There was teenage girl, about 14, with chestnut brown hair that was as long as the empress' own, visiting a grave. Lelouch was driving by on the cemetery path, in his little cart, C.C in the back, in the hay somewhere, coming back here for the first time in over 15 years. Everyone thought he was dead, and he preferred to keep it that way. Of course, he wished he could see Shirley or Euphemia in the afterlife, but since he was immortal, that would never happen. He also wished to see Nunnally and Suzaku and everyone else too, but if he were to pop out, it'd probably scare them half to death, thinking he was a ghost. And well, he supposed he was one. He was in a cemetery after all, reliving his past, wanting to be alive with everyone, but he knew well enough he had given everything up for peace.
He hadn't kept tabs on anyone he had known in his former life at all, not wanting to feel sadness and grief, because even if he were alive, he was unable to reach any of them anymore. He just hoped everyone was doing well, and Suzaku was taking care of Nunnally.
The girl left flowers at a particularly large grave, which he felt was his for some reason. The poor girl had left flowers for bones that didn't even exist in that spot. They were lilacs and daisies, some of Nunnally's favorites growing up too. She was coming closer and closer, looking rather depressed , as if she were mourning some loss, and stopped when she saw the carriage in her way.
"Oh, I beg your pardon." The girl squeaked politely to him.
"Do you need a ride? The exit is long way by walking."
She hesitated. He had yet to look her in the face, but he knew she was conflicted about getting into any sort of transportation with someone whom she had never met.
"My driver doesn't know I'm here actually. I walked to get away from it all. It was rather hard to sneak away actually. How do I know you're not a kidnapper for ransom?" she peered at him.
He laughed for the first time in a long while. He felt some sort of strange connection to the girl, and it wasn't because she had left flowers for him. "I honestly don't know how to prove myself, but to tell the truth, I have no idea who you even are."
"Been living under a rock I suppose." She joked lightly and he heard her step into the hay of the back of the cart. He hoped C.C was hiding deep in a pile of hay and the girl wouldn't see the green haired woman. She sat as close as she could to him from behind, and told him, "My name's Lelouchia."
He almost gasped. "Why, what a unique name." he managed to put out.
"I used to hate it, but then I realized how much it meant to my parents, and I decided I liked it. The public hates it, because of whom it reminds them of, but I know the truth. My Uncle Lelouch was a true martyr, not that anyone knows it. Only a handful of people do."
He almost choked. Uncle?
"Princess Lelouchia Euphemia vi Britannia, daughter of Zero and Empress Nunnally. 3rd in line for the throne, after Uncle Shneizel and Aunt Cornelia. People say I have my namesake's eyes all the time. Same shade as his and everything. I have my father's hair, and everyone knows him as Zero, but I know him as Suzaku, my dad. Then everything else is a mix of both sides of the family."
Lelouch was wide-eyed with astonishment. His niece! His niece! Nunnally's child! He immediately loved the girl as his own just for that.
"Everyone thinks my dad is dead too. They don't even know he's my father." She laughed. "Today I was supposed to go to some meeting with Uncle Shneizel, but I ditched to pay my other favorite uncle a visit. I never met him, but I suppose I just felt a connection with him…I feel like we're exactly alike, from what my parents tell me. We're both failures at athletics, mentally inclined, we look a lot alike in the end, and we pretty much share a name! I've always wished to meet him, just once, and get to tell him everything about my life, and what he's missed. Kind of like how I'm spilling my guts to you right now, and we just met. I guess I'm stupid that way though, being so open." Lelouch could almost cry. He wanted to stop the ride, pull her over to him, expose his true identity, and never let go. Of course, he'd never do that.
" Aunt Cornelia chides me on that all the time, saying I'm a lot like Aunt Euphemia. She was good too. My dad gave me her name as my second name. He always calls me Euphie." She smiled. "I know he loved her very much, and if she were still alive, I wouldn't exist…but then…if that day had gone differently…well…a lot of things would be different, now wouldn't they?" She stopped.
"I'm sorry. I've been chattering the entire time, without giving you a chance to speak. And I've basically told you tons of secrets I've never told anyone before!" she covered her mouth as if to prevent herself from saying more.
"No, it's alright. I have nothing against the royals. I don't really care either way. I just travel, and do my own thing." He promised, wanting to hear about his sister and everyone else.
"I've never felt like sharing any of this with anyone. Not even my best friends. Why do think that is?" she tilted her head to the side, and pouted, thinking about it, and unable to come up with an answer.
Lelouch wanted to laugh. She was adorable! She was like him and nothing like him all the same time! Even though most of what she exhibited told him she wasn't, if everyone he used to know felt like she was like him, then he'd believe it, since they'd spent over a decade with her.
"Auntie Milly and Uncle Rivalz got married, and I got to be the flower girl- about 5 years ago…" she rambled on and on about life with all the people who were in her life, and the best part was, she didn't hesitate, she fully trusted him. She must've known somewhere that she could, because from what she was telling him about herself, she didn't tell people much. So being this open was something shocking and new for her.
She was something new altogether, and he loved it.
Nunnally could walk now, since new technology had come out that allowed her to, and she told a story of how once, about two years, she got terribly sick, and how the doctors thought she was going to die.
"Everyone had already given up on me, except my parents. Mom had such faith, saying her brother would guide her little angel to where she needed to be or whatever. While Dad promised me both my namesakes would be my protectors, but it was weird, because he was by my bedside entire time, almost crying, calling me his nickname for me over and over tearfully. Of course I got better and suddenly, the empire was cheering." She seemed to think the nostalgia was heartwarming. "There's nothing better than waking up to the sound of thousands of people cheering your name with love and adoration."
Lelouch could see where she coming from, almost. He was glad he'd done everything he had done all those years ago for sure then. He'd done it for his sister, and it resulted in the perfect future for his baby sister. And she had children with the man who he would have wanted for her as well. And seeing this optimistic, happy-go-lucky young lady proved to be someone else he'd done this for. Would she have existed if he hadn't done what he did? He doubted it. So, even if he was alone, it was all worth it in the end.
All too soon, they were at the exit to the cemetery, even though he'd stalled as long as he possibly could. She hopped down and crossed over to him. She looked up at him, and for the first time, he looked at her face. She really did look like her parents and him. It was like seeing himself and a stranger in her at the same time.
"Goodbye kind stranger." She waved, pecking him on the cheek. "I hope you keep riding along, until you find that something that you must be searching for. Everyone is looking for something, whether they realize it yet or not." And on that note, she giggled and skipped away, like a cute little girl. C.C popped up, watching her go as well, looking at Lelouch with curiosity.
Little did Lelouhia know, he had just found it, and had just lost that something as well.
A/N: Finally wrote the little Code Geass fic I wanted to do! I don't know...is it weird? Good? Bad? Haha.
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