Imprints of the Anonymous
Must have been the Refrain.
He sees a scene of destruction, and then visions of the past.
Nunnally raises a paper crane before his eyes.
Rivalz is at his side and they are rushing towards a new Chess challenger; the wind strikes their cheeks and pre-trial triumph graces Lelouch's face.
Lelouch woke up.
--
It was the refrain.
The, the-- the drug (so distasteful, this word; C.C.'s voice, "That drug..." Zero dons his mask and for the first time speaks as his weaker alter-ego, "Please, do not speak of that.") messed him up, imprinted Rolo into the wrong parts of his brain--
Lelouch woke up.
--
Lelouch wheels Nunnally to the school garden and Suzaku is there. He guides her hands to the freshest, softest petals, gathers a bouquet for her beautiful, gentle hands. Rolo yawns.
"There's nothing to see here, Nii-san."
Lelouch woke up.
--
His fifteenth birthday. Student council presents him with a beautifully decorated pink, white, blue, brown, dark brown, cream, multi-coloured cake--
"Nii-san, I helped too," Nunnally says. Shirley says, "I helped Nunnally with the icing."
"Rolo did the icing," Milly says.
"What a beeeeautiful cake!" Rivalz exclaims, licking his lips, picking up the knife. The marvelous multi-coloured cake splits into two, merges, splits again; one image comes apart in pizza-shaped slices, the other separates in checkerboard squares. There is not enough of the first cake to share, but the second cake leaves leftovers.
Chocolate truffle slices melt on Lelouch's tongue.
"What's wrong with wanting happiness?" Rolo asks.
Lelouch woke up.
--
"Nii-san, are you all right?" The image of a brown-haired girl vanishes from his cloudy eyes to reveal a brown-haired boy.
"What did I say in my sleep?" he mumbled.
"Nothing," Rolo replied, and added, "Don't forget what you promised."
Lelouch woke up.
--
He teaches Rolo how to ride a bike. The concept of wheels is foreign to Rolo, Rolo can walk (Nunnally can't); Lelouch never goes to play basketball with Rivalz and the other boys and they all suspect, even Rolo: it's so Nunnally won't feel left out. Lelouch just remarks that he doesn't like it.
Lelouch woke up.
--
"Happy Birthday, Rolo," Lelouch says.
Rolo looks up from the locket he is fingering and says, "You can still pretend nothing happened if you go back now."
Lelouch woke up.
--
"You can still grasp happiness--"
Leloch woke up.
--
"I won't be going anywh--" Rolo's huge, inviting eyes swallow him and he falls, falls to his knees, keeps falling, down, down, down, down, down!
Lelouch woke up.
--
Rolo stares at him almost tenderly. "Lelouch--" he says, so desperately.
Lelouch woke up.
--
"I will be here forever, Nii-san."
Lelouch woke up.
Lelouch woke up.
Lelouch, wake up!
Can't you?