I do not own Code Geass or any of its characters.
Before you read this story, just a few things to keep in mind. This is set after Lelouch challenges his father and is condemned to exile. This is his last night in the palace; I'm sure Charles would let his children stay one last night. Just in case you go a little confused.
I haven't yet proof-read this yet, but I eventually will. Bear with me for now.
Don't Say Goodbye
"Lelouch?"
He raised his head from his hands and turned to smile at her. "Hello, Euphie," he said softly. He rose to offer her his seat, but she settled on the edge of Nunnally's bed. "Shouldn't you be in bed?"
Euphemia grinned. "Sister tried," she admitted. Lelouch raised an eyebrow, but she chose to leave it there. "I brought some flowers for Nunnally," she said instead, pulling the bouquet from behind her back and practically shoving it in her brother's face. "Do you think she'll like it?"
If he hadn't been blinking pollen and tears from his eyes, Lelouch would have responded immediately. He accepted the gift and set it aside on the table so that he could smile at Euphemia. "I'm sure she'll love it," he said. "That's very nice of you, Euphie."
He blinked when she started giggling behind her hand. "What is it?"
She glanced at him through her lashes, and then laughed a little harder. "You talk like Brother Odysseus. Did you see the hair growing on his chin?"
Lelouch was taken aback by the rather rapid change of topic, but then again, Nunnally was like that, too, sometimes… and this was Euphemia. He cocked his head. "No. What's it like?"
"He let me touch it; it's all fuzzy and prickly! Just like Father's!"
"Ah…"
"I think it's… Lelouch? Are you there?" Euphemia frowned and waved her hand in front of her brother's glazed eyes. Lelouch immediately looked up and smiled, gesturing for her to continue. The young princess leaned back. "You look a little lost today, brother. Are you still sad about Mother Marianne?"
Lelouch vi Britannia didn't yet know the true meaning of pain, so he took the tingling flash that speared his heart at the mention of his mother's name to be reminiscence. Euphie was probably the only person other than him and Nunnally who called Marianne 'mother'. He was the only other person to whom he would talk about his recently murdered parent. "I miss her, that's all," he said finally.
Her hands were tiny when they held his, and Lelouch found himself smiling; Euphemia had always been small, sometimes as petite as Nunnally. "I miss her too. But Sister Cornelia says that she's in heaven, so she must be happy. You should be happy too, Lelouch."
It was truly amazing how Spartan a child's mind could be. But then again, Lelouch himself wasn't at all an adult. "I'm not sad… I still have Nunnally." At the mention of her name, he gently squeezed his sister's hand, assuring himself that she was truly there. He couldn't brush off the feeling that she would one day leave him as suddenly as Marianne had. He would maintain a death-grip on her until that day came.
Euphemia gently stroked the covers that covered Nunnally's torso. "Is she okay?"
"She's sleeping." Then he realised that he could see that for herself… unlike Nunnally. "She wouldn't open her eyes; she says she can't. And the doctors… they said that her legs…"
"I know," Euphemia said quietly. Then she grinned at him. "At least know she won't fall over anymore – you know how clumsy Nunnally is."
He found himself smiling as well. "Yes," he agreed. Then, on impulse, he added, "I'm glad you're here, Euphie."
"Me too."
"No, I mean, you've helped me-"
"I get it, big brother," she said abruptly. As Lelouch blinked in confusion, she crossed her arms over her chest and pouted. "Or do you think I'm still too young to understand?"
"No, of course not," he said quickly. "I-I was just saying that…" Not for the first time, Euphemia's giggles gave her away. Lelouch narrowed his eyes and hid his own smile. "You fooled me," he accused.
"Of course I did."
He held his cloak out behind him and stood so that he hovered imperiously over her. "This calls for punishment!" he said in a deep voice.
Euphemia swallowed her last giggle and gulped. "Uh oh…" Lelouch dived at her, and a squeal erupted as he attacked her ribs with his fluttering fingers. "Ah! St-stop it! Haha… Lelouch! It tickles, it tickles!" She was rescued eventually, not by the relenting pity of her brother or a shining knight in armour, but rather by Nunnally stirring slightly. The two children held their breaths and watched in anticipation as their younger sibling shifted her head and slept on.
"Oops," Euphemia mouthed.
Grinning, Lelouch pressed a finger to his lips and retreated back to his seat. The two of them spent the following minutes looking away from each other, Lelouch smirking mockingly and Euphemia sticking her tongue out. They both did this when they thought the other wasn't looking.
Eventually, Euphemia had to break the silence. "Lelouch?"
"Hm?"
The seriousness that glinted in her eyes was amusingly uncharacteristic. "I really do understand."
"I know you do, Euphie."
"I know I'm not as smart as you, Lelouch, but I'll be there when you need me. You only have to ask."
"Thank you," he murmured. "But I'm afraid I won't be able to return the favour."
Instantly, Euphemia was frowning. "What? Why?"
It was too late to curse his slip. Lelouch turned away, his gaze lingering on Nunnally. "I… might have to go away for a while." It was no longer a 'might'.
Euphemia's eyes were wide. "But where are you going? Is Nunnally going too?"
"Don't ask, Euphie."
"Why not?" She paused. "Is this because of Father?"
Lelouch looked up sharply. "What do you know about it?"
She shrunk away. "Not much. Sister just told me a little."
He relaxed. "I see." Seeing Euphemia biting her lip, Lelouch leaned forward to take her hands in his. "Euphie, promise me something."
"What?"
"Don't tell anyone about what we said tonight; you might get in trouble."
"Why? Can't I-"
"Not even Cornelia," Lelouch said firmly. "You have to promise me, Euphie."
Staring into her brother's serious gaze frightened Euphemia; Lelouch didn't look like a ten year old anymore. "O-okay. I promise."
He smiled and gently kissed her forehead. "Thank you. I'll miss you, Euphie."
Her shoulder's dropped. "So you're really going away?" she frowned.
"Maybe."
"But-"
"It's getting late," Lelouch said, drawing away. "Kaori will be looking for you if she finds that you're not in bed."
Euphemia opened her mouth to protest. But she knew better than to concern Kaori; her maid could be frighteningly persuasive when she wanted to be. In her short moment of hesitation, she found herself steered to the door. "Lelouch…"
He smiled and opened the door for her. "Sleep well, Euphie. Thank you for the flowers."
She gazed imploringly at him. "Do you really have to go somewhere? For how long?"
His smile was darkly knowledgeable, and suddenly Euphemia found that she didn't really want to know. "I don't know."
The young princess waited, but her brother didn't elaborate. "Fine," she said, stepping outside. "But I won't say goodbye."
"Why not?" he asked. Lelouch was suddenly scared – was she mad? He didn't want her last impression of him to be a negative one…
It seemed that she enjoyed making him worry. Euphemia grinned. "Don't look like that, silly," she giggled. She waited until he had ceased frowning before once again adopting a serious expression. "If we say goodbye, it means that we might not see each other again. But if we don't say goodbye, we promise to meet up again one day."
Lelouch stared for a long moment. Then he linked his pinkie around hers. "Okay. No goodbyes. At least, not until we have to."
"Lelouch."
"Fine, fine." He gave her a gentle nudge and pushed her out to the hallway. "You'd better get back now."
Euphemia gave him a doubtful look, and then nodded. "I'll see you in the morning, Lelouch."
Swallowing was suddenly a little more difficult. "Yes," Lelouch choked out. He held onto the oak doors and watched as his sister's small figure diminished against the palace's imperial walls and shadows. "Euphie," he called out before she could round the corner into her room.
She turned too quickly, as if she had been waiting for him. "Yeah?"
"I just wanted to say… good-"
Even in the darkness, he could see her glare, and he smirked.
"-night."
"You…" She struggled for the correct wording.
"Yes?" he asked innocently.
Finally, she threw up her hands. "Goodnight, Lelouch."
-
"Everyone who calls themselves Japanese; I have a request."
This shouldn't have happened. It had gone wrong. This curse…
"Can you all die?"
She was still beautiful, still… still innocent. He chose to ignore the rifle cradled in her arms; it was too big for her, too rough for fingers that had only produced melodies.
His gun, on the other hand, fitted him well. It wasn't unnatural for him to kill; he had killed his own blood and would do it again. But she didn't have to kill. She could have gone through her life without taking a single life. He had destroyed that, and it was questionable if he could ever forgive himself for such carnage.
Manipulating accidents into his own gain… casting aside his own brother and sisters… such was the way of Lelouch vi Britannia.
She turned to him, smiling. "Zero… are you Japanese, too?"
If only she would wake at that instant… but even if she did, he would still have to…
"You have betrayed us, Euphemia. Such traitorous acts cannot be forgiven."
Forgive me…
He would have closed his eyes, but the one shot was all he had and he couldn't afford to miss. So he watched. Watched as a crimson petal blossomed on the front of her dress. Watched as the weapon slipped from her limp fingers. Watched as the shock lit up her face. Watched as the light from her eyes dimmed. Watched as she watched him.
Goodbye, Euphie.
I know Euphemia and the other siblings think that Lelouch and Nunnally died; they still do think that. I just skipped that bit, but some time after the first scene of this story, Lelouch and Nunnally 'die'. I'm also aware that Lelouch was only ten, but he always talks like a dictionary anyway.