A/N: I've wanted to write a Suza x Euphie fanfic for awhile now. I think it's safe to say that they're my favorite pairing in Code Geass. Anyway, this is going to be the most enterprising of my works thus far. As you can tell by the length of this first chapter, it'll be much longer than anything else I've written. Updates will be far less frequent, but hopefully not horrendously so. So without further delay, enjoy.

Euphemia trudged onward in her torn, mangled dress, spattered with dirt and blood. In her hands, she firmly gripped an assault rifle she had acquired from a fallen soldier. The barrel was still smoking from the recent discharge of rounds. The recipient of the hot lances of lead now lay motionless in front of her, an inhuman, bloody heap. Normally, Euphemia would not even contemplate so much as pinching someone, yet this was not the first victim she had slaughtered so mercilessly within the past several minutes. Moreover, she should have collapsed from exhaustion long ago, yet she felt no pain or discomfort. In fact, she was only vaguely aware of where she was and what she was doing. She was in a somewhat less than conscious state − while she retained some blurred sense of awareness, she had little control over her body. Instead, her limbs seemed to move of their own accord, driven by some unseen force. Unseen to her, at least, for a cursory glance at her eyes revealed the force that propelled her on her inexplicable killing spree: the terrible power of geass.

Feeling a sudden gust of wind at her back, she halted her march of death and turned to face the disturbance. She was greeted by the sight of the Gawain landing in front of her. She stared blankly at it, the barely conscious portion of her mind trying to comprehend its reason for being there. Something in the back of her subdued mind nagged at her, trying to remember who it was that piloted the knightmare; someone very important to her, that much was clear. However, the belligerent command in control of her mind forced her to assume that it was simply another Eleven – and therefore another target. She felt her finger tighten on the trigger. Bullets pinged and ricocheted harmlessly off of the knightmare's exterior armor at over six hundred rounds per second. In mere moments, the relentless torrent ceased, the entire magazine having been expended that quickly. She couldn't allow a single one of the evil Elevens to live. Frantically, she searched around her and found what she was looking for: a fresh magazine lying unused next to the lifeless body of a Britannian soldier. Smiling triumphantly as she slid the magazine into her rifle, she looked up and saw that the knightmare's pilot had dismounted and was walking towards her. It was Zero, or more precisely, Lelouch Vi Britannia, her beloved half brother. She was relieved that it was him and not another disgusting Eleven, and she regained some degree of consciousness at the sight of him.

"Oh, it's you! Sorry, I thought you were one of them." He did not respond. He simply continued walking towards her. She kept speaking despite his strange behavior; her mind still failing to entirely comprehend the situation.

" So, I was thinking that we could run the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan together!" Then, a confused, quizzical look splayed across her face as something clicked in the back of her mind. "Oh, wait…Japan?"

The masked figure strode past her wordlessly, exuding utter emotionlessness. However, unbeknownst to the rest of the world, Lelouch was a wreck beneath his mask. He hated himself for what he was about to do; what he had to do. This entire scandal was his fault, and that was painful enough. But to make things worse, he would now be forced to kill his own sister. His role as Zero demanded it, for the Japanese people would never trust him again if he showed any kindness to the woman who had just slaughtered so many of their kin. Yet in reality, he alone was the murderer. It was by his hand − or more precisely, his geass − that those people had been slaughtered, not hers. But he knew he would never be punished for it. And now, in mere seconds, he would add yet another life to the seemingly endless list of his victims. Yet another murder that would be met with thunderous applause rather than the punishment he deserved. He hated how much of a hypocrite he had become. He had set out to turn the world into a gentler place, yet so far all he had done was get away with mass murder. At least once this nightmarish day was over, he consoled himself, the rebellious Japanese might help him finally overthrow the Britiannians and help him achieve that goal of a gentle world. He steeled himself for what he had to do next. Swearing silently to himself as a tear escaped his eye, he slowly turned to face Euphemia. As emotionlessly as he could, he spoke.

"Yes. I would have liked that, Euphemia." That only confused her further. As more and more of her consciousness returned, the magnitude of her actions began to dawn upon her. Before she could question her brother as to what was going on, she was staring down the spiraled barrel of the pistol he now pointed at her.

"You and I…together."

What happened next seemed to transpire at an unnaturally slow pace. She saw a brilliant flash of light, emanating from the pistol her brother held. What seemed to be several seconds later, a piercingly cold, incredibly fine and sharp object penetrated her chest. Instantaneously, her body went limp, and she began to fall backwards, her facial expression reflecting the utter shock she was experiencing. Her brother had shot her, apparently with the intention of killing her.

"Lelouch…why?"

As she began to black out, events from the previous night – which now seemed so long ago – played out in front of her.

Euphemia paced nervously through the dark, deserted halls of the government bureau. It was well into the night, and she was the only soul up and about. This was with good reason, however, for the next day she was to run the opening ceremonies for the Specially Administrated Zone of Japan. Euphie had never quite mastered the art of public speaking, but being a princess, she was frequently required to perform. Due to this, she could normally quell most of her stage fright by relying on her experience. But now, she felt as though she had never spoken in her life, and was convinced that she had forgotten all the points she had outlined for her speech tomorrow. As such, she was far too anxious to get the sleep she so badly needed. So now, here she was, fretfully wandering about the building; her footsteps silent and ghostlike on the carpeted floor.

Briefly, she paused; breath catching in her chest. She could have sworn she heard someone approaching. Frantically, she tried to think of an excuse as to why she would be up at this hour, should she be discovered. When she failed to come up with one, her head darted back and forth in a futile attempt to find a place to hide. After waiting motionlessly for several seconds, though, no one appeared. Sighing silently, she massaged her temples with her fingers. She was a mess. If this went on, there was no way she would be in a suitable mental state to perform the next day. At the very least, she needed to talk to someone and sort out her thoughts. It was then she realized that she had no idea where she was. She had been wandering for what must have been nearly half an hour, too concerned to be paying attention to where she was going. Briefly, she glanced around to gather her bearings, and discovered she was standing in front of a door. It just so happened to be the door that lead to the sleeping quarters of none other than her knight, Suzaku Kururugi − the man she had openly confessed her love for less than a week ago. No, she admitted to herself with a smile, that was putting it too lightly. She had confessed her love for him, and then ordered him to return the sentiment. Of course he had agreed, but not because he was her knight − his feelings for her were legitimate. That thought lifted her spirits somewhat, and all of a sudden, she found herself gravitating towards the door.

Only half aware of what she was doing, she shakily extended a fist and lightly knocked on the door. Part of her was berating herself for such recklessness. She was an imperial princess, what business did she have seeking entrance to the sleeping quarters of her knight at this hour? If anyone found out, heads would roll. Before she could change her mind, however, the door opened to reveal her disarmingly handsome, if somewhat surprised, knight.

"Euphie. What are you doing here?"

Again only vaguely aware of what she was doing, she hurriedly walked past him and entered the room. Once more, she found herself unable to speak; all she could do was nervously rub her arms, as if suddenly cold. Behind her, she heard Suzaku close the door.

"What's wrong, Euphie? Talk to me."

She felt his strong hands grasp her gently by the shoulders. Part of her wanted to simply apologize and leave. If she was caught, she would certainly be reprimanded severely, but no real punishment would be administered. She was royalty, after all. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for Suzaku, who would most likely face a severe demotion at best if they were caught. She didn't even know what to say, or quite why she had come. Though she desired to relieve her nervousness, she found herself becoming even more distraught with each passing second. Finally, she did the only thing she could think to do: surrender to the emotions that were overwhelming her.

"Oh Suzaku," she said, turning to face her knight, though she refused to meet his gaze, "I- I'm just so scared. I have no idea what I'm going to do tomorrow…I'm so worried I'll make a fool of myself!" she buried her face into his shoulder and collapsed forward into his embrace, sinking into his comforting warmth.

"Euphie…"

Suzaku was more than happy to help relieve his beloved's tension, but in truth, a small part of him wished she would leave. Though he loved her more than he previously thought possible, he knew they couldn't risk being seen together. She was a princess, he was a number. They had no place being together. Moreover, her presence was…intoxicating. He reveled in the sensation of her body pressed firmly against his. The feeling of her warmth against his body; the clean, lavender scent of her hair; it was all too much for him. He could feel the animal inside of him slowly awakening, and it was beginning to claw at the chains of his self restraint. His breathing became slightly labored. Though he relished this moment with his princess, he feared the consequences that would follow if the chains were in fact broken. And yet, he couldn't bring himself to ask her to leave, helpless and scared as she was. So he simply held on to her even tighter.

Rarely did they get the chance to share such intimate embraces, and Euphie took full advantage of the situation. She ran her hands across his chiseled chest and down his smooth back, admiring every contour of her knight's incredibly fit body. She committed every curve to memory, as if it would be the only embrace they ever shared. Suzaku swallowed audibly. Euphemia's caressing touch sent shivers racing throughout his body. His hands came to rest on the warm, bare flesh of her shoulder blades exposed at the back of her dress. The animal within him now stirred restlessly. The chains that were Suzaku's self restraint now creaked with the stress. He was suddenly all too aware of the warm softness of Euphie's breasts prodding him firmly in the chest. In an attempt to regain himself, he took a deep breath, only to find his lungs filled with the intoxicatingly pleasant scent of Euphie's perfume. He was dizzy for a moment, and felt as though her mere presence would cause him to faint at any moment. To make matters worse, he knew he had to stop their encounter before it went any farther. Summoning all his self control, he pushed back just far enough to look into her piercingly deep lavender eyes and began to address her.

"Euphie, you know I hate to see you so distressed, and I'm touched that you would come to me for help. But, it's late, and I think the best cure for your anxiety right now would be a good night's sleep."

She simply stared back at him, though he couldn't read what she was thinking. Briefly, he found himself entranced, lost in the infinite depths of her beautiful lavender orbs. He returned her gaze, staring back into those beautiful eyes. He lost all sense of time, and only several seconds later did he realize that he had stopped speaking. Shaking himself out of his trance, he soldiered on as he so often did, and continued.

"You shouldn't worry so much about tomorrow, you'll be fine. And you must remember that you're doing a great thing, and the people will love you for it no matter how you present yourself."

She leaned in closer to him. The chains began to crack. Suzaku panicked slightly as he began to feel his blood rushing towards the lower half of his body. Swallowing once more and forcing himself to breathe, he put forth his final argument, and he prayed that it would work. He began to perspire due to the tension.

"Besides, you know we can't be seen together like this. I'm your subordinate, and more importantly an Eleven. You're a princess."

She leaned in even closer; their lips were now separated by a space as thin as their combined and rapidly diminishing self restraint. Suzaku's pulse became erratic. He couldn't handle being so close to his beloved princess. In his mind, a battle raged between his sense of self control and his overpowering need to be with her. The former was rapidly losing ground. Thankfully, he gained a few extra moments of respite when she spoke to him; or so he thought.

"But Suzaku, I'm not anymore. I'm no longer a princess." He stared back at her, eyes wide in bewilderment. She hugged him even closer.

" You were right, in our positions as princess and knight, we couldn't be together. So I gave up my right to the throne. I gave up something that has no value to me so I could have something else with limitless value."

She spoke no more, for Suzaku seized her at once and kissed her, releasing all of his fiery passion. Distantly, he thought he heard the sound of broken bits of metal clanging to the floor, followed by a gratifyingly victorious, beastly roar. How stupid he had been to deny his love for her out of fear for his job security. In fact, it was nothing short of sheer cowardice. He would thank her later; her words had released him from his idiotic train of thought. Only now did he even begin to appreciate the scope of her love for him. More than once had she risked her reputation just to be with him, and he had yet to return the favor even once. She had been far braver than he, all because of her overpowering desire to be with her beloved knight. She was far wiser than she appeared, and Suzaku loved her all the more for it. And as a result, she had freed him from his painful haze of self-denial. Indeed, he was grateful, and as the primal beast within him gleefully roared with anticipation, he began the process of repaying her for her efforts.

His tongue snaked out from his open mouth and teased her lower lip, begging entry to her divine mouth. Euphie, though surprised at his sudden boldness, was far less than hesitant to accept him. She gasped as his tongue burst forth to caress her own, and his hands suddenly began to race across her back. Still reveling in their intimate embrace, Suzaku briefly glanced at his bed, located behind Euphie. The covers were drawn back as if the bed were beckoning them forward with open arms. Accepting the invitation, Suzaku began maneuvering his princess in that general direction. As he did so, his fingers deftly fiddled with the laces of the shawl Euphie wore with her dress. In no time, her bare shoulders were exposed to his exploratory touch. Meanwhile, Euphie took to some exploration as well, fingers tugging enthusiastically at the buttons of Suzaku's military uniform. Her hands sank into the warm flesh of his chest, relishing his well-sculpted muscles.

Her cleavage stared beckoningly up at him, and he couldn't resist such a welcoming invitation. His hand gradually moved from her spine to lovingly cup one of her breasts through the soft, pink fabric of her dress. With the other, he gently squeezed her buttocks. His actions elicited a surprised, but gratifying moan from Euphie that sent shivers down Suzaku's spine. She lifted a leg to straddle his hips and he ran a hand up her skirt, cradling her thigh. Every inch of skin he touched drove him mad with excitement. Having had almost no time alone with Euphemia in the past, the most they had ever done was exchange a quick hug when nobody was looking. Now, however, he was free to explore every detail of her divinely perfect flesh. He released a moan that echoed Euphie's as he began to feel an insistent stirring in his loins, quickly accompanied by an insatiable hunger for more of his princess.

By the time they reached the bed, they were both panting heavily, and a short trail of discarded articles of clothing chronicled their intimate journey. He gently leaned Euphemia down on the bed. She felt nearly weightless as he cradled her in his strong arms. When she had settled herself, he eagerly followed her and assaulted her neck with a crusade of kisses, causing her to pant and moan anew. His hand slipped behind her, and he sensually unzipped her dress. He stroked the flesh of her now completely exposed back, reveling in the seemingly endless flow of the totally unblemished skin that he felt. As he did all this, Euphemia enthusiastically undid his belt and began to unbutton his pants. He shifted his hand to her flanks, caressing the sides of her torso briefly, before sliding her dress down just enough to expose her perfect, regal breasts. And to him, they truly were perfect in every aspect. They were sized just right for him − not oppressively large, but not disappointingly small either. They were just large enough to give him a good handful − a fact he took full advantage of. His left hand excitedly toyed with one, squeezing and massaging, while his tongue did the same to the other. He relished their shapely perfection, like the domes of an ancient Roman city. It was as if she had been drawn by a master artist, attempting to capture the highest degree of perfection in the human form. He then turned his attention to her beautifully supple, pink nipples. Suzaku spent no short amount of time stimulating them, as he could tell Euphemia was thoroughly seduced by his intimate touch.

Euphie could feel the nervousness that had consumed her earlier begin to melt away. Now, she only had one thing on mind: her knight. Her hands explored every patch of skin she could find. They descended ever lower, constantly finding new territory for her to claim. His pants were now completely unbuttoned, and as she slowly pulled them off, she could feel the bulge of his arousal through his boxer shorts. With her hands, she continued exploring; spending most of her time admiring his chiseled legs and firm buttocks. Her teasing touches succeeded in eliciting anxious moans from her knight. Similarly, his caressing touches drove her wild. The feeling of his hands on her buttocks and his mouth on her exposed breasts drove her wild with lust for him. It wasn't long before she could no longer resist the temptation. She slipped her hands beneath the waistband of his boxers and started to slip them off of his hips. The sensation gave her an immensely satisfying, erotic thrill. So, she went as slowly as possible, wanting to prolong the moment as much as she could. His pulse and his breathing quickened with every inch of skin she freed from the confines of his boxers. She was pleased that she could so easily excite her guardian, and she was even more pleased at what she saw when his shorts finally joined the rest of the clothes on the floor. After all the rumors she had heard about Japanese men, she was somewhat pessimistic about Suzaku's size. Now, however, she was glad to see that in Suzaku's case, the rumors were far from true. He seemed to be just the right size for her: not painfully huge, but certainly not unnoticeably small. Then again, this was the first time she had seen a man naked before. Desiring to satiate her great curiosity, she let her hands continue exploring.

She gently grasped his manhood, producing an extremely pleased gasp from Suzaku in the process. She was amazed by how hard he was. Previously, she hadn't thought it possible for mere flesh to be so firm and stiff. Suddenly, she began to feel a tingle emanating from between her legs, as well as an overpowering desire to have him inside her. Somewhat involuntarily, she began grinding her hips against his. But she didn't restrain herself when she realized what she was doing, nor would she have been able to if she wanted. She attacked his neck with kisses while massaging his member with one hand.

Suzaku was going crazy. He was becoming more and more aroused with each passing second, thanks largely to Euphie's incredibly bold efforts to excite him. It was so unlike her; she was usually so shy. However, it just made Suzaku love her all the more. He knew he couldn't wait much longer. He desired to see even more of his princess. Once he was done with her breasts – for the moment, at least – he continued to slide her dress down her torso. As he did so, he left a trail of kisses: first along her stomach, then to her hips, thighs, and finally her calves and feet when the offending dress was finally cast aside. She was now wearing nothing but a pair of light pink panties that complemented both her dress and her hair quite nicely. Suzaku took a moment to gaze over her body, admiring every inch of perfection. Euphie blushed more and more profusely as he did this, for no one other than her parents – and occasionally, Cornelia – had seen her so bare. Deep down, however, it drove her wild. She loved the primal, hungry look in his eyes as he regarded her glistening skin, and was proud that she could be the source of such desire. When Suzaku could stand it no more, he gently slipped his hands around her waist and relieved her of her underwear, and was promptly greeted by the sight of Euphie's wonderful, glistening, hairless womanhood.

Suzaku had never seen anything more beautiful in all his life. He couldn't resist investigating further. He traced the warm, soft folds of flesh with his fingers, absorbing every detail of the wondrous feeling of her womanhood against his hand. Her entire body tensed in response to his curious touch. Euphie whimpered with anticipation − she couldn't stand it much longer. Just when she was about to seize and force herself upon him, he stuck his index finger inside as far as it would go. Euphie squealed with delight. Suzaku grinned, happy that he could be the cause of such pleasure. Ever since the death of his father, he had felt as though his life lacked purpose. However, since he had met Euphie, everything seemed more meaningful to him. And for the moment, he didn't care if his only purpose in life was to tend to his princess's every whim. In fact, he somewhat wished such was reality. After pausing to place a long, wet, well-deserved kiss on Euphie's rapidly wetting womanhood, he moved back up to her beautiful, glowing face. Nothing needed to be said; they both knew what was happening, and that they could finally express the full extent of their love for one another without fear of judgment. He leaned in closer to take her in another kiss as she used her hand to guide him to her entrance. He was more than happy to accept the invitation. He entered her slowly and gently.

It was a sensation unlike anything Suzaku had felt before, or had even imagined for that matter. The feeling of the slick, warm folds of flesh sliding around his member drove all thoughts from his mind. The only thing he could focus on was the immaculate beauty of his princess lying naked before him. As he pushed ever deeper, the sensation grew, and he released an immensely satisfying groan. His arms weakened slightly. All the while, Euphie's grip steadily tightened on him. It seemed like an eternity, but when the entire length of him was finally inside her, Euphie gasped and squealed with delight. They were both breathing heavily now, lying still in each others' arms. They stayed that way for several seconds, regarding each others' bodies in the dim light. Finally, Suzaku leaned in for another kiss and began again.

She was incredibly tight, but wonderfully so. Suzaku wouldn't have wanted it any other way. It seemed that they were a perfect fit, as though their bodies had been created specifically for each other. His hands freely traversed every part of her body. He couldn't decide which he preferred: the beautifully warm, slick flesh of her back that seemed to last forever; or the soft, pleasant-smelling cascade of long, pink hair that framed her entire body. In the end he chose both. One hand traveled up and down the length of her back, beginning at her buttocks and ending at her neck. The other cradled the back of her head, fingers buried deep in that beautiful pink forest of hair. All the while, he held her closer to him, constantly deepening their increasingly intimate kiss. All of his previous doubts vanished, and he now only had one goal in mind: to show his princess the time of her life.

Euphemia was more than beside herself with pleasure. In fact, she was having difficulty stifling herself, frequently releasing immensely satisfied moans of pleasure. She was completely at the mercy of Suzaku's slow, but powerful and maddeningly pleasurable thrusts. She still wasn't entirely certain what had possessed her to come to Suzaku's room in the first place, or to act as she did when she got there. However, she no longer cared. All her stress had been completely obliterated. It was precisely the kind of therapy she needed, and she had her knight to thank for it all. She never wanted to leave the warm caress of his embrace. And after tomorrow, she wouldn't have to, for such would be considered normal, rather than unacceptable. That knowledge overwhelmed her with joy, and a single tear managed to escape her eye to roll down her cheek. This did not go unnoticed by Suzaku.

"Euphie…what's wrong? I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked, immediately filled with concern for the wellbeing of his princess.

"I'm just so happy," she stammered, "that we can…finally be together…like this." She beamed up at him. After a moment, he grinned back and gently brushed his thumb across her cheek, wiping away the tear.

"You were wrong, you know. You are still a princess. However, now you're my princess."

"Oh Suzaku!" She seized him in another kiss and they continued.

Suzaku was overwhelmed. He knew he couldn't last for much longer. She was simply too much for him, too much perfection. Every part of her was driving him mad with bliss. The intoxicating, fruity scent of her wondrously long hair; the warm, soft, yielding flesh of her breasts; the warm, wet folds of flesh in her womanhood, writhing and constricting around his member. The knowledge that she was a princess – his princess – only served to increase the sensation a thousand fold for him. By virtue of her birth, she was supposed to practically exude regality, properness, and purity. Above all, never would anyone even think of her in an even remotely sexual manner, for fear of capital punishment. In a word: she was simply untouchable. Yet here she was, lying naked in his arms, clinging to him while trying to stifle her cries of pure satisfaction. It was an extremely arousing reality for Suzaku. His groans and gasps became more desperate with each thrust. It wouldn't be much longer.

Euphie wailed again as she struggled to contain herself. The raw pleasure radiating from between her legs was now so great, she half expected that Suzaku would end up tearing her in half. She didn't care; the thought only intensified her already immense sexual euphoria. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist, beckoning him even deeper into her divine womanhood. However, they fell back to their original position quickly, having gone totally limp with pleasure once Suzaku obliged her request. Through her haze of ecstasy, she forced her eyes open to gaze upon her knight. Due to the raw intensity of her pleasure, he was all she could see, completely enveloping her. It was thrillingly erotic for her. That her knight – the man who had pledged that his only life's purpose was to protect her – was completely enveloping her, continually sending her over the brink of what she had previously thought to be an impossible amount of pleasure. And he was doing his job well, for never had she felt more sheltered and protected than she did at that moment. She basked in the warmth radiating off of him. His hot breath washed over her, accompanying each increasingly magnificent wave of bliss. His curious hands and tongue explored every crevice of her body, serving only to further her state of mind-numbing pleasure. It was all far too much for her, and yet it kept building with every second that passed. She could feel the sensation building from deep within her pelvis, and it continued to grow and grow until…

"Oh, Euphie…!"

"Suzaku my knight!"

Their night of forbidden love finally culminated in one loud, unified, primal moan, emanating powerfully from the both of them. The floodgates were released, and their fluids sprang forth with impossible force, mixing together to form a concoction of pure love and lust. They completely lost all sense of awareness, able to detect only each other through what they could feel. The sheer intensity of their mutual bliss caused them to writhe and wriggle spasmodically. Their limbs tangled, and they both tightened their grip on each other in a barely successful attempt to anchor themselves to reality. Their hands raced over each other's bodies. All the while, they hugged each other closer, deepening the intimate embrace they had shared all night. Tighter and tighter they squeezed each other, as if trying to meld and fuse their sweaty flesh together in the culmination of their symbiotic ecstasy.

Minutes later, when she finally stilled and regained some sense of reality, Euphemia realized that Suzaku no longer held her. She shivered at the sudden absence of his comforting warmth. However, the discomfort didn't last long, for he had left her soft embrace only to grab the covers, which soon enveloped their naked, sweaty bodies. Both lying on their sides now, he wrapped his arms around her and she was instantly overtaken by numbingly relaxing warmth. As best she could, she shifted closer to him, pressing her back into the curve of his torso. This was no easy task, however, as her entire body remained completely limp with residual pleasure. Moreover, she still panted heavily in the aftermath of her intense pleasure. To say she was out of breath was an understatement; she had no breath. She couldn't move a single muscle. However, once she had found a comfortable spot in the arms of her knight, she had no intention of doing so. Suddenly overtaken by blissful exhaustion, she closed her eyes, smiled, and exhaled contentedly. Suzaku kissed her once more on the shoulder.

"You were fantastic, Euphie. And tomorrow, you'll be even better."

She giggled softly at his suggestive humor before kissing his hand in return. "Thank you, Suzaku. This was exactly what I needed." She wrapped her arms around his and they both tightened their grips on each other once more. Then, Euphemia promptly fell into the deepest, most rejuvenating sleep she had ever experienced.

Suzaku sat in the cockpit of the Lancelot, flying high over the Tokyo Settlement, growing more and more distraught with every second. He had no idea what was going on. All he could remember was waking up in the stadium, surrounded by the mangled and bloodied bodies of thousands of fellow Japanese. Making matters worse, the com system was abuzz with the repetition of an order supposedly issued by his princess: "All those within the sound of my voice, seek out and kill any Japanese you can find!"

He refused to believe it was possible. Euphie tried to erase the discrimination between Britannians and Elevens, not exponentially increase it. And such a malignant order couldn't have possibly come from his sweet, gentle princess. Angered and confused, he struggled to remember the ceremony, trying to figure out what could have possibly caused such chaos.

"Your highness, this man is too dangerous to be alone with. Please allow me to accompany you."

His grip on the controls tightened painfully. Zero. His head swiveled wildly, staring at each of his monitors, praying he would find his beloved princess soon before something terrible happened. If Zero had done something to her…

"Thanks, Suzaku. But I'll be fine on my own. You don't need to worry. Just trust me."

He growled impatiently as a warning flashed on his screen. He was taking fire from enemy knightmares below him. "Out of my way, I don't have time for you!" He zoomed past them, searching even more fervently now. He had to get to her and whisk her away from all this. He had to find the truth.

"But, your highness!"

How could all this be happening, especially so soon after what seemed to be the best night of his life? He impatiently slammed his fist on the inside of his cockpit. This was taking too long. If he didn't find her soon…well, he didn't want to think of the consequences.

"Trust me Suzaku, I'll be fine."

Her voice echoed in his head, almost painfully so. He felt as though her prediction – which now seemed woefully inaccurate – may have been the last time he would hear her voice. No! He refused to believe that. He was her knight, and he would save her from this catastrophe just as he had vowed to do.

"Trust me Suzaku, I'll be fine…"

Abruptly halting the Lancelot, he decided to let his scanners survey the particularly large, open area he had come to hover over. He drummed his fingers impatiently while they did so. His heart raced and his entire body shook. He craved nothing more at that moment than to fall into a warm, relaxing embrace with his princess. He was so deep in thought at the memory of the previous night that he jumped when his instruments emitted a loud *BEEEP!* The camera zoomed in on the life form it had identified, and on the main screen appeared none other than the immaculate face of his princess, alive and well. Briefly, his heart soared.

"Euphie…"

--- --- ---

*BANG!*

As Euphie fell backwards, her vision began to darken, and the last few gloriously happy memories from the previous night began to fade. A single tear escaped her slowly narrowing eyes as she began to lose consciousness. She had only one thing on her mind.

Suzaku…

Just before she blacked out completely, she thought she saw a mysterious white and gold blur racing towards her from the sky. What it could have been, she knew not. It could have been an angel coming to whisk her away to the heavens; it could have been her own soul, departing from her body, which now felt terribly cold; or it could even have been a knight in shining armor…

I know it seems like a oneshot, but trust me, there's much more to come. Kindly review as you guys always have.