Confrontation

Mantineus-Hello; hopefully you'll like this. I don't think I have Suzaku's character down perfectly, but I hope that doesn't bother you too much.

Disclaimer-I own nothing!

Time Line: A day or two after Lelouch Added Rolo as a pawn.

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Suzaku walked down the hallway, his foot falls echoing in the empty tunnels that lay at the bottom of Ashford Academy. His destination was the secret Britannian base. His purpose; to watch his once true friend, Lelouch.

He tensed as he thought about the prince. Neither truly hating nor forgiving him. He loved Lelouch, plain and simple; though he would never admit it. Yet even now, after learning the truth, his emotions could not be swayed.

The door before him slid open, allowing him access and then closed once he walked through. He scanned the monitors on the right side of the room, watching Lelouch taking a little nap on his dorm's couch.

"Hello, Suzaku." A voice said from the middle of the room.

Surprised, Suzaku turned and faced the only other inhabitant in the room. Suzaku did not relax, even though he had no real reason for not doing so.

"Hello, Rolo." The knight said.

Said boy was facing the monitors, his face void of emotion. Yet the Knight of the Round could not shake the thought that his eyes looked like a predator watching his prey. Suzaku shivered at the thought, worried that if he made the wrong move, he would receive the same treatment.

They had barely spoken to each other the entire time they've been here. And, as Suzaku guessed, that was because the boy in front of him was a professional; that he could take care of himself.

"What are you doing in here?" The time-geass user asked. His eyes never leaving the monitor that housed Lelouch's sleeping form.

"I could ask you the same thing." Suzaku said. "Shouldn't you be up there watching him; acting like his brother?"

Rolo turned his head and faced him. His eyes void of the predatory gaze that Suzaku thought he saw before; now filled with a business-like manner. Almost as if he was bored, or masking his emotions.

"What do you think of my brother?" Rolo asked.

"What do you mean?" Suzaku asked, his mind trying to grasp what he meant exactly by that question. "And why are you referring him as 'your brother'? He's not here. You can cut the act, you know."

"You like him don't you?" Rolo inquired. "As in; more than a friend?"

Suzaku blushed, he did not think it was that obvious. And yet this boy, who barely saw him long enough-like everyone else at Ashford-seemed to know.

"I thought so." Rolo said, lowering his gaze to the floor after noticing the knight's blush. Anger lacing his words.

"Why?" Suzaku asked. "Do you..."

He cut himself off, understanding the situation at hand.

Rolo raised his head, reconnecting their eye contact. He did not care if Suzaku knew or not his true feelings. Though not wearing the emotions on his sleeve, preferring to keep his mind on the task at hand.

"You barely know him." Suzaku said calmly, though the competitor tone in his voice was not missed by Rolo. "I've known him since we just learned to walk. Maybe even longer." He smirked. "You've got nothing on me."

Rolo smirked back. "Though that is true, Suzaku; the years of knowing someone is meaningless. After all; he was Zero the entire time and you never knew. And even though I'm sure you know certain things that I don't; that doesn't mean he won't tell his dear, little brother."

He said the last part with such mockery it made the knight tense his jaw.

"He plays with everyone he claims to love!" Suzaku shouted. "He uses everyone like pawns! He loves no one but himself!"

"Yet you love him, too." Rolo said. "And anyway; I'm used to being someone else's tool. All my life I've been V.V's tool!"

"He'd kill you and feel nothing!" Suzaku shouted. Hoping that this time he would win.

"V.V. is the same way." Rolo said gravely.

"Yet you hate V.V." Suzaku said, a triumphant smirk gracing his lips.

"And you hate Zero." Rolo shot back. "And Lelouch was Zero."

At Suzaku's silence Rolo plastered a cocky, yet triumphant smirk on his face. Standing up, readying to leave the room when he said. "I had a point to this, you know?"

"And what was that?" The knight snapped.

"To know your true feelings." The time-geass user said. "And after that; if my suspicions were correct; I'd warn you."

"Warn me of what?" Suzaku asked, anger gracing his words.

Rolo still held that smirk as he walked towards his rival. Stopping just beside the knight when he spoke.

"To stay away from Lelouch if you value your life." Rolo said. "He's mine; and I don't care if I have to stay by him as only his little brother for the rest of my life. Just as long as he's mine."

Rolo began walking out the door and took a few steps until Suzaku burst through the door and shouted, stopping the assassin by saying:

"What makes you so confident?" Suzaku asked. "This little conversation does not declare a victor, or a loser."

"It's the fact that I finally have something to love and love me back." Rolo said, turning to face his rival once again. "Something to protect. And though I'm sure you think that might make me soft; any psychology teacher could tell you that I would do anything to keep it."

"He might not be gay!" Suzaku shouted, frustration lacing his words with hurt, pain, and fear. "He might reject us both!"

Rolo smirked. He was happy to see Suzaku, the man who 'killed' Zero close to tears.

"As I said," He said. "I would be happy to live my life as his brother. Just as long as we're together…Forever."

"But you aren't his brother!" Suzaku snapped, tears filling his eyes. "And you'll never get rid of me, you bastard! Lelouch thinks of me as his friend!"

"But you're not a good friend." Rolo accused. "You turned him in to his father. You nearly killed him several times. And, not to mention, you have reasons to hate him."

"You should thank me, you ungrateful little bastard!" Suzaku shouted, his screams echoing throughout the hallway. "If I didn't turn him in you…"

"I would not be here." Rolo snapped at the knight, cutting the Knight of the Round off. "You're admitting that you helped create your rival. Even though we aren't rivals." He smirks. "You'd be dead." Rolo remains silent, letting everything sink in before he continued to rub it in. "Perhaps, if you told him how you felt on that day, I wouldn't be here. And you'd have brother all to yourself."

Suzaku broke down then in the hallway in front of the closed door.

"There, there Suzaku." Rolo said vindictively. "Just remember; you said there is no clear victor yet."

"You…Don't…Love...Him." Suzaku said between sobs. "When you said you would be fine with remaining as his brother. That's…that's not love."

Rolo laughed.

"That was pathetic, Suzaku." He said, a vindictive smile gracing his lips. "I do love my brother. But, unlike you, I haven't gotten everything I ever wanted. So I'm okay with remaining where I am in his life if he does not feel the same way." His face became emotionless when he continued. "But I don't think you could do the same. After all; you wanted to be a knight of the Round, you are one. You wanted Euphemia, you had her."

Don't confuse lust with love, Suzaku." Rolo concluded.

Suzaku's sobs calmed just a little. He was filled with rage then; a silent, homicidal rage.

"I don't hate you, Suzaku." Rolo said. "At least…, not yet. If I did this conversation would not have happened. I would have just killed you."

Suzaku remained silent. Not flattered by the incentive for his reason for not being killed.

"Just remember my warning, Suzaku." Rolo said as he turned around again and walked off, going back to Lelouch's side. "Now, as you pointed out. I should get back to Lelouch's side." Though he does not turn around Suzaku could feel the smile on the assassin's face. "That is, after all, my place."

As Rolo walked away; Suzaku picked himself up, rage still consumed him as he walked back into the base and sat down in a different chair than where his now rival had, and he watched Lelouch. The boy was not sleeping anymore; instead, he sat on the couch reading a novel.

"One day, Rolo." He vowed to himself. "One day. I'll beat you!"

He slammed his fist on the table hard, throwing all of his rage into it. He did not shake his hand, or cry as the pain crawled up his hand like fire. Cursing the happy scene before him of the smiling 'brothers' on the monitor. A small, smirk gracing his demented features. He rage was being soothed by the thought that sprang out of his mind like a giant weed.

"I don't know why I got so worked up before." He said. "Lelouch has not regained his memory. He thinks of you as his brother. Nothing more. And even though royals can love siblings, there's still a matter of his sexuality."

You're just like a dragon, Rolo." Suzaku mused aloud. "You treat Lelouch like your horded treasure, protecting it with your life, threatening to kill anyone whom tries to take it away from you." He smirked. "And like all dragons of Britannian legend, you will die by the hands of a brave knight in shining armor."

But for now I'll be fine with this stalemate." Suzaku said, calming down. He did not quite comprehend why the assassin had bugged him so despite him being a pest. He would win…or lose; but only to a girl.

All that he knew for certain was that Rolo had lost, and he had won.

(1)

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Whom ever you think actually won is up to you.

1)Credit goes out totutumi3 of youtube. for your video where Rolo is jealous of how Lelouch acts whenever he sees Suzaku. So the plot pretty much goes out to tutumi3. (I would give out the title of the amv but it was in Japanese and I'm not too good with translating yet). I'm sorry if you think this sucks.

Mantineus-Please tell me if you want a second chapter. I was going to write more but I thought that it would not fit here. Until next time!