Summary: AU. SuzaLulu. Suzaku was to live with Lelouch until he regained his memories. The problem? The old Suzaku hated Lelouch with a passion. The new Suzaku seemed to be in love with him.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass. It belongs to Sunrise and CLAMP.

Warnings: Alternate Universe, yaoi (boys loving boys), offensive language, some angst, some minor violence, oocness (for sure. There's a lot.), kind of crackish

When they first met, the exiled prince and princess stared up warily at the cocky Prime Minister's son who gleamed at them with unsuppressed hatred for hostilities that ran deeper than their own short lifetimes. The prince and princess were tired from their long journey and the hells that they had already seen together in their homeland, scarred both mentally and physically forever.

Gently, the prince put a protective arm on his sister's shoulders, shielding her from the hostility which seemed to burn from the Japanese boy's eyes.

The words 'leave us alone, we haven't done anything to you yet' were threatening to spill from the young prince's throat, but for some reason he didn't speak. Instead, he felt the anger that had been accumulating for the past few days from his mother's death and his father's actions bubbling out, wishing to scapegoat this boy who was staring at them with such furious animosity for no reason at all…

But before anyone spoke, the Japanese Prime Minister's son sneered at them.

And then he spat at Prince Lelouch's feet, breathing low in the pretty boy's face, "I hate Brits like you."

Lelouch heard his innocent sister gasp inaudibly, with fright, and then unspeakable rage filled him for the unsanitary words that had been spoken in her presence.

Without thinking, even though he knew he had no strength to really hurt the other boy, Lelouch punched him in the face. His own fist cracked from impact with the boy's jaw in pain, because of the delicacy of the prince's fingers. It didn't seem to matter as the unrelenting anger within the prince spoke for itself and merely overflowed at the impudence of this boy who dared to say such things in front of his precious sister.

He watched with quiet satisfaction as he noticed the boy fall to the ground, though the prince's punch had not been strong enough to leave any physical marks. It was enough to know that he could catch the other boy off guard and make him fall, at least once, because the impulsive prince knew that this small victory would soon be crushed by the other boy.

The other boy's green eyes glinted up at him hatefully, as he recovered from Lelouch's punch right away, and then as predicted, gave a roar and brought a blow to the prince's face.

But before that, the prince managed to hiss out, "I hate people who are rude to little girls…"

Then his face met the smashing surface known as the ground, and the last he heard, was his sister's shrieks of worry.

Seven years later… nothing had really changed.

And over the last seven years… Suzaku Kururugi and Lelouch Lamperouge still hated each other beyond anything else.

The Unspoken

-1- Amnesia

"What is the first law of thermodynamics?" The 17-year old boy softly whispered to himself.

Sitting on the front steps of Ashford Academy's main building, the Britannian student had a chemistry textbook lying neatly on his lap, accompanied by a notebook in which neat equations were written neatly across the lines in perfect strokes. A mechanical pencil lay gently between two long pale fingers before being put to work to etch lightly across the paper, the answer appearing just seconds after the boy had spoken quietly to himself in a detailed paragraph. The steps were empty, save for the boy in his black and gold uniform, neat black hair slightly ruffled from the wind. A pair of thick-framed plastic glasses lay on the bridge of his nose, sliding just below his violet eyes.

In a few more seconds, filled with quick scribbling and the occasional chirping of the birds above, the textbook was shut in a loud snap and then the notebook accompanied it back into the student's school bag. He was done the day's homework, with about half an-hour to spare in his free period. The student continued to linger on the steps for a few minutes more, just staring aimlessly at the campus sidewalk and the squirrels that scurried across it to the trees shadowing the old institution.

Lelouch Lamperouge preferred days like this, perfectly uneventful and with plenty of free time to spare. He really had no care for subjects such as Chemistry or Biology in particular, but nevertheless, he completed all of his work during school hours so that he'd have time to spend with Nunnally and for the household chores. Besides, Lelouch didn't know if he could take another scolding from his trustful maid (more like a guardian) Sayoko if he neglected his assignments again. It wasn't as if Lelouch was academically challenged. On the contrary, he was quite ahead of his classmates in every subject. Sayoko just insisted that the ex-prince learn some more responsibility for his actions.

Well, it least it was something to pass the time in this horrid place called school.

He pushed his glasses up his nose, squinted up at the sun. It was partially a habitual gesture. His vision had gotten worse over the years, causing him to become ridiculously near-sighted… in a bad way. C.C. and Sayoko insisted that it was because he spent too many nights huddled under the covers with a flashlight reading books. Nunnally just liked buying him new pairs of glasses. Lelouch thought it was too annoying not being able to see two inches from his face without everything going blurry. Thank goodness for glasses.

Any minute, Milly and Rivalz would show up to goad him into heading to Language class, and then they'd spend it playing hangman and bingo instead of copying notes. In the last fifteen minutes before the bell rang, Lelouch would speed-write that day's Language homework and then breathe in relief at the end of another day.

However, such a peaceful day was only wishful thinking, and too good to be true.

It wasn't long before Lelouch felt someone shove his head down the steps, his body sprawling against the cement like tumbleweed and his book bag cluttered down to join him. Hissing from the pain against his joints and the raw contact of sharp cement against skin, Lelouch glared up at the perpetrator and then scowled.

"Don't you have anything better to do, Kururugi?" Lelouch spat at him, hiding his wobbling as he got up to his feet, as if nothing had happened, and picked up his book bag.

Emerald eyes burned into his, smoldering with such passionate hatred that sometimes Lelouch felt as if he would be devoured by such green, and never know his last breath. Suzaku Kururugi stood at the top of the steps, his trademark demonic glare boring into Lelouch. The Prime Minister's son wore Ashford Academy's Uniform sloppily, showing off a shirt that had graphics of chains and flames on it. His tousled caramel curls darkened his scowling face, outlining the pure animosity that Suzaku flaunted towards him.

Suzaku's lips twitched upwards into what could've been a snarl, but instead it made for a very threatening (and sad attempt) at a grin, "Brits shouldn't be sprawling themselves along the steps, now should they? It's public property. Someone could trip," He paused, drawing out the last syllable of the word in a menacing whisper, "…like you."

Really, could this boy do no better?

Lelouch scoffed, straightening his collar and readjusting his glasses, "Well if someone didn't take up so much room, I wouldn't have tripped."

Those green eyes flashed dangerously. Lelouch inwardly flinched.

"You accusing me of pushing you, Lamperouge?"

It wasn't a good idea to rile Kururugi up more than necessary. He didn't need Sayoko and Nunnally fussing over yet another set of 'accidental' injuries of his again. But his pride refused to let this stupid idiot get the last word or give him the satisfaction of knowing that he had sent Lelouch crawling away from yet another 'fight.' There was only so much abuse Lelouch could take in a year.

Today, he decided that it wasn't worth his effort to deal with Suzaku. So Lelouch quickly shook his head, though (for pride's sake) he did not let any hint of fear flood to his face. Instead, he smiled thinly at Suzaku, as if he were something sour.

"No. Of course not," said Lelouch crisply, eyes narrowing at the oppressing student, while his voice spoke volumes of false joy and crisp sweetness. "That would be illogical, wouldn't it? Now, as much as I love indulging your horrid sense of humour, I believe that the next bell is about to ring so and I have a Language class to attend, so please, enjoy your day."

Suzaku looked as if Lelouch had thrown mud on him and then told him to roll on the grass to get clean. He was furious from Lelouch's rather obvious display of sarcasm and growled, "You—"

"Hey Kururugi! The Vice-principal wants to see you in his office," someone called from the doors.

With that distraction, Lelouch quickly turned away and headed towards the other side of the school, which held an entirely different entrance to the classrooms than the one that Suzaku was currently blocking at the stairs. He did not check to see Suzaku's reaction, but he knew that the other boy was probably storming his way to the Vice-principal's office at this moment. That was a relief. Lelouch had been quite close to losing his temper and just shouting obscenities at the other (again), only to get beaten up (again) or to be saved by Milly or Rivalz (again).

Lelouch scowled to himself, readjusting his glassed once more. He hated having to rely on others about his not-bullying problem (denial, much?).

If there was a reason for Lelouch's lack of peace at school it would be named Suzaku Kururugi. The Prime Minister's son and himself had never been on good terms, they had hated each other upon first meeting. It didn't help when Suzaku had put worms and spiders into his home when they were kids, or pushed him multiple times down hills and in the mud. It also didn't erase the fact that Lelouch found revenge by making Suzaku drink prune juice (He hated it as a kid) and then embarrassing him in front of his friends with sarcastic comments.

Their childhood animosity seemed to have gotten worse over the years, rather than better. It soon became clear as the boys grew up together (Suzaku, as the Prime Minister's son and Lelouch as the ex-prince and hostage) that Suzaku had grown into the bigger of the two, and the stronger.

The little pranks… soon became beatings and public humiliation. Lelouch still remembered the fateful day of his thirteenth birthday quite clearly… when Suzaku had beaten him black and blue, for some reason that Lelouch didn't know. Sporting a scar, still, from that incident, Lelouch had learned from that day on not to incur the boy's wrath. There were never any encounters more serious than that one, but that was probably because Lelouch and Nunnally had soon been taken into the care of Guildroy Ashford, a close friend of Genbu Kururugi.

Genbu had figured out that Lelouch and Nunnally held no value to Charles Vi Britannia as hostages, and seeing them as normal children, decided to let them go free and live a normal life in Japan. He had made sure to get someone he trusted to take care of them, and then proceeded to make arrangements for the two children's new lives, starting with a name change. Lelouch and Nunally Vi Britannia became Lelouch and Nunally Lamperouge, after their late mother, who had died of cancer.

After that, the prince and his sister had moved out of the Kururugi estate and into Ashford land to attend school there. Lelouch had gained a haven away from Suzaku and his racist jeers, and had even made (reluctantly) a new friend by the name of Milly Ashford who thrived in Japanese culture. Ashford Academy was a unique school, mostly Japanese in population with a few Britannians attending it.

Three years later, Suzaku Kururugi enrolled into the Academy. Needless to say, the Prime Minister's son gained huge popularity within the school and successfully turned the student population (save for Lelouch's few friends) against Lelouch Lamperouge. There were mixed feelings about this, as many girls still secretly chased after Lelouch (much to his annoyance, you'd think that after becoming the social outcast you'd get rid of some pests…). Most students didn't care about the issue at all and still treated Lelouch normally in class.

But no one ever intervened when Suzaku pushed Lelouch into a locker or made him trip purposefully down the stairs. Milly and Rivalz would always stand up for Lelouch, of course. But they were the only ones. Plus, Lelouch found it to be an insult to his pride when they did so and he threatened them not to (of course, they did so anyways).

He could handle Kururugi. He wasn't scared of this stupid racist numbskull at all. It was worth a few (ok, maybe more than a few) bruises every week for every insult Lelouch could spring on him.

Besides, this time he was lucky. He had gotten out of yet another 'Kururugi-Lamperouge spat' (as Milly had named it) without a scratch and with any more luck, he would not be seeing head or tail of that boy until next week.

Life was good.

"Guess who owes me lunch tomorrow, my dear Lulu?" A voice interrupted his thoughts, its very cheerfulness and mischief making Lelouch flinch upon hearing it.

It could only be none other than Milly Ashford. Joy. Please note the sarcasm.

"Let me guess… I do?" Lelouch replied dryly as arms encircled his shoulders in a playful hug.

"That's right!" Milly chuckled, "I have trained you well, my pet! After all, who just saved your lovely ass from getting mauled by Kururugi again with that Vice-principal excuse but moi?"

His eye began to twitch from annoyance and from her close proximity, but as usual Milly chose not to notice. Instead she began to hum to herself, letting her arms dangle around her (self-proclaimed toy) best friend. She waited for Lelouch's temperament to simmer down as she knew it soon would (she hadn't been friends with him for all these years for nothing).

Sometimes Lelouch questioned his own sanity when he realized that this type of witch was his so-called best friend. She knew him too well, using all the knowledge that she accumulated about him to annoy him to death with elaborate schemes which seemed too impossible to be real. But this was Ashford, and this was Milly. Lelouch couldn't imagine the school without her extravagant festivals—it just wouldn't be Ashford Academy without them.

Smiling enigmatically to himself, Lelouch replied smoothly, "Milly, you are a thorn in my side."

Of course, she beamed back. She knew it meant, thank you.

The bell rang, signaling the cue to pack up and leave the school grounds. The teacher nodded to his students, reminding them of the day's homework and then proceeded to get ready to go home himself. By the back of the classroom, past rows of parallel desks of polished oak, Rivalz and Milly were hovering over the hurried ex-prince who was busy shoving books into his bag. His glasses dangled on the edge of his nose, as Lelouch was too absorbed in his task to push them up, and he had finally packed his last notebook.

"Better hurry on home to Nunnally, Lulu," Milly chirped, slapping him heartily on the back. "Another epic journey for the valiant Lelouch Lamperouge as he braves the Tokyo streets and traffic to get to his poor frail sister who he loves so much! It brings tears my eyes!"

Rivalz sniggered lightheartedly at the student council president's dramatic portrayal of the Lamperouge siblings, "You up for another match, tomorrow, Lelouch? I can schedule it whenever you want. There's this Britannian Noble visiting Japan who's all full of himself… it'd bring him to his knees to see one of his own kind, a student, mop the floor with him!"

"Sure," Lelouch said smoothly, walking out of the classroom with his friends, "how does 3 o' clock sound? Sayoko-san will murder me if I skip any more classes this month."

"Perfect! Can't wait to see the looks on the aristocrat's face!"

"Lulu's so naughty and sweet," Milly joined in on Rivalz's enthusiastic mood, "punishing the big bad nobles while gaining riches to pay for his sweet sister's health expenses."

Twitching again, as they turned another corner in the hallway towards the school exit, Lelouch scowled once more, "Stop dramatizing everything I do, Milly. You make me sound like a tragic hero from some Shakespearean play."

"Hm. That could work. I wonder who your Romeo would be?"

"Milly!" The ex-prince flushed red as Milly and Rivalz burst into simultaneous fits of laughter.

"Le…Lelouch as Juliet… Oh my god, my ribs hurt… Can you see him in a dress?" Rivalz clutched his stomach, holding on to Milly's shoulder.

"He'd look totally hot!" Milly chortled.

Simmering (and no, Lelouch did not huff) he quickened his pace and walked right out of the school, stomping down the steps towards the path. He knew that Milly and Rivalz meant well, he really did, but there was only so much teasing he could take about his figure. It wasn't his fault that he was thinner than most males his age with more slender limbs and delicate looking fingers. It certainly wasn't his fault that he had been labeled as a 'pretty' boy by many (even from the same sex, Lelouch was loathe to admit) and had an obsession with making his clothes look pristine and immaculate. That didn't make him a damn female (not that he had anything against women… just Milly and his fangirls).

Such remarks also brought up some buried memories of his childhood. He recalled Suzaku sneering about his weak-looking physique when they were twelve, and then having a shovel thrown at his face. That had been one of the bad days, and he had never been able to look at himself without remembering how correct Suzaku was. He did look weak—like a normal little boy. It frustrated him sometimes. How would people take him seriously in the future if they were busy laughing at his body? How would he be able to take care of Nunnally properly?

He would work out… if he had had enough stamina or motivation to do so… or free time. But he didn't have any. So he was out of luck.

"Lelouch! Wait up!" Rivalz called after him, Milly walking up behind him.

Irritated, he was about to retort that he would not slow down for the two traitors when there was a sudden smashing sound outside the school grounds. Lelouch whirled around, jaw dropping at the site of a disastrous car crash in front of Ashford Academy's main gates.

A small produce truck had smashed into the side of a red van, which seemed to have been attempting to turn left in the confusion. From his view, Lelouch could see that several mirrors and windows were smashed, and the side doors of the van seemed to have been torn off from the front of the truck.

A car crash.

As he ran closer to take a look at the scene, after shouting at Milly and Rivalz to call for an ambulance and the headmaster, he was relieved to see that there had only been a single passenger in the van. She was now crawling out of her van through the broken door, with only a few scratches. The truck driver, on the other hand, had already stepped out of his truck to apologize vehemently to the woman, promising to cover all of the costs for the repairs.

Letting out a sigh that Lelouch hadn't even been aware that he had been holding in the first place, he surveyed the disarray with a sweeping gaze.

Wait. What was that?

Stepping closer, past the woman and the truck driver, Lelouch spotted a mangled bicycle that had clearly run into the truck upon the crash, and then rebounded towards the streetlamp. That meant that someone else had been involved in this crash, and Lelouch had seen no one else walk out unharmed which meant... they could be seriously injured.

His heart quickened as calm took over.

"Hey!" Lelouch called over to the woman and truck driver, "I think someone else got hit too! Help me look!"

Startled, the two others ran immediately to his side, faces going into surprise as they spotted the twisted bicycle frame, reaching quick conclusions as Lelouch had. All three of them began to search around the two destroyed vehicles for any sign of another body, fearing for the worst. They were careful not to step on any shards of glass, but also careless enough in their desperation, to accidentally let their skin get scathed with a mild brush in a hurried step.

It wasn't long before Lelouch spotted a limp hand, poking from under the truck. He shouted automatically, "Over here!"

The woman and truck driver scurried to where they heard him, spotting the hand where Lelouch was standing. They worked together to drag the body out from under the truck. When the bicycle had hit the truck, the body had probably fallen off and slipped right beneath. Lelouch shuddered to think what might have happened if the truck hadn't stopped…

This hand… Lelouch noted, as he pulled with all his might alongside the woman and truck driver. It felt familiar to him. It couldn't be…?

More and more, the body was successfully dragged out. The woman noted the body's pulse only to tell the truck driver and Lelouch in relief that the person was alive. There was a heartbeat. Soon they managed to get the person's legs out, and the rest of his body. For some reason, his head remained last, as they didn't want to cause a concussion of any sort if the person's skull hit the bottom of the truck in their attempts to pull him or her out…

This boy was wearing the Ashford Academy uniform, and Lelouch recognized the way the uniform jacket was sprawled messily to show off a flaming chained shirt…

His eyes widened as he saw auburn curls and a tanned, normally scowling face, emerge from beneath the truck, as he felt his heart swirl into an unexplainable depth of darkness. He couldn't quite breathe, yet somehow he managed to voice out a harsh yet inaudible whisper.

"…Suzaku Kururugi…?"

This was wrong. Lelouch didn't know why he was sitting here, waiting in the hospital halls for some stuck-up Japanese boy who knew nothing but how to hate him. If anything, Lelouch should've been laughing in Suzaku's unconscious face, walked away after the ambulance had pulled up and then sat at home happily with his sister Nunnally.

Yet here he was.

The woman involved in the car crash was named Viletta Nu. Luckily enough it seemed as though she was a nurse and she had been able to check for Kururugi's condition. Confirming that it seemed as though Suzaku had only suffered from a bump on the head, she had informed Lelouch and Ohgi (the truck driver) that he would need to go to a hospital and get several scans to check for any internal bleeding of the sort. Not long after, the ambulance showed up and then Lelouch got a ride from a distressed Ohgi (who was still extremely guilty about the crash and convinced it was his fault) and Viletta in a taxi to the Emergency room.

Now, all three of them were sitting awkwardly in the waiting room while Ohgi paced nervously back and forth. The truck driver (though Lelouch learned that he was also an elementary teacher) jumped when Viletta snapped at him to stop fretting like a mother hen and sit down. Sheepishly, after hearing Viletta hiss that it wasn't his fault, he complied. Sitting across from the two, Lelouch felt even more out of place.

When his cell phone rang, signaling an overprotective Sayoko's call, Lelouch had excused himself to speak with her, reassuring the maid that he had not been kidnapped by stalkers and telling her that he was merely waiting in a hospital.

"What do you mean you're in a hospital?! Did you get your legs broken?!"

Lelouch could just picture Sayoko sharpening her katana, prepared to slice anyone who touched her charge. He shook his head (despite the fact that Sayoko would not be able to see this on the phone) and replied hastily, "No, I'm waiting to see the condition of my… classmate. He was in a car crash and I got dragged out here."

"Oh my… Is it Rivalz?" Her voice lowered into a hushed whisper of shock.

"Well…"

"Excuse me," a nurse walked out of the swinging doors, holding a clipboard in her hands, "the father of Mr. Suzaku Kururugi has requested to see you all at this moment."

Ohgi got to his feet instantly, bumbling, "Is he alright? How's his condition?!"

"Sorry Sayoko-san, I have to go, the nurse is calling us," Lelouch told her quickly, "I'll be home soon, give Nunnally all my love."

He hung up and followed and anxious Ohgi and worried Viletta into another pristine white room. He couldn't help but feel uncomfortable in hospitals. They all looked the same on the inside, always so…white. His stomach clenched tightly as he recalled all of the memories that accompanied him whenever he stepped into one. For Lelouch, hospitals would never cease to remind him of death.

When the nurse led them into a waiting room, where a glass window separated them from another room, Lelouch spotted someone he had never expected to see again. Genbu Kururugi sat across from them, leaning on a plastic chair against a long smooth table. The nurse nodded to him and then excused herself from the room. Viletta and Ohgi's eyes widened in recognition of the Japanese Prime Minister and then lowered their eyes in respect, inwardly panicking at the thought of the consequences that the Prime Minister could punish them with for harming his son (even if it was an accident).

Genbu Kururugi had not changed at all. There were a few barely visible wrinkles on his face, but other than that, the politician looked as stern and foreboding as ever. He still towered over Lelouch, reminding him of his own bastard father, and still wore neat business suits as stiffly as ever. His beady eyes glinted at Lelouch in recognition. Then he motioned for the three of them to sit.

It was quiet, for more reasons than one. Ohgi and Viletta shuffled nervously.

"I don't think there is any need for introductions. I know all about you, and you, obviously, know me," Genbu boomed suddenly, in that low (calm) voice of his.

Beside him, Lelouch felt Ohgi tense.

"My son," Genbu pointed to the glass window, for the three of them to direct their attention to.

Beyond the glass window, sat Suzaku Kururugi, unaware of the four occupants on the other side of the wall watching him. But this wasn't the same Suzaku Kururugi that Lelouch was familiar with… There was something off about him. Lelouch noticed right away that Suzaku was lacking his usual cocky attitude and that nasty sneer of his. Something seemed… more innocent about this Suzaku. His eyes were wide and apprehensive, nervous, as if he didn't know what to do.

He looked like a lost child.

"The bump that he suffered in the crash has triggered a memory loss. My son remembers nothing—he won't even come near me," Genbu continued on, as if they were discussing business. But Lelouch caught the slight tremors by the end of his words. "I wonder who I should punish for this…"

"No! Please, it's my fault, sir. I apologize deeply; I'll do anything to pay for my crime. Please leave Ms. Nu and Lelouch-san out of this!" Ohgi bowed his head, cracking from the pressure.

But he was silenced as Genbu raised his hand, he eyed them all intently, "I have no intention of punishing either of you. Obviously, Lelouch-kun wasn't involved at all… I merely brought you all here in attempt to revive some of my son's memories. Right now, he's unstable… he doesn't trust anyone and doesn't even remember his own name. I was…hoping … that if he saw someone from the accident, maybe something in his memories would return."

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. He knew that Genbu Kururugi had a soft side, proven when he allowed Lelouch and Nunnally to fall under the care of Guildroy Ashford, but this seemed a bit far-fetched. No one would be sued or thrown in jail? Was Genbu really going through some change of heart? Lelouch had always thought that the Prime Minister was a little more fatherly towards his son. Something didn't fit…

"Yes, of course…," Ohgi nodded, calming down considerably, "we'd be happy to help…"

Viletta got up to follow Ohgi into the other room where Suzaku was, Lelouch was about to leave the room entirely when Genbu clasped his shoulder, "I didn't say you could leave."

"I wasn't involved in the crash, so it's pointless for me to be here also…," Lelouch told him.

"But you were childhood friends—" Lelouch scoffed at Genbu's words, "—and you came all this way to check on my son's condition. I think you'll have a better chance of reawakening any of his memories."

Right… thought Lelouch, memories of violence.

He didn't fancy the idea of Suzaku seeing him and then triggering a memory of some kind of suppressed hatred, only to get punched in the face in the middle of the hospital. It just wasn't Lelouch's idea of fun.

But Genbu's imploring, almost desperate, look made Lelouch give in.

"Fine," he muttered, "It can't hurt to try. But don't blame me when he starts clawing at my face in a fit of who-knows-what."

They told him that his name was Suzaku Kururugi. He was seventeen. He attended Ashford Academy. His mother had died at childbirth. His father was the Prime Minister of this country that they called Japan. He had been in a car crash, but only suffered a minor bump on the head. They gave him a list of names of those who were supposedly his friends, reciting stories with mirth that didn't quite meet their eyes.

But he didn't remember any of this.

He jerked backwards nervously whenever a nurse came to touch him. For some reason, he only felt afraid and lost, as if he were a ship without an anchor on a rocky sea. It was as if someone had sent him to an unknown planet. Everyone felt alien to him, like an enemy. He didn't want to be near any other human being, without flinching or lashing out. Paranoia filled his mind, whispering for him to get out and find some place safe to hide.

They told him that complete amnesia was extremely rare. It would only be a matter of time before he started to remember things. It wasn't going to be permanent. His father would come to take him home in an instant. He was in good hands—safe.

He didn't believe them.

Noticing the wariness of which he had given them, they had locked him into this room to 'prevent injury'. Suzaku (if that was even his name) wondered if they feared injury that he might inflict upon himself, or injury that he might inflict onto them out of spite. Eventually, Suzaku had settled for rocking back and forth, fidgeting on the seat of his bed. His mind raced with possibilities as he thought like a trapped animal—how to escape, how to get out.

Some time later they had let his apparent father come to see him. But as soon as Suzaku had set eyes upon the gaunt man standing stiffly before him, he had felt nothing but an utter revulsion (of which he had no idea where it came) and snarled at the man to get the hell away from him. If that man was really his father and his name was really Suzaku, then why did he feel such disgust towards this man? He had wanted nothing to do with him and with some violent fits that he didn't know he was capable of; he had managed to coerce the hospital staff to pull his not-father out of the room.

Now? Well, now Suzaku bided his time, swinging his feet back and forth under the bed frame, breathing in and out as much as he could manage.

Two new intruders entered into his space. One was a tall tanned woman with silver hair, who had several scratches on her body. The other was an average looking man who looked as if he had just met the devil.

They both seemed cautious of him—it made Suzaku want to laugh. Why were they being wary of him? He was the only one with reason to be wary.

Unlike his earlier visitor who had claimed to be his father, it was clear from the way these two acted that this was their first time meeting him. Suzaku felt a little bit better, knowing that there was no expected reaction from him. Still, he kept his guard up. You never knew what tricks these strangers had up their sleeves.

"Ah… Suzaku-san, is it? You probably don't know me, but I was the truck driver in the crash… your bicycle collided into the side of my truck when my truck swerved into Ms. Nu's van here. My name is Kaname Ohgi," said the man carefully, guilt written all over his face, "I'm truly sorry about what happened. I don't blame you if you never forgave me."

The Ms. Nu person put her hands on her hips and scoffed, "I thought I told you it wasn't all your fault. If it makes you feel better, I was talking on my cell phone while driving dropped it accidentally and then my hand slipped and I ended swerving my car into yours. We're both to blame."

"But—"

They continued to argue together like a married couple. Suzaku raised an eyebrow, still apprehensive of these unknown people. Why were they apologizing to him? It wasn't as if he remembered the so-called accident anyways. He only knew what others had told him—that hadn't been much. He only eyed them suspiciously, saying nothing as they continued to bicker amongst themselves.

Shuffling sounds redirected his attention to the doorway, where he saw the man, who had claimed to be his father, enter. Reacting instinctively, Suzaku shot up on his bed and shuffled as to the farthest corner of it, creating as much of a distance between himself and the man as possible. His mouth had opened before he knew it, forming a low growl-like noise. He didn't know what made him react in such a way, but he could only trust his instincts right now, his instincts told him that his man was to be hated. So Suzaku (as this was all he knew so far out of his amnesiac state) listened.

The man—Suzaku recalled the nurse telling him that he was Genbu Kururugi—frowned at him, disapprovingly, "Are you still acting so immaturely to your own father, Suzaku?"

Ms. Nu and Ohgi paused in their argument, glancing nervously between him and Genbu. They were like startled rabbits in crossfire. Suzaku didn't blame them for feeling out of place. He would to, in their position.

"Shut up," Suzaku said lowly, eyes narrowed, "I don't know you."

To this, Genbu only gave an exasperated sigh.

From behind Genbu, a melodic voice scoffed, making Suzaku lower his guard, "Didn't I tell you, Genbu-san? Kururugi's just as charming as ever."

That was when Suzaku saw him and he knew that he was safe.

A boy his age with pale skin and slender limbs, delicate jaw and hard violet eyes which made Suzaku's heart twist in triple somersaults. Sleek ebony locks of hair were combed neatly on his head while bangs just nearly complimenting his eyes. The boy wore the same school uniform as him and had a frown on his pretty features. His glasses flashed at Suzaku, but somehow enhanced the boy's beauty in a way Suzaku couldn't describe and when Suzaku looked directly at him…

…He knew that he had been connected to this boy somehow.

Without a word, Suzaku broke into a huge smile, as if he had just found his long-lost friend, and (following his instincts) crossed the room in two huge steps to throw his arms around the boy in an engulfing embrace. The boy's name entered into his mind as soon as he inhaled his lavender scent…

My Lelouch…

Fate had a very twisted sense of humour when it landed Lelouch into this position.

If anything, Lelouch had expected to be throttled, kicked in the stomach and then thrown out the window (maybe that was a slight exaggeration of Suzaku's behaviour towards him, but it was pretty damn close to the real thing). Instead, he had found himself locked in a bone-crushing hug which seemed to crush his lungs and ability to breathe. All Lelouch could feel was an unsettling warmth as comforting arms seemed to wrap around him, as if afraid to let him go.

Now Lelouch wasn't a huggable person. Sure, he would embrace Nunnally from time to time and Milly made it her mission to do everything possible to vex him (which included throwing her arms around him when he clearly hated physical touch of any kind), but most of the time he tolerated zero physical touch. Period.

Which was why, at this moment, Lelouch was (attempting) to pry himself from this iron grip, "Let go of me, damn it!"

That had worked wonders. Instead of jumping back like Lelouch wanted him too, Kururugi was actually tightening his hold around Lelouch's waist, burying his nose in Lelouch's hair. And wait… was Kururugi actually sniffing his hair?!

Lelouch snapped, "I said, get the hell off of me!"

The other occupants of the room watched with amusement as Suzaku clung to Lelouch's arm, as if Lelouch were a precious plushie of his. To Lelouch's growing annoyance, Suzaku actually smirked at him.

No, it wasn't a hateful, dark smirk that Suzaku usually bore when he was about to shove the ex-prince into a pole or kick him into the mud. It was a… a bright smirk, playful, which erased all of the harsh features that Lelouch was used to seeing on Suzaku's face. It made Suzaku look brighter, happier… much kinder.

It was shocking how different Suzaku could look with just a plain smile on his face—and Lelouch couldn't help but stare oddly.

"What?" Suzaku asked, innocently (No, his mind interjected, the Suzaku he knew could never pull off a playful innocent glance!), "Is there something on my face?"

Realizing his mistake, Lelouch tore his gaze away. This Suzaku, so… so… he couldn't quite put it into words but this Suzaku unsettled him, made him uncomfortable. He tried being aloof, glaring daggers at this unperturbed and perky (Again, the Suzaku he knew could never be this annoyingly cheery) Japanese boy hanging off his arm.

"No," he snapped, "but there is an extremely stupid smile there. Now would you do me the kind favor of relinquishing your hold on my arm?"

"Mm…," this new Suzaku pretended to be thoughtful, "I don't wanna."

To add to Lelouch's list of burdens, he seemed to snuggle (yes, Lelouch had just used the world snuggle) even closer against Lelouch's shoulder.

"Genbu-san, I demand that you remove your son from me at once!" Lelouch barked at the intimidating man, who seemed to be trying to hide a very rare smile from his face. It didn't help that Ohgi and Viletta were giggling together in the background. Damn them.

The effect of Lelouch speaking to someone other than him was instantaneously. Suzaku yanked poor Lelouch even closer to him, away from Genbu, while glowering darkly at the man, as if he had tried to take his Lelouch away from him. Lelouch had yelped at the possessive treatment, wondering what he had done in his past life to deserve this.

"Stay away from him," Suzaku growled at Genbu, or anyone else who dared to get near his (captive) Lelouch for that matter.

The words he's mine seemed to slip into the air, but Lelouch sorely hoped that he was imagining this.

Honestly. What happened here? Suzaku Kururugi, the boy who had hated his guts from day one, got into an accident, loses his memories and then latches on to Lelouch like a leech?! Not good.

He could feel himself turning blue already.

"Suzaku!" Lelouch hissed out at him, "I'm not going anywhere, so stop behaving like a child! You could at least have the decency of lowering your voice to your father—though I can understand the underlying nerve and desire to do so—this is not the time for your family soap opera!"

"But Lelouch—"

Genbu's eyes widened considerably when Suzaku said his name, but Lelouch was too irritated with the Japanese Prime Minister's son to process this.

"I told you to behave, Suzaku. The sooner you start remembering and what-not, the sooner we can all go home and get back to our lives. Obviously you don't remember anything from seeing any of us so—"

Lelouch paused.

Suzaku stared imploringly at him (honestly, this alien Suzaku was the equivalent of an adorable puppy of some kind) while Genbu smiled in an I-know-something-you-don't-and-now-I'm-going-to-ruin-your-day kind of way.

"You… said my name, didn't you…?" The former Britannian prince said dryly, though he knew the answer already.

However, Suzaku had the infuriating nerve to nod happily at him.

His irritancy rose by at least fifty degrees. He could feel the complications coming as he seethed out scathingly, "So… that means you actually do remember something about your life. You remember me."

Oh god this couldn't be good…

"Well," Suzaku chirped, "just your name. It's a nice one. Lelouch. I could say it all day."

Was it possible for Genbu's evil smirk of doom to rise even higher? Oh please, Lelouch groaned, he really hoped that it wasn't going to come to this…

"Lelouch… I have a request," said Genbu, though it was more like an order.

Adopting a growl and a protective stance in front of Lelouch once more, Suzaku glowered at him. Lelouch wanted to punch something to his own dismay and panic. Genbu merely smiled enigmatically to them both, making Lelouch's senses scream for him to run as far away as he could from this room…

"I would be pleased if you would let my son live with you for the next couple of weeks, at least until most of his memories come back. Obviously, from the slip of your name, you must have something to do with triggering back his sense of self… What do you think about that, Suzaku, my son?"

Dear Lord in heaven, please, God, no.

It was amazing how quickly this freakishly bright new Suzaku beamed out of happiness (the first emotion other than animosity directed towards his father) like a child at Christmas.

"Yes, I'd love to spend more time with Lelouch!"

"No way."

The two responses formulated at the exact same time. Off to the side, Viletta and Ohgi exchanged amused glances.

Both Genbu and Suzaku gave Lelouch a mix between mortified and confused gapes. Lelouch turned his head, adopting a persona of indifference, "Why should I take him in? In case you haven't been made aware of this already, Genbu Kururugi, your son has shown me nothing but loathing since the first day I met him," He cast a dark look at amnesic Suzaku, who seemed to cringe when he did so (the Suzaku he knew would never have cringed), "I don't see the point of us being in the same household together. We're nothing close to being friends, as far as I'm concerned."

The Japanese Prime Minister frowned at him, tone rising, "Now listen here, I've been nothing but kind to you and your sister yet you—"

"Is that true?"

If it weren't for the sharp hitch of the question, Lelouch doubted that anyone would've heard it, for Suzaku's voice was small and timid, hurt and wounded in a way that Lelouch would never have dreamed possible.

Opening his mouth, about to criticize the boy once more, Lelouch found himself trapped under a truly pitiful yet piercing green gaze, which seemed to be filled with… with something Lelouch couldn't even begin to describe. But the emotion, there in Suzaku's eyes, cut Lelouch's voice into a deafening hiss of air.

"Is it true that I treated you with loathing?" Suzaku asked innocently, eyes wide with horror that Lelouch couldn't understand.

He frowned, "If you want me to be blunt, you hated my guts indubitably and never let me forget it."

Suzaku's jaw dropped, as if he'd been told that there was no such thing as a happy ending. He looked so devastated with himself, that even Lelouch wanted to go over and said a comforting word or to. However, the ex-prince restrained himself. This was Suzaku for goodness' sake, no matter what form of personality he seemed to have taken. He knew that there was no sympathy needed with this boy.

"I can't believe that… surely… surely I'd remember such a thing…," Suzaku said imploringly, gripping harder against Lelouch's body.

This reminded Lelouch that he really didn't like physical touch, especially from people who, he knew, hated him.

"Judging from the multiple occurrences involving my face meeting the floor courtesy of your fist, I would assume that, yes, it is true," Lelouch said dryly.

"No!" Suzaku shouted, making all occupants in the room jump slightly, "I know I wouldn't hurt you. This can't be right! How could I remember your name, remember that I… that I'm…," he caught himself, unsure of how to word his thoughts, sneaking glances at Lelouch and his so-called father before continuing, "that I'm fond of you if what you say is true?"

The Japanese Prime Minister's lips curled upwards once more, as if in victory.

Lelouch did not cease his cold air, "Maybe its brain damage."

Insulted, Suzaku puffed up his cheeks, "It is not brain damage. Its how I… how I feel about you."

"Really?" came the sarcastic remark.

"Yes, really," Suzaku seemed to grow taller in confidence, filled with mad emotions that Lelouch would never associate with the real Suzaku.

"…Prove it."

The challenge was there.

Violet eyes burned into green and vice versa. It seemed as though Genbu, Ohgi and Viletta were too nervous to break the spell, the standstill between the two boys.

Then, Suzaku, after looking as if he were battling an internal conflict with himself, let go of Lelouch, a determined gaze firing up within him. His eyes stayed glued to Lelouch's, and he took a deep breath, deciding that he was going to make this decision no matter what. Then he said those three dreaded words with such seriousness, conviction and a bubbling pride...

"I love you, Lelouch Lamperouge."

…and moved forward to give a messy kiss on the lips against the shocked Britannian boy's face.

Ohgi blushed, Viletta gave a wolfish grin at the sight of boy-on-boy action while Genbu didn't know if he should look pleased (that he was right about all of his guesses) or scandalized (that his son was assaulting his former hostage).

As Lelouch spluttered and shoved the grinning idiot off of him with a bright cherry hue on his face, he was induced into a state of speechlessness and soundless catlike hisses, while Suzaku looked like he had gone to heaven and back.

"So," Suzaku said cheerfully, licking his lips, "when do I move in?"

"What?! You—I—this isn't…! I'm calling my lawyer! I'm not going to let you near fifty meters of me, you vile impudent—"

"Well, I think this confirms that Suzaku's recovery lies with you, Lelouch Lamperouge," Genbu interrupted diplomatically, "I'll go call your maid Sayoko-san and your guardian Guildroy-kun to arrange the living quarters for my son, let's not cause any trouble now…"

"But Kururugi-san, surely you won't—"

"I think I can decide what's best for my son, thank you. Besides, I didn't see you arguing with that kiss," Genbu said, purposefully not playing fair.

Suzaku grinned deviously at Lelouch, who paled considerably.

After that display, Genbu was not going to let the chance for Suzaku's memories to return pass, even if he had to sacrifice Lelouch's prude decency.

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Ink: I know what you're thinking… what?! Another story?! With another ridiculous and unrealistic and lame plot?! Well, I had three quarters of this chapter typed up over Christmas break already, and decided to finish it this week. It's to be a five chapter story. So don't worry—it's short. Updates will not be frequent, so I recommend just putting this on story alert.

For those waiting for the next update of Walk On In, I have about 7 pages typed up so far…

If you spot any spelling/grammar errors in this chapter, can you please point them out so that I may correct them asap? Thank you for reading this, please review if you get the chance :D