A/N: Hey all, thanks so much for the reads on the last chapter! Was surprised to see 150 visitors in about 12 hours. Remember, reviews only help make the story better, so leave one!

I figured that some background might be necessary, so this chapter is predominantly flashbacks(Now With Much-needed Page Breaks).

Disclaimer: I heroically burst into the design studio and demanded to see the creator of Code Geass. Upon meeting them, I discovered that it wasn't me.

Forgotten Love – Code Geass Fanfiction by Ashbender

Chapter 2: Where Love Begins

"Big Brother, where are we going?"

Lelouch, still tired and disheveled after the long car ride, turned his head to the young girl he was carrying on his back. "Don't worry, Nunally, we're going somewhere where we'll be safe."

At least, I hope so. Lelouch thought, turning his head back to the path in front of him, following the strange woman who had drove them here. She said she works for the Ashfords, and they were Mother's friends, so we should be okay. Not like we have much of a choice besides trusting her.

They were walking down a long stone path, passing through a metal archway into the gardens surrounding the Ashford estate. Looking up, the house boasted massive spires and ornate windows, its sheer size dominating the nearby landscape of rural Japan.

No, Lelouch thought, it's Area 11 now.

The path itself was surrounded by lavish gardens, boasting a wide variety of both native and mainland Brittannian flowers, the multitude of colors punctured sporadically by the stone gray of various fountains and statues. Looking to his left, Lelouch saw a statue of a kneeling Ganymede Knightmare, its arms stretched backwards, holding the world across its back; a robotic Atlas.

After several minutes of similar statuary, including fountains boasting the heraldic lion and serpent of the Brittannian Imperial Family, the woman and siblings reached the massive oaken doors of the house. The woman grabbed the door knocker and banged on the door several times. Several seconds later, a kind looking old man appeared, opening the door and taking stock of the scruffy looking boy, eyes quickly wandering to the cute, blind girl resting on his back. He then spoke in a calm, quiet voice:

"Ah, you must be Lelouch, come in. I hope your journey here was pleasant?"

Looking at the old man in confusion, Lelouch cautiously crossed the threshold with the woman and Nunally, entering into the main hall of the house.

The old man, confident that the boy was unhurt, although a little confused, then turned his head to address the woman. "Thank you for your assistance, Sayoko. Now, would you be so kind as to make sure their apartments in the west wing are prepared for them?"

Sayoko bowed her head, turning to quickly head up the stairs and turn left, heading up another flight and out of view.

Satisfied, the man turned his attention back to the boy. "Well then , you and your sister must be hungry. Follow me, we have breakfast prepared for you." The man turned and began to head off.

But Lelouch was done following directions. "Wait! Just who are you, anyway? And why did you bother to send someone after us? How do you know who we are?"

Nunally gasped. "Lelouch! You shouldn't be so rude!"

The man stopped and turned, looking at Lelouch calmly. A hint of amusement crossed his face. "No, it's quite alright Nunally, I'm surprised he waited this long to ask. Lelouch, my dear boy, my name Ruben K. Ashford, head of the Ashford Foundation. Last I saw you though, you were little more than five years old, and your mother alive and well. As to why you are here..." His eyes turned to Nunally, seeing the obvious signs of hunger on her face. "How about we discuss this over breakfast? Both of you look quite the worse for wear." He then turned and continued off through the doorway, obviously headed to the dining room.

Lelouch blinked for a moment, then turned to his sister. "What do you think Nunally? Should we trust him?"

Nunally's stomach growled, causing her to blush. "He seems nice, and I am hungry Lelouch. If we don't trust him, where else can we go?"

"Good point," Lelouch replied, carrying her through the doorway, following quickly behind Ruben.

The room they found themselves in was breathtaking, both in size and magnificence. The walls were a warm burgundy; lamps set into the wall every 8 feet or so radiating a warm, yellow glow. Looking up, three chandeliers hung from the ceiling; two smaller ornate metal rings flanking a proper glass chandelier hanging down from the center of the room. All of this was centered around a long, red mahogany table, which appeared capable of sitting dozens, if not hundreds, of people. However, there were only 5 chairs at the table, all clustered at one end.

Ruben, upon entering the room, turned to the right and walked toward the end where the chairs were positioned, turning to be sure the boy was following. When they reached the end, he casually pulled out the closest chair, turning to them with a smile.

"Come, set Nunally down, you must be tired after carrying her for so long."

Lelouch, his arms having almost gone numb by this point, complied. He set her down carefully, making sure she would not fall out of the chair by accident, and pushed her chair in so she could better reach the table.

"Is that alright, Nunally?"

"Yes, thank you, Big brother."

Having thus confirmed his sister's comfort, Lelouch then took the seat next to her, Ruben having taken the seat at the end of the table, to Lelouch's right. Upon Ruben taking notice of this, he lifted a small bell in his right hand and rang it. At the sound of the bell, servants with trays laden with food entered the hall, where they lined up and placed the trays carefully in front of the siblings and older man. Having seen to their task, they then departed through the door on the other side of the hall.

Lelouch, slightly startled by the spectacle, took a moment to register the food in front of him: trays of freshly cut fruit, scrambled eggs, and many other wondrous foods. He began to drool, despite himself.

"Go ahead, eat." Ruben encouraged him. "You must be starving."

Lelouch leaned over, loading a plate with fruit and some pancakes. He smeared the pancakes with butter and syrup, then carefully cut off a piece and offered it to his sister, holding it in front of her mouth.

"Here Nunally, try some. It looks delicious."

Nunally, catching a whiff of the wonderful food, quickly leaned her head and removed the morsel from Lelouch's fork. She took a moment to chew, and then swallowed, a smile showing itself on her face.

"Mmmm, that's wonderful! Can I have some more?"

"Of course." Lelouch responded cutting her another piece.

They repeated this process for awhile, until the stack of pancakes and fruit was completely gone and Nunally claimed she was full. Only then did Lelouch refill the plate and begin to eat. Ruben, nibbling at a plate of eggs, noted this and decided to remember it for when they talked later.

Once Lelouch was finished, he sat back in his chair and closed his eyes. His arms held his stomach, full for the first time in what felt like months. Ruben felt there was no need to wait.

"Are you both finished?" he asked softly.

"Yes, thank you very much." Lelouch responded, his eyes snapping open as he did.

"Well then, lets remove these then." Ruben replied, ringing the bell again. In response, the servants reappeared, clearing the table and departing just as hastily. When Ruben saw that they were gone, he turned back to the two of them.

"Now that that's taken care of, let's get down to business." With that, Ruben pulled out a file from under his chair. Flipping it open and sifting through the papers, he continued "This is an official Britannian military report. It contains all the major details regarding the invasion and occupation of Area 11. Luckily, I still have enough pull in the right circles to procure such sensitive information." He found the document he was after, pulling it out, eyes quickly scanning it, and handing it to Lelouch.

"Of particular note is this report. It was sent several days ago by a Capt. Jeremiah Gottwald, who was sent with a platoon of infantry and several Glasgow Knightmare Frames to the Kururugi Shrine, with specific orders so secure it and recover one Prince Lelouch vi Britannia and his sister, Princess Nunally vi Britannia. Obviously, he could not find you, and the military still has you both listed as 'missing, presumed dead'."

Realizing what he was driving at Lelouch glared at him. "So, is that why you brought us here? To turn us in to the military? To send us back home?"

Startled by the intensity of the glare, Ruben averted his eyes. "The thought had crossed my mind, yes. By all rights, as a loyal citizen of the Empire, it's what would be expected of me in this sort of situation. In fact, doing so might win me a noble title, something my family could sorely use now.

"However," Ruben continued, turning his head back to look at them both noting Lelouch's glare becoming more intense. "I knew your mother very well." His eyes glossed over, his expression softening. "She was a sweet, kind, beautiful young woman; not to mention an exceptional pilot. Had it not been for her support and skills, it's doubtful the Ashford Foundation have been able to rise as far as it did.

"I'm also very aware of the mysterious circumstances regarding her death, especially surrounding the identities of the killers. As that is the case, I highly doubt Marianne would appreciate me sending her children back to the viper's nest we Britannians affectionately refer to as the Imperial Court.

"Therefore, the decision, ultimately, rests with you two." Ruben turned, locking his eyes with Lelouch's. "Do you want to go back?"

Lelouch's gaze turned at once from angry to astounded. "What? Of course we don't want to go back! If we do, we'll just be used again, like we were after Mother died!"

Ruben looked at the young boy and nodded his head. "Very well then. From this point on, for as long as you two desire, you will be my personal guests here, at the Ashford Estate. You will be free to come and go as you'd like, and you may decide to leave at any time." Then Ruben turned his head. To the closed door at his left "Camilla, would you please come out now? You know you don't have to listen at the door."

Startled, Lelouch turned around as he heard the door open. As it opened, he watched a young girl walk out, her gaze pointed towards the floor. She was maybe a little older than he was, with long blonde hair reaching down to the middle of her back. She was still dressed in a set of pink pajamas despite the fact that it was almost noon.

"Sorry, Grandfather, I was just curious..."

Grandfather? Lelouch thought, gaze shifting between the young girl and Ruben.

"It's alright Camilla, just please, if you're going to snoop, be more careful in the future." Ruben responded with a chuckle. "Now then, introduce yourself to our guests."

The girl looked up at him and his sister, a smile suddenly appearing on her face. "Hi! I'm Camilla Ashford, and who are you?"

Lelouch, stunned by the girl's complete turnaround in demeanor, took a minute to respond. "Uh, hi. I'm Lelouch, and this is my sister Nunally."

Nunally then turned in her chair as best as she could, and waved towards her. "Hello," she said softly.

Ruben continued, seeing that the introductions had been completed. "Camilla, these two will be staying with us for awhile, and so I would like for you to help them up to their rooms in the West Wing." He turned to Lelouch. "You two can rest there, I will have fresh clothes sent up for you, and I hope to see you at dinner this evening."

Camilla quickly bowed her head. "Yes Grandfather." she turned back to Lelouch. "You and your sister just follow me, okay?"

Lelouch, having gotten over his initial shock, stood up. "Okay, just hang on a moment." He walked over to Nunally's chair, taking her hands and wrapping them around his shoulders, turning around and grabbing her legs, lifting her up. "Let's go."

Nodding, Camilla turned around, leading the siblings back out to the main hall and up the stairs, the same way they saw Sayoko depart earlier. After several more flights of stairs, the girl looked back, waiting for Lelouch to catch up.

Upon arriving at the fourth floor landing, Lelouch was practically gasping for air. "Can we...take... a break?" he panted, squatting to softly set Nunally, now asleep, on the carpeted floor near the wall."

Camilla, having sat down opposite Nunally, was surprised at how exhausted he was. She couldn't help but giggle. "Wow, you're not very strong, are you?" His glare just causing her to laugh harder, her gaze settled on the young girl sitting delicately against the wall. Seeing her frailty, she stopped laughing, eyes taking on a softer appearance. "So, she can't walk?"

"Yes," Lelouch responded, turning to watch her as well. "She can't see either; she was shot in the legs the night my mother was killed. The shock of watching her die caused her to go blind."

She gasped. "Then the two of you really are Empress Marianne's children, aren't you? Lelouch and Nunally vi Britannia?"

Lelouch nodded, "Yes, we are."

Camilla, regaining herself, then stood up. "Well then, Your Majesty, we had better get you to your room then!" she began walking down the hall, not waiting for them.

"Hey, wait!" Lelouch called, slipping Nunally back onto his back and running after her. The noise caused her to turn, smiling as she stopped for him to catch up. Stopping, Lelouch turned to her, looking her in the eyes. "My name is Lelouch, not Your Majesty." he said, anger obvious in his voice. "I hate Britannia, and everything it's Emperor stand for. It turns my stomach that that man is my father."

Camilla, taken aback by this sudden rage, slowly nodded and kept walking, beckoning Lelouch to follow.

When they reached their chambers, she opened the door, directing Lelouch to the bedroom and heading over to the bed, Lelouch setting his sister down and covering her with the blankets.

"Well, you two will probably want to talk a little bit. I'll see you at dinner, okay?"

Lelouch turned to her, bowing. "Thank you very much, Lady Camilla Ashford. I would be honored to accept your invitation to dinner."

Giggling, she softly pat him on the head, speaking in a casual tone. "Call me Milly, everyone else does. Except Grandfather and Grandma, of course, but that's because they're old I guess."

Lelouch, straightening up, smiled. "Okay. Thank you, Milly."

Milly leaned forward, kissing him softly on the cheek before turning and walking out. "Bye!" she said, closing the door.

Lelouch, a slight blush creeping on his cheeks, then turned to Nunally, tucking her in and kissing her on the forehead.

"You like her, don't you brother?"

Lelouch, startled, jumped back. "Nunally! I thought you were asleep!"

"I was, but I woke up while you were talking just now. I'm right, aren't I?"

Lelouch, his cheeks becoming redder by the second, ignored her question and quickly walked to the door, turning out the light "Go to sleep Nunally."

"Lelouch! Wake up!" Milly screamed, hitting him with a rolled up stack of papers. "Come on, we need to get this work done!"

Lelouch, his eyes fluttering open, turned his gaze to Milly's face, twisted into a mock-serious expression, and smiled. "Oh, sorry Madam President, must have dozed off."

Nodding, Milly leaned over, their noses practically touching. "Mmhmm, did you have a good dream?"

Leaning back a bit, startled by her closeness, he responded. "Yes, actually; I did."

"Glad to hear it." she said as she stood back up, arms folding under her breasts. "Now, let's get that work done, okay Lulu?"

"Sure." He replied, eyes moving back down to the papers he had been working on while Milly shifted her attention to directing Rivalz and teasing Shirley. Then he whispered, soft enough that she wouldn't hear "Yes, a very good dream."

Hmm, everything seems normal, Lelouch thought, sifting through the computerized photo album, alone in the now empty council room. Of course, there's no evidence of Nunally's existence, and the other council members all had their memories erased accordingly. But other than that, Nina's obvious absence, and the anomaly that is my "brother", I don't see anything out of the ordinary; at least, nothing I need to concern myself with.

As he continued to move through the album, the photo from Halloween caught his eye. It featured Milly, in her witch costume, leaning against Lelouch, replete his Mystery Man-style cloak and top hat, looking up into his eyes, as if almost about to kiss him. Rivalz, being fairly jealous of the attention Lelouch was getting from their President, had been about to hit him across the head with a broom, as the picture revealed; However, Lelouch's eyes were drawn to himself and Milly, the image pulling upon his heartstrings.

It's just Milly being herself: teasing and flirtatious. It's not like she knew about the two of you. Lelouch told himself, trying to stop the aching in his heart and sadness creeping into his eyes.

And yet, so much of our relationship was traded in little moments like this. In the flirting, the teasing and the innuendo we heaped on each other during meetings and school events. We kept our real feelings secret; it wouldn't have been viewed as proper by her family for me to take advantage of their hospitality by taking their daughter from them, even though they viewed her as little more than a way for them to regain what nobility they lost with my mother's death. He felt his hands ball into fists at that thought. He then tried to relax, conjuring up the memories of the past, before the birth of Zero and the curse of Geass. He settled on the memory of one fateful day, almost 4 years ago: a day which marked the start of the change in their relationship from that of two friends, to that of lovers.

Hearing the incessant knocking at the door, Lelouch quickly got up from his seat at the end of the table, heading to the door. "Alright, calm down, I'm coming." he called out, reaching it.

Upon opening it, he saw Milly, her head down, eyes red, tears streaming down her face, forming damp patches around the the collar of her school uniform. A look of concern flashed to his eyes. "Milly, what's wrong?"

"Hi Lelouch," Milly sobbed, barely able to speak. "May I come in?"

"O-of course!" Lelouch said, quickly stepping back from the door and ushering her in. The building he was currently residing in was an attachment of the Student Council building of Ashford Academy, where he and Nunally had moved, at Ruben Ashford's insistence a little more than a year ago. Lelouch, now 15, had agreed to the accommodations, seeing that it was important for Nunally, as well as himself, to at least be around other people their own age. Up until the completion of the school, they and Milly had been schooled at the Ashford Estate, under several tutors with wide varieties of knowledge.

"Please, come sit down." He walked her to the dining room and pulled out a chair for her, occupying the chair next to hers. "Are you okay? What happened?"

Milly, appearing not to have heard him, simply sat there, continuing to cry as she moved her hands up to cover her face. Lelouch, growing more concerned by the moment, began to examine her clothes, making sure that she hadn't been attacked or robbed: a very serious possibility even in the settlement. Seeing that her clothes didn't appear to be torn and she had no injuries, Lelouch's concern subsided a little. At least she isn't hurt.

Slowly getting up, he quickly went to the kitchen. He filled a kettle with water and placed it on the stove. Maybe some tea will help calm her down he thought, returning to find that Milly had relaxed considerably, now sitting easily, head still tilted down as she stared at her hands in her lap.

Now even more confused, Lelouch sat down again, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Milly, what's the matter? Please, tell me."

Milly turned to him. She looked at him for a moment, then started to rise. "No, I'll just go," she whispered, clearly still upset. "I'm sorry for bothering you –"

Lelouch rose, blocking her path. "No, Milly." Bringing his hands up to her shoulders, he kept her still, looking into her eyes. "Come on, you can talk to me. I'm worried about you; please tell me whats wrong."

Milly, seeing the determined concern in his eyes, bowed her head. "Thank you," she murmured, taking her seat again.

Lelouch felt like a broken record at this point, but he needed an answer. "Okay, what's wrong Milly?"

Milly, bringing her hands up to wipe her face, turned her gaze to Lelouch, eyes soft with calm sadness. "It's Grandmother. She...she passed away last night."

Lelouch, just looked at Milly, eyes widening as his jaw slackened, his mind was barely able to process what he just heard. Suzanna... s dead?

Suzanna Ashford had been almost as much of a grandmother to Lelouch as she had been to Milly. Neither she nor Lelouch could stand her parents due to their stuffy attitudes and desire to marry off their daughter as a means to regain the noble fruits of nobility of which they had had no more than the merest taste before it was snatched away. Even that small taste was enough to make them cease viewing their daughter as she was: A young, pretty, intelligent woman. They preferred to see her as a piece of meat: leverage to gain even the smallest bite of what, with only a simple taste passing their lips, they had become addicted to.

Her father Richard, who would organize meeting after meeting with potential suitors starting when she was little more than 13 – always chastised Milly for her attitude, saying that she had a duty to do her part and restore honor to the Ashford name, even if it meant sacrificing her freedom. Her mother Esmeralda was little better, deciding to focus her attention on criticizing every single quirk of Milly's nature: her posture, her sitting, her meal etiquette, and her interests, just to name a few. And it was just that: criticism, day in and day out; never did a word of praise escape her lips.

Lelouch had other reasons to dislike them. For a time, after the younger Ashfords had learned of Lelouch's identity. They had also considered returning him to the emperor on their own, or attempting to cultivate in him an attraction for their daughter: that they might use her as an incentive to reveal his survival to the Empire. It hadn't worked: Lelouch was far from interested in girls at that age and hadn't thought of Milly as anything more than a surrogate older sister.

However, if her parents were overbearing and self-interested, her grandparents were just the opposite. Ruben, in response to his son's actions, would dismiss many of the would-be suitors out of hand, finding reasons such as their arrogance, wealth(or lack thereof), and political status at court to justify his decision. In actuality though, he did it for Milly's sake. He cared deeply for her and, in his age, saw no reason to sacrifice her for something so empty as a noble title when he had seen firsthand the atrocities Britannia's noblemen inflicted on each other. Her grandmother, Suzanna, would oppose Esmeralda in a similar fashion, arguing that Milly deserved a chance to be a girl before she was forced to become a woman. It had certainly made Milly's life more bearable, as well as Lelouch's own.

For her to be gone, it must be horrible for Milly. What do I say? he thought, still staring at her.

"I know it's nothing like your mother's death Lelouch, but I thought that maybe, since you've lost someone close to you, and know what it feels like, that maybe you could help me...?" she said, tears beginning to run once again down her face.

He felt her body stiffen as his arms encircled her, then it slowly relaxed, her body collapsing under her sorrow and into his embrace. The action felt unusual to Lelouch, he had never been used to showing physical intimacy for anyone but Nunally, but he couldn't think of anything else to do. "It's okay Milly." he murmured softly, sliding closer on his chair to better hug her. "Your grandmother lived a long, happy life, and I don't think she would want you to be sad. She would probably want you to remember her happily."

"I know that," Milly sobbed, turning and resting her head on Lelouch's shoulder, feeling the shoulder grow damp as she continued. "It's just that, I don't know what to do now. I loved her so much, and she's done so much for me; it doesn't seem like anyone else in my family cares."

"Have you talked to your grandfather?" Lelouch asked, confusion apparent in his tone. Reuben had cared deeply for his wife; it was surprising to hear that her death hadn't affected him.

"No, I haven't," Milly continued, her voice becoming a bit more steady. "I tried to, but he's locked himself in his study and his secretary said that he left instructions not to be disturbed. I think he's taking it really hard; he hasn't been home in a couple of weeks because of business here in the settlement."

"Alright then. I think you should go to his study and talk to him. Bang on the door, shout at him, be obnoxious. The best thing for either of you right now is to be together. Family is important; it's how Nunally and I got through afterwards." Hearing the tea kettle scream, Lelouch got up and went to the kitchen, taking some tea bags out of the cupboard and placing them in a pair of mugs. He filled them up with water from the kettle and placed them carefully on a tray before carrying them out to the other room. He set it on the table, offering a mug to Milly.

"Thanks," she murmured, accepting it gratefully. She took a small sip and set the mug down.

At this point, Lelouch heard the door to their apartment open. "Lelouch! Sayoko and I are home!" he heard from the hall.

He called in reply: "Hey Nunally, I'm in the dining room."

A few seconds later, Nunally arrived with Sayoko guiding her wheelchair. Sayoko, noticing Milly sitting at the table, looking depressed, turned to Lelouch and quirked and eyebrow. "Later" he mouthed to her, indicating that she should head into the kitchen and start dinner.

"Hi Lelouch, what's going on?" Nunally asked, tilting her head up towards his face.

"Milly is here right no Nunally, she's a little bit upset." Lelouch explained, leaning closer to speak in a softer voice. "Her grandmother died. You remember her?"

"Oh!" Nunally gasped, bringing her hand to her mouth. "Milly, I'm so sorry."

Milly, having dried her tears and relaxed by this point, simply glanced at her and smiled. "It's alright, Nunally. I just needed someone to talk to, so I could calm down a bit." Getting up, she walked over to her and knelt, hugging Nunally tightly. "Thank you very much."

Lelouch, upon Milly standing up again, turned to Nunally. "I'm going to see Milly out, so just stay here, okay?"

"Alright Lelouch. I hope you feel better Milly."

Lelouch, with Milly following close behind, headed down the stairs to the door of the Student Council Building. Lelouch turned to face her when they reached the foyer , a concerned look returning to his gaze when she walked up next to him. "Remember what I said, okay? You really should talk to your grandfather. And feel free to come by whenever, if you're feeling sad about your grandmother or if anything else is bothering you. If you need to talk, I'll be here to listen."

"Thanks Lelouch." Milly said calmly, walking forward and wrapping her arms around him, pulling him into a tight hug. "You really have always been there for me, haven't you Lulu?"

Despite hearing the nickname he despised so much, he decided to let it slide, more interested in the change in tone than anything else. "Yeah, I guess so." he responded, slowly returning her embrace. He was a little too embarrassed and confused to say anything else.

"I really do appreciate it," she continued, releasing her hold to look him in the eye, smiling. "You always seem to be looking out for me." She leaned over, kissing his cheek. "See you at lunch tomorrow?"

Lelouch, deep red color creeping into his cheeks by this point, merely responded: "Y-yeah, sure" as Milly walked out the door, turning to smile at him over her shoulder. Lelouch watched her leave until she turned the corner, then slowly closing the door.

From that day onward, things were never the same for us, he recalled. He heard someone approaching behind him, the sound of his false brother's voice jarring him back to reality.

"Hey Lelouch, what's up? Looking through the old photo album?"