Title: Last Festival

Rating: G

Summary: Lelouch goes with Suzaku to a festival, hoping to bring something back for Nunnally. (Pre-Canon)

Author: Anonymous

Lelouch tugged at the yukata. The clothing reminded him of the dresses Nunnally and Euphy used to force on him, but it was honestly more like a bathrobe than a dress.

Stupid Suzaku. It was his idea to come to the festival and yet he ditched Lelouch at the silly fish catching game. So Lelouch was left with tiny children who tried their hands at catching tiny fish with flimsy paper paddles. There were some older teenagers, too, laughing at each other's failures. The adults chatted amongst themselves as their children continued their hopeless endeavour. As a Britannian child surrounded by Japanese festival-goers, Lelouch felt so out of place.

At the very least he could look for something to bring back to Nunnally. He certainly couldn't bring back a goldfish if he ever caught one.

Nunnally.

Lelouch wished he could've brought Nunnally with them, but they had been told the wheelchair would be a problem to push around on the crowded and unevenly paved road of the festival. Lelouch was prepared to carry Nunnally through the festival, but in the end Nunnally claimed she wasn't feeling well and insisted they go without her. She wanted Lelouch and Suzaku to have fun. She even gave him a stern pout, like the ones she used to give when Lelouch didn't do what she wanted.

In the end, Lelouch could only promise to get her souvenirs from the festival.

He palmed his small handful of yen as he observed the other games.

He finally settled on the shooting game. From his observations, there was a better chance at winning a prize there than at some of the other nearby games. He should be able to knock something down, unless all the prizes were nailed to the shelf.

Keeping his head down, Lelouch placed the necessary money on the counter. In return, a bowl of cork ammunition was placed in front of him.

The fake rifle was shorter than he'd expected. He'd only ever held a gun once with his mother's permission (but then Cornelia had panicked and taken it away).

Planting his feet, Lelouch picked a target and took aim.

…And the cork bullet bounced off the shelf far below the prizes. He huffed and tried again. And again. And again.

Lelouch frowned at the few corks left in his bowl, and then at the prizes. He just needed to keep calm, adjust his aim and….

"Closer."

Lelouch jumped, accidentally pulling the trigger too soon and making his shot go wide.

"You idiot! Don't sneak up on me!" Lelouch turned, only to find himself face to face with a grinning cartoon cat. …Or was it a dog?

Familiar green eyes and brown curls peeked out from behind the white mask. "Oops, sorry." Suzaku said without sounding sorry at all. He waved a black mask similar to his own before strapping it over Lelouch's face.

Lelouch, furious, shoved the mask out of his face. "Where were you?"

"I got some food." Suzaku held out a small paper tray with round things covered in sauce and skewers of meat. He smirked, "You didn't manage to catch any fish did you."

"There were too many people," Lelouch fumed, "besides it's not like Nunnally can actually touch the fish."

Suzaku's eyes darted between Lelouch, the row of prizes in the booth, the near-empty bowl of corks and back to Lelouch.

"Let me try!" Suzaku grinned, trading his food for Lelouch's rifle. Lelouch didn't even have a chance to protest.

"The trick is to get as close as possible." Suzaku leaned so far forward, he was practically laying on the counter. Wasn't that cheating? Lelouch had seen some other kids doing it, but thought it was a height issue.

Suzaku squeezed the trigger, instantly knocking down one of the farther prizes.

"Whoa… " Suzaku looked up in surprise. Turning to Lelouch, Suzaku said excitedly, "Did you see that? First try too!"

Lelouch grumpily picked at the clearly half-eaten food as his friend was handed the fallen prize with a hearty congratulation. Of course Suzaku would know how to win at these games. He probably went to a lot of festivals, winning countless prizes.

Lelouch could have knocked a prize down too. …Eventually.

Lelouch's musings were interrupted by a face-full of fake fur. Lelouch leaned back, taking in the weird shade between yellow and pink wrapped in a white-green polkadot ribbon.

"You won that." Lelouch did not mean to sound disgusted. He really didn't.

"I thought you wanted to get something for Nunnally." Suzaku rolled his eyes and shoved the creature closer to Lelouch's face. "It's really soft."

"Okay, okay!"

Suzaku took the food back and placed the toy in Lelouch's vacant hands. It really was soft.

"Thanks." Lelouch mumbled.

Suzaku beamed, grabbing his friend's hand. "There's a bunch of food you should try. I don't think you've had this yet."

Holding the prize closely, Lelouch let himself be pulled into the festival crowd.

—

By the time they returned home, the sky had already faded black. Lelouch immediately went to check on his sister. Rousing from her little cot, Nunnally greeted Lelouch and Suzaku, sweetly, as if she hadn't been waiting all alone for them to return.

Lelouch's joy during the festival quickly soured. He'd left his sister alone while he was off having fun without her.

Suzaku greeted Nunnally and gave her the prize he won from the shooting game.

"It's so soft," Nunnally gasped, fingers brushing the fabric and tracing the ribbon.

"I know right!" Suzaku grinned that stupid grin. "Lelouch won it for you!"

Lelouch's head snapped to Suzaku.

"Thank you Brother!" Nunnally beamed, already hugging the stuffing out of the toy.

Suzaku didn't look at Lelouch at all, leaving Lelouch to helplessly accept his sister's misdirected gratitude.

"We also got some food back for you to try. Let's eat them while they're still hot…" Suzaku excitedly described the food he placed in Nunnally' hands. Lelouch joined in, recounting the various festival booths and activities. The boys showed off their masks, letting Nunnally trace over the curves with her hands. Suzaku even gave Nunnally her own daintily painted fox mask.

While they ate and laughed, fireworks could be heard in the distance. Suzaku suddenly jumped to his feet. "Lelouch, Nunnally! Come outside I have something to show you."

Outside, Suzaku held a few thin sticks and a bucket of water.

"Hold this and keep your arm steady." Suzaku had Nunnally hold out her arm and carefully pinch one end of a stick, pointing the other end down.

"Isn't that dangerous?" Lelouch asked in alarm once he saw the lighter.

"That's what the water is for." Suzaku said, passing a stick to Lelouch.

One by one, Suzaku lit the delicate sticks. The initial flare melted into molten bulbs that dangled precariously. Huddled close together, the three of them held their breath as the little dots of ember ate away at the sticks.

When the first sparks popped and sizzled in the air, Nunnally gasped in awe. Suzaku reached out to steady her arm.

Small flowers of fire began to jump and dance around the three embers, and gentle shower of noise washed over them.

"They're like mini fireworks." Lelouch whispered in wonder.

As the mini light show crackled through the quiet night air and lit up their peaceful smiles, Lelouch thought that maybe everything would be alright.