A/N: Hello everyone. Yay, I'm still alive, I know it's unbelievable! As always there is my customary mini-newsletter disguised as the ending author's note? Does that bother you? If it does, I'm sorry. There's just really no way for me to issue warnings, notifications, etc. Ah, and as you may have noticed the title for this is "Untitled". I am having a REALLY hard time coming up with titles these days, so if you could just... Think of one that would suit this, that would be great. Thanks a bunch.

Disclaimer: Code Geass is not my property (although Lelouch will always be in my heart. And C2. And Euphemia. And Nunnally. Even Rolo. But definitely not Shirley or Kallen, sorry to people who like those two, I just... Have this... Hatred towards them, but let's not get into that)

A/N II: Oh, and just in case you're confused by my lack of sense and the omittance of the setting. The setting of this is when Lelouch, Suzaku, Euphie, and Kallen ended up on Kamine Island.

Lelouch vi Britannia, the eleventh prince of the Holy Empire Britannia and seventeenth in line to the throne, the one who had been abandoned and condemned by his imperium, the one who had donned the mask of Zero and bore the sins of a messiah, the one who was simply a man searching for happiness in the dark and selfish world he had been born into, watched the ocean crash onto the shore of the island he had been arbitrarily and unceremoniously deserted on through some freak accident. His brooding and tempestuous amethyst irises never so much as flickered away from the calming and constantly steady pace of the breaking waves. They surged and swelled forward, white foam leading the charge, before drawing back from him, much like…

Much like the way he had drawn back from the world.

Yes. He was no longer a constituent of the immense mass of common, unremarkable, and insignificant men, women, and children, who had been doomed to mindlessly follow the decisions of whatever greater power there was.

No. He was now a power, a greater power, one who no longer followed the rules, but made them. Created them. Molded them, and the fates of so many. He found himself clutching at his chest, his nails gently scraping himself as his hand closed into a tight fist, pulling on his clothes. He felt his heart beating incessantly and firmly, and he asked himself…

Was one man allowed to have so much control? So much authority, so much influence, mastery, dominance, over the lives of so many others?

Ah, but such domination, such ability only came with a price, and what a price it was. It drained and stole away his independence, spirited away his humaneness to unfathomable depths only brought on by countless sins staining his soul. It wasn't until recently when he had finally realized…

If it weren't for her…

If it weren't for her, he would have been lost long ago, consumed by the darkness that nipped at his heels, whispering to him the terrible truths of what he had done and caused. He had told her that even without the power of the kings, he would have destroyed Britannia all the same, but now… He realized how foolish his original plan had been.

For if she hadn't been with him every step of the way, if she hadn't been there to soothe him from the never-ending onslaught of nightmares he suffered through, if she hadn't been there to assuage his fears, to offer him an understanding ear and a shoulder to lean on, if she hadn't been there solely for him, forgiving and insightful of the true motivation…

How much more painful, he wondered, would my path have been if she weren't by my side?

But in spite of his gratitude, his appreciation, his dependency, of her presence… He refused to give her even a glimpse of his true feelings. A long time ago, he had concluded that it was far too dangerous and far better for the both of them, if they kept their relationship black and white. Simply accomplices, with an easily comprehensible contract. No greys. Just black and white.

It was in their best interest. It was in her best interest that he silence his heart, that he discipline his yearning.

And yet…

Through his suit, he felt the thin pendant and his heart clenched. The necklace…

The necklace that she had given him, nonchalant and cool on her part, while surprised on his. It hung on a lithe silver chain, and the medallion, a delicate little thing, had a symbol inscribed in black diamond (how she had acquired the money for such a gift was beyond even his intellect, but he didn't bother probing her, as he knew that his only reward would be an irritated glance and an ambiguous answer). It was strikingly similar to the insignia of the Black Knights, Zero's legion, save for the long dividing line down the center. It was, upon his analyzation, as if a W had been engraved.

W for witch.

W for warlock.

So lost in his thoughts was Lelouch that he nearly forgot that he wasn't alone under the night sky of the mysterious island he had found himself to be on.

"You've changed, Lelouch."

"Hmm? Why do you say that?"

By the dim lighting the small fire offered, he glanced at his half-sister and first (though not contemporary) love. Euphemia tapped her chin thoughtfully as she searched herself for the correct words.

"Just… The aura around you. It's as if… It's as if you feel like you've been wronged. As if you have a vendetta against the world. You just seem more… Rougher and colder than the last time I met you."

The raven-haired man said nothing and simply looked away. The princess noticed and added gently as recompense for the unintentionally stinging observation she gave him, "But I can see in your eyes that there's someone that you want to protect."

"Of cour-"

She hurriedly shook her head and cut him off. "Besides Nunnally."

The dark prince fell silent again.

"There is, isn't there?" When she received no reply, she told him, "I have someone like that too…" She smiled wistfully to herself, thinking of her Knight. Idly writing his initials with her aristocratic cursive into the sand absentmindedly, she said, "Lelouch?"

"Hmm?"

Euphemia rested her chin on her knees and questioned, "If that certain someone feels that they aren't good and deserving of good fortune when they truly are… How would you reassure them?"

"… I don't know," confessed he.

"Surely one of you must have felt upset towards yourself, saying that you weren't adequate for something that's of great importance to you."

"She and I…" he swallowed at the thought of the emerald-haired siren. "She and I are equals in any and every aspect. We fit each other perfectly; she fulfills my shortcomings, as I do for her. She is… She is the queen to my king." In a much quieter voice, he added, "The witch to my warlock."

"What is she like? The one you love?"

He scoffed at her question and replied with a firm denial of feeling such a sentiment for the immortal. Irritation, certainly, surprise, definitely, compassion, at times, but love? Lelouch was many things; a beloved brother, an arrogant gambler, a chess master, a vigilante, a student council vice president, a teenage boy, a friend, a prince. But the one thing that he unquestionably and indubitably not was her lover. He was her accomplice, not lover. Those were two completely different things, and he had made peace with himself that it would remain that way until the fulfillment of their contract and the resolution of his strife.

Really? The critic in his head crossed their arms as a brow arched up delicately, as they interrogated his resolve. Is that really all there is to your relationship with her?

And every time they asked, he banished them like the coward he was. But this coward… This coward could escape from his own skepticism, but not from the one he had grown up with during that precious time period before his world came crashing down around him.

"You're lying. Your tongue can spin cloaks of deceit, but your eyes cannot. I saw it. I saw how your gaze, I saw how the light in your eyes changed as you were thinking of her. Your eyes, Lelouch… They were hard and tired. Furious and cold, but now… Now they're soft. Gentle. Protective. Loving."

"I don't love her!" he refused to believe the truth. He wanted to preserve the shield he had created for both him and for C2, but much to his dismay, it was crumbling too quickly for him to do anything to come up with a solution.

"Are you saying that to me or to yourself?"

For the third time that evening, Lelouch averted her gaze. Euphemia leaned back against the boulder on the seashore and sang in an all-knowing and teasing voice, "I know what you're doing…"

Sulking, the raven-haired man buried his face in his gloved hands. It was incredibly late and had been a particularly challenging day. Challenges that he was, in any way, prepared for. He had failed miserably, and with Euphemia's lighthearted but unintentional ridicule of his innermost feelings, he was impressively agitated and distressed. It was almost as bad as the time she, Cornelia, Clovis, and Nunnally had forced him to cross-dress during his boyhood.

The princess became much more solemn as she continued on with her guesswork. "You're keeping her far from you, aren't you? Because you don't want her to get hurt, you won't let her come close to you. Because you're afraid that once you let her in… She'll only leave."

He gave no response.

"But that's all the more reason to be with her, Lelouch. What if she loves you too? You're just putting each other in needless torment. What if, one day, something irreversible happens and you two can't-"

"I can't lose her," the dam broke and he clawed away the mask he had been wearing ever since that day when he had first felt his immovable and insensitive heart stir, all because of that damned siren. "I don't want to lose her, Euphemia, I… I can't. I can't lose her, I need her so much if she disappears… If she leaves me… I can't do it. I can't be Zero, I'll… I'll collapse, I'll cave in. I can't go down this path without her, I need her… That's why… That's why! That's why I won't tell her. Because this way, she won't be in harm's way. So that people won't try to hurt her. Euphemia, I… I swore to myself I would protect her because I… Because I…" He struggled to find the words to describe the turmoil he had chosen to dive into with his decision, when she gently suggested, "Because you love her? That's so sweet of you, Lelouch. To desire to protect her. Do you know what my wish is? Mine is a little different. I wish that all of the fighting would stop. I wish that we, that all of us, could live together in a peaceful world. With Nunnally and Suzaku… And you too, of course. You could even introduce me to the girl you like! I'd like to meet her. I'm sure she's an interesting and a wonderful woman if you fell in love with her."

"… Euphemia-"

"It's nice to dream, isn't it? It gives one something to look forward to in the future. Something to strive towards. To live towards."

The raven-haired man looked down at the white sand and was surprised to discover that throughout his confession, he had unconsciously written a singular word. A powerful one nonetheless, a significant one for him.

Snow.

Do you know why snow is white, Lelouch? Because it's forgotten what color it once was.

C2… I don't know why snow is white… But I do find such white snow beautiful. I don't hate it.

He wilted at the thought of the witch and her endurance, her struggles and pain; was she alright? He recalled how she would often have nightmares when sleeping, tossing and turning while she sobbed and cried, begging for reprieve… Until he held her.

"Lelouch, let's make a promise."

"A promise?"

Euphemia straightened and faced him. "Let's promise to tell our significant others how much we love them. You can never do with enough reminders of being loved in today's world, don't you think so?"

"I… Suppose so."

She held out her hand, waving her pinky in the air. "Nunnally taught me. This is how Japanese people make promises. And since we're in Japan… Will you promise, Lelouch?"

"I…" Think of the consequences, his mind screamed. The consequences! This could change everything that follows, you must think of the- "Yes. Yes, I'll promise."

She smiled brightly, as the Princess and the Warlock pledged to speak the truth to the Knight and the Witch.

. . .

"Kallen! Zero! What hap-"

Silk cape flying in the wind after him, their leader ignored his distraught disciples. Not paying any mind at the fact that every single member of the organization was within the vicinity with virtually all attention focused on him, Lelouch strode through the hanger, searching for her.

The crowd of men and women parted like the Red Sea, and it wasn't until he was nearly to the doors when he spotted her. The second he laid eyes upon her aloof form, he broke into a sprint. Tamaki, seeing Zero run, smirked, triumphant. Finally! Zero would finally give that wench the lecture and reprimand she deserved after her emotional abuse of hi-

His, along with every single one of the Knights', jaws dropped as they witnessed something they never would have imagined even in their wildest dreams.

Running to her, not even giving her a chance to say something snarky, he embraced the witch, his cloak settling around them like a dramatic curtain of privacy. All tension melted away from his body as he wrapped his arms around her securely. Bending down so that only she could hear, he whispered, "I have something important to tell you."

"What type of importance?"

"I hope it's of great importance to you, as it is for me."

"I-"

"Let's go."

Lacing their fingers together, he led her to the privacy of their office so that he could discard the mask for his emotions once and for all.

A/N: So... I've had this idea for a while. Where Euphemia and Lelouch were on the Island. Obviously, they had a bunch of these conversations because they haven't seen each other in so long. Just yesterday, I had this sudden craving to write it out for real, so I did. Deserted my homework in the process, but I can finish that quickly, so it's okay. Not really, but that's not what's important right now (I'm just kidding. I can finish quickly, no need to nag me on setting my priorities straight). The necklace that C2 gave Lelouch, I actually have a one-shot on THAT. If any of you are interested in reading THAT scenario, please don't hesitate to notify me in any way, shape, or form. And uh... Regarding my other stories. Yeah... Sorry. School's been crazy, and the following week is about to get even crazier (I think I have at least one quiz or test every day the upcoming week) but the good news is... It's going to be Thanksgiving break after this week! Which means a whole week off of school! (Thanksgiving break lengthened because of budget cuts or something). So writing 24/7, yes! That, and I have to play the violin by myself in front of like 50 plus families, and I'm not even that good... It was a mandatory concert. So scared for that. I just want to get it over with. But until Thanksgiving... I suppose I'll have to freeload off of your indulging patience. Gomenesai~ Or, as Lloyd Asplund likes to say: Forgive me~~~

Ah, and because you just read through all of my rambling, here's a little bonus scene for you:

"Looks like Zero'll be busy during the next few… Hours!" Sugiyama snickered as Kaname scratched his head sheepishly. "I guess, in the end, Zero is still a man just like the rest of us."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" demanded Kallen. Jealously burning through her patience and calm, she repeated in a hostile voice, "What is that supposed to mean, Ohgi?!"

Said man stuttered while backing away, "I'm just saying… Maybe the rumors are true and-"

"What rumors?!" spat the ace Knightmare pilot.

"Haven't you heard, Kallen?" Tamaki, the one with absolute no sense, bounded up to them. "That wench is Zero's mistress! And it looks like Zero missed her, but more her body in my opinion, and he wants to make up for what they couldn't the night bef-"

Envy distorting her judgment, Kallen punched her fellow rebel. The pervert whimpered, clutching his nose, as he accused, "My nose is bleeding because of you!"

"Good!" she huffed before storming away.

. . .

"Um… Zero?" Kallen nervously glanced up at the camera stationed at the entrance of the private quarters of her beloved icon of justice. "I just… Wanted to ask you something important about Squad Zero."

Inside, C2 zipped up her white boots while asking, "Are you going to let her in?"

He sighed, "As reluctant as I am, I have to. It concerns Squad Zero."

"Ah, of course, the unit created specifically for the protection of our messiah, Zero." The emerald-haired woman reached for her yellow amorphous plushie, effectively hiding the rather revealing white monokini she was scantily clad in. Her eyes never left the other sole occupant of the room as he reached for her deserted suit.

"I never devised Squad Zero because of concern for my safety."

"Oh?"

"It's for you." He glanced at her, unsure of what her reaction would be to the second confession he was giving her within the same hour. "I may have told the Black Knights that it was the platoon specifically designed to defend me, but it's really for your protection. Didn't you know?"

"How can I know when you've never told me? I can't read minds, Lelouch." She languidly stretched out on the sofa as he neatly hung her clothes.

"And here I was, thinking that you were a witch."

"Even witches have limits on what they can do."

"And hopefully toying with a man's heart is one of the things they can't bring themselves to do?"

"Some. Not all. Not me."

He smiled before bending down. C2 closed her eyes, but was completely caught off guard when she received, not the passionate kiss she had been expecting and waiting for, but a chaste peck on the cheek. Somewhat disgruntled, she derided him.

"You are such an underdeveloped boy, no matter what your pride tells you."

"That's simply because I'm leaving the job of turning me into a man to you, C2. Or did you not know that too?"

And with a teasing smile, he masked himself before allowing Kallen in. The teenage girl, upon walking in, noticed C2 and the way she was so sparsely dressed, but said nothing, choosing to be mature and professional. Or, as mature and as professional as a jealous 17 year old girl could get.

"Zero, about that Knightmare we took from the Island…"

"What about it?"

"It has a double-seater cockpit, so we were wondering if you were going to have a co-pilot and who it would be if you are. And if you are… I don't want to appear self-centered, but I believe that I could make a good-"

"Thank you, Kallen, but Squad Zero needs you as their leader. That is where you will remain, as you will be most useful to our purpose."

"Then who…?"

He turned his back on her for the second time that day and asked, "What do you think? Are you up to the task?"

C2's light laughter, as clear and as beautiful as crystal bells tinkling in a summer breeze, rang throughout the room. "Don't be condescending like Tamaki. That fool told me to go work on my piloting skills earlier. I admit, I was more amused than irritated with his boorish suggestion."

"Then I suppose it's been decided, Kallen. C2 will be my co-pilot."

"I… I see. W-well… Thank you, Zero!"

Zero's love-struck subordinate turned to leave, but not before glancing behind her shoulder one last time. Much to her discontent, she saw Zero's back facing her once again as he reached up and actually remove his mask, while C2 sat up, beckoning for him to come closer so they could… So they could do whatever the hell those two perverts had been up to. Once outside, out of frustration, the redhead kicked the wall, only to stub her toes.

Why, out of all women, did Zero have to choose that mysterious and strange and infuriating witch?

Little did she know it was due to the undeniable fact that behind the mask of Zero lay the face of a warlock.