Legal stuff/ Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass or any of its characters!

Warnings: Just a lot of spoilers.


Somewhere in the countryside of Japan in the middle of summer, Kururugi Suzaku stood silently on the side of a dusty dirt road, the wind gently tousling his messy brown hair. Two small suitcases sat on the ground nearby. Beside him sat a girl in a simple wheelchair wearing a large sunhat and sunglasses to conceal her wide purple eyes and soft features. Nunnally, the 100th empress of Britannia was out in the middle of nowhere, waiting for her and Suzaku's ride.

Suzaku let out a small sigh. It had been an entire year since he had gotten a break. It was also the first time in years that he could just be Kururugi Suzaku, not Zero. Although it had been three years since that fateful day and the pain had not lessened at all. But still, he carried on. It was their plan; this was how it had to be. He had to live on as Zero. Kururugi Suzaku no longer existed in the world.

Nunnally sighed as well. She too was actually happy to get a break. Personally, she had felt bad taking a vacation when she should be governing her people, but her advisors had insisted on it, after all, she was only 18 years of age and leading an entire nation. A break would be good for her health and her happiness, especially since she had never fully recovered from her brother's death. As heavy as her heart was over the loss, she was glad to have discovered that it was his plan… to focus the hatred of the world onto himself in the ultimate self-sacrifice for world peace. Her brother wasn't a demon emperor; he was an angelic one. Yet the world could never be allowed to know that. Still, that truth lightened the weight on her heart. The last reason Nunnally agreed to take the break was she didn't want to turn down the offer.

My grand Empress, Nunnally vi Britannia,

I, Jeremiah Gottweld would like to invite you to spend a week on my humble orange farm. If it were possible I would be greatly honored to have you. I can assure you that you would be secure on this farm, it is secluded, peaceful and I'm sure you would find it very beneficial to your wellbeing. If you accept, please feel free to have Zero accompany you.

Sincerely,

Jeremiah Gottweld

Suzaku looked down the road. There was no sign of any vehicle of any kind. Jeremiah said that a wagon would come to pick us up…but no one is here yet. Nunnally looked up at him and smiled.

"Don't worry, I'm sure they'll come soon." She told him. "Look, there's a wagon coming right now!"

A mid-sized wagon pulled by horses came down the dirt road, kicking up dust as it went. A tall, thin man drove the cart, but a wide hat with cloth hanging down on either side concealed his face The two of them didn't think much of it, but he seemed to be wearing rather heavy clothes, which was strange, saying that it was a hot summer day. The wagon slowed to a stop in front of them. Both Nunnally and Suzaku were surprised at who they saw next.

"Hey."

C.C., wearing a white, green and red dress poked her head up from the hay in the back of the wagon. Her long green hair was braided behind her back and she was resting her arms on her huge Cheese-Kun plush.

"…C.C.?" Suzaku said in amazement. "You were here?"

"Sometimes. I've been wandering." She answered simply. "Although I do spend a lot of time at this orange farm."

Nunnally blinked behind her sunglasses. She didn't know much about C.C. other than she was the one who had given her brother Geass and that she had spent a lot of time with him. Unsure of how to react, she stayed silent, memories of her dear older brother making he feel overwhelmed with grief. She fought back the tears that formed in her eyes.

Suzaku was speechless as well. He had never imagined that C.C would be the one to greet them. Seeing her made him think of the painful memories of losing his friend.

"I…" Suzaku began, but couldn't finish.

C.C. gave a small smile. She turned towards the driver.

"You're so mean. Ignoring them like this? They've only seen me and they're nearly crying."

The driver gave a small chuckle. "You're right. That was rather rude of me."

Suzaku's breath caught in his throat. Nunnally's heart skipped a beat. Impossible… That voice was unmistakable. The driver rose, stepping down from the cart. He turned towards the two of them and reached up, taking off his hat.

"I just wasn't sure when the right moment would be."

Suzaku's eyes widened. Nunnally gasped.

His violet eyes shone in the sunlight. His black hair blew softly in the wind. A kind smile was on his handsome face.

"It's been a while, Nunnally, Suzaku."

Time seemed to stop.

Lelouch vi Britannia stood before them.

"Brother!" Nunnally burst into tears. She pushed herself out of her chair and threw her arms around her brother in an embrace. Lelouch closed his eyes, tears starting to form. He hugged her back, gently smiling as he hugged his beloved younger sister tightly.

Suzaku found himself crying as well. Memories of that day three years ago flashed through his head. The trail of blood, the tears against Suzaku's face, Lelouch's soft, sincere smile as his life slipped away. Suddenly they all washed away. It was like a dream. Despite all the questions he now had, the only thing that mattered was that Lelouch was alive.

"Lelouch... but… how? How are you…?" He managed to ask, taking a step forward, feeling off-balance in astonishment and joy.

Lelouch turned his head towards Suzaku. He looked exactly the same as he did three years ago. His eyes were glimmering with tears. Like Suzaku and Nunnally's, they weren't tears of sadness. Lelouch was feeling just as overcome with emotion as his sister and friend were. To see their faces again was one of the greatest feelings he had ever had. Taking a deep breath, he spoke.

"I'll explain everything when we get to the farm. I promise." Lelouch answered.

Suzaku nodded weakly.

"You look like you're going to faint." Lelouch said, smiling. "Come on, let's get into the wagon."

Lelouch looked back down to Nunnally, whose face was buried in his blue coat, and softly touched her hair.

"Nunnally, are you alright? Are you ready to get going?" He asked softly.

She nodded. "I-I'm fine." Lelouch gave her an 'are you sure?' look. She nodded again. Lelouch picked her up and carried her over to the back of the wagon. From there, C.C. helped her get comfortable before giving the thumbs-up as a signal that it was okay to get going.

Lelouch put his hat back on and walked over to the front of the wagon, motioning for Suzaku to follow him. Suzaku grinned and did so.

"I don't believe it…" Suzaku said as he wiped away tears. "I don't believe it."

"An explanation." Lelouch told them as they sat in a wide room on Jeremiah's farm. Lelouch had waited until that night so that Nunnally and Suzaku could calm down. As much as he knew that they were restless to hear his story, he knew that it would be unwise to slam all of the information on them while they were still recovering from just discovering that he was alive. Now, Lelouch, C.C., Suzaku, Nunnally, and Jeremiah all sat comfortably by the fireplace as Lelouch started to speak.

"To be honest… this wasn't planned," Lelouch began. "As far as I knew, I should have died back there…" He paused. "But I woke up in a pool of my own blood… without a single wound." He reached up to his neck and began to unbutton his shirt. He undid the first few buttons so that the base of his neck was revealed. His palm lingered over the area for a second then he slowly pulled it away. On his neck was a red symbol. The symbol of the Geass. The symbol of the Code.

"Code." He said, looking straight into their eyes. "Immortality."

Both Suzaku and Nunnally's eyes widened. Suzaku suddenly realized why Lelouch looked exactly the same even though three years had passed. He would look to be 18 forever.

"How… why?" He asked, swallowing.

"… In the World of C. I hadn't realized it then but Charles' Code was transferred on to me when he died, since his palm was touching my neck when I killed him. When I awakened, C.C. explained everything to me. She had known all along." His fingers touched the symbol of the Code on his neck.

"When a person obtains the Code, they won't realize it right away, unless someone told them earlier. They need to "die" before it activates and the symbol appears," C.C. explained. "Lelouch is very unique, as most people lose their Geass when they receive a Code. But that is only because they received the Code from the same person that they made their contract with. Since Lelouch didn't receive his Code from me, he kept his Geass. As soon as he obtained the Code, I knew… but I couldn't bring myself to tell Lelouch… the Code is a blessing… and a curse…" C.C. trailed off, thinking about her own despair she had suffered through for so long before finally finding a reason to live.

"In fact, that was the only way C.C. convinced me to be content with the Zero Requiem," Jeremiah said, " She told me about Lelouch gaining immortality. If I hadn't known, there would be no way that I would be pleased with letting it commence."

C.C. words seemed to repeat over and over again in Lelouch's head. He knew it was foolish to try to push the thoughts out of his mind. The day would come when his Code would become a curse. He clenched his fist. One day, Suzaku, Nunnally, Kallen, Milly, Rivalz… all of my friends will die yet I will remain. Is it possible to be able to stand that kind of pain?

C.C. glanced over at Lelouch, a worried expression etched onto her face.

"Lelouch." She said. Their eyes met and she touched his hand.

I have withstood that pain for many years… it is no easy task… but I had no one. No one to comfort me, to embrace me, or to lean on. It's no wonder I wanted to die. But remember what I told you when we first set out…Geass brings solitude… but that's not your case. We will share our burdens together for all eternity. For now, enjoy your time with them…

Lelouch sighed and relaxed his fist. Yes… there is nothing else I can do but enjoy this time… He then continued to speak. "After I awoke… I was unsure of what to do. I obviously could not return to Britannia, or any country for that matter. I couldn't even return to Ashford Academy. All options were far too risky."

"So after some talking…" C.C. said.

"We decided that roaming the countryside while occasionally stopping here was the safest option." Lelouch finished.

Suzaku shook his head and leaned back in his chair, trying to take in all of the information. "I'm still in shock." He said. "It's just so unbelievable."

Lelouch gave a small smile. "I'm sorry it took so long to get you two out here. It's more… complicated than you might think." His smile took on a touch of sadness as he said that.

"It's fine, brother, as long as I know you're here and alright." Nunnally said softly.

C.C. smirked. "Don't worry about that. He can't be injured for long."

Lelouch laughed a little. "I suppose you are correct." He glanced at the ticking clock on the wall. "It's getting late. We can talk more tomorrow."

"You're right…" Suzaku agreed. His expression showed that he was deep in thought as he spoke.

Lelouch stood up. "I'll show you to your rooms. Jeremiah and Anya prepared them earlier." He took the handles on Nunnally's wheelchair and wheeled her out, while Suzaku walked beside him. First, they came to Suzaku's room.

"Here you are," Lelouch said, opening the door to the small, but nice bedroom. "It's not too much, we don't normally have guests."

"It's fine, it's fine." Suzaku replied, setting his bag down by the bed. He paused. "We have a lot of catching up to do."

"Hah, indeed. Just like when you came to Ashford Academy."

"…Yeah. Just like back then." A small smiled appeared on Suzaku's face.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow." Lelouch left the room and walked back to Nunnally. A content silence filled the air as they walked to her room. When they arrived, Lelouch opened the door and wheeled her in.

"Please get some rest, Brother." Nunnally told Lelouch as they entered. "Don't worry about me. I can handle everything just fine… you always took care of me, I want you to have a break for once..."

"I…" Lelouch was clearly a little hesitant.

"Please. Don't worry about me, it's fine."

Lelouch let out a long sigh. "If you insist. But please, if you need any assistance, call for me."

"I will. Good night, Brother."

"Good night, Nunnally." Lelouch left the room, with many things on his mind.