Hi again! I've really still got a lot milling around in my mind about Code Geass, especially about Suzaku post-Requiem. And I mean, come on. There's no way Nunnally doesn't figure out who he is. So let's watch them heal together :)

The first time Suzaku Kururugi looks into Nunnally's eyes, they take his breath away. She turns them suddenly upon him as he enters the conference room set up for the first summit of world leaders since the Demon Emperor's death. She remains silent and still in her wheelchair, but her eyes are wide open as she studies him. They're like the evening star at twilight, like the moon reflected in still, deep water, like a field of violets illuminated by one ray of sun on a cloudy day.

They're like Lelouch's as he died. Not narrowed in anger or calculation, nor darkened with hate. Not bloodied by the light of Geass. They are clear and wide and full of wonder: a window to a world of peace, a flame of perpetual righteousness, a monument to the everlasting triumph of justice.

Suzaku Kururugi saw all this and was silent. If he spoke now, there was no way she would not recognize his voice. So he merely approached and bowed deeply, hand to his heart, cloak wrapped around him like a veil, or maybe a shroud. Two teardrops fell and trembled on the inside of his mask. They ran down and pooled at his chin as he straightened up again, but the tinted material kept those piercing violet eyes from seeing them, or any that might follow.

"Zero." Nunnally said his new name as gently as she had once said the old. "I hope that when this meeting is over, I can have a moment to speak with you in private?"

Suzaku froze, then bowed again as his thoughts began to race.

As gentle and kind as Nunnally is, I am still the man who killed her brother. I know she won't attempt to punish me, but I'm sure she'll want to know why.

What could he possibly tell her when, some days, he felt he didn't even know the answer himself?

. . .

"Zero," Nunnally began as soon as Prime Minister Ohgi, Lady Kaguya, Xing Ke, Cornelia, and various other dignitaries and world leaders had left the conference room, "I'm glad to finally have the opportunity to speak with you alone."

And she was smiling, but Suzaku knew her too well to miss the sadness in her eyes. He bowed and braced himself; now that he could no longer avoid speaking to her directly, he had to trust in the mask to sufficiently disguise his voice. He knew he didn't have to sound like Lelouch—even if he could, he wouldn't want to—and for most people, any resemblance to the voice of Suzaku Kururugi would not matter. But with Nunnally….

"I am honored, Your Majesty," he said, and to his own ears, his voice sounded as foreign as it always did echoing around and around his head.

"I wish I could say the honor is mine." This time, a hint of the sadness from Nunnally's eyes bled into her voice. "But as I'm sure you can imagine, it is very difficult for me to feel honored by the presence of my brother's murderer."

If Suzaku was surprised that she did not apologize, he certainly was not offended. What startled him more was the way the young empress seemed to read his thoughts.

"It is not my intent to offend you, Zero. I only want to be able to speak openly with you. Some might not agree, but I believe a kind world must also be an honest one.

"Without cruelty of course," she continued thoughtfully before he had a chance to reply. "I hope that no one will ever think of me as cruel."

"No one could ever think that of you, Empress Nunnally," Suzaku exclaimed with sudden warmth, revelling—selfishly perhaps—in speaking her name aloud.

"They thought it of my brother," she said simply.

"Emperor Lelouch did many cruel things," Suzaku replied without thinking, then wished he could take back the words almost before they finished leaving his mouth.

"I hope," said Nunnally evenly, her unblinking eyes fixed on Zero's mask, "that you will never again find it necessary to remind me of my brother's crimes, Zero."

Suzaku bowed his head once more. "Of course, Your Majesty. Forgive me."

"That's a lot for you to ask of me." Nunnally's expression was frank, but not angry. "But it might be easier if you could just answer one question."

"Anything, Your Majesty." Lelouch would have reprimanded him for that promise, but Lelouch wasn't here.

"Then tell me, please: were you a very good friend of my brother's?"

Suzaku could barely keep himself from reeling backward.

How could she possibly know?

His left hand clenched into a fist beneath his cloak. No. He needed to ascertain the reasoning behind her question before he jumped to any conclusions.

But she is Lelouch's sister after all.

"A peculiar question," he said finally, doing his best to imitate that same tone of arch amusement Lelouch used to use on people who thought they were being clever. "What makes you think his killer was his friend?"

Nunnally wheeled her chair to the window and gazed out over the city.

"When my brother died," she said softly, "he didn't seem angry or even surprised. He looked so peaceful. I think...I think he was pleased. When I looked into his eyes I knew—" with great effort she suppressed a tremor in her voice— "this was his plan all along!"

At this point she turned to face Zero again, her eyes blazing with equal parts triumph and agony.

"Wasn't it, Suzaku?"

Silence resounded like a roaring ocean in his ears. He could hear every beat of his heart. Nunnally was looking at him with an expectation of joy that seemed to fade with every fraction of a second that he did not respond.

"Oh Suzaku, please say it's you!" she begged, tears gathering and spilling over. "It is you isn't it?"

His entire body began to tremble. Almost without meaning to, he stepped forward and crossed the room until he stood directly in front of her, then fell to his knees, gripping the arms of her chair. He felt he was shaking so badly that Nunnally must be able to feel it too. And if she couldn't before, she certainly could once she lifted her hands and gently placed them on either side of his mask.

"Don't—" he whispered, but she was already pulling it away.

He shut his eyes and bowed his head until it was almost touching her knees. The sound of Zero's helmet hitting the floor was somehow both deafening and very far away. Something warm tumbled through his sweat-dampened curls and rolled down the side of his face, disappearing in the flow of his own tears.

"Oh Suzaku," she whispered, and for one foolish moment he wondered how she could be so sure of his identity when she had never seen him before.

But then her hands were cradling his face and he forgot to think of anything besides what it felt like to be touched by another human being again.

"Look at me please, Suzaku," she asked softly, and lifted his chin.

Their eyes met, and for a moment Suzaku saw—or thought he could see—the green of his own eyes reflected in the violet of hers. They seemed to swirl together into a color he'd never seen before, except…. Unbidden, a memory sprang up of a long campaign in the Arctic Sea as he and Lelouch had marched to victory over the world. There had been lights in the sky at night, green and purple dancing together above him as he looked out from the Lancelot…

As quickly as he had thought he saw it, it was gone, and he could only see the glistening color of Nunnally's tearful eyes. Almost reverently, he raised one hand to dry them, and she caught it in her own and held it to her face.

"Oh Suzaku," she cried out, "I've been so lonely!"

No sooner has those words left her lips then his other hand grasped the back of her head and pulled her against his chest. At this, she broke into sobs and clutched at his tear-dampened cravat.

"Suzaku, why?" she screamed into his shoulder, and Lelouch would have admonished even her for shouting the name so loudly when Suzaku Kururugi was supposed to be dead, but Lelouch wasn't here—

"I'm sorry," he cried hoarsely, holding her tightly as his own tears began to flow anew. "I'm sorry."

And they remained like that for a long time, in a softening call and response of "whys" and "I'm sorrys" until both their tears were spent.

Full disclosure: This is gonna be a romance. I'm not sure yet to what degree or anything, but I think Suzaku/Nunnally is a very real possibility that not many people have explored. It's not an OTP or anything, I'm just interested in what the dynamic could be like. He's only three years older than her and they've known each other for years, and I mean. Idk. I'd probably have a crush on Suzaku at SOME point if I were Nunnally. I know, I know, he killed her brother and it's all very complicated, but literally EVERYTHING about Code Geass is complicated. If the pairing isn't for you (and like i said, it seems to be a pretty rare one), that's okay. But I hope that anyone who does choose to read this will think that it stays true to the story and the characters, which is always my main goal when writing fanfic.

TL;DR: Suzaku/Nunnally romance. If that's not for you, I just wanted to give you fair warning!