Title: Immortal Heart

Author: Dark Hooded Eriol the Magician

Series: Code Geass

Rating: K+

Genre: Romance/Family

Status: Complete

Summary: Lelouch eavesdrops on a private conversation between C.C and Nunally.

Lelouch Lamperouge didn't need to wonder if she still possessed tenderness. Although she was quiet and indifferent towards him, he knew that she was just hiding. He often wondered what went on in her pretty little head when she stared off into space- if she still had human thoughts and human feelings...

She was his witch, his muse. They were also accomplices in his grand schemes. It was a beautiful partnership. He had a partner, an equal, in the taciturn individual; she had a wish that only he could grant. They were in a relationship that will benefit them both. There was nothing wrong with being bound into an impossible promise.

They will protect each other. They will look after one another. All because they needed to honor that sacred pact. She herself said that she wouldn't let him die. Even if the Britannian army loomed in front of them, she would throw herself at their path so that he could escape. His violet eyes would clench tightly at the sound of gun shots but he would run to safety. She would always find a way to go back to him; he would always try his best to get her back.

That was always their plan.

Lelouch smiled as he got up from his desk. He needed absolute loyalty and she gave it. There was no more need to worry. All he had to do was to learn to control her somehow.

The dark-haired young man walked out of his room to search for the green-haired girl in question. Somehow she had slipped out of his bedroom while he was busy studying. He didn't want Nunally to think that he was living an indecent life by keeping his 'lover' around. As the older brother, he was still a role model.

C.C never left his bedroom if she could help it. All she wanted to do was sleep and eat. His credit card was full of bills from fast-food places most of the time. A smile tugged at his lips. (She loved pizza, he thought involuntarily. That was her favorite.) It was a small price to pay for a very large debt of gratitude. But he often chastised her whenever she ventured beyond the four corners of his bedroom.

So Lelouch descended the stairs to reach the living room. His ears perked up when he heard his little sister's delighted laughter. Curiosity made him tiptoe towards the open door to hear more. Nobody could make Nunally laugh like that besides him.

One violet eye peeked through the crack. He stared at what he saw.

Nunally- his blind younger sister- was talking animatedly to C.C. The green-haired witch was standing behind the younger girl's wheelchair with her fingers plaiting the voluminous brown hair. Golden eyes were soft and sensual. He'd never seen such a sweet and tender expression on C.C's face; he never knew that Nunally lit up like that for anyone else.

Lelouch forced himself to be quiet to hear more. So he knelt down to a more comfortable position on the floor. His two favorite women were sharing stories. The war could wait. What was most important was here and now.

"How did you know you were a woman, C.C?" Nunally asked, curiosity in her voice.

"When I began my bleeding," answered the immortal witch. She was definitely older than any of them. Her smile was very amused. "I had someone with me when it happened. She explained that it was part of becoming a woman. Didn't anyone explain that to you?"

"I only had Onii-chan with me," Nunally said with her sweet lilting voice "on that day. I think I was thirteen... Brother usually lifts me out of bed everyday when I wake up to start out morning routine. So I felt him tense up with shock when he picked me up and probably saw blood on the sheets. He thought I was wounded somewhere..."

C.C laughed.

Lelouch hid his face on his hands. Of all the charming stories of their shared childhood, Nunally had to tell C.C about that! Nobody knew that but them. He wondered how he could ever face her again. She would tease him to no end. Oh, the horror!

"So he yelled for Sayoko-chan after he put me down on my wheelchair. I've never seen him lose his cool before. It must have been a sight to see. Anyway, Onii-chan turned his back when Sayoko-chan arrived to examine me. He was blushing very hard, she told me, when they found out that it was just menstruation. It's normal, Sayoko-chan said. But Onii-chan was in such a state of shock that she had to go downstairs for a cup of strong tea!

"And then Onii-chan had to run to the convenience store to buy some pads," laughed Nunally as she leaned backwards "because Sayoko-san was out of them. I wish I could have seen his face! My brother was certainly thrown into a panic when he realized that I had become a woman already!"

C.C chuckled as she braided Nunally's beautiful long brown hair. She could certainly see the three in a state of panic in her mind. It was the most hilarious story she'd heard in a long time.

"Onii-chan might get mad if he finds out I told you," the brown-haired lass murmured, frowning.

"It's our secret then," smiled the witch. She smoothed Nunally's hair tenderly. "You have beautiful hair, Nunally."

"Onii-chan said it was just like Mama's," Nunally said very softly. She was very young when her mother died so she didn't have a lot of memories about her. Then she lost her sight and mobility so she had to depend on her brother's stories. "Onii-chan said she was a beautiful woman with black hair and violet eyes. I wish I had dark hair."

C.C stifled a giggle. Lelouch drank in the delicious sound. She braided Nunally's hair gently and expertly. "You're pretty just the way you are."

Roses bloomed on her cheeks. "Y-You think so?"

"Yes," reassured the green-haired girl. Golden eyes flicked towards the doorway when she though she saw movement. There was no one there. She shrugged and continued on braiding the wavy light brown hair. It was so soft and silky that she wanted to touch it when she first saw it. "Don't doubt yourself. Your brother certainly likes pretty women like us."

Nunally let out a relieved sigh. She wished that she could see and touch C.C. The young woman who visited her often was very nice and sweet to her. Sometimes she wanted to see who C. C really was because all she knew of her was her soft hands and lovely voice. But Nunally sincerely believed that the other young woman carried a deep hurt inside her that was slowly being healed by her older brother.

"I wish Onii-chan would marry you," she voiced out her childish dream. Her expression was serene and content. "So that you'll become my sister."

Lelouch gasped sharply. He didn't know Nunally wanted anything like that.

"It was only my brother and I... I've never had a big sister. If you're his then you'll always be with us," murmured the brown-haired girl, clasping her hand together. She suddenly felt foolish. It was an impossible request. Although C.C dated her brother, she couldn't possibly marry him. "I-I'm sorry. It's not my place to ask you..."

C.C went beside Nunally to pull her into a tight hug. The younger girl gasped and breathed in the clean, sweet scent of another woman. It was fresh and clean and carried a hint of her older brother's aftershave. Golden eyes were soft and tender. "Even if he doesn't marry me, I'll still be here."

"You love Onii-chan, don't you?" was the innocent question.

The green-haired girl's expression saddened. She was glad that Nunally couldn't see her. It would not be right to break her heart further. Love was out of the question. "As much as I'm permitted, Nunally."

"Doesn't he love you?" asked the little girl. She didn't know about her brother's feelings. He never told her anything that was in his heart. His heart was sometimes a masked stranger to her.

"As much as he permits himself," C.C whispered. She closed her eyes when she realized that they were being watched. "But I'll always be your sister, if you want."

Lelouch stared at the affecting scene with misty eyes. He got back to his feet and brushed his knees. It was time to make his entrace.

"I'd like that, please," Nunally said as she leaned into C.C's shoulder. She had never felt so loved by another woman, except for her mother, in her entire life. It was a different and wonderful feeling.

"You look so beautiful, Nunally." Lelouch said gently. Indeed, Nunally was a vision with her brown hair in sweet braids tied with a rainbow of differently colored ribbons. He smiled devilishly at C.C. "You did a good job."

"It's nothing," she tried to act disinterested.

"Onii-chan, can I ask a favor?" the little girl asked quietly. Lelouch squeezed her hand. "Can you marry C.C? I really want her to become my sister someday."

Lelouch blushed into a deep red. "But she can be your sister even without that!"

"Oh, I want both of you to be happy." Nunally said innocently. She smiled to her brother's general direction. "She loves you too, Onii-chan."

"Too?" C.C raised an eyebrow.

Lelouch's blush deepened. He couldn't believe that his little sister was betraying him! And in front of C.C! "Nunally!"

The green-haired girl laughed harder.

And Lelouch Lamperouge felt hope surge up his heart. C.C still possessed her humanity that she exhibited in her random acts; he was suddenly glad that she craved for the same things that mortals did. And because he still had a chance on winning her immortal heart.