Prologue-Part Three

The Parting

Author Note: There are three social classes: Noble, Commoner, and Half-Blood. Half-bloods are the offspring of a Noble and Commoner. They are tattooed at birth, if even allowed to live, and blacklisted to the rest of the world. They are beneath even Commoner's in rank and rarely move out of poverty.

As the scene unfolded, the teacher walked into the classroom and began to organize her things in preparation for the hectic day before her. It wasn't until she began to tell the class to calm down and get out their homework that she noticed the two students lying on the floor of the classroom. She felt her jaw drop as she realized it was Lelouch and Suzaku. Only, Lelouch was practically straddling Suzaku on the floor and kissing him! She walked towards the pair with the intention of stopping the free show they were giving. If the two of them weren't careful, they would soon have their own fan club!

Lelouch was just getting off of Suzaku and suggesting they get off the floor before even more people noticed them when he became aware of an ominous shadow looming over him. Glancing over his shoulder he was startled to find their teacher standing behind him. He jumped up and stuttered, "We… we were just…" in explanation. "I don't want to hear it. You both have detention after school for half an hour," she said, cutting off Lelouch before he could finish coming up with a believable excuse for their position.

Lelouch looked down at the floor looking like he was about to start crying again when Suzaku stood up and hugged him from behind whispering, "It's alright Lulu-chan, I don't mind being trapped in a room with you for an extra half hour," softly enough so that no one but Lelouch could hear. "Thanks," Lelouch whispered back over his shoulder as the teacher walked back to her desk to begin today's lecture.

They sat down and started taking notes on the lecture, passing notes while doing so. All throughout the day, both Lelouch and Suzaku wore a small smile, though for different reasons. Lelouch's smile was due to the fact that Suzaku had come back to him and the quick kiss they had just shared. Suzaku's smile, however, was because of the fact that Lulu-chan, his Lulu-chan, had missed him. It was because of this fact that he felt he may have finally found a friend that would always be there for him.

The rest of the day passed without incident, both simply enjoying the return of the others' presence. For Lelouch, it felt as if the cold void in his heart had been filled with the warmth of his friend's loving embrace.

By the time the end of the day rolled around, things between them had returned to its normal state. Suzaku and Lelouch walked into the classroom that served as the detention classroom for the entire school. Chatting excitedly about a new movie, Gloomy Bear, that they wanted to go see when Suzaku noticed that the classroom was entirely empty except for them.

"Umm, Lulu-chan, did you bring us to the wrong classroom? There's nobody here incase you hadn't noticed," said Suzaku pointedly, glancing over at Lelouch as he spoke.

With a confused look on his face, Lelouch began to pull out the post-it note their teacher had given him that morning telling them the room number they were supposed to report to for detention. "No," Lelouch said, having gotten out the post-it note and compared the number on it to the one stamped on the wall outside the door, "the numbers are the same, every one else must be running late or something."

"And look," said Lelouch, "there's a sign in sheet right there on the desk. This has to be the right classroom."

"If you're sure," answered Suzaku, sounding less than convinced as he did so.

They signed in and sat down in the desks closest to the door.

"So," said Suzaku in a rather weak attempt to start up the conversation again.

"So," repeated Lelouch, making absolutely no attempt to elaborate on Suzaku's one word sentence, finding it much more entertaining to watch him squirm in discomfort. "He's so adorable when he's uncomfortable," observed Lelouch to himself.

"That's not fair Lulu-chan," complained Suzaku, "I can't be the only one to come up with conversation. It's not as much fun if you don't chip in as well."

Lelouch just giggled cutely in response which caused Suzaku to cross his arms across his chest and pout. Lelouch giggled again and this time said, "You look so cute when you pout."

Suzaku grinned in response and replied, "If that's how you want to play Lulu-chan, you looked cute sobbing into my chest this morning."

Now it was Lelouch's turn to pout cutely as Suzaku laughed. It wasn't long before both had removed the tense atmosphere the empty classroom had created.

"Speaking of this morning," said Suzaku, "was that kiss because you missed me or…" He let his sentence trail off there with a light blush coloring his face. Lelouch instantly understood what Suzaku was trying to ask and stuttered "I ugh… I umm…" Tired of waiting for his friend to make a coherent sentence, Suzaku leaned in and kissed Lelouch quite a bit longer than the peck Lelouch had given him that morning.

Lelouch tensed at first at the feeling of his friends lips covering his own, but as he relaxed into the kiss, the answer to Suzaku's question presented itself to him; he had kissed him in part due to the fact that he had missed him, but mostly because, deep down, he had wanted to do that since the day they met.

Once they broke apart to gasp for air, Suzaku asked, "That help you figure it out?" Lelouch simply nodded, still breathless from the prolonged kiss.

"So," asked Suzaku once they had recovered a bit more, "which is it?"

Lelouch leaned in and kissed Suzaku again, though not nearly as long, and pulled back a bit and whispered, "Both."

-----------------------------Airplanes Aren't Square------------------------------

Lelouch ran down the hall hoping he could make it through the door before the bell rang to announce his tardiness. As luck would have it, he did indeed make it; he was just sitting down in his seat and attempting to catch his breath when the bell rang. Suzaku patted his friend's back, waiting for him to explain his close call with being tardy. He was surprised to find that instead of explaining, Lelouch was holding out a little bow with a ribbon tied around it.

Suzaku took the proffered box and gave Lelouch a questioning look. Rolling his eyes Lelouch said, "Just open it."

With a mental shrug Suzaku opened the little box to find a brand new, shiny cell phone sitting in it. With his eyes full of surprise and wonder, he gaped at Lelouch and asked, "You're giving this to me?"

Rolling his eyes again, Lelouch answered, "Of course I'm giving it to you. Now that we're 'dating' as you put it I figured it would be handy to be able to contact each other."

When Suzaku protested, saying a new cell phone wasn't needed Lelouch put his hand over his friend's mouth stating, "If you feel bad about taking it, just think of it as an early Christmas present."

Setting down the phone on his desk, Suzaku leaned over and hugged his best friend for all he was worth.

"Suzaku… can't… breathe…" gasped Lelouch. Suzaku let go, mumbling a "Sorry," abashedly and flashing a toothy grin at Lelouch who rolled his eyes and smiled back.

----------------------------Airplanes Aren't Square-------------------------------

It was now the last two weeks before the Christmas break and Lelouch had something he had to ask Suzaku. "Would I come to your birthday!" exclaimed Suzaku, "What kind of a boyfriend would I be if I didn't?"

Relief washed over Lelouch's face as he heard Suzaku's answer. The rest of the week was nothing but a blur and full of anticipation for the upcoming weekend.

The day of the party, Lelouch tried to make sure everything was in place to make sure his friend felt at home while there. The door bell rang and he ran to answer it. Suzaku stood in the doorway, gaping at the mansion of a house that his boyfriend lived in.

"Well don't just stand there gaping like a fish out of water," said Lelouch. He brought Suzaku inside, showed him into the entertainment center and had a blast playing Super Smash Bros. for hours until they agreed that they were both ready to go to sleep.

They slipped out of their day clothes and into their P.J's. Suzaku's were a baby blue that were clearly hand-me-downs since the shirt kept slipping down his shoulder. Every time it did, Lelouch got a brief glimpse of an odd tattoo on Suzaku's left shoulder blade.

"What is that tattoo…" began Lelouch as his mother walked into the room. She must have heard him too because the smile fell from her face and she asked in an angry voice "What's your name again?" addressing Suzaku.

"Suza… Suzaku Kururugi,"

Her nostrils flared and she shrieked, "Out! Get out of my house you half-blood scum!"

Suzaku bolted from the room and out the front door. Lelouch followed him, shouting his name until he stopped and glanced over his shoulder. His eyes were cold and emotionless as he said, "Don't ever talk to me again Lelouch." He turned back around and jogged down the street.

Lelouch could feel his heart break; almost hear it shatter in his chest as his Suzaku spoke. He felt tears run down his face as his Suzaku jogged down the sidewalk without looking back; felt his legs fail him as he crumpled to the sidewalk. His Suzaku, his first, best, and only friend had just rounded the corner and disappeared forever. Lelouch's broken heart throbbed and he sobbed into the concrete sidewalk beneath him.

He was alone. The first winter snow fell to the sound of Lelouch's muffled sobs.

End of Prologue – Part Three