18 「Kamine Island」

From the reports gathered by the Black Knights and sent to Graham, it appeared that he was running along the timeline that was taking place directly after the Battle for Narita. It was good to hear that Shirley's father didn't die. Now it was around the time that the Japanese Liberation Front was on their last stand.

At this time he was arriving at the uninhabited Island of Kamine, known as Kaminejima by the Japanese. For the time being, he was one of the few that knew about the ruins on the island. These ruins lead direct to the realm in which Geass originated. The realm in which Cera called home in a sense.

A thought elevator was all he needed, and with the help of Cera he would be able to ascend through that and steal V.V's code before Charles has a chance to do it almost an entire year later.

Though he believed that he would be able to get rid of his own Geass should he get V.V's code, he was unaware that if it wasn't Cera's code, then he would end up keeping his Geass.

The sleek black wedge shaped car pulled up onto the lovely beaches of the uninhabited island. However midway cruising up the beach, he hit the breaks and parked the car. Just meters in front of him was a man with white hair, air phones.

He was someone familiar, to both of them. Though only Cera knew him personally. It was Mao, the boy who took a contract with C.C. prior to her contracts with Graham and Lelouch. He frowned slightly seeing him. He was generally one of the most annoying characters he remembered from the show. Using his ability to read people's thoughts and deepest secrets, darkest desires, to manipulate people.

"C.C." Mao smiled wide, a rifle in his arms. His gun was pointed directly at Graham, as if it ever really meant anything. However, just then the smile slowly began to fade. His eyes narrowed on the contracted man who's both eyes were also holding the emblem of the Geass.

Just like Mao, his power has become unstable. Yet, as Graham kept a clear mind of any problematic thoughts, he opened the door and stepped out. He imagined himself killing Mao, but his own power didn't effect himself, unlike how Lelouch was able to make himself forget with his own Geass.

"You have... Interesting thoughts, Mister Graham." Mao stated as he leaned forward, narrowing his eyes as he took several paces towards them. Cera remained in the car. "She... You know her name... HOW DO YOU KNOW HER NAME!?"

It was clear he was digging into the man's mind. And it was clear to Graham they were followed by him. Thankfully, he knew Mao came alone. If anyone had come with him, or followed him, they would know.

"What?" Mao's eyes widen wide as his arms wouldn't listen to him. He had strange thoughts floating around in his mind. It was as if they were being added. Commands which he was attempting to reject.

Why did he suddenly want to kill himself? Why was he thinking of this? No, these were Graham's thoughts. How was Graham injecting these thoughts into him?

Mao's arms shook with defiance.

"The Emperor's Will," Graham said as gulls came crashing down onto the beach. The sound of necks snapping and feathers floating in the air. Death covered the island in the form of suicidal birds. Animals present rushed into nearby tries and herbivores he could see from the beach and learn the existence of, tried to eat meat.

Everything he knew of on the island that was alive or technological, began to contradict. Mao's eyes filled with tears as his focused switched to C.C. All he wanted was to take her away. To have her all to himself. All she had to do was come with him and he would leave them alone.

Why was she being so cruel? His face softened however seeing the expression on her face. She looked like she was about to cry, yet she already accepted that he was going to die.

It was as if she was looking at him, as if he was some sick, rabid, dog. It was as if this man named Tim Graham was the veterinarian who was to put him down.

Mao took a took a deep breath. On this island, there weren't many thoughts. There was only Grahams and his own, accompanied by the recorded words of C.C. He closed his eyes, the butt of the rifle rested in his palm. His other hand grasped the belly, his pinky caressing the curvature of the trigger.

"Goodbye Mao. Have a good rest mate," Graham smiled coyly as it was taking almost all of his constitution to try and focus on this little place. On the things he didn't care to affect.

"Goo–"

A loud crack, followed by a fleshy explosion could be heard, cutting Mao's last words off before they could even begin. The body remained standing for a few seconds before tipping over like that of a dead tree. Blood and brain chunks decorating the sands.

Graham just stood there staring at the mess. With a simple thought he had killed someone. While it wasn't someone who he regretted killing as they would get in the way. It let thoughts surface he didn't want to.

At least the thoughts weren't of actual people, just faces randomly generated in the back of his mind. He closed his eyes as he attempted to find his center. Then as he cleared his thoughts, he drew a deep breath, before releasing it quietly.

Cera stalked up beside him and looked down at Mao's remains before looking over at Graham with a sympathetic smile. She could see his Geass was already going out of his control. It had become super sensitive to his thoughts and he was trying to remain calm and level headed.

He didn't try not to think of things, he simply thought of certain things. Focused on certain things. If you try not thinking of something, then you're automatically thinking of the something you don't want to think about. That is how the mind worked. So he was distracting himself, that was the only way.

Cera grasped his forearm.

She was dressed in a school uniform which he had stored in the back of the car. It was one of her uniforms. Apparently he had packed her clothes for the trip, which she felt was somewhat cute. There was even a Cheese-kun plushie in the trunk.

Venturing into the ruins of the Island, they came across the cave he was looking for. As they entered it, the passageway lead directly to the door to the thought elevator. A small grin forming over his lips.

"Ready to sabotage the Emperor's plans... Dearest Graham?"

Hearing Cera's voice in his ear, he only smiled and gave her a glance. "Ready as I'll ever be, I assume." With that he gave a gentle wink as they approached the door. She placed her hand on it, she pulled his hand forward and pressed it against the door as well. Her hand which held his arm, now rested on the back of his.

The light show would begin as the door began to illuminate and so they vanished, disappearing from this worldly scene and into one like no other.

Standing upon a marble flatform, a world floating, surrounded by sunset and sunrise. A world governed by thought and conscious. The architecture was that of the neo-classical roman and greek.

They too were ruins, as this was the Ragnarok connection that the Emperor had sought. The realm in which Charles zi Britannia wished to use to reshape the world. The realm he would have been able to use to steal V.V's code if Graham wasn't about to do it himself.

As they began to their ascent up the stairs to the upper levels of the sword which was supposedly used to slay gods, a voice greeted C.C. as she was the first to reach the top. A childish one, an excited one.

"C.C.! You came back?" A short white haired boy came running towards the stairs, but skidded to a stop as the Graham clad in black ninjutsu attire, ascended from behind her.

"Huh?" V.V. stared at the person there. He thought he had sensed her enter, why did he feel anything from this person? His eyes narrowed on the Geass emblems the man seemed to have in both eyes. What was this?

"Hello little prince of lies," he referred to the boy as the devil.

It was clear now, C.C. wasn't here to return. She was here for something else. The look in her eyes had changed. Her self loathing was gone. She seemed to have found reason to live, much like the two who she had contracted recently.

"What... IS the meaning of this?" The little one, was clearly angry. This wasn't a betrayal, she had already left the Geass order behind, and yet this is how he felt it to be. A betrayal.

"I will be taking you code now, child." The moment he said this in this place of constructed thought, the world shook around them. A strange white and blue pulse shifted. The appearance of these particle effects may have been fictional and part of Graham's imagination, but it was clear. With his Geass used to control the heavens, the heavens stripped V.V. of his immortality, and just as quickly jettisoned him from the Sword of Akasha and back to the headquarters of the Geass Order.

Simultaneously stripping the Emperor Charles zi Britannia of his Geass, as well as others who had once made contracts with V.V. such as Rolo and the other Geass children of the Order.

He thought that in exchange for gaining a code from one of the immortals, he would have lost his Geass, that everyone would be safe. However as he looked into the eyes of Cera who's hands rested on each of his cheeks, the two Geass emblems which consumed his hazel green eyes, hadn't left him.

"I expected too much," Graham sighed morbidly and snickered quietly to himself. He felt her fingers trace down to his jaw, and tuck behind his ears. With his head in her grasp, she pulled his head down to hers, resting their foreheads together.

"Immortality... Isn't all that it's made out to be, is it?"

Raising a brow at the words she shared, he nuzzled his nose against hers. "Not what I meant," he responded as he gently caressed her cheek once he reached up to touch her face. "Are you ready to return to the Order?"

"You didn't say anything about going to the Order," Cera hesitated, "What are you planning to do?"

"The Geass Order will serve the Neo-Japanese Empire as it had Britannia under V.V. and Charles..."