The life of a simple boy, Lelouch Lamperouge

by kingalfredthegreat

The greatest love stories are not found on the battlefield or any the higher ranks of society, but are found among the common folk. See the boy Lelouch Lamperouge as he lives in the world, through all his trials following his definition of love. (AU)

2. Chapter 2

'True love is not about how many 'I love you' one professes

But the number of unseen, small things done

That makes the person you love seem at ease,

And the number of sacrifices you make

Just for that person`s happiness.'

The events of the week were over. The end results showed that the athletic Red house (Fire phoenixes they called themselves, why the hell would anyone pick such a ridiculous nickname?) Emerged victorious, taking the trophy for the 3rd straight ear. The house commander respectfully went up to claim the trophy. Everyone was ecstatic, since it went down to the wire with the adventurous green house (emerald peacocks, seriously?).

After the third place was announced, a certain house was quivering in its boots.

The third place went to the 'charismatic' blue house (guardians of the sea, now who had insecurities?)….

This left the 'mighty' all-rounders, the Gold house (the Gold Stallions, now that`s a real name) plundering the spoils at fourth place….. Among the four houses…..

Not a great show and no spoils to plunder. In fact it was their worst campaign in the houses history.

The bright side, they won the most coveted trophies of the chess tournament and a track event. The flip side, those were it`s only two victories.

Currently, they were in a classroom assigned to them for the celebration of their performances this week. Cheers of jubilation could be heard from the upper floors where the others were partying. Well except them as they sat in pin drop silence. All of the house members were anxious and petrified to face their unforgiving commander. Most just wanted to run away, but stupid rules….

"Um…. Suzaku, do you think….um….Zero will show up?"

She gave a nervous laugh "I`m not sure…. But most probably-" She was cut off when a frantic student raced into the class.

"THE ICE PRINCE IS COMING!"

Okay it wasn`t that bad, it`s just that the ice prince persona was just as effective. The footsteps approached and a loud 'SLAM' was heard just outside the door.

"Do…do you think… we will survive?" They whispered among themselves as they tried to hide behind Suzaku.

"What are we going to do?" someone asked

"I want to go home!" the bodybuilder among them wailed.

"Guys, why are you huddled behind me?" she asked the now apprehensive crowd.

"You are the only one who can save us, Suzaku. Just protect us from the apocalypse. We promise to do whatever you want, hell we will put our monthly allowances together." One of them frantically whispered

"Anything? Look I don`t wa-" and she was again cut off by the soft sound of the door opening. Irritated at being cut of repeatedly for various reasons, she looked to see the latest cause of the interruption.

Lelouch entered the class with a crate full of snacks, much to everyone`s surprise. Latching the door of the classroom (much to everyone`s further horror), he calmly walked up to the teacher`s table and kept down his load. This confused the already petrified group (prayers beads appeared from nowhere). Wiping of the sweat from his brow, he glanced blankly to the group, increasing their tension a 100 fold

Suddenly, his lips twitched up to form an amused smile

'Eh?' was all they could muster in their minds. Finally, deciding to free them from their agony opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. Only now… he hardened his features.

"Suzaku… have you forgotten your station?" he said with an arched eyebrow. The tone was frigid.

Knowing what her buddy was up to, she schooled her features into her rarely used blank persona and walked up to him to take her place by his side.

'Es tu Suzaku?' was everyone`s thoughts.

"As you can see, the performance this year was abysmal at best." Came out the sharp voice. Truly, what he lacked in strength, he made up in confidence.

"I will not say I am satisfied by the result, but all I can say is that we did our best. And that…." The smile returned "…. Is worthy of a small celebration."

They were now all gaping at 'prince charming' and his 'grinning princess'

"What are you`ll standing there for? Do you think Suzaku and myself can finish all of this... come along now!... Oi! Don`t be uncivilized, stand in line for your turn." He ordered the now mad rush which registered the whole act.

In all this ordered chaos, Lelouch was lofted into the air-much to his displeasure, oh well- and hailed as the greatest along with a Suzaku who was thoroughly enjoying it. They settled down after much song and dance. The atmosphere became electric as if they were the victors.

After they had settled down and were about to open their juice cartons one of the more feisty boys dragged Lelouch once more to the dais.

"Attention one and all! Our great commander will now restore the morale of his troops. Hence I beg everyone to keep silence"

As he made his way up once more to the ooh`s and cheers of the crowd he waved at them casually playing along with them. Every once in a while, he too loved the attention he received.

Setting down his carton he began "My fellow warriors." Much to the laughter of the group "Alas, we have failed in our great campaign against the phoenixes who just don`t know when long is too long." Affirmative sounds were heard. "But we will avenge this day, as I your king…" that led to some snorts "… has led you by example along with my…." He didn`t say anything as his gaze fell on Suzaku. She was now blushing and stuttering as a collective 'whoa' resounded in the air. It died down for their 'king' to conclude "….Next time, like the black knight, we shall show them no mercy…Oi, No fights now…" when he saw some knuckles were being cracked "…and take our victory!

This earned him a thunderous round of applause, though he wasn`t done yet. "For now…." He opened his carton "…eat, drink and regain your strength. I thank you all once again for your hard work. So cheer up and enjoy, you all have earned it."

He raised it in the air "A toast to our marvelous victory to come, Cheers!"

The entire room had a resounding reply to that and made a pathway for 'his highness' to reach his throne along with pats on his back and a thunderous applause. Though it was said in just, the little display really lightened their mood. All of them were full of smiles. Pleased at the sight he finally proceeded to sit. As he sat took his place, he got an almighty pinch from behind.

"Yaow!... what was that for?" he hissed at his assaulter who just glared back at him.

"What was that display, huh? Were you going to call me a slave?" She deadpanned.

He blinked at that and broke into a small fit if giggles. Truly, Suzaku never really may have grown up "Of course not. My subjects just keep interrupting me …" he waved to the crowd "…as you saw, I was going to say my queen." She shot him a death glare and put his hands up in surrender.

"It better have been something like that, or I would punch your face in the wall." She said with dead seriousness and looked away. Her annoyance thought was slowly disappearing.

Suddenly, she was being tugged "Come on, exercise nut, I did not bring all those snacks for nothing. Eat up, my queen…" he teased as he gave her a second plate of snacks. She huffed as she took it had a bite and slowly started relishing it.

Annoyance level 0

Damn that Lelouch for knowing what made her tick. She was now sporting a smile and turned towards him, as he was finally left alone to enjoy the party.

"Say, this is some real good stuff. Where did you get it?"

"Shut your mouth, eat first than talk." He sighed "honestly, how did I associate myself with you."

"You just couldn`t resist my baby charm!" she exclaimed. "Now answer the question."

"The meet I just attended this morning had allocated each house to spend $500 on buying snacks. Everyone of course was crying saying it is too little to feed 150-200 people." They got up to dispose the plates. He continued proudly "I of course, just took it and got all the goodies for $350."

"… How do you do that?" she asked in awe. In response he flicked his wrist. "Do you forget who gets the groceries and cooks up your meals?" he said triumphantly.

"Of course, how could I forget who is the 'actual queen' of the house?" she said innocently.

"Shut up!" before he could give a full reply, they both were dragged into a musical circle of song and dance. Lelouch sighed (Geez I`m becoming an old man!) and joined the reverie of his joyous friends, drowning in with their merriment.

That day, the Gold Stallions of the first year, middle school students celebrated their accomplishment like the grand kings of old, much to the annoyance of the victors.

---

If there is one thing that school students dread they are exams. It is that time of the season when enemies to into friends, rival gangs sign for a ceasefire and sit together formulating strategies to 'just pass' the exams. Paper notes are worth their weight in gold. Long forgotten deities are brought out from the cupboard and venerated.

And 2 days before the exam, the Ashford clubhouse was home to the deities of help. They might as well put up a donation box put outside so as to add to their earnings. They were in their 2nd year and the crowd seemed to get bigger.

"Sayako, is Lelouch at home?" asked the latest batch of 'devotee`s' teacher`s astonishingly.

"I`m sorry, but master Lelouch and young mistress Suzaku are currently in the library. You may find them there. Do you have a message for him?" She said with a polite smile.

"Oh… tell him I would like to have his notes for the next year. The current one`s I had were washed away." The professor said simply and departed.

Meanwhile on the branches of the giant oak tree, Lelouch and Suzaku ere resting from their hectic schedule. Though they loved to help, they too were humans and needed time off. On Suzaku`s suggestion they told their plan to Sayako, who happily turned down the guests.

"Yes… thank you, auntie." Lelouch put down the phone and made himself comfortable in his latest, most comfortable and breezy getaway.

"Hey Lelouch, are you heading back in?" a voice asked from an adjacent branch.

He cracked open one eye to let his gaze fall on the speaker. "You take all the trouble to make me come up here and now you want me gone?" he snorted.

A rustle was heard and then his branch dipped a little due to the addition of another person`s weight. He just closed his eyes only to be rudely awakened by a hyper- active brunette.

"Honestly, one of these days I will die and the sole reason will be you." He said with a tone of fondness.

"Don`t worry, I will catch you." She said.

He got up from his place and slid over to where she was and flicked her on the forehead.

"And we both will be dead. The newspaper headlines will be two lover`s unable to live in a cruel world commit suicide together."

"Eesh…. Me in love with you? I would rather die than fall in love with a weakling." She said in mock disgust.

"And yet you are friends with one…. Since the age of 3 and a half" He smirked.

She just hummed in agreement and leaned towards him, resting her head on his shoulder while the enjoyed the moment of peace.

As kids, his mother used to force him to climb trees and 'be a normal kid'. It was beyond his understanding as to why it was such a necessity. On asking her, she would give answer like 'Suppose you are stuck on an island filled with bears and the only way to escape is to climb a tree.' Of course the reason was ridiculous, but he couldn`t thank her enough. It was indeed easier to hide when your previous hideout (aka the rooftop) has become a public secret.

"You know, I should actually thank you. If you hadn't taught me the method to solve the quadratic equations, we would not be able to enjoy this peace." She mused out.

She then looked up "Stop it. I can feel your egoistic side smiling down at me."
They merely laughed at that and decided to remain there till it was about noon.

"Maybe we should bring Nunna and Rolo, you know. They to deserve some rest…" he mused as he absently played with her tresses.

"Hmm… let me take care of that." She straightened herself from her earlier posture. Suzaku then jumped on to the ground and proceeded towards the house to smuggle out the siblings

That`s right. While the rest of Ashford struggle during exam days, a certain pair who later brought even their siblings along were enjoying the outdoors.

That`s why, never leave anything to the last minute…

---

Lelouch was now sitting in for detention for taking his 4th French leave in gym for the month. Naturally, he was alone and his supervisor happened to be non-other than the school counselor . Apparently, her name was too long to pronounce so she used initials. She was…. Interesting to say the least. He had never met her before nor did he attend any 'session' and all he knew of her was from his classmates. It seems, if you wanted to be on her good side, all you needed to do was give her pizza.

'Hmm… Italian then.' He mused absently as he was drawing something related to the school project. He was so absorbed in his work to hear the lazy footsteps coming towards him.

"Hmm… quite the innovator, young man" she said blandly while observing his work.

Startled from his work he turned around tongue tied. He was rather shy of showing his 'works'. "Thank you ma`am, I appreciate your praise." He said finally with a slight smile.

She looked at him directly in the eye as if searching for something. She seemed to have found it as she smiled back and took the seat in front of him. She then busied herself with her mobile. Lelouch thought nothing much of it and proceeded his work.

"Lelouch, have you ever fallen in love?" she asked suddenly.

This stirred him a bit. "Excuse me….ma`am." the last part came out after he regained his mannerism.

"I asked you if you ever fell in love." She said monotonously while her eyes were back staring into his.

It frightened Lelouch that someone`s eyes could be so vividly different than the one`s he saw every day. But not a good different…. It was a bit, no very creepy. Nevertheless, he closed his eyes and calmed himself down.

"I love everyone around me, my family, friends, even my teachers. I can technically say that I have always been in love." He said to her evenly while matching her gaze.

Said eyes quirked up a bit. "Aren't you a witty one? Most people who I have asked this question immediately start to blush or rant about their current date. Indeed your view is refreshing and pure. But…" she continued as if to strike something deep.

"Have you loved anyone aside from direct family to the point of doing anything?" she now was leaning over his desk.

Though he felt challenged, he didn`t shrink away. Instead, due to the spontaneous reaction which seemed to be set in his being, it came out

"I have…."

This somehow made the counselor smile all the more, as she retreated back to her seat. But she wasn`t done yet.

"Do you love her for a specific quality or due to repressed desires?"

The answer came out smooth and simple "I love for who she is. It would be an insult to her if it were any less."

Her face somehow seemed peaceful as she got up from her place and went to the table. She picked a sheet and once again walked back to him "You are indeed interesting, Lelouch Lamperouge. I must admit that the girl is extremely lucky to have someone like you."

"Please sign on this sheet and you may leave."

"But we are only 15 minutes-"

She just waved him off "No one checks detentions and you passed my test."
As he thanked his supervisor and was leaving, she handed him a $100 bill.

"Treat her and your family at pizza hut. Consider it as a reward for the test."
She swirled her green hair a bit and disappeared down the corridor. He debated whether it was good practice to accept money from the faculty, even if they gave it willingly.

All those doubts disappeared on seeing the huge smiles on the faces of 4 Nunnally, Rolo, Suzaku and Sayako that evening.

That`s right, Lelouch had always loved her from the beginning. It didn`t frighten him the least because they knew each other since they were mere kids. The natural love he held just grew along with him.

Lelouch Lamperouge was deeply in love with Suzaku Kururugi. He didn`t even need to confess. But first, he would get his house in order and then will try to woo her heart. Not that it would be difficult.

---

Lelouch and his friend George appeared out of a very shady looking house from the slum regions of the city.

"Wow Lelouch. I cannot believe you actually pulled that of. I mean we are now rich man, RICH!" his partner screamed. To which he just cringed away.

"No need to proclaim to the world. Besides, he was not as great as he thought he was. Now listen, shall we divide as per our agreement?" he asked with a faint bit of arrogance.

"Sure buddy, here`s your share." And gave him the briefcase which had his 50% share.

Lelouch smiled as he graciously received it. He was in dire need of money due to the continuous blocking of cash by the Britannian family. Things must have gotten quite bad because she had heard Sayako cry over the phone to Jeremiah on selling some ornaments to keep them all in school. It deeply hurt his heart to see her in this state and he wanted to help out. As he was musing outdoors (Suzaku was practicing for the track team) he met George who was in his own predicament after his previous buddy dropped out on him.

Thanks to this, Lelouch had won $50,000!

He might make this a regular thing if ever they were short on money. Of course he would have to keep it a secret. Besides, if all his opponents were like the one today, than Jeremiah-

"Lelouch." Came a sweet voice from behind. As he casually turned to see who it was, he froze in his place. For there were standing Sayako and Suzaku.

That evening, the council had gathered in the clubhouse and were on his case today. It was like some old English movie interrogation scene. Lelouch sat alone in the centre while his inquisitors were round him.

If matters couldn`t get worse Jeremiah, Rin and Genbu Kururugi came down.

Worst, even the twins were against him.

He kept his head down. He couldn`t bear to face them.

"Lelouch, where did you get all this money?" Jeremiah asked lowly. The briefcase was kept before them open.

"And $50,000 no less. Have you started some side business we don`t know?" Genbu taunted.

The face went right up "NO! I would never do that… I…." He lips went dry and the face went down again.

" 'I' what dear?" Rin gauged further albeit calmly. "It certainly doesn`t seem like a passerby handed you all the cash on a charity basis."

"Answer boy, where did the money come from? And look at me and answer, you shameless creature." Jeremiah roared positively.

Mustering the little courage he had left "I… went out with my friend and… we went to an underground chess tournament…"

Two slaps landed on his cheeks shushing him up again. "You had the gall to go gamble and for what reason?" Genbu pushed on. Unfortunately, Lelouch brain had shut itself down. He knew what he did was wrong so there was no point defending it.

"…. You must indeed be a stain on your family line." Suzaku said with a stone face. This was seriously cutting the line, as even all the elders directed their gaze on her.

"Mistress Suzaku, I believe it is bad manners to butt in when elders are taking care of this." Sayako said firmly.

"Then why call us here?" she challenged her silently.

"Lower your gaze, young woman. Just because you are a little taller doesn`t mean you are an adult. We brought you down here so that you may not do what he did today." Genbu reprimanded.

"Kids, you all go back to your rooms." Rin instructed. As they made way to their destinations, they all said something which hurt the young boy badly.

"You're disgusting."

"I didn`t expect this from you, big brother."

"Mommy will be sad with you, brother."

When all of them had left. The males continued their investigation as to why he had to resort to gambling. "Forget it, Jeremiah. The fool will not speak." Genbu huffed. They decided to report the money to the police station. They would, however lie about how they got it so as to save Lelouch from potential punishment.

"You Lelouch will not get anything for a week. You will do your own chores, wash your clothes, cook your food everything! You will also not see your siblings for a week. Go earn some money if need be, I don`t care. It`s high time, you learn some dignity of labor." Jeremiah proceeded to raise his hand, frightening the wide eyed boy. "Don`t look at me, donkey." And was stopped by the females.

"Jerry, I think that is quite enough" Rin said harshly. The hand lowered and the males were about to leave, only for Genbu to add.

"Tomorrow, Suzaku will give you a nice treat."

Said boy had tears streaming down his eyes until the ladies faced him. Sighing Rin went to his side and comforted a bit asking him as to why he did it. Finally giving up, he told everything he had heard to the two of them.

"… why didn`t you tell us sooner." Sayako hugged him lightly.

"In any case, I think we went too far-"

"No, auntie. You all were right. It was my fault. I shouldn`t have fallen for the easy money being offered there. It`s fine…" he stood up and left from there

"… it`s fine."

Suzaku`s punishment the next day was equally bad. She had ordered him to run as long as she ran. It was going well for the first 20 minutes, even though she lapped him and kept passing insults. Until spots started hindering his vision. But being the stubborn boy he was, he continued running.

5 minutes later, he passed out.

The next thing he knew, he was back on his bed with a worried Rin, Sayako and Suzaku were by his side. Gently he got up asked took a glass of water from the table and asked what happened.

"You… um passed out while you were running. I shouted at you to stop and take a break. But you didn`t listen and went on. When I came back on track… I found you…."

He just nodded knowingly and got up from bed. Despite their protest, he went about to put on his uniform and went about his day. Lelouch said it he was following what was told to him.

If this was Lelouch`s way of black mailing, they huffed that it wouldn`t work.

Trouble is…. It actually was working.

The week went by with Lelouch following his instruction to the tee. He got up early to do his chores for himself before Sayako woke up. He would be out of the house before the others were up and come back at around 7.00pm. The sadness and suffering of their 'sun' was too much for them to bear. On Thursday, Jeremiah returned back to tell them suspend his punishment. He also informed them, with a small smile that the police had allowed them to take $25,000 with them as a reward for some reason.

When Lelouch was told about this, he gratefully thanked them and again apologized to everyone. He then proceeded to announce something that shocked them all.

"I have signed up as an intern at the nearby Tuner's and Restoration workshop called 'Geass Garage'. They will be giving me a salary of $1000 a month."

Then he sheepishly handed some $100 bills to a stunned Jeremiah. He returned back to his seat and smiled "This is an advance they gave me after seeing my work for 2 days."

The meal continued in silence with the twins excitedly talking to their older brother about what his work was about.

The next day, Jeremiah offered to drop him of at the place after his afternoon classes. "Could you show me around, Lelouch? I would like to see the place." He smiled to which Lelouch happily agreed. When they reached there, he showed him the workshop. The garage had two sections, 'Avalon' was the tuning section, headed by the eccentric Lloyd Asplund. While 'Ikaruga' was the restoration half-headed by tobacco loving Rakshata Chawla. Currently, he was doing small jobs in Avalon.

That night, as Lloyd was closing down his garage. He was attacked by two figures one who was dressed like a ninja and the other in some funny white trench-coat and wearing a ridiculous orange mask. They both were wielding swords and cornered the poor tuner against the shutter.

"Who are you?" he asked but in faint interest. This seemed to take the two by surprise.

"We… um… we are the 'Well-Wishers of Lelouch." The man said proudly, his hold tightening on his instrument. "I`m his knight of orange and this is the mystical ninja."

"I knew that boy was fishy…" he mumbled under his breath.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" they thundered while inching their swords closer to his neck.

"No…nothing." He said. Now he was clearly afraid.

The ninja seemed to be pleased with his reaction "regardless, our Lelouch has is slightly weak in body and strength. So if you happen to overwork him…"the kunai (which appeared out of nowhere) plunged forward to tear into the shutter.

"Okay, I get the drift." He said hurriedly. Happy at the reaction, they left the man and disappeared into the dark.

But Lloyd`s day was not done. Currently, he just escaped from 'the minister' and…..'the minister`s wife' who threatened to destroy his existence if their Lelouch had so much as got a scratch at his garage.

He was walking passed Ashford`s when he felt his legs tied themselves due to hidden trap and promptly collapsed.

'Here we go again' he sighed at what seemed now a routine procedure.

Suddenly, 3 figures appeared from the shadows wearing weird costume. One of them was taller and wearing a white…. Trench coat again with some blue bed sheet for a cape. The others-kids he deduced- were wearing some 4-sizes-to-big blue factory suit. Clearly, today was a wonderful day.

"My name is Lancelot" the white figure said. "And these are my accomplices Nemo and…" she looked towards the other and whispered.

"What was your name again…?"

"Vincent! Sister." The kid hissed.

"Right…. And this is Vincent!" she said with flourish "And we belong to-"

"The Well-Wishers of Lelouch. I get it. Now what shouldn`t I do to him?" he was getting impatient for all this.

The figures just gaped at him. "How did you…."

He shrugged "Have been running into you all since I left the garage. You are the third gang."

Recovering from this unexpected event, they throttled the man against the lamppost (lightly). The younger two took out toy pistols and pointed at him.

"Listen up, if you don`t look after Lelouch well…"

"We will drench you in ice water!" a younger girl squealed. As soon as that was done, 'Lancelot' knocked him down unconscious. He woke up later in his room, with his assistant Cecile Croomy by his side.

The next day, Lelouch was given an accounts job (much to his displeasure.)

One thing was for sure everyone kept 10 arms distance from him. No one wanted to meet the 'well-wishers of Lelouch' after what they did to annoying Tamaki.

---

Two days before her birthday and the night before her departure home, Suzaku was attacked by an unknown entity who seemed intent in tying her up the bed when everyone was asleep. In their struggle-where flash lights were turned on and off-something thinner than rope wrapping around her arms and legs and all, the intruder managed to slip-not without significant scratch marks. On her birthday, a thoroughly bandaged up Lelouch along with the twins went up to her and gave her a gift.

On their insistence, she opened it up-clearly a diversion tactic from asking about his injuries-much to Rolo`s and Nunnally`s hard suppressed laughter. What revealed itself was an elegant slim, alpine green gown, which had a lovely white shawl with a little gold embroidery. The Gown itself was beautiful and had intricate gold patterns along certain borders. Modern, simplistic yet chic would describe this piece of art perfectly. Moreover, it fitted her perfectly and complemented her body!

On asking where they got this expensive garment set, the twins couldn`t hold back any longer and narrated the tale. Nunnally came up with the idea of gifting her a surprise dress and along with Rolo, finalized the pattern. It was up to Lelouch to put together the dream work. The hard part was to get the measurements without Suzaku`s knowledge…

Suzaku simply went up to and kissed the now-red-behind-the-band aids-Lelouch while hugging him tight, thanking him for the gift and the trouble he went through. Much to everybody`s delight.

---

The season of prayers and abstinence came once again. This time, the great deity Lelouch Lamperouge was available from 9 to 1.30 pm and 3 to 6 pm for the exam week only. Those who wanted to be graced by his presence had to give $10. Specials blessings in studies were $20 per hour. If you wanted to meet his holiness later than given times $50 per hour. Students and professors were given a 40% discount.

Needless to say, at the end of the week a triumphant raven head handed a sum of $3600 of 'hard-earned' money. Much to a certain brunette`s displeasure as half of it was being saved in his personal account.

Tamaki believed he was the greatest mechanic ever to set foot on mother earth, though others testified otherwise. He could 'discern' the problem faced by a vehicle just by looking at it. It was also his ardent belief that the entire world was hell bent on extinguishing his natural abilities which came to him like breathing. (Note the delusion of grandeur)

However he came close to questioning his beliefs for the first time. He was passing by a car tended by a certain 'Lelouch'. Insistent that nothing was wrong with the car, he pushed the boy aside and tried to start it off. Naturally, it didn`t work and he berated the boy for his incompetence. He should have taken the hint when the room`s temperature started dropping.

The ease at which the boy started the car (it`s a conspiracy! He swore) left him gaping as well the insult froze him in the spot. He paled even further when he notice a scratch on the teen`s forehead.

The next day, he was found hanging upside down of the garage roof with swords at the base and water pistols spurting at regular intervals.

---

Lelouch sighed for the umpteenth time as he pulled on his waistcoat. Suzaku was airing his suit in the other room for him to wear. Actually, he wasn`t looking forward to face the day at all.

Scratch that, he was downright nervous today. For it today, the court would decide on the custody of his siblings and himself.

The Britanians had built a solid case initially, which later faltered when critical, testified statements were found in Marianne`s locker which stated them to be kept with their current guardians. Naturally, they tried to fault with the assigned guardians, but so far no dirt could be unearthed against them. The case was virtually rock solid in their favor.

Still, he couldn`t help but feel nervous. His (former) father is still among the most influential persons in the country and one who achieved whatever he wanted. It would be surprising if they let them have an easy victory. He took a deep breath and close his eyes…

….. Only to have his suit thrown on his face.

"Welcome back to the world of the living." came the cheery voice.

He couldn`t resist to urge to face palm "Honestly, do you still have a 5 year old- no, don`t answer that. I think I already know it."

She giggled mildly and smoothed down the shoulders of the suits. "Nervous?"

"Yeah." He admitted "Everyone says that the case will be closed today along with the verdict. Though it is totally in our favor, I can`t help but feel…. Anxious."

She continued her actions while humming. Finally she looked up at him "Tell you what, when you return for lunch, it will be with all your favorites for your victory. Do you want me to make Mississippi mud pie?"

He just shook his head and smiled a bit. Dear Suzaku, ever the optimist and trying to lighten the mood.

"I rather you not try that. The last time you did, the entire kitchen resembled the banks of the Mississippi."

She stuck out her tongue and later pouted like the 5-year old personality she possessed and he had come to love. He put his hand up to ruffle her hair. Grudgingly, she allowed him to proceed.

"Since you have tried to be a good girl, I will get your favorite triple sundae with extra chocolate sauce and Nunna`s and Rolo`s special. That is, if uncle Jeremiah allows me." He said lightly and turned to leave.

As they all came to see him off (family after all), he turned about and waved at them. "I`ll be back soon, wish me luck!"

What he feared actually came to pass. Somehow, he going to the underground chess tournament was found out bot his father`s team. And boy, did Bismarck milk it to its fullest. Heck, even the judge bought the fact that it put the position of his current guardian`s in doubt. The court was adjourned for lunch.

"I have one hour to get my arguments sorted. We can only hope for the best."

Currently, all the two men and the boy were at a nearby café. Lelouch remained silent while Genbu tried to look at loopholes in the case or even- on Jeremiah`s insistence- take custody for himself. In all this commotion, he remained silent as he pondered on his future. He was still 14 years old, was working part-time at a up and coming tuner`s workshop with a sa-

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt his phone go of. On seeing it was he hastened to pick it up.

"Goodness boy, you have put yourself in quite a mess." A bored voice stated from the other end.

"Ms. CC!? How did you know…"

"You ask too many questions. Give the phone over to Jeremiah." She said with a hint of irritation. Nodding his head he gave it over to his now puzzled man. On taking the phone, Jeremiah's jaw dropped open which was soon replaced by a serious look, probably trying to understand what that weird counselor was telling him. Suddenly, he snapped the phone shut.

"Genbu, wait for us here. The lawyer has asked us to meet judge in his chambers private." He said as he got up and put on his coat.

The middle aged Japanese eye`s widened a fraction, only to sport a small smile

"Got it, I will bring the car here too. If any problems just call me." Giving a nod, he ushered himself and Lelouch down the lengthy corridors.

"What happened, uncle?" Asked a now thoroughly confused teenager.

"It seems, you may have to live the rest of your adolescence with us." How did he manage to keep that straight face?

"I don`t mind that." He said and hastened his steps.

On entering the chambers, they both noticed the entire law team of the Britannia family as well as their lawyer. The surprise was the lime haired women directly facing the judge talking to him on some matters. She turned about and smiled at them.

"Mr. Gottwald, master Lelouch please take a seat." The elder judge said in light tone.

"Your lawyer here produced some damning evidence to the court along with solid proof thanks to Ms. CC here against the case presented by Mr. Bismarck. I cannot go into the details of what it is..." he said while looking over to Lelouch and then back at the rest of the party "… but after going through it, Mr. Bismarck wants an out of court settlement. In exchange of your silence on the matter, he client is ready to drop this case. Also, the client is ready to pay $250,000 as compensation. Thus I ask you, Mr. Gottwald, are you also willing to drop the case for the above conditions?"

When Jeremiah was about to voice his hesitation, the judge merely smiled at him kindly "Don`t worry, even though it is an out of court settlement I will personally see that Mr. Bismarck`s client will follow up with his promises."

After that, there was only one answer.

The two families had a feast of a celebration that night as the kids enjoyed their ice-creams. They were finely together and safe at last.

The next day, Jeremiah pulled over at the same café. He searched through the crowd for his guest. On spotting her, he proceeded towards were CC was- twirling her hair between her fingers and munching on a pizza.

Pulling a chair out, he sat down next to her. "it`s good to see you, Ms. CC."

She turned to face the man while relishing on her delicacy "Likewise, Jeremiah or do you prefer Orange?"

"I rather we not bring that up. Anyway, was there a specific reason you called me out here?" he shivered at the memory. Good thing the kids were not there then.

"Now, what makes you think that I have called you for a reason?" she said, with one eyebrow arched up.

The butler just sighed "You never met up with Lady Marianne after she was kicked out…" it comes out more as an accusation "…then when we move to Ashford, you suddenly make an appearance out of nowhere citing the need of a job. We all know that a job is the last thing you need. Finally, helping us in the case. From what I heard, you don`t do things without a reason." His eyes narrowed at that. All that he got was an amused looking face.

"What if I said I did it all out of own desire for pleasure?"

The butler just leaned in towards her "I believe from the above reasons, pleasure is second compared to the other priorities."

She didn`t choose to answer that. After seating in silence for a while, waiting for Jeremiah order of tea she rummaged through her handbag for something. It took her a while to find what turned out to be a pen drive.

"…You called me all the way for this?"

Taking the last slice of pizza "this pen drive has the 'evidence' of all Charles`s alleged and real affairs as has had over the years. There is even footages of Marianne`s treatment and abuse during her time as vi Britannia along with the reason she endured it all too. Just in case 'the emperor' decides to go back on his promise, you can use this as a wake-up call as to why he still has a clean image. If you excuse me, I have a flight to catch. Hope you wouldn`t mind to pay the bill."

As she left the flabbergasted man in his place, a small smile crept on her face. After all, she had just got even with Marianne for how she helped her all those years ago.

"Your son is really too good for his own self, Marianne." She said to no one in particular as she went her own way.

---

It was the first day of the final year in middle school and the dynamic duo had just walked past the gates…..

…Only to have a bunch of boys and girls worshiping the ground they had trod on.

---

Ashford had a unique system for their student council. While the main council members were from the high school section, a member of the middle school would be voted from among the 3rd years there to represent the juniors. The even more intriguing part was that he had partial veto power over certain matters of the council. In short, it was the aspiration of every middle school student.

Well…. Except one.

"Must I really do this?" a certain raven head groaned.

His response was a thump on his back "of course silly, you won the preliminaries with the maximum votes and entered grand 4 as a favorite. The entire division supports you!" Suzaku exclaimed.

"…and whose fault was it that I was even there in the first place." Of course the culprit just laughed it away. Truly, was he to be damned by this girl?

"Don`t worry, brother. We know you can do it." Said a completely serious Rolo.

"Besides, I worry for the others" Nunnally giggled. She pulled down the nervous teen by his arm and kissed him on the forehead.

"Good luck, big brother. Do your best!" she said in a cheerful voice.

He patted her affectionately on her head. "Thank you, that means a lot."

"No fair, I want to give brother a good luck kiss to!" Rolo grumbled.

"And I want to give him a good luck hug along with it!" Suzaku pouted.

Yep, he would die due to affection overdose.

The selection for the representative (or 'baron/baroness') included interested parties to register their names with their homeroom teachers. This was followed by an election (preliminaries) among the 2nd and 3rd years. From here, 4 would be selected and would face off in an open debate. The final 2 would have an open interview each with the 5 professors. But being Ashford, it had to be grand. Thus the entire proceedings were viewed by an audience of students, parents and certain companies who would give scholarships for anyone who caught their eye.

It incidentally in this situations that Lelouch shined the most. Up in the audience, the Lamperouge's and Kururugi`s looked on in awe as the young boy was busy presenting arguments, agreeing to certain points and defending his own in the most civil and polite manner.

"That`s it now-" Suzaku nearly screamed in the near silent audience before she was muffled back in her seat.

"Where are your manner`s?" Genbu growled "Can`t you ever truly sit still?"

Rin however gently brushed her husband aside "I know you are excited, but enjoy the moment. You can celebrate with him later when it is done."

Suzaku nodded mutely and looked back on stage.

"We certainly bought him up well, eh Sayako?" Rin whispered silently.

"Indeed, he indeed is a star to all those around."

"Looks like he has finally grown up." Genbu said to Jeremiah

"He derailed a while, but came back on track none the less. I sometimes envy the boy for what he does." the butler sighed

"Hmm….. Don`t you feel pride at how he is now?" he prodded on teasingly.

A smile lit up the butler`s face "that I always had for being associated with him."

All the kids could do was watch at the charismatic and handsome boy as he swept them all with his passion and relentlessly fought with his beliefs.

As expected, Lelouch had won the debate which lasted 2 hours. Phew! Even the presidential debates weren`t so long. But it wasn`t the worst part, he still had to go through a live interview. He groaned at the thought of being grilled once more about his opinions on 'campus life' and 'student politics' and god knows what else. Worst, he wasn`t allowed to see his friends or family till this ordeal was over.

He smiled a little at that thought. While sweeping his gaze through the crowd, his eyes fell on proud happy Uncles Jeremiah and Genbu, Aunts Sayako and Rin. He however got a second wind of encouragement when his eyes met his siblings excited and hopeful ones and the bubbly and awe stricken look on Suzaku`s face

And her attempt to shout in that dead silence made it hard for him to hold a straight face.

"Lamperouge, get yourself ready in 5 minutes" a high school volunteer had come after him.

"Thanks a lot, I will be there."

"Anyway, you were great out there. Even the president is keen to work with you. Don`t mess up." He said with a grin and left.

He let out a small sigh. Even his seniors were going to work him to death.

'Look after me, mom as I do you proud' he smiled as he made his way to face his last test.

The final interview was going like a blast. Each answer Lelouch gave left the audience in awe of his mannerism and intellect. His ability to thread dangerous waters while pleasing everyone was more evident in the interview. Not that the other candidate was bad he too was excellent, it`s just that today was Lelouch`s day. Even the interviewers commented about the confidence and honesty the boy seemed to possess among themselves. Add to the fact that he was the only candidate who did not campaign for his candidature, it indeed seemed like a miracle.

"I told you, Nunnally. Lelouch got this in the bag." Suzaku whispered loudly to the young girl.

"Hmm… I think I had under-estimated my brother a bit too much." She said in fake haughtiness.

"No one can stand in the way of brother." Rolo exclaimed lightly.

"If that is all the questions, gentlemen?" the head of the panel asked.

"I have just one more for master Lelouch" said one of the panel members.

"Master Lelouch, what makes you think that you are worthy for this position, judging by the blot on your record sheet?" he asked, silencing the deafening crowd.

"I beg your pardon sir…?" the shock was seen all too clearly on his face.

"Mr. Manfredi, I think we talked about this question…" the head warned.

"I would just like to hear his opinion on the matter." He said with a tone which left no room for arguments and shifted his attention to a paper he was holding.

"Let me elaborate. In your last term in middle school, you were reported to have gone out to play in an 'illegal' underground chess tournament in the suburban area." He presented some photos showing him enter the building. "It seemed you had won $100,000 which you divided with your friend. In short, it would be fair to conclude that you were involved in gambling." a photo showing the exchange of the briefcase flew in front of the teen.

He now was boring at the boy whose head was slightly lowered. "And hence I ask you think you are worthy of the position."

The silence filling the room squeezed out all the air present. Everyone`s eyes were on the boy in question as to what answer he would give. Said boy raised his head to face Manfredi (whose eyebrows were raised in amusement) with a serene expression (much to everyone`s shock).

"I would love to give some background to the matter, respected sirs." He said facing them all "During that year, our family was having financial difficulties due to a personal matter. My guardians, who kept up a smiling face were crying for the need of money for looking after my siblings and myself. It was at this time that I approached a friend who willingly took me to the said place, despite knowing the consequences. Since I shop by that area, I had overheard about the said tournament. I did it for my family." he paused for a while letting it all sink in.

"Of course, they showed me the error of my ways and informed the authorities and school about it. I was punished for that and I deeply regret my error in judgment. Since then, I haven`t even thought of it."

Finally his gaze fell on the man who tried to wash his linen in public "As for your question, Mr. Manfredi, I cannot say if I'm worthy to be holding the position. It is for you and the others on the panel who will choose the most suitable person. We are just subject to your judgment."

The silence still persisted among all those present. It was clear Lelouch threw the ball back in their court. Manfredi cleared his throat and looked on at his 'challenger' "I am sorry to hear about what you had to go through, but you are right about one thing. We hold the power so as to push you into office or cast you aside." The crowd roared in anger at that until he put his arm up "… but this is a collective decision. My comrades would discuss this matter." He got up from where he was and the entire panel huddled into one corner. The boy kept on a small smile and was being cheered on by the gathering. Hell even his opponent acknowledged him.

"Go Lelouch! Show him what you're made off!" shouted a rather agitated Suzaku.

"Sister, I think you sh-"

"That`s right my boy! Give him a punch to knock things into place, let him know the power of Lamperouge!" Screamed an extremely furiously smug Genbu who was about to jump from his place had it not been for the butler.

"How dare does anyone tarnish my Angel like that, Let me- Sayako, unhand me right now!" Screamed a lioness of a Rin Kururugi.

After 15 agonizing minutes, the panel reconvened. From the looks of it, the head was not happy. An extremely smug Manfredi stood up to read the council`s verdict.

"The panel while admiring the many excellent qualities of Master Lelouch Lamperouge, agrees that he is not suitable for the position. His weakness to keep his emotions in check and his ability to compromise the position of the school due to them was agreed upon as the most bothersome trait." He looked at the livid crowd "It can destroy the school reputation and endanger it`s traditions. Furthermore seeing the relative inaction to the said matter, the panel has decided to make master Lelouch as example." The whole audience were on their feet.

"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, Mr. HIGH AND MIGHTY? IF YOU HAVE THE GUTS COME AND FACE ME!" Jeremiah was literally ploughing through the crowd. Genbu was by his side doing the same thing. Sayako and Rin were throwing shoes and were forming a small militia to do the right thing.

"Lelouch!" Suzaku screamed as she and the twins made way through the madness. Even though he put a strong front, he was slowly breaking him on the inside. Why was he alone, damnit? And what was that other kid gaping at?

"You shall be given 2 weeks of suspension once again. Further, you will not be eligible with campus placements in your final year and debarred from school activities for a term." Saying this, the council members declared the other stunned boy, the 'baron' and fled with the said boy indoors to safety.

As Lelouch walked down the stage the crowd parted in front of him. Murmurs were heard among them-some for him, some against. In all this, he could hear the shouts of all his dear ones. He couldn`t face them now, not like this. He pushed himself through a particularly nasty group of people and made his way outdoors.

He may have salvaged some dignity, but nobody would look at him the same way as before.

"I`m going now!" came a strained happy voice from the doorway followed by the 'thunk' of the door. It was the 3rd day after the 'disgrace' and Lelouch still upheld his image despite what anyone said. The twins, Suzaku and Sayako were having breakfast when the raven head zoomed in, picked up his toast, kissed his goodbyes and left. The rest of the meal was had in tense silence.

"Auntie, did you speak with Mr. Ashford?" Suzaku tried to enquire on the situation.

"I did, Suzaku. That very day I was summoned. We spoke on the matter, since the decision was too harsh…." She then paused.

"So that means big brother will be pardoned, right?" asked a hopeful Nunnally.

"…I'm afraid that is not the case." Sayako continued "You see, Mr. Manfredi is a major stakeholder in the school`s trust. He also among its chief donators. If he is displeased, you know the consequences."

"….so it was either brother or the school?" asked a suddenly insightful Rolo.

"Yes, since he had also convinced other stakeholders, there is nothing Mr. Ashford could do."

"I don`t get this!" Suzaku angrily banged the table with her fist "Students have gotten out of worse offences than his with a warning. On top of that, he had received detention and excused. So why are they after him and why like that?" angry tears streamed down her beautiful face.

Sayako went to comfort her. She knew the reason all too well. Manfredi was a lap dog to Britannia Corporation. This was the silent ways to get back at them while remaining out of the matter. Unfortunate as it was, the psychological fights are very effective against its opponents.

"Now listen all of you, I want you to help Lelouch in all ways possible. Don`t upset him unnecessarily and don`t depend on him to do your chores. Am I clear?"

All the children nodded at that. Lelouch was the most affected, so it made sense to give him space while not making him believe he was alone. They all got up and made way to school.

Suzaku was puzzled when she was stopped by Sayako. "You are not going anywhere today. You will help me make a special lunch for our prince."

The two sat in a quiet alley maintained near the workshop, eating the lunch which Sayako and Suzaku had made. It was all Lelouch's favorites, boiled rice along with meat loaf wrapped in bacon, tempura fried vegetables, a fresh green salad along with and some orange juice to wash it all down.

"I must say, your cooking skills have improved…."

The brunette`s pride puffed like a proud peacock…

"…..only by a tiny bit" he teased

…. Which crashed down like a hot air balloon.

"That`s mean, I missed school just so you…"

"But I enjoyed it nonetheless, thanks for it." He said with a genuine smile.

"No problem, it is the least we could do for you." She returned the smile. And they fell in a comfortable silence, while Suzaku packed the lunch box. She observed him, dark circles round the eyes, disheveled hair, grimy skin and some cuts on his hands and legs….. It looks like-

"Don`t even think about it" he stated flatly "I can literally feel your gaze examining me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Please, as if I didn`t hear about the mysterious 'well-wishers of Lelouch'. I don`t want you all terrorizing Lloyd no matter how much I dislike him." he said with his all-knowing smirk.

"Guess we have been busted, huh?" she then proceeded to pull his cheeks "as long as you don`t hurt yourself."

"Whoa there, you say that and want to take of a seer of my skin!" he screamed as he wrenched of the hand of the grinning brunette.

"How are you coping?" she asked suddenly. Immediately the atmosphere around them darkened and his eyes became a bit distant. He chose not to answer the question immediately as he twirled his cup of juice.

"The same like the yesterday, the day before…and" he gulped "…on that day. I know I sound pathetic, but I don`t know how to feel after I have been stripped and laid bare for everyone to question." He let the wind dance in his air "I just want to disappear from this world."

Suzaku didn`t know how to respond to him. She had never been good at comforting others and rarely thought anything through and like her impulsive self, she took hold of his clenched fist. They relaxed against hers and gave back a reassuring grip.

"Don`t worry, I will not take to alcohol or anything like that." He stood up from his place and picked up the lunch box for her. "Give me a little time and I will be sorted out."

She smiled at that and accompanied him back to his workshop. "Hey, you didn`t tell me what you are working on this time." She said. There were still 10 minutes and they could hang about a bit longer.

"Don`t ask." Lelouch snorted "Lloyd suddenly appeared with a GMC Syclone on his trailer from a scrapyard yesterday. He was raving of its twin turbo V6. The rest of us saw just a pile of rest and a metal block called an engine. He wants to sell it for $40,000…."

And Suzaku happily listened to the technical rant that Lelouch had got absorbed and his ideas to make said vehicle even better. She may not understand all the technical jargon, but seeing him smile just a bit was worth it.

The troubles didn`t end. Lloyd got into a contract with a particular Mr. Luciano Bradley. By the terms of it, he was supposed to be the financer of the workshop while Lloyd was supposed to pay back 30% of their earnings per sale. Evidently, he didn`t read the fine print. This nearly forced him to shut shop and pay penalties to him had the Weinberg`s not come their aid. Andreas Weinberg –a large businessman himself-declared he would finance and get them out of their current mess them as long as 10% profit was seen in their monthly balance sheets. It seemed Charles wasn`t taking his defeat lightly and he still wasn`t done with the Lamperouge siblings.

Lelouch was now standing alone at the grave of his mother. Everyone had left him to give him some 'quality time' with her. And for the first time he admitted it openly.

"Mom, I love Suzaku with all my heart. Please guide me in the right way as you always have."

---

"Lelouch! Hurry up!" our excited brunette girl screamed from the staircase bottom. It was their first day in high school and everyone was in a buzz. The club house was busy with everyone going about the new school year, the twins joining middle school meant the most fretting in the morning was for them and….. Lelouch was chosen to give the inaugural speech as the valedictorian from middle school.

"You don`t have to scream down the house, idiot" the annoyed teen descended from his abode as he adjusted his jacket. It was a classy yet classless design, long sleeves white undershirt, black pants and a black school jacket with gold bordering.

"Well sorry for worrying about reaching late for an inaugural speech." She huffed in her new uniform. It was similar to the boys except for a beige jacket and an olive green short skirt.

"Don`t do that too much, you will age faster." He teased her.

"And whose fault is that?" She frowned.

The reply was a light flick on her forehead "As charming as this is, I have a certain congregation of students to address. So if you`ll excuse me, you are making me late" he smirked and picked of his bag.

"Yes, that`s- wait, WHY are you blaming me for this?" she screamed at the retreating figure and proceeded to tackle him down.

"Lelouch, you seriously need to remedy your hand movements. It makes me dizzy." Suzaku waltzed as if to prove the point.

"Stop doing that, you 5 year old idiot. You just love to garner attention. Besides, hand movement is essential for effective public speaking." He hissed while trying to control the twirling top.

Just when she was about to reply to him, they were both called out by an extremely familiar voices. On turning around, they were met by the sight of a blond boy whose hands were over a bluenette`s shoulders, spiky red hair and orange flowing hair.

"Gino, Rivalz?" Lelouch said in shock

"Kallen, Shirley?" Suzaku was in the same state as Lelouch.

"Hey, long time no see" the group moved towards them. They caught up with one another creating much of a ruckus with Rivalz shedding tears for meeting them after so long and Gino taking Lelouch in a head lock. Suzaku and the girls were catching up with each other with Shirley shooting shy glances of to a certain someone.

"Shirley, are you alright?" Suzaku noticed her strange behavior.

"Huh?! Of course, why would you say that?"

"You were zoning of, girl" Now even Kallen was worried.

"It must be the new atmosphere, I will get used to it." She tried to brush of.

"Don`t worry of anything, Lelouch and I practically live here. So you will get used to it. Say Guren, are you all staying in campus?"

The redhead grinned at her old nickname "Of course, Albion. Me and Shirley will be sharing the room as are Rivalz and Gino."

This lead to the Suzaku jumping up, pumping her fist in the air "This high school is going to be so fun."

"Suzaku hasn`t changed a bit." Gino mused up front. Leaving said person a bit embarrassed.

"Of course, she is still the 5 year strapped in a 15 year exercise nut we all know and love." Lelouch was giving of that sickly sweet smiles.

"And you are still the puffing sloth who can`t run 400 meters without wheezing." She said indignantly.

He just waved it of "Not my fault if I'm not built to be an exercise nut."

"….And you both still fight like old ladies." Rivalz joked leaving them all laughing as they recalled their childhood.

"So, you all are in the same class as both of us?" Suzaku was rather surprised by that.

"Yup, we will never be separated from each other again!" Shirley chirped

"My aren`t you all a bubbly group." Came a smug voice from behind. Turning around, they were met by the sight of a blonde girl who was pretty infamous in these parts. She was Milly Ashford, current student council president from the 2nd year and granddaughter of the principal. Known for her outrageous parties, humongous spending and whacky 'revenge' methods everyone knew never to cross her path. Though she was actually a swell girl. She and Lelouch knew each other from various activities.

"Milly, nice seeing you. What do we owe the pleasure of your company?" He had to be careful around her.

"Nothing, Lelouch. I was scouting for members for the student council. And I think I have found the right members to." She had that evil glint in the eye. They all visibly gulped.

"So, I am recruiting all of you into the council. No questions asked, I dismembered the previous one." She raised her hand to stop them from interrupting her "I will see you today in the afternoon in the council hall."

After she left, they all let out the breath they were holding.

"So that is the she-devil of Ashford." Rivalz said dreamily. It appeared to be love at first sight.

"Don`t dig too much into it." Suzaku warned. She and Lelouch had many 'interesting encounters' with the said girl.

"Hey Lelouch, I heard about the great 'Fire princess', the one who shows little to no mercy on the track. Do you think you can introduce me to her?" Gino had his stupid grin as he slung his arm around the slightly shorter boy`s shoulder.

"Come to think of it, Girl. Could you tell me who the 'ice prince' and 'ice emperor, Zero' are? Their reputation is legendary throughout Pendragon." Kallen turned towards Suzaku.

The two moved a bit ahead of them leading them to their class. Lelouch just gave them a side long smirk while Suzaku couldn`t contain her smile.

"Why you already met them. In fact you were just speaking to them." Much to their shock.

---

"My dear vice president, how is the budget going." Came a chirpy Milly Ashford.

"Well, if someone was more punctual, I wouldn`t be pulling an all-nighter yesterday and maybe even today." Came the irritated reply. Hell, he was even missing classes due to her tardiness. Thank god for his reputation and grades!

It was 2 months since they were 'inducted' (forced?) into the student council. Lelouch was given the post of vice president. Rivalz was the secretary (much to his delight), Gino was the treasurer. Suzaku was put in charge of the sports section and was the assistant to the vice president ('you two are so cute together' quote Milly) and the others were just members.

"Come on bro, you need to loosen up a bit." Gino was filing the accounts which Lelouch had 'extensively' going over and Suzaku was editing them with his recommendations on.

"Still, it wouldn`t hurt to do it over the month instead of a onetime shove. I`m beat." Suzaku slumped over a piece of paper which was just handed to her.

"Anyway" Milly brushed aside their concerns "Gino will treat you all today." Much to his displeasure. "I want to introduce you to our newest member. He joined in today and will be in your division. Also, due to various reasons, he will be part of the council." This lead to a raised eyebrow.

'May his soul rest in peace' Lelouch sighed internally. She was practically skipping across towards the door. On opening it revealed a tall pale boy around their age. He had a thin, frail build, lilac eyes and short, pick bubble gum hair which was pretty unusual to for a boy.

"Hello everyone, my name is Euphus li Britannia. Nice meeting you." He gave them all a sweet smile.

Lelouch and Suzaku was currently showing the young Britannia around the place. While Lelouch was trying to be friendly, Suzaku was holding a dark face throughout.

"I presume you have been to the dormitories?" Lelouch asked candidly.

"Yes I have. It quite a beautiful campus." They had stopped to take a break. He was actually quite decent and well mannered. Moreover, he didn`t seem to have any malice in him.

"Milly said that you had some reasons to join the council?"

The boy she closed his eyes and breathed out with a smile "I have a frail constitution as you can see. Due to poor iron levels in my body, I cannot do ant strenuous activity. Also…" he turned to face the raven head.

"… I wanted to see my half-brother."

This made his blood run cold while Suzaku took the boy by his collar.

"What do you want now, Britannia? I swear if you lay-"

"Suzaku" came the reprimand. Silently yet seething, she let go of the boy who was quite surprised from the outburst and Lelouch came forward and righted him up.

"Sorry about that, Euphus. It just that we have bad memories about that man." He dusted off his shirt lightly.

A sympathetic look came upon his face. "I understand what you mean. I know hath he never looks by twice if he sees any weakness in anyone. I was fed up being cooped up in that place. It was suffocating and toxic. Besides…" a wistful smile appeared "…. I was hidden till I was 3 and a half years old to cover for the fallout with your mother."

Lelouch retracted his hand as if it touched fire "What do you mean?"

"Apparently the affair lasted much before father got married to your mother. Hence, my elder sister and I were kept under wraps for so long. You know the rest." he then looked at him straight in the eye. "I know you may hate me, but we have met due to unfortunate circumstances. The least I can do is have a relation outside that mad house. I would like if you could at least tolerate me as an acquaintance." The boy was panting for breath after his little speech

Which left the two of them in shock. Seriously, what an impulsive kid which reminded him of a certain someone. As he remembered his mother`s dying wish, he gently let his arm rest on Euphus`s shoulder.

"I cannot blame you for that man`s faults. Nor can I say you were the cause of the troubles my family went through. What is done, is done. So I would say, I could gladly make a new friend."

The lilac eyes lit up at the unexpected offer again reminding Lelouch of his Suzaku. Unable to speak any further, he just put out his hand.

"Let me introduce myself again, my name is Euphus Li Britannia. Pleasure meeting you." The voice shrill with excitement.

Chuckling and realizing the symbolism, he took the outstretched arm "Lelouch Lamperouge, and this grumpy pot is my best friend since… eternity, Suzaku Kururugi."

The girl, still angry (80% at Lelouch for the introduction) took the hand and nodded in agreement. She couldn`t trust her tongue at a time like this.

---

It was a very peaceful time back in Ikaruga. Lelouch was selecting the alloy along with Gino who had joined last month ('what sort of boss I am if I don`t know what work is done under me?' it was startling to note Andreas bought the place as a gift for Gino.) Everything was goi-

"Rakshata, why did you steal Lelouch from me?" came an angered Lloyd followed by an extremely worried Cecile.

Yup, a pretty normal noisy day.

"Mind your tongue, pudding man. He is signed to work on the body of the Firebird since you were behind on engine tuning." She puffed right into his face.

"Get...(cough).. tha…(cough) that pipe out of my (cough) face and what do you mean it was signed?"

The bickering continued as the duo were still going on the paint job.

"Sheesh, they seemed to be married." Gino said jovially.

He got a shrug as a response "Apparently, Lloyd fell in love with her in college days."

"Hmm…. Speaking of love, are you seeing anyone?"

"Gino, I may have a 'fan club' among the students, but that doesn`t mean I`m seeing anyone." He was actually exasperated at that behavior.

"Come on buddy, at least a girl you have your mind on?" he prodded on.

"Why don`t you tell me about yours then."

"…. Well" he was nervous, surprising Lelouch "I think I like Kallen."

He was too shocked to reply to what Gino said so he busied himself to the paint composition. Thus an uneasy silence settled around them as they go about their task. Finally once they were done, Lelouch turned around and smiled at his comrade, a light smile.

"You two make a perfect match. I`m rooting for it, so don`t let some guy beat you."

"Well, I can send my friend Zero after him." and they had a hearty laugh at that. Finally as they entered the mixing section, Gino continued his old line of questioning.

"Tell me, is there anyone you are interesting? I can probably help you."

"…may be later. But yes, there is someone who has stolen my heart and you know her."

His eyes widened a lot at the implications on that and soon he was grinning like a kid who got his candy. He hugged the elder teen with all his might.

"You two definitely will make a wonderful couple." Came his radiant reply.

Currently, Gino and Rivalz were wailing and hiding under bed sheets in the medical ward. Agonizing screams were punctuated by spells of mutterings of mercy.

"What happened to them?" the nurse asked with evident concern

"They were caught going to gamble by Suzaku who reported them to Lelouch" Shirley said simply.

The nurse mind was at ease as she injected them with sedatives

They would be fine….

….in a week.

Today was an important day in the clubhouse. The elders were gathered once again in the council. The twins along with Suzaku were sent to run errands. Currently, Lelouch was again sitting in the middle of the group, but for a different reason.

"Auntie Rin, Uncle Genbu, I am in love with Suzaku. So I would like to take your permission to go out with her." He blurted out. There, all those carefully scripted lines he prepared to convince them washed down the drain.

Silence reigned on the group for a while, which was broken by the sound of laughter from Rin and Sayako.

"About time you asked me that. I was actually thinking you would have done this last year." Rin chuckled as she went up to the boy and ruffled his hair.

"You mean it is okay?" seriously? No screaming and shouting of being too young or not being good enough.

Now Genbu laughed at that "Seriously, and I thought you were the smart one. I have no objections on the matter. In fact, I would have approached you."

"Come on honey, just say you are honored that he will be dating Suzaku." Rin teased. Genbu huffed a bit but conceded with a smile.

"Fine, you win Rin."

He looked over to his guardians both of whom gave him a thumbs up. He was on the verge of tearing up once again. But he had to inform them about some plans he had formulated so as to commemorate the event even better. He wanted to keep things low and subtle for a while and then formally propose to her on his birthday, which was still 4 months away along with a surprise.

"Honestly, you can`t do simple things?" Sayako sighed with a bit of fondness.

"I know I'm asking a lot, but will you help me? I will put all my savings into it." He turned towards Jeremiah who was sporting pretty happy with all the planning.

"Of course Lelouch. In fact, there`s no need for that also. How much is your estimate?"

"No more than $65,000" he said with all seriousness.

"Then you don`t need to break into your account." He grinned as Genbu called up the bank.

Lelouch couldn`t ask for anybody more supportive than this. He could just imagine the joy in those emerald eyes.

---

The next day, Gino and Lelouch were standing outside the gates of a mansion

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Gino whispered into his ear. Even though a rich kid, he was kind of nervous on see large houses. Lelouch read the classified section of the paper he had cut out.

"'The house of Malcal' yup, we are in the right place, bro. it seems the daughter of the house is giving it away as part of 'spring cleaning'." He said absently.

"Well, Leila was always a weird kid." Gino snorted earning a look of surprise from his comrade "What? I met her in a few charity balls I was dragged into and she would challenge anyone to some strategy game or another."

Something lit up in those amethyst eyes "what are we waiting for? Let`s go on in."

'Why did I volunteer to go with this guy?' he groaned internally.

45 minutes later, the two of them were driving down the road in a thoroughly rusted and battered Bristol 404 which seemed to like smoking the place down. When they inspected the car, it was evident it was never looked after and Leila was asking $30,000 saying it was a discount! Seriously, even though it was imported from Britain or manufactured or 'hand crafted' as she put it, by a niche company doesn`t mean that some metal barely holding together was worth that much. This lead to a bargaining session of 5 minutes.

Finally, she proposed a chess game. If they won, they could have it for $2000 else cough out $35,000. Mercifully, Lelouch barely won the blitz game.

"Lelouch, I think the trunk hood has fallen now." The blond said monotonously as he pulled over and the grumbling teen got out for the 10th time to recover something.

"Of all the vehicles needed to surprise her, this had to be it?" he continued to rant. As if the car took offence to that, it shut down completely.

Another 45 minutes later, a car (what was remaining of it) was pushed into the workshop by said boys. Jeremiah, who was talking to Lloyd and Rakshata about cost just looked on at the scene.

"Goodness, is that just a chassis and an engine?" Lloyd quipped

"And are those broken down, rusted body panels?" Rakshata deadpanned.

And said raven head was getting to intensive death glares from his buddy and guardian.

One of these days, Lelouch plans would be the end of him.

Over the months, everything was normal. The council was holding mini festivals after mini festivals every month. Euphus had grown quite close to Suzaku over the months as well as with Lelouch. He was a kind, cheery boy who had a dazzling personality and was what his fan club argued the epitome of handsomeness. Lelouch was actually relieved that Euphus took all the attention. Currently, said boy was talking to some girls as he was while Lelouch was going over the details of surprise party for Suzaku`s birthday in 3 days' time. On his insistence, Milly agreed to keep it among the council only.

Euphus flopped down in his chair after escaping from the said group. Lelouch laughed lightly seeing the teen so exhausted.

"Looks like someone`s had a rough time."

"I just don`t know what`s so special about me."

"You don`t need something to be special, you just have to believe it." Came the amused reply.

"Stop quoting movie characters and that doesn`t make sense in this context." Euphus said warily.

"… You know, you take things seriously like a girl." His face was still buried in the logistics. Hmm… he could cook a 5 course meal for-

"Say Lelouch" He just had to interrupt his thoughts "I like a girl but don`t know how to approach her. Any suggestions?" he tilted his head to the side. Euphus really had some girly habits.

"You know, I am not the resident love guru here. Why not ask Pujya maharaja, Swami Gino about that? He managed to ask Kallen out in one piece."

He laughed lightly at that as he got up "I really like how you use your knowledge in your humor. I`ll take your advice. Say, do you need help for the party?"

'Just when I'm done' he thought sourly "Nah! I have that covered. You carry on." Euphus beamed and left. Honestly, he is such a kid.

"Happy birthday, big sister!" the twins ran up to her as she entered the council room.

"Thank you my little angels, I can`t believe you put up such a wonderful surprise." She tugged them tightly while taking in the well decorated room

"Well, It was Milly`s idea to host the party…."Rolo started

"….but Big brother did everything else along with Gino and Rivalz" Nunnally ended. It was pretty cute to hear them like this.

"Hmm… I will have to thank him. Where is he hiding, by the way?" They were now pulling her by the hand.

"He is currently cooking up dinner." The brunette was now surrounded with the other members of the council.

"Happy birthday Girl!" Milly and Shirley shrilled out

"Oi, just because your 15 doesn`t mean you can beat me on track." Kallen stated with a smile.

"Your so on, Guren." And they chatted about everything for half an hour.

"Say, where`s darling Gino." Suzaku teased the redhead. Said girl just shrugged "Currently getting murdered in the kitchen by Lelouch. From what I know, Rivalz is fairing no better."

Suzaku smiled at that and made way "then I better go and save them, if you`ll excuse me."

Kallen just waved her off as Suzaku made way towards the kitchen. The smells coming from inside were divine…. But the scolding and shouting was positively horrendous

"I TOLD YOU TO PUT EXACTLY 2 TBSPS OF THE WINE, NITWIT."

"WHO TOLD YOU TO OPEN THE OVEN, THERE ARE STILL 5 MINUTES LEFT!"

'He will make an excellent head chef.' She mused as she pushed open the door reveling a frustrated raven head and two boys literally quaking.

"GET OUT OF THE KITCHEN AND COME BACK ONLY TO SERVE THE FOOD!" came the final bellow.

"Sir Yes sir!" said boys fled from the kitchen while not forgetting to wish her on their way out.

"Someone is in a foul mood." She quietly walked to as he garnished the plates.

Lelouch turned around to see her wearing the gown he had stitched last year. Indeed, it complemented her extremely well and brought out her natural beauty.

"You look beautiful." And he kissed her on the forehead. She smiled brilliantly back at him "Hmm… there are hardly any occasions that I can wear the gown you stitched for me. Sometimes I feel it is a bit over the top."

He shook his head fondly while dressing the last course "Euphus apparently has got a surprise waiting for you and the food is ready. Tell those two mules to come to help me."

She just pouted "aren`t I exempt of work?"

"Well, I will give you an extra serving of a double sundae-"

"Deal!" and she sped out with a speed defying the limits of her attire before he could properly wish her for the occasion.

When the food was done, Euphus presented her a tabby cat with a black mark on its right eye as her gift. Everyone loved him to bit`s with Milly declaring it as the council`s pet. Lelouch scolded her for robbing other peoples pets but stopped short seeing the joy in Suzaku`s eyes as she tried to befriend her 'pet' not minding on sharing him. He actually forgot to give her the sports chronograph he had bought as a gift.

"Lloyd, what do you think of the engine?" Gino asked as they were going through the particulars of their project.

"Hmm…. The cams have worn out and belts are gone. Not to mention all 6 cylinders are nearly beyond repair due to wear on the block and pistons. Carburetor is damaged, but can be worked."

"Actually, it would be better if we put in a new engine." Cecile gave Lelouch a hand list of engines available in the market. "It would be much cheaper than a rebuild due to the state of this one and also give the car a nice turn of speed and power while remaining within the emission norms. Since the necessary mounts are there it would be no problem."

"Thanks Cecile." He took the list and went through all of them, asking their opinions and first-hand experience with each of them.

"I think this one fits the bill." He circled a catalogue description with his pen and handed it over to the team.

"Hmm…. A 4 litre bi-turbo V8 from AMG. Pray tell why this in place of the original 3 litre inline-6?" Lloyd loved his stats to bits.

"He mentioned something about matching with the original character of the car and something about engine tractability." Gino shrugged. This was not his cup of tea.

"Well, the devil is in the details." Lloyd smiled evilly.

"Oh and can you put 4 wheel steer?" Lelouch asked innocently, much to the joy of the eccentric mech.

"So…you want me to re-fabricate the entire body shell in aluminum and the sub frame in manganese- iron alloy?" Rakshata puffed pretty pleased someone would come to her for this. The boy just nodded vigorously.

"It is a done deal, dear." She puffed in flourish as she thought of how to out-do her pudding man.

---

"Man…I'm so beat! And Lelouch hasn`t come today." Suzaku huffed as she bit into her chocolate bar. Said boy texted her his inability to attend her race so he sent two bars as a 'sorry' with Euphus. Still, Suzaku came 2nd despite being annoyed at his absence.

"He was extremely remorseful when he gave me the bars." Euphus chuckled.

"Hrm… he better be. When I reach home, it will be hell for him." she smiled.

"Say, do you want to have a snack? This a neat place down street." He said as they walked out the locker room.

"Sure."

"I`m sorry Shirley." He whispered as he hugged in order to comfort the crying girl. "I have loved my girl for a long time. Moreover, it would be like cheating both of you. I…I hope you understand." He was really sad for hurting one of his best friends.

"It`s alright." She pulled away from him and wiped her tears. "The mere fact that you told me outright and did not toy around really means a lot." She smiled at him "I really liked a real prince and I will always support you in any way." She then held out her little finger

"Promise to love and cherish her."

"Always."

The entire council had gone for a movie somewhere in October. Everyone was excited at to see the genre defying art piece. They all took their places in the dark….

….Euphus sat with Suzaku surprising many since the girl insisted on her buddy next to her.

Lelouch laugh it off by taking the other seat next to her.

Soon the post-race ritual he had in place with her slowly started to diminish. Lelouch would diligently wait for her and she would storm in, change and leave saying it was for some party.

Silently, he would wait for 10 minutes and keep the bar on the bench and leave….

…. It would never be touched again.

"Gino! Handle the engine properly." Lelouch shrieked as the blond lowered it into the bay.

"Come on bro, this is the lightest thing I have handled-" he was interrupted when the engine fell too fast, breaking a wishbone.

"Oops!" came the only word to break the tense silence.

Safe to say, he was sporting a wonderful bump for the rest of the week.

"Thanks for taking us out Big brother." Nunnally chirped as they were going for a family dinner. They were currently gliding down the road to meet Jeremiah at the said restaurant.

"Will big sister be coming?" Rolo asked on arrival. Lelouch chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"She will, Big sister`s pet. Now go along and order something along with Uncle Jeremiah. I will greet her here."

As Rolo proceeded to the table, he knew something was of. Suzaku was coming out less frequently with them. Maybe he was reading too much into the matter. Besides, brother would be taking Suzaku as his girlfriend soon!

---

It was a week before his birthday where Lelouch informed the council about his birthday plan. Needless to say, all but Gino and Shirley were surprised.

"Seriously!? Congrats Lelouch!" Kallen was ecstatic that her best friend was going to be asked out by the best kid in the 'country' in her opinion and bear hugged him.

"Well, little Lulu has grown up" Gino patted him on his head, much to his annoyance.

"For the record guys, I would have asked her earlier, but I wanted to finish some things." He said lightly. He immediately regretted saying that. There were 'Oooh!' And what not filling the air everywhere.

"Hold it right there. In celebration for this great event we should hold a cupid day`s event!" the president declares.

"With all due respect, I veto that decision as I already made plans beforehand." Lelouch said simply.

"Spoilsport, your idea better be good." She huffed but listened well nonetheless. Everyone went over the details for about half an hour.

"This is going to be the best party ever!" the girls squealed at the end with Rivalz mirroring their excitement with them.

"They sure are an excited bunch." Gino chuckled.

"I hope I don`t regret this." Lelouch rubbed his temples.

"You know, I am extremely happy for you." he slung his arm (which now became a tradition) on Lelouch as they walked out.

"Thanks man that means a lot." For it certainly was.

Elsewhere at a park at the same time.

"I would be honored if you would be my girlfriend." The boy said.

The joy and determination of the boy were reflected in her eyes as she took his arm

"As I would be too."

"Lelouch, I can`t believe how beautiful it looks." Jeremiah exclaimed on seeing the final product. Of course, the entire council except Suzaku and Euphus were present to see the handiwork. Lloyd and Rakshata-for once- stood side by side in pride at their creation. After all, 4 months of work returned the 404 to it`s mint stately condition.

"Well, Lelouch has excellent foresight in that regard." A puff was blown towards pudding.

"And since he is our star and such a good boy, we are giving it for half the price too!" Lloyd declared which came to $20,000. It was true, nobody worked as hard or was as dedicated as Lelouch on the shop floor. It was their way to say 'thank you' to their outstanding worker.

"But…"

"Shush" Cecile interrupted "It was Gino`s idea and everyone here agrees you deserve it. Just enjoy your day."

"Thank you for everything…"

"Aww…. I never knew my vice-president was such a softie." Milly teased.

"You don`t know the half of it, Milly dear." Rin just loved to pull his leg.

"Auntie!"

"This will be sweet! I can`t wait to see the look on Suzaku`s face. Three cheers to Lelouch." Kallen was really looking forward to this.

People passing 'Geass Garage' that day felt a sudden upliftment and brightening in their mood.

---

"We are going out!" Euphus and Suzaku declared at the party.

All the families gathered there, the friends were stunned at this announcement. It came out of nowhere and a tense silence filled the room. They couple thought that some explanation was necessary.

"Well…I know this is pretty sudden… Oka-san, Otou-san…" Suzaku mumbled out to her parents who still didn`t seem to recover.

But everyone thought about Lelouch. The boy who was losing everything in this, silently all eyes were on him with no one daring to speak. The sight was terrible to behold, he was totally heart-broken but made no attempt to show it. But the sadness in his eyes were there to see.

Lelouch heart was a maelstrom of emotions. He couldn`t believe this was happening and he wanted to scream out in anger, let out and everything and all. But he stopped seeing the happiness hiding behind the apprehension in those emerald eyes. Happiness for which he would sacrifice everything. Schooling a genuine smile, he decided to take control of the situation.

"Took you two long enough to tell us, right Milly?" He said lightly. Everyone looked once again at him questioning what was wrong with him. But the look he sent them told to play along.

"You're… your right there, our two love birds have hidden for too long." There was a little accusation in that.

"We`re sorry for this, Lelouch." Suzaku apologized thinking everyone wanted her to get his approval. Also, she saw the hurt and sadness in his eyes for hiding it.

"Come on, Suzie. You think I didn`t notice? Hell I predicted it would happen today!..." tears still threatened to fall but his tone was still jovial. It was the least he could do.

'What are you doing idiot?' Gino and Kallen were screaming internally.

'Stop hurting yourself brother.' The twins were really now at tear point.

"….Uncle Jeremiah and I brought a special gift! Well, it is my gift actually but you can borrow it just for today" Jeremiah took the hint and led them out.

"LELOUCH! It`s a beauty!" Suzaku was downright excited on seeing the wonderfully polished alpine green car.

"Isn`t it? You and Euphus can take it for a drive." He declared with a smile.

"But the party…" Euphus was confused at this.

"I insist." Lelouch smiled at him "Don`t worry, the party isn`t going anywhere. We will cut the cake when you return."

Suzaku ran up too him and hugged tightly. "Thank you for being so supportive. I will always be thankful."

He returned in kind "As long as you are happy, we all are too."

"WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? IDIOT" Kallen bellowed as he took his seat on the sofa. The twins' wrapped their arms round him in order to calm him down. He was nearly on the verge of losing it.

"YOU SHOULD HAVE TAKEN HER AND RUN AWAY! WE WOULD HAVE STOPPED THAT PINK HAIRED PUNK." Gino wasn`t one to lose his cool but when he did it was pretty bad.

"I agree Lelouch, you shouldn`t have done that." Milly continued from where it was left.

"This isn`t some manga or TV show where the couple declares their love to everyone and suddenly the true love come and snatches his beloved away." He said softly "the real world isn`t like that. It would have caused too much pain for everyone were it any other way."

"Lelouch.." Genbu trailed of

"WHERE IS THAT GIRL? BRING HER BACK AND I WILL KNOCK SOME SENSE INTO HER PEA BRAIN!WHERE IS SHE?" Rin was hysterical at the turn of events.

She calmed down when she felt a pair of thin hands wind around her like so many times before and her sleeve getting wet with tears.

"Don`t worry, auntie." He said through the tears, trying to make light of the situation "I won`t be disheartened or anything nor will I take to drugs or alcohol. I… I'll try my hand in sports and all to distract me. Besides Euphus is a good boy, he will take care of her well-" He was stopped when she started rubbing his back in slow circles, comforting him.

"You have never asked for anything in your life and the one thing you wish is taken from you." She said softly and Genbu wrapped his arms around them

"I have nothing to help ease the pain you have, but we can all give you a shoulder to lean on." He said quietly.

"Just let it out, Lelouch." Jeremiah joined them trying to soothe the boy.

Lelouch cried his heart out in a long time as they all- including sniffing friends- converged into a group hug. It may have be seen as some cliché movie scene being played out, but it brought solace to the poor boy who missed his opportunity in love by a whisker.

It seemed the Britanians would ruin him after all.

"Gino, can I ask you a favor?" he said in the middle of their lunch. Currently, the Lamperouge siblings, Gino and Kallen were on the roof top having lunch together. It was a week since his birthday, and while things had cooled down back to normal, Lelouch was no longer the same. He always seemed to carry a tad bit of melancholy with him. Suzaku`s parents- after much persuasion from Sayako and company- accepted their daughters decision with reluctance.

"Anything buddy." He answered at once. He felt a sense of dread fill him like it was a forewarning of something bad to come…

"…. Umm could you help in some sport?" Everyone blinked.

"Has the Sun risen from the west? Or is it the end of the world?" Kallen blurted out while mimicking said actions. All laughed at that.

"I`m serious, Lelouch. Did you hit your head on something." Now she was really fretting like some mother hen.

"Hey, I may not like any physical activity" his voice went down a bit "But there are still things I need to move on from. A little distraction won`t do any harm."

"You still can`t get over it?"

"You can never get over something that you have been immersed in and fills your being, Gino. Especially if you know the person from the age of 4."

Gino nodded at that and sighed in relief. "Well, at least you were not going to jump of the roof or anything. But…" he stopped Lelouch's protest.

"….There is something you may like and which befits your status." One could hear the drum beats to build the anticipation up as he took a pause. He rummaged through his bag and declared.

"And that is, Tennis!"

"Hmm…Tennis needs good long distance stamina and to prepare you for that, I can train you up a bit." Kallen said with a glint in her eye. They didn`t give the poor boy a chance to voice his opinion.

---

The council decided that Lelouch was akin to a pot full of water, during one of their philosophical talks. Surprisingly, it came from Suzaku.

The reasoning was that Lelouch was so full of good things and virtues that all bad just spills out if it tries to infiltrate in. This is the case even when something is taken directly from him.

Nobody could disagree with that, since he still held Suzaku and Euphus in high regard, treating them as family just like before.

---

It was a month since he started doing endurance runs with Kallen and basic training in tennis by Gino. It was painful at first, but he managed to channel all his anger, frustration and what not into his new endeavours. Add to that he still worked after class, one would say he was looking more in shape than ever before.

"Not bad for someone who couldn`t run at a constant speed for 5 minutes." Kallen laughed after he finished his 10 lap session. Initially, it look 20 minutes. Now it was down to 12 minutes.

"Here, big brother. Nunnally made this for you." Rolo handed him a towel as well as their special 'turbo drink' which energized him 'instantly'

"Thanks Rolo." He wiped the sheen of sweat from his forehead and faced the redhead "I really have to thank the two of you for your help. Not only do I feel more energetic and stamina increase, but even my grades have improved."

Kallen grinned on "Tohdoh sir is surprised at your sudden improvement and commitment for gym. You have now secured the top grade with this."

"The grade doesn`t matter" Lelouch brushed it of still wiping his soaked hair. Some of the beads of sweat were falling on Kallen.

"Stop doing that" she protested. "You are worse than a dog". She tried to dry herself off.

"I must say, Lulu is really improving." Suzaku appeared on track hearing the commotion. Rolo as usual bounded to her side.

"Stop calling me that, Suzie." He retorted with a smile "I`m merely doing this so as stop Tohdoh`s nagging. People are known to turn a new leaf."

"So can I call you an exercise nut?" She asked innocently.

"No, you may not." came the deadpanned reply.

Suzaku laughed at that and leaned forward to kiss his cheek.

"You're so uptight, aren`t you. Anyway, I will be going out with Euphus. See you later."

"Will you be home for dinner?" Rolo asked with his puppy dog face.

"Of course, silly. I will be back by 7.30pm." She waved her goodbyes and left.

"… You know, Euphus will kill you if he comes to know she kissed you."

"I can say likewise for him to. We have been close since heaven knows when. So let him be"

"How is it now?" Kallen asked in a concerned tone just as the siblings were about to leave.

"It much better, but the ache is still there."

"Have you thought about seeing someone else?"

He laughed with a bit of mirth "I will never be able to reciprocate anyone`s feelings properly if someone else governs my heart. Anyway. Ciao"

---

"Lelouch I`m so sorry about this." Milly sat prostrate in front of him. She wanted to get Lelouch and Suzaku together at all costs, so she held a grand opera play for valentine`s day and there were 3 weeks left. Trouble was, she thought the rest of the students also felt that way, so she made a pole of the leading actors. It didn`t go as planned.

Leading couple:- Euphus and Suzaku.

Second couple:- Gino and Kallen.

Side actors:- Nunnally, Rolo, Rivalz, Shirley and Milly.

Antagonist:- Lelouch.

"How dare the students think so lowly of Lelouch?" Suzaku was bellowing at this. True, she loved Euphus and all but making her Lelouch was beyond thinkable. Kallen shared the sentiment.

"He doesn`t have the looks nor qualities of a bad guy." Shirley lamented.

"Plus he doesn`t have the physique- Ow! What was that for Gino?"

"Your mouth wags a bit too much at unnecessary times."

"Calm down everyone, especially you Suzaku. It`s just a play, not some real life scene being played out." He dismissed any further protests and faced the president. "Have you made a script for the play yet?"

"Umm… no. Worse, I advertised it was an original play" she said sheepishly. Lelouch rubbed his temples and went into meditation for 5 minutes. Everyone crowded around him to see what he was up to. He suddenly stood up, startling everybody and proceeded to walk out.

"Milly, arrange a theater for us and necessary logistics. You can use Euphuses`s help, if that is okay?"

"Sure, no problems for me." He said happily.

"The rest of you, can you arrange for your costumes?" he asked as they were still behind them.

"Not a problem, captain!" Gino whistled everyone was fired up. He turned to face them before closing the door.

"Also, find a good brass band. I will write a script for the play. How long has the play to be Milly?"

"About 1 hour." She said seriously.

"Good, it will be done by tomorrow. See you guys later." He smiled at them and went his way.

"What are you standing around? The VP has given orders, go run along now."

"This…. is a tad bit too generic." Gino sighed as he just finished reading the script of the play Lelouch had written overnight. The poor boy looked like a wretch when he handed it over with Suzaku telling them he finished all their coffee.

"The play is beautiful, dear." Milly waved her finger in his face to reprimand him "It is the ending which is generic." She had that evil smile on her face.

Catching on, Gino gave his version of the same smile "So, let us do some editing to it."

"That`s my boy, maybe it will 'ease' the load of our dear VP." She giggled in triumph.

"AA-CHOO!"

"Woah, Lelouch! Are you okay?" Suzaku was immediately by his side. They were enquiring the prices with various caterers.

"Yeah…. It may be the pollen in the air." He dismissed.

"Or maybe Milly has cooked up some horrible plan." Euphus said with a chuckle.

"Don`t even mention about that." The raven head now was clearly distraught.

---

"Outstanding acting, bro. you really pulled the play together!" Gino was hopping with excitement. The play had become a super hit with various people asking for a rerun at other theatres.

"Well, I will admit Milly`s additions in the end made the difference." Rivalz just loved to heap praise on his dream girl.

"Well, it went against the notion of the leading pair." Lelouch was still annoyed at the script change. Milly had single-handedly turned it into a story revolving around the villain.

"I don`t see any reason for you to be complaing, Lulu." The brunette bounded to his side with her boyfriend in trail.

"In the end, everyone got a happy ending." Euphus exclaimed.

"You`re right, Eu." Gino saw the pain flash in his buddy`s eyes. "But that is a matter of perspective."

"Enough talk!" Milly declared suddenly "Lelouch, you are paying up for our treat of subs!"

As he counted the cash in his wallet, he wondered why he still accepted bets proposed by the she-devil of Ashford.

---

"We`re extremely sorry, Ma`am." Lelouch, Gino and Kallen apologized one last time to their physics professor Sophie Randell. She was known to be an extremely ruthless person when it came to her field of expertise and wouldn`t tolerate any nonsense. She would exercise no mercy even if they were students doing things for the first time. As luck would have it, she was their project guide.

"It isn`t about a question of 'apologise' and mundane 'social norms', fool." She spat on Lelouch "It is a matter of priorities. As per the schedule, you were supposed to have prototype of your 'revolutionary' generator ready last week."

"But we had the CAD models-"

"Shut it, goldilocks!" She snapped at Gino and turned back to the raven head. "Your group is the only one which has not presented or made a working model. It also doesn`t have all its members present for the weekly reviews, which I remind you is mandatory. True, the concept you are working on may be excellent, but if this tardiness continues I will personally talk to Mr. Ashford to stop funding for this project and pick another group in the national science fair."

"But-"

"No buts, Kal. I give you all another week or else I may even decide to withhold your results. Now get out of my sight." She dismissed them of without a second glance.

Said group was now back in the council room where they all gathered in silence. They couple looked back at Lelouch whose hair covered his eyes.

"Um… Bro, you shouldn`t think too much into what she said." Gino tried to calm them all down.

"Gino, we wouldn`t be in this situation if Euphus had contacted and met our supplier and Suzaku says the fabricator is 'busy'. Let`s face it, he and Suzaku haven`t attended a single project review except the first one. Add to the fact the money we got is peanuts and you and Lelouch are working over-time to make up for it. While we slog, they are busy in their fantasy world." Kallen was beyond furious at the treatment and insults the boy faced for the last 30 minutes.

"You know, I agree with you on that." Gino admitted grudgedly. No matter how great their friendship was, it didn`t mean they could get away with everything.

"Hey, where are those two?" Lelouch broke his silence.

"I called them 2 hours ago and they said they would be coming soon." Gino breathed out. As if on cue, laughter and excited voices were heard behind the door which opened to reveal the object of their torment.

"Speak of the devils." Kallen said softly

They looked around at the silence enveloping the room and the three teens staring at them.

"Hey… did we miss anything?" Euphus tried to lighten the atmosphere.

It earned a sharp laugh from the blond "Miss anything? Oh! That must be the joke of the year. Have you forgotten what today is?"

"Gin, there`s no need to be mean here. Just tell us." The brunette was clearly upset with the change in atmosphere clutching her boyfriend's hand.

Kallen pointed at the gesture "That seems to be the problem." She said simply. The confused couple- now pretty agitated- turned towards the raven head who was simply examining them with a blank face.

"Cut the riddles guys. Lelouch, at least you tell me what`s the matter."

"You do remember we had a project review, right?" he said simply.

"Um… no. I think it slipped out of our minds."

"You know." Now his tone was icy "As much as the we all love to see you two go around like lovebirds, it`s time to come back earth. We have been selected to take part in the national science fair and you two are on the team. You both had been given specific task to perform within a certain time limit." He was now positively bellowing "naturally, thanks to you two again we had to postpone are schedules and all. It seems all that time was wasted in some stereotypical things that you have indulged in. Thus as leader of the group, IT WOULD BE ADVISABLE IF YOU GET YOUR ACT TOGETHER."

Silence enveloped the entire council room. It was rare for Lelouch to lose his temper like that, but circumstances justified the need for it.

"Lelouch, I'm sorry and all that but I think it`s gone-"

"Too far." A dark voice said and launched itself on Lelouch. This was followed by a fist fight between the two of them. The remaining members tried to separate the two furious individuals which-surprisingly-needed Euphus and Gino to hold the raven head back while Kallen did the same for Suzaku.

"I KNEW FOR THE LONGEST TIME YOU WERE JEALOUS OF ME, YOU SWINE. WITH ALL THE DARK FACES YOU MADE AROUND ME WHEN I`M WITH EUPHUS." Suzaku said with a crazed voice.

"YOU, DEAR EXERSICE NUT ALWAYS SEEM TO THINK THE WORLD REVOLVES AROUND YOU. PRAY TELL WHAT DID I DO NOW?" he sneered

A crazed laugh was heard which sent chills down everyone`s spine (except the 2 in question) "OH PLEASE! SAYS THE ATTENTION SEEKING PEACOCK! ADMIT IT, LELOUCH. YOU LONG TO BE LIKE EUPHUS, SO KIND AND NICE. HIS SO VIRTUOUS AND HAS EVERYTHING, WHILE YOU AN ORPAN-"

She was cut off by a resounding slap on her cheek. "Mind your tongue, girl. You may have a boyfriend now, but that guy over there was and is always there for you." Kallen warned her off and stared down at her.

"Let them be, Kallen. I will get out of here. What else do you expect from the blind?" Lelouch had ceased his struggling and got out of the grip of the two boys. Quietly walking in front of the girls, he left the room.

"We have had it rough for the last few days, it is understandable for him to have this reaction" Gino stood in front of them "But really, what you did today to Lelouch for all he has done for you was seriously crossing the line and shooting it out of this world."

"You are siding with him, Gin?" she said in disbelief "Didn`t you just see what he did?"

Kallen just shook her head "If you had all the pressure he is facing from all quarters, I say what he did was a mild thing. The project is in trouble and that is thanks to you two not adhering to the schedule. He needs your help to make it work."

"But his Lelouch, right?" Euphus said dumbly. "The smartest kid in existence, why does he need our help?"

This flared up the blond like nothing else. "Yes, he happens to be Lelouch, the smartest and most hardworking kid on the block who didn`t have to face what he did thanks to someone`s incompetence."

"Let`s go, love. You two, go and meet Ms. Randell." Kallen took her boyfriend`s arm and pulled him out of the council room.

---

It was the last day of Milly Ashford in college as she was graduating out and as was tradition, a 'fairly' normal party was held. It was the student`s farewell to a student friendly president after all and Rivalz was heartbroken at this development. But to keep his beloved in high spirits, he kept smiling along.

"I knew I would find the president here." She said cheekily entering the balcony where Lelouch had escaped into. He said nothing to that and the two stood in comfortable silence feeling the pleasant breeze blowing.

"It`s pretty shocking you would have chosen to graduate now." He said with a tinge of sadness.

She laughed it off "I can`t be caged forever in this place, I have a life of my own. Besides, your troubles just increased President"

He grimaced at that "You could have found a more suitable candidate."

"Well now, how could I have given my all important job to some uncouth here." She faked a hurt expression "besides, you have all the powers of the school."

"Can I throw out certain professors?" he sounded a bit hopeful.

She chuckled at that and knowing the answer he rolled his shoulders.

"How are things with Suzaku?"

"Well, everything is back to normal." He said with a smile. "Her mother took her to task after Kallen narrated the tale. The poor girl would have been dead if I hadn`t saved her."

This way the talk went back and forth for a while, recollecting old days, plans for the future and all. The party was nearing its end inside when they were done.

"Please have mercy in the news agency you will be working in." he laughed off as they walked back in.

"And you get yourself a good girlfriend." She smiled back, which was replied in kind.

"Oh my Gosh! You look so pretty!" Shirley squealed on seeing Suzaku enter the ballroom. This was a part of the new event plan set down by the council. Instead of monthly events, there would be three massive ones in the year. First would be a tech carnival of student competition and industry interaction followed by a sports festival of 7 days featuring joy rides and matches open to the public. It was the most fun of all with true involvement of everybody in it, including the general public. The crowning glory however, was the new annual Christmas ball, which had a specific theme for it. Held on the 23rd of December, it was on the lines of a charity ball. Money collected here was solely used to celebrate the feast of joy in the orphanages and suburbs of the city.

"I wonder who the designer is?" Milly asked slyly. She was among the many invitees present

"You look gorgeous yourself, girls. I was afraid I would look like a pauper here." Suzaku chuckled off. The cat she was carrying I her arms purred for attention

"Why I'm sorry Arthur, you look handsome yourself." The auburn teen took the cat in her arms and ran her fingers along its length. He now purred in contentment.

"I nearly forgot how much of an attention hog he was." Milly laughed at the sight. Suzaku joined in with the merriment.

"Besides the get up you put on him makes him look really sit well in the event."

A blush dusted the Japanese`s face "You see, when Euphus went to shop for my dress, he saw it in a pet store and thought it would look good on him."

"it`s quite late now. Isn`t he attending the ball?"

"No, some family thing popped out of nowhere." Her eyes dimmed a bit.

"Anyway, you have Lelouch to help you through the night." Shirley said cheerfully making emerald eyes widen a bit. As if on cue, Arthur jumped out of her hold and dashed out with the girl trailing behind.

"How are things now in your dorm?" Milly asked with a serious face.

"I really messed it up when I asked to move out on pretext of privacy. It made him go in complete apology mode. Things are back to normal though. In fact I still spend 98% of the day I the clubhouse. I wonder why I even moved out." She sighed.

"He was always the sensitive type. As well as a bit headstrong."

"Trust me, you haven`t seen the half of it." Suzaku huffed.

"Still, he dissolved all the fun we used to have. No monthly festivals, no events and what sort of party theme has 'subtle authority' in it?" she said while wagging a card.

"Heh… actually, it was my idea to have a ball with 'royalty' as a theme. He just toned it down to more manageable levels." The brunette said nervously.

"Hmm…. So the VP has the president in her little finger, guess that can be useful." Milly said with a smirk, which made Suzaku sweat a bit.

At that moment, the main hall doors opened to reveal a threesome enter in. Everyone held their breath as the 3 Lamperouge sibling`s made a gracious entry in. Gino was shouting something over the mike (he was the MC in some 'knight of three' costume.) but Suzaku didn`t pay attention to any of it. Her eyes were fixed at the handsome sight of her best friend wearing a formal black trench coat with what appeared to be a white full sleeve`s shirt with slight gold bordering on the collar, black pants with similar borders and black dress boots.

"Well I guess only he can pull such a theme off in style." Milly laughed out.

Suzaku wasn`t given a chance to reply as Rolo and Nunnally pulled her and Milly away to join them.

Suzaku was currently sitting alone among the tables meant for the council. Lelouch went over to meet some dignitaries, the rest of them where on the dance floor. She was watching the giggling pair of Rolo and Nunnally waltzing around and literally lighting up the dance floor.

"May I have a dance, my lady?" a familiar Baritone addressed her and equally familiar right hand was held out.

"You may, dear sir." She said with a smile as Lelouch guided her on the dance floor and led them to a slow waltz.

"Brother, you and sister look so pretty together!" Rolo beamed as they danced next to one another.

"You two look like a prince and princess in the movies!" the twin said excitedly as the said couple ruffled their hairs of the junior dancing pair and along with them, led the rest in the centre of the dance hall.

"You really are beautiful today." Lelouch whispered to break the comfortable silence. She looked up in those joy filled eyes and found herself smiling.

"And you are building up a wonderful physique." The mischievous smile came as soon as the groan was heard.

"Leave it to you to bring up sports in the midst of a party setting."

"Hey, you do that with your technical jargon too!" they both laughed it out a bit as the dance took a slightly faster tempo.

"Seriously, the 'King' of the 'Gold Stallions' who led the 1500m and tennis teams to victory really befits his title."

"…. I`ll take that as one of the few complements you give me, My Queen."

They fell back in silence for a while with Suzaku having a contemplative look on. Ever the closest person she had, Lelouch wordlessly asked her what`s on her mind. The grip she had on him tightened a bit.

"I… Euphus and I have decided we will marry when the time comes." She forced out quietly. A few moments of tense silence filled the air. Their dance was still fluid as ever but there was that something that was off.

Lelouch`s heart seemed to break again. To let the woman you love go over to someone else would wrench anybody. He wanted to scream, cry out, throw a tantrum, anything but he didn`t. Suzaku`s happiness always took precedence to all his decisions. Besides she seemed a bit scared and uncertain about it and was looking at him for support.

'Love is the one thing you have to let go in order to have it in its fullest.'

That`s what Jeremiah had always told him. He may have wished things to be different, but this wasn`t any movie where anything was possible, it was the real world.

"Do you really want it?" he asked in a gentle voice as he gently lifted her gaze to meet his. Those eyes were filled with joy, happiness and love for the said person. It had actually answered his question already.

"Yes." The firm voice replied.

The music hit a crescendo and breaking norms, he pulled her into a close hug and burst into a twirl. It was fast, rapid and ought not to flow with the waltz, but yet he pulled it off. Rolo and Nunnally mimicked their 'elder' siblings move and everyone stopped to see the lead pairs finish of the dance in a flourish.

"Lel…Lelouch, what are you doing?"

He remained in silence for a while and then pulled away while not removing his arms from her and gave that wonderful, genuine smile that was just his.

"I will gladly support whatever you wish to do." And he couldn`t have been anymore true to himself and her.

---

Ashford was covered in storm clouds on a certain day and Zero walked down the corridors to the middle school section.

"Suzaku, you got to stop Lelouch!" Rivalz screamed into the council room

"What happened? Has someone 'insulted' me again?"

"Worse, the twins have been asked out by a girl and boy and Lelouch wants to 'meet' them!" he explained hurriedly.

"Don`t worry, everything will be fine." And she went back to work.

Needless to say, an extremely happy Lelouch was seen doting on the budding new couples.

"Good news, bud! Dad said he will absorb you into Geass Garage as soon as you finish studying." Gino burst in their shared apartment. Lelouch was finishing his university course a year earlier due to extra credits and superior intellect.

"I you sure about that? I mean… it could be ruinous to have me who has black spots in the records." Referring to his gambling fiasco which still haunted his university records along with some made up one`s.

Gino lifted his finger`s to count "One, you are the valedictorian of Ashford`s middle and high school and later, this university. Two, workmen records of a hardworking, diligent yet intelligent worker and finally Lloyd and Rakshata say they can`t survive without you."

"Fine, you win…. What position am I being offered?"

"Vice- chairman, of course!"

"Ugh… are finances are in a mess!" Ohgi, the head accountant of Geass motors exclaimed over lunch.

"What`s more, business is down and we make just 3% profit on each car now." Lloyd carried on the rant.

"Well, half of are expenditure goes into buying pudding and tobacco." Cecile mumbled to herself.

"What`s the main problem we face, other than Tamaki?" Lelouch looked over his lunch. At 23-year old boy was VP of a now-near-dead company.

Gino cleared his throat "Apparently, a lot of our competitors are dealing with cheap body mods and such leading to a bad name for Pendragon`s tuners in general. Plus the fact that we don`t 'offer' much and since many who want complete rebuilding of their rides go out of the city, business is hit. We got just 2 cars this month and they are just some body work."

"One was a fat Pontiac Aztec." Lloyd grumbled.

"The other a Honda accord, we lack high value cars." Rakshata added

Silence descended once more as they tried to find a solution of their problem

"Why don`t we offer a special package and barn finds?" Lelouch suddenly perked up.

"What do you mean?" Gino was now as curious as was everyone else.

"We can offer a special package to our future customers, like turbocharging, subtle aero mods, 4-wheel drive…. You know like a performance package. The other one is like we scout cars-old ones-restore them and sell it like how you did my 404. We may even give it a name for brand building."

"Ooh! Ooh!... how about 'code geass'? It sounds pretty cool like 'cobra jet' and all." Gino shouted excitedly like a kid in a candy shop.

"Hmm… initial cost may be high, but the long run the profits just might sustain us." Ohgi mused. The head of divisions however had their eyes on the Mustang Boss 302 pulling up in their garage.

"So, what are we waiting for?" They both said in unison.

As it happened, the idea worked. They made a profit of $30,000 on that car alone.

---

"They don`t want any family member to attend nor maintain any contact with them after it." A 24 year Suzaku cried on Lelouch's shoulder. She had got engaged to Euphus and Charles forced her to stay in the mansion. External contact was at a minimal with this being only her 3rd visit to the house in as many months. Naturally, everyone was protesting against it. It was an insult thrown on the face of the Kururgi`s by Charles.

"All they say is that I can call one friend of my choosing." Lelouch tried to calm her by rubbing her back gently in smoothing circles.

"Do you really want this?" He asked when she quieted down.

"I really do, but I don`t want to abandon oka-san and otou-san." She whispered in his shoulders.

He enveloped her in a warm comforting hug. "I will talk to uncle and auntie about it and….convince the others. Don`t worry I'll look after them."

They settled back in silence once again.

"Would you please accompany me there as the best man and all?" she pleaded in a small voice.

"I will be honored to."

After much persuasion from his part, they all agreed to let Suzaku wed the Britannian and Genbu smiled that at least she would have one known face in an unknown face. The twins were horrified for not being able to see their sister again but were sweet talked out of it. The entire household was gloomy at the decision taken by Suzaku.

The day came soon and Lelouch knew he gave a part of him when he escorted Suzaku to Euphus`s side in a chapel filled with apathetic and rumor mongering crowd. The only people who cheered for them after they took their vows was Lelouch and the Weinberg family who were present there.

"My boy, I tell you this will be the envy at Goodwood revival!" Lloyd hoped around like a small kid around a 25 year old Lelouch. Currently, Geass Garage had a world famous reputation of being a small but highly advanced restoration and modding shop. People from the European Union flew down just to have the crew a once over their cars.

Currently, they had to rebuild the Bentley Blower this side of the Atlantic, in time for the Good wood Revival.

"So it is a plain classic restoration job, right?" Gino said with a hint of disappointment.

"No, in fact he asked for a period correct 'code geass' pack." Rakshata puffed happily.

"That means twin scroll turbo and all. Alright, let`s get cracking." The raven head couldn`t wait to see the final product.

If Geass Garage wasn`t well known enough, the 'code geass' Bentley Blower pushed it into superstardom, winning all the races it partook in.

---

"Euphus is sterile, Lelouch." She whispered into her phone. It was a year into the wedding and this was her 4th time she had called anyone. "I won`t be able to have kids."

His heart clenched at that. She loved kids to bits and Rolo and Nunnally were proof of that. Words failed him at this moment. It was clear from her voice that this wasn`t the only problem she was facing.

"There`s no need to worry." She could still read his thoughts over long distances. "I face no other problems here. Euphus was even sadder than me when he told me about it. I told him it was fine if we adopted." The conversation went on for a long time until there was no more to be said.

"How long will you remain like this?" Rin placed her hand on Lelouch`s cheek when they were alone during Gino`s 3ed wedding anniversary party. 26 year old raven head took his auntie`s hand lovingly in his.

"Long enough so as to not hurt anyone with my own."

"Hey, when do you think bro will get married?" 22 year old Rolo asked his twin. Having finished his studies in electronics, he was one of the three breadwinners of the family and worked in Geass Garage.

"I don`t know. Maybe we will have to drag him up the Alter." The twin girl replied. Currently wrapping up her studies in designing she was to travel to Italy for her internship and work experience on a scholarship. And as expected, they both doted Lelouch as he did them.

"But who will be his suitable match?"

That no one knew.

"Gino Weinberg, chairman of Geass Garage speaking." The blond spoke into the phone after running from the shop floor.

"Nice finely being able to speak to you, Mr. Weinberg." A strong voice came from the receiver "My name is Gene Smilas and I call on behalf of the board of Ford motors. We would like to build an original version of our 1970`s GT40 racer and were going through prospective parties. Do you think you can do it?"

The blond was shocked to silence for a moment before he found his voice "I`m afraid the cost of components would-

"Don`t worry on that factor. You will be given monetary aid as well as the original drawings of the vehicle. I want to know if it is a yes or no?"

"Why of course, we would be honored to do the job." Came the enthusiastic reply.

"Thanks for your co-operation, Mr. Weinberg. We will talk about the other details later. Though, can you assure this project your personal attention?"

"Sure. We are running a little slack these days."

"My heartfelt thanks once again. A sum of $200,000 will be transferred into your company`s name by the end of the week."

---

It was late evening on the 10th December 2027 a typical day in the office for Lelouch Lamperouge. Currently working on 3 client cars, he was busy for the evening and had sent Rolo and Nunnally back home. It was only him and Gino going over various components to be ordered for their builds. Their discussions were interrupted by an unknown number calling Lelouch.

"Lelouch Lamperouge, VP of Geass Garage here. How can I help you?"

"Lulu!" came a familiar voice which he hadn`t heard in a year.

"Suzaku!" he shot up from his seat. "Where are you and why haven`t you called me or any of us?"

"I`m sorry lulu." She continued in a scary warm tone. "For not listening to oka-san and you. I`m sorry for being a bother for you all."

Knowing something was wrong, he gestured Gino of his departure and silently pinpointed the location of the call (Thank you, Rolo!). It was coming from the bridge which connected Pendragon to the other side of the valley.

"Suzie, what are you talking about?" he quickly made his way to his Mercedes 'hammer' his special getaway car which was parked in a special corner of the garage.

"Euphus cheated on me." She said sadly. "Not once but 4 times, Lulu. He said I was worthless and threw me out on the roads. It was an act to ruin us completely. You were right, Charles always wanted to get back on me." She fell silent after that.

"Suzaku? Suzaku talk to me damn it!"

"But now, no one will have to worry about me. I will be going to a place where I may be of some worth. So I called to say goodbye and ….thank you for being with me."

"Suzaku don`t you dare put down the phone"

"You can`t change my mind now. I will go away now, please don`t be sorry for me."

There was silence as he tried to think how to buy more time. He couldn`t just let her give up like that.

"Then, won`t you let me see you? Just one last time?" he whispered. Time seemed to stand still at as the meaning of those words sank into her brain. For nearly 4 years, she endured all the insults, mistreatment and humiliation of her imprisonment. She had nearly forgotten what it meant to be loved and cared for due to her lack of contact with anyone and everyone she knew

"Fine…" she choked out "I am at the bridge. You better be here in 10 minutes or I ma-" the phone was cut off. Still filled with despair but since the call had kindled a spark of hope within her again, she waited.

The Hammer roared down the streets at 180Km/h with Lelouch hitting the last stretch at 231Km/h. he had completed the entire journey in 4 minutes leaving a traffic mess in his wake. He jumped out of his seat and ran to the only figure standing there.

"You came…."

"Of course, idiot. You may have been away for so long but that doesn`t change anything between us." He panted between breaths.

"….You mean even all that destruction you left in your wake?"

The raven head turned behind to see a real long trail of knocked down cars, broken stalls and the like.

"I`ll deal with that later, come along now everyone has been waiting for you." He started tugging her back to the car but she freed herself from his grasp.

"I`m sorry Lulu, I have granted your wish. Now-" she yelped when a strong pair of arms hoisted her up and started walking.

"Your time has not yet come." He said softly and silently she rested her head on his chest as she allowed him to carry her back to her true home.

"How long has he waited?" Suzaku asked her parents and extended family. It was a 6 months since she returned back home. Saying that it was far too long for him to go on like this, Rin took matters in her own hands and told her daughter everything.

"If I remember what he told me correctly, formally since 1st year middle school and informally, since the beginning." She said with a wistful smile.

"You remember that car on his 16th birthday? It was the day he had decided to ask you out." Sayako supplied.

She brought her hands to cover her mouth and started muttering gibberish. Rivers of shock and sadness started to flow down the plains of her face. The twins wrapped their arms round her like the good old days.

"Don`t worry big sis, he has still loves you too dearly to ever tell you." Nunnally offered her the little comfort she could.

"He didn`t even see anyone else saying he would be cheating both of you." Rolo continued what his sister set out to do.

"You are very lucky." Genbu said as he stroked her hair "For he waited so long, fearing his love for you would hurt anybody else. No other boy will be as chivalrous as him."

The next week, the two of them officially started going out together. Lelouch was a bit hesitant since she just left a traumatic relationship but conceded to the great persuasive power of Suzaku.

On the 5th December 2028, Lelouch went down on his knees and asked her to marry him, messing. As usual it went against everything he had planned to say ('you know, the car feels lonely with only me in it. So could… you know… take up the co-driver`s seat forever?' is that even a declaration of love?). Everyone face palmed after he did it, but to Suzaku it was the most sincere proposal she ever got, despite not having any of the usual charm. Since it was filled with Lelouch`s charm, he got an ecstatic yes from the teary brunette as he escorted her to the ride which was waiting for them for 12 years.

It was on Suzaku`s birthday the following year they exchanged vows in a small but extremely lively chapel. The one and half hour ceremony ended with a thoroughly overjoyed Lelouch carrying out his Suzaku. Rolo, Nunnally, their families and the rest of their gang of friends were close behind flanking them from all sides. It was indeed the marriage they all were waiting for and they were not going to end it so easily!

"Lelouch, it is just a car!" Suzaku deadpanned. They were leaving for their honeymoon and the raven head was making all sorts of calls to his office to get the perfect chariot for it.

"It`s not just anyone." Lelouch whined, fed up of explaining it to his idiot "it`s the S-class Uncle Jerry stole from Charles. It`s the car that made us meet each other, take us to and fro Ashford. It may seem stupid, but I have memories attached to it…" He looked up and felt embarrassed by the smile she was giving him "… I know I sound like a sentimental fool, but I want us to truly treasure our time together in something I cherish."

She chuckled and kissed her dear beet red husband "Even in your technical talks, you can be quite a charmer. I didn`t mean to hurt your feelings, I`m sorry. And yes, I look forward to see your latest 'creation'."

The raven head sighed in contentment as he placed his head on Suzaku`s lap. Taking her hand like any small kid, he placed it on his cheek, both felt comforted and happy at each other's touch.

Sleepily, he let out one of the only three times he said the phrase to her over their time together.

"I love you."

Even though it was never said often, she smiled softly. For it was only from him that it was said with enough emotion to wipe all her painful times with the Britannian's.

"You gave other`s happiness without measure or care." She continued to stroke his hair gently "It is the least I can do to return even a fraction of it."

---

"Mommy, can I take it off now?" a young girl with short curly black hair pleaded as her mother led her through an isolated part of the park.(Ashford`s public grounds)

"Not yet, Akane. It is your birthday surprise, remember?" Suzaku laughed a bit at how her 10 year old daughter whined but obediently followed her without further fuss.

"We`re here." She whispered into the girl`s ear and removed the blinds. Violet eyes opened slowly only to see her mother and father directly in her line of vision. The quizzical expression disappeared when they stood by her side to reveal a small picnic party under an oak tree.

"Happy birthday, Akane!" Rolo and Nunnally shouted out along with her grandparents (Both), Godparents (Gino and Kallen) and her best friend Paul Weinberg!

"What are you standing for? Don`t you like it?" there was a hint of panic in Lelouch`s voice. It was smothered away when she jumped up and tried to hug both her parents at the same time.

"I LOVE IT! Thank you Daddy and Mommy!" the happy parents retuned the hug back to their little girl and let her go to enjoy her party.

Rolo and the kids were having a balloon inflating competition which led to a series of laughter from them as each of his inflated balloons burst and for various other antics their silly uncle performed.

"She seems to be enjoying it." Suzaku beamed as she lay the food on the park tables.

"I`m glad I listened to you." He sighed, earning the attention of his wife. Knowing he couldn`t hide from her, he just told her.

"The new tax reforms is dwindling what little savings we have. Also, business is down due to recession. Gino`s dad agreed to release some more money, but it won`t last forever. I hope I can still deliver a decent education to our daughter. Add to that if anything happens to the two of you…"

The brunette picked up his arm "We will cross those bridges when they come. Let`s think of the present." She smiled back at him and pulled him back to the party.

As they cut the cake, he knew his wife was right (as always). The smiles on everyone`s faces especially of his daughter and wife, made him realize that the future would be okay as long as the present is cherished and lived in. True, troubles will come and the current one is yet to get over, but with his family and their happiness as motivation he would see it all till the end.

The simple yet extra-ordinary life of Lelouch Lamperouge is not yet over. There are and will be arguments, fights, tears, laughter, and joy. This is but the way the world works. The thing is we can make it a little easier to live in with a firm foundation of love.

This story too, is not over. It just renamed itself.

The simple lives of Lelouch, Suzaku and Akane Lamperouge

.

And remained so till the end of their days.

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Thank you all for following up with this story, it means a lot to me.

The play will be seperate chapter from this and i hope it will be well received.

Once again, I hope you all will enjoy this chapter.

Please read and review!

Signing of till later!