Suzaku lay spread out on the ground next to the large pond which lay on the outskirts of the palace grounds, having fun teasing Arthur with a pussyfoot. Lelouch waded in the water, trying to catch fish that swam past his bony ankles.
He let out a long sigh, turning on to his back as the cat meowed loudly and pawed at his side. When had the days become so peaceful and lazy? If he could stop time at this moment, he wouldn't mind if the world decided to end.
Turning his head, he watched as Lelouch finally gave up on his quest, stepping out of water and walking up to where he lay. "It's too hard to catch those fish. They're so fast!" He collapsed onto Suzaku's chest, already out of breath.
Suzaku laughed, letting a hand run up and down the boy's back. "I bet Arther could catch some."
"Ah. I bet he could!" Lelouch set up, eyes darting over the grass in search of the cat. He frowned. "Where is he…?"
"Eh?" Suzaku sat up on his elbows, looking across the way to see the cat's familiar gray body running into the wooded area. "There he is!"
"Arthur!" Lelouch stood up, yelling after the cat who continued on his journey without looking back. "He's not listening."
"I'll go after him." Suzaku began standing up, reaching for his mask; unsure how far the cat would go before he would find him.
"Suzaku, let me."
"Lelouch, you'll never catch up with him. I'm going." The boy, just as the man that came before him, had terrible stamina.
He nodded reluctantly, watching 'Zero' run after the pet; suddenly hearing someone call out his name from behind.
'Zero' found the cat after 10 long minutes of a search and rescue; but not after having the cat bite him numerous times in the hand for ruining its fun. Making his way back to where Lelouch waited him, he came up to the boy who was staring out into the pond; drenched from head to toe.
"Lelouch, why are you all wet?"
"I met someone while you were gone."
"Someone? You mean someone was here? Did they see my face before I left?" Panic rose in his stomach, unsure how to handle such a situation.
"I don't know. They didn't say anything about that." The boy's voice sounded flat, but somehow Suzaku knew he was smiling as he spoke.
"Then what did they want?"
"They told me how I could really become like Emperor Lelouch. So that you can love me more." Suzaku shifted uneasy, letting the cat jump from his arms; watching as the boy lay down on his back; looking at him upside down.
"You're fine as you are though… Lelouch."
"I'm not Lelouch though. That's still only a nickname." He was still smiling at him, but Suzaku didn't feel better about what he was saying. "But I can't have it yet, she said I'm not allowed. I have to wait longer."
"I don't understand what you're talking about." He knelt down, cupping the boy's face with gloved hands. "Who is this person you talked to?"
"I don't know who they are, but they promised me they'd return."
"Andre, please." Suzaku called the boy by his birthname, frustrated with this game he insisted on playing with him.
"I told you," He let his hands come up to cup Suzaku's face as well, pulling him closer to is own. "Call me Lelouch." And he stole a kiss from the former knight, forcing Suzaku to close his eyes; trying to ignore the feeling that something terrible was going to happen.