Uber-long AN time:
Thanks to: LawliPop, 2stupid, kuroi78, Serena the Hikari of Love, Zio Charmed, Wakaran a i xx, xxxCodeTsubasa, Princess of Oblivion, GoGothGirl, -w- easy enough, KarumA-chan, eternal solace, depointedulac, piday, broken-and-beautiful77, KuroKumo14, xXWinterXx, Fallen Oblivion Angel, servant of naruto-sama, Mikazuki Sakura, Amiri, ShinigamiKittens, terracannon876, primaaryet, qnhi, Johin, L Lexuran, Xovinn, Kuyeng13, knight of LawliPop, Cerebra Leader Aoki, phoenixflame2010, apetu tupea, Turtle Kid, youreverlastinglight, and of course Dragonrider4000.
Sorry for not replying to reviews last chapter, I feel really gulity about it, and I swear I'll do better this time! But on top on revision, I also had a lot of computer problems this holiday and I had to completely reboot the entire thing. Luckily I had everything backed up, the main thing that's annoying me now is that my keyboard's peculiarity of the " and 'at' buttons being reversed has gone. And it's very confusing… And my custom dictionary has to relearn everything… (my spider solitaire stats have gone too...)
But on the bright side: The exams are over! My arm is tired… so much essay writing. But I think I did pretty well. I certainly wrote lots, though whether any of it was relevant I have no idea. Special thanks to LawliPop for wishing me luck.
Disclaimer: I don't own Code Geass.
"So why did Nunally send you to find me?" asked Lelouch.
"…" Suzaku hesitated, not particularly wanting to inform Lelouch that his sister wanted him to remove himself from his self-imposed isolation and discontinued political involvement, to resolve the issue of her successor. Whilst considering how to express himself, Suzaku followed Lelouch into the slightly more comfortable sitting room, and took a seat in a small armchair opposite Lelouch.
He glanced around the room nervously. This living space, much like the house in general, was small and understated, hardly what Suzaku would have expected from Lelouch, who seemed more accustomed to, and experienced with, far more opulent accommodation, especially as a young prince and during his brief spell as Emperor. Not that Lelouch presently needed an elaborate home. It wasn't like anyone but himself, CC and now Suzaku had even seen it. He was only living here for a short period, and he would be leaving just about everything that wasn't absolutely necessary behind when he moved on.
What drew Suzaku's eye was one of the only personal touches the room held. An old photograph, taken oh-so-very-many years ago, when Lelouch had been a child. The picture, Suzaku remembered, had been taken shortly before Britannia's invasion of Japan, whilst the two young Britannians had been living on his father's estate. Smiling up from the picture were three young faces, those of Lelouch, Nunally and Suzaku himself. Suzaku smiled briefly, wondering just how Lelouch had managed to get hold of the photo.
"Well?" demanded Lelouch, bored of staring at the nostalgic expression on the brunette's face as his anxiety made him impatient.
Suzaku snapped from his reverie, realising that he was supposed to be answering Lelouch's question. He turned his gaze back to Lelouch, eyes sparkling happily as they once more met with the sight of his supposedly long dead friend. Suzaku sighed, bracing himself, and answered. "She wants you to come back to Britannia" he forced out, near unintelligibly.
Lelouch raised an eyebrow in his usual calm, composed manner, and simply asked "Why?"
"She wants your advice. The issue of a successor to the Britannian throne hasn't been sorted out yet, as I'm sure you know, and she's worried that her present advisors on such matters are at risk of, or have already been, compromised. She feels that some members of your family may want her choice to go in a certain direction, one more in their favour."
Lelouch smiled, but there was no amusement in it. "Oh yes, good old Britannian family backstabbing and political intrigue. Oh how I miss it."
"Lelouch…" started Suzaku, wanting to scold his friend for the unnecessary sarcasm.
Lelouch interrupted him with a colossal sigh. "You don't need to lecture me Suzaku. I'm hardly likely to neglect a plea for help from Nunally am I? Especially when she went to all the trouble of sending you all the way around the globe to find me."
A massive grin spread its way across Suzaku's face at Lelouch's positive, if reluctant, response. Of course Lelouch wouldn't be able to deny a request from his little sister, he'd reshaped the world for her after all, even if he knew for a fact that Nunally hadn't approved of the methods, no one could deny that the outcome had been a successful one. In comparison, Nunally's present request was small, and was something she had actually asked for this time.
"So," asked Lelouch, "when does she expect to see me?"
"Well, in theory, as soon as possible. Though in reality, she doesn't expect us back for another couple of weeks at the earliest. We were expecting it to take a lot longer to track you down."
Lelouch frowned slightly at that. "Well, I'm sorry I didn't meet your expectations, but I honestly didn't expect anyone to be looking for me."
Suzaku chuckled warmly at Lelouch's defensive response. "Plus there's obviously a few other things that to sort out before we can go. In particular you need a disguise, and I guess that would take some time to put together."
"Because I can hardly return to my homeland as Lelouch vi Britannia" said Lelouch moodily. He didn't need Suzaku to tell him that. "Lelouch vi Britannia is dead. They'd spot me instantly and probably have me executed. And 'dying' wasn't much fun the first time around. I'm not looking for a repeat experience."
Suzaku nodded uneasily, fully aware that the first 'death' was his doing. "So, a disguise…" he started, attempting to think of a way to camouflage Lelouch so he could easily enter the palace.
"What if I were to tell you that I've already got a disguise prepared, and can easily come up with a more suitable identity to go with it? Would you accompany me on a brief side trip before we travel to Britannia?"
"If you've already got a disguise prepared then why not leave straight away? Why a side trip?"
"If you weren't expecting to return to Britannia for a while, then knowing you, you'll have left Nunally under trustworthy protection. And the side trip? Well, Nunally's not the only one who needs my help."
"Who?" asked Suzaku, unable to think of anyone who would know that Lelouch was alive, and would ask for his help.
"I wish I could tell you, but whoever it is doesn't seem to know either. That's what they want my help with, and I think I can help. That's why I need to go to Japan. I've got a ticket booked for tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes, that is what I just said. I'm leaving as soon as CC has picked up the cats in the morning."
"Can you give me the flight details? If I'm coming with you I need to get on board too."
"Good point" replied Lelouch as he stood and then dug through a desk looking for the right bit of paper. He handed the necessary details to Suzaku, who pulled out a small phone from his pocket.
"Are you hungry?" asked Lelouch, to which Suzaku nodded.
"I'll start making some dinner whilst you do that then."
A short time later Suzaku entered the kitchen, taking a moment to observe the faint smile on Lelouch's face as he stood over the stove.
"Something smells good," he declared conversationally, "but then your cooking always was. You know, Milly always used to say you'd make an excellent wife one day."
Lelouch blushed faintly, almost imperceptibly, at the implications of the comment, turning his head away from the other, before offering a response. "Well… cooking is more worthwhile when it's for more than just yourself. And you know as well as Milly did that I had to learn to cook for Nunally's sake."
Suzaku smirked, unable to resist the opportunity to tease Lelouch further. "That, and your other housewifely skills… especially sewing and making your own outfits. I know you made your Zero costume yourself, and you probably had a hand in the design of several other outfits as well."
Lelouch remained silent, refusing to acknowledge that particular observation, instead choosing to change the subject. "You didn't take long on the phone; did you get on the flight?"
"Easily. I've become quite practiced at getting onto flights at the last minute this week. Being an 'associate of Zero' and travelling 'on behalf of the Britannian empress' helps of course."
"Of course..." replied Lelouch, slightly peeved that Suzaku was drawing unnecessary attention to his travel plans, but then dismissed it as irrelevant, it wasn't like anyone would think anything of it. No one knew he was travelling with Suzaku, Suzaku wouldn't be travelling as Zero, presumably under another identity, and Lelouch himself would be in disguise.
"So do I get to know what this disguise of yours is?" asked Suzaku inquisitively
"You'll see tomorrow" replied Lelouch, eyes sparkling mischievously. He was slightly embarrassed about having to wear this particular disguise in front of Suzaku, but he was also hoping that the other's reaction to it would be entertaining. "You should take a shower after dinner, and let me wash your stuff before we go."
"Why? I've got plenty of clean clothes."
Lelouch glared at the other, communicating that it was obvious; Lelouch was not going anywhere with someone with a bag half full of dirty clothing unless it was absolutely necessary.
"Ok, you can wash them if you like," replied Suzaku, refraining from any further comments he considered making. He did not want Lelouch in a bad mood with him after all.
Several hours later Suzaku awoke with a start.
He was in Lelouch's bed wearing Lelouch pyjama's, at Lelouch's behest. Well… since Lelouch had seemingly insisted on washing everything Suzaku had brought with him, whether he'd worn it or not, he hadn't had anything to wear to bed.
Suzaku supposed that Lelouch's odd behaviour in wanting to look after Suzaku, and do as much for him as possible, was his way of asking for his forgiveness about lying to him about his death. Of course, it could be just that the other had been lacking sufficient human contact for some time, and didn't want his friend to leave him. Lelouch was so insecure sometimes. But Suzaku couldn't really blame him, he'd been betrayed too many times before. And he wasn't innocent of the action himself, he supposed. So Suzaku had accepted the pyjamas, even if they were a little small for him, and had also accepted Lelouch's offer of sharing the only bed in the house. He supposed Lelouch wasn't the only insecure one; he wanted Lelouch to trust him, he didn't want to lose his friend either.
He glanced around the room blearily, wondering what it was that had woken him up. His eyes fell about the dark haired boy lying beside him. He didn't feel weird about sharing the bed, since it was something they had done frequently as children, and it was nice to be reminded of those times. But Lelouch had always been such a peaceful sleeper, rarely tormented by nightmares, and never when either Nunally or Suzaku had been present, his companions acting to banish the memories from his unconscious mind.
But now…
Lelouch tossed in his sleep, groaning painfully, turning so Suzaku could clearly see the distressed expression on his face, even in the dim room under the faint glow of the moon, and the city lights.
He was clearly not sleeping well.
Suzaku didn't like seeing Lelouch like this. Tentatively he reached out to touch the other's shoulder, hoping to comfort Lelouch without waking him. A tingling, sort of pins and needles sensation shot down his arm as he did so. And yet, it seemed to help. Lelouch's breathing settled slightly, his breaths changing from short and shallow, to somewhat longer, deeper ones. Unconsciously, the other boy moved closer to Suzaku's side, seeking further comfort. This close, Suzaku could hear Lelouch muttering quietly in his sleep.
"Who… who am I?" he murmured. "Help me…"
Suzaku pulled his sleeping friend closer, wary of the tingling sensation, but his desire to comfort his friend overruling. He allowed the slumbering Lelouch to drape an arm across his chest and rest his head on his shoulder. Finally the dream, whatever it had been, seemed to leave Lelouch and he quietened, falling into a much deeper sleep.
Briefly running his fingers though the dark hair of the other a couple of times, Suzaku yawned, and settled down to go back to sleep.
A/N: And that's it. For now anyway. To be honest, I probably could have continued and written a lot more, but I'm tired, and that seemed like a good stopping point.
So… any guesses on what Lulu was dreaming about? Actually no, that's probably obvious. A better question would be…. Any guesses on Lulu's disguise? … I'm pretty sure that one won't be too difficult either.
Hope I didn't keep you guys waiting too long. And I'll try to get the next chapter done as soon as possible, and hopefully it might be a little longer.