Chapter 2 Summary:

Ever since his family died 3 years ago, Suzaku never thought or dreamt of having a family once again. He believed no one could love or care for an orphaned Eleven who can be nothing more than a burden. Until he met 'nii-chan', the once sad lonely little boy had gained a renewed sense of hope to be loved. As Suzaku quietly admires the beautiful and gentle boy who hugged him, smiled at him and held his hand like a caring big brother would; he can't help but wonder about the true identity of his 'nii-chan'.

Welcoming and sharing his humble home unknowingly with Prince Lelouch, Suzaku felt an unexplainable happiness he had not felt in his life for years—happiness that he secretly wished could last forever.

Chapter 3: Suzaku's Family Portrait

Nii-chan was speechless the moment he stepped foot inside the cave. His eyes were scanning all corners of the earthly den which was spacious enough to accommodate four persons and allow them to walk with ease. It was surprisingly warm inside. The sun rays entering through the narrow entrance provided a blanket of warmth and a serene illumination within. The entrance to the cave was large enough for a grown man to get inside without difficulty, but small enough to block strong, harsh, cold winds at night. Taking a deep breath, the cave smelled like earth- it's clean, refreshing and natural. Massive boulders extended from walls up to the roof. Beneath, one could feel for the fine sand that spread out like a carpet stretched over the floor.

"This place is stunning!" the older boy said in utter amazement, his voice was a mixture of awe and disbelief. He had never been in this kind of place before, at least, nothing that he can recall of.

There was one small wooden bed with a straw mattress at one corner which was big enough to accommodate one or two persons. At another corner, there was an old wooden table with two chairs on its opposite sides. There was also a makeshift stove; made from stones and operated using woods to create and sustain fire; a small cabinet; a wooden pail; some utensils and a gas lamp. The furnitures were obviously old but they still seemed functional. The place may be considerably smaller than most regular houses but it was tidy, orderly and well kept.

Overall, the mood the cave set was homey.

OOO

On a nearby wall where the Britannian was standing, several papers with drawings of different sceneries decorating the wall can be seen. He leisurely looked at each of them. They were sketches of the seashore, forest, skies, cave, mountains, waterfalls, village and market place. However, there was one picture that stood out from the rest—a portrait of a family of three where a little boy was standing in between his mother and father while holding both their hands with his outstretched arms. Their faces were brightened up by the cheerful smiles adorning their faces. The little boy at the center of the drawing had a mop of dark hair and olive eyes that resembled that of Suzaku's.

The drawings were obviously made by a child, as evident by the unsteady and wobbly outlines of colored pencils and by the uneven and overshooting of the different crayons used to color the various shapes and drawings. But despite of the minor slip ups, still, the drawings were beautiful, expressive and adorable.

"Are these your drawings, Suzaku?" The elder boy curiously asked Suzaku who was hunched in front of a cabinet while busily rummaging its contents inside. Suzaku immediately stopped what he was doing and directed his eyes towards the artworks posted on the wall. Those drawings were made by him a long time ago when he went to the marketplace and had some spare money to buy crayons, colored pencils and paper. Drawing is a hobby he never gets tired of, yet the lack of materials prevents him from doing it as often as he likes. Once in a while, when he gets to save up money from his meager salary in the mines, Suzaku is able to buy these little things which he considers as luxuries.

"Yes nii-chan, they're mine. I love drawing but I'm not good at it. My drawings are not that beautiful. I just decided to put them up to add a few decorations to my home. I guess I should just put them down." Suzaku said timidly in response to the elder boy's question. A part of him lacked confidence to his own artworks. In fact, he felt embarrassed that his nii-chan had to see his ugly drawings. He admitted that he was never good in drawing or coloring, his hands were always unstable maybe due to over fatigue from the everyday labor he had to endure at the mines. What was he thinking putting them up on the wall anyway? Had he known he would one day have a visitor inside his home, he would have never put them up in the first place. Maybe, he really should put them down first things first after he tended on nii-chan's wound.

"You should keep them up there! There are beautiful! You're a talented little boy, Suzaku. Do you wish to be an artist one day?" There was a sincere smile across his nii-chan's face as he praised Suzaku's artworks.

Talented? Did he hear that correct? His nii-chan was always filled with surprises; he had a tendency to say things completely opposite of Suzaku's opinion about himself.

"An artist?" Suzaku was unsure what his big brother meant.

"Yes! It's already great that you know what you love doing. Plus you already have the talent, you just need to hone it even more by practicing and drawing more often. Once you honed your talent and become extremely skilled with drawing or even painting, you can become a professional artist and sell all your artworks to create a living." His nii-chan explained the possibilities which brought excitement to Suzaku. But then again, in order to practice, he needed the materials which he lacked of as of the moment. He'd have to find a way to deal with that. Suzaku already saved up a few coins in his piggy bank, maybe on his next salary he would have enough money to buy the materials.

"That sounded wonderful! Maybe I can be an artist when I grow up as big as you nii-chan," Suzaku beamed, not losing hope, especially now that nii-chan, himself, thought he can be a good artist.

"Thank you nii-chan, I've never considered myself that good or talented, yet you did. What you said means a lot to me. You see, I never had this chance to attend any formal schooling, so I never learned to read or write. It is through drawing, that I get the chance to express myself." Suzaku smiled, glad that his nii-chan liked his drawings. He was never really expecting any praise from his artworks. For him drawing was just a hobby, something that occupied his time when all he wanted to do was relax or express his feelings especially whenever life turned out to be awfully cruel for a little boy like him.

"So that is the reason why you liked to draw; though you don't come across to me as someone who can't read or write. You sound intelligent or more mature than your age. How old are you, Suzaku?" The older boy said, as he placed his arm on his chest with one hand folded under his chin.

"I'm 9 years old, nii-chan. Though I've never been schooled, I always love learning through experiences plus I like to listen-be it through the radio, tv, conversation whenever I go to the village marketplace. I'm grateful some Elevens are nice enough to allow me to watch on their tv or listen to their radios."

"I see so you've never been in any formal school, but the world is your school. You have a drive to learn which makes you a very bright child, Suzaku. By the way, what sorts of things do you like to draw?" Nii-chan asked, engaging the little boy in a relaxed conversation, as he was now comfortably seated on the wooden bed with his legs stretched on the ground before him and his arms stretched with his palms pressed against the bed.

Suzaku thought deeply, a small finger was resting on his chin. A clean white cloth was on his lap, while he was seated with folded legs on the ground and his back leaning against the cabinet. "Sceneries, people, anything, nii-chan. Once I get a hold of a piece of paper and pencil, I actually never think of what I want to draw. I just let myself be absorbed in the moment and just let my hands move freely, allowing the thoughts and emotions that are deep within me manifest itself on the blank piece of paper."

"Oh that was profound, you should continue drawing, Suzaku. You'll eventually become a great artist one day if you keep on doing what you love." His nii-chan smiled encouragingly towards him. Then his gaze returned to the portrait of a family that previously caught his attention, "This one is a nice family portrait, and the little boy in the middle is so cute." He said playfully as he looked at Suzaku, guessing that with that signature brown mop of hair and olive eyes, it was most likely Suzaku, himself, at the picture.

Suzaku suddenly felt his cheeks as if they were in flames. He's probably blushing embarrassingly right now. How can he look at his nii-chan now?

"So is the cute little boy in the middle you, Suzaku?" The older boy continued to tease after seeing the red tint on Suzaku's round cheeks.

"Yup, it's me," was the curt reply of Suzaku, as he averted his eyes from the teasing violet ones, by bowing his head and staring intently on the floor. He knew, for sure, his nii-chan was just teasing. He was the opposite of cute. He had seen his reflection on the water whenever he went to the shore or on the mirror whenever he passed by the village market, what he saw was a hideous boy with a very thin borderline malnourished body frame hidden in oversized t-shirt, huge round eyes and skin that was sunburned. He's nowhere near his nii-chan whom he considered as extremely handsome.

"Hey, young man, don't look so down. I just said you're cute and you're suddenly acting that way. Cheer up, Suzaku, "

"No, nii-chan, I'm not cute. I know you're just teasing me. I know I'm ugly." Suzaku pouted.

A soft chuckle escaped from the older boy's lips. "It's that why your mood suddenly turned gloomy? Suzaku, would you come here?" His nii-chan invited, while sitting up straight and extending both his arms welcomingly.

Suzaku finally stood up from where he was seated, picking up the things beside him—the basin and cloth on one hand and pail with a small cup inside, on the other. He slowly walked towards his nii-chan and placed the things he was holding onto the ground before where the older boy was seated. Then suddenly he felt both hands seized protectively his shoulders. Then he timidly looked up at the gorgeous amethyst eyes which never failed to make him feel reassured and calmed.

"I don't know where you get the idea that you are ugly, but you probably don't see yourself the way I do." Then he felt someone patted his thick brown hair, "This lovely soft hair," Followed by a light touch of fingetips at the side of his emerald eyes "This big expressive eyes," and a pinch on his cheeks "And this chubby cheeks. Are the reason why I find you cute. Not only that, Suzaku, you're beautiful inside and out. So please don't put yourself down."

After hearing this, tears were starting to well up on Suzaku's eyes. He can't tell exactly why but suddenly he wanted to cry. The beautiful boy before him had this magical way of making him feel wonderful and special than he truly was.

And before the older boy could see tears on his face, he excused himself and wormed his way out of his grasp. "I'll just get water from the well outside. I'll be right back, nii-chan." He did not wait for the older boy to respond, as he hurriedly ran outside, carrying the pail with him, to get fresh water from the well.

ooo

Suzaku returned carrying the heavy wooden pail of freshwater, using both his hands. He slowly walked towards the bed where his nii-chan was seated, careful not to trip and spill all the contents of the pail on the floor. As he successfully reached the spot on the ground where he intended to place the pail without spilling any contents, he quietly settled down the pail and sat down on the ground in front of the older boy. Once again, he inspected the wound on his right ankle, there was minimal bleeding, few dirt and fine grains of sand contaminating the wound.

"Nii-chan, I will just clean the wound and wrapped it with cloth to stop the bleeding." Suzaku smiled reassuringly at the older boy seated in front him. His mood had obviously lightened. Suzaku made sure that he cleaned his face for any signs of tears before returning to the cave.

"Just tell me if you need any help." His nii-chan offered, smiling at the small boy before him.

Suaku began untying his nii-chan's right leather shoe, freeing the injured foot in the process. He carefully peeled off the socks and placed it on top of the shoe on the side. Then he gently held the leg just above the ankle, lifted it up and guided it just right over the basin.

Beside him was the pail full of fresh water he got from the old well a few walk outside the cave. He scooped a cup of water from the pail then gently washed the wound at his nii-chan's right ankle, removing all visible dirt that might have stuck in the wound. He let the water run through the wound, allowing the water to carry sand or soil as the fresh water flowed downward. The wound was fresh with a 2-inch, laceration. It wasn't as deep to cause any heavy bleeding. He repeated the same process several times.

"Suzaku," His nii-chan spoke, breaking the silence that enveloped them for a few seconds. Suzaku paused what he was doing and looked up. He followed his nii-chan's gaze which was back to his family portrait "Are the man and woman on your sides your mother and father?"

"Yes, they are my mother and father," Suzaku said, his eyes were suddenly downcast once again.

"You all look happy in that family portrait of yours, Suzaku." His niichan noted, trying to cheer up the mood, "Where are they now?"

However, that didn't lifted the smaller boy's mood any better in fact he looked even more down. "They're dead, nii-chan." Suzaku finally revealed, earning a shocked expression from the other boy. "I drew that three years ago, the same year my okaasan and otousan died during the night of war between the Britannian forces and the Eleven terrorist group here in Kamine Island. I drew that picture to remind me of the family I once had. Whenever I look at that picture, and see their smiling faces at me, I feel less lonely and less afraid," A longing smile appeared on Suzaku's face.

"I'm really sorry to hear that." Nii-chan's voice was laced with sympathy, as he looked at the emerald eyes before him which was starting to become glassy with tears.

"It's alright. I'm o-okay. That's part of the past" Suzaku was clearly trying to stay positive, but his voice failed him, when he began to stutter. His family was a touchy subject which more often than not, made him emotional, whether he liked it or not.

"It's just that I miss them. So much. My past has never been nice to me. My life is empty, I've been always alone since I lost my family. Maybe that's also why I developed a love for drawing. My life is like a blank sheet of paper. Whenever I draw, I have the ability to create and draw anything, I can draw my family, I can draw a beautiful home, a beautiful scene, I can make it colorful and happy in contrast to my dark past and presently dull life." A tear fell on Suzaku's eyes. The night of the war between the Britannian forces and the terrorist faction group—the clashing of sharp metals from the nightmares, endless exchange of fire, the blinding flashes of light and smell of blood and gunpowder—were still fresh in poor boy's memories.

The scar that the war created would be forever engraved on the little boy's heart. But this time, it felt better that he could talk and share it with his nii-chan. In fact he hadn't talked about it to anyone. The feeling is lighter this time.

Suzaku rubbed the back of his small hands against his eyes to wipe his tearstained face away. Suzaku looked back at his nii-chan and saw the worried look on his face as he said, "I'm really sorry for bringing it up, Suzaku. I didn't mean to make you feel bad."

"No need to be sorry, Nii-chan. I'm okay. I just tend to get emotional every time I remember my family. Okaasan and Otousan are the only family I have and in one night they're all gone." He sniffed a little and continued,

"It's already been a long time. Besides, I can't bring them back now, no matter how much I want. I'm pretty sure they are watching over me wherever they are. And they're probably happy right now, seeing I found someone like you, nii-chan." Suzaku smiled meaningfully at the older boy.

"I admire you Suzaku for staying positive at times like this. I'm sure it must have been hard living on your own, but you survived. You must have possessed a great deal of strength and courage to accomplish a feat like this." Hearing it coming from his nii-chan, he felt something he never experienced before—he felt a glowing sense of pride for himself.

Suzaku smiled. He never saw himself that way as someone courageous and strong. He always thought he was weak as he was easily get bullied because of his small frame, gentle and timid personality. He always compromise. He always thinks of other persons first before himself and he always give way.

There was one time when Suzaku witnessed theft with his own eyes. He saw another Eleven stole money from a Britannian guard at the mines, he tried to convince the Eleven that it was wrong and he should return it to avoid punishment. But he never listened to Suzaku, he reasoned out that his sick daughter needed it, and he did not care of the consequences of his action.

When the Britannian discovered his missing wallet, Suzaku happened to be the person blamed. Even though he knew who the thief was, he never rat him out. Suzaku gladly took the punishment. He was whipped mercilessly until he could no longer stand. A few days later, the said Eleven who stole the wallet came up to him and apologized. It was then that he learned that the stolen money was used to buy medicine for his sick daughter and now she's back in good health. Suzaku was glad his sacrifice had not been for nothing.

OOO

He poured another cupful of water on his nii-chan's ankle when suddenly he heard his nii-chan winced a little, causing him to shot his head upward towards the older boy.

Seeing the pain on his nii-chan's face, Suzaku immediately apologized while bowing at the same time. "Nii-chan, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Are you alright? Do you want me to continue?" He asked tentatively, while awkwardly holding the leg on one hand and a cupful of water on the other, waiting a favorable response from the older boy to know if he should continue or not.

"Yes please, just a little sting otherwise I'm good. Please go on, I'm sorry if that distracted you." His nii-chan gave him a sheepish smile with his head tilted downward towards the boy on the floor. Both his hands grabbing the edge of the bed and keeping his leg steady on top of the basin. "You seemed good at what you're doing…" He noted.

Suzaku beamed in response, glad that his nii-chan approved at what he was doing. "Thank you, that's probably because I get to do this most of the time." He explained. He continued pouring water on the site of the wound, then he allowed it to dry. He set aside the basin and placed the foot on his lap then expertly wrapped a clean white cloth around the ankle, and tied it tight enough to apply the right amount of pressure to keep it from bleeding. His nii-chan's observation was quite correct, indeed, the little boy showed great skill at tending on the wound.

"Why are you a health worker?" his nii-chan asked, with great curiosity at his vague statement.

"No, I get to do it to myself." Suzaku explained briefly, then added "At times," that was partially true, his wounds came only when he got beaten or when his slippers got torn off but only recently, those instances didn't come as often as before. The beating got less probably because either the Britannian guards were starting to bore of him or his getting a job well done.

Afraid that his nii-chan would delve in more and subsequently revealing the real reason behind it, Suzaku changed the subject.

"Here, I'm done!" Suzaku said proudly as he finished the last knot of the makeshift bandage around his nii-chan's ankle. "How are you feeling? Is it not too tight?"

"Just alright, in fact I'm feeling great! Thank you, Suzaku. I wish I could repay you for everything you've done for me."

"No need to think about repaying me, nii-chan. You're presence is more than enough!" Suzaku smiled ear to ear. He meant everything he said from the bottom of his heart.

"Nii-chan, I'll just wash these outside." Suzaku stood up and started gathering up his things. First, he lifted the heavy basin filled with water, using both his hands. When he realized he had no free hand for the pail. He awkwardly put the basin down, and grabbed the pail and wore the handle up to his arms. Then he was about to bend down to get the basin when someone suddenly snatched it up.

It was his nii-chan, grinning confidently. "You've been doing all the work already, Suzaku. Let your big brother help you this time." He said with finality.

"No nii-chan, you should rest. Besides, I can do it." Suzaku insisted, as he grabbed the basin with both his hands towards him but to no avail.

"Suzaku," His nii-chan said his name in a serious manner. His violet eyes looking straight into his, as if reprimanding him. This caused him to gulp and pay attention. "I am not an invalid or a spoiled rich brat who let others do everything for him. I just had a minor wound and both my feet were intact." At this point, he finally grabbed the basin away from Suzaku's reach.

"But—" Suzaku murmured a protest but stopped when his nii-chan said, "Come on let's go" with his heels already turned and walking his way towards the cave's exit.

Suzaku stared at the older boy's back, grinning inwardly as he watched his older brother's overall appearance from behind—the elegant clothes, basin filled with water on both hands, and walking with one barefoot inside a cave.

"Thank you, nii-chan" Suzaku whispered to himself, smiling contentedly at the back of the older boy. This boy who insisted on helping him when no one had shown the same concern to him before, the boy who find him cute or even beautiful inside and out, the boy who believed in his abilities to become a great artist and praised his drawings—They were all his nii-chan. The same boy that sounded too good to be true.

Suzaku wondered. Is this really what nii-chan is like before he lost his memories? Does he really can't recall anything? What if regained his memories? Would he still be the same nii-chan I knew?

"What are you waiting for, Suzaku?"Nii-chan called over his shoulders, interrupting Suzaku's trail of thoughts.

"I'm coming!" Suzaku shouted, while running to keep up with his brother.

There are a lot of questions waiting to be answered and the future would never be certain. But for now, what is most important is the present-His nii-chan IS with him. And most importantly, the fact that his nii-chan is making him the happiest person he never imagined he would be in a million years.

And like what he said, his nii-chan's presence is more than enough.

ooo

A/N: I put up a miniwebsite for 'My Big Brother Prince'. The link is posted on my profile. It's mainly pictures lifted from the anime itself that will aid in visualization of the setting and characters of this story. I also plan to make it a place for my character profiles. I have several pictures of little Suzaku there! Hope you check it out, it's just a few clicks away. Enjoy!

Thank you for all your lovely reviews =)

A Random Person- yup the story will have approx. 30-50 chapters! I love reading multi-chaptered stories, I hope you do to. I don't want to make the story seem rushed, so I will write at my own pace. This is the only story I'm writing so I want to see to it that is finished the way I want it to end. Thank you so much for your support! =)

The allen walker- Me too, I want more cuteness between Lelouch and Suzaku! that's my main drive for writing this story! =)

Katkatw1luv- yup cheers to more cuteness! Thank you for your support since 1st chapter you're awesome! =)

InsanePurpleLove- Thank you, though I really don't see myself as a writer. It's just that I've been searching for stories with brotherly love themes for a long time, haven't found one, so I decided to just write my own. I find it better to write my own story, because I know what's going to happen and I don't have to wait long for an update or be left hanging if an author suddenly goes on hiatus =)

AzulTheBlueDragon- Yup it's my pleasure to give you the rest of the story but it will take time for everything to unfold. Nevertheless, the story shall be finished =)

Kami no Rajin- Thank you for the review! More cuteness awaits you! =)

Thank you also for everyone who put my story on their favorite and alert lists: .58, InsanePurpleLove, Katkatw1luv, Kami No Raijin, Tails Anhidec, the allen walker, jupiter0979, Legionnaire Kael, Shijon, Rin'negan Naruto, wallxflower, AzulTheBlueDragon, YuukimiNakashi, Zio Charmed, beckibean76

Thank you also for the hits, to those anonymous readers or to those who just click haha! See you!

Please review I really enjoy reading them =) thank you!