cycle of hatred," he reminded her softly.

C-Two laughed. "You really think that, don't you?" she asked him. She rested her hands on her belly. "Do you know why the Requiem failed, Lelouch?" Before he could respond, she said, "It failed for two reasons. First, because it ignored human nature. There were a number of problems you left behind in the wake of the Requiem: civil wars in South America and Africa; the Sakuradite shortage caused by the destruction of Mount Fuji; the sudden deprivation of the Colonies from Britannia. All of these gave men reasons to fight. That's simply the way human nature works."

"And what was the second reason?"

Her eyes grew moist. "You weren't there," she told him bluntly. "You left the world in Suzaku's hands, and the fact of the matter is, Suzaku was neither a skilled diplomat nor an effective leader. Schneizel wasn't trusted by the European states because he'd negotiated most of their surrenders. Britannia had little credibility because they'd just conquered the world, not to mention all of the bad blood that already existed from years of fighting. All of the problems that we had just kept getting exacerbated by poor leadership." She looked away from him, towards the light outside. "If Zero Requiem had never happened, we wouldn't have been facing the problems we were. And those problems that did remain, that we would have had regardless?" She looked back at him. "We didn't have you to help." She shook her head. "The Requiem was doomed from the start. Everything was falling apart before Suzaku got himself killed and unmasked."

After a moment, Lelouch said, "You didn't mention any of these concerns at the time."

"Would you have listened, Lelouch?" C-Two asked him softly. "You had lost everything. The Black Knights betrayed you. Schneizel was hunting you. Your mother had been revealed as a liar. And Nunnally, for all we knew, was dead." Lelouch swallowed the lump in his throat. "You wanted to die. If it hadn't been Zero Requiem, it would have been a noose. Or a bullet. Or a long walk off a short bridge." Her eyes shimmered. "I won't have you die again. Not before you've fulfilled our contract."

Lelouch pulled on his collar. "C-Two," he began haltingly, "I'm sorry, but, I can't."

C-Two raised a curious eyebrow. "You can't what?" she asked.

He pressed his lips into a firm line. "I can't fulfill our contract." C-Two pulled away from him, her expression hurt. He grabbed her elbow as she fled. "I can't let you die," he told her, pulling her closer. "Not even with a smile on your face. You-" he closed his eyes tightly "-You mean too much to me."

There was silence for a moment. Lelouch couldn't bear to look her in the eye. To his surprise, soft laughter began to escape her. He looked back at her, only to see that her eyes were shimmering happily, that her lips were pulled into a loving smile.

She shook her head. "You idiot," she said softly. "That isn't my wish at all."

Lelouch gaped at her. "It's not?" he asked incredulously. "Then what is?"

She cupped his face in her hands. "I wish to see this new world that's to be created," she told him, "and live in it with the man I love."

Her lips met his. All talk of plots, and sins, and ambition fell away. For just a moment, they could be two ordinary people at a school festival.

"Lulu!"

Of course, all moments have their end, and Lelouch doubted Shirley would like seeing him like this. He pulled away from C-Two reluctantly. "I have to go," he told her. She nodded in understanding. "We'll talk about this more later."

"Very well, Your Majesty."

He couldn't respond to that yet, so he'd leave it be for the moment. He pulled away from her before Shirley could see them, and left the alcove they'd been hiding in.

…

C-Two watched Lelouch leave disappointedly. She could hear his friend telling him that his fellow students were waiting on him to return to the performance. She knew who it was that was speaking to him, but she wasn't concerned.

"You were a rival to me, once," C-Two admitted aloud. "You and Kallen. He seems to have a thing for redheads." She smiled. "But I have an advantage: I'm the only one of you that truly knows him. Perhaps that's unfair, but then again, all's fair in love and war."

C-Two was startled when she heard a phone begin ringing beneath her. She looked down and saw that it was Lelouch's. He must have dropped this during our activities. She blushed at the thought. She picked the phone up and saw that the call was coming from Ohgi. "What does he want, I wonder?"

She flipped the phone open. "Zero's not available at the moment," she said. "What do you need?"

There was silence on the other end. C-Two raised an eyebrow, tapping her foot impatiently. "What is it, Ohgi?" she asked again.

A voice that wasn't Ohgi's said, "C-Two?"

C-Two froze. A cold pit opened up in her stomach.

No.

"Mao?"

…

"I can't believe you just ran off like that!" Shirley said, dragging Lelouch along. The play was ten minutes overdue for its next performance, and their friends were pulling their hair out trying to find him.

Shirley had come over to the play to see Lelouch perform, her own swim exercises on break for the next half-hour, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Sorry," Lelouch said. "I didn't realize it had been that long."

"We'll have to reapply your makeup, too," Shirley told him. "Your lipstick is smeared all over the place."

"Right."

She dragged him along for another few steps before she stopped, and he with her. Without looking at him, she asked, "Who is she, Lulu?" She turned to him, her eyes burning. "Don't tell me you don't know what I'm talking about. Daisy told me you and a green-haired girl were kissing." The other girl had been as gentle as she could about it, but Shirley's heart still felt like it was breaking in two.

Lelouch's expression was placid, a blank wall, but she could see his jaw working as he struggled to answer. "She's-" he stopped, looking away from her for a moment, before returning his gaze to hers. "She's an incredible woman. Someone who knows me inside and out."

Shirley let go of his hand, her shoulders trembling. "Did I-" she choked. "Did I ever have a chance with you?"

"Shirley..." Lelouch reached out for her, but she shied away.

"I have to get back to my team," Shirley said stiffly. "You'd better hurry up and get back to the play."

She ran before he could say another word.

…

"I can't believe it's really you, C-Two," Mao said. "What wicked fate! What evil fortune is this? I set my lure out for a fish, and I caught me a shark!"

"Mao," C-Two said, trying desperately to hide her panic, "where are you? How did you get this number?"

"Isn't it obvious, C-Two?" Mao replied. "I'm at the festival. And as to how I got this number, all it took was nicking a phone from an unsuspecting Eleven. I've kept a fairly close eye, you see."

"How did you find me?" Who had tipped Mao off? Was it Katase? Tohdoh? V-Two?

"Oh, don't worry C-Two," Mao reassured her, "you covered your tracks quite well. You and Lulu were so paranoid, always making sure you stayed away from the public eye, spending all that time with the rest of the Black Knights. With all the pressure you and Lulu put on me, I was actually planning on leaving the country, at least until the heat died down." His smarmy tone became drenched in annoyance. "And really, that was quite annoying C-Two. 'Terrorist Bomber'? Do you have any idea how many patrols, Chinese and Britannian, I had to evade in order to get here?"

That was the whole idea, C-Two thought despairingly.

"Do you have any idea how much it hurt to have to cut and dye my beautiful hair, or change out of my stylish clothes?" Mao continued. "Fortunately, wanted posters can only go so far before the subject in question changes his appearance, and all they had was an artist's rendition."

Mao laughed. "Still, it would have all been for naught, had I not had a stroke of good luck. I was down at the docks one fine evening, trying to find a ship that would take me out of the country, when I suddenly hear your name echo across the noisy minds of all the trash that was around me. I focused on that one mind, determined to find its source, and what should I find but a dark-haired pretty boy with a head filled with secrets.

"You were right, C-Two. Lulu should have never come home."

…

Nunnally folded the last of the cranes. Sayoko had offered to do it, but this was important to her.

It's my wish, she thought, smiling hopefully. A world of peace. A world with me and Lelouch, and Suzaku, and Shirley, and Milly, and Rivalz and Nina, forever.

It was a pleasing thought, though Nunnally understood that, realistically, it was likely impossible. Milly was getting married, Shirley would be heading to the homeland once the festival was over, and Rivalz's parents were talking about selling the bar and starting over again in Area Two. As for Nina, Nunnally had no idea where the poor girl went; she had simply vanished alongside her parents.

Still, Suzaku and Lelouch and I should be able to stay together. The last week with her brother had been absolute bliss. Watching him, so to speak, throwing himself into the planning for the festival, arguing enthusiastically with Milly over the vendors or the games, or the giant pizza.

"It's a logistical nightmare, Milly!" he'd argued.

"It's tradition!" she'd argued back, and off they went.

Nunnally laughed at the memory, so newly made. "Why can't these happy days last forever?" she wondered.

"My Lady?" Sayoko asked.

Nunnally shook her head. "Oh, it's nothing Sayoko, pay me no mind," she told her. She lifted the crane. "Look, Sayoko!" she said, smiling brightly. "We're finished!"

…

"Mao, what is it you intend?"

"Only a little payback, C-Two. After all, apparently that little rascal stole you from me once before, and I mean to get you back. The only way I can do that is by removing him from he equation."

"Leave him alone, please! I'm begging you!"

"Don't worry, C-Two. He's not going alone."

…

"Goddammit!" Kallen shouted, pushing against the tombstone cover. "The stupid thing's stuck!"

She smashed up against it, but it refused to budge.

"When I get out of this thing, Lelouch," she shouted, "I'm going to kick your ass!"

…..

"What do you mean?"

"You see those drones, up in the air?"

C-Two looked up and saw them. "Yes," she confirmed with mounting horror.

"There's enough C-4 on those things to level a city block."

…

Shirley jumped into the pool, swimming down to the deepest section. Her eyes burned badly, but the water washed away her tears. She clutched at her chest beneath the surface of the waves. She was sobbing.

Lulu...

…

"Mary, Mother of God."

"Really, now, you brought this on yourselves. You were the ones who called me a terrorist. Should my methods not be conducive to my epithet?"

"Mao, please, tell me where the detonator is. How do I turn them off?"

"Now, why would I tell you that, my darling C-Two?"

"Because if you do, I promise you, I will leave the country with you today. Right now."

"I might have been inclined to believe you, C-Two, were it not for Lulu's memory of you shooting me."

"Fine. Then I promise you this: if you don't tell me where the detonator is, I'll grab Lelouch and take him with me, and you'll never see us again."

"You wouldn't dare. These are your friends, too-"

"I don't give a shit about these people, Mao! All that matters to me is Lelouch. And if he is harmed, in any way, you will never see me again. Is that understood?"

There was silence for on Mao's end. C-Two might have thought he had hung up were it not for his heavy breathing. "Fine," he said petulantly. "I'll tell you where the detonator is, but then you have to come with me! If you break your promise, then I'll come back with a bigger bomb. Is that fair to you?"

"Yes," C-Two said, relieved. "It is. Where is it?"

"The East Wing of the Academy, second floor, three doors down, inside a computer console," he told her. "You'll need a screwdriver to open it up and disarm it. I suggest you hurry. They go off in seven minutes."

C-Two took off sprinting, flinging herself through the crowd. She pushed, jostled, and smashed through anyone stupid enough to get in her way, leaving angry shouts behind her. It took four agonizing minutes for her to make it to the school proper, and she took the stairs three at a time to get to the second floor. As she ran down the hall, she realized she was about to run past the PA room. She stopped outside the door, debating for a moment whether she had the time, decided she did, and ran inside.

She grabbed the PA microphone, turned it on, and shouted, "A BOMB HAS BEEN FOUND ON CAMPUS! I REPEAT, A BOMB HAS BEEN FOUND ON CAMPUS! EVERYONE EVACUATE RIGHT NOW! YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES!"

…

Suzaku grabbed Euphemia. "This way!" he shouted, trying to shove his way through the panicking crowd. Pandemonium had erupted, people kicking and screaming, falling and being trampled.

Euphemia stumbled over a man that had toppled and struck her arm on a steel edge. "AH!" she screamed. The pain was excruciating. Blood ran down her arm.

"Euphie!"

Suzaku lifted her up in his arms. He leaped on top of one of the stands, looking back and forth. The whole of the school was chaotic.

"We'll never make it out," she heard him murmur.

Tears appeared in Euphemia's eyes. "Suzaku!" she said through the pain. He looked down at her, his expression anguished. "I love you!" she told him, holding him with her good hand. "I love you so much!"

Tears were running down Suzaku's cheeks.

"Euphie..."

…

"Now that wasn't very fair!"

"Shut up, MAO!" C-Two hurled herself back out of the PA room, slipping on the floor as she did so. "You'll still get me when this is over!"

"Yes I will, C-Two. Yes. I. Will."
…..

"MILLY, COME ON!" Rivalz shouted, hauling her behind him.

The damn Tunnel of Love ride actually did break down when they were halfway through it. Milly hadn't minded it at the time, Hell she'd barely noticed. Her breasts were sore and her lips swollen, and she had been filled with the most wonderfully indescribable feeling in her belly.

That was all gone now.

They were forced to duck as they tried to sprint through the tunnel, knee deep in water, the electrical system fortunately turned off to make repairs, otherwise they'd have probably been electrocuted.

They could see the light at the end of the tunnel, but it was so far away, and they could only move so fast.

…

C-Two burst into the room Mao had indicated, and she immediately saw the computer console. "Screwdriver, screwdriver," she mumbled absently, searching through the room.

"Try the desk, C-Two."

She ran around behind it, jerked open the drawer, and pulled out a blue-gripped screwdriver.

She ran back to the computer, applying the head to the first of eight screws.

"You would pick the most complicated one!"

…

Sayoko lifted Nunnally bodily into her arms. The halls were empty, fortunately, as none of the activities had been inside the school.

"Mistress Nunnally, just hang on!" she begged, her strong legs pumping furiously.

"My brother!" Nunnally cried, weeping. "Where's my brother?"

"We'll find him, My Lady, I promise!"

Sayoko jumped over the nearest stairwell, landing with a practiced ease. She sprinted to the doors at the end of the hall, but when she tried to get through, the door was locked. She smashed into it with her shoulder, but still the door wouldn't open.

"GODDAMMIT!"

…..

"C-Two, I have a little confession to make."

"What is it, Mao?" C-Two twisted the fifth screw out with all of her might. Each one was secured tightly. "What did you use on this thing, a power screwdriver?"

"Yes, but that's unimportant. You see, there may be less bombs on those drones than you might think."

…..

"Suzaku!"

Suzaku and Euphemia looked up to see the Ganymede steaming toward them, knocking aside people and vendor stands alike. Blood splattered as the machine moved, but for once, Suzaku didn't care about that.

All he cared about was the girl in his arms.

The Ganymede stopped in front of them, Cecile piloting.

"Get in! Hurry!" she shouted.

Suzaku leaped in with Euphemia. Cecile jerked the yoke back through the crowd.

There were so many screams.

…

"What do you mean by that?" C-Two asked. She was on the seventh screw and had just one more to go.

"Well, you see, this whole thing was designed to trap Lulu. To be honest, I had no idea you'd be the one to pick up the phone."

"Then how were you planning on finding me?" She cleared the seventh screw and began working on the eighth.

"Well..."

"You didn't have a plan?" C-Two asked disbelievingly. "Why are my contractors always such dumbasses!"

…

"My Lady, cover your ears!" Sayoko shouted.

Nunnally did as told, crushing her hands over her ears, but that wasn't enough to drown out the unmistakable sounds of gunshots. Nunnally's enhanced hearing sent every last resounding blast screaming through her head.

She couldn't hear. She couldn't see. All she knew was the smell of gunpowder. She fell into a deep black well.

There was no bottom.

…

"I am not a dumbass, C-Two!" Mao protested. "Why, I think this plan is actually quite ingenious!"

"How so?" C-Two asked, straining against the final screw.

"Well, the last screw is the hardest one to get," Mao told her. "I mean, it should be. I glued it on, after all."

C-Two stopped. No. "What did you do?"

"There aren't any bombs on the drones," Mao replied. "But there is one in the computer."

The breath rushed out of C-Two.

…

"We're almost there!" Rivalz shouted. The mouth of the tunnel was just a few yards away.

"We're going to make it!" Milly shouted back.

…

The swimming hall was empty when Shirley surfaced, her eyes stinging. She could hear screaming outside.

"What's going on?" she wondered aloud.

She stepped outside of the swimming hall.

Lelouch was sprinting towards the school, holding his side painfully. He was still pretty far away, his run turning into a stagger.

"Lulu?" she said questioningly. She ran toward him, picking up speed as she saw the panicked expression on his face.

…

"Mao!"

"C-Two…

…

Kallen roared with fury. She couldn't get the stupid tombstone to move.

Is this it? Am I really going to die here? After finally making peace with her? Mom!

…

...I promise you…

…

Sayoko jumped through the shattered window with Lady Nunnally, leaving the smoking gun behind.

…

...It will only hurt for a second."

…

Shirley grabbed the front of Lelouch's coat.

"Lulu! What is it?"

Lelouch tried to push her aside.

"NUNNALLY!"

….

The computer exploded.

…

The Tunnel of Love came down. Rivalz covered Milly as it fell.

…

Sayoko was knocked off her feet. She and the little Princess soared several meters together, but Sayoko never let go. The ground rushed up to meet them.

….

Something hard struck the back of Shirley's head. The world turned red. She fell against Lelouch's chest.

"Lulu," she tried to say, "what just-"

Everything turned black.

…

A thousand paper cranes floated through the sky, carried by a hard wind, lovingly made by a blind girl and her attendant.

They all burned.