33 「Above the Festival」

Graham stood on top of the school beside Lelouch and C.C., wearing their academy uniforms. A small smile over his lips as he watched the people congregating. He knew who would be attending this affair. He had set up Villetta Nu with her future husband, Kaname Ohgi, giving him the missing memories as well.

While Lelouch thought it was nonsense playing matchmaker with the two of them, Graham still persisted. He wanted a world where the Japanese and Britannians could co-exist. Having another half-breed was just one small step.

His eyes gazed over the strangely dressed girl entering the premises. She had a personal attendant, one he could recognize from the hotel. It was clear that this person with the pink hair, and marching band hat, appeared to be the Princess Euphemia.

Lelouch caught on almost immediately, his eyes narrowing on her as they were about to cross paths with Nunnally.

It would appear to him as if Graham was playing chess with the pieces, but this was just a natural occurrence. He hadn't even tried to put Nunnally in her path as she would be there in the first place.

Graham turned towards Cera who was leaning on the rail. She was clearly exhausted and peeved. Before today, Graham had left her with renewing the title of Director of the Geass Order.

She had moved the various families and religious members to certain hidden locations throughout the Japanese mainland. These locations ranged from underground facilities such as bunkers and abandoned mountain bases.

The Geass Order was no longer found in a single city, but they were all connected together in some way or another. Being all in one place made them vulnerable to attack and they couldn't very well show their faces to the Britannian forces as Charles was sure to take vengeance for their act of disloyalty to the regime.

In time she believed that they could one day rebuild the City, but this time, Graham believed it should be above ground. The Geass was not something that should be kept secret. It was something people used to control others, to completely change the way war was even played.

So if everyone knew what the Geass could do, there would be caution and in turn it would give a country strategic resources. If they knew that Japan had such powers, they wouldn't invade willy nilly. Or if they did invade, they would have to have Geass of their own.

"Today she is going to make an announcement," Graham stated as he looked over at his two friends. His eyes coursing over that of Cera's face as she had lifted herself from the rail and walked over to him.

"An Announcement?" Lelouch asked as he looked over towards him with a brow raised. He was unaware of the reason why she was here at all.

"You remember the plan for her to grant Japan its independence?" He asked as he looked over at his best friend. A grin across his lips as Lelouch's eyes widened. "She is going to announce it today, once her cover is blown..." His eyes trailed back down to the grounds below as he watched Nunnally and the Princess make their way over to an empty area to sit down on some stairs.

"You should probably join Nunnally before she gets trampled by the Student Body and visitors." He snickered quietly to himself.

Lelouch blinked a few times hearing this and looked down at them. He could tell the disguise wouldn't hold very well, it was flimsy at best. She didn't put her all despite how many assets and resources she had to create a better one.

It was like watching one of those idols from those typical television dramas who tried to avoid being scene by wearing a cap, glasses and medical mask.

With that Lelouch had run off to join his sister down on the grounds of the campus.

"You know just what to say to send him off in just about any direction, don't you?" Cera asked with a sly titter complimenting her voice, hooking an arm around his as she walked him away from the edge.

"Oh? You noticed?" Graham grinned at her as she jabbed the side of his chest with her finger. He closed one eye in response to the pain, but there was little to no reaction otherwise.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Cera simply smiled now with her golden eyes taking in his face. "It's not fair, you know." She said nonchalantly as she peered away from him, still making him walk with her. It was as if he was a rag doll to her, even though he was letting her do this. "You spend time with the others, but send me off do your chores."

"My chores?" Graham shook his head at her choice of words before reaching over with his free hand and pinching his cheek. "You're the Director of the Geass Order. You're someone they're familiar with and someone they'd follow over anyone else."

Cera blinked hearing him say this, as if this role was tailored for her, which it had been in the past.

"If you don't take control, then the Order will be susceptible to suggestion, as it had under Charles' brother V.V., or am I wrong?"

She nodded in agreement to what he had said. Under V.V. they took part in the creation of weapons, they murdered people. They killed their own people. It was quite clear that the Geass Order had lost its pacifistic nature under her former colleague.

"I will continue to be the reason why you live. And I will continue to make a world worth living in," He said with a small smile across his lips now as he would caress the side of her cheek. Turning and moving himself in front of her. He kept his arm locked with hers, not allowing her to escape as he leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers.

"Is this world worth your river of tears?" Cera whispered to him as she reached up with one hand to touch his cheek as well. She nudged her face up toward his, poking her nose against his. "Will you find comfort in the lives you'll take?"

"Death is part of life, eventually some like myself grow numb to granting it. But I will never grow numb to loss," His eyes turned away from her for a moment. He could only imagine how he'd feel should he had lost one of his friends or someone dear to him. The people who support him, who have become his pillars, they are the people who are essential to keeping his psyche in check.

"So yes, I'd like to think that it'd be worth my river of tears."

Cera smiled hearing him say that he would never grow numb to loss. She knew all to well the feeling of loss, and she herself had tried to steel herself from it. However it never worked, she always fell in love, she always found someone she liked, then she watched them shrivel up and die. She had been alone for all too long, but now she had someone who was there for her.

He couldn't help but turn his head as he could hear Euphy's voice speaking above all the recent excitement from below. Her guise had failed and now she had been exposed.

Her announcement was loud, clear and brief. She declared that the Japanese would regain their sovereignty as the Japanese Empire and tributary state to Britannia. That she had the power invested in her to recreate the old Monarchy with new blood by her brother.

This wasn't something as small as the original idea to give them a small patch of land to call themselves Japanese. It was huge, it covered the entire homeland and the accompanying islands.

The question was that brewed in the back of everyone's head, did the Prime Minister's approval match that of the King's? Would this create an internal strife? There had been many people who let out murmurs, while others seemed to celebrate.

This has been the fastest advancement through the numeral system of the Britannian Empire. They were being accepted as an actual country, another state, rather than a territory.

This made many politically involved Britannians wary, but at the same time it seemed that it was assured that the Tokyo Settlement would remain unchanged. The old capital, Kyoto, was being rebranded as the Capital of the country once again.

The Ashford Academy was going to be an international Academy between for the Japanese and Britannians to promote coexistence and harmony. It was clear this little princess wanted to change the world...