A/N: This goes out to all the soldiers that made it home. And to the ones that didn't. May your journey in life end on the path of peace.

Disclaimer: I only own the plot. No more, no less.

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I'm Coming Home

Leloucia ignored the people that stared at her on the darkened street and continued to walk as fast as she could without having to resort to running. She could hear her name being called as she glared ahead with her purple eyes but completely ignored the sound. Right when the wind whipped her long black hair into a frenzy, a tan hand caught hold of her pale arm and tugged her back.

"Leloucia, please, I want to talk to you."

Leloucia turned back to the curly brunette boy and gave him her dirtiest glare. "Don't you dare lay another hand on me, Suzaku Kururugi!" Said boy put his free hand on her shoulder and stared deep into Leloucia's eyes; almost as if he was trying to spite her.

"No, you will listen to what I have to say! It's not fair for you to assume things!"

Before she could say anything else, Suzaku closed his green eyes and pulled Leloucia into a heart racing kiss. A few people gave them some catcalls but Leloucia forgot about them after a moment. Instead, she focused on the lips that electrified her own. When the chocolate haired boy finally pulled back, he let his forehead rest on hers. They breathed each other in and forgot about the audience they had somewhat gathered.

"Leloucia...I love you..."

Leloucia barely opened her mouth before she was interrupted by the sound of a familiar car horn blowing. The two eighteen year olds turned towards Milly Ashford's red convertible just as the blond leaned out of her side of the car.

"Come on you two! We are so going to be late for that party!"

Suzaku and Leloucia gave each other knowing looks before Leloucia grabbed Suzaku's tan hand and began to somewhat run in the opposite direction of the red car. Milly looked flabbergasted.

"Hey! Wait! Where are you two going!?"

The blonde only got the faint sound of happy laughter on the wind as a reply. The former president of the Ashford Student Council continued to stare at the new couple before shaking her head with a smile and driving towards the graduation party that was being held.

"Took them long enough to get together."

…

The sunlight that filtered in through a crack in the curtains lit up the dust that floated there. Leloucia opened her beautiful purple eyes and began to stretch her aching muscles when she noticed Suzaku watching her with a smile.

"And what are you so happy about? My back aches!" Leloucia said as she lightly pushed Suzaku's face away. The brunette laughed just as lightly but there was a hint of sadness in there too.

"Yeah, I guess I shouldn't be smiling like this." He looked down with his smile still in place. "No, I shouldn't be smiling at all."

Leloucia confused as to why her love was acting so strangely. "Hey, Suzaku…what's wrong?" She reached her pale hand towards Suzaku's tan face. The ring on her hand glittered; especially when Suzaku took hold of it and entwined their fingers. "Suzaku?" Instead of answering his wife, Suzaku merely brought her closer with his free arm and buried his face into her long black hair. Soon, he began to cry which caused Leloucia's fear to put up an even larger fight. "Suzaku please…you're scaring me."

Suzaku pulled back slightly and stared into Leloucia's wide purple eyes. He smiled at her which caused her to become even more scared. The tears in his usually bright green eyes made the grin seem so sad and pained. "It's okay, Leloucia. We're going to be fine. I promise." He then brought their naked bodies closer once more, knowing that, soon, it might end up being some of the last contact he will have with her in a long time.

…

Leloucia stared with wide eyes as the bus took away her husband to a training camp. She wasn't alone either. Plenty of other families watched as one of their own climbed onto the bus with determined looks. Husbands, wives, sons, daughters, brothers, and sisters; they were all so willing to lay down their lives in order to help protect the country that their family lived in. Leloucia, on the other hand, didn't move to leave the station with the rest of the crowd. Instead, she found herself walking towards the direction of the vehicles. A moment after that, she found herself jogging after it. Another moment after that, she found herself running. Not even minding the dirt and mud, Leloucia ran after the cars that were taking away her love even with her long flowy skirt and flimsy sandals. The words "I'll come back home" echoed in her mind while Leloucia's breath became ragged.

They had stopped at a red light which gave her a few minutes to catch up. And she was so close. If only that rock hadn't been there. If only she had seen it coming as she ran. If only she wasn't desperate enough to not see it. If only she was agile enough not to trip over it. If only. If only. If only.

But "if onlys" were meaningless. That was the conclusion Leloucia came to as she laid there in the dirt and mud and grim as she watched the light turn green and the trucks pull away.

…

Suzaku sat on the bed assigned to him. He waited, but for what? Even he didn't know that. He knew that dinner was going to be served soon but he didn't feel like eating. The brunette knew that his roommate was going to arrive soon but he couldn't look forward to it. He knew that the least he could do is try to take a nap and rest up but even then he knew he wouldn't fall asleep. It was only when he looked at the bedside drawer that he was going to be sharing did he realize why he just felt a sort of emptiness about him.

There, on the little table, sat a picture of Leloucia on the swing that hung on the tree of their backyard. The wind had been blowing on that day so the pose Leloucia had made was mostly so she could keep her hair away from her face and the skirt of her dress from blowing up. Sitting on the swing was their pet cat, Arthur. Suzaku smiled as he remembered that day. He nearly caused a great big fire because Arthur had decided to attack him right when he had been turning on the gas powered grill.

Just as Suzaku had been about to reach over and grab hold of the frame, the door to the room burst open and in came a blonde man with a pile of luggage in his arms.

"Hiya! The name's Gino Weinberg! It's a pleasure to meet ya!"

Suzaku blinked as he stared at the over excited blonde when he realized he was supposed to be shaking the hand that was extended towards him. "Oh, sorry. Hi, my name is Suzaku Kururugi. And the pleasure is all mine." Suzaku said this as he shook the taller blonde's hand.

"So I'm guessing this bed is mine?" Gino said as he pointed towards the unoccupied bed. He smiled at Suzaku as he made himself at home.

"Yeah, I guess. I mean I'm pretty sure I was assigned to this one so…yeah…" Suzaku finished lamely feeling like a complete idiot. Gino, a kind boy at heart, merely smiled down to Suzaku before putting down what had actually been four normal sized bags instead of a mountain of luggage bags like Suzaku had originally thought. Suzaku then lay on his bed and stared up at the completely blank ceiling. Their room was the color of a brownish gray. It had immediately be noted that the room did not have a window so even during the day, if the door was closed, then it was pitch black. Slowly but surely, Suzaku felt his depression come back to him. It was only when he heard Gino curse did he bother to look over to him.

"What's wrong?"

The blonde looked extremely distressed as he dug through the clothes (mainly underwear and undershirts) he had just put in the drawer. "I—argh—lost something, ow!"

This caused Suzaku to sit up on his bed and, when he looked to the floor, he saw a picture of a redheaded woman and pink haired girl. He lightly tapped Gino on his shoulder as he picked up the picture. "Hey, is this it?"

Gino whirled around; surprisingly fast for a man that was on his knees. "Yes! Thank god!" Gino said as he scooped the photo off the tile floor. The blue eyed blonde cradled the picture in his large hands as he sat on his bed.

"Is…that you wife and daughter?" Suzaku inquired as he let himself stare at the picture from his place.

"Haha! No!" Gino said as he grinned at Suzaku before patting at the seat next to him. Suzaku raised an eyebrow before making the short distance to Gino's bed. The blonde then pointed at the younger girl with his index finger. "This is my best friend, Anya Alstreim. She practically took care of me all throughout high school. And this," Gino said as he pointed to the smiling redhead. "This is my girlfriend. We've been together for three years now."

Suzaku couldn't help but be surprised. "You've been together that long and you haven't proposed?"

This caused Gino to laugh even as he continued to stare at the photo. "Dude, I'm only nineteen." This caused Suzaku to flinch slightly while he cast his eyes to the floor.

"Is that too young?"

"Hell yes! That is way too young! I'm barely starting out on life!" Gino said, not noticing how uncomfortable the man looked. "Plus, I couldn't find a good time to ask," the blonde said as he continued. "I was thinking of proposing and getting married before I left for here but…" Gino trailed off while his pretty blue eyes glazed over. "I don't know. It just feels…cruel to do that to her."

At this, Suzaku jerked his head to the younger male beside him. "What do you mean, cruel?"

Gino shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess, since we're going to war there might not be a chance of me making it out of there alive. It seems cruel to leave her a widow like that. I mean, I know she wants to marry me just as I want to marry her but…it just seems too early. Too badly placed." When Suzaku nodded, he realized that he genuinely understood what Gino was talking about.

"So! What about you? Do you have a girl?" Gino asked with a sudden cheeriness that wasn't there earlier. Suzaku stayed staring at the blonde before a smile broke out on his own face. He then reached a tan hand over to the picture of his Leloucia and picked it up.

"Yup, Gino, meet the two dimensional version of my wife, Leloucia Kururugi."

Gino smiled politely to Suzaku before looking at the picture closely. His mouth dropped when he saw the woman in the picture before he whistled lightly. "Nice catch, Suzaku. Look, I mean no disrespect but damn, she's pretty hot."

Without really realizing it, Suzaku narrowed his eyes and slowly pulled the picture away from the blonde. When Gino noticed, his own eyes widened and he held up his hands in a calming matter. "Whoa! Hey! I'm fully taken, don't worry! I just wanted to express how much I truly admire your wife's beauty!" Suzaku felt himself relax a little.

"Sorry, I guess I'm a little jumpy since I had to literally fight for her for a majority of our high school years," Suzaku said as he himself began to look at the photo. This made him miss Gino's slightly confused frown.

"Say, Suzaku…"

"Yeah?" the brunette replied though he wasn't really paying attention.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

Gino frown deepened slightly. "And how long have you and Leloucia been together?"

"Three years." Both of the men's eyes widened but for completely different reasons. Suzaku hadn't exactly wanted to let the little fact of the age he and Leloucia married at, especially after what Gino said about being so young.

"So you married her when you were both eighteen!?"

Suzaku had to wince at the tone Gino used. "Yeah, is it really that bad?" Gino stayed staring at him in surprise before lightly shaking his head, as if he were clearing away a thought.

"No, it's just that…well, wow. That's so young." Suzaku felt himself slightly wilt which Gino noticed almost immediately. "Well, people usually marry that young because of family problems or something. Or because the girl got pregnant."

Suzaku's eyes widened dramatically. "What!? No! We didn't-! I mean it's not like I didn't use-! It's just-!" Gino could not help the laugh that came up.

"Well, never mind. So…no kids?"

Somehow, by the time Gino and Suzaku made their way to the Mess Hall for dinner, Suzaku had a nearly permanent blush on his face.

…

Leloucia stared at the letter in her hands with a small tear in her eye as she realized the subtle reminder that it has already been a year since she had seen Suzaku's face. In person, that is. He has sent more than enough pictures of himself and the friends he made there. Which was a lot more than the friends he made while working as a coach at Ashford Academy; the very same school they had gone in their high school years.

She quietly folded up the paper before moving from the room she once shared with her husband to the one across from it. When she opened the door, she was slightly unprepared to see that her babies were wide awake in their cribs. Her daughter, who looked like her smaller twin, was lying near the bars of her small, white crib.

"Yugure, what are you doing so far away from Mr. Snuggles?" Leloucia asked the little girl who blinked sleepily up at her before yawning. The young mother gently picked her up and placed her closer to the stuffed pink horse she had dubbed Mr. Snuggles. Yugure's younger fraternal twin then began to coo rather loudly so Leloucia turned her attention to her son. Though he had her black hair color, Yoake ended up with his father's unruly curls and his green eyes.

"Do you want to see your father's letter too, Yoake?"

When her son cooed again, Leloucia daintily brought out the letter once more and read it quietly. She silently marked herself a coward for not telling Suzaku about his children but also felt like it would only distract him in battle. Still, the word "coward" echoed across her mind.

…

Suzaku dodged before releasing the Lancelot's slash harkens upon his enemy. It had been nearly eight years since he last saw Leloucia and first signed up for the army. The brunette quickly maneuvered the white Knightmare over the twisted remains of what was probably a tank. At the sound of oncoming bullets, Suzaku activated the green shields that appeared from the Lancelot's arms and searched the surrounding area for the source of them. The sky was completely gray with smoke and ash. The land looked empty and barren while some Knightmare frames and tanks lay to waste on the ground making the battle field look like a graveyard for the machines.

"Hey, buddy. You still there?"

Suzaku almost rolled his eyes before he moved away from more oncoming fire. "Tristan, I'm a little busy right now," Suzaku said, remembering to use the name of Gino's Knightmare instead of his actual name. He still found it to be annoying to have to call another pilot by his Knightmare, even if it was for "safety" reasons.

"Yeah, me too. But anyways, don't you think something's up? I mean, these guys are almost too easy to take down." Suzaku looked at his monitor and realized just how quickly they were picking off the enemy's forces. He then piloted his Knightmare over the giant pile of debris he was hiding behind and began to shoot all four of his slash harkens into the enemy's tanks.

"Yeah, now that you mentioned it…maybe we're finally going to win this war."

"What do you mean?" Gino said with a frown on his face if his voice was anything to go by.

"Don't you pay attention to any of the briefings? If we win this battle, then we've won the entire war! Then we can go home." As Suzaku said this, he took the chance to use his factspheres to locate the blonde in his own Knightmare, the Tristan. When Suzaku found the Tristan floating in the air above him, he realized that Gino had gone quiet. "Tristan? Tristan, come in! Tristan?"

"Yeah, I'm here Lancelot." Gino replied in a weak voice that caused a frown to mar Suzaku's boyish face. "So, if we win here…and I survive…I can go see Kallen? Leave the army for good? Live a normal life again?" Suzaku knew just how much Gino wanted the things he just said. Hell he wanted that to happen to himself as well. Which is why Suzaku smiled softly in the dim light of the cockpit before answering just as softly.

"Yeah, we can all go home."

There was another silent pause before Gino spoke once more. "Hey Lancelot! When we get home, I want you to meet Kallen!" As he said this, Gino smacked an enemy Knightmare just as it neared him straight out of the air.

Suzaku laughed freely before moving to destroy more enemy units, feeling refreshed and full of bright hope. "Yeah, and I'll take the both of you to meet Leloucia." Gino laughed as he shot down an oncoming missile with a slash harken.

"Hell yeah! And then we can all go out! Every Sunday maybe! We can have barbeques and you'll be the best man at our wedding!"

Gino's good nature was contagious. "And when I see Leloucia," Suzaku began, "I'll make sure to tell her that I want a family! And you can be the godfather of our kids, Tristan!" Suzaku blew through unit after unit.

"And then we'll become old men and laugh about or 'glory' days here," Gino responded, thinking far ahead into the future.

Suzaku was silent for a while as he continued to search for enemies. When he heard a beeping sound he looked down and felt his heart stop. "Hey…Tristan?" At the sound of his voice Gino's attacks slowed down.

"Yeah, buddy?"

"Thank you," Suzaku said with a tired sigh. He then turned his Knightmare around and race away from the thing that would be the death of him.

"For what? Lancelot? What's wrong?"

"Thank you for being my friend, and tell Leloucia that I'm sorry."

Before the big, joyful blonde could question his older friend, a giant fireball of an explosion rose up towards him at the spot he had last been.

"Lancelot!? Lance—Suzaku!? Suzaku buddy, come in! Come on! You can't leave me hanging like this! We...we still gotta get outta here man! Suzaku!? SUZAKU!"

…

It was supposed to be another ordinary day for the Kururugi household. Leloucia got up and ignored the horrid gut feeling she felt the moment she awoke. She made a trip to the bathroom before heading to the room the twins shared. She awoke them quietly and gave them both a kiss good morning. Leloucia then got herself ready, dressing in her usual pinstripe suit and arranged her hair in a high ponytail. As she stared at her mirror image, she noticed just how long her hair had grown. When was the last time since I cut it? She asked herself.

She then decided that, until Suzaku came home, she wouldn't dare cut it. Leloucia then pulled her long black hair into a bun instead of the ponytail. That was the first difference in what was supposed to otherwise be any other day.

Leloucia then went downstairs and heated up the water for her morning tea. Even though she has seen it more than a thousand times, she observes the kitchen she has been manning for eight years now. All alone. As her gaze wanders over her refrigerator and countertops, it lands on the pile of mail left closest to the back door that leads to the huge backyard. Just as she begins to walk over to the mail, she feels something entwine itself between her legs causing her to nearly lose her balance. When she looks down, she sees a very aged Arthur staring back up at her with his wide yellow eyes. "What's wrong, Arthur?" she asked but all she got was a gargled version of "meow" as her answer.

Carefully, she picked him up and carried him over to the mail pile. Though she's doubtful, Leloucia shuffles through it, knowing deep down that she wasn't going to find a letter from her husband in there. "Hah, I guess we're not getting a letter from Suzaku in this batch, huh Arthur?"

Just as the cat opened his mouth, the doorbell rang. "Huh, I wonder who that is." Leloucia, as she walked to the front door, deposited Arthur on a cushioned chair.

Leloucia felt like she should have expected the men behind her door but could not help but stare at the blonde and dark haired soldiers on her front door.

"Leloucia? Leloucia Kururugi?" Gino asked as he nervously thumbed the hat in his hand. Even without her answer, he was able to recognize the woman in front of him. Even though it had eight years since the picture was taken, the woman in front of him looks nearly exactly like the Leloucia he had seen in Suzaku's picture. The very same picture that was now in his front pocket.

"I'm sorry, but you must have the wrong house," Leloucia said as she backed away from the open door. "My Suzaku can't be dead. I'm sorry for all your trouble." Gino gave Tohdoh a pained look before reaching into his pocket and bringing out the picture of her.

"I don't think we have the wrong house Leloucia."

At the sight of the photo, Leloucia collapsed to the floor. Before she could hit the ground though, Gino had his arms wrapped around her and he slowly pulled her back up. As the black haired woman began to sob into his uniform, the blonde soldier led her to the chair that had once held Arthur. The gray cat gladly gave up his chair for the grieving mother.

By the time Yoake and Yugure came down for their breakfast, their mother was too far gone. And Gino could only watch with wide eyes as the two twins came up to him and asked why their mother was crying. He silently wondered if Leloucia had cheated on Suzaku during his time away but then noticed how the little boy had their father's bright green eyes.

Wait, so Suzaku was a dad?

…

It has now been ten years since his capture and eighteen years since he first left Leloucia and Suzaku had never felt more depressed. He ignored the insults thrown his way by the soldiers that guarded them and instead focused on the few stars he could see. The only time he turned away was when they literally had their dinner thrown at them. The blue haired man beside him told him his code name instead of his actual name. Hannibal's Ghost was a quiet guy and he actually was pretty smart. The only downside was that he got blood thirsty at times. He quickly tore the loaf of bread he had been able to catch and gave one half to the blue haired man. Hannibal nodded to him and gave him half of the somewhat burnt piece of meat he had managed to steal from the guard when he turned his back.

Suzaku simply had to smile back but it didn't quite reach his eyes. He soon turned back to the window and thought of his wife's beautiful face.

Leloucia, I miss you…

...

Leloucia did the only thing she could do after her son's announcement. She slapped him. Everyone at the backyard barbeque stared in shock silence at the mother and son.

"Don't you dare even say that, Yoake Kururugi!" she whispered. "I am not going to lose you to this stupid war as well."

Yoake's girlfriend, Mia, quickly ran to her eighteen year old boyfriend and slowly pulled him away from his angry mother. His wide green eyes could only stare into his mother's fiery amethyst ones while he slowly reached a pale hand to his stinging cheek. After another moment, Gino came up from behind Leloucia and carefully wrapped his arms around her before stepping back as well. Kallen ignored the small stab of jealousy and instead held on tighter to her five year old son.

"Hey, Leloucia, please calm down. At least let Yoake explain why he signed up for the great Britannian Army." Leloucia gave him a scathing glare before smacking his arms and moving away from him. Yugure quickly moved to comfort her mother but was waved away by her pale hand. Though the rejection hurt her a bit, Leon, her own boyfriend, quickly moved away from the grill and held her carefully in his arms.

"I just," Yoake started, "I just want to help end the war. For my father. If he died in something like this then I don't want it to be in vain. Which it will be if Britannia loses. And I don't want that for him even though I've never met him."

Leloucia merely scoffed before stalking inside the house that has been her home for more than twenty years now.

…

After Yoake disappeared into the transport vehicle, Leloucia grabbed onto Gino's shirt and pulled him close. Her eyes made Gino feel as if she was trying to kill him with a glare and he felt his knees weaken in fright.

"If I find you on my doorstep to tell me that my son is dead I will kill you and feed your parts to Arthur. He may be old but he still has a vicious bite." Gino felt a weak smile come up to his lips when the black haired mother let him go.

"Haha, Leloucia, please. Don't joke around like that."

Leloucia's expression told him that she wasn't joking.

…

"Uncle Tristan, why can't anyone tell me my father's name? I mean, not even mom or Lloyd told me anything! I don't even know what he looks like!" The battlefield raged around them and Yoake barely had room to dodge the slash harkens fired at him.

"Conquista! Focus! I refuse to be killed by your mom just because you're being reckless! Now move it!" Yoake muttered darkly under his breath as he move through the air on a predetermined flight path. He never understood why Uncle Gino was so on edge. Just as he was going to delve deeper on that train of thought, Yoake noticed that Gino was about to fly into a trap.

"UNCLE GINO!"

Yoake really needed to plan things out instead of going into a fight with a half cooked plan.

…

Suzaku was surprised when a troop of guards came into their cell block and began tossing new prisoners of war into the already occupied cells. He quickly caught hold of a young man that had been thrown in with both him and Hannibal. He was surprisingly light and had black hair curly hair.

"Hey, are you okay kid?" The boy quickly opened his green and quickly moved away from the older soldier.

"What's it to you old man?"

Hannibal shook his long blue hair away from his face with a laugh. "You hear that, Lancelot? We're old men now. I guess we should start asking the guards to put on soft music and to turn on the heater. Maybe some hair bands for our beards will do." He quickly stood up and his long blue hair fell like water around him. If they all had a chance, they would cut their hair as close to the scalp as they could. But seeing as they had to let their hair grow for ten years, it was pretty long and unruly. The boy quickly moved back when the blue haired warrior began to walk closer.

"Though, I want to see exactly how out of practice we are now that we're so old." Suzaku merely sighed as he sat down and combed his hair.

"Hannibal, please try not to hurt him too badly, we should make as many friends as we possibly can. And," Suzaku said as he got as comfortable as he could, "seeing the way his hair is cut, I'm guessing that he is a soldier from our army. He might be higher ranked than us."

Hannibal scoffed before stalking towards the slightly intimidated Yoake. "Did…did he call you Lancelot?"

Suzaku tilted his head towards him and nodded. "Yeah, my code name is Lancelot. In the Britannian Army they code name us by the Knightmare we pilot. Hannibal, the guy who is about to beat you into the ground piloted the Knightmare known as Hannibal's Ghost." Suzaku noticed how the boy seemed to slightly gawk at them.

"You guys are practically a legend in the army!" was all Yoake could get out before Hannibal slammed him into the ground.

"Oh? They are talking about us old men in your fancy kids' army? Or are you just telling two old gas bags that so we can get all warm and fuzzy?" Suzaku rolled his eyes before he waved a hand towards the blue eyed Hannibal.

"Calm down, Hannibal. That old geezer comment was directed towards me. Leave the kid alone, he is young and stupid." Suzaku then looked towards the familiar green eyes that were on the boy. "Now, can you tell us your code name young man?"

Yoake swallowed hard before looking at the seasoned warrior. "They call me Lancelot Conquista. Or Conquista for short and also to be respectful towards the pilot of Lancelot. I pilot the Lancelot Conquista which was built in order to replace the original Lancelot."

Suzaku lifted a bushy eyebrow in surprise. "So I guess that means you are my successor?"

"Yeah, I guess it does. Anyways, has anyone tried to break out of here?" Suzaku and Hannibal both raised an eyebrow at each other before turning to Conquista.

"We're breaking out tonight."

…

Akito hid behind a corner as a group of guards fired a barrage of bullets towards them. He waited until they had emptied out their clips before motioning to both Lancelot and Conquista. He was immediately noticed how the two seemed to move in sync as they jumped into the air and did this weird roundhouse kick. He had to admit that he didn't like the kid at first but now…well, he would trust his life with him. He would trust his life with both of them. But he would trust his life more with Conquista than Lancelot. Conquista is more determined to get back home, Akito thought as he ran with at least thirty others when the coast was clear. He has the will to go back home and be with his family again. Lancelot on the other hand…

Akito quickly ran past the two soldiers and began to kick, punch, and maim all the enemy soldiers that came around the next corner. He barely noticed when his comrades joined him. Instead, he focused on knife that the soldier had in his hand. It was easy to disarm him and Akito quickly took the knife away. They were once again on the move, heading towards the Knightmare hangars, when the blue eyed soldier grabbed a handful of his long hair and swiped the knife through it. When he pulled his hand away, he had a handful of his long blue hair in his fist.

"Hey Lancelot! Here!"

Akito tossed the knife to the brunette who practically sighed in relief before tossing it another soldier. "Thanks Hannibal but I can wait a little longer. Some people need it more than me."

Akito felt like he shouldn't be surprised when Lancelot handed over to a soldier with shorter hair but he was. He took a quick glance and noticed how Lancelot's hair was getting in the way of his running. Lancelot is worried about going home to a wife he hasn't seen in eighteen or nineteen years. Akito shook his head once more, just as they burst into the hangar. He quickly stabbed a scientist in his fat neck with a pen before looking to the rack of Knightmare Activation Keys. He completely ignored all the cries of fear, terror, and anger. Instead, he reached for the key that he would recognize anywhere.

I guess I would be worried too if I had been away that long and Leila thought I was dead.

Akito ran towards one of the many complex computers that he saw worked away on there. After what felt like hours, he felt a hand touch his shoulder and when he looked up, he saw Conquista looking down at him with a harried expression.

"Are you done sending the message?"

He then turned his blue eyes to the keyboard before him and pressed the button that had the word "enter".

"Now I did."

…

Yoake quickly ran over to the white Knightmares that stood side by side after making sure that Hannibal got to his Knightmare. He saw Lancelot staring up the Lancelot before turning to him.

"Lloyd is going to be completely pissed that they messed with the Lancelot."

"What do you mean, Lancelot?" Yoake watched as the older soldier shook his head with a smile before walking over to the pulley that would take him up.

"Call me Albion now. They changed the name of my Knightmare to Lancelot Albion." Yoake couldn't help the smile that crawled over his face as well.

"You're right, Lloyd will be pissed."

It was only when they were in the air when Yoake noticed the changes. Yeah, Lloyd is definitely going to throw a fit.

…

Gino felt a huge breath leave him as he entered the Tristan Divider. He had just been about to call Leloucia in order to tell her that he had allowed her son to get captured when they got a message from the enemy base. Apparently their captured comrades were able to escape and they could fight off the enemy troops there.

He only hoped they could get there in time and that Yoake didn't do anything stupid.

…

As Yoake stood in the airport, he could not help but tap his foot impatiently.

"Sorry I'm late. I just felt like I should clean up a bit before I met your family."

Yoake turned and took in Albion's appearance. He had cut his hair and shaved off his beard. Though he had to walk with a slight limp the uniform he wore made sure to show everyone that he wasn't weak.

"Hah! You look good, old man," Yoake said playfully but dropped the smile when Albion gave him a pointed look.

"Be careful when you say that, Conquista, or I might tell Lloyd to send you the bill for the new parts for the Conquista." Yoake shivered before straightening up.

"Yes, sir."

"Good, now let's go meet your mysterious family."

Yoake felt his eyebrow rise before he picked up his duffle bag and practically ran after the veteran. "And what about your mysterious wife? You sure you don't want to go and see her first?" Yoake took the silence for a "no" and merely huffed out his annoyance.

"This is going to be a long plane ride."

…

Suzaku stared at Hannibal's raised hand before lifting his own and shaking it. "It was great to meet you, Hannibal's Ghost."

The blue haired man smiled before shaking Suzaku's back. "Please, call me Akito. Akito Hyuga. And it was nice to share a cell with you for ten years, Lancelot Albion. Or should I say Albion?"

Suzaku smiled at the jest before taking his hand back. "You can call me Suzaku. My name is Suzaku Kururugi and nothing more."

"Well Suzaku Kururugi And Nothing More, I hope to see you again in the future."

And that was the last he saw of Akito Hyuga. Until the weekend to come.

…

The moment he passed through the gates, Yoake was able to see his family. Mostly because they had drawn a crowd because his mother was pulling on one of Uncle Gino's ears while Aunt Kallen pulled on his other.

"Mother!" Yoake dropped his bag and rushed into Leloucia's embrace, knowing that Albion wasn't going to just leave it there. He felt his family crowd around him, giving him either hugs, kisses or both.

"So, buddy, where's this new friend of yours?" Just as Yoake pointed his finger to Albion, he heard the brunette speak.

"Leloucia…?" He watched his mother freeze before she looked at the older man.

"Suzaku…?" No one dared to move.

Then, almost as if the spell broke, Yoake watched as his mother and friend rushed towards each other with loud cries.

"Suzaku!"

"Leloucia!"

The sound of their bodies hitting was loud and sounded like it hurt but the two didn't pause to worry about it. Instead, they wrapped their arms around each other and Suzaku ended up swinging Leloucia around. The tears on their faces were evident. The moment they pulled away enough, Leloucia and Suzaku rested their foreheads against each other; simply breathing each other in. the rest of the family watched as they simply breathed each other in. It was only when Suzaku pulled back with a chuckle that Leloucia frown up to him.

"Suzaku," she breathed, "is it really you?"

Suzaku smiled once again. "That was what I was thinking…Leloucia…"

"Hm?" She replied back while looking at his lips.

"I'm home."

Leloucia immediately shut him up with a kiss.

/-/-/+_+\-\-\

Comments:

And that's a wrap. I hope you enjoyed. Love your family while you still have them people. Love 'em with all your pretty, gory, red, beating, four chambered hearts. Leave a review?

Step by step

Heart to heart

Left right left

We all fall down

Like toy soldiers

Bit by bit

Torn apart

We never win

But the battle wages on

For toy soldiers