Epilogue 01: Not Reconstruction but Reformation

I gotta be honest; I did not plan to write…any of this when I finished this story back in December, but well…you all really wanted to learn more I can admit I rushed to finish shit, so there were a lot of things that weren't explained. So, to do that and appease all of you who are just hungry for more, I'll be releasing 3 epilogue chapters that detail how things in the world changed from that final battle to that final scene where Lelouch is just enjoying some quality time with his consorts and kids.

However, because I had no plans to write these, some things from the final chapter will be altered here. You'll know it when you see it, so…yeah, enjoy. Also, No, I'm not going to start posting on Sundays. This was only done because planning for this took longer than planned. The next one will come out on Saturday.

Epilogue 01: Not Reconstruction but Reformation

The rising sun had welcomed the land with a warm embrace. Spring may be in its final weeks before the heat and rains of summer. However, the sweet scent of cherry blossoms still reigned, flowing through the air of the land once known as Japan, then Area 11, before its name changed again, now known as the Imperial Crown colony of Japan. Though most hardly bothered with such a long name, Milly was very much one of them.

'Really, I would have thought Kallen would have got him to pick something that rolls off the tongue more.' Milly thought to herself with a smile, as Lelouch, for all his skills, could miss the writing on the wall. If he hadn't been such a tool at romance, he would have been dating Shirley long before she forced them.

'Shirley…' Milly frowned just a little as she remembered her friend, but she didn't let grief take her. She knew she was in a better place and would be so happy that the council was back together despite it all. "Well, maybe she would have an issue with how much power we have." Milly couldn't help herself. She laughed as Shirley was always a prude, at least by her standards. She always objected to her plans and teasing.

There was no way she would appreciate the fact that Milly was now the Duchess of Tokyo and able to run it how she pleased. Who would check her? Lelouch? Kallen? They wouldn't have surprised her with the appointment if they didn't want her to rule. However, she found it juicy that despite her parents still alive, Lelouch skipped over them to hand her the title directly.

“They wished for the Ashford name to return to nobility; well, will they have their wish," Lelouch stated that when she asked him about it, At the time, she and her entire family had been summoned to the imperial court where he made the declaration, her parents had been gobsmacked and tried to get him to change his mind, arguing that she was too young, too inexperienced with running a great house, nevermind a duchy which they could manage till she was of age.

Her grandfather broke protocol and, in the audience with his majesty, in front of all his lords and ladies, laughed. Something that would have lost your head during the reign of Lelouch's father or grandfather got him little more than the emperor, reminding him to save his laughter for later when they could sit in private and drink about it.

The fact that her parents, who for years tried marrying her off to any high-ranking noble they could, were made fools in front of the court was something that both stunned her and also brought a smile to her face. The Ashford had holdings in the homeland but lost those when they had been all but exiled from court years prior; they had made a home for themselves in Area 11, now Japan. So their duchy would reflect that as Lelouch took the old prefectures of Tokyo, Saitama, and Kanagawa and fused them into a single entity.

Tokyo would still serve as the colony's capital, and Lelouch did appoint a new Viceroy, an Earl who, at the very least, seemed smart enough to abide by the new imperial edicts and laws. But when her family controlled the literal land under them and could call the 3 largest settlements and all their assets, wealth, and manpower in the colony 'in their domain'…well.

It was clear why she was the duchess. If she so chose, she could effectively run the show.

‘But where’s the fun in that? I love being the boss, but I do it to make people happy,' Milly mused, as no doubt that was part of why Lelouch passed her parents over when he appointed her the duchess. He didn't want tension between Ashford, who controlled a significant stake in Japan, and his imperial government. She was content, and considering her title, she would need to have kids…eventually and instill in them the same principles she lived by.

"Yes, those with power should use it to help people remember to smile," Milly said as she got up and walked towards her apartment window. She would move to a better, more fitting abode later, but from here, she had a great view of it.

Tokyo Settlement…or what was left of it.

It had been over 11 months since the FLEIJA was used for the first time, and even now, the scar over the city, her city, was so clear she bet it could be seen from space. With the chaos that came from it, then Charles's death and Lelouch's rise to power and essentially taking a sledgehammer to Britannian society, culture, and law, the local government, with no Viceroy or even most officials, was in no shape to do anything but block off access to it.

People hoped that the emperor's choosing Ashford for his conference with the UFN meant that he didn't forget about them and that support and funding from the homeland would soon see the Tokyo settlement restored to its former glory in just a few years.

Then Pendragon got wiped off the map, and whatever resources Lelouch was planning to send their way were instantly diverted to the gaping wound where their capital used to be. Things just kept moving after that. The battle of Damocles, setting up an entirely new capital on the other side of North America, the first royal coronation in a century, rushed meetings with the UFN, the Damocles trials, the imperial wedding, millions of numbers becoming citizens.

There was just too much to do, even for the man of Miracles, and because of that, Japan had been neglected. Tokyo Settlement had barely seen a penny of imperial funds earmarked for reconstruction, only additional forces despatched just in case the UFN tried something while the empire was preoccupied.

"But not anymore," Milly declared. She had been plotting this for weeks now, with many sleepless nights, calls with professionals, and even a conversation with Lelouch to get his input, as he always had a knack for stuff like this.

But it was worth it, as her laptop contained all of it. Making sure it was in his bag, she got dressed in one of her newly brought dresses, a lovely little canary yellow and blue number that matched her station but wasn't too pretentious and non-functional. She still needed to be able to move and work in it, after all.

That done, she summoned her bodyguards and butler. The 5 men entered her apartment with the skill and grace befitting their position as they bowed to their Lady.

“You summoned us, Lady Ashford?” Her butler, an older gentleman, asked.

"Prep my car. I shall be heading to the Temporary Viceroy Building, " she told him, as there was no more public transport for her. Besides, the train line from her apartment to the Viceroy was destroyed anyway, and she would rather not have to take the detour.

“At once, my Lady.” Her butler nodded before she left; her bodyguards remained as they waited, as it wouldn't take long. She didn't have a mansion, but she did have the cash to buy out the rest of the tenants for the 3-floor floors below her, giving space for her newly acquired staff to live and work close to her.

As she had come to expect from the man, her butler returned minutes later with news that her driver was waiting for her. Thanking the man, she directed him to carry her laptop bag and follow her as she made her way to the elevator. She had a meeting to get to.

Line Break

Unlike the former viceroy palace, which had been one of the tallest and grandest buildings in the settlement, located at its very center, the temporary Viceroy building was merely a large office building close to the middle ring of the settlement, one of the few large buildings that had been out of the blast zone of the FLEIJA.

It used to be some business, maybe a banking or an investment company, but Milly didn't recall which. Only that they had been booted out under imperial degree, and the place was hastily converted into a government building. However, one with only half a proper workforce as while the attack had been predicted, no one at the time believed that the Viceroy palace was under serious thought, not when it had fended off the Black Knights the first time and had even gone through upgrades to its security.

Arrogance and a little scheming from Schneizel would see that belief shattered, and with it, dozens of career government workers for all sectors were killed, many more killed as they lived close to work, and their homes were taken in the pink light. Most of the workforce were new hires, some having been sent in from Areas 11 and 12 to bolster things.

When Milly walked in, her security at her sides and back, she noted that even now, despite the labour shortage, there were next to no Japanese people working there. She pursed her lips as if it was only a sign of bad things, but she perked back up as she approached the receptionist.

"Morning, my Lady. Do you have an appointment with the Viceroy?" The young woman, maybe her age and clearly new and nervous, asked her.

"Nope! But I know he should be free right now, so why don't you call him and tell him Milly's here to talk?" Milly replied, as she could have acted like a duchess should…but she much preferred to act like Milly. Besides, the Lady needed it, as the last thing a nervous person needed was an overly demanding client.

“Oh…well, of course, my Lady.” The girl nodded as she called up the Viceroy's assistant. Milly only heard her end of the call, but it was enough for her to hear before it was confirmed that she had been right: the Viceroy was free and willing to meet with her. “He’s expecting you in his office.”

"Thank you. Have a lovely day!" She waved the woman off as she made her way deeper in, not needing an escort or guide as this wasn't the first time she had been there, and if she had way, she'd be spending much more time there. Riding the elevator up to the 27th floor, her heels hit the ground with confident, long strides as she smiled and waved at the workers she saw, some blushing, which always made her happy. Her dress was business-orientated, but it did a bang-up job presenting her womanly charms.

Getting to the man's office wasn't nearly as luxurious or large as the Viceroy's had been. Still, it served its purpose and, if Milly was honest, matched the man who occupied it all the more.

The 40-something-year-old has steely grey eyes that convey that he is a professional who doesn't accept nonsense or incompetence from himself or others. Clearly, a career bureaucrat, which for a man with such a demeanor, must have made it incredibly stressful. He was already balding, though he didn't bother hiding it, leaving a visible area on his head where his crisp blonde hair was thinner. Much like her, he dressed like a man of his station should, which was something a certain pudding-loving Earl she knew had to be coerced into doing.

“Duchess, I wasn’t expecting you today. I hope you’re well.” The man stood up and welcomed her with a bow and then a handshake.

"I know; I wanted to make it a surprise. As for my health, it's in good condition, but my spirit is as low as dirt." Milly replied as the man blinked.

"Oh, well, can I do anything to help with that?" Milly couldn't help but giggle at how literal the man could be. How someone like that survived the imperial court, where double meanings, implications, half-truths, and downright lies had dominated for years, was beyond her.

"There very much is. I've made my home here the same as my family. We didn't have the status, reach, or wealth of the past, but we were happy. We could do something that would benefit the people and the empire." Milly told him, walking towards the window that just happened to give him a good view of Ashford Academy, the school damaged by the FLEIJA but still functional enough that it could start its spring semester without too many issues.

The Viceroy looked in the direction of the school as well. "Yes, Ashford Academy. I heard that it was a very…different school." He struggled to find a polite way of saying improper, but she didn’t mind. Ashford had always been liberal by the standards of the empire, even freely accepting Eleven students where others refused.

“Why be boring and act like the others? Ashford was and still stands as a place where young minds can develop into free and independent spirits! But we can discuss that later, as my issue isn't with the school but the settlement." Milly waved that off, her eyes going to the gaping crater in the middle of the settlement, one where water from hundreds of wrecked pipes had caused a small lake to form at its bottom.

"Oh yes, I don't feel the same as you. I've only been here for the last 3 months. Still, I can say that it's appalling that such a thing has been allowed to exist as long as it has. However, we still lack manpower, resources, and materials. Not to mention that with millions lost, we've faced a serious brain drain and need to wait on engineers from other areas and the homeland."

The Earl sighed as he returned to his seat. He had been working on that for a while, but things had been incredibly slow. With the reforms passed, most areas needed to build the infrastructure to account for millions now being considered citizens, so they couldn't be forced into ghettos and shanty towns anymore. Made worse was that while several engineering firms had been willing to hear his requests, they just found themselves lacking the capacity to send the necessary labor.

“Well, there is a way to speed things up.” Milly spoke up, as she had heard about this before. "Japan used to be a hub of science and engineering, and millions of people are now citizens. We can easily recruit them for the work."

“The Elv…Japanese?” The Earl blinked.

“Nope, Japanese-Britannians.” Milly used the term that seemed to be catching traction, at least with former honorary Britannians who seemed eager to integrate: "The previous settlement was something to dismiss. It was one of the best we've built since Japan is known to be an earthquake hotspot, but we failed to consider local culture and history when building it. It was a purely Britannian construction, built by Britannian firms, engineers, and all kinds of expects."

She left out the part where the Japanese-then Elevens had made up the workforce and how tens of thousands died or were injured during it; with little effort made to fix that, why would they be? They were numbers? It wasn't something she had known; only after speaking with Kallen and learning how she had lost friends who signed up to work did she realize that from the literal ground up, the settlement was built from blood and suffering.

"But the empire isn't the same as when the settlement was built, so shouldn't the new settlement reflect that?" Milly asked as she wished to ensure that such a thing never happened again. She wanted to be different from the people who came before her, to create a system that she could look back on with pride when she was old, grey, and hopefully still fun.

The Earl, for his part, didn't laugh at her proposal and seemed to consider it. Japan was once a more minor player that could hit above its weight category, but that had been years ago, and it wasn't like the empire had been kind to its Japanese subjects then. The memory of the massacre of the princess came to mind. "Still, can we truly trust them to aid in its construction? It's not as if most would ever benefit from it."

“Do you know why so many followed Zero, Earl Beverly?” Milly asked him out of nowhere, to which the man took a moment to think it over before he eventually shook his head. Milly walked back to his desk, leaning on it, though his eyes remained on her face rather than her bust. "It was because we gave them no choice. Zero embodied something that any government needs to give its people: Hope and dignity. We called ourselves enlightened and yet left millions suffering in poverty and disease while we built our cities through slavery and stolen wealth."

She sighed, her shoulder slumping as she spoke. “I always hated that about the empire, about emperor Charle’s insistent desire to build us as the best and burn everything else to the ground. For all its glory, Tokyo settlement was a prime example of that, and well…if there is holy justice, we surely suffered it for our arrogance."

Beverly frowned, making it sound like God was at fault for their woes. "We suffered that fate because of the Knight of One and Ms. Einstein, who, as memory serves, is one of your closest friends."

Milly wasn’t offended by the comeback; she knew it was true and that both Suzaku and Nina had little love from Britannians for their actions. It was partly thanks to their efforts in the battle of Damocles that neither had people calling for their arrests…or heads.

“Both would only get as far as they did because of our arrogance. And for our hubris, the very weapon we created to dominate the world, would near see us as a nation and people wiped out." She reminded him that while Schneizel was held at fault for all of it, one would need to be a fool or bury one's head in the sand so as not to understand how he manipulated others to act as he pleased. Nina freely admitted at court that Schniezel never ordered her to develop or even bring the FLEIJA to Area 11 but merely fed into her obsession to see Zero dead and let her move relatively how she wish

ed.

More than most, Milly knew the anger, grief, and hate that had fuelled Nina. She knew it still existed in her, as it did in millions across Japan. How long would the next Schneizel light the powder keg take? She didn’t know, but they could attack the issue by going for the emotions and frustrations such a figure would rely on.

"We can't return to that, but people are still scared. Emperor Lelouch is fresh air, but decades of stigma, distrust, and hate don't just vanish overnight. And if we just look at it and decide that it's too difficult to solve today, then when? When will it be solved? Should we let it compound into a greater beast for the next generation to handle?" She told the man, who leaned back into his chair, his brow creased as he chewed on her words.

"Say for a moment, I agree with this; there are still several things that would need to be done, the First of which is that we need imperial approval and funds if we did this differently, costs just for labor would skyrocket, and while the Fuji mines and others like it have continued uninterrupted, that alone won't fit the bill." Beverly pointed out that they couldn't use the Elevens as slaves or forced labor because they were no Elevens anymore. He could already see it costing tens of billions if they were even paid the minimum wage for even the most demanding jobs.

“I already have some solutions to that, Peter, my laptop.” Milly stepped back, her butler handing her the laptop case. Pulling it out, she powered it on and sent it into her files, opening up the biggest one, which happened to be a 50-page proposal with stats, graphs, tables, math, and evidence she had done twice before having someone with greater expertise than her go over it twice.

Turning it around, she presented it to him to go over, the Earl starting from the top. As he read, she explained the contents: "While it's true that Sakuradite operations were fortunately untouched by the FLEIJA, we need to consider the long-term stability of both it and the colony itself."

"The empire isn't the same as it once was, where we answered challenges and disruptions with hammers and bullets. Should things remain as they are, or even if we just repeat the sins of the past, we'll find ourselves facing an economic and political crisis, one that the UFN will be more than willing to ferment, which, at best, sees us lose the colony and at worse, see a mass lynching of Britannians as Zero was at least willing to try and keep collateral down, but we can't be sure the possible-no, inevitable 3rd attempt should we not make the changes now, will be as safe for the people.”

The Earl followed along quickly enough. Milly even included the projected costs it would take to police and then cracked down on Japan alone should they attempt to use their tried and true tactics and how those funds could be better used elsewhere.

“My 12-year reformation plan will pay for itself and more in reducing social unrest, strengthen co-operation between Britannians and Japanese Britannia ions, and create employment for millions, thereby creating billions of tax revenue and further investment into Japan," Milly stated, framing the entire thing less for humanitarian reasons and more economic and security, which would be harder for the homeland to reject.

As she explained it to him while the Viceroy read over it, he saw that she had divided her plan into four three-year phases.

The first has objectives like rebuilding essential infrastructure and working on building trust between them and their Japanese population with projects like demolishing the ghettos, building proper, affordable housing and hospitals, and opening up schools to Japanese students. He didn't miss how the Ashford stood to gain tens of millions from that last part. Oddly enough, funding would come from private investments from noble houses and companies.

The second phase would focus more on laying down the foundations for long-term economic growth and modifying the existing well-maintained infrastructure to support the new businesses that would be encouraged to crop up in automotive, regional and international trade, telecommunications, aerospace, consumer and industrial electronics, finance, chemical research and development, and robotics.

There was more to it, but what she highlighted was impressive enough. The second phase planned to achieve that through building transportation, industrial, and commercial hubs with vocational training and small business support. This would create and support the massive labor force, both skilled and unskilled, required for it all. Unlike the first, funding would be sourced primarily through joint government and public partnerships and loans from the government.

The third phase would see Japan moving from its reliance on the Sakuradite mining operation. Milly had to take a break here to accept a glass of water offered. Her projects for this phase would be digging into their long-abused and misused tourism industry and investing in it, which would require that they set aside funds and manpower to restore the many cultural sites that were destroyed or neglected by prior administrations, while also working on increasing their capacity for creating new homes, both adorable and affluent. Funding was to be sourced through tax incentives to companies.

The fourth and final phase would focus more on social integration and political representation than the rest combined, with efforts to open up and promote better inclusion of Japanese in municipal decision-making. This would call for the inclusion of dozens of Barons, Viscounts, and even Earls in conjunction with local councils.

It also heavily focused on investment in education throughout the board for Japanese and other low-income families, all the way to high school, with programs to help pay to send exceptional students to universities both locally and across the empire while domestically, health and social services would be expanded and updated to be accessible and as affordable for the resistant as possible, with the government needing to pay a pretty pound to ensure such, money that would come through a revenue-sharing scheme to ensure the city receives a fair share of national resources and issuing sustainability bonds.

“The metrics for success that we’re working with would see that by the end of the 3rd year, we would have created 25,000 housing units, 15,000 jobs, and 300 new businesses open up. By the end of the second phase, we should have built another 75,000 housing units but created 50,000 jobs and seen 800 new businesses, small and large, open up. The third phase should see another 100,000 housing units added, but seen 160,000 jobs and 1200 new businesses."

Line Break

“I’m exhausted.” Rivalz turned to his dormmate, who was slumped over his desk.

"You were the one who stayed up late, " he reminded him. But while their third dormmate kept working on his homework, Rivalz walked over to his slumped-over classmate, who looked up at him with clear bags under his eyes.

"I was behind on my courses. What, do you want me to fail the class?" He asked him, the 20-year-old missing the days of high school as Ashford made him forget how exhausting school could be with how many fun things would happen. Tokyo Imperial University was nothing like that; from the campus to the teachers, it was all just for study, practice, and classes.

"You could have asked if you needed help, you know; my door's always opened," Rivalz reminded him, smiling when his tired dormmate looked so ready to remind him that they had the same door, but he held his tongue.

“I know, but you’re busy enough as is. You and the others need to work on those designs.” He gestured to Rivalz's desk as the mechanical engineering student had found himself roped into their 3rd dormmate’s civil engineering project.

That was helping to completely redesign the road network for the settlement, which, thanks to Milly's proposal and charisma, got off the ground over a year prior. With those tens of billions in pounds, they had set to work fast as the surrounding ghettos were slowly being cleared away, new blocks were being added to the settlement, the crater was being filled in, etc. All these things happened night and day, with those who worked the night shift paid double due to safety concerns.

While, as she had wanted, most of the work was being done by Japanese-Britannians, many Britannians had also signed up, even for the low-paying grunt work, which seemed to be a net positive, as who cared about your ethnic background when you were both blue-collar?

Even university students like him were roped into it, as everyone from those studying to be teachers to medical students in Area 11 were spending time in the field, working internships or, in his case, helping to redesign the destroyed road network, one which would need a greater emphasis on public transport as most Japanese-Britannians would have access to a car and the trains couldn't be their only mass means of public transit.

"I definitely didn't think it would be that hard. You never think about how you need to take into account sewage, water, and power lines when you do something like plan a road." Rivalz complained, as he got that the settlement was complicated. It was a multi-layered beast, but it seemed like every layer tripled the complexity of the design.

"My dad always complained that the older cities on the east coast are always working on maintenance and that they should just upgrade shit. We have a blank cheque, which still keeps us up at night!" The third, David complained as he had been the one trusted with the lion’s share of the project by their professor, a decision he was questioning as who thought 2nd years could handle half this shit?

“Rivalz, you gotta get Milly to get us more time.” He turned to their motorcycle-loving dormmate, who blushed at Milly's name being mentioned.

“Wait, why are you bringing her up?” He asked, David not roasting him for his apparent as-day crush on their former student body president turned noble overlord. Hell, he didn't even make a joke that she hadn't tried to have a settlement-wide event like Cupid Day or a cat hunt.

"Duh, she's the duchess, man, and we all remember what she was like in high school," David stated, with Sebastian, their tried dormmate, nodding along.

"Guys, she's not involved with the nitty gritty stuff. She was complaining about board meetings when we last spoke. I show her this, and she'll be more confused than we are.” Rivalz reminded them that Milly was so busy with her duties in court. To the duchy she ran, she couldn't even attend regular classes and instead had to fit in tutoring sessions when she had time.

“Yeah, she’s really left us in the dust. Like, she was a noble before but like…approachable?” David seemed unsure how to put it.

"You mean broke? You probably thought you had a chance with her." Sebastian told him, which David flustered as he waved his hands about.

“She was hot.”

“Was?”

“You know what I mean!” Rivalz, despite feeling fear and anger towards someone showing Milly romantic interest, laughed at how his dormmates were bickering about it. He could relax, right? Milly wasn't in a hurry to marry anyone and was an attractive woman by all metrics. He would be insulted on her behalf if they weren't at least a little interested. "Besides, you saw how exhausted Rivalz and the rest of the council got with her. You date her, and you'll live more off coffee than you already do."

“Yeah, I need a woman that knows how to slow down, and enjoys it, you know?” Sebastian leaned into his chair, looking at the bland ceiling fan. Rivalz and David joined him, their work forgotten as the 3 commoners just…remised about their high school days. Ashford had always been crazy; Milly all but demanded it, but they were the ones who were part of the grade, part of the class that housed some of the modern era's biggest names.

The FLEIJA's inventor? The mousy girl who did her best to blend into the background.

One of their consorts? The sickly girl who, surprise, was a terrorist and bad-ass knightmare pilot.

The Knight of One? The Eleven transfer that seemed to have the shittiest luck with cats.

The Duchess of Tokyo? The perverted Student council president half the boys, including all of them, had crushes on.

Their reigning emperor? The lazy guy who couldn't finish a lap without looking like death warmed over.

All of them were people who were just…different from them. Sure, they didn't see themselves as lazy, but they also weren't the type of people who could say in the mirror, 'I'm going to change the world' and mean it. Great for hyping yourself up, but most would only see it like that. And because of that, while their former peers soared to even greater heights, they were still on the ground, nearly losing sight of them.

"Speaking of slowing down, you forgot to label where the stop signs will be for 8th through 12th Street." David yawned, gesturing to Sebestian's desk, where he had a drawing pad and computer set up. The dark-haired student looked at David like he was crazy, then went over his work just to assure himself that…

“Dammit!” Sebastian cursed as he saw that he had forgotten, and to make it worse, he had kept working for 3 hours as if he had; now, he would need to alter things to account for the proper signage placement.

Line break

Rivalz's day went as usual—well, typical for him, as he was kept busy outside attending morning classes and afternoon workshops. He checked his phone now and then, but there was nothing besides a message from his mother.

He didn't let that get him down. He wasn't a child anymore and wouldn't make a big deal out of it. Even his dormmates were swamped with work. Just the previous night, there was some news about a new bill that was up for debate in the House of Lords, and Princess Artemis and Naoto were born only that February and March. Nina…well, she was always busy these days.

He was busy and didn't plan to go out or do anything. He would just finish his time in the workshop and return to his dorm to rest before returning to work. At least, that had been the plan until he got a message from David to meet him out for a quirk drink. He thought nothing of it, nor did he suspect much when he realized it was one of the nicer clubs in the city. It wasn't like David was poor.

“Happy birthday!” The entire room yelled when Rivalz came in, poppers going off in his face as the man yelped and nearly fell on his ass. Looking around, he saw that the place was waiting for him, with everyone present, from his mother and some of her friends, Sebastian and David, the former holding up a cold glass of beer in salute, and then there was the student council-all assembled in comfy commoner clothing. A massive cake sat on the table while a happy birthday banner hung from wall to wall.

“What?” he asked as Milly jumped, wrapping him up in a big hug. This hug allowed him to take in her perfume as she placed a party hat on his head.

“Oh, come on, you didn’t think we would forget, did you?” She smirked at him, her eyes shining with that same mischievous light that made her the bane of so many at Ashford.

“But-but you said you were busy the entire week!” Rivalz pointed out, nearly pulling his phone out to show her the texts she sent him, only for the duchess to blow a raspberry.

"I am busy. I had to plan all this and keep you in the dark." She gestured to the place, the people, the food, drink, and the decorations, as they had to all arrive an hour early to set things up.

"We must keep it a secret that we were traveling out of the capital." Lelouch chuckled as he walked up. He was the most powerful man in the world, looking like an amused, if exhausted father. The reason is apparent as all 3 of his consorts were present; C.C. waves from where the Pizza was, helping herself while on her lap, and her 4-month-old babysat as her mother breastfed her. Kallen stood with her hands on her hips, and her son held Naoto, who was held by his father. The redheaded baby was constantly pulling at his dad's face and hair.

“We didn’t want your day to get swamped with news about us. You only turn 20 once, right?” Kallen gave him a quick hug as Suzaku handed Rivalz a drink. The man noted that it was the same type he had tried to use way back when Kallen first entered the council, and the redhead's smile told him she was aware of that.

"You haven't even turned 20 yet, and already you're a mother." Rivalz pointed out that, as her birthday was in August, she was quite young to be a mother. However, seeing how Lelouch's mother had him when she was 18, it wasn’t something that made all that much waves at court, at least according to Milly.

Kallen certainly didn't care about it, as she shrugged. “Who cares?” Her mother voiced concern, but she became a terrorist fighter as a team and rose to the heights that people 20 years her senior could only dream about. Oddly enough, parenthood was the one thing that she felt fully ready for; she looked forward to it as at least she would be nurturing a soul, seeing something innocent grow rather than cooking people alive.

"One would have assumed you'll wait a few more years." Suzaku quipped, looking away when her grace turned her fiery glare towards him.

“Like Cecile hasn’t been giving you bedroom eyes every time I’ve seen you two together.” She snarked back, getting him to swallow his drink down the wrong tube.

As the two started to argue, Nina, ever quiet, handed Rivalz a small, colorful, wrapped box. The spectacled woman offered him a small but sincere smile. “Happy birthday, Rivalz. I hope you like my present.”

Looking at him, he shook the thing a little to try and figure out what it contained before he gave her a smile in turn, wrapping a one-handed hug around her. "Hey, a present from a friend is always a great thing. It could be a paperweight, and I'll like it."

“I feel like I put more thought into it than that.” Nina smiled back, and they turned to Milly.

"Nope! You'll see my gift later. Right now is party time!" Milly cheered, and others followed her example.

“I think I’ll swing by my ma first, then we can catch up.” Rivalz gestured towards his aging mother, who seemed to be in a conversation with Leila. Both women were seated, the younger of the two being six months pregnant.

"Sounds good to me; just don't take too long. There are some good gambling spots I wanted to run by you for your next trip to the capital." Lelouch told him, only for Kallen to pull on his ear, how and when she got so close, Rivalz didn’t know.

"Oh no, you don't! You're not going anywhere near one of them until I'm sure you're not going to dump baby duty on me!" She scolded him, pulling him as he tried to get away. Her grip wouldn't give, and he couldn't jostle too much when he held Naoto, the baby just watching as he said gibberish.

"I said I was sorry; there was an emergency meeting of the House of Commons!" Rivalz left the two to their devices, grabbing a plate with a pizza slice as he walked towards his mother, kissing her on the cheek as he sat beside her. Getting into conversation with the two, they caught up with each other as the party continued, with games brought out, all picked by Milly, which left some people red-faced when she floated the idea of a strip poker if only to see their reactions.

Looking over things, he saw Lelouch seated with Kallen and C.C. The three fussed over their kids, who seemed to have passed out and were cradled as they slept in their mother's arms, Lelouch having his arms around both shoulders. Seeing such a sight made him laugh when he recalled something.

“What seems to be funny, Rivalz?” Leila asked, setting her juice aside, the pregnant woman avoiding the alcohol like the plague.

“Nothing just,” He recalled a conversation that felt like it happened decades ago, not 3. The day that would change everything for all of them. And Lelouch's response when he asked if he had plans to lead an organization. "I kinda figured that he'd end up like that. And yet he's still here." He finished, as his friend had a habit of power coming to him. Yet, even with the crown's weight, Rivalz could still recognize his friend as the same person he had befriended, having returned to spend time with him.

“Because friends will always be important. No point spending so much time in the sky you forget what the ground and its beauty has to offer.” Leila told him, smiling. He returned it right after Milly announced it was time to cut the cake.

Line Break

The command center Akito occupied was spartan, even by Britannian standards but he had long since used his authority as the Knight of Three to keep things practical, as he had no need or interest for the same opulence that his Britannian peers seemed to insist as necessary which was more an excuse for them to live as comfortable as possible, even while on a military operation.

Akito was different. Despite his rank and skills, he lived in quarters that, while better than those of the average soldier, only equated to those of a mid-level officer.

“My Lord, the shipment of medical supplies has arrived.” He looked over to a soldier who just entered and saluted him.

"Have the quartermaster and chief doctor inspect them. We're working with older equipment and drugs here, and we don't want any adverse side effects," Akito replied.

“Sir!” As the soldier turned and left, Akito could conclude that if there was one thing about their emperor's reforms that he was unhappy with, it was the logistics. No matter how intelligent, charismatic, and politically savvy he and Leila were, expanding Britannian infrastructure to account for tens of millions in just a few years stretched things thin.

He was lucky enough that they still had warehouses of older supplies, but they had been tapping into them more as the industrial sector slowly moved away from a military-centric production model funded by noble houses with stakes in it and conquests. The UFN and Britannia might be in something of a cold war, but the empire had been cutting back on its military to focus on domestic affairs.

Good thing, too; otherwise, dealing with this hurricane's aftermath would have been nearly impossible for them. He hadn't known just how bad they could get in the gulf, but while the settlements were largely intact, with civil authority able to handle any damage, outside the settlements where the former numbers lived was another story, as the town they were despatched to had been leveled by the storm. Essential services were knocked out or heavily damaged; they had been working with dozens of generators to power everything from their temporary base to the shelters, kitchens, and field hospital.

"Have the fifth company return. They should be running low on supplies by now. Get the 11th to replace them in the meantime.” Akito focused on his task, leading the recovery efforts. This meant that the units out right now were rested and well-supplied. “When will those Imperial engineers get here?”

"My Lord, they were delayed at the base due to a loading error, so they've despatched the 38th, 39th, and 40th Platoons without heavy equipment.” He frowned, as they needed those engineers to start work rebuilding some of the flood management that had been damaged, not to mention repair 3 bridges that had collapsed, hamstringing their efforts to bring in supplies by road and rail.

“So they’ll largely be extra hands till those supplies get here…” Akito kept his cool. Things happen with operations like this; not everything runs as smoothly as a Swiss watch. "Get me, Captain Hawkins. I'll need to explain that to him and see what he can come up with." He ordered, the soldier confirming it as she turned around to contact the captain. Hopefully, he'll be there in 10 minutes.

"The HMS Demeter's Harvest will be here within the hour; I've already ordered the dock workers to be ready to unload its cargo as soon as it's moored." Another reported that one of his advisors was responsible for the operation.

"Good, many here have only eaten the barest of meals. They, especially the young and old, need proper nutrition before disease sets in and our medical situation flies out of control." That was good news, excellent news.

As they continued to work, Akito took a moment to think. He never put much thought into his life or his future. For the longest time, he was content to believe that even with his skill, one day, he'd be sent on a suicide mission by the E.U. that not even he could overcome.

And then Leila came into his life…and reminded him he still had one to live. She was the first Euro that seemed to care about them, who hated that her people were so unwilling to fight for their democracy and freedom and would instead send refugees to die with the promise that their families would be granted citizen, citizenship that rarely amounted to much as say what you will about Britannia, at least with them, the racism was state policy and as blatant as a slap to the face. With the E.U., people hated being compared to Britannia and yet acted just like that when it came to foreigners.

Leila saw all that, understood it, and hated it. She believed in the ideals of the E.U., not its reality. So much so that when she met the rest of what would soon be their friends after they tried to kidnap General Smilas, she offered them a place among the w-Zero unit, and joined them out in the field because she refused to just send them off to die, but to fight alongside them, to ensure that they would live.

‘How ironic is that it would be the Britannian orphan that wished to make the E.U. into what it preached.’ The Japanese-Britannian thought, as things…well, they got real complicated real fast. From the business with Kingsley and Suzaku, then his brother, Smilas attempted coup and then just deciding when the dust settled that it wasn’t their problem anymore, and deserting the rapidly crumbling E.U. to its fate as their refusal to act came back to haunt them as the Britannians and Euro Britannians kept chomping away at their territories.

And then some nobody prince killed Charles and claimed the throne. Next thing he knows, she's advocating that she return to Britannia to speak with this prince, who looked much like that Kingsley guy. It was a hard sell for her, but Leila always has a way with words and appealing to people, and it seemed like that was the best decision they could have made, from her claiming the position of Prime Minister, the mess with Damocles and how chaotic things were in the aftermath.

But…things were improving; they were making Britannia a better place, which was having effects abroad, as the UFN couldn't look at how the empire was raising the standard of living for all its residents and not try to match it. There was still a cold war between them, as border regions were heavily militarized. Still, it seemed like both governments decided that creating a better economy and standard of living was the best option to showcase their dominance.

Honestly, it was just the remains of the E.U. that seemed to be rattling sabers, furious at both superpowers for gobbling up land, resources, and people. However, they had long since lost their superpower status and acted little more than a semi-buffer state between the empire and UFN in Europe and Africa.

This left him here, still in the military. Ryo, Yukiya and Ayano had all retired. They had fought because they were needed, but with the world entering a new period of tension and fewer conflicts, they weren't needed to be soldiers any more but builders. They had all decided to go to university, Yukiya, for computer science, if only to get a degree proving their skills. Ayano wished to study history and research it, to rediscover bits of Japanese history that had been lost over the decade of Britannian rule.

Ryo, well, he was studying to become a social worker. The beast of a man was gentle at his heart and wished to be someone that people in need could rely on. Akito thought it suited him, though the idea of being the school counselor or therapist did make him smile.

For him, well, Akito was happy where he was. He knew he was more than a soldier, but he could do plenty of good as one. Besides, he had modeled his personal forces into more of a humanitarian operation; it was the reason he was despatched here, to begin with.

Line Break

"I shouldn't be here." The middle-aged Japanese woman looked up from her desk, one place close to where her boss's much larger, lavish desk sat.

"Mam?" she asked, to which the 17-year-old Kaguya, wearing similar clothing as she had since her time as one of the heads of Kyoto, turned in her desk. She looked out at the Osaka skyline, slowly being rebuilt even if the choice had been made to leave the settlement as is.

"The semester started a few days ago." Kaguya mused, as she could already see it, gaggles of school girls and bands of school boys, laughing as they approached the gates of their high school, the cherry blossoms in bloom, welcoming a fresh crop of students or those returning. She had never attended such, her family's wealth meant that she had homeschooled with the promise that she would be allowed to participate in a private middle and high school where she could make friends.

She realised later that it was more her parents' attempt to get her to network with the sons and daughters of Japan's elite so that when she took control of the clan, her marriage contact with Suzaku made it clear that their two clans would remain separate but jointly managed by them, that she would be well versed in the political landscape, knowing who her friends and foes were.

The invasion had killed those dreams, and she retained her private tutors till she was deemed ‘educated’, a fancy way of saying she needed to take control of her clan as with her father killed in the war, and her mother falling to her sickness years later, there wasn’t anything more Kirihara could do to keep the others from ceasing her clan’s assets that he had been controlling in her name.

Her assistant tried to lift her spirits. "Oh well, you've already proven yourself much more capable than your peers."

‘That’s not what I mean.’ Kaguya knew that she had to be as good as she was just to gain any semblance of respect from those around her, from the other Kyoto heads to UFN and now, figures in her own government.

But she wanted the experience. She wanted to be able to do half the things she saw in the old manga and anime she kept. She wanted to just be able to act her own age.

That was the biggest reason why she resented and envied Kallen. Not because she betrayed them; she understood that she was following her heart, and she wished her nothing but happiness for it. But because even as a terrorist, she had the chance to experience that blissful high school life.

“So you say. Why don’t you get me that report from the finance office? I would like to look some things over before Empress Tianzi arrives.” She didn't let any of that frustration or envy show; she had crafted a mask of the skilled politician and speaker, and the last thing she needed was naysayers pointing to a moment of weakness as proof that she should be replaced.

“At once, mam.” With her assistant quickly leaving the office, the teenager turned to liquid in her chair, just…thinking about things.

The fact that she was in Kyoto was both a blessing and an insult. After the disastrous Tokyo summit, the UFN council had accepted that Japan was a lost cause. With the emperor gaining a young, much open-minded emperor, fears rose that his reforms, which he pushed through with all the power that came from an absolute monarch, would see the Japanese people less resigned to such and actively wish to remain part of the empire.

Even if they wished to push it, with the battle of Damocles, they lost much support for any moves against Britannia from both the council and their own people, the former only agreeing with Ohgi's request to side with Schneizel on the condition that FLEIJAs not be used.

‘And like the fools we were, we actually agreed.’ Three years had passed, and Kaguya still winced at that moronic decision, spurred on by fears that Kallen had in fact been geassed, and by the time she cooled and thought about it, realizing Kallen's actions could be as she claimed, her own-it was too late, and Schneizel went back on his agreement.

The Black Knights were soundly forced from the field that day, and Tohdoh was nearly killed, losing an arm and eye. Their Miracle worker's physical state accurately represents the Black Knights' condition. Even in his heart, she knew the samurai wasn't in it, as their foolishness cost him the life of the last of his four swords. Schneizel's subsequent trial and his admitting how he played them only added another nail to the coffin of any ideas to retake Japan through force.

She didn't give up on it, and she used every lever, every trick, everything she could to keep up interest in it within the UFN and build a connection with her counterpart in Britannia's new prime minister. Her efforts bore fruit, as two years after Damocles, Leila finally agreed to such a conference, requesting that the neutral nation of Australia host it, which they agreed to after a few days.

Kaguya had been ready for whatever came out of Syndey, ready to keep Japan as a neutral power similar to Australia, with both powers keeping a minimal troop presence to deter any from making a move. She didn't get that. Instead, Leila's proposal gained traction and split Japan into two parts. The north and East would remain in Britannian hands, while the south and west would be allowed to break away and form a new nation.

Should the two entities born from this deal wish to unify, they must host a national referendum monitored by a trusted observer party. Should that pass, the empire would peacefully allow its Japanese colony to cede from the empire and join its other half. However, that seemingly easy means to regain Japan came with the clause that the vote could only be held 100 years in the future, should it fail. It must wait another decade before it can be held again and again.

She didn't have proof, but she knew the emperor had some hand in one last act of revenge for his knight's betrayal. It was one that neither she nor the Black Knights could fight. After several weeks of talks, the accord was signed, with Britannian citizens and businesses given two months to move out of the areas that would now be independent.

It was a godsend that most businesses chose to stay, as the agreement had clauses protecting them from unjust seizes. It helped keep the economy up for the newly formed Kingdom of Japan, whose capital was Japan's ancient one, Kyoto.

Of course, there were those who saw the slight for what it was, especially since Britannia would retain the bulk of the population and Sakuradite reserves, but such hardliners were ignored both domestically and within the UFN, of which her Kingdom was a part.

Though, she did not rule, at least not in the way that her people wished for. As she did accept the title of empress if only to give her people a figure of unity, she rebuilt the government to what it was, and handed control over to the newly formed diet, headed by the one-armed Tohdoh as her nation’s first Prime Minister.

Kaname had run, but…well, he lost pretty badly, and that came after he, Xingke, and Tohdoh were held directly liable for the fiasco with FLEIJA, the former school teacher taking the worst of it because he had been the one who pushed hardest to work with Schneizel. After that, his dismissal from the Black Knights tarnished his reputation, and last she bothered to check, he worked a mid-level regional government job in Kyushu.

For herself, the position of chairperson of the UFN comes with a 5-year term, and she would like to serve the entire thing before she steps down and allows another to take her place. After that? Well, she was looking at trying to finish a course at university along with Tianzi. They had already picked out disguises and fake names for it. After tasting everyday campus life, she'll settle into the Kyoto Imperial Palace.

Line Break

….I will not apologize for how dense that was; more than anything, I’m impressed as that came from just 4 prompts. One covering each main character of each piece. First things first, Milly's part was, if you haven't guessed, my favorite one to write, her finding ways to make things better for her nation, even if a small corner of it perfectly suits her, and with her direction, Tokyo settlement won't look so futuristic that its alien on the landscape. Also, she and her grandfather loved how Lelouch, who no doubt knew how she hated her parent's attempts to marry her off, decided to just be the Monkey's paw and give them what they wanted in a way that still left them high and dry. Now, if they want power, they need to ask their daughter.

Also, there was a reason why she was made a duchess, as from what I've researched, that is the lowest level of nobility that historically ruled their own domains as sovereign, which was why her domains, according to an image should be posted with this, may not be the largest in the land, but in terms of people, resources, and infrastructure, is the best part of the newly formed Grand Duchy of Japan, with the Ashford being the highest ranking noble family in Japan, as every other domain is either an Earldom or March(lands that a Margrave would control)-both lower titles then a duchess.

Rivalz's was to try and explore those changes on the personal level, what the average person experiences from it as no, he hasn't married Milly yet, he's just a regular college student…who happens to know influential people from chem and P.E 😊. Also, I wanted to showcase that despite their elevation to high society, for better or worse, the council in this story is still thick as thieves, with old rivalries, mistakes, and hated sides or having been dealt with. Case in point, Kallen and Suzaku can bicker like they used to, and neither Lelouch nor Suzaku commented about wanting the other dead…progress!

Akito was to show how things are with the military and help explain how this world has settled into its own kind of Cold War, but instead of 'Capitalism is better, no Communism is better, I'll nuke you' it's more 'We need to prove we're better, quick, throw funding into healthcare, education and the economy.' It's not like they have abandoned their militaries. Still, after so much death, people are primarily sick of it. If they're gonna compete, it'll be ways that don't involve killing, which…is a good thing, like seriously, there's no downside. Even with the Japan deal, which we explore on Kaguya's part if both halves get to develop, modernize, and flourish, who cares if the country is divided?

Speaking of, yes, I took inspiration from what happened to Korea, Vietnam(for a time), and Germany. It wasn't divided for ideological reasons but political. While both Japans were under monarchs, Kaguya reinstituted a constitutional one where she handed over the lion's share of power to the National Diet. At the same time, while Lelouch is willing to work with Parliament in Britannia, he never put that in writing; no Magna Carter for him. Hence, he's very much an Absolute Monarch; he's just one who is wise enough to share his powers and take counsel and advice from those under him.

Now, as to why the Japanese just…accepted being sliced in two, keep in mind that for most, resistance against Britannia had long fizzled out even in R1; Lelouch says as much; it's why he brands the Black Knights as 'protectors' not rebels. With Lelouch on the throne, promising and then carrying out reforms to the system, well it's only natural that the people would be willing to accept the deal. The time for it was based on one of the unequal treaties that the British signed with the Chinese(Lelouch is letting his culture show), which surrendered Hong Kong to the UK…for 99 years for no charge. Here, the idea is the same; there is a bonus to it that makes the issue different from that in Hong Kong.

With the island, it was always meant to return to China, provided that no new treaties were signed that extended Britain’s lease. This one doesn't have that automatic return, but the option. One that can't be pushed by any side. More than that, by then, both parts of Japan might as well be different nations as one would develop under Britannia, they would have developed under various forms of government, been a part of rival superpowers for a century with no one living even remembering what Japan was like as Area 11, nevermind what a unified, free Japan was like.

Even something like demographics could reflect the divide as the Kingdom is part of the UFN, which here means more significant economic and political ties between it and the rest of Asia, so you can explain population exchanges from as far as Pakistan and India into Japan, and vice versa as people move about for all manner of reasons. It is the same with the Britannian half as Britannia is an empire, so you can expect it's easy for people to apply to live and work in another part of the empire, hell There might even be an application process outside the essential paperwork that would come from moving from one state or province to another. So you'll have people coming in from all parts of the empire like the Americas, Russia, the Caucasus, the Baltic, France, Portugal, Spain, the whole of North and West Africa, with chunks of central and Southern Africa.

And the thing is, this is something that Kaguya would have known, which is why she called it an insult and one last 'fuck you' from Lelouch to them. As with such factors, any attempts to unify Japan in the future would be fighting an uphill battle, not that any of them would be alive to see it. Odds are, not even their children would be around to see that day.