A/N Please read!: This is the first of a series I will be writing. Each of these will be written to a song, just one, based on the mood that it puts me in. Sort of a personal writing exercise. Hope you enjoy~
Song: 'South of Heaven's Chanting Mermaids', Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides OST
Sea of Stars
It was simply one of those evenings.
When he had to get out of the eyes of his attendants, out from under the eyes of everyone.
Lelouch Vi Britannia, Emperor of the world, was barely holding himself together.
He lay in the gardens of his palace, after night had just fallen. Fireflies danced through the air, making it seem like the stars had come just a little lower. It was a blissfully clear night. The dreamlike scenery made it all too easy to forget what was going to happen too soon. His heart ached for earlier years of his life- not that he was regretting this. No, he had lost too much to regret this now. This heavy, heavy price for peace.
He heard soft footsteps behind him and he sat up to tell whoever it was to leave him, but as he opened his mouth, he found that the words would come as he realized who it was.
Suzaku sat down next to him, "Good evening, Your-"
"Cut it out, Suzaku. I didn't come here to bathe in formalities," Lelouch said, cutting him off. He didn't want to hear it. He was so sick of it all- glad that this would be over soon.
"Lelouch… are you okay?" Suzaku asked quietly.
"If you held the entire world's hatred, would you be 'okay'?" Lelouch said with a bitter chuckle, "No, not particularly, which is why I came out here. I can at least get away for a little while."
"I see…" the other replied softly.
"I needed to come out here and be Lelouch for a while. Just Lelouch, no one more, no one less."
"I suppose even you have to get away sometimes," Suzaku chuckled.
There was a long silence, violet and green eyes pulled upward into the sea of stars and faraway worlds above them.
"Lelouch?" Suzaku said finally, glancing over at his friend.
"Hm?"
"Did you love anyone?"
The question caught Lelouch off guard. He wasn't expecting Suzaku to ask him things like this, not so close to the end. But then, he supposed that someone would.
"Yes," Lelouch said softly, his eyes still searching the stars.
"Did… you ever really pursue them?"
"I gave up on him a long time ago."
It was Suzaku's turn to be caught off guard. Lelouch could tell by the small moment that it took the brunette to gather his thoughts.
"You? You gave up on something?" he said with a small chuckle, "I don't think you should have given up so easily."
"Really now?" Lelouch said, raising an eyebrow, "And why is that?"
"Because he didn't give up on you."
Before Lelouch could say more, Suzaku had rolled over and tilted his face to kiss him. It wasn't the first time they had kissed- hell, they had done much more than kiss in the past. But when so much had happened, no apology could ever be enough. Lelouch had thought that everything was over between them- particularly after Euphemia…
But the way that Suzaku was threading his fingers through his hair made him close his eyes and forget. Forget all the blood on his hands- even if just for a moment. He could pretend that everything was alright. That he wasn't going to die in just a few more days.
That he could fall up into that sea of stars, that he could take Suzaku with him—that everything had ended differently, and they could be together.
Lelouch smiled softly as Suzaku parted their lips again and he reached over, pulling himself closer- and Suzaku wrapped his arms around him. He closed his eyes—and just imagined that sea of stars. Endless, just for them.
