Author's Note: Yet again, I just barely make the monthly deadline. I should be drawn and quartered with bendy straws.

Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass.

June

Lelouch had endured many things. He had witnessed his mother's murder, been disowned by his father, and banished from his homeland in favor of a glorified shack located in a country that hated him. Faced with all that hardship while looking after himself and his sister with little help, Lelouch had believed that he could handle anything.

He never would have thought that rain would be what drove him insane.

Suzaku had tried to warn him. Japanese summers were known for two things; the intense heat and the rainy season, but at the time, Lelouch had dismissed his words. It rained in Britannia too, after all. What was the harm of a little water?

But Suzaku hadn't been talking about "a little water." He had meant a constant torrential downpour.

It would have been annoying under any circumstances, but in the storehouse it was maddening. At night, the rain pounded on their roof like a steel drum, and dampness penetrated everything. Lelouch used every pan, bowl, and pot he could find to catch the leaks, but it wasn't enough, and the constant dripping made Lelouch wonder if this was what Chinese water torture was like.

The worst part, however, was the boredom. There was only so much a person could do inside. Suzaku tried to help as best as he could, bringing books, puzzles, and games, but it wasn't long until the children blew through them all.

It was about when Lelouch won their fifth game of Go Fish that Suzaku snapped.

"That's it," he growled, throwing down the cards. "I have to get out of here."

"Going home so soon?" Lelouch teased. "What a sore loser."

"That's not it!" Suzaku said defensively. "This place is driving me crazy! It's hot, stuffy, and boring! I need to get out!"

"Well, if our home is so unbearable, why do you bother coming at all?" Lelouch snapped. "I'm sure you would be much more comfortable in your own house!" It had been bothering Lelouch for days. The storehouse had become a prison, but Suzaku kept coming, trudging through puddles and mud with nothing but an umbrella for protection.

"Because you two are here," Suzaku replied, as if it should have been obvious. "Being bored with you and Nunnally is way better than being bored by myself."

Lelouch's face softened slightly and he blushed, slightly embarrassed by his outburst. The heat was getting to him. "…then why do you want to leave?"

Suzaku laughed. "I didn't say leave, I said I wanted to get out!"

"Outside?" Lelouch asked, glancing dubiously out the water streaked window.

"Yeah! The rain's not so bad, and anyway, it's better than staying in here."

"I think it sounds like fun!" Nunnally added enthusiastically.

Between the two of them, Lelouch was outnumbered (what else was new?) so he begrudgingly agreed.

But he couldn't regret it once he felt the cool mist hit his face. Suzaku had been right; the rain was perfect, heavy enough to accumulate, but not bad enough to be uncomfortable.

"It feels so good," Nunnally said, tilting her head back to catch more drops.

Suzaku grinned and grabbed the back of Nunnally's wheelchair. Going into a run, he pushed her through a large puddle, water splashing with the force.

Nunnally squealed in delight, outstretching her arms as if she was flying.

Lelouch watched, a bit irritated that all that time he had spent outfitting Nunnally in rain gear had proven to be wasted.

"You two are soaked!" he teased from the safety of his umbrella.

Suzaku glanced up, eyes challenging. "Yeah, want to join us?"

Before he had time to react, a clump of mud hit Lelouch's arms, knocking the umbrella out of his hands.

Lelouch glared at Suzaku murderously. "You're going to pay for that."

"Come and get me, princess," Suzaku called, grinning.

Lelouch charged, tackling a very surprised Suzaku and bringing him to the spongy ground.

Suzaku was quick to retaliate, flipping Lelouch over. The prince flailed under Suzaku's weight as the boy forced a clump of sodden earth under his shirt.

Nunnally giggled. "I don't need eyes to see that you two are a mess. Why are boys so silly?" The age old question for girls everywhere.

"Silly, are we?" Suzaku asked. "Well, maybe if we give you a nice big hug, it'll rub off on you."

"No!" Nunnally cried, trying to wheel away. But she wasn't fast enough. Suzaku and Lelouch were quick to capture her, laughing as they smothered her in a muddy embrace, complete with damp brown kisses.

By the end of the afternoon, all parties were wet, happy, and resembling inhabitants of the Black Lagoon.

"We all need baths," Lelouch muttered, glancing down at his clothes.

"Yeah, but it was worth it!" Suzaku cried enthusiastically.

"Says the boy with indoor plumbing," Lelouch retorted.

But even as he said those words, he was smiling.

The servants didn't even bother asking where Suzaku was going anymore. They knew full well where, as well as the fact that nothing they said was going to make the boy listen. Telling his father was equally useless. Genbu couldn't have cared less what his son did, as long as he stayed out of his way.

This was convenient for Suzaku, who didn't have to worry about anything more than a few clucking tongues as he made his escape.

He didn't think he would be able to convince Lelouch to participate in another Great Mud War, so he had armed himself with an old game of checkers and a few picture books he hadn't read since he was six. It wasn't much, but Suzaku was running out of resources, and his self esteem couldn't take playing cards with Lelouch again. He doubted he would do much better with checkers, but at least it was something new.

The rain was much worse than yesterday. It pitched sideways, silver in what was left of the afternoon sunlight, and almost deafening in its contact with the ground. It meant that Lelouch was probably going to be in a foul mood. Lately, it seemed like his emotions directly correlated with the rain cycle.

Nevertheless, Suzaku had never let a little moodiness scare him, so he pushed the creaky old door open without hesitation. "Lelouch, Nunnally, I'm back!"

Lelouch cast an irritated glance in his direction. "Shhh!" he hissed. "Nunnally's sleeping."

Yep, there was that bad temper. How predictable. Still, his words were somewhat concerning.

"Sleeping? At this time of day? That's not like her. Is she okay?" Suzaku asked, brow furrowed.

Lelouch shook his head. "No. She's shivering, and she has a fever. I keep piling on blankets, but I don't know what to do. She's sick and I don't know what to do!" The words came out in a panicked rush as Lelouch gave his sister's sweaty hand a squeeze.

Suzaku grabbed Lelouch's shoulders. "Calm down. Breathe. We'll figure something out."

Nodding, Lelouch relaxed a fraction. "I just don't know how this happened! She was fine yesterday!" And this was entirely a child's logic, because most people are fine before sickness.

Dropping his umbrella next to her bed, Suzaku took Nunnally's other hand and tried not to show his alarm when he felt its heat. It wouldn't do for him to have a nervous breakdown as well.

"Hey Nunnally," he murmured. "How are you feeling?"

The little girl stirred slightly at his touch. "I'm…cold," she whispered. "So cold."

For some reason, looking down at her tiny, shivering body made Suzaku remember his old nanny. The woman had been a tyrant, and whenever Suzaku had gotten out of the bathtub, she had always attacked him with a towel, rubbing at him relentlessly as if she was hoping to cause baldness.

"You need to dry yourself off properly, Suzaku. You'll get sick in a heartbeat otherwise."

Initially, he had scoffed, just the mutterings from an insane old lady, but now he was wondering with horror if there was any truth to that.

"It's my fault," Suzaku whispered. "I took her outside yesterday and she got wet. That must be why this happened."

"No," Nunnally croaked. "I had a lot of fun playing in the rain. Don't blame yourself."

Lelouch sighed. "You're not to blame, anyway. You can't get sick just from getting wet. There are a lot of things that cause illness. And besides, if that were the case, we'd all be sick. The question is, what are we going to do now? If Nunnally's sick, this probably isn't the best place for her. She needs help," Lelouch pointed out. It appeared he had gathered his thoughts and the big brother instinct was kicking in.

"Then let's take her to a doctor!" Suzaku said. "I'm sure we could find someone to drive us."

"Who? We're the enemy here, Suzaku. No one cares," Lelouch replied bitterly.

Suzaku squared his shoulders. "I care. And if no one else will, then I'll take her myself." And before Lelouch could voice a word of protest, he hoisted Nunnally onto his back.

"You're going to carry her all the way into town?" Lelouch asked incredulously.

"Yes," Suzaku said simply. "The road's too muddy and slippery for her wheelchair, so I'll carry her."

"That's crazy!" Lelouch cried. It was at least forty-five minute walk, even longer with a little girl on his back. Not to mention that it was still raining, painting the afternoon sky in shades of twilight.

"It'll be fine," Suzaku assured him. "The doctor is a good person. If I can get her there, I'm sure he'll treat her. Don't worry."

And with that, the boy headed out the door.

Lelouch stood there for a moment, mentally calculating the distance and wondering if his friend was being valiant or just stupid.

Finally, Lelouch gave up, throwing his hands up in the air and rushing out after Suzaku.

"Wait!" he called.

Suzaku glanced back. Lelouch was running as fast as his skinny legs could take him, panting and carrying two umbrellas, one protecting him from the drops, another grasped in his hand, presumably for Suzaku.

Oh right, Suzaku thought, feeling a bit silly. An umbrella, of course. Because it probably wouldn't be the best thing for Nunnally to get wet again, no matter what Lelouch had said.

So he stood there, allowing Lelouch to catch up and waiting for the boy to regain his breath.

"How did you get so far ahead so fast?" Lelouch wheezed.

Suzaku shrugged. "I'm a fast walker."

With Nunnally on his back, Suzaku couldn't carry an umbrella by himself, so Lelouch ended up carrying both, the group huddled close so as to accommodate his arm span.

"It's almost like we're sharing an umbrella," Suzaku remarked.

Lelouch raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, so?"

Suzaku blushed. "Nothing, just making an observation."

Lelouch had always hated the walk into town. The path was nothing more than an old gravel road which mostly went downhill. This wouldn't have been so bad, except that going back meant walking uphill, and by then he usually had a basket of heavy groceries.

To make matters worse, true to his word, Suzaku was a fast walker. It was all Lelouch could do to keep up. But he understood his urgency, so he swallowed down any complaint.

However, nothing could prevent the very obvious physical indicators of his silent suffering.

Suzaku cut him a side glance, alarmed by Lelouch's heavy breathing. "Don't tell me I have to carry you too."

"No," Lelouch insisted, shaking his head. "I'm fine."

"Good, because we're almost there," Suzaku promised.

He and Suzaku had very different concepts of distance, so Lelouch took this assurance with a grain of salt, but it turned out to be true as he spotted the town's familiar lights.

The local clinic was a small, white building with a flat roof. Probably in an attempt to offset the initial drab appearance, there were numerous pots of multicolored flowers placed strategically around the front of the building. The blossoms might have been pretty on a sunny day, but right then they were merely pathetic, half drowned plants barely clinging on to life. Lelouch supposed human beings were like that as well.

The inside wasn't much better. It was a collection of white tile, brown carpet, and yellow plastic chairs. The air was sterile, as ugly and clean as the furniture. Suzaku, Lelouch, and Nunnally, resplendent in dirty shoes and wet, windswept appearance, were entirely out of place.

Unperturbed, Suzaku marched towards the front desk, Lelouch shadowing behind him as if pulled by an invisible string.

"Excuse me, but this girl is sick. She needs to see the doctor," he said, surprisingly polite. He was wearing his "adult face," the one he sported while talking to his father or while explaining to mothers that he had no idea how their children had gotten a black eye.

The man at the desk looked up from his computer, eyes locking on the group, most notably Lelouch and Nunnally. His face hardened.

"Do you have an appointment?" he asked.

Suzaku faltered. "Well…no, but—"

"I don't know how they do it in Britannia," the secretary cut him off, "but here, we require appointments. Now, if that's all, would you please leave? We're very busy, and I have a lot of work to do."

Suzaku glanced towards the waiting area. There were a total of two people sitting in the hard plastic chairs, pretending to be engrossed in outdated magazines. He frowned, leaning forward to look at the secretary's computer screen.

"Hey! You can't look at that!" the man snapped, hurriedly turning his screen out of sight, but not fast enough.

"I didn't realize Minesweeper was so consuming," Suzaku said hotly, eyes bright and face flushed.

Lelouch had seen that face and heard that tone often enough to know it preceded a fight, and while he himself was bristling from the blatant racism (he didn't understand the conversation, but he didn't need to), the last thing he wanted was for Suzaku to get in trouble.

So he reached out, lacing his fingers with the Japanese boy and giving his hand a tug. "Come on. We don't need their help," Lelouch said, casting a pointed glare towards the secretary and their onlookers. "Let's just go."

But Suzaku would not be subdued. He gave Lelouch's hand a squeeze, but didn't allow himself to be pulled away.

"No, I'm not leaving! What's wrong with you people?" Suzaku demanded, practically shaking in rage. "I walked all this way because this little girl is sick, but do you see that? No! You don't see a child, you only see Britannia!"

"I never said that!" the secretary said defensively.

"You didn't have to," Suzaku retorted, coldly. "Your prejudice is clear on your face. Britannia, Japan, what does it matter? She's a person, and she needs a doctor! That should be the only thing that matters!"

"I agree," a soft, feminine voice replied.

Startled, Suzaku looked up to see a short, slender woman dressed in a white coat, with her long brown hair bound in a messy bun.

"Sensei!" the secretary gasped. "I'm sorry, we're these children disturbing you?"

The woman, apparently the man's employer, smiled, all teeth and no warmth. "No, you were. I didn't realize you were in the habit of turning patients away."

"No! I was…I was just," the man stuttered.

"You were just about to send them in, correct?" the doctor finished for him sweetly.

The man nodded bonelessly, stupid and helpless, and the woman ushered the children in to her office.

"By the way," she called over her shoulder, "I would like you to clean out your desk after you finish your little game. You're fired." With that, she shut the door, leaving her secretary to stare at it, mouth gaping.

She turned towards the boys, face much softer. "Hello, my name is Dr. Megumi," she said in softly accented Britannian. "And you are…?"

Suzaku blushed, "I'm Suzaku, and this is Lelouch and Nunnally."

"Nunnally is the one with the problem, correct?" Megumi asked. Suzaku nodded in confirmation, and she smiled. "Then let's take a look."

Carefully, Suzaku lowered Nunnally onto the examination table.

"What happened to Minato-sensei?" Suzaku asked. The man had been treating Suzaku since he was a baby.

"He retired, and unfortunately, he took his secretary with him," Megumi replied. "I'm new in town, so I'm still getting the hang of things. Miss Nunnally, would you open your mouth please?"

The girl obeyed, and the young doctor carefully stuck a tongue depressor down Nunnally's throat. If she thought it strange that the girl never opened her eyes, Megumi didn't show it.

"Her throat is definitely enflamed. Has it felt sore at all?" the woman asked.

"Yes," Nunnally admitted quietly. "It hurts to swallow."

"She's had a fever since this morning and she's been coughing," Lelouch added.

The doctor nodded and proceeded to check Nunnally's temperature.

"She's going to be fine," she assured the two worried boys. "She just has the flu. That's been going around lately, especially with the change in season. I'll give you some antibiotics, and she should be good as new in a few days."

"That's good," Suzaku sighed.

But Lelouch's eyes were narrowed. "What do we owe you?"

The woman raised an eyebrow. "Owe me?"

"Nothing's free, we must owe you something," Lelouch insisted.

"Skeptical little thing, aren't you. You don't owe me anything. I think the hard time you had at the front desk is payment enough," Megumi assured him.

Lelouch shook his head. "I don't accept that. I don't want to be indebted anyone. Just tell me your price, and I'll figure out how to pay it."

The doctor looked at him sadly. "It really is impossible for you to believe that a person would do something merely out of the kindness of their heart, isn't it?"

Lelouch looked momentarily taken aback, but he didn't back down and Megumi sighed. "But I suppose you haven't been given much reason to believe otherwise. What if I told you my offer to help is out of selfishness?"

"What do you mean?" Lelouch asked skeptically.

"I believe in karma, that if you do good for others, good will happen to you. I'm not really helping you as much as trying to earn cosmic brownie points."

If anything, Lelouch just looked more disbelieving. "That sounds silly and illogical."

Megumi laughed. "Yes, well we Japanese are a superstitious lot."

"It's okay, Lelouch," Nunnally said. "She's a good person. I can tell."

Casting an uncertain look at his sister, Lelouch sighed and nodded. "Fine."

"Great! Now, do you need to call someone to pick you up?" Megumi asked.

"No, we walked here," Suzaku replied.

Megumi's eyes widened. "You…walked? All the way from the Kururugi Shrine?" Of course she knew who Suzaku was. Everyone knew the prime minister's son.

Nunnally nodded, "Uh huh. Suzaku carried me the whole way, and Lelouch held the umbrella so we didn't get too wet."

"But it's almost dark! I can't allow you to walk back by yourselves!" Megumi said.

"We'll be okay," Suzaku insisted. "I can handle anything we might come across."

She smiled indulgently at the boy's bravado (although he could back up those words far better than she realized). "That may be true, but think about Nunnally. It's not good for a sick girl to be out in this weather."

Lelouch bristled. "We wouldn't have done it if we had any other choice!"

Megumi held up her hands placatingly. "I'm not judging you. Nunnally is a very lucky girl to have people who love her so much, but as a doctor and an adult, I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist you call someone. I'd take you myself, but I don't have a car, so I'm afraid you'll end up spending the night here otherwise."

Suzaku frowned. "Fine. Can I borrow your phone?"

He ended up phoning a very grumpy housekeeper. He explained the basic situation to her, and after a long lecture, she agreed to "figure something out."

Suzaku grimaced. He was in for it when she got here.

But much to his surprise, the one who pulled up to the doctor's office was not the housekeeper, but Tohdoh.

"Sensei!" Suzaku cried, running up to the man eagerly. "I didn't know you were in town!" Indeed, if he had, he would have come to Tohdoh in the first place.

Tohdoh smiled a bit wearily. "I just got back. I'll probably be here for a couple days."

"How did you know we were here?" Lelouch asked.

"Servants talk," the man said simply. "I hadn't arrived more than five minutes before I heard what happened. I figured it would better if I came to get you, and the housekeeper was happy to oblige."

So, the children obediently filed into Tohdoh's car, Suzaku in front, with Lelouch and Nunnally in the back seat.

Tohdoh's flat gaze focused on the road as his hands clenched the steering wheel. "You realize how stupid this little stunt of yours was, right?"

"What else were we supposed to do?" Suzaku asked. "Nunnally needed help!"

"And your actions could have made her worse!" Tohdoh snapped. "Or you all could have gotten hurt! This weather isn't safe, Suzaku. I thought you knew better than that!"

"Don't yell at Suzaku," Nunnally said. "He was just trying to help me. Both of them were."

Tohdoh sighed, sharp eyes softening by a fraction. "You should have told someone, rather than do everything all on your own."

"And who would we have told?" Lelouch demanded. "Nobody cares about a little Britannian hostage!"

"Didn't this little outing prove that isn't true?" Tohdoh pointed out. "Don't generalize people based on the actions of a few. Isn't that prejudice exactly what you and your sister have been suffering?"

Lelouch gaped, speechless.

Tohdoh glanced at the boy's stunned face and sighed once again. "Look, I'll be the first to admit that you children are amazing, but you're still just children. Everyone needs help sometimes, so don't underestimate us adults. We might surprise you."

"I'm sorry, Sensei," Suzaku said quietly.

"We all are," Nunnally added.

"I don't want you to be sorry; I want you to be smarter. Can you do that?" Tohdoh asked, his question quickly answered by a unison of nods. "Good. We're back, so let's get out of the car."

Tohdoh escorted the trio to the storehouse and then walked back to the main estate, as he had a meeting with Suzaku's father. Remembering the doctor's orders, Nunnally was immediately put to bed.

Suzaku and Lelouch however, stood outside the door for a little longer, watching the rain fall down, just barely out of the drops' reach.

"Thanks," Lelouch said quietly. "For Nunnally I mean."

"It's no problem," Suzaku said dismissively.

"No, I mean it," Lelouch insisted. "You didn't have to do any of that, and I really appreciate it."

Suzaku smiled. "You're welcome."

They stood there, allowing the rain to fill the silence, before Lelouch spoke again. "Tohdoh was right you know. Not all Japanese are the same, and it was close minded of me to talk like that. There are people out there, like you, Tohdoh, and that doctor that are willing to look past race and just see people, and that makes me glad."

"Yeah, I think so too. But Lelouch, even if there isn't anyone else, you know I'll always be there, right? Whenever you need me, I'll do whatever I can to help you, no matter what," Suzaku said, voice full of sincerity.

"And I promise to return the favor." Lelouch smiled, a hint of amusement in his tone. "Even if it means harboring you from the cops."

"What do you mean by that?" Suzaku demanded. "If anyone is a future criminal here, it's definitely you!"

"I'm not the brute with the uncontrollable temper!" Lelouch retorted.

"I only get into fights because you always rub everyone the wrong way!" Suzaku snapped back.

Inside, nestled deeply in the cocoon of her bed, Nunnally listened to the good natured arguing with a smile. It was still raining outside, but that was okay because she was certain that it would clear up soon.

No one could have known that there was a storm looming on the horizon.

Author's Note: I did this piece partially on request. Aki1 pointed out a picture in the first Code Geass ending theme in which Suzaku was carrying Nunnally on his back, with Lelouch chasing them down with umbrellas. She hinted that it would be good prompt, so I wrote this story with that scene in mind.

By the way, Suzaku and Lelouch's actions are extremely ill advised, so do not try that at home.

Reviews please?