DISCLAIMER

I don't own Code Geass, or Pizza Hut.

A Crane's Wish

"Geass, the power of kings, brings people solitude. Not completely true, is it?"

"Right, Lelouch?"

She goes silent as she looks towards the sky. The cool breeze lightly ruffles the grassy fields that surround her. The clear sky invites energy as much as calmness. However, this is not really a choice for the girl with green locks. She slowly closes her eyes and feels the soft cushion of the hay through her clothes. She turns to her left side, digging her cheek lightly into the yellow pillow that has been almost inseparable from her since she obtained it. Many sacrifices were made for such a simple revelation. She dares not waste the rare genuine peace that she has received in exchange. Finally, after a false eternity, she sleeps.

She stares at the pink paper crane. It is perched on a table, beside a box of pizza. "Wasn't this the one in that cart?" she mutters to herself. "How did I get here? Ah, I must be dreaming." She quickly concludes her confusion. She knows that when one fails to determine the exact origin of an event, it is most likely a dream. Dreams after all usually start in the middle of an occurrence, and whatever possible beginning triggered that event is untraceable. She grabs a slice of pizza and takes a bite. She is used to playing roles, and her presence in this dream is no different. She might even enjoy it, for a change.

She looks around the table, and notices that she was apparently folding cranes. No, she does not notice. She was folding cranes. Questions of reality fade as she grabs another sheet of folding paper after wiping her hands on some tissue. Origami is such a nostalgic pastime for her. It reminds her of what that little girl has taught her, and the boy that cannot be apart from such a memory.

A deep voice calls out to her with a complaining tone.

"What are you doing, using up your time like that?"

"You do realize that is the purpose of a pastime?

"And when did origami become yours?"

"Does it irritate you because it reminds you of your sister… complex?"

"C.C., do you really want me to cut off your pizza supply?"

She frowns, an infrequent expression.

"And do you want me to expose your survival to everyone you know, Lelouch?

Lelouch groans. He has never won an argument against her, but it never stops him from trying.

"What do I care? I'm immortal, I can handle something of that level. You will be the one at risk because you're just a normal girl now."

"A normal girl that can kick your ass." she thinks to herself, but decides not to say it. Even such a fabulous man deserves to keep some of his pride.

"Who do you think gave you that immortality? I expect gratitude, not this teenage rebellion. This is getting tiresome."

"I bet for you it is, having played mother to that Mao for such a long time-"

Lelouch catches himself, but much too late. C.C. did not change expression, but he has known her long enough to know he has overstepped his bounds. It was always like this with the two of them. Sarcasm and insults pervade their banter, but it was always Lelouch who loses his temper and speaks of something inappropriate. In a sense, he always won their arguments since he always gets the final word in, but he also understands that it was always his loss.

Fortunately, that understanding is also what keeps C.C. interested, as she herself would put it, in someone like Lelouch, even with all his past transgressions. She was not short of those herself, as he would constantly remind her. She did turn his world upside down, the entire world along with it, for her selfish desire. Now she has it, or more accurately, she is now able to have it. This is enough. Many things change with the addition of possibility, and that apparently includes her longing for an end, a surprising discovery even for herself.

Lelouch silently sits on the bed with his back turned to C.C. There is a view that can be seen from the window from where he is facing. Small hills dot the space outside the cabin. He looks at the scenery, trying to buy time as he decides how to make amends.

"Sorry."

C.C. shoots off a sarcastic laugh, without losing a hint of elegance that she always has even when licking up dripping mozzarella.

"What are you even doing? This sense of drama of yours never gets old. And I thought we had gone past this back turning thing."

Lelouch keeps silent.

"I can see your red ears from here."

"Shut up."

"Now we're even."

C.C. returns to folding a paper crane. This time she chose a sheet of paper with the same colour as her hair.

"Did you know that these cranes grant wishes? I heard that folding a thousand of them can make any wish come true."

"I know. I lived in Japan, after all."

"I actually hate cranes. They remind me of myself."

"I know."

"Mao and the others, do you think I was able to grant their wishes?"

"No, probably not."

"You're too honest at the wrong times, Lelouch."

"I know that too."

"Do you think that they regretted forming a contract with me?"

"I don't."

C.C. looks at the fold she just made. It was uneven.

"You're still young. Be careful of what you say. Things change."

"I'm prepared for it."

"When you told me about your plan that day, I was honestly against it."

"I planned it perfectly. No one would expect a corpse to disappear by itself. An emperor's wish to have his remains be cremated as is customary in his adopted homeland will obviously be respected, no matter how despised he is. Keeping the replacement corpse you prepared in the coffin from view was actually easier because of such hatred. Few wanted to see my face after my short reign, and those that did were obviously not in a position to be allowed to. They were technically my enemies after all."

"I'm not talking about logistics."

"I'm used to playing the villain, you should know that."

"That is nothing compared to tedium."

She had not revealed how much she lamented giving him immortality, enough to pray for forgiveness even if she knew such an act only served to ease her guilt. Lelouch was occupied with his final performance as the world's evil, and did not see her mask crumble in the church. It was just as well, she thought. Even such a brief respite from her controlled facade managed to save her a little, a luxury she never would have allowed herself if he was present.

"I'm sure that is true, coming from you." he snorts.

"Don't underestimate the burden I gave you, Lelouch. I was prepared to do anything for the sake of death, even manipulating everyone, including you. I was willing to sacrifice anything as well."

Lelouch smiles kindly, albeit slightly triumphantly.

"Not including me, though."

She quickly replies, "Stop bragging. I only decided to forego my end for the sake of a better one. I merely trusted your ability to fulfill the promise you made at that time." C.C. tries to speak arrogantly, but her tone betrays her intention.

"I've made preparations for that as well. Don't forget who you are talking to."

"Are you going to transfer the code to another person?"

"Of course." he says matter-of-factly as he turns to face her, "But not in this lifetime. I promised didn't I?"

C.C. shifts on her chair and glances at Lelouch, trying to discern his meaning.

He continues, "Death is unpredictable, and it would be hard to always keep you smiling if I'm busy trying to pass on this power to someone, even if it is just some pawn."

C.C. ironically erases any semblance of a smile on her face. Instead, she looks down as tears start rolling from her eyes. Lelouch slowly makes his way towards the other side of the bed, and sits in front of the normal girl there. Indeed, it was exactly as he said earlier.

"If the world gets rattled again, there is no guarantee Pizza Hut will survive this time around, after all."

He places his right hand on her cheek, not brushing away the tears, but catching them in acceptance. C.C. responds by taking his hand with her left, and brings it to her chest as she leans her head to his body. It ended up in what most would see as an awkward embrace, even though nothing could be more untrue.

C.C. closes her eyes, and makes a wish, "Then just buy the company and keep it alive for me."

She awakens. The inviting blue sky is once again spread in her view. This isn't the view from the window earlier. The small hills are gone, and the familiar bright green grassland has returned. Waking up from a dream comes with the recognition of reality. Dreams are merely that. When it ends, there is an instant when the person realizes what was part of the fleeting escape, and what is not.

It was a dream after all. No, it wasn't a dream. It was real.

She was now sitting beside him on the porch bench. This place isn't the cabin on the mountainside where they lived in before. In fact, it was halfway around the world, where the weather was more predictable, and sunny days were common. They didn't need to keep close for warmth here, but they did so anyway.

Lelouch notices her slight movements.

"You're awake."

"Where is the pizza?"

Waking up also reminds you of all that you have forgotten during a dream.

"You never change, do you?" Lelouch touches her cheek like he did before.

"You don't have the right to say that with that face."

C.C. can clearly feel the slight bumps and cracks as he ran his fingers lightly on her skin. There was a time when she longed for this to happen. Now, she could barely remember why she even did.

"You really should ease up on the pizza. You're not as healthy as you used to be."

"That's an understatement." she says as she smiles. Only half of the usual sarcasm is there, and it wasn't removed intentionally.

"You look happy. Did you sleep well?"

She rests her head on his chest and slowly speaks.

"I had a dream."

He looks at her inquisitively.

"About the past." she continued.

"What about it?"

"I dreamt about how you screamed like a girl when the cat stole your helmet."

"Wha-"

"And how you suck at any conceivable physical activity." she says slowly, almost drowsily.

"But that's-"

"And how you panic like a kid when things don't go your way."

"Hey, that's eno-"

"And I also dreamt of the time when I finally got to see you go dere." she whispers with a voice drifting into somnolence.

"That happened for you too, earlier I might add."

"And how you said my name."

Lelouch pauses before he replies, "I do that all the time, you know."

"I know, so please do it again."

"It's kind of embarrassing if you put it that way."

"Oh shut up and do it." she weakly grumbles as if in resignation.

Lelouch chuckles and answers, "Yes, your highness. Your wish is my command."

"That wasn't my wish though."

"I know, ******"

She lowers her eyelids to a close. A few tears slide down her cheek and eventually settle on the upturned corners of her mouth.

Lelouch's face flashes a look of despair, but it is quickly replaced by a melancholic smile.

"I guess it would be pointless if you're the only one doing it."

He gives her a soft kiss on the lips. Their lips touched without motion for quite a while. He eventually pulls away, and leans back on the bench.

"I guess I'm eating an entire pizza alone tonight."