Part 2 of Chapter Two is finally done. I know I promised a M content chapter and there is some, but not a lot. I had intended more, but the story took a different turn then I expected.

I'm not going to apologize, again, for getting this chapter out so late. I've been busy and haven't been feeling too good lately. My creativity has been low and I haven't been able to write anything decent in while. I wanted to make sure this chapter was worth the wait as much as I could.

All I have to say is: Thank you. Thank you for sticking by this story even though the author seems to be lazy. Thank you to those of you readers who have pm'ed me and reminded me that I had this story on the back burner for a long while.

Here's to hoping that things get back on track!

~BlainexKurtxLovex

Dream Suzaku was brought out of his musings when Lulu spoke.

"You are just projecting, Suzaku. Euphie was my sister and we do share a similar resemblance, I suppose. Your feelings for me are nothing more than those you hold for Euphie."

"You're wrong, Lulu. I loved you long before, Euphie. I just didn't want to act on those feelings because I was afraid it would ruin our friendship. I was afraid it would put you and Nunnally in jeopardy. You are far too important for me to lose because of feelings I didn't know were reciprocated."

Lulu had to understand that. She had to understand that if he would have known sooner he would have jumped at the chance to be with her. Everything he had done prior to this moment had been to protect her and Nunnally from being discovered. Any association with him and the siblings would have been investigated by Lloyd or someone else simply because he was the only Eleven piloting a Knightmare Frame. It had been too much of a risk.

"Don't do this, Suzaku." He watched as she wrapped her fingers around his wrist. She pulled his hand away from her face before dropping it. "Don't pretend that you share my feelings when I have known that Euphie holds your heart. Even in death, she holds power over you."

"Why is it that you don't believe me, Lulu? Why can't you believe that anyone besides Nunnally could ever love you?"

Lulu shook her head and looked away from him. She knew he was right. After everything that happened in her childhood Lulu was convinced that no one besides her beloved sister could ever truly love her. But Suzaku loved her the moment he laid eyes on her when the siblings arrived at his home when they were children. Suzaku had even told his mother and father he wanted to marry Lulu when he was older. They had smiled at him and appeased his request with hollow promises which even Lulu knew were false. It hadn't mattered though. He had still loved her.

"Forget it, Suzaku. We are both tired and beyond reason at this point. Fighting around in circles will do nothing to help either of us."

"We wouldn't be having this fight if you would just accept that my feelings for you are the same," Suzaku pointed out.

"But they aren't," Lulu stated. "They can't be. You just said you loved Euphie. I knew that and yet I confessed knowing that you couldn't…can't…love me back."

Lulu looked exhausted and exasperated at the same time. He also realized, for the first time that night, that she had dark circles under her eyes. Her skin was paler, but no one else would be able to notice the change. Suzaku had known Lulu too long not to notice the difference in her well-being. Lulu could tell him she was fine till she was blue in the face, but he would always know.

"You haven't been sleeping, Lulu."

Lulu met his gaze again. Her eyes wide with confusion. He understood why, of course. They had been talking about their feelings and he switched up the topic of conversation on a whim. He couldn't not be worried or concerned. She was his princess just as much as Euphie had been.

"What has had you up so late and kept you from sleeping? It isn't like you to put your health at risk when you have Nunnally to take care of."

"It is no concern of yours, Suzaku."

"But, it does concern me. You may not see it, but I care about you, Lulu," Suzaku protested.

Lulu sighed at his declaration. She rested her hand against his chest again and pushed him back. Suzaku took a step back to keep from falling. "Enough. I can't listen to your ravings anymore tonight. I'm going downstairs to get some rest and you will be staying here. End of discussion, Suzaku."

Lulu turned around and grasped the doorknob again. Suzaku's heart was thudding in his chest. He couldn't let her leave. If she left they would never speak about what transpired her ever again. Lulu wouldn't allow it and he couldn't fathom letting her sleep alone when she was so obviously troubled. Suzaku had a split second to decide what to do and, since he was normally a man of action, he reacted by snaking an arm around Lulu's waist to keep her from leaving.

Lulu let out a frustrated growl and tried to pry his arm away from her person, but they both knew that he was stronger than her. If he wanted to keep her with him indefinitely he could and there would be nothing Lulu could to do about it. He didn't want to force her to stay, but it was obvious that she had made up her mind. Suzaku had to find a way to change it.

"Let go, Suzaku, right this instant!" Lulu demanded. She scratched at his arm, but he didn't budge. He only held tighter. Lulu began thrashing against him and even tried, in vain from her position, to kick him in his genital region. She failed, but that didn't stop her from continually trying.

"Lulu, calm down."

"No, Suzaku. I will not calm down. I can't handle you anymore tonight. I can't handle your emotions. I can't handle your misplaced feelings. I can't handle any of it right now." Her fighting began to wane as he heard the tears in her voice. The sadness and disappointment was clear in her tone and Suzaku's heart broke hearing it. "I'm too tired to fight with you."

"I don't want to fight with you, Lulu. I just want to hold you." Suzaku's hold lightened, but he wrapped his other arm around her as well. He rested his head on her shoulder and pulled her flush against him. Lulu went rigid in his arms and with his face so close to her neck he could feel her pulse fluttering against his cheek. "I don't want you to be away from me when we need each other to heal."

"I'm not broken, Suzaku. I don't need to be healed."

Lulu hissed out the last word and, at the time, Suzaku hadn't known what her inflection meant. It had confused him, but he chalked it up to Euphie's death.

The Suzaku of the present, however, did know. Lulu had told him back on Kamine Island that she had been broken. It had been his decision to join with Euphie that had destroyed her. It had been his own selfishness that had caused her so much pain. If Suzaku had just noticed back then what his actions had caused he would never have done any of them. He never would've broken Lulu beyond repair and Euphie wouldn't have died. Neither of his princesses would never had to be put through so much turmoil.

But, Suzaku was selfish and naïve then and even more so now. Even if he could change everything that had happened and the outcome came out differently; Suzaku would lose much more. He would not be married to Lulu and he would not have a daughter. They would not be a family and no matter how much he had loved Euphie; he loved his family more.

Suzaku returned to the dream and watched events unfold as they had all that time ago.

Dream Suzaku didn't respond. He just turned his head and placed a kiss at the juncture where neck met shoulder. Lulu shivered at the contact and Suzaku knew that he could get her to listen to him if he tried hard enough. He wanted her to relax and descend into whatever it was that they were falling into. He wanted them to heal together because he needed her far more than she realized.

"Don't, Suzaku."

"Why not?" he whispered against her ear. Lulu didn't answer. "We have already admitted our feelings for each other. Why not see what happens from there?"

Lulu began trying to free herself again. Suzaku held firm as she did and waited for her to tire herself out again. When it was apparent that Suzaku wasn't about to let her go, Lulu stopped trying to escape.

"Why are you so against this, Lulu? Why are you so against us?"

A beat of silence followed his questions.

Lulu was obviously thinking of the best possible way to answer. He could almost see the wheels turning in her mind and he let her have all the time she needed. Suzaku may have wanted Lulu to see things his way, and he would, but he also wouldn't force her into something she didn't want. He knew that Lulu loved him. She had said as much, but if she put up any more resistance he would have to let her leave. He knew that and Lulu did too. He cared about her too much to lose her over something like this.

"Because, Suzaku, if we do this we will both end up broken beyond repair," Lulu quietly answered.

"Or," Suzaku began. He placed another kiss against her skin right above her pulse. Lulu's breath caught. Suzaku took that moment to slowly and carefully move his hands to her hips to keep her from running.

"Or…" Lulu pressed.

Suzaku noticed that her voice was quiet. Her body was shaking under his careful ministrations. She was losing the battle against him because she knew that what was happening between them was something they both wanted. She wanted him and he wanted her. It was as simple as that.

"Or, Lulu, we could find comfort in each other and see what happens after that," Suzaku answered.

"No…we can't. Suzaku, we can't…"

"All we have is right now, Lulu. Everything outside of this moment, the past and the future, doesn't matter. Right now, here in the present, there is just you and me. There is nothing keeping us from loving each other in this moment."

God, the real Suzaku thought to himself, I use that argument a little too much when I'm trying to convince Lulu about anything. I'm going to have to come up with something different from now on.

Lulu was silent and didn't respond. Dream Suzaku realized that he may have pushed her too far. He removed his hands from her hips and took a step back to give her the room she obviously needed. He had promised himself that he wouldn't force her and he was going to make sure he didn't.

Suddenly, Lulu turned around and grasped his face in her hands. Suzaku rose an eyebrow in response. He had expected Lulu to leave instead of face him, but Lulu was always full of surprises. Suzaku wasn't disappointed when Lulu pulled his face down so that she could press her lips against his own.

The kiss was slow and tentative, like she was testing him to see how far he was willing to take it. He pressed back gently to let her know that he was in this if she was and Lulu pulled away. That hadn't been the reaction Suzaku was hoping for, but he wasn't going to push her farther than she was willing to go.

Lulu didn't go too far, but Suzaku already missed the feel of her lips on his and he wanted them back. They were soft and tasted like chamomile tea. He smiled at that because he never even got a chance to drink his own, but Lulu had found some time to enjoy hers.

Lulu opened her eyes and met his gaze. He hoped he was showing love and patience, but he knew that lust would be present there as well. He just prayed that wasn't all Lulu saw. After a moment of silence, Lulu pulled him back down to meet her lips and Suzaku couldn't have been happier. He rose his hand so that he could cup her cheek and the other slid around her waist so that he could pull her closer.

Lulu didn't flinch or move away. Instead, she morphed to his body and wrapped her arms around his neck. Suzaku didn't mind and kissed her back until she pulled away for oxygen. She was breathing hard and her eyes fluttered in ecstasy. Suzaku smiled when she met his eyes again. Her body was relaxed against his own and he couldn't help but stroke her cheek.

"We can have this, Lulu," he whispered against her lips.

Lulu didn't say anything. Suzaku could see the swirl of emotions in her eyes and identify every one of them. Lust, happiness, determination, sadness, regret, and…guilt. Suzaku didn't understand the last emotion and why Lulu would feel guilt for the way she felt, but he didn't have much time to dwell on it.

Lulu captured his lips again with newfound fervor. She was pressing against him and biting at his lips. Suzaku opened his mouth so that she could delve inside and he groaned at the feeling of her exploration. He had always wondered what it would feel like to kiss Lulu like this. They had shared many kisses on the cheek or on the top of the hand over the course of their childhood and even some recently, but they had all been so innocent. At least, on Suzaku's part.

But, that hadn't changed the fact that he loved her. It had been due to his own stupidity that he hadn't noticed Lulu's own affection. If he had noticed it sooner than maybe Euphie would still be alive and he would have had Lulu long before this. Hell, maybe he would never have fallen in love with Euphie in the first place.

Suzaku pushed thoughts of Euphie and what could have been out of his mind. He had Lulu now and that was what truly mattered. He had a woman he loved in his arms and she was kissing him with everything she had. All his attention needed to be focused on the beautiful angel in front of him and not on the one he had lost.

Lulu disengaged from his mouth and panted. She looked gorgeous with her eyes wide and glazed over, and her pale skin the color of cherry blossoms. Suzaku smiled as he released her cheek and cradled her ass with both hands so that he could lift her off the floor. Instinctively, Lulu wrapped her long legs around his waist and clutched at the back of his head.

Suzaku turned around and walked back towards the bed. Their eyes locked as he gently placed her on the bed. He saw the passion in her darkened eyes and placed a chaste kiss on her forehead as he unwrapped her legs from his hips. He situated himself between her legs and placed his hands on either side of her head.

"If it becomes too much, Lulu, tell me to stop," Suzaku indicated. "I don't want to hurt you."

Lulu nodded. That was all the encouragement that Suzaku needed to lean down and press another kiss to her lips. She kissed back and moaned into his mouth as he delved in deeper and deeper. He couldn't help but map out her entire mouth and cause her to whine and whimper in return for his questing.

Lulu tried everything to make Suzaku move faster. It was obvious by her movements that she wanted him to move things along, but Suzaku wanted it to last. He wanted to savor every moment and remember every little thing that made Lulu writhe, moan, and gasp. He didn't know what the morning would bring, but if it came out badly he wanted something to hold on to and remember.

Lulu started taking off his Knight uniform and it was only then that he realized he still had Euphie's blood on him. It was still on his uniform and on his hands. A violent reminder of what happened only hours earlier. A horrible tribute to the woman he had feelings for prior to her death at the hands of a madman.

He had been touching and kissing Lulu while still covered in her sister's blood. If that wasn't a mood killer, Suzaku didn't know what was. He pulled away suddenly and sat up. Lulu looked up at him dazed and confused.

"Suzaku…what are you…" she questioned.

"I'm sorry…I need to go wash up first before we…I mean…Euphie's blood is still…" Suzaku stuttered out.

Lulu looked away from his face and focused on his uniform and then his hands. Her eyes widened at the sight and she started to shake. Sadness, grief, and guilt found their way into Lulu's eyes and Suzaku wanted nothing more than to pull her to his chest again, but with the blood that they now both remembered was there, Lulu wouldn't let him.

"Oh…my…god," she whispered. "We almost…oh god…"

"Hush, Lulu. I'll clean up and then we can…"

"No, we can't. This is inappropriate on so many levels, Suzaku. Everything about this is messed up."

"Lulu, please, calm down."

"Calm down! Calm down!" Lulu screeched. "How am I supposed to calm down when we were kissing while you had Euphie's blood all over you?" Lulu covered her face and shook her head. Suzaku tried to remove her hands, but when she winced he pulled away. "My sister is dead and I'm having a make out session with the man she loved. I'm a horrible sister."

"Lulu, don't. Calm down and look at me," Suzaku urged. Lulu didn't move or detach her hands from her face. "If I had just let you clean me up earlier this wouldn't have happened. I'm the one who should feel remorse, Lulu. Not you, never you."

Lulu didn't reply or move. Suzaku didn't know what to do now. How could he convince her that…this...was okay? How could he convince her that Euphie would have wanted them to be happy, together? Why was Lulu fighting against him so hard?

"I'm going to go clean up and I'll be right back."

Suzaku took off for the adjoining bathroom and wiped Euphie's blood off his hands quickly. He knew if he took too long Lulu would run away. Once he was done, he hurriedly cleaned his face and took off his uniform. He couldn't let Lulu see the blood again if he wanted to share this moment with her.

Suzaku watched as the other him floundered around trying to find anything to cover up his straining lower region. He remembered how he hadn't noticed how turned on he had been when the whole thing began, but now as he watched the scene unfold again he couldn't help but laugh. He had been so nervous and considering he faced the threat of death and danger every day one would think that he could handle intercourse with a woman just fine.

He returned to the memory.

Dream Suzaku had found a towel to cover his lower half even if his underwear was still on. He wasn't going to take any more chances to scare Lulu off. He opened the door and found Lulu in the same spot he had left her in. Her hands were still pressed to her face and her body was shaking.

Suzaku moved towards her and sat next to her on the bed. Lulu jolted, but didn't make a move to get away. Suzaku took it as the second good sign. The first had been that Lulu hadn't left. He just hoped that there was a third good sign that everything would work out.

"I'm all cleaned up, Lulu. The blood is gone and my uniform is in the laundry hamper," Suzaku cooed.

Lulu peaked through her fingers at his words and squeaked when she realized that he was bare-chested. Suzaku couldn't help the chuckle that escaped past his lips. Lulu had seen him half-naked before during gym or his personal practices and hadn't ever made that sound. She had always been cool and composed. She had never shown a sign of interest and now that he knew all of it had been on purpose to throw him off he found the sound endearing.

Suzaku wrapped his arms around Lulu and brought her head to rest under his chin. He ran a hand through her hair and massaged her scalp with his fingertips. Lulu almost seemed to purr in contentment and nuzzled closer. Suzaku only smiled. He was afraid any direct sound from him would cause her to pull away again. He couldn't let that happen.

He placed a quick kiss on the top of her head and smiled. Lulu reacted by pulling away and looking up into his eyes. Her eyes were wide with wonder. Suzaku tilted his head to one side and smiled hoping to the heavens above that Lulu was okay with all of this…truly okay. Not the "fake" type of alright that she put on for the Student Council or for any of the other students at Ashford. The true trusting kind of okay that would let Suzaku know that she was willing to go through with it.

He got the third sign in the next second. He felt it…the cool hand on his thigh…the slender fingers tracing patterns there through the fabric of the towel and his underwear. He felt the blush rise into his cheeks and he hoped that Lulu couldn't tell because that would be embarrassing.

"Are you really prepared to do this, Suzaku?" Lulu questioned. Her voice was quiet and Suzaku was grateful that her gaze was focused on his face. At least then it wasn't looking down at his growing erection. Her voice should never have made him feel like this. It never had before.

"How is it that you suddenly are asking me if I want this?" Suzaku responded back. "I was the one who convinced you, remember."

"I remember, Suzaku. But, we've both had time to think this through a bit now. After this, everything changes."

"How so, Lulu?"

Lulu pulled her hand away and Suzaku had to let out a quiet sigh of relief. It didn't matter how much he wanted that beautiful hand wrapped around his shaft. Lulu came first. She may not have been first on his mind in recent months, but she was now and if Lulu wanted to go on and on about how this would "change" them, then Suzaku was willing to listen.

"There's no going back after this, Suzaku. We can never take it back," Lulu explained. "Our bond will be different…we'll be different. We'll expect different things from each other that we never thought about before. We'll change as people."

"Isn't that what relationships are about, Lulu? Changing for the other person without losing the old you in the process. You know everything about me now. You've seen my faults and my mistakes, yet you've stood by me through it all," Suzaku argued. "What more could I ask for?"

"Your apparent optimism is extremely frustrating, Suzaku."

"And your apparent pessimism is annoying, but I love you anyway."

"No, Suzaku," Lulu responded, "I'm not a pessimist. I'm a realist. I see the reality in your optimism and I know that this, whatever this is between us, is going to end up with someone hurt."

"You don't know that, Lulu."

"But I do," she insisted. "More than I want to."

Suzaku watched regret fill his love's eyes and pondered what Lulu could have done that would make that horrid emotion cloud her beautiful eyes. The eyes that had held so much affection earlier and passion he wanted to bottle it and carry it with him.

He didn't know it then, but Lulu had been the one to kill Euphie in cold blood. She had been the very person to take his love away from him. She had caused the whole situation to spiral out of control between them all on her own.

Suzaku knew that a part of him still blamed her for it and another part was grateful for it. He had everything he wanted. He had a wife who loved him and a daughter he adored. He was the first Eleven to gain a Knight of Round position at court. The Emperor trusted him to watch over Lulu and keep her from destroying all he had built.

He was happy…wasn't he?

This whole dream was making him rethink his feelings and Suzaku didn't like it one bit. It was forcing him to look at everything Lulu had done prior to this moment as a set up to their big climax. But, he wanted to believe that what Lulu felt for him was real. No, he did believe otherwise she never would have succumbed to him in the hospital room. She never would have fallen into the trap the Emperor had set up for her.

Lulu loved him and he loved her. Even if there was still a tiny part of him that hated her for the damage she had caused. Even if that tiny part still hated her for the people she killed.

Suzaku returned to the dream to find that it was like the volume had been muted. Words were coming out of his mouth and then out of Lulu's, but he couldn't hear their voices. Suzaku wondered why this was only for there to be a flash of light.

Suzaku's emerald eyes flew open and he looked up at the ceiling from his spot on the floor. He groaned as he sat up and wondered what had happened. He remembered feeling Lulu leave the bed to go and comfort their child and he remembered her coming back to bed, but what happened after…that…?

Suzaku's eyes widened after a moment when he recalled the knock at the door. He had gotten out of bed to go answer it thinking that it was an envoy from the Emperor. He had opened the door and come face-to-face with a woman. A woman who pulled a wig from her head and a facial distorter from her face. A woman with blue eyes and vibrant red hair.

Kallen Stadtfeld…Zero's Ace stood before him in a maid uniform…she had knocked him out while he was still shocked to see her. But, how had she even gotten inside?

"Lulu!" he screamed. "Lulu! Please answer me!"

When he received no answer Suzaku scrambled up from the floor and flew into the other room. Lulu wasn't lying in bed and several of her drawers were open with clothes hanging from them.

"No…no, no, no…"

Suzaku ran into the nursery to find it also in a disarray and Rhiannon missing.

Lulu and Rhiannon were gone…they had been taken…or worse…Lulu had gone willingly. Maybe he hadn't been wrong when he noticed the little differences in Lulu's behavior. Maybe she had been more affected by C.C.'s appearance than he realized. Maybe…she had her memories back and had been screwing with him the whole time.

That would explain why they hadn't been intimate in a while or why Lulu seemed so forced in reciprocating intimate contact. It would also explain her aversion to Rhiannon in the beginning, but the doctor had said that was possible with postpartum depression.

How had he not seen it? How had he not noticed all these changes before? There had always been an annoying itch in the back of his mind…damn it!

Suzaku felt like he was reliving everything from last year all over again. He had been so naïve to believe that everything was going to be perfect from now on only to have it wrenched from him. He had once again fallen for Lulu's manipulation and had lost both his wife and daughter in the same night.

It was in this moment that Suzaku decided that he wasn't going to play nice anymore. He would get both his wife and daughter back. He would dispose of anyone who stood in his way. Even if it meant abandoning his ideals and his morals. He had promised to protect his family from any danger no matter the cost even if it meant protecting Lulu from herself and Rhiannon from her mother.

So, I hope this really long chapter lived up to the long wait even if it wasn't as M as I originally intended and promised.

Again, thank you all for standing by this story!

Much love,

BlainexKurtxLovex

Until next time!